Effects of Environmental Factors and Silvicultural Treatment on Forest Stand Dynamics

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (12 December 2021) | Viewed by 7093

Special Issue Editor

Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-6381, USA
Interests: silviculture; forest stand dynamics; restoration ecology; landscape-level forest health; agroforestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a time of climate uncertainty, patterns and processes in the world's forests are undergoing rapid change, some of which we understand and some of which we can only surmise. Managers must make decisions on the fly using the best available science at the time. This Special Issue will present research from alpine, boreal (taiga), sub-boreal, temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions that explores the interaction between environmental influences, including the climate and forest stand dynamics. Research results from long-term studies and shorter experiments are welcome. The main focus of each article should be the interaction between forests and the surrounding environment.

Dr. Warren Moser
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest stand dynamics
  • ecophysiology of forests
  • forest management
  • edaphic–biotic–atmospheric factors’ impact on forests

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2445 KiB  
Article
Provenance Variation in Early Survival, Growth, and Carbon Isotope Discrimination of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Growing in Three Common Gardens across an Elevational Gradient
by Aalap Dixit, Thomas Kolb, Owen Burney, Karen Mock and Kevin Grady
Forests 2021, 12(11), 1561; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12111561 - 12 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2328
Abstract
We investigated early survival, growth, and carbon isotope discrimination of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) seedlings from different provenances using common gardens across an elevational gradient in order to examine the potential for adaptation to extreme [...] Read more.
We investigated early survival, growth, and carbon isotope discrimination of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) seedlings from different provenances using common gardens across an elevational gradient in order to examine the potential for adaptation to extreme environments and constraints to artificial regeneration. Twenty-one provenances from a range of elevations across Arizona and New Mexico were planted in three common gardens: a high-elevation meadow in aspen-mixed conifer forest, a mid-elevation ponderosa pine forest, and a low-elevation pinyon juniper woodland. Two years after planting in 2018, survival was highest at the mid-elevation site (54%), low at the high-elevation site (1.5%), and 0% at the low-elevation site. At the hot and dry low-elevation site, provenances from low-elevations survived longer than provenances from mid- and high-elevations, which suggests greater drought tolerance of low-elevation provenances. Mortality agents changed from abiotic (drought) to biotic (herbivory) with an increase in elevation across sites. High mortality of seedlings planted at high-elevation sites from biotic agents, such as rodents, may challenge efforts to establish ponderosa pine in assisted migration projects. Seedlings had significantly higher growth rate and carbon isotope discrimination (∆13C) at the mid-elevation site than the high-elevation site. Provenances differed significantly in diameter, and ∆13C, but not in height growth rate for the first year after planting. Provenance variation in ∆13C suggests genetic variation in water use efficiency that may be useful for future evaluation of southwestern ponderosa pine seed sources for reforestation. Full article
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18 pages, 3160 KiB  
Article
How Timber Harvest Affects the Structure and Diversity of a Montane Forest in Southern Mexico
by Nayely Martínez-Meléndez, Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial, Pablo Martínez-Zurimendi, Manuel J. Cach-Pérez and José G. García-Franco
Forests 2021, 12(7), 895; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12070895 - 08 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2963
Abstract
Timber extraction directly affects forest structure by opening the canopy, reducing the density and volume of dominant species, and transforming the composition, diversity, and functioning of the forest. We analyze the richness, diversity, and basal area of tree species in a pine–oak montane [...] Read more.
Timber extraction directly affects forest structure by opening the canopy, reducing the density and volume of dominant species, and transforming the composition, diversity, and functioning of the forest. We analyze the richness, diversity, and basal area of tree species in a pine–oak montane forest under two stages of the Silvicultural Development Method (thinning and liberation cut treatments) in comparison with remnants of forest considered to be control treatment in the Ocotones forest. Timber extraction began 14 years previously but its effect on the tree structure has not been studied to date in this area. We quantified and measured all the trees with a diameter at breast height >5 cm in 12 0.1 ha circular plots in each treatment. Diversity (Hill numbers) and the importance value index were calculated in each treatment. Observed species richness did not differ between treatments; Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl. and Quercus sapotifolia Liebm. were the dominant species regardless of treatment. The principal differences in density and basal area among the treatments were found between the small oaks and small pines. In general, tree density recovered in managed areas because of newly recruited pines and re-sprouting oaks. Although no significant reduction in species richness was detected between treatments, species composition and vegetation structure were modified by the extraction of pine timber and the permanence of many large oaks. Silvicultural treatments appear to create conditions favorable to the maintenance of species richness. The silvicultural interventions in the site meet the objectives of timber production, regeneration, and biodiversity conservation; however, the question of how long the forest can maintain its species diversity and structure after timber extraction remains to be addressed. Full article
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