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The research output of the women scientists of the selected Indian research institutes in the field of physics and astronomy is analyzed for a period of 2011 to 2015. It is observed that the strength of women scientists (12.35%) are less in compare to men scientists (87.65%), as only 73 women scientists out of total 583 staff. These women scientists have published total number of 713 research articles, and the current study reveals the contribution of each scientist individually. The highest numbers of papers (144) were published by National Physical Laboratory but Indian Institute of Astrophysics got the highest number of citations for fewer publications (2018 for 129 articles). The majority of these articles were published in collaboration with other institutes of national and international level. To understand the collaboration between these and other institute the collaboration coefficient is calculated (CC) and found that these institute have average CC ~0 .7480. On the basis of analysis of 713 publications of women scientists, the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics is assigned as rank one because maximum articles were published in this journal, and in term of most productive authors, Aditi Sen De from Harish Chandra Research Institute with maximum 38 publications is allocated as rank one among all women scientists. Additionally, this study also presents detailed information on the corresponding and first authorship of all these papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents a bibliometric analysis of 270 papers presented at the international conference "Information Technology: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" organized by the Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Center (DESIDOC), Delhi, of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) during February 19-21, 2015. The study indicates that more than half of the total presentation was contributed by academic institutions (universities and colleges). Distribution of contributions by country and Indian States indicates that out of 270 papers, only seven were from foreign countries and rest 263 from India. Delhi topped the list among the contributing cities, while DESIDOC topped the list among the contributing institutions. Output of authors by gender indicates that male authors contributed more than female authors. The distribution of references cited in the papers shows that among the different information sources, journal citations were the highest and highest number of cited journals was in the discipline of library and information science. The highest number of cited journals was being published from the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to bring out the contribution of women faculty in the discipline of Physics in select institutions of Delhi. The study covers a total of 44 women faculties and their 802 publications during the period of 2011-2015 collected from various sources. The study presents a scientometrics analysis of 463 journal articles. The study focuses on authorship pattern, research interest areas, most productive authors, most used journals etc. The study indicates that multi-authored papers were dominated. Ratnamala Chatterjee from IIT Delhi found to be the most productive author and Journal of Applied Physics is the most preferred journal. CSIR-National Physical Laboratory was leading institution in publishing journal articles (145). It was noticed that majority of women authors preferred to be the second author while writing the paper jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain forests are among the most important ecosystems in Europe as they support numerous ecological, hydrological, climatic, social, and economic functions. They are unique relatively natural ecosystems consisting of long-lived species in an otherwise densely populated human landscape. Despite this, centuries of intensive forest management in many of these forests have eclipsed evidence of natural processes, especially the role of disturbances in long-term forest dynamics. Recent trends of land abandonment and establishment of protected forests have coincided with a growing interest in managing forests in more natural states. At the same time, the importance of past disturbances highlighted in an emerging body of literature, and recent increasing disturbances due to climate change are challenging long-held views of dynamics in these ecosystems. Here, we synthesize aspects of this Special Issue on the ecology of mountain forest ecosystems in Europe in the context of broader discussions in the field, to present a new perspective on these ecosystems and their natural disturbance regimes. Most mountain forests in Europe, for which long-term data are available, show a strong and long-term effect of not only human land use but also of natural disturbances that vary by orders of magnitude in size and frequency. Although these disturbances may kill many trees, the forests themselves have not been threatened. The relative importance of natural disturbances, land use, and climate change for ecosystem dynamics varies across space and time. Across the continent, changing climate and land use are altering forest cover, forest structure, tree demography, and natural disturbances, including fires, insect outbreaks, avalanches, and wind disturbances. Projected continued increases in forest area and biomass along with continued warming are likely to further promote forest disturbances. Episodic disturbances may foster ecosystem adaptation to the effects of ongoing and future climatic change. Increasing disturbances, along with trends of less intense land use, will promote further increases in coarse woody debris, with cascading positive effects on biodiversity, edaphic conditions, biogeochemical cycles, and increased heterogeneity across a range of spatial scales. Together, this may translate to disturbance-mediated resilience of forest landscapes and increased biodiversity, as long as climate and disturbance regimes remain within the tolerance of relevant species. Understanding ecological variability, even imperfectly, is integral to anticipating vulnerabilities and promoting ecological resilience, especially under growing uncertainty. Allowing some forests to be shaped by natural processes may be congruent with multiple goals of forest management, even in densely settled and developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural disturbances, such as avalanches, snow breakage, insect outbreaks, windthrow or fires shape mountain forests globally. However, in many regions over the past centuries human activities have strongly influenced forest dynamics, especially following natural disturbances, thus limiting our understanding of natural ecological processes, particularly in densely-settled regions. In this contribution we briefly review the current understanding of changes in forest cover, forest structure, and disturbance regimes in the mountain forests across the European Alps over the past millennia. We also quantify changes in forest cover across the entire Alps based on inventory data over the past century. Finally, using the Swiss Alps as an example, we analyze in-depth changes in forest cover and forest structure and their effect on patterns of fire and wind disturbances, based on digital historic maps from 1880, modern forest cover maps, inventory data on current forest structure, topographical data, and spatially explicit data on disturbances. This multifaceted approach presents a long-term and detailed picture of the dynamics of mountain forest ecosystems in the Alps. During pre-industrial times, natural disturbances were reduced by fire suppression and land-use, which included extraction of large amounts of biomass that decreased total forest cover. More recently, forest cover has increased again across the entire Alps (on average +4% per decade over the past 25–115 years). Live tree volume (+10% per decade) and dead tree volume (mean +59% per decade) have increased over the last 15–40 years in all regions for which data were available. In the Swiss Alps secondary forests that established after 1880 constitute approximately 43% of the forest cover. Compared to forests established previously, post-1880 forests are situated primarily on steep slopes (>30°), have lower biomass, a more aggregated forest structure (primarily stem-exclusion stage), and have been more strongly affected by fires, but less affected by wind disturbance in the 20th century. More broadly, an increase in growing stock and expanding forest areas since the mid-19th century have - along with climatic changes - contributed to an increasing frequency and size of disturbances in the Alps. Although many areas remain intensively managed, the extent, structure, and dynamics of the forests of the Alps reflect natural drivers more strongly today than at any time in the past millennium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances are among the most important processes that shape forest dynamics and landscapes. However the historic ranges of variability (HRV) of many coniferous forests in Europe and specifically in the mountains on the Balkan Peninsula are not well understood. We present the first overview of available data on disturbance events in coniferous forests in the high mountains in southwestern Bulgaria. Our study included data from historical publications, documents and archives, newer documentary data obtained through interviews with foresters and verified using satellite images, published studies and new tree-ring data. We documented at least 188 abiotic disturbance events in the Bulgarian mountains including fires (39%), windthrows (31%) and avalanches (20%) and fewer disturbances caused by snow and ice. Fires primarily affected Pine-dominated ecosystems, especially pure Pinus sylvestris and mixed Pinus sylvestris-Pinus nigra forests. Our tree-ring analysis also provided evidence for repeated fires in subalpine Pinus heldreichii and Pinus peuce forests during the last 500 years. Some of these fires affected different valleys within the same year, suggesting either large-scale events or the simultaneous occurrence of fires related to appropriate fuel and climate conditions. We also found data on several large fires in Picea abies -dominated ecosystems. Most of the fires were less than 100 ha, but some were larger, the most extensive of which was the Batalach fire (year 1890, approximately 9000 ha) in the Western Rhodopes. The highest frequency of fires was in 1880–1910, 1940–1950 and 2000–2010. We found evidence for at least 59 windthrows greater than 1 ha, mainly in pure Picea abies and mixed Picea abies-Pinus sylvestris forests. There was high variability in the size of windthrows, ranging from small-scale, gap-sized blowdowns to large and infrequent disturbances affecting more than 300 ha, the largest of which was the Beglika windthrow (1961, 3000 ha). Although avalanches are considered important for subalpine forests on steep slopes they were generally poorly documented and data were limited to several avalanche cycles in 1955, 1963–1974 and in the last two decades. Snow-related damage was important mostly for young pine forests in which several events affected a high stock of wood in the 1930s, 1987, 1988 and 2015. Our data show that natural disturbances of various types and of a range of sizes are part of the natural dynamics of coniferous forests in Bulgaria. Further, our study contributes to the understanding of the historic range of variability of mountain forests in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic variability often is thought to be most important for ecosystem development at ecotones, while competition is thought to be most important farther from ecotones, where neighboring plants compete for scarce resources. However, climatic variability may also modulate consequences of competition, especially under recent and future climate change. Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) forests are among the most important ecosystems in the mountain regions of Europe and provide various ecosystem services. Many of these forests are currently in a self-thinning, stem-exclusion phase. Understanding processes governing forest dynamics during this phase is necessary for understanding future forest structure and processes as well as effects of climatic variability on ongoing forest development. We studied growth and mortality patterns in unmanaged 100–150 years-old Norway spruce forests that originated after stand-replacing disturbances in the Parangalitsa Reserve in Bulgaria. We collected data on forest structure and tree ring samples from 648 live and dead trees (DBH >4 cm) to analyze onset, pattern and duration of mortality, as well as contributing factors. We found that climate extremes acted together with competition to cause sharp growth declines lasting from a few years to several decades and, in some cases, eventually led to death. The majority of dead trees had one to several consecutive growth declines, most of which initiated in response to extreme summer droughts during periods of high within-stand competition (after trees were 40–50 years old). Our tree-ring analysis revealed that some suppressed trees that died were more drought-sensitive than living trees. Other climate extremes such as unusually cold winters or summers also contributed to sharp growth reductions in some cases. Trees that died had significantly lower initial radial growth, which suggests that in the absence of external disturbances, the outcome of mortality in the stem-exclusion stage may be pre-determined from factors that determine initial growth rates. Spatial distribution data showed that there was no significant aggregation of dead and live trees and that in almost all cases, neither live nor dead trees were clustered. Our findings contribute to understanding mortality processes in self-thinning subalpine Norway spruce forests in Europe and show that under climate change scenarios that include more frequent future droughts, even forests in which competition is thought to be the main driver of dynamics, may experience higher rates of mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the time lag between the receipt of paper and its subsequent publication in the journal, the structure of the IPR literature, type of documents cited by the papers and identification of core journals in the field of IPR using Bradford's law. The study also identifies the place of origin of the cited journals and the disciplines with which these dealt. The analysis indicates that the average time lag between receipt and its consequent publication is about 4 months. Highest number of papers is published in the sub-discipline of intellectual property rights and its related aspects. Nearly 40 journals constitute the core of the cited journals. Most of the cited journals are published from USA, UK and India. It is observed that most of the cited journals belong to the disciplines of law, economics and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents an analysis of citation pattern of Ph.D. theses in social sciences awarded by the University of Delhi during 1995-2008. The study identifies how the pattern of submissions has changed during 1995-2008 in different disciplines of social sciences, besides studying distribution of citations by document types, pattern of authorship of cited documents, cited Indian and foreign authors and chronological distribution of citations. The ranked lists of core journals also have been presented. The analysis reveals that 51,889 citations were made to 259 theses in social sciences. The analysis of these citations shows that books are the most preferred source of citations in all disciplines except economics and constitutes about 55.5% of total citations. The authorship pattern reveals that single authored citations constitute about 86 per cent citations. The chronological distribution of citations shows that the period ranging from 1991 to 2000 is the most cited period. The analyses of journals ranking shows that Economic and Political Weekly published from India is the most cited journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents an analysis of the number of articles published in Annals of Library and Information Studies (ALIS) and DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology (DJLIT) during 2010-2013 and the citations obtained by these articles during 2010-2014 (April) using Google. The study develops immediacy index and impact factor of the two journals, besides, identifying the highly cited authors/papers. Findings reveal that DJLIT published more papers than ALIS and also received more citations. However, citation per paper for both the journals is almost equal. DJLIT have a better immediacy index than ALIS. Impact factor of both the journals was less than one in 2012; however, it increased in 2013 and was more than one in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study covers 260 Ph.D. theses submitted during 1995-2008 that have a total of 9,997 references scattered in 934 journals. The study found that the journal Economic & Political Weekly is the most cited journal with 22.8% citations, followed by The Punjab Past and Present with 1.80% citations. Bradford's law of scattering fits to the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] TreeMig-Aval is a spatially explicit forest model coupled with an avalanche module. [•] The simulated avalanche-forest feedback depends strongly on environmental factors. [•] We evaluated sensitivity to slope steepness, additional disturbances and temperature. [•] Model complexity could not be reduced by omitting the feedback or forest dynamics. [•] Explicit simulation of avalanche-forest feedbacks is crucial for treeline simulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The structure of forest with bark-beetle-induced spruce die-back changed over time. • The recovering bark beetle stand became more diverse than the former dense forest. • Snags delayed wood decay and thus the establishment of seedlings on deadwood. • The bark beetle stand's protective function reached a minimum after 10–15 years. • Bark beetle stands may provide protection against small- to medium-scale avalanches. Large-scale bark beetle outbreaks in spruce dominated mountain forests have increased in recent decades, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. These outbreaks have immediate and major effects on forest structure and ecosystem services. However, it remains unclear how forests recover from bark beetle infestations over the long term, and how different recovery stages fulfil the capacity of forests to protect infrastructures and human lives from natural hazards. The aim of this study was to investigate how a bark beetle infestation (1992–1997) in a spruce dominated forest in the Swiss Alps changed the forest structure and its protective function against snow avalanches. In 2020, i.e. 27 years after the peak of the outbreak, we re-surveyed the composition and height of new trees, as well as the deadwood height and degree of decay in an area that had been surveyed 20 years earlier. With the help of remote sensing data and avalanche simulations, we assessed the protective effect against avalanches before the disturbances (in 1985) and in 1997, 2007, 2014 and 2019 for a frequent (30-year return period) and an extreme (300-year return period) avalanche scenario. Post-disturbance regeneration led to a young forest that was again dominated by spruce 27 years after the outbreak, with median tree heights of 3–4 m and a crown cover of 10–30%. Deadwood covered 20–25% of the forest floor and was mainly in decay stages two and three out of five. Snags had median heights of 1.4 m, leaning logs 0.5 m and lying logs 0.3 m. The protective effect of the forest was high before the bark beetle outbreak and decreased during the first years of infestation (until 1997), mainly in the case of extreme avalanche events. The protective capacity reached an overall minimum in 2007 as a result of many forest openings. It partially recovered by 2014 and further increased by 2019, thanks to forest regeneration. Simulation results and a lack of avalanche releases since the infestation indicate that the protective capacity of post-disturbance forest stands affected by bark beetle may often be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents citation analysis of PhD theses submitted in the discipline of sociology of the University of Delhi during 1995-2010. The study is based on the 5766 citations taken out from 25 PhD theses of sociology. The study presents analysis of several parameters like authorship pattern, forms of literature, country-wise scattering of citations, distribution of Indian and foreign citations and a ranked list of top 30 cited sociology journals. The study finds that highest number of citations was single authored (83.94 %), and 67.23 % citations were from books and only 22.20 % citations were from journals. The country-wise scattering of citations reveals that 2536 (45.52 %) citations were from India and it was followed by USA and UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Journal of Compulsory Execution / Revista Română de Executare Silită is the property of Universul Juridic Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: In densely populated regions, forests can help protect communities and infrastructures from natural hazards such as avalanches and rockfall. To promote the protective function, substantial efforts are made to actively manage forest stands. In 2009 alone the Swiss government invested more than 60million sfr for the maintenance of protection forests. However, to date there has been no comprehensive evaluation of how the structural development of actively managed stands differs from that of passively managed stands in the Alps. Over the past century the structure of Norway-spruce dominated subalpine forests of the Swiss Alps has been changing and it is not clear how these changes affect the potential protective function of these forests, as well as other forest functions such as wildlife habitat. Furthermore, it is not clear how stand dynamics and structural changes differ between stands that are actively managed and those that are passively managed, and thus to what degree active efforts of forest management are contributing to stands that actually have a greater protective function than passively managed forests. In this study, we analyzed the dynamics of subalpine forests using time series of forest inventory data and examined the influence of active vs. passive management, exposition, distance to treeline, elevation and slope steepness on stand structure and dynamics. We analyzed data from 395 plots in dense, subalpine, spruce-dominated forests in the Swiss Alps. Data were collected during three distinct periods (1983–1985, 1993–1995 and 2004–2006) as part of the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI). Using regression trees and multivariate statistics, we investigated which factors have the most important influence on tree growth and stand development. Overall, forest density increased significantly over the last 20years and the predominance of dense forests increased at higher elevations. However, forest density has not increased in actively managed forests over the past 10years. In passively managed stands, density was higher on south-facing slopes than on north-facing slopes. The volume and density of dead wood has increased over the last 20years in both actively managed and passively managed forests. Active management over the last 20years has maintained forest conditions that adequately maintain stands’ protection functions in the Swiss Alps. However, stand development, especially increasing density, in the passively managed stands of the Swiss Alps suggests that the majority of passively managed stands also provide adequate protective functions against rock and avalanche hazards without the high costs of active management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Correct knowledge of disturbance ecology is essential for understanding the characteristic behavior of forest ecosystems and for guiding appropriate management strategies. However, the role of natural disturbances in shaping European mountain forest ecosystems has not been adequately studied, possibly because of the perception that the development of most European forests is primarily shaped by human influences and/or fine-scale gap-phase dynamics. In the present study, we investigate the long-term disturbance history of old protected forest dominated by Norway spruce in the Parangalitsa Reserve, Bulgaria. We used aerial photo interpretation and dendroecological methods to reconstruct the history of wind, insect, and fire disturbances across a topographically complex landscape. Over the past 150years wind has been the most important disturbance agent in this ecosystem and at least 18% of the forested area shows evidence of high-severity blowdowns. Windthrow patches ranged in size from <1ha to >10ha (minimum 0.11ha, mean 0.16ha, maximum 10ha). Although small disturbances were much more frequent, few larger blowdowns accounted for most of the disturbed area. Pure coniferous and single-cohort coniferous forest patches were more affected by blowdowns than mixed coniferous–deciduous and multi-cohort coniferous forest patches. Although bark beetle (Ips typhographus) populations were large enough to cause mortality of some live trees, the populations did not grow to epidemic proportions during recent decades. Fire disturbance was of limited importance in the last 200years and only two patches (4% of the study area) showed evidence of fire. The present research indicates that wind disturbances have been characteristic of these ecosystems at least over the past decades to centuries. Thus, blowdowns appear integral to the normal function and structure of the Picea-dominated mountain forests in the region and such events, in and of themselves, do not represent unhealthy forest conditions or environmental emergencies. Management strategies that aim to maintain these ecosystems within a natural range of variation should incorporate wind disturbances into the management strategy. The frequency and magnitude of future wind disturbances may be considered within the historical framework described in the current study to assess potential effects of climate change on altered disturbance regimes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The protection of people, buildings and infrastructure against natural hazards is one of the key functions of mountain forests. Since the protective function strongly depends on small-scale local conditions such as terrain and stand characteristics, spatially explicit evaluation methods are necessary to provide information required for an effective and cost-efficient forest management. Risk analyses are recognized as the best method for estimating the danger from various natural hazards. Currently, however, risk-based strategies are rarely addressed in the management of protection forest. We present and discuss a risk-based approach to evaluate the protective effect of mountain forests in a spatially explicit manner to demonstrate the advantages of future risk-based protection forest management. We illustrate the approach by performing a GIS-based risk analysis in the case study area ‘Bannwald of Andermatt’ (Switzerland) for a 300-year snow avalanche event. Classifying forest structures based on aerial photographs allowed developing different forest cover scenarios and modeling potential avalanche release areas within the forest. Potential avalanche release areas above the forest and the avalanche run-out distances under five different scenarios of forest cover were calculated by using a two-dimensional avalanche simulation model. We calculated the annual collective risk for each scenario and compared the change in risk to reveal the spatial distribution of the protective effect of the forest. Resulting risks differed strongly between forest cover change scenarios. An enlargement of an existing wind-disturbed area within lower parts of the slope resulted only in a slight increase of risk. In contrast, the effect of an unforested area in the upper parts of the observed forest more than doubled the risk. These results show how a risk-based approach can help to quantify and illustrate the impact of differences in forest cover on the protective effect of mountain forests. It is a promising approach to determine the economic value of protection forests and thus provide quantitative and qualitative information for cost-efficient forest maintenance planning. With regard to the achievements of research to date, the presented approach may serve as a valuable method to support decision-making in a future protection forest management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Avalanche disturbances are important processes in many subalpine forest ecosystems but have received relatively little research attention in comparison to other major types of disturbances. This paper presents a review of interactions between forests and snow avalanches in mountain ecosystems and discusses how avalanche disturbance regimes and associated management may change in the future. Avalanche disturbance regimes are two-way interactions in which forest structure and composition affect avalanches and avalanches, in turn, affect structure and composition. Avalanches can damage or kill individual trees over 10–100s of hectares in forests that are located in vulnerable topographic settings. At a stand scale, avalanche disturbances typically result in forest communities that are characterized by smaller and shorter trees, shade intolerant species, lower stem densities, and greater structural diversity compared to many unaffected subalpine forests. These disturbed communities often provide unique habitats for various animal and plant species and can contribute to overall higher alpha and beta biodiversity. At a broader scale, avalanche tracks provide increased landscape heterogeneity and edge density and can serve as firebreaks. Conversely, forests can affect the likelihood of avalanches starting and can thus protect large areas of human settlement and infrastructure. Forests generally reduce the likelihood of avalanche disturbances in mountain environments, but the degree to which forests serve this function varies with stand structure. Forest conditions that reduce likelihood of avalanche releases include a crown coverage of >30%, the absence of gaps >25m in length, and an increased terrain roughness associated with lying or standing trees that exceed snow-depth. Future changes in climate and land-use are likely to impact forest cover and composition as well as snow avalanche disturbances. This is likely to alter the location of areas where avalanches play an important role in stand dynamics. Current knowledge on avalanche–forest disturbances provides a useful basis for managing avalanche prone forests based on cost-efficiency considerations. However, further research is needed to address uncertainties in the current knowledge of avalanche disturbances, the likely interacting effects of changes in climate and land-use on avalanche regimes, potential future shifts of avalanche prone areas, and the impacts of avalanches on biodiversity and other ecosystem services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A potential limitation of tree-ring based climate reconstructions is related to climate signal age effects (CSAE). CSAE may arise if the climatic response of young tree-rings differs from that of old tree-rings. This could mean that climatic signals become stronger (or weaker) with tree aging, or that the seasonality of signals or the sensitivity to a specific element (e.g., temperature, precipitation) changes over time. Such changes would affect the interpretation of dendroclimatic reconstructions, as the tree-rings included in these records are generally oldest at the end of a record (e.g., 21st century)—which is the time period generally used for calibration with instrumental data. We here addressed this concern by analyzing young and old Pinus cembra trees from three high elevation sites in the central European Alps. Core and disc samples were collected in pre-defined plots to allow for a representative analysis of tree ages with tree-ring width (TRW) measurement series categorized into age classes (i) >1880, (ii) 1880–1939, and (iii) 1940–2002. Notably we report on the signal of the very young category (iii) not yet described in literature, and thus allow estimation of climate response and signal strength characteristics during the first years of the trees’ lifespans. Comparison of age classes (i)–(iii) revealed differences in TRW coherence and size, but little change in climatic signal. CSAE are in the order of the differences recorded among high elevation sites—a conclusion that holds for inter-annual to decadal scale TRW variations at near-treeline Swiss stone pine. Such data are typically included in regional and larger-scale temperature reconstructions; thus, our results add confidence to long-term climate estimates integrating a range of tree-ring age classes. Other findings, such as the reaction wood in juvenile tree-rings, and sensitivity of the climate signal to sample replication, suggest that comparisons of young and old age classes, and separate calibration of these categories against instrumental climate data might further the estimation of long-term uncertainty changes in tree-ring based climate reconstructions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Integrated numerical modelling, scenario analysis and participatory approaches have become common approaches to investigate possible future regional development in sustainability research. But in accordance with disciplinary backgrounds, the literature on specific case studies shows still great biases towards either qualitative social science or the numerical modelling perspective. By presenting a comprehensive case study on changes in agriculture for the Alpine region of Davos, Switzerland, the role of the participatory involvement and to what degree it was found instrumental in defining the scenarios for numerical simulation are discussed, and methodological benefits and limitations are outlined in this contribution. In the presented case study, the participatory process was intended to fulfil two functions: First, it aimed to support the elaboration of regional scenarios including their preparation for numerical simulation through an Input–Output Model, a Resource Flux Model, a Land Use Allocation Model and Ecosystem Service Validation; second, raising the issue of long-term development and capacity-building within the region and amongst key stakeholders was an important goal. In the course of the project, the participatory process proved very useful with regard to interest raised amongst the local participants. However, it could not contribute to the elaboration of scenarios for numerical simulation as much as expected. Reasons for that were (1) limitations in the numerical models so that the complexity of the system and the range of possible scenarios had to be reduced for scenario simulation, (2) the “bottleneck” between qualitative and quantitative data which had to be overcome, and (3) a shift in priorities for the participatory process towards capacity building in the course of the project which hindered the in-detail elaboration of scenarios for numerical simulation to some extent. From the presented case study and the relevant literature, recommendations to improve the integration of qualitative participatory and quantitative, model-based techniques are finally drawn. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fifteen years after the heavy storm “Vivian”, it is still not clear how succession in subalpine forests that were affected by the storm will continue and when regrowing forests will provide effective protection from natural hazards such as avalanches. We used a simulation model to evaluate forest succession, forest structure and the protective effect in subalpine blowdown areas after 50 simulation years under different scenarios. The scenarios included the effects of different management strategies such as clearing the fallen logs or leaving the sites untouched (“uncleared”), variations in seed supply, and ungulate browsing. The simulation results indicated that forest structure was heterogeneous after 50 years, with a high amount of trees between 11 and 100 cm height, and a low amount of trees taller than 1 m. The number of trees 5 m, which is important for the protective effect of a site, was lower at uncleared areas if the area was covered with high amounts of fallen logs, but diversity of microsites was higher than at cleared areas. We found that it is particularly important that abundant seed supply occurs within the first few years after the blowdown at cleared sites, because in later stages there was high competition by tall herbs, which prevented the establishment of tree regeneration. Larger time lags between seed years in the simulations led to retarded tree regeneration. Particularly at cleared sites, ungulate browsing retarded tree regeneration. In contrast, uncleared sites had a higher potential to recover from high browsing pressure due to a high amount of favourable microsites that are provided by decaying logs. These results of our model simulations may help understanding the dynamics of forest regeneration and providing perspectives for management after blowdown events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Natural disturbances have been among the most important driving factors in many ecosystems. Anthropogenic suppression of various disturbances has led to documented changes in ecosystem structure and function. Avalanche disturbances are one of the most important processes in many subalpine ecosystems world-wide and avalanche tracks provide unique habitat for various animal and plant species. Over the past decades the natural avalanche regime in the Alps has been disrupted by snow-supporting structures and other measures intended to prevent the occurrence of avalanches. We hypothesized that suppression of avalanche disturbances changes stand structure and composition and increases the relative importance of climatic stress (the degree to which climatic conditions limit the growth of vegetation). We analyzed stand structure and tree growth at high and low elevations in pairs of active avalanche tracks and tracks from which avalanches have been excluded in the Swiss Alps. Data on density and size of all tree species were collected in the field to analyze stand structure and increment core samples were collected to analyze tree growth. In tracks from which avalanches have been excluded, dbh (diameter at breast height), tree height, annual tree-ring widths, correlation of ring widths between trees, and correlation of ring-width indices with growing-season temperature were all greater than in active tracks, indicating an acceleration of ecosystem development and an increase in the relative importance of climatic stress. Within tracks from which avalanches have been excluded, increases in tree size and ring width were more pronounced at lower elevations while correlation of ring-width indices with growing-season temperature was more pronounced at higher elevations. The anthropogenic alteration of the natural avalanche regime is beginning to cause changes in the structure and function of some subalpine forests. The continued suppression of avalanches, while valuable for social reasons, is likely to eventually lead to the decline of certain ecological communities and may alter subsequent forest dynamics. In addition to changing forest structure, the suppression of avalanche disturbances is also changing the relative importance of the factors that are controlling ecosystem development by increasing the role of climatic stress in ecosystem development. We suggest that, in general, the suppression of disturbances predictably changes the relative importance of stress and competition along existing environmental gradients. Such changes represent a major alteration of ecosystem structure and function. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To examine the speed of tree regeneration in lower subalpine forests (1300–1700m a.s.l.) of the European Alps after blowdown events, we developed a spatially explicit simulation model. Calibrated with data from 10 years of observation on extensive blowdown areas in Switzerland, the model incorporates the interactions between the changing herb layer and the growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The model consists of a vegetation model and a tree model: the vegetation model simulates spatial changes in the herb layer using a cellular automaton combined with a Markov transition matrix. Herb layer changes include the dispersal of tall herbs and raspberry (Rubus idaeus) on different microsite types, the growth of pioneer tree species (Sorbus aucuparia), the decay of fallen trunks, and their colonization by plants. The tree model simulates growth and demographic processes of spruce trees (P. abies) with an individual-based approach, including seed dispersal, germination, establishment, growth and mortality as a function of herb layer properties. The model was evaluated through sensitivity analysis along with stepwise multiple rank regression. As a measure of the goodness of fit, we compared the model results with independent field data. The sensitivity analysis showed that seed availability, seedling survival and the presence of advance regeneration are the key processes for successful reforestation. The model reliably simulated the observed tree height distributions after 8 and 10 years (R 2 between 0.81 and 0.93). Long-term simulations yielded initially sparse spruce regeneration, which is retarded by unfavourable microsite conditions. The results indicate that the recovery of the forest to protect against avalanches and landslides may not be achieved for several decades on blowdown sites with large distances to the nearest forest edge, and thus low seed supply. On sites where less than 10% of the surface was covered by logs and with higher seed supply, the protection against avalanches and landslides may be sufficient again about 50 years after a blowdown event. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Assesses structures in mountain forests for investigating the forests' dynamics and protective function. Number of plots surveyed in subalpine spruce dominated forests in various parts of Switzerland for the purpose of study; Forest structure types made in the forest area around Davos, Switzerland; Method used to calculate the transition probabilities between the different structure types in the period from 1930 to 1970.

• Past land use and management influence disturbance probability in mountain forests. • Forests established after 1920 are more susceptible to natural disturbances. • Recent management may increase stands' susceptibility to disturbances. Mountain forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and protection from natural hazards. Forest cover in the European Alps has increased over the last century, but in recent years, these forests have experienced an increasing rate of natural disturbances by agents such as windthrow, bark beetle outbreaks, and forest fires. These disturbances pose a challenge for forest management, making it important to understand how site and stand characteristics, land use legacies and recent management influence disturbance probability. We combined a dataset of forest disturbances detected from space with in-situ forest management records, allowing us to differentiate between different types of disturbances for the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, in the years 2005–2018. The resulting dataset of over 28′000 attributed disturbance patches (corresponding to a disturbed forest area of ca. 23′600 ha) was combined with information on topography, forest structure, and historical forest cover. A machine-learning approach was used to investigate the non-linear and interacting relationships between potential drivers and disturbance occurrence. Natural disturbances (especially windthrow and bark beetle outbreaks) were most common at lower elevations, on shallow and south-facing slopes, and in even-aged, spruce-dominated stands with a closed canopy. Forests established in the 20th century were significantly more susceptible to natural disturbances than forests that were already present before 1880, which may be due to the uniform age and vertical structure of secondary forests, as well as legacy effects of former agricultural use. On the other hand, forest management more often took place in forests present before 1880. Management interventions (such as thinning) in turn increased the susceptibility to natural disturbances in the short term. This finding emphasizes the need to balance short-term increases in disturbance susceptibility with long-term benefits in forest resilience when planning management interventions in mountain forests. Our findings highlight the importance of considering multiple interactive drivers, including management and land-use history, for understanding forest disturbance regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe's semi-natural grasslands support notably high levels of temperate biodiversity across multiple taxonomic groups. However, these ecosystems face unique conservation challenges. Contemporary agricultural practices have replaced historical traditional low-intensity agriculture in many regions, resulting in a spectrum of management intensities within these ecosystems, ranging from highly intensive methods to complete abandonment. Paradoxically, both extremes along this spectrum of management intensity can be detrimental to biodiversity of semi-natural grasslands. Moreover, while anthropogenic climate change is an overarching threat to these ecosystems, rapid changes in land use and its intensity often present more immediate pressures. Often occurring at a faster rate than climate change itself, these land-use changes have the potential to rapidly impact the biodiversity of these grasslands. Here, we divide the ecological processes, threats, and developments to semi-natural grasslands into three sections. First, we examine the different impacts of agricultural intensification and abandonment on these ecosystems, considering their different consequences for biodiversity. Second, we review seminal works on various evidence-based management practices and offer a concise summary that provides support for various conservation and management strategies. However, the socio-economic factors that drive both abandonment and intensification in semi-natural grasslands can also be used to develop solutions through strategic governmental and non-governmental interventions. Accordingly, we conclude with a way forward by providing several key policy recommendations. By synthesizing existing knowledge and identifying research gaps, this essay aims to provide valuable insights for advancing the sustainable management of semi-natural grasslands., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ecosystem service (ES) mapping has been developed with the aim of supporting ecosystem management, but ES maps often lack information about uncertainty and risk, which is essential for decision-making. In this paper, we use a risk-based approach to map ES in mountain forests, which are experiencing an increasing rate of natural disturbances, such as windthrow, bark beetle outbreaks, and forest fires. These disturbances affect the capacity of forests to provide essential ecosystem services, such as protection from natural hazards, wood production, and carbon sequestration, thus posing a challenge for forest management. At the same time, disturbances may also have a positive effect on certain services, e.g. by improving habitats for species that rely on dead wood. We integrate forests' susceptibility to natural disturbances into probabilistic Bayesian Network models of a set of ES (avalanche protection, carbon sequestration, recreation, habitats, and wood production), which combine information from remote sensing, social media and in-situ data, existing process-based models, and local expert knowledge. We use these models to map the level of the services and the associated uncertainties under scenarios with and without natural disturbances in two case study areas in the Swiss Alps. We use clustering to identify bundles of risk to ES, and compare the patterns of risk between the non-protected area of Davos and the strictly protected area of the Swiss National park with its surroundings. The spatially heterogeneous pattern of risk to ES reflects topographic variability and the forest characteristics that drive disturbance susceptibility, but also the demand for ecosystem services. In the landscape of Davos, the most relevant risks to ES are related to decreases in the protection against avalanches and carbon sequestration, as well as some risk to wood production and recreation. In the strictly protected Swiss National Park, the overall level of ES risk is lower, with an increase in habitat quality under the disturbance scenario. This risk-based approach can help identify stands with high levels of ES that are particularly susceptible to disturbances, as well as forests with a more stable ES provision, which can help define priorities in forest management planning., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)