The article deals with forest communities that develop on small surfaces on steep gradients of the geomorphologically diverse landscape of the Kras plateau. They appear in small depressions called dolines, where a steep gradient of ecological conditions appears over a small spatial scale. We tried to detect the turnover of forest communities on this small scale and steep gradient with small plots (microplots)

Conservation and enhancement of old-growth forests are key in forest planning and policies. In order to do so, more knowledge is needed on how the attributes traditionally associated with old-growth forests are distributed in space, what differences exist across distinct forest types and what natural or anthropic conditions are affecting the distribution of these old-growthness attributes. Using data

A common concern to planting for reforestation is seedling failure that is directly measurable by seedling early field performance of growth and survival. Root growth potential (RGP) is a commonly used metric of seedling quality and has been considered indicative of seedling field performance. The effect of RGP is thought to be dependent on planting site and underlining environmental conditions. Moisture

The survival and mortality of conifer trees in response to climate change, particularly drought stress, have received considerable attention. However, it is crucial to explore the growth dynamics of the same conifer species in response to climate change in different climatic habitats. In this study, we aimed to quantify variations in the radial growth processes of conifer species, analyze their resilience

Fire disturbances are increasing under global climate change and ecological transformations of forests are occurring. Specifically, shifts from productive closed-canopy feather moss forests to low-productivity open-canopy lichen (Cladonia spp.) woodlands have been observed in boreal forests of eastern Canada. It has been hypothesized that high severity of fires would be the cause of this change, but

Branch angles are an important plant morphological trait affecting light interception within forest canopies. However, studies on branch angles have been limited due to the time-consuming nature of manual measurements using a protractor. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), however, provides new opportunities to measure branch angles more efficiently. Despite this potential, studies validating branch

Topographic complexity supports the maintenance of a high diversity of microhabitats, which may act as important ‘safe havens’ – or microrefugia – for biodiversity. Microrefugia are sites with specific environmental conditions that facilitate the persistence of species during environmental changes and exhibit unique eco-evolutionary dynamics. However, our knowledge about how topographic complexity

The heartwood (HW) proportion in the trunk of mature trees is an important characteristic not only for wood quality but also for assessing the role of forests in carbon sequestration. We have for the first time studied the proportion of HW in the trunk and the distribution of carbon and extractives in sapwood (SW) and HW of 70–80 year old Pinus sylvestris L. trees under different growing conditions

Assessing the sensitivities of ecosystem functions to climatic factors is essential to understanding the response of ecosystems to environmental change. Temperate plantation forests contribute to global greening and climate change mitigation, yet little is known as to the sensitivity of gross primary production (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) of these forests to heat and drought stress. Based on

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests can have a high variability in plant species richness and abundance, from monospecific stands to highly species-rich communities. To understand what causes the low plant diversity observed in some beech forests, we analyzed the drivers of plant community completeness in 155 vegetation plots. Data were collected in mature, closed-canopy beech forests in Tuscany

Nothofagus alessandrii forests in the Mediterranean region of Chile face significant threats from deforestation, fragmentation, wildfires, and climate change. This study investigated the temporal and spatial dynamics of N. alessandrii populations and their implications for habitat fragmentation and connectivity. Using remote sensing data and geographic information system analysis, we assessed deforestation

Fine roots play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. Patterns of fine roots biomass formation for broad geographical areas are still unclear. We use published estimates of characteristics of European pine and spruce stands to determine their productivity and calculate the needle biomass. Then, the relationship between the fine-root:needle biomass ratio of European

Forest ecosystems are important for biodiversity conservation and human societies, but are under pressure due to climate change and human interventions. This applies to natural forests as well as tree plantations. The latter are globally widespread and therefore gaining increasing importance for biodiversity conservation. However, even after dieback due to increasing disturbance frequencies, such plantations

Short rotation plantation forestry (SRF) is being widely adopted to increase wood production, in order to meet global demand for wood products. However, to ensure maximum gains from SRF, optimised management regimes need to be established by integrating robust predictions and an understanding of mechanisms underlying tree growth. Hybrid ecophysiological models, such as potentially useable light sum

Increasing temperatures and severe droughts threaten forest vitality globally. Prediction of forest response to climate change requires knowledge of the spatiotemporal patterns of monthly or seasonal climatic impacts on the growth of tree species, likely driven by local climatic aridity, climate trends, edaphic conditions, and the climatic adaption of tree species. The ability of tree species to cope

Site index (SI) is determined from the top height development and is a proxy for forest productivity, defined as the expected top height for a given species at a certain index age. In Norway, an index age of 40 years is used. By using bi-temporal airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, SI can be determined using models estimated from SI observed on field plots (the direct approach) or from predicted top

Warm-wet climatic conditions are widely regarded as conducive to remarkable tree growth, alleviating climatic pressures. However, the notable decline in tree growth observed in the southern edge of boreal forests has heightened concerns over the spatial-temporal dynamics of forest decline. Currently, attaining a comprehensive grasp of the underlying patterns and their propelling factors remains a formidable

Plenter forests, also known as uneven-aged or continuous cover forests enhance forest resilience and resistance against disturbances compared to even-aged forests. They are considered as an adaptation option to mitigate climate change effects. In this study, we present a conceptual approach to determine the potentially suitable area for plenter forest management within central European mixed species

Fertilization or atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to terrestrial ecosystems can alter soil N (P) availability and the nature of nutrient limitation for plant growth. Changing the allocation of leaf P fractions is potentially an adaptive strategy for plants to cope with soil N (P) availability and nutrient-limiting conditions. However, the impact of the interactions between

Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems facing humankind. It continues to escalate rapidly across many regions of the world, thereby deteriorating the forest soil quality. This has prompted a large number of field-based studies aimed at understanding the impacts of deforestation on soil properties. However, the lack of comprehensive meta-analyses that utilized these studies

Rapid urbanization has caused significant changes along the urban-rural gradient, leading to a variety of landscapes that are mainly shaped by human activities. This dynamic interplay also influences the distribution and characteristics of trees outside forests (TOF). Understanding the pattern of these trees will support informed decision-making in urban planning, in conservation strategies, and altogether

Forest structure is fundamental in determining ecosystem function, yet the impact of bamboo invasion on these structural characteristics remains unclear. We investigated 219 invasion transects at 41 sites across the distribution areas of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) in China to explore the effects of bamboo invasion on forest structural attributes and diameter–height allometries by comparing

Seasonal precipitation variability significantly affects water use in forests; however, whether water uptake is adapted to changes in precipitation, particularly whether it could affect the coexistence of tree species, has rarely been quantified in forest systems.

Sequencing of environmental samples has great potential for biodiversity research, but its application is limited by the lack of reliable DNA barcode databases for species identifications. Such a database has been created for epiphytic lichens of Europe, allowing us to compare the results of environmental sequencing with standard taxonomic surveys. The species undetected by taxonomic surveys (what

Climate change is accelerating alterations in forest species and community composition worldwide, especially following extreme events like severe droughts and windstorms. Understanding these effects on subtropical forests is crucial for conservation and forest management, but it remains unclear whether the impacts are stochastic or deterministic.

Insect herbivory is ubiquitous in various ecosystems, and directly influences the growth and survival of individual plants, especially during their vulnerable early life stages like the seedling phase. This, in turn, exerts a significant influence on forest community diversity and structure, as well as ecosystem function and stability. Notable variation in herbivory has been detected both among and

In the last century, eucalypt plantations are increasing all over the world. Concretely, in the Basque Country (northern Iberian Peninsula), 7% of pine plantations have been recently substituted by eucalypt plantations, where little is known about their ecological impact on soil and plant diversity. However, the most relevant impact is due to forest management, as Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantations

Ice storms can cause substantial damage to tree crowns and lead to growth reduction. However, in uneven-aged stands, the growth of an individual tree may also increase due to crown release caused by the damage or mortality of neighboring trees. Three years after the devastating ice storm in 2014 in mixed uneven-aged Dinaric forests (Croatia), we cored 156 European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and 85 silver

The interspecific variations of plant functional traits can characterize the niche positions of species within communities, while the intraspecific variations can accurately display the species’ niche breadth. Revealing relative contributions of intra- and interspecific variations to plant functional community structure is crucial in understanding how the species coexist together, especially in species-diverse

Warming and increased CO2 levels are generally believed to enhance photosynthetic rates (A) and tree growth, especially in alpine treelines. However, this positive effect may be limited by moisture availability. Here we compare the radial growth and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) of two widely-distributed evergreen needleleaf species, Tibetan juniper (Juniperus tibetica) and Balfour spruce (Picea

Forests undergoing ecological succession following abandonment from agricultural use (i.e., old fields) are ubiquitous in temperate regions of the U.S. and Europe. Ecological succession in old fields involves changes in vegetation composition influenced by factors such as land-use history, soil conditions, and dispersal limitations. Species’ behavioral, morphological, physiological and life-history

Forest canopy structure is closely related to species diversity, crown packing efficiency, and ecological processes, while influencing ecosystem functions. However, most existing structural diversity indices only consider internal heterogeneity within the canopy but often neglect the heterogeneity of the external canopy. While, the external canopy heterogeneity can increase the exchange surface area

Given the high-level physiological functions and nutrient concentrations of bark that cover the entire trunks of huge trees, research into bark nutrient traits and the development of models that estimate the bark biomass of tropical trees is essential when it is sought to understand forest nutrient cycling and tree ecological traits. This study investigated the concentrations of six bark nutrients

Remote sensing (RS) facilitates forest inventory across a wide range of variables required by the UNFCCC as well as by other agreements and processes. The Conventional model-based (CMB) estimator supports wall-to-wall RS data, while Hybrid estimators support surveys where RS data are available as a sample. However, the connection between these two types of monitoring procedures has been unclear, hindering

In Central Europe, anthropogenic coniferous monocultures have been subject to conversion to more diverse mixed forests since the 1990s, however, they are still abundant across many forest landscapes. Artificial and natural tree regeneration both play a key role during conversion by determining the species composition and structure of the future forests. Many abiotic and biotic factors can potentially

Natural disturbances have significantly intensified across European forests, with bark beetle outbreaks being the most rapidly escalating disturbance type. Since 2018, the Czech Republic (Central Europe) has become a Europe's disturbance epicentre due to the unprecedented outbreak of spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in the forests dominated by Norway spruce Picea abies. Here we provide novel insights

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient element in the photosynthesis process of plants. The effect of stand age on P nutrient dynamics in subtropical plantations is unclear. In this study, the mechanisms of above- and belowground P cycling in subtropical P. massoniana plantations of different stand ages (5, 9, 19, 29 and 35 years) were investigated. The percentage of metabolic P in leaves exhibited

Population connectivity through seed and pollen dispersal determines the genetic diversity, adaptive potential, and demography of plant metapopulations. In wind-pollinated trees, population connectivity is typically maintained by long-distance pollen flow, counteracting the genetic differentiation generated by drift and restricted seed dispersal. Although strong population fragmentation is theoretically

REDD+1 is an economic incentivizing mechanism aimed at reducing or offsetting of carbon emissions in forests, while realizing multiple benefits alongside climate action. Engaging local stakeholders is crucial for its sustainable implementation and benefit-sharing mechanism. This study focuses on the knowledge and understanding of local-level stakeholders about REDD+ and its associated attributes, revealing

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) accurately captures tree structural information and provides prerequisites for tree-scale estimations of forest biophysical attributes. Quantifying tree-scale attributes from TLS point clouds requires segmentation, yet the occlusion effects severely affect the accuracy of automated individual tree segmentation. In this study, we proposed a novel method using ellipsoid

Trees are able to adapt to changing environmental conditions through modifications in their crown morphology and branch architecture. In light-limited environments, tree structures are mainly optimised to increase light interception. This might have side effects on other properties such as the hydraulic system that determines water conduction and tree reactions to drought events. Given the increasing

Survival analysis is composed of a group of analytical approaches that can be used to predict the occurrence of harvest activities, which provides insightful information about the dynamics of natural resources utilization in a region. Recently, random survival forest (RSF) has been proposed in survival analysis to capture the complex relationships among variables. The main objective of this study was

Diversity-biomass relationships (DBRs) in terrestrial ecosystems tend to vary across spatial scales, but, particularly in hyperdiverse forests, the mechanisms driving these trends remain uncertain. Until now, few have simultaneously investigated the connections between tree species diversity, stand structural diversity, mycorrhizal associations, and ecosystem functioning. In addition, DBRs have only

In the temperate zone of Europe, Scots pine forests are expected to occupy the poorest habitats which are unfavourable for deciduous trees. However, as a result of deforestation of the most fertile habitats and the preference for Pinus sylvestris in silviculture, pine forests have become the dominant feature of the landscape in Central Europe. As a result, the area of optimal habitat for deciduous

Forest habitats are critical for biodiversity, ecosystem services, human livelihoods, and well-being. Capacity to conduct theoretical and applied forest ecology research addressing direct (e.g., deforestation) and indirect (e.g., climate change) anthropogenic pressures has benefited considerably from new field- and statistical-techniques. We used machine learning and bibliometric structural topic modelling

Biodiversity experiments have shown that soil organic carbon (SOC) is not only a function of plant diversity, but is also closely related to the nitrogen (N) -fixing plants. However, the effect of N-fixing trees on SOC chemical stability is still little known, especially with the compounding effects of tree species diversity. An experimental field manipulation was established in subtropical plantations

Climate change and forest management are recognized as pivotal factors influencing forest ecosystem services and thus multifunctionality. However, the magnitude and the relative importance of climate change and forest management effects on the multifunctionality remain unclear, especially for natural mixed forests. In this study, our objective is to address this gap by utilizing simulations of climate-sensitive

Characterizing foliar trait variation in sun and shade leaves can provide insights into inter- and intra-species resource use strategies and plant response to environmental change. However, datasets with records of multiple foliar traits from the same individual and including shade leaves are sparse, which limits our ability to investigate trait-trait, trait-environment relationships and trait coordination

As commonly used harvest residue management practices in subtropical plantations, stem only harvesting (SOH) and whole tree harvesting (WTH) are expected to affect soil organic carbon (SOC) content. However, knowledge on how SOC and its fractions (POC: particulate organic carbon; MAOC: mineral-associated organic carbon) respond to different harvest residue managements is limited.

Enhancing forest cover is important for effective climate change mitigation. Studies suggest that drylands are promising areas for expanding forests, but conflicts arise with increased forest area and water consumption. Recent tree mortality in drylands raises concerns about carbon sequestration potential in tree plantations. Using Chinese dryland tree plantations as an example, we compared their growth

Forest net primary productivity (NPP) constitutes a key flux within the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle and serves as a significant indicator of the forests carbon sequestration capacity, which is closely related to forest age. Despite its significance, the impact of forest age on NPP is often ignored in future NPP projections. Here, we mapped forest age in Hunan Province at a 30-m resolution utilizing

In an attempt to reconcile wood extraction and forest biodiversity in managed boreal forests, ecosystem-based forest management (EBM) has become the de facto management approach. Retention forestry represents one prominent way that EBM is implemented in many parts of the world. Retention patches commonly left after harvesting serve as analogues of fire island remnants, which are patches of unburned

Widespread forest fires pose significant challenges to the diverse communities of soil-dwelling organisms and the multiple ecosystem functions they support. However, whether the biodiversity and interactions of various taxonomic groups respond to fire consistently in terms of direction and extent, and their relative role in regulating post-fire soil functioning, remains largely unexplored. In this

Forests worldwide are experiencing increasingly intense biotic disturbances; however, assessing impacts of these disturbances is challenging due to the diverse range of organisms involved and the complex interactions among them. This particularly applies to invasive species, which can greatly alter ecological processes in their invaded territories. Here we focus on the pine wood nematode (PWN, Bursaphelenchus

The negative effects of habitat loss on biodiversity are undisputed, while the effect of habitat configuration, i.e., the spatial arrangement of habitat area, has been debated for decades. To develop a more comprehensive understanding, it is important to know when and how configuration matters. In this study, we tested whether forest configuration influences the richness of species in groups characterized

Increased nitrogen (N) input can potentially lead to secondary phosphorus (P) limitation; however, it remains unclear whether differences in the plant's ability to cope with this P deficiency are related to their growth responses. Using a long-term experiment of N addition in a boreal forest, we explored the potential role of plant nutrient resorption efficiency and its stoichiometry in mediating plant

Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (P. sylvestris) plantations are extensively established in the boreal zone. Increasing stand biomass of these plantations can effectively enhance carbon stock, which is crucial for mitigating climate change. However, the current understanding of optimizing plantation strategies to maximize stand biomass is primarily derived from experiments in tropical and subtropical

Leaf trait networks (LTNs) visualize the intricate linkages reflecting plant trait-functional coordination. Typical karst vegetation, developed from lithological dolomite and limestone, generally exhibits differential communities, possibly due to habitat rock exposure, soil depth, and soil physicochemical properties variations, leading to a shift from plant trait variation to functional linkages. However

Site conditions and species identity have a combined effect on fine root growth of trees in pure and mixed stands. However, mechanisms that may contribute to this effect are rarely studied, even though they are essential to assess the potential of species to cope with climate change. This study examined fine root overlap and the linkage between fine root and stem growth of European beech (Fagus sylvatica)

In Central Europe, forests are increasingly affected by various disturbances, resulting in an increasing gap formation in the canopy. In order to support goal-oriented management, more knowledge is required about the acclimation of the crown and its effects on the basal area growth of trees at the edge of a gap.