Effects of canopy structure on growth and belowground/ aboveground biomass of seedlings in uneven-aged trojan fi r stands. CERNE, v. 24, n. 4, p. 312-322, 2018. HIGHLIGHTS The light transmitted through the canopy was the most signifi cant predictor of understory seedlings growth in uneven-aged Trojan fi r stands. Light reaching understory can accelerate the development of sub-canopy layers in unevenaged Trojan fi r stands. Complete canopy closure should be avoided even in stands of shade-tolerant species such as Trojan fi r.
Thorny shrubs are considered as an important driver in the natural development of temperate forest structures, particularly in European lowland forests. We assessed the current role of thorny shrubs in the regeneration of deciduous tree species under heavy browsing pressure in a central European temperate forested landscape. The study’s military training area offered a unique opportunity to investigate the processes in which deciduous tree seedlings grew under thorny shrubs and in the close vicinity of thorny shrubs in a landscape with a high density of large herbivores (red deer and sika deer). We assessed the number of seedlings, species composition, seedling height, and degree of browsing damage, and their relationship to study plots elevation, thorny shrub species, coverage, and height. The regenerated tree seedlings were mostly detected as common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and wild cherry (Cerasus avium). The species of thorny shrubs were blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), and wild rose (Rosa sp.). We found that the thorny shrubs protected the tree seedlings from browsers to a large extent. However, the effects of thorny shrubs on the tree seedlings' characteristics varied among the shrub species. While results revealed significant effects of hawthorn and wild rose on the tree seedlings' abundance and survival, blackthorn’s negative effect of shading the tree seedlings outweighed its protective role. These results indicated a possible mechanism that enabled the regeneration of deciduous tree species under large herbivore pressure. These results can be applied in the landscape planning and forest management of deciduous tree regeneration and forest restoration in temperate forested lowland landscapes, where high densities of large herbivores (without the presence of large predators) usually occur.
Aim of study: Clonal seed orchards are really important tools in seed material production. In this study; the effective clone number and clone contribution to gene pool were examined. Area of study: The studied clonal seed orchard was established on 13 ha of area, located at Hanönü (Kastamonu) in Turkey. Material and Methods: In 2008, the existed ramets were firstly counted for determining the ramet number for the clones. After that, all cones on the ramets were counted and CGP (clone contribution to gene pool) was analysed. The effective number of clones (Nc) was determined by the variation coefficient (CV). Main results: There is considerable variation on living ramet numbers among the clones. In the establishment phase, there was also 7 times difference between clone 22 (12 ramets) and clone 2 (85 ramets). This difference both establishment phase and 17 years-old, could stem from epibiot-hipobiot incompatibility and environmental factors. Highlights: The effective number of clones, describes the gene pool of the orchard. However, incorporation of fertility variation among clones with variation in the number of ramets will give a better prediction of it.
The impact of climate change on forest ecosystems may manifest itself by a shift in forest vegetation zones in the landscape northward and into higher elevations. Studies of climate change-induced vegetation zone shifts in forest ecosystems have been relatively rare in the context of European temperate zone (apart from Alpine regions). The presented paper outlines the results of a biogeographic model of climatic conditions in forest vegetation zones applied in the Central European landscape. The objective of the study is a prediction of future silvicultural conditions for the Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), which is one of the principal tree species within European forests. The model is based on a general environmental dependence of forest vegetation zones on the long-term effect of altitudinal and exposure climates defined by the mean and extreme air temperatures and the amount and distribution of atmospheric precipitation. The climatological data for the model were provided by a validated regional climate database for 2010 – 2090 according to the SRES A1B scenario, bound to specific geo-referenced points in the landscape. The geobiocoenological data in the model were provided by the Biogeography Register database which contains ecological data on the landscape bound to individual cadastres of the entire Czech Republic. The biogeographic model applies special programs (the FORTRAN programming language) in the environment of geographic information systems. The model outputs can be clearly graphically visualized as scenarios of predicted future climatic conditions of landscape vegetation zones. Modelling of the regional scenario of changes in the climatic conditions of forest vegetation zones reveals that in the prediction period of 2070 and beyond, good and very good climatic conditions for the cultivation of forests with dominant Norway spruce will be found only in some parts of its today’s native range in forest vegetation zones 5 – 8. Based on the results provided by the regional scenario, the authors of this paper recommend fundamental reassessment of the national strategy of sustainable forest management in the Czech Republic, stipulating that the current practice of spruce cultivation be reduced only to areas specifically defined by the biogeographic model. The paper shows that biogeographic models based on the concept of vegetation zoning can be applied not only in regional scenarios of climate change in the landscape but also as support tools for the creation of strategies of sustainable forest management.
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