In order to improve the understanding of the role of a canopy opening/gap on the physical environments in a secondary forest in Northeastern China, a case study was conducted in and around a small irregular gap in a montane secondary forest. The secondary forest, which was severely disturbed by human beings about 50 years ago, was dominated by Quercus mongolica and Fraxinus rhynchophyllaan. Temporal variation in photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), air temperature (T A) at 10 cm above the ground, soil temperature (T S) and soil water content (SWC) at top-layer (0–15 cm) and sub-layer (15–30 cm) were measured from May to September after the second year since the formation of the small gap (the ratios of gap diameter to stand height were less than 0.5) in 2006 respectively. Results indicated that the highest value of PPFD occurred at the northern edge of the gap, particularly at the beginning of the growing season in May. On sunny days, the highest value of PPFD appeared earlier than that on overcast days. Maximum and mean values of T A were higher in the northern part of the gap, and the minimum values of T A were at the southern edge of the gap. Soil temperature varied obviously in the gap with the range from 1 to 8 °C. Maximum values of T S occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was significantly correlated with the maximum values of T A (R = 0.735, P<0.05). SWC was higher in the top-layer (0–15 cm) than that in sub-layer (15–30 cm), but the difference of them was not significant (p>0.05), which might be attributed to the small gap size and the effects of aboveground vegetations. From these results, the maximum of PPFD in the study area occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was consistent with the results observed in north hemisphere, but the occurrence time varied with the differences of the latitudes. The highest values of air and soil temperatures also occurred in the northern part of the gap because they were affected by the radiation. However, the variation of temperature in July was different from other months due to the influence of gap size. And the values of soil water content were neither higher in the gap in the wet season nor lower in the dry season, which might be affected by the gap size and topography the gap located. The variations of light, soil and air temperatures, and soil moisture in this small irregular gap might be related to the effects of the micro-site, which affects the regeneration of plant species.
The organic carbon storage in trees and organic carbon flow with geoposition of trees was estimated in the forest area of Chittagong (South) Forest Division within geo-position 91°47′ and 92°15′ East longitude and 21°45′ and 22°30′ North latitude. The study was conducted through stratified random sampling by identifying each sampling point through Global Positioning System (GPS). It was found that above ground organic carbon storage (t/hm2), below ground organic carbon (t/hm2) and total biomass organic carbon (t/hm2) was respectively the highest in Dipterocarpus turbinatus (Garjan) (7.9, 1.18 and 9.08 t/hm2) followed by Tectona grandis (Teak) (5.66, 0.85 and 6.51 t/hm2), Artocarpus chaplasha (Chapalish) (2.32, 0.34 and 2.66 t/hm2), Artocarpus lacucha (Batta) (1.97, 0.29 and 2.26 t/hm2) and Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit) (1.7, 0.25 and 2.26 t/hm2). From the study it was revealed that organic carbon stock was the highest (142.7 t/hm2) in the geo-position 22° Latitude and 92° Longitude and was the lowest (4.42 t/hm2) in the geo-position 21° 50′ Latitude and 92° 2.5′ Longitude. The forest of the study area is a good reservoir of organic carbon so has a good capacity to sequester organic carbon from the atmosphere. Sustainable forest management may help to sequester more organic carbon so that economic benefit for the country and environmental benefit in the international arena are possible from the study area.
English yew Taxus baccata L. has been catalogued as endangered tree species and prone to extinction in Austria as well as many other parts of Europe. The present work is based on the comparison of the natural population of two gene conservation forests from different geographic locations in Austria where the spatial structure, regeneration status and possible conservation measures are examined. The pole stand distribution varied distinctly in each sites. The total no of individuals per ha (DBH ≥5 cm), average DBH and average height were 492 n·hm−2, 8.8 cm and 6.3 m in Stiwollgraben whereas in Leininger Riese 45 n·hm−2, 16.3 cm and 7.6 m respectively. Over 79% of the Stiwollgraben population were represented the good health condition, while in Leininger Riese it was less then 49 % which means population of Stiwollgraben is in better condition compared to Leininger Riese. The sites differed considerably in the pattern of regeneration but pattern were consistent with the dynamics depicted by the age distribution. Considering the one-year-old seedlings Stiwollgraben contains 13 019 individuals·hm−2 whereas Leininger Riese only 1 368. Surprisingly there were no any saplings in respect of 51 to 150 cm height classes in both sites and 30 to 50 cm in Stiwollgraben. In that context the conservation of English yew on the forest level may require well-managed reserves and long-term rotations between harvest events, protection from the herbivore and reduction of competition, which will enhance the long-term viability of the species.
The basic theory and evaluation index system of eco-environment vulnerability were reviewed. Based on the grey theory and fuzzy mathematics, a new comprehensive evaluation method from qualitative to quantitative, called grey-fuzzy evaluation, was proposed for evaluating eco-environment vulnerability. It was integrated of Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), grey correlation analysis, grey statistics and fuzzy judgment. The constitutional principle and method of the new evaluation method were given and its feasibility and effectiveness were proved by the practical example.
The extracts from leaves of Manglietia insignis (Wall) Blume, Manglietia chingii Dandy and Manglietia yuyuanensis Law were prepared by organic solvent extraction and their components were analyzed by GC/MS and quantified. Meanwhile, the free radicals restraining activities were detected. The 21 compounds in M. insignis, 36 compounds in M. chigii and 20 compounds in M. yuyuanensis were identified. There were 11 common components in the extracts from three Manglietia species, and 12 components in two Manglietia species. The results of relative contents of every component in three extracts showed that the main constituents of M. insignis were terpenoids and alkene, amounting to 38.93%, followed by alkane (28.18%), the nitrogen containing compounds (15.73%) and aromatic compounds (7.23 %). The main constituents of leaf extract from M. chingii were the terpenoids and alkene, carboxylic acid, alkane and aromatic compounds, amounting to 30.22%, 14.17%, 13.87% and 13.29%, respectively. The main constituents of M. yuyuanensis were alcohol compounds, the terpenoids and alkene, and aromatic compounds, amounting to 28.00%, 25.38% and 18.00% respectively. The results showed that the three extracts had strong function of restraining oxygen free radicals. The ultra oxygen anions activity was restrained at the highest level, when the three extracts were diluted by hundred-fold, whereas the restraining capacity of hydroxyl free radicals reached maximum, when the three extracts were diluted by twenty-fold. The above results provide scientific evidences for further approaching the ecological healthy function of three Manglietia species
Two analytical procedures (Crank’s method and Dincer’s method) for porous solid materials were reevaluated and used to determine moisture diffusion coefficients and moisture transfer coefficients for larch lumber subjected to drying. A diffusion-like equation was used to describe drying process data. The lumber was idealized in the modeling as infinite plates. The moisture transport process inside the board was assumed to be one-dimensional. The macroscopic drying kinetics curves of larch timber at particular conditions were determined experimentally. Based on these data, calculation for both the moisture diffusion coefficients and moisture transfer coefficients by the Dincer’s analytical procedure were made. The dynamic moisture diffusion coefficients by the traditional Crank’s method were calculated. In general, diffusion coefficients calculated by the Dincer’s method were all higher than those by Crank’s method. These results could be due to the differences between two analytical methods and also different characteristics between solid moisture diffusion process and heat transfer process. Therefore the analysis and solution procedures of moisture diffusion differential equations need to be adapted in the future. With drying temperature’s increasing moisture diffusion coefficient (D) and moisture transfer coefficient (k) increases accordingly. Also the relationships between diffusion coefficients and temperature as well as material moisture contents were analyzed by using Arrhenius equation and bound water transport theory.
MA-SEBS as compatibilizer and impact modifier was incorporated into Polypropylene/Wood Fiber (PP/WF) to enhance interface adhesion and impact strength of the composite. The effect of MA-SEBS content on the impact fracture behavior of PP/WF composites was studied. The impact properties of composites with 8% MA-SEBS reached the maximum value. And further increasing of MA-SEBS content to 10% did not improve the fracture toughness, but improved the stiffness of composites by DMA analysis. This was attributed to the improved PP/WF adhesion. As the MA-SEBS content is more than 8%, the molecule interaction of PP and WF was expected to much stronger than lower MA-SEBS. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to analyze the impact fracture surface and showed a stronger affinity for the wood surfaces.
The chemical components of dichloromethane extractives for Sawara Falsecypress heartwood were analyzed with GC/MS except for basic chemical composition analysis for heartwood with Chinese standard method. 14 kinds of compounds were identified according to the computer compounds library data. The major compounds in dichloromethane extractives comprised of terpene and naphthalene derivatives. The experiments of antifungal effects of the dichloromethane extractive on Aspergillus niger were also carried out. The result showed that the dichloromethane extractive from Sawara Falsecypress has no or weak antifungal capability.
Three concentrations (2.8%, 2.0%, 1.2%) of Ammoniacal Copper Quaternary (ACQ) was selected to treat Lodgepole pine wood for evaluating ACQ treatment on mechanical properties of blue-stained wood. The bending modules of elasticity (MOE), modules of rupture (MOR), toughness and shearing strength parallel to grain on tangential surface, are tested according to the criteria GB1927∼1943–91. Non-treated sample were also tested according to the same procedure. The results showed that the three groups specimen impregnated by different concentrations of ACQ solution met the AWPA standard 2003 of America (UC4A 6.4g/cm3). There were significant difference of toughness between treated wood and non-treated wood (p=0.01), but there were no statistically significant differences among three concentrations in terms of toughness, and toughness of treated wood was approximately 20% lower than non-treated. MOR, MOE as well as shearing strength parallel to grain were found to be not significantly different between treated wood and non-treated one, and there were no statistically significant difference among three concentrations of ACQ too. Toughness, MOR, MOE and shearing strength parallel to grain increased with decrease of concentration of ACQ, but they were hardly affected by ACQ preservatives.
A study was conducted to determine the fitting soil moisture for the normal growth of two-year-old W. sinensis (Sims) Sweets by using gas exchange technique. Remarkable threshold values of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and water use efficiency (WUE) were observed in the W. sinensis leaves treated by various soil moisture and photosynthetic available radiation (PAR). The fitting soil moisture for maintaining a high level of Pn and WUE was in range of 15.3%–26.5% of volumetric water content (VWC), of which the optimal VWC was 23.3%. Under the condition of fitting soil moisture, the light saturation point of leaves occurred at above 800μmol·m−2·s−1, whereas under the condition of water deficiency (VWC, 11.9% and 8.2%) or oversaturation (VWC, 26.5%), the light saturation point was below 400μmol·m−2·s−1. Moreover, the light response curves suggested that a special point of PAR occurred with the increase in PAR. This special point was considered as the turning point that indicated the functional transition from stomatal limitation to non-stomatal limitation. The turning point was about 600, 1000, 1000 and 400 μmol·m−2·s−1, respectively, at VWC of 28.4%, 15.3%, 11.9% and 8.2%. In conclusion, W. sinensis had higher adaptive ability to water stress by regulating itself physiological function.
Wood nondestructive testing (NDT) is one of the high efficient methods in utilizing wood. This paper explained the principle of log defect testing by using stress wave, and analyzed the effects of sensor quantity on defect testing results by using stress wave in terms of image fitting degree and error rate. The results showed that for logs with diameter ranging from 20 to 40 cm, at least 12 sensors were needed to meet the requirement which ensure a high testing accuracy of roughly 90% of fitness with 0.1 of error rate. And 10 sensors were recommended to judge the possible locations of defects and 6 sensors were sufficient to decide whether there were defects or not.
A study was carried out to determine the influence of different types of sludges (municipal, industrial and residential) on field germination, growth and nodulation of L. leucocephala seedlings in the nursery. Before sowing of seeds, different combinations of sludges were incorporated with the nutrient deficient natural forest soils. Field germination, nodulation status and physical growth parameters of seedlings (shoot and root length, vigor index, collar diameter, leaf number, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root and total dry biomass increment) were recorded after three and six months of seed sowing. Field germination, nodulation status and growth parameters were varied significantly in the soil amended with sludges in comparison to control. The highest number of nodule was recorded from soil amended with residential sludge (1:1) and highest fresh and dry nodule weight was also found from the same combination in both three and six month old seedlings. In case of growth parameters, the highest growth was recorded from soil and residential sludge (1:1) combination compared to control. From the study, it can be recommended that soil amended with residential sludge (1:1) provide better field germination, growth and nodule formation of L. leucocephala in degraded soil.
The diurnal and seasonal dynamics of soil respiration in the A. ordosica shrubland on Ordos Plateau were investigated in the growing season (May–October) of 2006 and their environmental driving factors were also analyzed. Results indicated that diurnal dynamics of soil respiration rate and its temperature dependence showed some discrepancy in two different growth stages (the vegetative growth stage and the reproductive growth stage). During the vegetative growth stage, the diurnal variation of soil respiration was slight and not correlated with the daily temperature change, but during the reproductive growth stage, the daily respiration variation was relatively large and significantly correlated with the diurnal variation of air and soil temperature. In the growing season, the peak value of soil respiration occurred at July and August because of the better soil water-heat conditions and their optimal deployment in this period. In the shrubland ecosystem, precipitation was the switch of soil respiration pulses and can greatly increase soil respiration rates after soil rewetting. Moreover, the soil respiration rates in the growing season and the air temperature and soil surface water content were closely correlated (p<0.05) each other. The stepwise regression model indicated that the variation of soil surface moisture accounted for 41.9% of the variation in soil respiration (p<0.05).
A survey on the symptom and severity of the leaf spot disease of Pongamia pinnata L. was conducted in the nurseries of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong (IFESCU), Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) and Aronnak Nursery in Chittagong. The highest infection percentage and disease index were found in IFESCU nursery, followed by BFRI and the lowest was recorded in Aronnak nursery. The associated organism of leaf spot disease of P. pinnata was isolated from the diseased plant parts and the pathogenicity was established with the isolated fungus. Colletorichum gloeosprioides Penz was proved to be pathogenic. The inhibition of mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides was observed and identified as suitable fungicides (Bavistin, Cupravite and Dithane M-45) and doses (0.05, 0.10, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00). The lowest and highest mycelial growth were respectively found on Bavistin and on Cupravite at the concentration of 0.05 after 8th day of incubation. It indicates that out of the three tested fungicides, Bavistin showed most effective, followed by Diathane M-45, and Cupravite was ineffective for its very little inhibition on mycelial growth.
One of the primary forestry research interests lies in estimating forest stand parameters by applying empirical or semi-empirical model to establish the relationship between the forest stand parameters and remote sensing data. Using remote sensing image and the inventory data from 2 compartments in northeast Florida, U.S.A., this paper explored the correlation between forest stand parameters and Landsat TM spectral digital number (DN) value. Results showed that less than 50% of the total variance could be explained by linear regression models with only either a single band or such vegetation indices as vegetation index (VI) or normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as predicators. In consequence, multi-linear regression models which synthesized more predicators were introduced to estimate forest parameters. Regression results were tested in terms of the other group of data, and verification showed a better capability of explaining over 75% variance except for forest density. The weakness and further improvement of prediction models were also discussed in the article. This paper is expected to provide a better understanding of the relationship between TM spectral and forest characteristics
The physical properties of soil on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those of bushy hill forests. Soil samples were collected from three different depths (0–5 cm, 5–15 cm and 15–30 cm), digging three profiles in each land use for determining moisture content, organic matter content and particle density. Maximum water holding capacity, field capacity, dry and moist bulk density and porosity were determined only for the surface soils. Moisture content at all the soil depths was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in orange orchard than in forest on both the slopes. Orange orchard contained lower mean soil organic matter than forest on 55% slope, while it contained higher values on 35% slope compared to forest. The highest value of the above two properties was found at surface soil in both the land uses on both the slopes, decreasing with the increase of soil depth. On both the slopes maximum water holding capacity and porosity of surface soil and particle density at all soil depths were lower in orange orchard compared to those in forest. Field capacity values of surface soil did not show consistency in trend for the differences between the two land uses on both the slopes. Bulk density value of moist and dry surface soil was higher in orange orchard than in forest on both the hill slopes.