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Today wood and nonwood forest resources management meets and often clashes with environment and biological diversity protection. A main problem is to understand relationships between the different roles of forest biodiversity, site, and management parameters. A multivariate statistical analysis has been carried out in order to interpret relationships between some forest biodiversity components and forest inventory data. Several indices of floristic diversity, species abundance, and structural heterogeneity at stand level have been calculated. The different components of forest biodiversity were separated by principal components analysis. Relations between forest biodiversity indices and site and management attributes have been investigated by two multivariate statistical techniques: bivariate correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. Results showed a high correlation between all the investigated components of forest biodiversity and some topographic and/or forest management attributes. Results also gave ancillary information to define sustainable forest management criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study was performed in two silver-fir forests (Abies alba Mill.) located in Alto Molise, Province of Isernia: Collemeluccio, near Pescolanciano and Abeti Soprani near Capracotta. The aim of this work was to distinguish different types of wood rot on living silver fir individuals by using the RESISTOGRAPH® (IML-RESI E400), a device that allows to estimate the variation of wood density by measuring the resistance to micro-perforation. The occurrence of different types of wood rot (white rot and brown rot) in living trees was pointed out and discriminated by the device. In the detected deteriorated zones, fungal pathogens and decomposers were isolated and identified, causing either white (Phellinus hartigii, Ganoderma adspersum, Heterobasidion abietinum and Armillaria ostoyae) or brown rot (Fomitopsis pinicola). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the current status of greenhouse gas inventories of the sector Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), in European countries, with specific focus on the utilization of National Forest Inventory (NFI) programs. LULUCF inventory is an integral part of the reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol. The analysis is based on two questionnaires prepared by the COST Action E43 âHarmonisation of National Forest Inventories in Europeâ, which were answered by greenhouse gas reporting experts in European countries. The following major conclusions can be drawn from the analysis: 1) definitions used to obtain carbon pool change estimates vary widely among countries and are not directly comparable 2) NFIs play a key role for LULUCF greenhouse gas estimation and reporting under UNFCCC, and provide the fundamental data needed for the estimation of carbon stock changes covering not only living biomass, but increasingly also deadwood, litter and soil compartments. The study highlights the effects of adopting different definitions for two major reporting processes, namely UNFCCC and FAO, and exemplifies the effect of different tree diameter thresholds on carbon stock change estimates for Finland. The results demonstrate that more effort is needed to harmonize forest inventory estimates for the purpose of making the estimates of forest carbon pool changes comparable. This effort should lead to a better utilization of the data from the European NFI programs and improve the European greenhouse gas reporting.

In recent years, several aircraft companies launched awareness campaigns, offering to their passenger the opportunity to known and also calculate their own per-capita CO2 emissions related to the flight they are going to make. Such campaigns permits to the passenger to pay a volunteer contribution in order to compensate their CO2 emissions. In this short communication, some programs undertaken by airline companies are showed. These initiatives are all characterized by a common denominator: the achievement of concrete, proved and verifiable results to compensate the aircraft CO2 emissions. Moreover, also a concrete case is reported as example: it is useful to show which is the per capita CO2 emission for a sample flight in Europe and, quantitatively, the amount of compensation measurements. Finally, this communication highlights on how the estimates of such measurements are usually miscalculated, considering that the capability of forest ecosystems to store CO2 are often underestimated.

We publish upon authors’ request the following corrigendum to the commentary previously issued on Forest@, volume 8, year 2011, pp. 45-48. - doi: 10.3832/efor0652-008.

Background: Understanding how trees develop their root systems is crucial for the comprehension of how wildland and urban forest ecosystems plastically respond to disturbances such as harvest, fire, and climate change. The interplay between the endogenously determined root traits and the response to environmental stimuli results in tree adaptations to biotic and abiotic factors, influencing stability, carbon allocation, and nutrient uptake. Combining the three-dimensional structure of the root system, with root morphological trait information promotes a robust understanding of root function and adaptation plasticity. Low Magnetic Field Digitization coupled with AMAPmod (botAnique et Modelisation de l'Architecture des Plantes) software has been the best-performing method for describing root system architecture and providing reliable measurements of coarse root traits, but the pace and scale of data collection remain difficult. Instrumentation and applications related to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) have advanced appreciably, and when coupled with Quantitative Structure Models (QSM), have shown some potential toward robust measurements of tree root systems. Here we compare, we believe for the first time, these two methodologies by analyzing the root system of 32-year-old Pinus ponderosa trees., Results: In general, at the total root system level and by root-order class, both methods yielded comparable values for the root traits volume, length, and number. QSM for each root trait was highly sensitive to the root size (i.e., input parameter PatchDiam) and models were optimized when discrete PatchDiam ranges were specified for each trait. When examining roots in the four cardinal direction sectors, we observed differences between methodologies for length and number depending on root order but not volume., Conclusions: We believe that TLS and QSM could facilitate rapid data collection, perhaps in situ, while providing quantitative accuracy, especially at the total root system level. If more detailed measures of root system architecture are desired, a TLS method would benefit from additional scans at differing perspectives, avoiding gravitational displacement to the extent possible, while subsampling roots by hand to calibrate and validate QSM models. Despite some unresolved logistical challenges, our results suggest that future use of TLS may hold promise for quantifying tree root system architecture in a rapid, replicable manner., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Breeding for phenotype in herding dogs (HDs) mainly relies on their performance in national field trial competitions, which has been shown to be inadequate for identifying HDs suited for real livestock farming conditions. In this study, a different field trial with a new scoring system consisting of 28 items to consider was designed to assess young HDs, the results of which culminated in a statement of adequate phenotype (AP) or non-adequate phenotype (NAP). An AP HD was defined as being able: to control the direction of a flock, to keep it grouped close to a handler when needed, to confront animals it is dealing with in a respectful manner, and able to create movement of the flock without excessive disturbance, threatening or attacking it through chasing, or uncontrolled biting. This innovative trial is composed of a pre-test (PT) and a test (T) phase. To evaluate its efficiency in detecting AP/NAP, 460 French Border Collies aged between 8 and 24 mo, underwent the trial. Its average duration (PT + T) was 3 min and 16 s (SD = 26 s). According to experts' assessments (Gold Standard), 16.5% of tested HD reached an AP score, and the Idele scoring system correctly identified 93.3% of them (sensitivity). Specificity and accuracy values were of 96.1% and 95.7%, respectively (P value < 0.0004). Recursive feature elimination identified 25 of the 118 features (categories of items) from the scoring system as significant predictors of AP/NAP. An AP HD was statistically defined as a dog who completed the PT and T phases, showed keenness, correct position in relation to the handler, and absence of prey drive. Four environmental effects significantly influenced AP/NAP: the field trial session, the owner's experience with HDs, the conditions of the HD's first contact with livestock, and the type of livestock with which the HD is accustomed to working (P-values <0.0005, <0.05, <0.05, and <0.007, respectively). Inter-evaluator agreement was substantial (0.70). The field trial proved to be a short, easily implemented, standardized, reproducible method for detecting AP/NAP. Hence, the field trial and its scoring system could provide a basis for a breeding program based on phenotype pending additional testing of HDs and genetic analyses., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The increasing role of digital technology, social media, the wide range of channels and the volume of information, the role of medicine as a societal subject, public information that is insufficient and poorly suited to situations of uncertainty are all observations which led to the theme of this round table. After discussing the definition of disinformation, which is not limited to fake news, and talking about contributors who misinform, whether intentionally or not, the participants of this round table made nine recommendations (R) to combat disinformation about health products: create a collaborative platform, information/training on health products, a platform with five major characteristics, namely accessibility, flexibility, objectivity, transparency and independence, as well as media suited to the different targets (R1); promote basic knowledge on health products: education/training to restore the particularly poor image of medication, and teach the public how to use basic concepts appropriately (R2); improve communication to the public based on the observation that information is the main weapon against misinformation and entails, in particular, coordinating communication from the different institutions to make public information more audible, making institutional messages clearer, ensuring they are more factual and prioritising them (R3); know how to communicate using the correct codes and tools (R4), because, to be understood, the substance and the form are inseparable; develop research on communication in the field of health products (R5); acquire tools to identify and regulate as soon as possible (R6); keep check of content by developing critical thinking (R7); define quality criteria for information sources (R8); identify, assess and reference initiatives for the public that could be placed on the platform (R9)., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

In this study, we assessed the functional and architectural traits in the coarse roots of Ulmus pumila trees, which are used for afforesting the semi-arid steppe of Mongolia. Tree growth was supported by different watering regimes (no watering, 2, 4, and 8 L h -1 ) and by two types of soil fertilization (NPK and compost). In July, 2019, for each of these treatments six trees, outplanted in 2011 as 2-year-old seedlings from a container nursery, were randomly selected, excavated by hand, and digitized. The build-up of root length correlated positively with increasing levels of watering for both soil depths analyzed. The application of fertilizers led to root growth suppression resulting in a general reduction of root length in a lowered rooting depth. When root system characteristics were analyzed in relation to wind direction, unfertilized trees showed higher root diameter values in both soil layers of leeward quadrants, likely a response to mechanical forces to improve stability. On the contrary, fertilized trees did not show differences in root diameter among the different quadrants underscoring a strong reduction in root plasticity with a lack of morpho-architectural response to the mechanical forces generated by the two prevailing winds. Finally, the root branching density, another important trait for fast dissipation of mechanical forces, was significantly reduced by the fertilization, independently of the quadrants and watering regime. Our results suggest that knowledge of the root response to the afforestation techniques applied in the semi-arid steppe of Mongolia is a necessary step for revealing the susceptibility of this forest shelterbelt to the exacerbating environmental conditions caused by climate change and, thus, to the development of a sustainable and successful strategy to restore degraded lands., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Montagnoli, Lasserre, Terzaghi, Byambadorj, Nyam-Osor, Scippa and Chiatante.)