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[Objective] Soil and water conservation and ecological benefits of forest ecosystem in the new urban karst areas of Guanshanhu District, Guiyang City in Central Guizhou Province were studied to scientifically evaluate the achievements of ecological construction, and to provide a scientific reference for the sustainable utilization of resources and the environment, and high-quality development of forests in new urban karst areas. [Methods] The distribution patterns of forest ecosystems at Guanshanhu District at 2000, 2010, and 2020 were extracted by using multi-source remote sensing data. The soil conservation and regulating water amount were calculated by a soil conservation model and the water balance equation. The ecological benefit value was calculated using the market value method and the shadow engineering method. [Results] ① The area of the forest ecosystem at Guanshanhu District increased from 10 892.74 hm2 to 15 571.90 hm2 during 2000—2010. Forest area decreased with the acceleration of urban expansion, and was 13 937.54 hm2 by 2020. Due to the opposing influences of ecological engineering and urban expansion, the forest ecosystem has changed greatly during the past 20 years. ② The value of soil and fertilizer conservation and water regulation in the forest ecosystem generally showed an increasing trend, and the ecological benefits per unit area increased. However, due to the decrease in forest ecosystem area, the ecological benefits of soil and fertilizer conservation and water regulation increased slowly. ③ Soil conservation per unit area followed the order of coniferous forest>mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest>shrub forest>broad-leaved forest>other forest. The regulated water amount followed the order of coniferous forest>broad-leaved forest>mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest>shrub forest>other forest. The total value of the ecological benefits of soil fertility and water regulation in coniferous forest was the largest, followed by shrub forest. Shrub forest played a very important role in soil fertility and water regulation. [Conclusion] The forest ecosystem changed greatly at Guanshanhu District, and the area increased significantly from 2000 to 2010, but exhibited a decreasing trend in recent years. However, the per unit area ecological benefits increased continuously, and played an important role in soil and fertilizer conservation and water regulation. Forest ecosystem protection should be given great importance in the development of new urban areas.

The anthropization of forest ecosystems has become a major environmental problem with negative impacts on biodiversity around the world. Responding to such a problem requires monitoring land use. Thus, this study aims to analyze the Spatio-temporal dynamics of land use (LULC) to implement effective management strategies for forest ecosystems in the South Talihya watershed in eastern DR Congo. For this, a diachronic study of Landsat TM+ satellite images from 1987 and 2001 and Sentinel-2 from 2020 was used. The results revealed that natural formations have regressed in favor of croplands and fallow mosaics in the Talihya South watershed. The forests which occupied 183.68 km2 in 1987, decreased to 140.94 km2 in 2001 and 108.2 km2 in 2020. Bare lands and buildings represented 87.54 km2 in 2020 against 115.33 km2 in 2001 and 58 .63 km2 in 1987. The current state of land use indicates that Crop lands, fallows, and pastures occupy a high surface area compared to forests and bare lands and buildings. These Crop lands, fallows, and pastures occupied 317.88 km2 in 1987, 303.74 km2 in 2001, and 373.34 km2 in 2020. The observed changes result from overexploitation of resources characterized by the expansion of agricultural lands and tree logging. The annual deforestation rate calculated from forested areas of Talihya South watershed between dates t0 (1987) and t1 (2020) was 1.60%. In view of these results, participatory land use planning is a way to ensure sustainable management of the existing residual forests in this watershed.

IntroductionForest spatial structures are the foundations of the structure and function of forest ecosystems. Quantitative descriptions and analyses of forest spatial structure have recently become common tools for digitalized forest management. Therefore, the accuracy and intelligence of acquiring forest spatial structure information are of great significance.MethodsIn this study, we developed a forest measurement system using a mobile phone. Through this system, the following tree measurements can be achieved: (1) point cloud of tree and chest diameter circle to measure tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and position coordinates of tree by using simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology, (2) virtual boundary creation of the sample plot, and the auxiliary measurement function of tree with the augmented reality (AR) interactive module, and (3) position coordinates and single-tree volume factor to calculate the spatial structural parameters of the forest (e.g., Mingling degree, Dominance index, Uniform angle index, and Crowdedness index).The system was tested in three 32 x 32 martificial forest plots.ResultsThe average DBH estimations showed BIAS of -0.47 to 0.45 cm and RMSEs of 0.57 to 0.95 cm. Its accuracy level met the requirements of forestry sample surveys. The tree position estimates for the three plots had relatively small RMSEs with 0.17 to 0.22 m on the x-axis and 0.16 to 0.26 m on the y-axis. The spatial structural parameters were as follows: the mingling degree of plot 1 was 0.32, and the overall mixing degree of tree species was low. The trees in plots 2 and 3 were all single species, and the mixing degree of both plots was 0. The dominance index of the three plots was 0.56, 0.51, and 0.51, indicating that the competitive advantage of the whole orest species was not obvious. The uniform angle index of the three plots was 0.55, 0.59, and 0.61, indicating that the positions of trees in the three plots were randomly distributed. The crowdedness index of plot 1 was 1.03, indicating that the degree of aggregation of the trees was low and showed a random distribution trend. The crowdedness index of the other plots were 1.36 and 1.40, indicating that the trees in the plots show a trend of uniform distribution, and the uniformity of plot 3 is higher than that of plot 2, but the overall uniformity is relatively weak.DiscussionThe findings of this study provide support for the optimization of forest structures and improve our conceptual understanding of forest community succession and restoration, in addition to the informatization and precision of forest spatial structure surveys.

Abstract As the future climate becomes hotter or drier, forests may be exposed to more frequent or severe droughts. To inform efforts to ensure resilient forests, it is critical to know which forests may be most exposed to future drought and where. Longer duration droughts lasting 2–3 years or more are especially important to quantify because forests are likely to experience impacts. We summarized exposure to 36‐month drought for forests across the conterminous United States using the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) overlaid on forest inventory plot locations. Exposure was quantified under 10 scenarios that combined five modeled climates and two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs, 4.5 and 8.5) through 2070. Future projections indicate a tripling of the monthly spatial extent of forests exposed to severe or extreme drought—38% of forests were exposed on average by mid‐century as opposed to 11% during 1991–2020 (2041–2070). Increases in drought exposure were greatest under hotter (HadGEM2‐ES), drier (IPSL‐CM5A‐MR), and middle (NorESM1‐M) climate models, under either RCP. Projections agreed that forests in portions of the western United States, especially the southwestern United States, could face high levels of exposure. Forest types including pinyon/juniper, woodland hardwoods, and ponderosa pine were projected to be exposed to drought more than 50% of the time on average across all scenarios by mid‐century, when no forest type was exposed more than 25% of the time under any scenario during the recent period. Projections agreed less for the eastern United States, but in some scenarios, particularly under RCP 8.5, large portions of the East could be exposed to drought nearly as often as parts of the West. Moreover, a substantial portion of oak/hickory forests occur in eastern regions, where projections agree on increased drought exposure. This study provides novel insights about the changing conditions forests face in both the eastern and western United States. Our results can be combined with information about the sensitivities and adaptive capacities of forest ecosystems to prioritize drought adaptation efforts.

As climate change progresses, the frequency and duration of drought stress events are increasing. While the mechanisms of drought acclimation of trees has received considerable attention in recent years, the recovery processes remain critically understudied. We used a unique throughfall exclusion experiment in a mature temperate mixed forest consisting of the more isohydric Norway spruce and more anisohydric European beech, to study the recovery and resilience after drought release. We hypothesized that pre-dawn water potential (ΨPD) of both species will increase within 1 day after watering, while the recovery of stomatal conductance (g s) and the reversal of osmoregulation will be significantly delayed in the more isohydric spruce. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the xylem sap flow density (u daily) will not fully recover within the growing season due to the strong drought impact. After 5 years of summer drought, trees showed significantly reduced ΨPD, u daily and increased osmoregulation in leaves, but only isohydric spruce displayed increased leaf abscisic acid concentrations. In line with our hypothesis, ΨPD and g s recovered within 1 day in beech. Conversely, isohydric spruce showed delayed increases in ΨPD and g s. The delay in recovery of spruce was partially related to the replenishment of the stem water reservoir, as indicated by the missing response of u daily at the crown base compared with DBH level upon watering. However, u daily fully recovered only in the next growing season for beech and was still reduced in spruce. Nevertheless, in both species, osmotic acclimations of leaves were reversed within several weeks. While both species displayed full resilience to drought stress in water-related physiology, the recovery time was in several cases, e.g. u daily, ΨPD and g s, shorter for beech than for spruce. With future increases in the frequency of drought events under ongoing climate change, tree species that recover more quickly will be favored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic matter is essential in forest ecosystems to maintain the structural stability of the soil. Following soil assimilation, it evolves in two opposite ways: mineralization and humification. This leads to the formation of a wide variety of substances that, evolve according to very different kinetics. This work involved studying the stability of organic matter in the soils of forest ecosystems: Atlas cedar, holm oak, zeen oak, and maritime pine. This study was performed on representative samples of the upper soil layer (0-30 cm) of the different ecosystems, using a biochemical fractionation technique. Results from the extraction of humic substances showed that humin is the main component (53 and 75%), followed by humic acids (19 and 34%) and fulvic acids (6 and 16%). These findings indicate stable carbon abundance and good sequestration of this element in the soils studied. Zeen oak and maritime pine have the most stable soil organic matter with a humification ratio of 4.30 and 4.10, respectively. Furthermore, the formation of humic substances is closely linked to the presence of clay that favors the formation of the clay-humic complex, making this material difficult to access by microorganism soils and therefore more resistant to decomposition. Ultimately, the studied soils have a stable organic matter which increases the dwell time of carbon in the soil. Such a result can be proved in further research, by using appropriate techniques like stable isotopes (13C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can undoubtedly play a significant role in carbon neutrality strategy. Forests are a major part of the carbon budget in terrestrial ecosystems. The possible response of the carbon balance of southwestern forests to different climate change scenarios was investigated through a series of simulations using the forest ecosystem carbon budget model for China (FORCCHN), which clearly represents the influence of climate factors on forest carbon sequestration. Driven by downscaled global climate model (GCM) data, the FORCCHN evaluates the carbon sink potential of southwestern forest ecosystems under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The results indicate that, first, gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and net primary productivity (NPP) of forest ecosystems are expected to increase from 2020 to 2060. Forest ecosystems will maintain a carbon sink, but net ecosystem productivity (NEP) will peak and begin to decline in the 2030s. Second, not only is the NEP in the SSP1-2.6 scenario higher than in the other climate change scenarios for 2025–2035 and 2043–2058, but the coefficient of variation of the NEP is also narrower than in the other scenarios. Third, in terms of spatial distribution, the carbon sequestration potential of northwest and central Yunnan is significantly higher than that of other regions, with a slight upward trend in NEP in the future. Finally, GPP and ER are significantly positively correlated with temperature and insignificantly correlated with precipitation, and the increasing temperature will have a negative and unstable impact on forest carbon sinks. This study provides a scientific reference for implementing forest management strategies and achieving sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoring forest ecosystems to reverse soil degradation is critical to maintain environmental quality, forest and agricultural productivity, biodiversity conservation, and to provide valuable ecosystem services. Yet the impacts of forest restoration on soil quality remain under‐investigated. Here we aim to address a key knowledge gap: how does forest ecosystem restoration affect the recovery of soil quality in tropical and temperate regions? We conducted a global meta‐analysis to compare soil physical, chemical, and biological properties between restoring forests and reference old‐growth/less‐disturbed forests. We revealed for the first time that differences between restoring and reference forests are lower for physical (12–25%; based on median values of effect size) and chemical (10–74%) properties than for biological (32–90%) properties. More specifically, bulk density (12% of difference), pH (10%), and enzyme activity (32%) had mean values in restoring forests closer to those observed in reference forests. Overall, our results suggest that the restoration of soil properties was greater in tropical regions, after longer periods (>30 years), through passive restoration, and over pasturelands. Our global meta‐analysis helps to fill the soil information gap in forest restoration and increase our understanding of how to improve soil quality through forest restoration and soil monitoring processes in tropical and temperate regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soils of forest ecosystems are often affected by the industrial activity of mining and metallurgical enterprises, and insufficiently investigated for the content of pollutants due to enterprise emissions. Some pollutants, such as arsenic, are transported over long distances by these emissions. To analyze this connection, the present study was conducted on the eastern slope of Mount Yurma, the Southern Urals, Russia, to determine the content of arsenic in the soils of mountain forest areas in the impact zone of the copper smelter (Karabash). The physical and chemical parameters, total content of arsenic, mineralogical composition of silt, and concentration of arsenic in the silty fraction in soils located at different altitudes were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The soils under study are physico-chemically and chemically acidic in the upper horizons with a pH of 3.26 to 4.05. The carbon of organic matter decreases with depth from 7.98 to 0.06%. Exchangeable Ca and Mg cations in the range of 2.6–8.6 mg-eq per 100 g of soil were determined. The mineralogical composition of the silty fraction consists mainly of quartz and aluminosilicates. Following an analysis of the arsenic content in the above-ground leaf litter, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) was calculated. Arsenic exceeding Clarke concentrations was recorded. In all upper soil horizons, concentrations of total arsenic exceeded background values by 3.7–5.2 times, with maximum values in the horizons A—25.3 mg/kg, in the horizons O—64.4 mg/kg. The obtained BCF > 1 data points to the biological arsenic accumulation by plants and, as a result, its input into the soil via industrial emissions from the smelter. It was found that the silty fraction plays a special role in the accumulation of arsenic in the studied soils. Accumulation of arsenic occurred mainly due to the secondary minerals of Ca and Mg. Differences in the accumulation of arsenic in the forest litter depending on the plant association were noted. The obtained results could serve as a guideline for monitoring the areas around the enterprise and enhancing the understanding of pollutants' distribution in the soils of remote areas and mountain landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To analyze the changes in land-use and vegetation (LUV), from 1985 to 2014, in the sites in northern Mexico where 16 pine trees listed in the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 are collected. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on consultations in botanical collections, a georeferenced database of the species under study was developed. A point coverage was created to which LUV vector information from Series I (1985) and VI (2014) was added. Subsequently, LUV class changes were identified during the evaluation period through spatial analysis and geoprocessing. Results: A total of 2,242 georeferenced records of pine species were obtained. Fifty percent of the pine records consulted in collections with Series I information belong to other non-primary forest categories of LUV, while with Series VI information with this condition rose to 58.7%. Consequently, in the study period major changes occurred in the conversion of primary forests to agricultural lands, pasture, secondary vegetation in coniferous and oak forests, and mainly urban areas. Limitations/Implications: The availability of larger-scale cartographic material limited the generation of a risk analysis study about the changes and threats to forest conservation. Findings/Conclusions: The number of collection sites registered in coniferous forest, scrubland, and primary oak forest in Series I —which are now agricultural lands, water bodies, pastures, and urban areas— was significantly lower than in Series VI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fuzzy models were developed for the abundance classes of two Collembola species. • Performance of fuzzy models with two variable selection methods was compared. • Statistics-based input variable selection outperformed knowledge-based selection. • Optimal statistics-based fuzzy model showed high predictive performance. • Fuzzy models can be useful in assessing habitat suitability for soil indicator species. In the face of escalating anthropogenic fragmentation and habitat destruction, research on soil habitat disturbance using indicator species is increasingly critical to conserve and maintain the ecological functions of forest ecosystems. The modeling methodology for habitat suitability is a valuable tool for assessing habitat conditions based on the ecological preferences of indicator species; however, its application to such species in forest soils remains unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap by identifying an optimal procedure for developing a fuzzy model to evaluate the habitat suitability of indicator species based on their abundance classes. Fuzzy models were developed for assessing the habitat suitability of Folsomia quadrioculata and F. octoculata based on data collected from seven mountains using three types of selected variable numbers (3-, 4-, and 5-variable) for two input variable selection methods (statistics-based variable selection, SVS; knowledge-based variable selection, KVS), and their performance was compared. Our results indicate that the SVS-fuzzy model performed better than the KVS-fuzzy model in both the model training and testing phases. As the number of input variables increased, the performance of the KVS-fuzzy model improved; however, it still exhibited lower performance compared to the SVS-fuzzy model. Meanwhile, the optimal SVS-fuzzy model effectively explained the abundance classes of the two collembolan species based on the environmental conditions of their habitats (F1 score > 0.743, Matthews correlation coefficient > 0.520). The findings of this study provide a solid foundation for developing effective models to understand the habitat suitability of soil indicator species. Expanding the application of fuzzy modeling to diverse species in forest soils will improve our understanding of habitat disturbance and degradation, contributing to the development of conservation strategies for forest ecosystems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the contribution of microorganisms to forest ecosystem function, we studied the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal and soil bacterial community of the five typical tree species (Pinus massoniana, PM; Castanopsis carlesii, CC; Castanopsis eyrei, CE; Castanopsis fargesii, CF; and Keteleeria cyclolepis, KC) at the Junzifeng National Nature Reserve. The results indicated that the ECM fungal and soil bacterial diversity of CC and CF was similar, and the diversity rates of CC and CF were higher than those of PM, CE, and KC. Cenococcum geophilum and unclassified_Cortinariaceae II were the most prevalent occurring ECM fungi species in the five typical tree species, followed by unclassified_Cortinariaceae I and Lactarius atrofuscus. In bacteria, the dominant bacterial genera were Acidothermus, Bradyrhizobium, Acidibacter, Candidatus_Solibacter, Candidatus_Koribacter, Roseiarcus, and Bryobacter. EMF fungi and soil bacteria were correlated with edaphic factors, especially the soil pH, TP, and TK, caused by stand development. The results show that the community characteristics of ECM fungi and bacteria in the typical tree species of the Junzifeng National Nature Reserve reflect the critical role of soil microorganisms in stabilizing forest ecosystems.

Plant pathogens are increasingly considered as important agents in promoting plant coexistence, while plant symbionts like ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can facilitate plant dominance by helping conspecific individuals to defend against plant pathogens. However, we know little about their relationships with plants at large scales. Here, using soil fungal data collected from 28 forest reserves across China, we explored the latitudinal diversity gradients of overall fungi and different fungal functional guilds, including putative plant pathogens, EMF, and saprotrophic fungi. We further linked the spatial patterns of alpha diversities of putative plant pathogens and EMF to the variation of plant species richness. We found that the relationships between latitude and alpha diversities of putative plant pathogens and EMF were region-dependent with sharp diversity shifts around the mid-latitude (~35°N), which differed from the unimodal diversity distributions of the overall and saprotrophic fungi. The variations in the diversities of putative plant pathogens and EMF were largely explained by the spatial regions (south vs. north/subtropical zone vs. temperate zone). Additionally, the alpha diversities of these two fungal guilds exhibited opposing trends across latitude. EMF could alter the relationship between diversities of putative plant pathogens and plants in the south/subtropical region, but not vice versa. We also found that the ratio of their alpha diversities (EMF to putative plant pathogens) was negatively related to plant species richness across the spatial regions (north to south), and explained ~10% of the variation of plant species richness. Overall, our findings suggest that plant-microbe interactions not only shape the local plant diversity but also may have non-negligible contributions to the large-scale patterns of plant diversity in forest ecosystems.

The paper provides an overview of Russian and foreign articles devoted to the study of the tree litter production and decomposition in forest ecosystems subjected to natural and anthropogenic factors. The spatial variability (below crown and between crown spaces) and the seasonal features of the tree litter production, its chemical composition, and decomposition processes are poorly studied. In addition, most of the works, both in Russia and foreign countries science, highlight the influence of natural factors on the litter production and the processes of its decomposition, while the impact of local sources of industrial air pollution is rarely considered. The study of the variability of the size, fractional and chemical composition and processes of decomposition of tree litter under conditions of industrial air pollution is important for predicting the dynamics of forest ecosystems subjected to the combined action of natural and anthropogenic factors and reducing the negative impact of production processes on forests.

Deeper understanding on natural forest dynamics requires long-term data series from forests that have not been affected by human interventions, which are often scarce especially in the Pannonian Bioregion. Unmanaged, but regularly inventoried forest reserves provide an opportunity to fill this gap.The dataset provides repeated inventory data for 233 permanent plots situated in the core areas of six forest reserves selected from primary forests (Kékes), long abandoned forests (Kecskés-galya, Szalafő, Várhegy) and abandoned ones (Hidegvíz-völgy, Nagy Istrázsa-hegy). The sampled old stands represent the four most widespread hilly forest types in Hungary: Carpathian submountainous beech forest; sessile oak-hornbeam forest; Turkey oak and sessile oak forest; downy oak forest. In each plot, stand level attributes included main mensuration variables (canopy closure, stand height, tree density, basal area, living and dead volume, lying deadwood and admixture of the main tree species). Tree level attributes (diameter at breast height, height measured and estimated, crown position in the canopy, health status, tree history of all trees or shrubs having diameter larger or equal to 5 cm) were also measured in two inventories (after 6-16 years) for a total of 6,986 individual trees sampled in all plots. Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus petraea agg., Q. cerris L., Q. pubescens Willd., Carpinus betulus L., Acer campestre L. and Cornus mas L. were the most abundant. The individual tree history classification refers to regeneration ingrowth, growing phase, mortality, decaying phase and disappearance events, that can be used for calculation of various stand dynamics attributes.The dataset offers valuable opportunities for quantifying changes in stand structures and tree population dynamic attributes after the abandonment of management. Inventory data can be integrated with environmental and climatic information to understand the drivers of forest stand dynamics under a changing climate.

IntroductionSoil carbon and nutrient contents and their stoichiometric characteristics play a vital role in indicating plant growth and element balance, which can be used to indicate nutrient limitation. However, it has been less studied about their driving factors within forest soils at the regional scale in southern China.MethodsIn this study, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were analyzed in the topsoil (0–10 cm) at 345 sampling plots representing different forest types in Guangxi Province.ResultsThe results showed that the mean contents of C, N, and P were 29.80, 2.46, and 0.51 g/kg, respectively, and soil C:N, C:P, and N:P were 13.95, 69.60, and 5.53 respectively. The ratios also showed remarkable correlations with each other. C, N, and P contents and their ratios presented significant differences among different soil and vegetation types. C, N, and P concentrations increased with the increase of elevation and latitude, and decrease with the increase of average annual temperature (MAT). Conversely, C:N showed an opposite trend. C, N, and N:P were also increased with increasing average annual precipitation (MAP). Collectively, soil type, vegetation type, geographical, and climatic factors explained 43.46, 64.02, 68.61, 32.93, 39.64, and 37.87% of the variance in C, N, P, C:N, C:P, and N:P, respectively. For Soil C, both latitude and MAP had strong influences. Soil type was the largest explanation for soil N and P contents. Latitude and longitude were the key factors determining the soil stoichiometric ratios.DiscussionOverall, soil type, geographical and climatic factors were the most vital explanation variables for soil nutrients and their stoichiometric ratios. These results could help improve our understanding of soil stoichiometry within forest ecosystems in southern China.

An appraisal of butterfly species composition in terms of comparative diversity richness in various habitat types was conducted in and around the Nandhour Wildlife Sanctuary of Terai Arc landscape in Uttarakhand. During the two years of survey period (March 2018-February 2020), a total of 89 species of butterflies belonging to families Nymphalidae 43 species, Pieridae 15 species, Lycaenidae 13 species, Hesperiidae eight species, Papilionidae seven species, and Riodinidae three species were recorded, of which 46 species represented new records for the Nandhour Landscape. Butterfly diversity and richness were highest in dense moist & open dry riverine forests and lowest in human settlements & agricultural land. No significant differences in the number of species were found in moist mixed deciduous forest, subtropical Chir Pine forest, moist Bhabar Sal forest, moist Shiwalik Sal forest, and plantation forest. Eight species are endemic to the Indian Himalayan Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree interactions have long been recognised as key biotic interactions in forest ecosystems and their spatial patterns can improve our understanding of forest structure and dynamics. In this study, we explored the intraspecific and interspecific interactions of Betula platyphylla Suk. (birch) and Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. (larch) in mountainous forests of northern Hebei, China. The mark correlation function based on tree height was employed in this analysis. Our results showed that the intraspecific interactions in pure birch and larch stands were mainly competition, while in the mixed birch–larch stand, they were mainly facilitation. The intraspecific interaction between saplings and adults changed from competition in the pure birch stand to facilitation in the mixed stand (4.5 < r < 6 m) and an opposite variation was observed for the interaction between birch juveniles and adults (2 < r < 3.5 m). The interspecific interaction between birch and larch mainly appeared as competition, while facilitation between birch saplings/adults and larch juveniles was significant. In contrast to previous studies, our results revealed that the coexistence of birch and larch in mixed forests significantly regulated tree interactions, including competition and facilitation. The findings of this study will help understand the dynamics of similar forest ecosystems and may provide new perspectives for forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate impact on sessile oak ecosystems may be measured by means of the HYPE climatic software. The climatic modelling software is employed to predict future temperatures and precipitations across the studied teritory. After interpreting the data provided by the software, we can predict how forest ecosystems will be influenced by climate change in the future. Different plots across the Banat Mountain range have been studied in order to determine the future existence of oak forest ecosystems. Consequently, two simulations have been designed, leading to two different future climatic scenarios. To begin with, the first scenario there is a moderate increase in green house gases (rcp-4.5) whilst in the second scenario there is an accentuated increase (rcp-8.5). The analysis which resulted from the data processing from within all three sessile oak stands reveals the fact that the Moldova-Noua and Paltinis stands will be the most vulnerable ones and the Bocsa-Romana stand the less vulnerable one. The importance of these results is closely related to how local forest administrators can use such findings in order to apply the best management measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant changes in the environment have caused awareness of the strategic importance of forests as a factor in global environmental security, and socio-economic development of territories. Evidence of this are many international acts, including the provisions of the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030. However, in areas where hostilities are taking place, forests are being destroyed en masse, leading to systemic losses, the restoration of which will require large investments, efforts, and a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to improve the mechanisms for recovering compensation from the aggressor country, whose actions have led to losses from loss or damage to forest ecosystems. In this case, justification of the amount of compensation plays a significant role, and therefore there is a need to develop methodological approaches to their definition. Based on the summary of international practices, guidelines of international organizations, regulations of Ukraine, and scientific publications on the assessment and compensation of environmental damage, the author used a systematic approach that combines the assessment of damage from loss or damage to forest ecosystems and the cost of their restoration. The methodology involves taking into account the degree of damage in determining losses, lost profits, and costs of restoration of forest ecosystems in the context of forest ecosystem services – Provisioning Services, Regulating Services, Supporting Services, or other ecosystem maintenance services; Cultural Services, such as educational, aesthetic, and cultural heritage values, recreation, and tourism. The author proposes relevant methods for each component of the assessment and the relevant indicators. In determining the sets of indicators the author used those that can be calculated based on objective data, or that have an international practice of their calculation. The choice of data sources for the calculation of damage and losses from losses or damage to forest ecosystems and objects within them, caused to Ukraine as a result of hostilities, is stipulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After drought events, tree recovery depends on sufficient carbon (C) allocation to the sink organs. The present study aimed to elucidate dynamics of tree‐level C sink activity and allocation of recent photoassimilates (Cnew) and stored C in c. 70‐year‐old Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees during a 4‐week period after drought release. We conducted a continuous, whole‐tree 13C labeling in parallel with controlled watering after 5 years of experimental summer drought. The fate of Cnew to growth and CO2 efflux was tracked along branches, stems, coarse‐ and fine roots, ectomycorrhizae and root exudates to soil CO2 efflux after drought release. Compared with control trees, drought recovering trees showed an overall 6% lower C sink activity and 19% less allocation of Cnew to aboveground sinks, indicating a low priority for aboveground sinks during recovery. In contrast, fine‐root growth in recovering trees was seven times greater than that of controls. However, only half of the C used for new fine‐root growth was comprised of Cnew while the other half was supplied by stored C. For drought recovery of mature spruce trees, in addition to Cnew, stored C appears to be critical for the regeneration of the fine‐root system and the associated water uptake capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological connectivity below the soil surface can influence the forest structure and function, especially soil and plant productivity. However, few studies have determined the changes in the hydrological connectivity below the soil surface with increasing soil depth and have quantified the effects of root systems on the hydrological connectivity in forest ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the index of the hydrological connectivity (IHC) below the soil surface using a field dye tracing method and compared the difference in the index of hydrological connectivity in two subtropical forest stands (i.e., pine trees [SS] and bamboo [ZL]). We analyzed the interactions between the parameters of root system architecture and the index of hydrological connectivity. Back propagation (BP) neural networks were used to quantify which parameter can contribute the most relative importance to the changes of the IHC. The results revealed that the maximum value of the index of hydrological connectivity occurs at the soil surface, and it exhibits a non-linear decreasing trend with increasing soil depth. The parameters of root system architecture (root length, root projected area, root surface area, root volume, and root biomass) were rich in the top soil layers (0–20 cm) in the two sites. Those parameters were positively correlated with the IHC and the root length had the largest positive influence on the hydrological connectivity. Furthermore, we found that root system architecture with different root diameters had different degrees of influence on the index of hydrological connectivity. The very fine root systems (0 < D < 1 mm) had the greatest effect on the hydrological connectivity (p < 0.01). The results of this study provide more information for the assessment of the hydrological connectivity below the soil surface and a better understanding of the effects of root systems in soil hydrology within the rhizosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires negatively impact ecosystem services, affecting human welfare. The present study proposes a Forest Fire Risk Indicator (FFRI) based on the Fire and Burn Risk Indicator (FBRI). The instrument was applied to the Sorocabuçu River Basin in São Paulo State, Brazil. The FBRI was initially obtained by using the factors that most contribute to the start or spread of fires according to the literature. These factors were later grouped into anthropogenic, topographic, land cover/land use, and climatic variables. The factors of each variable were classified into intervals to which a fire risk value was assigned ranging from 0 (null risk) to 1 (very high risk). By applying the Analytical Hierarchy Process, we obtained the final FBRI, after which the FFRI was created. The final FBRI showed predominantly high risks (64.78%) throughout the basin, as well as the FFRI (82.56%). The present study evidences that most forest fragments need measures for ecosystem protection. This can be done in different ways such as monitoring through fire towers and conduction of environmental education activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the area of Kosów forestry in the Pokuttya Carpathians, a population of Ulmus glabra with 15 trees, about 100 years old, was found, which survived the epidemic of "Dutch disease" in the last century. Under a tent made of large trees, young elms were restored to an area of about 1 hectare. A unique population, not recorded in the current taxonomic descriptions of the enterprise, was formed on the southern slope of a forest stream in a deep ravine occupied by phytocoenoses of three forest vegetation communities that change as they move away from the water surface - Stellario nemorum-Alnetum glutinosae, Ulmo glabrae-Aceretum pseudoplatani, Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum. Large specimens of Ulmus glabra survived only on the first terrace in the watercourse, creating another strip of black alder in the decline of ravine forests. There is a specific microclimate in the conditions of forest ravines and phytocoenoses of hygrophilous forest vegetation are formed. The discovery of the ancient Ulmus glabra in the Pokuttya Carpathians is an important scientific discovery that foresters can use to reproduce elm forests, and the seeds and the younger generation will serve as a reserve for genetic plantations to restore "Dutch disease" resistant forms of this species. The distribution and syntaxonomic affiliation of forest assemblies, which include Ulmus glabra, have not been fully investigated, and the names of the teams in different regions of Europe, even based on the ecological-floristic school, differ significantly and are often incorrectly verified. It was found that the multi-vector diversity of European vegetation has resulted in a variety of habitats in which Ulmus glabra grows. Due to its large ecological and syntaxonomic amplitude, the elm is part of forest and shrub communities of at least three vegetation classes, including riparian and ravine forests, felling, mountain beech forests and sycamore forests, and thermophilic oak forests. It is an element of lowland deciduous or ravine mountain forests, which determines its participation in the syntaxa of various compounds, and sometimes different classes of vegetation. The study of the species composition and phytosociological features of ravine forests with Ulmus glabra was carried out on the basis of the ecological-floristic classification and the method of Braun-Blanquet (1964). The syntaxonomic structure of the studied phytocoenoses made it possible to determine the place of elm in the wetlands of the Pokuttya Carpathians, to determine the features and conditions of the formation of biotopes in which resistant forms of elms survive. The syntaxonomic analysis showed that the elm forests in the Pokuttya Carpathians found their original habitat, which allowed them to survive the epidemic of "Dutch disease". It is a cold and damp mountain stream gorge with fertile organic soils, and the terrace where the elm grows occupies a transitional strip between alder and beech forests. The population of Ulmus glabra is relict because it is a remnant of the ancient wet forests of the Alno-Ulmion compound, which, as a result of dynamic changes in vegetation and the decrease in groundwater level, gradually transform into the forests of the Tilio platyphyllis-Acerion pseudoplatani compound. This is evidenced by the almost equal share of species from both unions, as well as the extremely high share of species of the Carpinion betuli compound. The studied population does not belong to the beech forest complex, but is part of an independent syntaxon of rare mountain ravine vegetation.

A climatic modelling program was used in order to see the extent of changes in future climatic conditions. This can realize prognosis for certain climatic factors that cause extreme climatic phenomena concerning forest ecosystems. The program was applied for forest ecosystems comprised of Scots pine, installed and inventoried on sample surfaces from Transylvania. Simulations were then created within two future climatic scenarios. Two scenarios were chosen: the climatic scenario in which the increase of greenhouse gases would be moderate (rcp-4.5) and the climatic scenario in which the increase would be accentuated (rcp-8.5). The data was then processed, resulting in an analysis focused on the results of future climatic changes on forest ecosystems located in the studied area. By analyzing all three pine stands, we can conclude that the Lechinta stand is the most vulnerable one if the two climatic parameters change. It is necessary to verify and use future climatic scenarios for other areas that have the same species, as well as for other species, in order to see how they will be affected. These results can be used for applying the best management measures for current stands as well as for establishing decisions for installing future stands at a national level.

We present six datasets of saproxylic beetles collected between 2012 and 2018 in Central and Southern Italian forests. Saproxylics represent one of the main components in forest ecosystems in terms of diversity, species richness and functional traits and, for this reason, they are an important target group for studying the modification of forests over time. The datasets consist of annotated checklists and were published on Zenodo repository.Overall, 1,171 records are published, corresponding to 918 taxa (taxonomy at species or subspecies level). The taxa are scarcely shared amongst the areas, 80.2% of them are exclusive, indicating that the beetle communities are substantially different. In consideration of the biodiversity crisis we are passing through, which is especially dramatic for the insects, we want to promotecollaboration amongst researchers for making datasets available in open repositories. This will improve the possibility for researchers and forest managers of analysing the state of species distribution that could serve for long-term studies on the variation of insect communities. We encourage repeating species assessment in the same localities in order to evaluate the trends in insect communities over time and space.

The belowground systems of trees have a major role in forest functioning through absorption of water and nutrient cycling. This study deals with the fine root dynamics including fine root biomass, necromass, production, turnover, and nutrient return in transitional Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) dominated sub-tropical forest ecosystems of Central Himalaya, India. Four sites namely, Site-1 (Kaladhungi), Site-2 (Fatehpur), Site-3 (Ranibagh), Site-4 (Amritpur) were selected in Sal forest within an elevational range between 405 and 580 m above sea level. The dominant and associated co-dominant species were selected from each site for the estimation of fine root dynamics by using sequential core and ingrowth core methods. The results revealed that the fine root biomass, necromass, and production were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by location, seasons, and soil properties. The fine root biomass and production decreased with increasing soil depth and also influenced by stand characteristics including tree density and basal area. The rainy season was most productive with maximum fine root biomass (507.37 kg ha–1) as well as fine root production (600.26 kg ha–1 season–1) in the dominant tree species S. robusta. Among the associated co-dominant tree species highest fine root biomass (330.48 kg ha–1) and fine root production (410.04 kg ha–1 season–1) was reported for Tectona grandis L. during the rainy season, while lowest fine root biomass (126.72 kg ha–1) and fine root production (195.59 kg ha–1 season–1) in the Glochidion velutinum Wight tree species during the winter season. Annual fine root production ranged from 460.26 to 1583.55 kg ha–1 yr –1, while turnover rate varied from 1.37 to 4.45 yr–1 across all the studied sites. The fine roots added carbon input of 154.38 to 564.20 kg ha–1 yr–1 and nitrogen input of 6.58 to 24.34 kg ha–1 yr–1 to the soil through annual flux. The study improves our understanding on fine root parameters under the influence of sites, soils and seasonal and spatial variation. The return of nutrients to the soil through fluxes from the roots illustrates the role of fine roots in carbon and nitrogen cycling of the forests and this potential can be harnessed to assess the long-term carbon and nitrogen pool estimations in forests and to plan and manage the forest ecosystems.

The sources of uncertainties in estimating soil carbon stocks in forest ecosystems, including abiotic (mechanical composition of soil) and biotic (plants, earthworms) factors, are discussed. The results of comparative assessment of soil carbon storage in coniferous-broadleaved and taiga forests based on direct measurements and pedotransfer functions are presented. It is shown that the estimation of soil carbon stocks in forests based on both direct measurements and pedotransfer functions requires, along with other soil formation factors, taking into account the most dynamic ones, including plants and soil biota, as well as the history of nature management. The calculation of soil carbon stocks should be carried out with account of fine earth ( 2 mm fraction) content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildland fires dramatically affect forest ecosystems, altering the loss of their biodiversity and their sustainability. In addition, they have a strong impact on the global carbon balance and, ultimately, on climate change. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of studies on remotely sensed methods and data used for estimation of forest burnt area, burn severity, post-fire effects, and forest recovery patterns at the global level by using the PRISMA framework. In the study, we discuss the results of the analysis based on 329 selected papers on the main aspects of the study area published in 48 journals within the past two decades (2000–2020). In the first part of this review, we analyse characteristics of the papers, including journals, spatial extent, geographic distribution, types of remote sensing sensors, ecological zoning, tree species, spectral indices, and accuracy metrics used in the studies. The second part of this review discusses the main tendencies, challenges, and increasing added value of different remote sensing techniques in forest burnt area, burn severity, and post-fire recovery assessments. Finally, it identifies potential opportunities for future research with the use of the new generation of remote sensing systems, classification and cloud performing techniques, and emerging processes platforms for regional and large-scale applications in the field of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological role of forest communities dominating in the Podkamennaya Tunguska basin has been assessed by their contribution to the total evaporation in the watershed area based on the landscape differentiation of the region. We have used evapotranspiration parameters obtained by remote sensing data from MODIS Global Evapotranspiration Project (MOD16 ET), which takes into account the climatic data of the studied area, the types of the terrestrial surface, and the diversity of the landcover. The studies show that the evapotranspiration of the specified classes of forest vegetation is characterized by significant variability both in space and with time. The variability of evapotranspiration from year to year is primarily related to changes in meteorological parameters and the leaf index. The evaporation variability in space is determined by general climatic characteristics of the research area and different species composition of forest stands. The analysis of data reveals the tendency to a decrease in the annual evapotranspiration in the Podkamennaya Tunguska basin from 2000 to 2014. A comparative analysis of evapotranspiration trends with those in air temperature and precipitation confirms that the evapotranspiration decrease is related to changes in climatic conditions in the studied area. It is revealed that the landscape structure of watersheds may be used to indicate the processes forming evapotranspiration as an important component of the water balance, as well as to determine the hydrologically significant boundaries of landscapes. The assessment of evaporation from the land surface based on remote sensing data (product MOD16 ET) may be used for water balance calculations in watersheds of various sizes, particularly in the absence of a runoff database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Soil respiration modeling (i.e., simulation of carbon dioxide emissions from the soil surface) makes it possible to analyze and forecast changes in the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Along with classical regression models, researchers currently use machine learning methods based on neural networks or regression tree ensembles. However, models produced using these methods are often used as 'black boxes', which hinders the analysis of process mechanisms. This paper demonstrates capabilities of the Random Forest algorithm that can be successfully used to estimate effects exercised by various factors on soil respiration based on features importance measurements. Using variance separation, predictors have been classified either as spatial (biotope type, soil type, vegetation type, and soil moisture content) or temporal (soil and air temperature, NDVI, LAI, FPAR, and SPEI). Several models were produced based on 5670 respiration measurements performed during five growing seasons (2012–2016) on 30 sampling plots in south-taiga pine forests and meadows that feature different vegetation and soil types but are confined to the same small area. Different models include different sets of predictors (all predictors, temporal predictors only, spatial predictors only, and temperature and humidity only), and their accuracy reaches R2 = 0.88 (MSE = 0.47). It is established that soil respiration depends primarily on temporal factors whose importance ranges from 76 to 91%. In forests, the effect of spatial factors on respiration is stronger than in meadows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent climate change scenarios show significant increases in temperature and extreme drought events in Southern and Eastern Europe by the end of the 21st century, which will have a serious impact on forest growth and adaptation, and important consequences for forest management. The system of provenance regions, according to the OECD Scheme and EU Directive, was thought to encourage the use of the local seed sources, under the concept 'local is the best'. However, climate is changing faster than some species or populations can adapt or migrate, which raises some uncertainties with respect to the future performance of local populations. In Romania, as in other countries, the delimitation of provenance regions is based on geographical, ecological and vegetation criteria. The aim of this study is to evaluate: (1) the climate change that has occurred at the level of the provenance regions; (2) which regions will be most vulnerable to climate change; (3) which forest types will be the most vulnerable in a certain region; and (4) changes in the climatic envelope of forest species. Several climatic parameters and an ecoclimatic indices have been calculated and analyzed at the level of provenance regions, subregions and ecological sectors (forest types) in Romania, during the period 1951–2020. The results highlight a general shift towards warmer and drier conditions in the last 30 years, the mean annual temperature increasing with 0.3–1.1 °C across the provenance subregions. The De Martonne aridity index for the vegetation season shows that 86% of the ecological sectors fell into the arid and semiarid categories, which indicates a very high degree of vulnerability for forest species. On the Lang rainfall index, forest steppe climatic conditions occurred in all pure or mixed pedunculate oak forests, thermophile oak species, meadow forests, poplar and willow, Turkey oak and Hungarian oak forests. The Ellenberg coefficient highlights that the warming process is more evident along the altitude and the degree of vulnerability increase at lower altitude or at the edge of species distribution. The climate envelopes of many forest species have already shifted to another ecosystem's climate. This paper presents the importance of re-delineation the provenance regions for the production and deployment of forest reproductive materials according to the climate change occurred in the last decades, as a fundamental tool for an adaptive forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria are one of the most abundant and diverse groups of micro‐organisms and mediate many critical terrestrial ecosystem processes. Despite the crucial ecological role of bacteria, our understanding of their large‐scale biogeography patterns across forests, and the processes that determine these patterns lags significantly behind that of macroorganisms. Here, we evaluated the geographic distributions of bacterial diversity and their driving factors across nine latitudinal forests along a 3,700‐km north–south transect in eastern China, using high‐throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Four of 32 phyla detected were dominant: Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi (relative abundance > 5%). Significant increases in bacterial richness and phylogenetic diversity were observed for temperate forests compared with subtropical or tropical forests. The soil organic matter (SOM) mineralisation rate (SOMₘᵢₙ, an index of SOM availability) explained the largest significant variations in bacterial richness. Variation partition analysis revealed that the bacterial community structure was closely correlated with environmental variables and geographic distance, which together explained 80.5% of community variation. Among all environmental factors, climatic features (MAT and MAP) were the best predictors of the bacterial community structure, whereas soil pH and SOMₘᵢₙ emerged as the most important edaphic drivers of the bacterial community structure. Plant functional traits (community weighted means of litter N content) and diversity resulted in weak but significant correlations with the bacterial community structure. Our findings provide new evidence of bacterial biogeography patterns from tropical to cold temperate forests. Additionally, the results indicated a close linkage among soil bacterial diversity, climate and SOM decomposition, which is critical for predicting continental‐scale responses under future climate change scenarios and promoting sustainable forest ecosystem services. A plain language summary is available for this article.

The paper provides an overview of Russian and foreign articles devoted to the study of the tree litter production and decomposition in forest ecosystems subjected to natural and anthropogenic factors. The spatial variability (below crown and between crown spaces) and the seasonal features of the tree litter production, its chemical composition and decomposition processes are poorly studied. In addition, most of the works, both in native and foreign countries science, highlight the influence of natural factors on the litter production and the processes of its decomposition, while the impact of point sources of industrial air pollution is rarely considered. The study of the variability of the size, fractional and chemical composition and processes of decomposition of tree litter under conditions of industrial air pollution is important for predicting the dynamics of forest ecosystems subjected to the combined action of natural and anthropogenic factors and reducing the negative impact of production processes on forests.

Abstract Tree regeneration is a key process for long‐term forest dynamics, determining changes in species composition and shaping successional trajectories. While tree regeneration is a highly stochastic process, tree regeneration studies often cover narrow environmental gradients only, focusing on specific forest types or species in distinct regions. Thus, the larger‐scale effects of temperature, water availability, and stand structure on tree regeneration are poorly understood. We investigated these effects in respect of tree recruitment (in‐growth) along wide environmental gradients using forest inventory data from Flanders (Belgium), northwestern Germany, and Switzerland covering more than 40 tree species. We employed generalized linear mixed models to capture the abundance of tree recruitment in response to basal area, stem density, shade casting ability of a forest stand as well as site‐specific degree‐day sum (temperature), water balance, and plant‐available water holding capacity. We grouped tree species to facilitate comparisons between species with different levels of tolerance to shade and drought. Basal area and shade casting ability of the overstory had generally a negative impact on tree recruitment, but the effects differed between levels of shade tolerance of tree recruitment in all study regions. Recruitment rates of very shade‐tolerant species were positively affected by shade casting ability. Stem density and summer warmth (degree‐day sum) had similar effects on all tree species and successional strategies. Water‐related variables revealed a high degree of uncertainty and did not allow for general conclusions. All variables had similar effects independent of the varying diameter thresholds for tree recruitment in the different data sets. Synthesis: Shade tolerance and stand structure are the main drivers of tree recruitment along wide environmental gradients in temperate forests. Higher temperature generally increases tree recruitment rates, but the role of water relations and drought tolerance remains uncertain for tree recruitment on cross‐regional scales.

Forests cover 30% of the Earth's landmass, host 80% of the biodiversity on land, and represent one of the main sinks of carbon. Studying forest ecosystems and dynamics is more crucial than ever now that the climate is changing. On the other hand, forest structural attributes and microhabitats data acquisition is challenging, and require huge efforts.Here we provide a georeferenced dataset of living trees, deadwood, and microhabitats referring to 199 plots (13 m radius), collected between 2012 and 2018, and located over six Apennine mountainous forest types across Italy. The dataset we provide promotes collaboration among researchers and improves the possibilities to analyze the evolution of forest ecosystems.

This is an overview paper introduces and invasive alien species (IAS) and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are known to interact as a threat of biodiversity loss, encompassing species extinction and ecosystem change. The paper describes the main pathways of invasive pathogens introduction demonstrating the known examples of forest damages due to the spread of the emerging infectious diseases. The global trade of ornamental plants for planting is shown as the main pathway of the invasive pathogens spread. We tried to discussed the reasons that lead to large-scale damage to tree species and significant transformation of forest ecosystems under the influence of invasive pathogens. The problems related to an insufficient level of alien species spread by forest pathologists, scientists and forestry practitioners are also overviewed. The terminology for invasions of various taxa of pathogenic organisms is still incorrectly unified or developed and it was summarized to present the basic terms concerning invasions and invasive organisms. This paper indicates the main phases that the organism goes through to acquire the status of invasiveness and the factors that contribute to the successful establishment of invasive pathogens at the local, regional and continental levels. The vast majority of introductions of forest invasive species are happened unintentionally e.g., by morphological structures of pathogens (spores, mycelium) that cannot be detected during the import of plants, or on packaging material. It is also indicated that the effects of forest disturbances due to global climate change (e.g. drought, storms, forest fires, outbreaks of pests and pathogens) will increase the vulnerability of trees and shrubs to the impact of invasive pathogens. Currently, that is one of the major problems facing forest phytopathologists. Due to the global climate change, the introduction of invasive organisms might be significantly accelerated with affecting the success of their penetration, spread, establishment and susceptibility of host plants in new areas. The overview is also provided on plant protection regulation on national and international levels. There is no legal framework in Ukraine that would regulate the introduction of invasive pathogen at the national level except the Law of Ukraine "On Plant Quarantine" which contains lists of: 1) quarantine organisms absent in Ukraine; 2) quarantine organisms limited in Ukraine; 3) regulated non-quarantine pests. The list of regulated pests and diseases with the high potential threat of introduction and risk for plants in Ukraine is designed on the information about pests and diseases included in lists A1 and A2 by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and/or lists of other relevant international organizations. Some of the pathogens and pests listed in these lists are invasive, but there is no information and understanding of their invasiveness and the threat they may pose. The spread and influence of invasive pathogens after their penetration are also influenced by factors that allow their successful establishment at the local, regional and continental levels: 1) host diversity; 2) host connectivity; 3) host susceptibility. The analysis of host plant diversity and vulnerability to invaders, which depend on the three factors listed above, will improve the ability to foresee the spread of invasive pathogens on a large scale and to prevent potential negative effects on ecosystems.

A new method was proposed to estimate ecosystem naturalness. Three species-plot (S Χ A) datasets were used. Those data sets belong to Sultan mountain sub-district (BS) (60 Χ 96) Dedegül mountain sub-district (BD) (89 Χ 119) and, Beyşehir Watershed (B) (98 Χ 215) consisting of both of the sub-districts. Firstly, chi square test (χ^2 ) was applied to define the statistical goodness of fit between the first digit observed probabilities (〖d_1 p〗_o ) and the theoretical probabilities of Benford’s Law (d_1 p_e ). It was found that χ^2 (e_BS )=16.579 and χ^2 (e_BD )=2.406.Secondly, to find the fittest theoretical probabilities for BS and BD, generalized Benford’s Law (GB(d;γ)) was applied. Minimal χ^2 values were obtained at γ=0.65 and γ=0.07 for BS and BD respectively (χ^2 (e_BD^γ )=4.992, χ^2 (e_BD^γ )=2.209). As expected, χ^2 values of the sub-districts decreased by generalized Benford’s Law. The most dramatic χ^2 decrease occurred in BS. The number of sample plots of the sub-districts are different. Two random iterative processes happened 10000 times were therefore performed considering the number of sample plots of the sub-districts in B dataset. As a result 10000 χ^2 values were obtained for each sub-district. Average values of those χ^2 values were then used ((_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_BS^γ )=6.747 and (_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_BD^γ )=6.176) to calculate calibration coefficients of each sub-district. Naturalness values of BS and BD were found to be 4.992 and 2.414 respectively due to calibration coefficients of BS= ((_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_max^γ ))⁄((_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_BS^γ ) )=1 and BD=((_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_max^γ ))⁄((_ ^k)(χ^2 ) ̅ (E_BD^γ ) )=1.093. Since the perfect naturalness value is theoretically equal to 0, the obtained results indicate that BD ecosystems are more natural than BS ecosystems.

• We simulated carbon cycling in key forest areas in the European part of Russia. • Simulation scenarios included climate change and different management strategies. • The relationship between net carbon sequestration rate and site type was shown. • Net carbon sequestration was predicted to be predominantly positive. • Climate change had a long-term effect comparable to management interventions. The objectives of sustainable development require the ability to estimate potential changes in net carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems (including changes in biomass, mortmass, and soil organic matter) under possible climate change and different forest management strategies. Such estimates require consideration of different ecosystem components and processes. To achieve this goal, we have integrated several ecological models (dynamic stand model FORRUS-S, soil organic matter model Romul_Hum, statistical climate generator SCLISS and process-based forest ecosystem model EFIMOD3) to simulate the ecosystem dynamics at the regional level in several study areas within the forest zone of the European part of Russia. The simulation results reflected both the direct effects of climate change and forest management actions on ecosystem carbon pools, and the indirect effects through changes in species composition. The simulation experiments were spatially detailed at the level of individual forest management units, thereby revealing the influence of habitat conditions on the rate of carbon sequestration under the influence of environmental factors. We found that net carbon sequestration in all major ecosystem pools was mostly positive, ranging between 0 and 1.45 t ha year−1 depending on study area and simulation scenario. Higher accumulation was typically observed in medium-rich and rich habitat types with mesic moistening. In the long term, the effect of climate change was found to be comparable to the effect of management interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals, metalloids, and many trace elements are harmful to living organisms when they accumulate above a certain level of concentration. These potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are released in large quantities in urban areas due to domestic heating, heavy traffic, industrial emissions, and municipal and industrial waste disposal. A portion of PTEs is transported to neighboring ecosystems, including urban and suburban forests, which serve as important barriers and sinks for pollutants. The impact of PTEs extends to both abiotic and biotic ecosystem components, as well as to human populations that benefit from forest ecosystems. This paper aims to characterize Polish urban areas as sources of PTEs and the channels through which PTEs flow from urban areas to urban and suburban forest ecosystems, with a focus on the existing national literature. The potential consequences of pollution of urban and suburban forests by PTEs are also discuss. Published Polish studies do not allow for a full qualitative and quantitative assessment of PTEs entering forest ecosystems from urban areas via different channels (air, water, human-related channels). National monitoring and scientific investigations have focused primarily on Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Many other PTEs have been surveyed less frequently and irregularly. The transfer of PTEs via water and human-related channels is not extensively addressed in the national literature. A more comprehensive approach to this topic is needed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]