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Forest fires are one of the most severe incidents that can destroy large areas of forest lands and cause substantial damages to the nearby residential areas and farmlands. Human efforts to reduce the likelihood of starting forest fires include prescribed burning, mechanical fuel load reduction and livestock grazing. Following natural disasters in forest areas, a salvage recovery operation is usually conducted that may cause some environmental impacts. This article aimed to review the literatures to provide a summary of different types of machines and working methods that have been studied in different countries. The review results showed that the most common method for mechanical fuel load reduction was mechanised cut-to-length using a harvester and a forwarder. This method has been widely applied in Canada, USA, Europe, and Oceania. In some countries (e.g. Australia and USA) the whole tree method is also applied for mechanical fuel load reduction. This method was often conducted using feller-bunchers, grapple skidders and chippers/grinders. The majority of mechanical fuel load reduction projects produced the extra fibre which could be used for bioenergy purposes. The number of salvage recovery studies was limited compared with studies on mechanical fuel load reduction. Salvage recovery operations applied a cut-to-length and whole tree harvesting methods. Windthrown trees were extracted to the roadside using heavy size forwarders or grapple skidders in flat/moderate terrains while tower yarders were applied in steep terrains. Detailed information on work productivity is described in this article which can be of use to the academic and industrial users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhubarb is a popular food in Europe due to the purgative action. Cultivation is the key way to ensure sustainable development and utilization of this herbal plant. In this paper, standardized cultivation of Rheum tanguticum (a kind of rhubarb) was explored through a three-year field experiment which investigated the effect of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer on growth indexes, sennoside content of R. tanguticum at different harvesting stages. Results showed that P and K fertilizer significantly increased root length, root diameter and root fresh weight, the maximum root fresh weight was 894.22 g/plant. Sennoside content of three-year-old R. tanguticum applied K fertilizer was over 5.87% at each harvesting stage in the third growth cycle and it increased along with growing year. Sennoside content has no obviously increment at the same harvesting stage, it also has no positive correlation with different harvesting stages and the wilting stage > green stage > growth stage in the same year. This study demonstrated that P and K fertilizer had accelerated effect on growth of R. tanguticum at the same harvesting stage, but had no obvious influence on the sennoside content. This will provide experimental data and guidance for the standardized cultivation of R. tanguticum. The effect of different fertilizer (P, K) doses, harvesting stages and growth years on growth indexes and sennosides contents of R. tanguticum was firstly explored. A modified HPLC detective method was developed to quantify the sennosides content of R. tanguticum. The effect of different fertilizer doses on growth indexes of R. tanguticum was firstly explored. Variation of sennoside content after applying fertilizers was firstly explored. The effect of harvesting stages on growth indexes and sennosides contents was firstly explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginnings of food production—animal husbandry and crop cultivation—and of a sedentary way of life represent one of the most drastic changes in human history. Likewise, this is accompanied by an increasing human impact on nature, which is mainly caused by agricultural practices. Agriculture is related to the clearing of forests, tillage, maintenance of the cultivated land, and finally harvesting, which alters not only the vegetation cover but also soil fertility as there is a potential risk for a loss of nutrients. People already countered this loss of nutrients in the times of early agriculture through different techniques and practices. The article summarizes the earliest evidence of fertilization in the prehistory of Central Europe and presents the most important methods for their investigation. What significance fertilization had for early farming societies can presently not be estimated due to the small amount of data. We therefore advocate the development of a routine for sampling during archaeological excavations and for the analysis of various materials (sediment and plant remains) using various methods. For this, the awareness must be raised that anthropogenic sediments, such as pit fills, are important archives for research into the history of humankind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted in Central Europe (Poland) in pine forests that were subjected to the process of resin harvesting in the 1970s. Forty trees were designated for the study, which had one or two resin blazes. The objectives of the experiment were to determine the effect of resin tapping on the changes in annual growth, wood density, and mechanical strength of wood in the damaged trees. Resin tapping affected the development dynamics, especially in trees with a single resin blaze. In addition, bark cutting affected wood density over the cross-section. However, no significant variation was found in terms of the mechanical properties of wood, which may support the theory of adaptive tree growth and optimization of tree’s structure to its functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) is one of the most appreciated fruits in the world. According to FAO, the annual production in 2021 was about 886.000 t, with Europe which reached the largest input (approximately 68%). Due to the perishable nature of the fruits, there is a continuous need for improving the storage condition. The aim of the paper is to present the influence of storage conditions on organic raspberry fruits. Raspberries from 'Plapink' cultivar, were harvested in 2021 and stored in three different conditions: 1) normal atmosphere (NA) with 1°C and 85% relative humidity (RH), 2) controlled atmosphere (CA) conditions with 1°C, 85% RH, 5% O2 and 15% CO2, and 3) CA conditions with 1°C, 85% RH, 5% O2, and 15% CO2 for 3 days followed by NA for 6 days. Several quality indicators and physiological parameters were assed in order to verify the variations during the storage period. The total phenolic content values in NA decreased with about 6.28% compared to the initial moment, but no decreases were recorded during 3 days of storage in CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing numbers of wild ungulates in human-dominated landscapes in Europe could lead to negative effects, such as damages to forests through browsing. To prevent those effects and, thus, mitigate wildlife-based conflicts while ensuring viable ungulate populations, sustainable management is required. Roe deer, as the most abundant cervid species in Europe, is primarily managed via hunting to decrease population densities through harvesting. Besides direct mortality, non-lethal effects of hunting activities further affect the spatial habitat selection for this species. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of hunting locations might influence game impact on forest vegetation. To examine these relationships in more detail, we linked the spatial distribution of hunting locations for roe deer with forest damage through browsing in 20 regions in Upper Austria. Consistent with our hypothesis, an avoidance of forests by hunters was found in regions with <20% forest cover and intolerable browsing impact. When hunters in certain regions, however, used forests according to their availability, game impact on forest vegetation was tolerable. Although forest damage by ungulates depends on numerous factors, we conclude that careful consideration of hunting locations might be an additional approach to reduce browsing intensity by roe deer, at least in regions with low forest cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea cucumber Holothuria arguinensis (Koehler and Vaney, 1906) presents an increasing commercial value in Asian markets and its exportation depends exclusively on wild stock harvesting. Production through aquaculture has been acknowledged as an alternative to supply demand and reduce pressure on natural stocks, but there are still bottlenecks to overcome, such as low growth rate and survival. This study focuses on the evaluation of the growth of juveniles of H. arguinensis through substrate enrichment—direct mixing of Sargassum vulgare with sediment—in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), for 4 months, with a baseline diet of Saccorhiza polyschides. Compared to the control (no enrichment), sea cucumbers fed with enriched sediment showed the highest specific growth rate (SGR), the highest growth rate (GR) and the lowest size heterogeneity. The results obtained in this study showed a favorable growth of sea cucumbers when in the presence of a substrate enriched with Sargassum vulgare, representing an important step towards the viability of large-scale sea cucumber rearing in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests cover about 1/3 of Europe's land area and are an important source in providing goods and services such as timber, drinking water, biodiversity, and carbon storage. They are important for a bioeconomy to mitigate climate change effects by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. The purpose of this paper is to assess Europe's potential wood supply by harvesting system. Gridded forest characteristics data are combined with other European spatially-explicit data. A set of eight mechanized harvesting systems is applied to assess the "forest available for wood supply" (FAWS) in Europe. The results show that 74.9% of the total forest area in Europe can be considered FAWS and has the potential to be harvested under the current economic and technical harvesting conditions. The remaining forest area is under legal protection (4.3%) or has limited accessibility with the current mechanized harvesting systems (20.8%). Around 79% of the FAWS can be accessed with ground-based machinery, and another 16% if their operation range is extended using special attachments (e.g., chains or band) or winch-assisted systems. Around 5% of the FAWS is only accessible by cable yarding machinery. With the fully mechanized harvesting systems (i) harvester and forwarder and (ii) winch-assisted harvester and winch-assisted forwarder, about 80% of the harvestable forest area and growing stock can potentially be utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a generalization, harvested timber is extracted from forests either as trees or stems by skidders or as logs by forwarders. Coupled with harvesters, forwarders team up to form cut-to-length (CTL) systems that are often perceived to be more modern than full-tree (FT) and tree-length (TL) systems, based on feller bunchers and skidders. As a result, CTL machinery has been extensively studied in Europe, while little information is available on FT and TL machinery and especially skidders. Using all available documentation, and relying on national experts, this paper reports on a survey of skidders used for timber extraction in Europe. The survey identified a total of 8370 skidders, whereby the authors accept this to be a lower limit with potentially many other units not identified through the survey. Also, while the focus of the survey was purpose-built skidders, many modified farm tractors are also used to extract tree-length material. Of the 8370 skidders, 5500 were found in the Central European region with Germany and France dominating the market. The survey also indicated an overall low level of replacement, with fewer than 5% being from new sales annually. Although CTL systems are a dominant harvesting option, this survey has shown that skidders continue to be a common and viable extraction method. Given their high level of extraction efficiency that is often restricted by a limit of clear-fell operations, further large-scale damaging storm events in Europe may offer a clear opportunity for their expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its first introduction in the 19th century, Douglas-fir has become the economically most important non-native forest tree species in Central European countries. Many of these planted forests are important seed sources and/or exhibit natural regeneration. Thus, it is important to assess (1) the genetic diversity of the mature stands and (2) if the genetic diversity can be passed on to the next generations. In order to address these issues, we genotyped mature Douglas-fir individuals and natural regeneration from >100 native and non-native populations using nuclear microsatellite markers. We compared the genetic diversity of native North American populations with mature Douglas-fir populations in Central Europe. The results show that genetic diversity did not differ significantly between European populations and the assigned native origin. Using a subset of 36 sites from Central Europe, we detected a significant reduction in the genetic diversity of adult versus naturally regenerated juvenile trees, indicating a bottleneck effect in the next generation of European Douglas-fir stands. The main reason may be that the mature European Douglas-fir stands are highly fragmented and thus the stand size is not adequate for transmitting the genetic diversity to the next generation. This should be taken into account for the commercial harvesting of seed stands. Seed orchards may offer a potential alternative in providing high quality and genetically diverse reproductive material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European catfish Silurus glanis is an important fish species in both commercial and recreational fisheries. Catfish is a spreading species that was reported to potentially benefit from increasing temperatures. The goal of this study was to estimate long‐term changes in harvest rates of catfish in Central Europe. This study used individual mandatory angling logbooks collected by the Czech Fishing Union in the Czech Republic (Central Europe) over the course of years 1986–2017 (32 years) to assess harvest rates of catfish. This study discovered that harvest of catfish has been increasing over time. Moreover, rivers that previously showed zero harvested catfish are beginning to display higher harvest rates of catfish. Increasing average air temperature and angling effort in the study area have positively affected harvest rates of catfish. The increased harvest of catfish could not be reliably explained by intensive fish stocking. In conclusion, while other studies show that many fish species are negatively affected by human activities and therefore show decreased harvest rates, catfish angling seems to benefit from anthropogenic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, there are potentially large amounts of pruned biomass from orchards that could be used for energy production. One of the main barriers is a lack of complete technologies for mechanisation of the harvesting of these products. Under the EuroPruning project, a new baler adaptable to different site conditions was designed and constructed. The article presents the results of performance testing of the newly developed baling machine, conducted during the harvesting of pruning residues in apple orchards. The aim was to determine the potential yield of branches per unit area of orchard, harvesting losses, and the machine’s efficiency, including its capacity and fuel consumption in two different operating configurations (with and without windrowers). It was shown that the average area rate was 1 ha/h, with a yield potential in the range 2.89-3.31 t·ha-1 and fuel consumption of 4.5-5.1 dm³ ·h-1. Average harvesting losses measured in the studied orchards amounted to 22% with the machine working with activated windrowers and 37% without the use of windrowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relay cropping (RC) is a multiple cropping system that consists in planting a second crop into a standing first crop prior to its harvest. RC has potential to address food security and environmental sustainability via spatio-temporal diversification of cropping systems. Key potential benefits of RC include increased crop productivity, net economic returns, land use efficiency, soil fertility, efficient nutrient cycling, and pest control (pests sensu lato that include animal pests, pathogens and weeds). Despite these potential benefits, RC is poorly adopted worldwide, especially in Europe, compared to other forms of innovative cropping systems including cover- and inter-cropping. Here we review the literature to assemble information on key factors affecting the performance of RC by focusing on field crops grown for grain harvest purpose across temperate regions. We found severe knowledge gaps on crop management issues affecting the RC performance including the crop species and genotypic traits to be efficiently combined; the RC configuration including row number and width; optimal sowing dates and densities; irrigation, fertilization, and pest management; and technical problems in the harvesting phase. We identified that while RC may represent "a very versatile system" for farmers in terms of crop management - via an efficient utilization of time, labor, and equipment - this cropping system also requires a lot of anticipation and organization even before the primary crop sowing. This increases crop management complexity for the farmers including the difficulty in managing " the competition phase " and the need for specific farming equipments. Finally, we propose three research priorities to fill the current knowledge gaps in RC research and implementation, worldwide, viz. varietal evaluation and selection, RC modelling and development of decision support systems, and technological innovation for an improved RC management. • Relay cropping may be practiced under conventional, organic and conservation agriculture. • Despite a lot of research on relay cropping, we found little evidence of relay cropping uptake by farmers. • Crop management complexities that increase labour costs and unfavorable climatic conditions are two plausible hypotheses affecting relay cropping adoption. • Technological innovation is required for an improved management of relay cropping. • Crop models developed so far are not adapted for effective modeling of relay cropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of harvest maturity and ripeness on consumer preference for eating quality of European pears. ‘Forelle’, ‘Packham’s Triumph’ and ‘Abate Fetel’ pears were harvested within the commercial harvest window (Harvest 1 = H1) and again a month later (Harvest 2 = H2) from separate trees. Fruit were kept at −0.5 °C for four and three months for H1 and H2, respectively. H1 pears were ripened at 20 °C for 7 days while H2 pears were taken out of cold storage the day before analysis. Physicochemical measurements were taken, sensory attributes assessed, and consumers from different ethnic groups recorded their preferences for the eating quality of the pears. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to project physicochemical measurements onto the sensory space to investigate the eating quality parameters that associated with each of the treatments. Consumers segregated into two groups based on their eating quality liking preferences. Group 1 (33% of the total consumer group) preferred the characteristics of crispness, hardness and firmness, while group 2 (67%) preferred pears high in melt character, juiciness, overall pear flavour and sweet taste. These last characteristics were the most prominent in H1 ‘Packham’s Triumph’ pears that were ripened for 7 days. Most local pear consumers clearly preferred ripe fruit and if the industry could find a way to deliver such a product to them, while still minimising fruit lost due to over ripeness or bruising, the pear industry could possibly increase consumption of fresh pears. There is, however, also a local market for crisp pears. Eating quality of ‘Forelle’ was preferred as a firmer H2 pear, while there was no overall difference in preference between H1 and H2 of ‘Abate Fetel’. ‘Forelle’ and ‘Abate Fetel’ could therefore be suitable for this firmer pear eating market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristic phenylpropenoids are a quality marker to distinguish rhizome and root of authentic Rhodiola rosea L. from other Rhodiola species. A consistent content in line with pharmacopoeial requirements is one objective of increasing cultivation to satisfy the worldwide demand. We set out to compare the influence of harvest season and age on total rosavins (ROS tot ) and their aglycon cinnamyl alcohol (CA) determined by HPLC/DAD. Plants from 9 different European origins were grown homogenously in South England and harvested in March, August and November of cultivation years 3–5. For experiment optimisation and validation we initially studied other factors that influence the chemical profile: sample origin (plants, herbal drugs and final products of different origin), plant part (rhizome, root, herb), drying (temperature and duration), extraction (solvent strength). We also investigated differences between plant individuals of the same provenance such as male and female plants. Pre-tests showed the importance of confirmed plant identity as non-authentic samples are indicated by total and relative amounts of phenylpropenoids vis-a-vis phenylethanoids. Rhizomes contained 2–3 times higher ROS tot values than roots. There was no substantial influence of drying temperature (45 °C versus 65 °C), but drying at room temperature longer than 10 days influenced negatively phenylpropenoid values. ROS tot are best extracted with 70–90% ethanol; CA with 50–70% ethanol. No significant influence of plant sex on the phenylpropenoid content was detected. Extracts (70% ethanol) from R. rosea rhizomes contained 0.5–4.1 mg/mL total rosavins corresponding to 0.31–2.6% in the dry drug. Across all provenances the ROS tot and to less extent the CA content in rhizomes was significantly higher when harvested in March than in August or November alongside a decrease from year 3 to year 5 under our cultivation conditions. The CA content was 5–30% of ROS tot with some influence of the plant origin and may be considered for drug identification and standardisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common reed is a globally distributed wetland plant that has been used by humans for centuries with a wide range of applications. Until today, reed as roofing material is the most common use in Europe. However, large reed areas in Western Europe were lost for harvesting during the 20th century due to extensive industrial meliorations of wetlands on the one hand and the protection of remaining reed habitats on the other hand. This paper investigates the changes in the European market for thatching reed based on surveys among stakeholders, analysis of trade statistics, and extensive literature research. Analysing total consumption, imports and exports since 1990 revealed a discrepancy between consuming and producing countries. Western Europe, mainly the Netherlands, Germany, UK, and Denmark, relies on imports of up to 85% of the national consumption. This reed demand became primarily covered by large wetlands in Eastern and Southern Europe, e.g. Hungary, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine; since 2005, reed from China accounts for a considerable share of the European market. At the same time, recent year's efforts to rewet and restore drained wetlands in Western Europe increased the reed growing area and—if quality requirements are met and harvesting is allowed—can improve the national availability of thatching reed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last quarter of a century saw the international political community make concerted efforts to regulate global caviar trade and prevent illegal harvesting of critically endangered sturgeon. Ironically, the regulations have enabled the emergence of novel forms of illicit trade which intertwine legal and illegal streams of caviar on the international marketplace. This paper foregrounds these licit-illicit interfaces and argues that the international caviar trade constitutes a 'grey market' characterized by a host of laundering practices that entangle legal and illegal caviar flows. Drawing on geographical scholarship on political animals and fleshy geopolitics, the paper theorises how the fleshy material properties of caviar, namely its chemical-isotope profile and composite form, directly shape the European caviar grey market. By highlighting how the materiality of caviar creates grey interfaces between legal and illegal caviar economies, the paper unsettles dominant dichotomized representations of illegal caviar trade which tend to foster overwhelmingly securitized policy-enforcement approaches in Europe. In pointing to the hidden 'fleshy geopolitics' surrounding EU enforcement strategies, the paper calls for a reshaping of policy and enforcement which better attends to the grey dimensions of the caviar market and provides increased protection for wild sturgeon populations and marginalised communities located at the Eastern borders of Europe. • The European caviar economy is a grey market which intertwines legal and illegal caviar streams. • The 'fleshy' material properties of caviar shape the character of the grey caviar market. • The grey caviar market must be conceptualised from a more-than-human perspective. • Attention to caviar's materiality provokes new considerations of the role of nonhumans in 'fleshy geopolitics'. • Current EU policy-enforcement approaches ineffectively tackle illicit caviar trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Czech Republic has become an epicentre of disturbance intensification in Europe. • A new framework for a country-wide prognosis of forest resources is presented. • Projecting recent disturbance intensity up to 2050 dramatically decreases growing stock. • The major disturbance wave was projected to last 16 years until resource depletion. • The prognosis suggests a need for major structural changes in the regional forestry sector. Forest management decisions increasingly rely on modelling tools, which help identify future risks, optimize management decisions, and provide a suite of indicators beyond timber production. Here we developed and tested a novel simulation and upscaling framework (SUF) and used it for prognosing forest resources of the Czech Republic (Central Europe), which is currently one of Europe's hotspots of disturbance intensification. The SUF is based on an empirical forest model that simulates the development of 8 240 forest stands representing forest conditions in 206 administrative districts of the Czech Republic. The effect of natural disturbances is considered via empirical species- and age-specific mortality probability (MP) functions parameterized based on the national forest damage reports and remote sensing data. An upscaling procedure was developed to obtain district- and country-wide estimates. We tested this framework for its ability to (i) reproduce the initial forest conditions from the year 2003, (ii) reproduce forest dynamics in 2003–2016 (i.e., before the recent disturbance wave), (iii) reproduce the recent mortality pulse in 2017–2020, and (iv) generate plausible and consistent outputs under several disturbance and management settings in 2003–2050. The SUF reliably reproduced forest dynamics in both testing periods. The country-wide growing stock (GS) simulated for 2004–2050 oscillated around the initial value of 661 mill. m3 if the reference MP and management were considered. Using the elevated MP (corresponding with the recent disturbance period) increased the mean annual mortality rate from 0.78 % to 1.19 % and caused GS to decrease by 21 % in 2050. The wave of elevated mortality lasted 16 years, ceasing in 2033 due to the depletion of vulnerable stands. Reducing the rotation length by 40 % increased the harvests temporarily and caused GS to decrease by 29 and 33 % in 2050 under reference and elevated MP, respectively. At the same time, mortality was reduced by up to 18 % due to the removal of potentially vulnerable stands. The presented SUF is able to accommodate diverse forestry data, reproduce real forest dynamics, and generate outputs that correspond with the national forestry statistics. Flexible adoption of different mortality and management regimes makes it a versatile tool for supporting management decisions and policies. The presented simulations highlighted the negative prospects of the regional forests and the need for a profound transformation of management practices and the regional forest-based sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About two thousand species of plants are known in the world to yield natural fibers, but just a few are commercially important, providing nearly 90% of the global production of natural fibers. Since ancient times, humans required fiber to produce cordage, tools, clothes, nets, etc., in order to provide food and shelter. Among the most productive fiber plants, the bast fiber crops are undoubtedly considered as major contributors. The bast fibers are sclerenchyma fibers associated with the phloem of crops such as flax, hemp, kenaf, ramie, nettle, jute, etc. Currently, in both Europe and China, bast fibers are used for industrial applications in textile, construction, automotive, and other industries. Recently, bast fibers gained importance also as a renewable feedstock for the production of strong, lightweight, composite materials. However, there are factors in agro-industrial chain that limit the broad commercialization of these crops and their products. From an agronomical point of view, a part of the problems are associated with technological gaps in harvesting technologies, which impede the full exploitation of some crops. For instance, the production of high-quality fibers for textile firstly depends on the quality of the raw material, which in turn is linked, among the others, with the efficiency of the harvesting system adopted. In most cases, these systems were developed locally, based on available solutions in connection with specific local agricultural practice. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the existing mechanical harvesting systems for bast fiber crops in Europe and China, with special reference to hemp, flax, and kenaf. In addition, the work will furnish a description of the innovations that have been adopted in recent years to improve the harvesting processes in order to increase the value of these crops and their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop yield is partially determined by atmospheric climate variability, which in turn depends on changes in the sea surface temperature (SST). El Niño is the leading mode of SST interannual variability, and its impacts extend worldwide. Nevertheless, the predictability of these impacts is controversial, especially those associated with European climate variability, which have been found to be non-stationary and non-linear. The present study shows how potential crop yield obtained from reanalysis data and crop models serves as an alternative and more effective index of El Niño teleconnections because it integrates the nonlinearities between the climate variables in a unique time series. The relationships between El Niño and crop yield anomalies are more significant than the individual contributions of each of the atmospheric variables used as input in the crop model. Additionally, the non-stationarities between El Niño and European climate variability are more clearly detected when analyzing crop-yield variability. The understanding of this relationship allows for some predictability up to one year before the crop is harvested. This predictability is not constant, but depends on both high and low frequency modulation. These findings enhance the importance of crop models for impact studies, for the improvement of crop forecasting, and as generators of a climate variability index (the potential yield) for analyzing climate variability and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Our harvesting intensity index allows large-scale comparison of intensity patterns. [•] Patterns of harvesting intensity and timber volumes differed substantially in Europe. [•] Harvesting in most regions in Europe currently occurs well below the net increment. [•] Harvesting intensity mainly rests on forest resources, country features, and topography. [•] Harvesting intensity showed strongly non-linear relationships with some predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat selection in animals is a fundamental ecological process with key conservation implications. Assessing habitat selection in endangered species and populations occupying the extreme edges of their distribution range, or living in highly anthropized landscapes, may be of particular interest as it may provide hints to mechanisms promoting potential range expansions. We assessed second- and third-order foraging habitat selection in the northernmost European breeding population of the lesser kestrel ( Falco naumanni ), a migratory falcon of European conservation interest, by integrating results obtained from 411 direct observations with those gathered from nine GPS-tracked individuals. The study population breeds in the intensively cultivated Po Plain (northern Italy). Direct observations and GPS data coincide in showing that foraging lesser kestrels shifted their habitat preferences through the breeding cycle. They positively selected alfalfa and other non-irrigated crops during the early breeding season, while winter cereals were selected during the nestling-rearing phase. Maize was selected during the early breeding season, after sowing, but significantly avoided later. Overall, vegetation height emerged as the main predictor of foraging habitat selection, with birds preferring short vegetation, which is likely to maximise prey accessibility. Such a flexibility in foraging habitat selection according to spatio-temporal variation in the agricultural landscape determined by local crop management practices may have allowed the species to successfully thrive in one of the most intensively cultivated areas of Europe. In the southeastern Po Plain, the broad extent of hay and non-irrigated crops is possibly functioning as a surrogate habitat for the pseudo-steppe environment where most of the European breeding population is settled, fostering the northward expansion of the species in Europe. In intensive agricultural landscapes, the maintenance of alfalfa and winter cereals crops and an overall high crop heterogeneity (deriving from crop rotation) is fundamental to accommodate the ecological requirements of the species in different phases of its breeding cycle., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2022 Cioccarelli et al.)

Abstract: Based on literature and six country studies (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Slovakia) this paper discusses the compatibility of the EU 2020 targets for renewable energy with conservation of biodiversity. We conclude that increased demand for biomass for bioenergy purposes may lead to a continued conversion of valuable habitats into productive lands and to intensification, which both have negative effects on biodiversity. On the other hand, increased demand for biomass also provides opportunities for biodiversity, both within existing productive lands and in abandoned or degraded lands. Perennial crops may lead to increased diversity in crop patterns, lower input uses, and higher landscape structural diversity which may all have positive effects on biodiversity. In production forest opportunities exist to harvest primary wood residues. Removal of these forest residues under strict sustainability conditions may become economically attractive with increased biomass demand. An additional biomass potential is represented by recreation areas, road-side verges, semi-natural and natural areas and lands which have no other use because they have been abandoned, polluted or degraded. Whether effects of cropping of biomass and/or removal of biomass has positive or negative impact on biodiversity depends strongly on specific regional circumstances, the type of land and land use shifts involved and the associated management practices in general. However, it is clear that in the six countries studied certain types of biomass crops are likely to be more sustainable than others. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A continually increasing demand for energy and concerns about climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and peak oil have prompted countries to develop policies that promote renewable energy including forest-based bioenergy. In Europe, fuelwood-driven changes in forestry are likely to impact habitat conditions for forest biodiversity. We conducted a systematic literature overview based on 88 papers to synthesize research findings and gaps in knowledge. At the stand scale, but also on a landscape scale, deadwood availability and profile are altered by several practices: whole-tree harvesting and postharvest recovery of logging residues and stumps, for instance. Large-scale fuelwood removal may, on a landscape scale, jeopardize the amounts and diversity of substrate that saproxylic organisms require as food and habitat. Besides, bioenergy-related forest practices also affect nonsaproxylic biodiversity through physical (e.g., soil compaction and disturbance) and chemical changes in soil properties associated with fuelwood removal and increased machine traffic. Moreover, the extended density of internal edges threatens interior forest species populations. Important effects differ substantially between boreal and nemoral forests because of contrasts in management systems, structure of forest ownership, and ecological properties. Developing relevant operational guidelines to partially mitigate ecological damage on biodiversity should be based on our compiled cautionary statements but require further large-scale and long-term research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the main results of a long-term follow-up study conducted on the first truck-mounted slash bundler deployed on the Alps. Data collection covers the 58-month period from the commissioning of the machine in January 2004 to the completion of this study in October 2008. During this period, the machine worked all across the Alps, covering Austria, Germany and Italy from its Swiss base. Frequent travelling can be considered a general condition for Alpine operations, where operators must deal with comparatively small and scattered landings: a highly mobile truck-base unit is most suited to these conditions, which require frequent relocation. The study also highlights a typical Alpine annual usage pattern, with activity peaks during the summer and lows in mid-winter, due to bad weather conditions. It also shows a growing usage trend, with usage levels almost doubling in 4 years, as the new technology receives widespread appreciation. Gross bundling productivity averages 10 bundles or about 4.5 green metric tons per worksite hour, while diesel consumption is below 1 l per bundle. The skill of individual operators can account for differences in productivity of up to 30%. The findings of this research provide further insight into the results obtained from a number of shorter studies conducted on the same machine by several scientific institutions across Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Slash bundling offers many benefits, but represents an additional process step in the forest biomass supply chain, which can only pay if the cost incurred by bundling is offset by the gains accrued on transportation, storage and comminution. This study develops a comprehensive system analysis aimed at determining this balance, under the specific conditions of mountain forestry. The work lasted three years, and covered all the main process steps. The study allowed attaching a cost to all the above-mentioned steps, and reached the conclusion that the truck-mounted bundler on test was too expensive for its limited productivity level. Under the specific conditions of mountain forestry, bundling does not pay, unless it allows for shifting to a more efficient transportation vehicle and if a roofed shed is not available for chip storage. Bundling could turn into a good overall competitor if the bundler was 30% more productive, or if its capital cost was one third less. Otherwise, less expensive alternatives can be deployed. The main limit of the study was the sampling of just one bundler, the only truck-mounted unit so far deployed in the Alps. Unfortunately, no other truck-mounted bundlers were available at the time of the study, in Europe or elsewhere. Using a forwarder-mounted unit would have proved less efficient, for the work had to be performed at the roadside and the machine needed to relocate very often. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Finland and Sweden have been forerunners in the development of wood harvesting machinery and methods. In both countries, small- and large-scale supply systems for wood chips have been in operation for several decades. More recently, the production and use of forest chips from logging residues and small diameter trees has been growing rapidly. The European Union (EU) has set ambitious targets for the use of renewable energy to mitigate climate change and to increase domestic energy security and self-sufficiency. The largest unutilised source for renewable energy in the EU is forest biomass. European forests could fulfill one third of the goal set for biomass-based energy production in the EU’s Biomass Action Plan. In addition, member countries have started national programmes to promote the use of biomass for energy. As a result, interest in Nordic forest energy technology has been increasing rapidly in other parts of the EU. The Finnish Forest Research Institute and its collaborators have been running a technology transfer project in ten European countries, with the goal of tailoring and adapting Nordic forest technology to local conditions through analysing the applicability, costs and overall competitiveness of selected feedstock supply technologies. This paper summarizes the findings of feasibility studies carried out in Poland and Scotland and gives an overview of the current situation and development trends of forest energy in the European Union. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Interest in the utilization of forest biomass for energy is growing. A search into existing forest biomass harvesting and regeneration guidelines was carried out to identify how biomass energy can be environmentally sustainable. Findings have shown that there are only a few guidelines that specifically address harvesting and regenerating biomass for bioenergy or other bio-based products. Of these few, there are guidelines developed for dedicated energy plantations such as the Scottish Agricultural College guidelines, as well as some Finnish and Swedish guidelines recommending management practices for both timber and biomass extraction. Most of the existing small woody material guidelines emphasize the retention, disposal, redistribution, burning and mulching of biomass material on-site in a more detailed manner than forest and timber management guidelines. This study synthesizes and classifies existing biomass-related guidelines based on an in-depth literature review of existing guidelines in Europe and North America involved with biomass energy harvesting. Biomass guidelines are classified according to those applicable to systems producing biomass commercially for energy versus those that are applicable to systems managing this material for non-commercial purposes. Biomass guidelines are analyzed with respect to how they address issues of sustainability related to soil, water and habitat. Recommendations are offered for developing guidelines for biomass harvesting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examined the energy yield of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivated for energy purposes under cold climate conditions in Northern Europe. Split-plot field trials were carried out over three consecutive years to investigate different nitrogen fertilisation regimes. Dry matter yield per hectare, moisture content, hydrogen content and heating value were determined at roughly monthly intervals from July until the following spring every season. The energy yield was calculated and adjusted for a fair comparison with those of other energy crops commonly grown in the study region. Two harvest periods for optimal energy yield have been determined; harvest in September to October, when the hemp is used for biogas production, yielded 14.4 Mg ha−1 and 296 GJ ha−1; harvest in February to April, when the hemp is used as a solid fuel, yielded 9.9 Mg ha−1 and 246 GJ ha−1. For biogas production, the adjusted biomass energy yield of hemp was similar to that of maize and sugar beet and 24 and 14% greater than that of lucerne and clover-grass ley, respectively. As a solid fuel, the adjusted biomass energy yield of hemp was 120% higher than that of wheat straw and similar to that of reed canary grass. Annual variations in dry matter yield depending on weather conditions and sowing dates exceeded variations due to nitrogen fertilisation. Hemp is suitable as an energy crop in cold climate regions of Northern Europe, as it has similar or often higher energy yields than other common energy crops grown in these regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The interest in harvesting logging residues in the form of stumps has recently increased markedly in the Nordic countries of Europe due to the steadily growing market for bio-fuel from forestry. Yet, stumps are currently harvested without a solid knowledge of their importance for forest organisms. To assess the relative importance of thinned, clear-cut, and burned clear-cut stands for the diversity of bryophytes on stumps we investigated bryophyte species composition and richness on 755 spruce stumps in 27 forest stands in southern-boreal Finland. Stumps were sampled within both wet and dry sites. For comparison we also surveyed bryophytes on 669 ground plots in the same stands to assess if patterns were consistent regardless of substrate type. Stand type (i.e. thinned, clear-cut, or burned clear-cut) was the main predictor of both species richness and composition on stumps. Stumps in thinned stands were more species rich than in clear-cuts, and the lowest richness was found on stumps in burned clear-cuts. Differences in species composition were explained by higher frequency of occurrence of species in thinned than in clear-cut stands. Thus, stumps in clear-cut stands tended to host a subset of species from the thinned stands, but there was also a pattern of turnover where different species were present in thinned and clear-cut stands, respectively. The results were similar for bryophytes on ground indicating that canopy cover strongly affected the diversity of bryophytes regardless of substrate. We conclude that stump harvest in open, clear-cut stands will probably have minor effects on bryophyte diversity on dead wood in the managed forest landscape. Conservation efforts in thinned stands (e.g. retention and creation of dead wood) may be important for promoting the diversity of bryophytes in managed forests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Croplands are the largest biospheric source of carbon (C) to the atmosphere in Europe each year (∼0.3GtCy−1). Moreover, the biological dynamics of managed landscapes affect the fluctuations of atmospheric CO2 levels on annual and interannual scales. The activity of croplands must therefore be included in efforts to quantify, understand and regulate the global C cycle. C flux data for croplands, existing mostly from ∼2003 onwards, provide an opportunity to better understand the timing and magnitude of C exchanges in croplands and can help to improve crop C modelling on various spatiotemporal scales. A crucial process to be considered for C budget modelling is crop development, to which the C allocation pattern and senescence and remobilisation processes are directly linked. We developed, parameterised, and tested a new crop C mass balance model (SPAc), which included all major developmental stages (DS) and C remobilisation. Model results were compared against independent observations of C fluxes and biometric data for eight site years, at six European sites growing winter wheat and barley. We used a single parameterisation for all sites, varying only maximal carboxylation rate (V cmax ), maximal photosynthetic electron transport rate (J max ), and C per leaf area (C la ) between wheat and barley. The model effectively described the seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) through simulation of DS. We found high model reliability for predicting daily NEE fluxes (mean R 2 =0.83, mean RMSE=1.47gCm−2 d−1). Results for cumulative NEE from sowing to harvest were of lower quality (mean R 2 =0.27). The model tended to overpredict leaf area index (LAI, 160% of observed), and underpredict final yield (71% of observed). The introduction of a dead leaf C pool considerably improved at-harvest estimates of total leaf C mass. Simulating the shift from green to brown above-ground biomass is of potential significance for solving the surface energy balance and for future remote sensing studies through an improved simulation of crop canopy optical properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The estimated net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 based on measurements at 17 flux sites in Europe for 45 cropping periods showed an average loss of −38gCm−2 per cropping period. The cropping period is defined as the period after sowing or planting until harvest. The variability taken as the standard deviation of these cropping periods was 251gCm−2. These numbers do not include lateral inputs such as the carbon content of applied manure, nor the carbon exchange out of the cropping period. Both are expected to have a major effect on the C budget of high energy summer crops such as maize. NEE and gross primary production (GPP) can be estimated by crop net primary production based on inventories of biomass at these sites, independent of species and regions. NEE can also be estimated by the product of photosynthetic capacity and the number of days with the average air temperature >5°C. Yield measured at these sites or reported at the NUTS2 level dataset of EUROSTAT is a relatively poor predictor of NEE. To investigate the difference in the variability in CO2 emissions of different crops at the same location and to compare this variation with the variation of the same crop at different locations and with the inter-annual variation the measured dataset at the flux sites was extended with simulated data. These simulations show that the variability in carbon exchange is determined by: firstly the choice of crop and the location and to a lesser extent by the yearly differences in climate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Low-input meadows are now recognized for their high biodiversity value and form an integral element of many agri-environmental schemes in Europe. Meadow mowing techniques, however, have become highly mechanized in recent decades and scientific knowledge on the direct impacts of these techniques on field fauna is based on very few and often poorly replicated studies. Yet these studies, despite their limitations, suggest that such impacts can be considerable. With a view to providing a more comprehensive experimental assessment, we evaluated the direct impacts of four different mowing techniques (hand motor mower with cutter bar, rotary mower cut at 9 cm and rotary mower cut at 6 cm with and without a conditioner) on wax invertebrate models and real caterpillars. The size of the organisms, their microhabitat, the tractor wheel effect and the cutting height were also investigated as factors that could potentially affect mowing-caused mortality. Rotary mowers were found to be more damaging than motor bar mowers on caterpillars (37% vs. 20%), but only on one type of invertebrate wax-model. Conditioners more than doubled damage to all wax-models in the vegetation (in average from 11% to 30%) and increased caterpillar mortality from 38% to 69%. Larger organisms were more vulnerable than smaller organisms and ground organisms were strongly impacted by tractor wheels. While conditioner should not be used in meadows where conservation of the inhabiting fauna is of concern, we also recognize that there is no damage-free mowing technique. We therefore advocate the importance of leaving uncut areas as a refuge for invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of waterfowl harvest on the dynamics of duck populations remains incompletely understood. While widescale monitoring and management programs have been set up in North America, far less has been done in Europe where populations and harvest are essentially managed at country level with a sole focus on population size. Hence, comparing North American waterfowl populations with European waterfowl populations could be useful in suggesting flywayscale management options in Europe. In our paper, we analyse historical capture-recapture-recoveries data for the European teal Anas crecca crecca and we compare the computed survival and harvest rates to those obtained from a North American recovery data set for the green-winged teal Anas crecca carolinensis, its sister taxon. During 1960-1976, the annual probability of survival was slightly lower in Europe (average over sexes: 0.485 6 0.101) than in North America (0.54560.010 for both sexes). Assuming a30%ring reporting rate, our estimate of the annual harvest rate was about three times higher in Europe (average over sexes: 0.17860.051) than in North America (average over sexes: 0.071 6 0.014). Although the European population increased over the study period and continues to do so, such a hunting pressure may potentially reduce our flexibility in managing this population due to uncertainties such as environmental changes, and have deleterious effects in the long term.Weuse our results to discuss waterfowl research and management in Europe. Initiating studies to estimate ring reporting rate would be an essential first step to properly evaluate the impact of harvest on the dynamics of the teal population in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Lowland woodlands in Europe went through dramatic changes in management in the past century. This article investigates the influence of two key factors, abandonment of coppicing and increased pressure of ungulates, in thermophilous oakwoods. We focused on three interconnected topics: (1) Has the assumed successional trend lead to impoverishment of the vegetation assemblages? (2) Has it resulted in vegetation homogenization? (3) Are the thermophilous oakwoods loosing their original character? Location Czech Republic, Central Europe. Methods The vegetation in 46 semi-permanent plots was recorded three times: firstly, shortly after the abandonment of coppicing (1953) and then, after four to six decades of secondary succession and strong game impact (1992 and 2006). Overall trends and changes in species spectra were analysed. Results There is a marked successional shift towards species-poorer communities growing in cooler, moister and nutrient-richer conditions. The change was significantly different in parts affected and unaffected by high numbers of ungulates yet only for herbs, not the woody species. However, observed change in species composition was not accompanied by significant homogenization process that is the general process reported from elsewhere. A sharp decline in plant species typical for thermophilous woodland communities and in endangered species indicates that the original character of the woodland has been gradually lost. Main conclusions Thermophilous oakwoods have been largely replaced by mesic forests. Lowland oakwoods in continental parts of Europe historically depended on active management, which kept the understorey conditions light and warm. Successional processes in the 20th century caused a critical loss of species diversity at various spatial levels. However, artificially high numbers of ungulates, which otherwise have a negative impact, probably held up succession, so that the changes may still be reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reviewed European studies on the effect of reed management (harvesting, burning, mowing and grazing) on reedbed wildlife, and in addition, on the performance of re-growing reed (Phragmites australis). Our database consisted of 21 studies conducted on 10 plant species, 17 taxonomic groups of invertebrates and 11 bird species, and published between 1982 and 2006. We found that reed management modifies the structure of re-growing reed stands: reed stems were shorter and denser in managed sites than in unmanaged sites. However, harvesting does not have an impact on aboveground biomass. Plant species richness increased by 90% in managed stands in fresh water marshes, but not in saline water marshes. Overall, reed management had a significant negative impact on invertebrate community, but the duration of management was an important factor determining the magnitude of the effect. Short-term management (1–2 years) had no effect on invertebrates, whereas management for longer period significantly reduced invertebrate abundance. Reed harvesting and burning reduced abundance of passerine birds by about 60%. This was probably associated with food limitation as the numbers of butterflies, beetles and some spiders were reduced. Therefore, the optimal reed management regime to preserve number of birds and invertebrates in reedbeds could be a rotation of short-term management (1–2 years). However, the optimal interval between management applications should be established in future studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius L.) is becoming an interesting niche crop for marginal areas in Europe, but little information is available regarding cultivation techniques, which differ from those of cultivated asparagus (A. officinalis). We experimented with the cultivation of wild asparagus using two different ecotypes planted at two plant densities. We measured yield and number of spears per hectare and spear quality (average weight, portion of edible part, diameter, and dry matter content). There were no significant effects of either genotype or density on the spear yield and number per hectare. No differences among treatments were found on spear quality parameters. Spear yield and number per plant decreased proportionally with increasing plant density, resulting in constant spear yield and number per hectare. Harvest efficiency was ∼ 1.2 kg of spears per hour of labor when the prickly evergreen vegetation was not removed before harvest and ∼3 kg per hour when the vegetation was cut and removed. In the latter case, harvest would cost approximately one-third of the gross income of the crop suggesting that the crop could easily be economically viable. Further studies are needed to assess whether cutting the vegetation affects plant vigor and longevity in the following years, but also to further study suitable techniques for crop cultivation, especially weed control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications of a parameterised Jarvis-type multiplicative stomatal conductance model with data collated from open-top chamber experiments on field grown wheat and potato were used to derive relationships between relative yield and stomatal ozone uptake. The relationships were based on thirteen experiments from four European countries for wheat and seven experiments from four European countries for potato. The parameterisation of the conductance model was based both on an extensive literature review and primary data. Application of the stomatal conductance models to the open-top chamber experiments resulted in improved linear regressions between relative yield and ozone uptake compared to earlier stomatal conductance models, both for wheat (r 2=0. 83) and potato (r 2=0. 76). The improvement was largest for potato. The relationships with the highest correlation were obtained using a stomatal ozone flux threshold. For both wheat and potato the best performing exposure index was AFst6 (accumulated stomatal flux of ozone above a flux rate threshold of 6nmol ozone m−2 projected sunlit leaf area, based on hourly values of ozone flux). The results demonstrate that flux-based models are now sufficiently well calibrated to be used with confidence to predict the effects of ozone on yield loss of major arable crops across Europe. Further studies, using innovations in stomatal conductance modelling and plant exposure experimentation, are needed if these models are to be further improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biomass has become a popular alternative to satisfy expanding energy demand and as a substitute for fossil fuels and phased-out nuclear energy in Europe. The European Union White Paper stipulates that the utilization of biomass shall increase to 1566 TWh by 2010. However it is often overlooked that the forest resources are already, to a large extent, used by the forest industries. When promoting biomass for energy generation the consequences for the forest industries also need to be considered. Sweden is an excellent case study, as there are vast quantities of forest resources, nuclear power is starting to be phased out, there are restrictions on expanding hydropower and the political desire exists to “set an example” with respect to carbon dioxide emissions. This paper attempts to estimate and analyse the supply of two types of forest resource, namely, roundwood and harvesting residues derived from final harvesting and commercial thinnings. Two separate supply curves are estimated: one for roundwood and one for harvesting residues. The cost structure is based on an economic-engineering approach where the separate cost components are constructed from the lowest cost element into aggregates for labour, capital, materials and overhead costs for each forest resource. The results indicate an unutilized economic supply of 12 TWh of harvesting residues in Sweden. However, after these 12 TWh have been recovered it becomes more profitable to use roundwood for energy purposes than to continue extracting further amounts of harvesting residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Count data were collected from available studies on the European grey partridge (Perdix perdix) populations with at least 3 years of consecutive data. According to habitat characteristics, the period of study and the management practice the data were combined in two main subsets: the British populations from 1930 to the end of the 1960’s and the “declining” continental populations from 1970 to the present. The latter populations are located in areas where the traditional landscape has been severely modified by important changes in agricultural practices. The goal of this work is: (a) to compare demographies of the two sets of populations; (b) to design and calibrate a stochastic demographic model on the basis of available data; (c) to use it to assess the risk of extinction under different management alternatives; (d) to test some of the most credited hypotheses on the grey partridge decline. Population dynamics are investigated via regression analyses of different factors on demographic rates. Spring-to-summer rate of increase and autumn to winter survival are shown to be density dependent in both UK and continental populations. Over-winter losses in UK prior to 1970 are positively correlated with the young-to-adult ratio, suggesting an important role of dispersal. Reproduction and survival rates were systematically larger in the traditional UK populations. Based on the regressions, stochastic demographic models were then built to assess the probability of extinction under various harvesting and management conditions, and the possibility of developing conservative hunting strategies. The stochastic modelling confirms that the UK populations prior to 1970 were intrinsically much more resilient than the continental populations in recent decades. Even very low rate of harvesting cannot be tolerated by the present continental populations, suggesting that the persistence of hunting activity, although with a limited effort, has probably contributed to the extinction of many sub-populations and is critically threatening the remaining ones. We show that the introduction of stochasticity into the model is fundamental for assessing the real extinction risk for partridge populations under different management scenarios. The comparison of UK and continental demographies does not provide evidence of a single main bottleneck for the continental populations, but the viability of continental populations is endangered by the concurrent deterioration of reproduction and survival rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

El artículo habla de la presencia de la hoja de la planta del tabaco en Cuba. Estas hojas originalmente tenían varias funciones. Después de que llegaron los españoles, el consumo de tabaco se hizo popular en Europa. Sin embargo, en 1606, el rey de España prohibió cosechar la planta en el Nuevo Mundo, algo que afectó esa nueva fuente económica para la isla.

Skidders, as self-propelled machines designed to transport trees or parts of trees by trailing or dragging it from the woods to a landing area, are still extensively used as the main wood extraction equipment in most of the Europe and worldwide. The high price of new machines (and even higher for CTL technology) makes the second-hand skidder market very interesting and appealing, especially for small forest owners and forestry contractors. So, this paper reports on a survey of used skidders available for purchase on the European market. Up-to-date empirical data was gathered by the analysis of the offerings on the main online marketplaces, i.e., specialized websites. The study included skidder make and model, variation in their age, annual usage and resale prices. The survey identified a total of 163 second-hand skidders and the results pointed out the prevalence of small-size machines (<110 kW), the average annual use (after excluding 1 year old machines from calculation) of 863 hours per year and the average re-sale price of about 65,000 EUR. Skidders are most commonly re-sold at an age of 16 years and the calculated price models show that skidder age is a stronger predictor of their value, i.e., resale price, than the total machine working hours. In the concluding section, paper also includes some reflections on possible future trends and perspectives of skidding technology in forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traces changes in European representations of harvests from 1400 to 1789. Pictures of the harvest in the sixteenth century; Image of a busy, sweat-drenched harvest; Importance of examining and contextualizing shifts in artistic genre and technique in reconstructions of the past.

• The model estimates seed yield losses for soybean that are difficult to measure. • Seed yield losses strongly depend on the height of the lowest fruiting nodes. • The lowest pods are the most productive, which certifies importance of the model. • Sufficient precipitation during vegetation period gives rise to the lowest losses. • Sowing density of 80 pcs m−2 was estimated as optimal one (high yield, low losses). Growing interest in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivation, especially in the temperate climate zone, necessitates the search for high-yielding varieties with an optimal growing period. In Europe, it is recommended to cultivate early (00) and very early (000) varieties, which due to their biology form the first pair of pods very low, just above the ground. This unfortunately generates losses during harvest. The literature lacks information on the sowing density at which pod-setting in early varieties soybean is highest and what losses this entails during cutting. The objective of this work was to create a mathematical model for estimating seed yield losses depending on varying cutting height applied during harvest and the sowing density. To achieve the goal the position of fruiting nodes and productivity of pods depending on sowing density for the early soybean variety was determined. Availability of water during vegetation period was an important factor having impact on the pods position on stem and therefore strongly influenced seed weight losses caused by the cutting process. According to the model estimations the lowest losses were obtained for the years with the sufficient precipitation during vegetation period and in essence they never exceeded the value of 15 g m−2 even for the highest level of cutting (15 cm) applied during harvest. For all sowing densities (20–140 seeds m−2), the increase of cutting height from 5 up to 10 cm caused increase of seed yield losses typically about two- and threefold. However at the cutting height of 15 cm the losses increased even seven- and eight-fold, especially for the very high sowing densities. The highest percentage seed yield losses (11%) were demonstrated at the lowest sowing density (20 seeds m−2). In the case of favourable distribution of rainfall, high sowing density (80–140 seeds m-2) is recommended because it ensures high yield of soybean. Sowing density of 80 seeds m−2 can be recommended as optimal density from an economic point of view because it provides a relatively high seed yield with the lowest percentage losses and smaller seed costs compared to higher densities giving similar yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated forest management (IFM) can help reconcile critical trade-offs between goals in forest management, such as nature conservation and biomass production. The challenge of IFM is dealing with these trade-offs at the level of practical forest management, such as striving for compromises between biomass extraction and habitat retention. This paper reviews some of the driving factors that influence the integration of nature conservation into forest management. The review was conducted in three steps – a literature review, an expert workshop and an expert-based cooperative analysis. Of 38 driving factors identified, three were prioritised by more of the participants than any of the others: two are socio-cultural factors, identity (how people identify with forest) as well as outreach and education, and one is economic – competitiveness in forest value chains. These driving factors correspond to what are considered in the literature as enablers for IFM. The results reveal that targeted, group-oriented, adaptive and innovative policy designs are needed to integrate nature conservation into forest management. Further, the results reveal that a " one-size-fits-all " governance approach would be ineffective, implying that policy instruments need to consider contextually specific driving factors. Understanding the main driving factors and their overall directions can help to better manage trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and biomass production in European forests. Image 1 • Integrated Forest Management may help to reconcile critical trade-offs in forest management. • 38 driving factors identified as important for integrating nature conservation into forest management. • Several driving factors correspond to what can be considered as enablers of Integrated Forest Management. • Policy need to account for contextually specific driving factors to integrate nature conservation. • Integrative approaches demonstrate the need for targeted, group-oriented and adaptive policy designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cereal crops, chaff is a valuable lignocellulosic by-product that accounts for more than 50 Mt y−1 in Europe and is suitable for bioenergy purposes. Chaff is usually not collected due to the lack of combine harvesters that have the capability to handle it properly. The present two years experimental study investigated the hypothesis that the overall biomass collected in wheat crop can be increased by equipping the combine harvester with an aftermarket device. Chaff, discharged from the combine harvester-cleaning system, is collected by the turbine that delivers it either on the swath or on a lateral trailer towed by a tractor. The performance of all machines involved in the harvesting (combine harvester, tractor, baler, and trailer) were assessed. The chaff was collected in bales with the straw (A mode) and separately on a trailer (C mode). Comparisons with non-collected treatment (B mode) were performed in order to estimate the total chaff collected and the biomass losses. The results showed that 1.79 t FM ha−1 per year of chaff could be collected when baled with the straw, whereas 1.27 t FM ha−1 were collected separately on a trailer. Both field and material capacity were not negatively affected by the chaff collection. Therefore, our study confirmed the hypothesis that turbine technology is a valid solution for increasing the total residual biomass collected in cereal cropping for energy purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize and wheat are two of the most widespread crops worldwide because of their high yield and importance for food, chemical purposes and livestock feed. Some of the residues of these crops (i.e., maize cob and wheat chaff) remain in the field after grain harvesting. In Europe, just maize cob and grain chaff could provide an annual potential biomass of 9.6 Mt and 54.8 Mt, respectively. Collecting such a biomass could be of interest for bioenergy production and could increase farmers' income. Progress in harvest technology plays a key role in turning untapped by-products into valuable feedstocks. This article presents a study of the performance and the quality of the work of Harcob, an innovative system developed for maize cob collection. Furthermore, the feasibility of using the Harcob system to also harvest wheat chaff during wheat harvesting was also verified. The results showed that it was possible to harvest 1.72 t ha−1 and 0.67 t ha−1 of cob and chaff, respectively, without affecting the harvesting performance of the combine. The profit achievable from harvesting the corn cob was around 4%, while no significant economic benefits were observed during the harvesting of wheat chaff with the Harcob system. The use of cereal by-products for energy purposes may allow the reduction of CO2 from fossil fuel between 0.7 to 2.2 t CO2 ha−1. The Harcob system resulted suitable to harvest such different and high potential crop by-products and may represent a solution for farmers investing in the bioenergy production chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]