Examining Fragmentation and Loss of Primary Forest in the Southern Bahian Atlantic Forest of Brazil with Radar Imagery

Abstract: The Atlantic rainforest of southern Bahia is one of the last remnants of the lowland forest of eastern Brazil that once covered the entire coastal area from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande do Sul ( lat 8°–28° S) and has been deforested to a small fraction of its original cover (1–12%). All recent vegetation surveys have been based on optical satellite data, which is hampered by cloud cover and by southern Bahia's intricate mix of forest patches with other tree crops, especially cocoa. We describe the application of radar remote-sensing data to distinguish forest patches from cocoa planted in the shade of natural-forest trees. Radar, unlike optical sensors, is not obstructed by cloud cover and can acquire information about forest structure by penetrating into the vegetation canopy. The vegetation map generated from radar data clearly separates forest patches based on the degree of structural disturbance such as the density of shaded trees, the openness of the canopy, and the density of the monodominant Erythyrina shaded trees. The structural classification based on the radar data, and shown on the map, can help researchers assess the degree of fragmentation of the original Atlantic coastal forest and delineate areas of less disturbance with higher potential for conservation of biodiversity. This information can then be applied to conservation planning, especially the design and monitoring of nature reserves and the modeling of biological corridors.     

Lemurs and the Regeneration of Dry Deciduous Forest in Madagascar

Abstract: We sought to assess the role of lemurs for seed dispersal in the dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar and the possible consequences of the demise of lemurs for forest regeneration. Forest regeneration was studied in eight plots in two large blocks of primary forest and in seven fragments of primary forest (1 plot per fragment). In 4 of the 15 study plots, the abundance of saplings was negatively and significantly correlated ( p < 0.05) with the abundance of mature individuals of the same tree species. In another 10 study plots there were negative correlations, although these were not significant on the community level. Second-order statistics were significant with p < 0.001 and indicated that seed dispersal away from the parent trees was important for successful establishment of saplings. Apart from possibly the bush pig ( Potamochoerus larvatus ), only one vertebrate species of the dry forest, the brown lemur ( Eulemur fulvus ), ingested seeds> 11 mm long and passed them through its digestive tract unharmed. These results for lemurs were based on direct observations and fecal analyses. To evaluate the role of E. fulvus , we compared regeneration in forest plots with and without E. fulvus . In forest fragments without E. fulvus , fewer lemur-dispersed tree species regenerated than would be expected based on the presence of mature tree species that are lemur-dispersed ( p < 0.05). No such effect was seen in primary forests with E. fulvus or for trees whose seeds can also be dispersed by other vertebrates. Thus, regeneration of the dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar with the complete set of primary forest tree species seems to depend upon the presence of E. fulvus .     

Forest Edges as Nutrient and Pollutant Concentrators: Potential Synergisms between Fragmentation, Forest Canopies, and the Atmosphere

Abstract: Forest fragmentation leads to a dramatic increase in forest edge, and these edges may function as traps and concentrators for wind-borne nutrients and pollutants. We assessed the influence of forest edges on atmospheric deposition and subsequent inputs to the forest floor in deciduous-forest fragments in the eastern United States. To quantify these inputs, we collected throughfall—water that has passed through the forest canopy—from edge and interior zones of forests adjacent to open fields. During the 1995 growing season, atmospheric input (wet and dry deposition) of sulfur to forest edge zones was elevated compared with input to forest interiors. Throughfall fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and calcium were also greater at edges than interiors. The mean edge increases ranged from 17% to 56% for the nutrients and pollutants we measured. When we manipulated the structure of forest edges by removing all vegetation below half the canopy height, throughfall flux in the edge zone declined sharply and was less than that of the respective interior zone. Changing the vegetation structure of the edge also shifted the zone of highest throughfall flux farther into the interior of the forest. Our data suggest that forest edges can function both as significant traps for airborne nutrients and pollutants from adjoining agricultural or urban landscapes and effective concentrators of below-canopy chemical fluxes. These enhanced fluxes may have cascading effects on soil-nutrient cycling, microbial activity, seedling dominance, and other ecological processes near forest edges.     

浅谈张家界市森防工作的现状及对策

阐述了张家界市森林病虫害的发生特点、森防工作面临的问题，并提出了强化森防工作的建议．     

Invertebrates and Boreal Forest Management

Logging has ecological effects on invertebrates in Fennoscandian boreal forest. Especially affected are species associated with micro-habitats of natural old-growth forest, such as coarse woody debris, large deciduous trees, and patches of wet swamp-forest. Furthermore, the effective control of forest fires has adversely affected many species that require burned substrates. Although old-growth specialists tend to disappear from clear-cuts, local invertebrate species richness (α-diversity) may increase as forest generalists persist and numerous open-habitat species appear. This seems true at least for taxa (e.g., ground-beetles and spiders) that are not directly associated with the characteristic micro-habitats of old growth mentioned above. However, at the landscape or biogeographical scale intensive logging tends to homogenize forest habitats and lead to declines of sensitive species. Based on these findings three complementary approaches appear useful for the maintenance of boreal biodiversity while harvesting timber. (1) Undisturbed old-growth forests must be set aside to sustain specialist species and to serve as sources for recolonization. (2) Because these reserves are not, and will probably not be, large and regionally representative enough, ecologically sound silvicultural practices must be developed using natural disturbance regimes as guidelines. (3) Restoration of habitats and the process of natural regeneration through fire is imperative for the recovery of associated species assemblages. However, the process of recovery presupposes that colonists are available, which may not always be the case.     

南京市典型森林群落枯枝落叶层的生态功能研究

对南京市5种典型森林群落枯枝落叶层现存量、营养元素氮磷贮存量、持水量以及吸纳重金属等生态功能的研究结果表明,5种典型森林群落枯枝落叶层现存量、对氮的贮存能力以及最大拦蓄量均以麻栎-栓皮栎群落最大;对磷和5种重金属的贮存量以银杏群落最大,麻栎-栓皮栎群落次之;枫香-桂花和三角枫群落的各项生态功能相对较弱。建议在南京市的城市森林规划和建设中,应保护好现存的地带性植物群落———以麻栎-栓皮栎为优势种的落叶阔叶林群落或营建类地带性植物群落,维护林地枯枝落叶层的完整性,将有助于改善城市生态环境。     

Epidemic Disease and the Catastrophic Decline of Australian Rain Forest Frogs

In the montane rain forests of eastern Australia at least 14 species of endemic, stream-dwelling frogs have disappeared or declined sharply (by more than 90%) during the past 15 years. We review available information on these declines and present eight lines of evidence that collectively suggest that a rapidly spreading, epidemic disease is the most likely responsible agent. The extreme virulence of the putative frog patbogen suggests it is likely exotic to Australian rain forests. We propose that exotic pathogens may be responsible for some recent declines of amphibian populations on other continents and that the intercontinental spread of such pathogens is greatly facilitated by human activities such as the thriving international trade in aquarium fish. Our hypothesis may help explain why some amphibian populations in seemingly pristine environments have mysteriously declined.     

Forest Restoration and Fire: Principles in the Context of Place

Abstract:  There is broad consensus that active management through thinning and fire is urgently needed in many forests of the western United States. This consensus stems from physically based models of fire behavior and substantial empirical evidence. But the types of thinning and fire and where they are applied are the subjects of much debate. We propose that low thinning is the most appropriate type of thinning practice. Treating surface fuels, reducing ladder fuels, and opening overstory canopies generally produce fire-safe forest conditions, but large, fire-resistant trees are also important components of fire-safe forests. The context of place is critical in assigning priority for the limited resources that will be available for restoration treatments. Historical low-severity fire regimes, because of their current high hazards and dominance by fire-resistant species, are the highest priority for treatment. Mixed-severity fire regimes are of intermediate priority, and high-severity fire regimes are of lowest priority. Classification systems based on potential vegetation will help identify these fire regimes at a local scale.     

沙质海岸带木麻黄林与天然林主要种群的生态位特征比较

通过样地调查比较分析了沙质海岸带木麻黄(Casuarina equisetifolia)林与天然林主要种群的生态位宽度和生态位重叠这2种重要的生态位特征。结果表明,依照各种群在2种林分中生态位宽度的变化,可将其划分为生态位扩展型、衰退型、敏感型和稳定型4个种群类型;天然林中的演替优势种在木麻黄林的灌木种群中已有较大数量的分布,且具有较大的生态位宽度值,但由于人工林生态位分化不良,种间竞争相对激烈,群落组成不稳定;天然林中大部分乡土树种生态位宽度较之在木麻黄林中大为增加,但除敏感型种群和潺槁木姜子(Litsea glutinosa)、雀梅藤(Sageretia thea)以外,天然林中其他种群的生态位重叠值较之在木麻黄林中有所降低,说明经过长期的协同进化,天然林种间生态位分化程度高,竞争相对缓和。总体来看,以乡土树种为优势种的天然林生态位配置比人工林更优化,对维持群落的稳定更有意义,因此实现乡土树种与木麻黄的合理配置对建设稳定型沿海防护林体系具有重要的参考价值。     

森林旅游业的投资与回收渠道分析

森林旅游业是二十一世纪的朝阳产业，我国森林旅游业发展较晚，但近几十年来发展迅猛，森林旅游业的开发有利于改善林业的产业结构，推动林业第三产业的发展．资金投入与回收是林业行业发展森林旅游业的关键问题，是制约森林旅游业发展的主要因素，解决资金问题是发展森林旅游业的保障所在．