The pattern of germination of teak mistletoe seeds in relation with parasitism

The objectives of this research are to test the initial viability and germination pattern of teak mistletoe seeds, namely Dendrophthoe pentandra and Macrosolen tetragonus in associated with parasitism. Research results showed that the pattern of D. pentandra germination was different from that of M. tetragonus. The germination process of D. pentandra showed incomplete development of germination morphology, marked by an absence of development or growth of hypocotyl and cotyledon. Parasitism was more dominant in D. pentandra, supported by the fact that the sum of mean germination day (RH) in the stem of teak seedling was faster (17.54±2.77 days), as compared with that of M. tetragonus (35.13±1.76 days), although mortality of M. tetragonus seedlings was very low (±3%), whereas that of D. pentandra was fairly high (±34%). It was related to the life cycle of M. tetragonus, which was longer than that of D. pentandra. In the attachment of seeds in the standing tree stems, it was proven that the germination percentage (%K) of D. pentandra (38.5%) was higher than that of M. tetragonus (11.1%). Seed germination of D. pentandra from bird feces also showed that %K (46.4%) was higher than seed attachment in tree stem, including M. tetragonus. It was supposed that there was a correlation between the easiness of germination and parasitism character in teak mistletoes. It was considered that parasitism of D. pentandra was more prominent than that of M. tetragonus in a teak host.

Technologies of Intermediate Felling in Difficult to Access Areas

The development of technologies and equipment that meet modern requirements of forest preservation and a gentle mode of forest exploitation becomes a relevant issue within the framework of the implementation of the sustainable forest management principles both at forestry enterprises and in the organization of forestry. Such technologies include developed and field-tested experimental methods of logging using balloon-rope systems for various types and methods of felling. Of particular interest is the concept of using this equipment based on the purpose logging and the environmental and forestry requirements for their implementation. The paper has informative and cognitive nature; its purpose is to provide professionals with information on new technologies and designs of specialized equipment to ensure a gentle mode of forest management and forest exploitation. The article presents the results of theoretical research on possible directions of use of balloon-rope systems when working on forest sites of specially protected natural areas. The authors propose the designs of specialized equipment for the vertical removal of trees (whips) in the process of intermediate felling on the areas with signs of hard access and ecological dependence. Such mechanisms will significantly reduce energy costs when removing branches and limbs from a standing tree and its vertical removal from the plantation. The developed designs of specialized mechanisms for skidding a vertically standing tree without its landing in the form of a grabbing, grabbingcutting and knot-cutting device with a grabber ensure the maximum possible preservation of the forest environment, since they do not cause damage to the nearby stand, the undergrowth or the soil.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Management Intensity and Environmental Factors on the Functional Diversity of Lichens in Central European Forests

Using 642 forest plots from three regions in Germany, we analyzed the direct and indirect effects of forest management intensity and of environmental variables on lichen functional diversity (FDis). Environmental stand variables were affected by management intensity and acted as an environmental filter: summing direct and indirect effects resulted in a negative total effect of conifer cover on FDis, and a positive total effect of deadwood cover and standing tree biomass. Management intensity had a direct positive effect on FDis, which was compensated by an indirect negative effect via reduced standing tree biomass and lichen species richness, resulting in a negative total effect on FDis and the FDis of adaptation-related traits (FDisAd). This indicates environmental filtering of management and stronger niche partitioning at a lower intensity. In contrast, management intensity had a positive total effect on the FDis of reproduction-, dispersal- and establishment-related traits (FDisRe), mainly because of the direct negative effect of species richness, indicating functional over-redundancy, i.e., most species cluster into a few over-represented functional entities. Our findings have important implications for forest management: high lichen functional diversity can be conserved by promoting old, site-typical deciduous forests with a high richness of woody species and large deadwood quantity.

Tree Risk Assessment with Sonic Tomograph Method at Bali Botanical Garden

Safety perception is the most important part of people's choice in determining tourist sites. Standing trees that are prone to falling are very dangerous for both visitors and employees. Standing tree with decay wood inside is often the cause of tree failure. Therefore, there is a need for research examining the risk of collection and non-collection trees in Bali Botanical Garden. Tree risk checks were carried out using the Tree Risk Assessment method from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), which has been modified. The result of this research gives valuable information for the manager to determine tree handling to minimize tree risk.

Modelling variation in wood stiffness of Pinus ponderosa using static bending and acoustic measurements

Wood removed in Southwestern US forest restoration treatments currently has limited markets and thus low value. One important property of wood in structural products is its stiffness (measured as modulus of elasticity), which is known to vary systematically within trees. Directly measuring wood stiffness is expensive, time consuming and destructive. Therefore, we tested samples of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum Engelm.) from northern Arizona destructively in bending and also non-destructively using acoustic velocity (AV) methods. In total, we tested multiple pith-to-bark small clear (2.54 × 2.54 × 40.64 cm) samples from up to four heights in 103 trees. We first measured the standing-tree AV of sample trees, then the AV of small clear samples, and finally measured wood stiffness using three point static bending tests. We found that a Michaelis–Menten curve was a good fit to the radial profile of wood stiffness, with a steep increase outward from the pith that approached an asymptote. The AV of small clear samples, coupled with measured volumetric density values, approximated the static modulus of elasticity values with high accuracy (r2 = 0.86). At the stand level, a model predicting standing tree AV from tree morphology fit the data well (r2 = 0.77). Results indicate that southwestern ponderosa pine contains outerwood with relatively high stiffness that could be suitable for structural products. However, when assessed using wood stiffness, the trees take a long time to reach maturity (~50 years) and thus the corewood proportion is large. AV measurements are a good way to assess variability within and among stands and thus could be employed to segregate the resource by expected stiffness values. Segregation could help identify stands not suitable for structural uses and direct them toward more appropriate products.

Criterion Dendrometer as a non-destructive method for dendrometric estimations of native species in Western Amazon

The use of non-destructive approach for measurement in native environments is still a challenge given the ecology of natural forests. In this sense, the present study aimed to verify the accuracy of the Criterion RD1000® optical dendrometer in the diametric and volumetric estimates of native species in a forest concession area, in Western Amazon. A total of 41 trees were measured at the FMU (Forest Management Unit) III, Flona (National Forest) of Jamari, Rondônia, Brazil, by non-destructive approach (standing tree), using Criterion RD1000® optical dendrometers (indirect measurements), and by destructive approach (felled tree), using a taper and a caliper (indirect measurements). Diameter measurements were made along the commercial trunk every two meters from 1.30 m of the soil (DBH) by Smalian, and the volume was calculated by height classes and for all commercial trunk. The variables were compared by means tests, residue graphs and bias analysis, mean absolute differences and standard deviations of differences. Statistical differences were obtained for heights >13,30 m and for the whole commercial trunk. For class and commercial volumes there was no difference between the tree volume determination approaches, however, there was a tendency to overestimate. Therefore, the non-destructive approach using Criterion RD1000® is presented as an alternative for the tree volume determination, nevertheless, the observed tendencies, in greater heights, reflect the limitations of trunk visualization and the device operation.

Carbon estimation using sampling to correct LiDAR-assisted enhanced forest inventory estimates

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning has been increasingly applied in forest ecosystem surveys. Data from LiDAR describe forest structure and provide attribute information for forest inventory. These attributes can potentially aid in the estimation of biomass and carbon by providing sampling covariates. Therefore, this study explored the accuracy of estimating carbon storage by calibrating LiDAR attributes using list sampling with a ratio estimator. Standing tree carbon and down woody debris carbon were estimated across 10 broad forest types. LiDAR-derived gross total volume was used as a listing factor and big BAF samples to collect field data. Gross total volumes were “corrected” using a ratio estimator. The results show that standing tree carbon was 58.5 Mg C × ha-1 (± 2.9% SE), and dead woody debris carbon 1.8 Mg C × ha-1 (± 7.2% SE). With the exception of one forest type, these estimates were comparable to those derived from the carbon budget model of the Canadian forest sector (CBM-CFS3).

Effect of number of annual rings and tree ages on genomic predictive ability for solid wood properties of Norway spruce

Background Genomic selection (GS) or genomic prediction is considered as a promising approach to accelerate tree breeding and increase genetic gain by shortening breeding cycle, but the efforts to develop routines for operational breeding are so far limited. We investigated the predictive ability (PA) of GS based on 484 progeny trees from 62 half-sib families in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) for wood density, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and microfibril angle (MFA) measured with SilviScan, as well as for measurements on standing trees by Pilodyn and Hitman instruments. Results GS predictive abilities were comparable with those based on pedigree-based prediction. Marker-based PAs were generally 25–30% higher for traits density, MFA and MOE measured with SilviScan than for their respective standing tree-based method which measured with Pilodyn and Hitman. Prediction accuracy (PC) of the standing tree-based methods were similar or even higher than increment core-based method. 78–95% of the maximal PAs of density, MFA and MOE obtained from coring to the pith at high age were reached by using data possible to obtain by drilling 3–5 rings towards the pith at tree age 10–12. Conclusions This study indicates standing tree-based measurements is a cost-effective alternative method for GS. PA of GS methods were comparable with those pedigree-based prediction. The highest PAs were reached with at least 80–90% of the dataset used as training set. Selection for trait density could be conducted at an earlier age than for MFA and MOE. Operational breeding can also be optimized by training the model at an earlier age or using 3 to 5 outermost rings at tree age 10 to 12 years, thereby shortening the cycle and reducing the impact on the tree.