Forests

Journal: Forests

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MDPI

ISSN

1999-4907

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Publications 1 - 10 of 31

Valuing Carbon Sequestration to Finance Afforestation Projects in China
Hou, Guolong; Delang, Claudio O.; Lu, Xixi; et al. (2019)
Forests
Afforestation programs have huge potential to store carbon, thereby contributing to mitigate climate change. However, the voluntary acceptance by landowners crucially depends on their economic outcome. We (i) assess the carbon sequestration potential of afforestation projects in various Chinese regions by comparing different tree species, project durations and regional particularities, (ii) analyze the costs and benefits of tree species used for timber and fruit production as well as bamboo, and (iii) compare them with alternative crops under different climatic and economic conditions. Finally, we calculate the minimum compensation required by farmers to convert cropland to forests assuming a joint production of timber or fruits and carbon sequestration. No compensation is needed when cropland with relatively low revenues is to be converted. In contrast, compensation payments must be high for converting land used for cash crops, such as sugarcane. For fruit trees, the amount of carbon sequestered is low, but selling fruits and nuts is quite profitable. Consequently, in most cases there is no compensation needed. The minimum price per carbon credit decreases with increasing project duration because more carbon is stored per hectare, and in consequence, the required payments per credit are lower. This does not hold for fast-growing trees like eucalyptus and poplar, for which the minimum price increases with extended project duration. Bamboo shows a high carbon sequestration potential, and becomes economically more attractive by including carbon revenues. Carbon credits can often compensate the opportunity costs of alternative land uses, except for afforestation on highly productive cropland. We demonstrate that the economic attractiveness of afforestation projects is strongly context dependent and varies substantially across regions. The findings can contribute to the cost-efficient design of carbon sequestration projects. The methodology can be applied to other regions in the developing world.
The Potential Threats of Spodoptera frugiperda on Six Economic Tree Species in the Tropical Region
Xue, Jiabao; Chen, Yi; Kong, Xiangyi; et al. (2024)
Forests
Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a highly significant agricultural pest that poses a threat to crop production worldwide. It is polyphagous, has a strong migratory ability, and is difficult to control, which makes it a threat not only to crops but also to woody plants. However, research on its adaptability to woody plants is limited. This study compares the feeding adaptations (survival rate, pupation time, pupation rate, weight, length, and daily food consumption), protective enzyme activities, and feeding preferences of S. frugiperda on leaves of six economically important tree species (Areca catechu L., Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng, Cocos nucifera L., Camellia oleifera Abel, Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen, and Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Müll. Arg.), with Zea mays L. used as a control treatment. The results indicate that S. frugiperda did not survive when fed with A. catechu, C. oleifera, and D. odorifera. A. catechu had similar survival rates (83.33%), pupation (86.67%), weight, and length data compared to the maize control. C. nucifera had lower survival rates (46.67%) but no significant differences in pupation (76.67%), weight, and length data of S. frugiperda. H. brasiliensis exhibited significantly lower survival (50.00%) and pupation rates (46.67%) compared to maize. However, there was no significant difference in weight and length data, and its preference index was higher among the six tree species treatments. Therefore, A. sinensis is a vulnerable tree with a high risk, while H. brasiliensis and C. nucifera showed varying degrees of susceptibility. A. catechu, C. oleifera, and D. odorifera were found to be unsuitable hosts for S. frugiperda. In conclusion, this study extensively explores the feeding effects of S. frugiperda on six economically important tree species. It provides insights into the feeding preferences of the pest, thereby informing the potential threat posed by S. frugiperda to economically important trees. It helps to prevent further damage from S. frugiperda and provides a reference for agriculture and forestry to develop effective joint prevention and control measures.
Definitions of and Perspectives on Forests of High Value: A Systematic Map Protocol
Savilaakso, Sini; Lausberg, Nik; Garcia, Claude; et al. (2021)
Forests
Forests are defined in many different ways. Apart from ecological and structural factors, associated values and provided ecosystem services are an important part of forest definitions. Typically, forest types are differentiated based on climatic regions and on degrees of human modification. A better understanding of how to distinguish different forests on the basis of the values they provide is needed to advance global policies put forward by organisations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These policies so far approach all forests in a similar manner, regardless of their condition. Without this distinction, benefits stemming from forest intactness and their contribution to global environmental challenges remain unaccounted for. Forest definitions provide the basis for policies and monitoring systems driving or enabling deforestation, degradation, reforestation, and restoration. Here, we provide a systematic approach to disentangle and synthesise different value classifications of forests. As part of a collaboration between ETH Zurich, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the University of Liège and Biotope, Forest Stewardship Council International (FSC) commissioned a systematic map that aims to clarify how definitions of forests of high value are understood and described. Focusing on forests of high value, the systematic map will address three research questions: (1) How are various terms linked to forests of high value defined in the literature?; (2) Do definitions vary between different actors?; and (3) How common are the various definitions? Bibliographic databases and organisational websites will be searched, and internet search engines used to find relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature. The searches will be conducted in English, French and Spanish. Data extraction and coding will be performed at the same time when full texts are considered for inclusion. Definitions will be extracted as well as their respective sources and other study information. We will produce a catalogue of definitions for different terms associated with forests of high value, a narrative synthesis describing the evidence base, and visualisations illustrating the relationships between definitions and terms for forests of high value and their frequencies in the literature.
Effects of drought on xylem anatomy and water-use efficiency of two co-occurring pine species
Martin-Benito, Dario; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Evans, Michael N.; et al. (2017)
Forests
Exploring how drought influences growth, performance, and survival in different species is crucial to understanding the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems. Here, we investigate the responses of two co-occurring pines (Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris) to interannual drought in east-central Spain by dendrochronological and wood anatomical features integrated with isotopic ratios of carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) in tree rings. Our results showed that drought induces both species to allocate less carbon to build tracheid cell-walls but increases tracheid lumen diameters, particularly in the transition wood between early and latewood, potentially maximizing hydraulic conductivity but reducing resistance to embolism at a critical phase during the growing season. The thicker cell-wall-to-lumen ratio in P. nigra could imply that its xylem may be more resistant to bending stress and drought-induced cavitation than P. sylvestris. In contrast, the higher intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) in P. sylvestris suggests that it relies more on a water-saving strategy. Our results suggest that narrower cell-walls and reduced growth under drought are not necessarily linked to increased iWUE. At our site P. nigra showed a higher growth plasticity, grew faster and was more competitive than P. sylvestris. In the long term, these sustained differences in iWUE and anatomical characters could affect forest species performance and composition, particularly under increased drought stress.
Chemical Elements Recorded by Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. Tree Rings Reveal Trends of Pollution History in Harbin, China
Ballikaya, Paula; Song, Wenqi; Bachmann, Olivier; et al. (2023)
Forests
Rapid industrialization has led to a dramatic increase in air pollution. In China, the factors driving the abundance and composition of smog, particularly fine particulate matter, remain poorly understood, and short-term air pollution data are available from few air quality monitoring networks. Using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), chemical elements (Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Tl, Pb, Bi) were analyzed in Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. tree rings from Harbin, China, in latewood at 5-year resolution over the period 1965–2020. The temporal trend of some elements was influenced by physiological factors, by environmental factors such as pollution, or influenced by both. Mg, K, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, As, Sr and Tl showed changes in pollution levels over time. The signal of K, Zn, Ni, Cu and Pb in trees from Harbin statistically did not differ from those at the control site after the 2000s. Our analysis confirmed the success of the undertaken emission reduction measures, which lead to an improvement in China’s urban air quality after 2010. However, As increased from 2000 to 2020 in Harbin which is consistent with rising As concentrations in China. Our study proved that dendrochemistry is a reliable tool to monitor the long-term history of pollution and to contribute to extending instrumental records of pollution back in time.
Do PES Improve the Governance of Forest Restoration?
Pirard, Romain; de Buren, Guillaume; Lapeyre, Renaud (2014)
Forests
Payments for Environmental Services (PES) are praised as innovative policy instruments and they influence the governance of forest restoration efforts in two major ways. The first is the establishment of multi-stakeholder agencies as intermediary bodies between funders and planters to manage the funds and to distribute incentives to planters. The second implication is that specific contracts assign objectives to land users in the form of conditions for payments that are believed to increase the chances for sustained impacts on the ground. These implications are important in the assessment of the potential of PES to operate as new and effective funding schemes for forest restoration. They are analyzed by looking at two prominent payments for watershed service programs in Indonesia—Cidanau (Banten province in Java) and West Lombok (Eastern Indonesia)—with combined economic and political science approaches. We derive lessons for the governance of funding efforts (e.g., multi-stakeholder agencies are not a guarantee of success; mixed results are obtained from a reliance on mandatory funding with ad hoc regulations, as opposed to voluntary contributions by the service beneficiary) and for the governance of financial expenditure (e.g., absolute need for evaluation procedures for the internal governance of farmer groups). Furthermore, we observe that these governance features provide no guarantee that restoration plots with the highest relevance for ecosystem services are targeted by the PES.
Mechanical Properties of Wood: A Review
Arriaga, Francisco; Wang, Xiping; Íñiguez-González, Guillermo; et al. (2023)
Forests
The use of wood in construction requires knowledge of the mechanical properties and the particularities that wood presents in comparison with other materials used for structural purposes such as steel, concrete, brick, or stone. The introduction mentions the environmental advantages that justify the use of wood today. The orthotropy of wood is one of the differentiating characteristics that must be taken into account when studying its behaviour. The determination of the properties of wood is then addressed from a historical perspective and the differentiation is made between the properties of small clear wood (defect-free timber) and structural timber. The timber grading systems (visual and mechanical grading) and the non-destructive techniques that currently prevail are explained. Finally, the factors that influence the mechanical properties, such as duration of the load, moisture content, quality, temperature, and the effect of size are explained. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the mechanical properties of wood, based mainly on published articles and European and North American standards, including historical references to the beginnings and current trends in this field.
Narratives across scales on barriers and strategies for upscaling forest restoration: A Brazilian case study
Schweizer, Daniella; van Kuijk, Marijke; Meli, Paula; et al. (2019)
Forests
Several countries worldwide have committed to forest and landscape restoration (FLR) through ambitious pledges in numbers of hectares to be restored. As the implementation of these commitments happens within countries, different actors from global to local scales must negotiate the “what, where and how” of specific forest restoration projects. We interviewed actors at national, state and local scales to gather their narratives regarding barriers and strategies for upscaling forest restoration and compared the narratives among them and with those that prevail in the global literature on FLR. We based the local scale in four Atlantic Forest landscapes. We classified the narratives gathered according to three discourses commonly used in environmental policy arenas: (1) ecological modernization, advocating market solutions; (2) green governmentality, with its emphasis on technocratic solutions; and (3) civic environmentalism promoting governance. Brazilian legislation with its mandate of forest restoration in private lands appeared as the main restoration driver in the interviews. However, when political will for enforcement weakens, other strategies are needed. An ecological modernization narrative, around increasing funding, incentives, market and investments, prevailed in the narratives on barriers and strategies for all actors from the global to the local scales. Similarities nevertheless diminished from the global to the local scale. The narratives of national actors resembled those found in the global literature, which emphasize strategies based on increased capacity building, within a green governmentality narrative, and governance arrangements, a civic environmentalist narrative. These narratives appeared less at state scales, and were almost absent at local scales where forest restoration was perceived mostly as a costly legal mandate. Similar narratives across all actors and scales indicate that a focus on improving the economics of restoration can aid in upscaling forest restoration in Brazilian Atlantic Forest landscapes. However, discrepant narratives also show that inclusive governance spaces where the negotiation of FLR interventions can take place is key to increase trust and aid implementation.
Climate change effects on trophic interactions of bark beetles in inner alpine scots pine forests
Wermelinger, Beat; Rigling, Andreas; Schneider Mathis, Doris; et al. (2021)
Forests
Increased tree mortality has become a widespread phenomenon and is largely attributed to climate change. Little field research has addressed the complex interactions between trees, herbivores, and their natural enemies as affected by temperature. We recorded the densities of bark insects and their natural enemies emerging from felled trees in Scots pine forests at 17 study sites along 6 elevation gradients encompassing different temperature ranges in 3 regions in Switzerland and Italy. We additionally measured tree resin defense at different elevations. The density of aggressive bark beetles decreased with increasing temperatures while that of non-aggressive species did not respond to temperature. Contrasting patterns were also found for natural enemies, with the densities of most predatory taxa decreasing with increasing temperature whereas densities of parasitoids increased. Consequently, bark beetle mortality by predators decreased and that by parasitoids increased with temperature. Exudation of resin increased with temperature. As the number of resin ducts did not change with temperature, this is assumed a physical effect of reduced viscosity. Despite lower densities of aggressive bark beetles and improved tree resin flow under higher temperatures, the currently experienced drought-induced reduction in tree vigor is likely to increase tree mortality under the ongoing climate warming.
Modeling Forest Response to Climate Change
Marano, Gina; Dalmonech, Daniela; Collalti, Alessio (2024)
Forests

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Journal: Forests

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