Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Authors
Andreas Hagenbo Lise Dalsgaard Marius Hauglin Stephanie Eisner Line Tau Strand O. Janne KjønaasAbstract
Boreal forest soils are a critical terrestrial carbon (C) reservoir, with soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks playing a key role in global C cycling. In this study, we generated high-resolution (16 m) spatial predictions of SOC stocks in Norwegian forests for three depth intervals: (1) soil surface down to 100 cm depth, (2) forest floor (LFH layer), and (3) 0–30 cm into the mineral soil. Our predictions were based on legacy soil data collected between 1988 and 1992 from a subset (n = 1014) of National Forest Inventory plots. We used boosted regression tree models to generate SOC estimates, incorporating environmental predictors such as land cover, site moisture, climate, and remote sensing data. Based on the resulting maps, we estimate total SOC stocks of 1.57–1.87 Pg C down to 100 cm, with 0.55–0.66 Pg C stored in the LFH layer and 0.68–0.80 Pg C in the upper mineral soil. These correspond to average SOC densities of 15.3, 5.4, and 6.6 kg C m−2, respectively. We compared the predictive performance of these models with another set, supplemented by soil chemistry variables. These models showed higher predictive performance (R2 = 0.65–0.71) than those used for mapping (R2 = 0.44–0.58), suggesting that the mapping models did not fully capture environmental variability influencing SOC stock distributions. Within the spatial predictive models, Sentinel-2 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, depth to water table, and slope contributed strongly, while soil nitrogen and manganese concentrations had major roles in models incorporating soil chemistry. Prediction uncertainties were related to soil depth, soil types, and geographical regions, and we compared the spatial prediction against external SOC data. The generated maps of this offer a valuable starting point for identifying forest areas in Norway where SOC may be vulnerable to climate warming and management-related disturbances, with implications for soil CO2 emissions.
Authors
Dagnew Yebeyen Burru Jayaraman Durai Melaku Anteneh Chinke Gudeta W. Sileshi Yashwant S. Rawat Belachew Gizachew Zeleke Selim Reza Fikremariam Haile Desalegne Kassa Toshe WorassaAbstract
Highland bamboo (Oldeania alpina) plays a vital role in supporting local livelihoods, fostering biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management. Despite these benefits, its significant potential for carbon sequestration remains underutilized withinEthiopia’s climate mitigation strategies. In this study, we developed site-specific allometric equations to assess the biomass and carbon storage potential of highland bamboo. Datawere collected from the Garamba natural bamboo forest and Hula homestead bamboo stands in the Sidama Regional State, Southern Ethiopia. Data on stand density and structurewere gathered using systematically laid transects and sample plots, while plant samples were analyzed in the laboratory to determine the dry-to-fresh weight ratios. We developedallometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon stock. The study results indicated that homestead bamboo stands exhibited higher biomass accumulationthan natural bamboo stands. The AGB was estimated at 92.3 Mg ha−1in the natural forest and 118.3 Mg ha−1in homestead bamboo stands, with total biomass carbon storage of 52.1 Mg ha−1 and 66.7 Mg ha−1, respectively. The findings highlight the significant potential of highland bamboo for carbon sequestration in both natural stands and homesteads.Sustainable management of natural highland bamboo stands and integrating bamboo into farms can contribute to climate change mitigation, support ecosystem restoration, andenhance the socio-economic development of communities.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Carl-Fredrik Johannesson H. Ilvesniemi O. Janne Kjønaas K.S. Larsen A. Lehtonen Jenni Nordén D. Paré Hanna Marika Silvennoinen J. Stendahl I. Stupak L. Vesterdal Lise DalsgaardAbstract
Nordic and Canadian forests store substantial amounts of carbon (C) and are largely managed in a silvicultural system with clear-cut harvest. Previous meta-analyses of harvesting effects on soil C have shown short- to long-term declines after harvest, but effects of clear-cutting on boreal and northern temperate forest soil C stocks remain unresolved. We harmonized National Forest Soil Inventory (NFSI) data from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Canada to examine soil C stocks up to 53 years following clear-cut harvest using a space-for-time approach. We analyzed forest floor and mineral soil C stocks in coniferous and deciduous/mixed forests. Coniferous forest floor C stocks decreased for ∼30 years after clear-cutting: when at its lowest stock level, Picea and Pinus forest floor C stocks had decreased by 23 % and 14 % relative to initial stock levels, respectively. Picea forest floor C stocks then remained close to its lowest levels until 53 years after clear-cutting, while for Pinus-dominated forests they increased again and recovered to the pre-harvest level 48 years after clear-cutting. No C stock changes were detected in the 0–10 cm or 10–20 cm mineral soil layers, while a small increase in 55–65 cm mineral soil was detected in Podzol soils. Data was too limited to detect statistical signals of clear-cutting for deciduous/mixed forests. Our results shows that clear-cut harvest has substantial and long-lasting effects on northern temperate and boreal forest soil C storage, and that combining data from several NFSIs can help elucidate forest management effects on soil C storage. Soil organic carbonForest harvestClear-cuttingBorealTemperateNational forest inventoryNational forest soil inventory
Abstract
Intensification of forest management is seen as one important measure to increase carbon sequestration and contribute to balance CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change. Potential measures for forest management intensification include increasing the percentage of the area that is actively reforested after felling, planting at higher densities and with genetically improved material, nitrogen fertilization, and pre-commercial thinning. Here we assessed the mitigation potential of these practices in Norwegian forests from 2018 until the end of the 21st century. As a result, when these management practices were intensified, separately and simultaneously, carbon sequestration over the 80-year simulation period was larger than under current practices. Pre-commercial thinning gave the largest additional 80-year carbon dioxide removal increment and fertilization the smallest. The largest accumulated carbon dioxide removal potential occurred when intensifying all the proposed measures in one scenario and was estimated to be around 329.9 Tg CO2 by the end of the century, corresponding to offset more than six times Norway's total GHG emissions in 2022. If the intensification of these practices is considered separately, our results suggested that pre-commercial thinning and active reforestation after felling, in that order, should be prioritized as climate change mitigation measures, followed by genetic improvement, planting density and fertilization.
Authors
Lisa Fagerli Lunde Tone Birkemoe Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Johan Asplund Rune Halvorsen O. Janne Kjønaas Jenni Nordén Sundy Maurice Inger Skrede Line Nybakken Håvard KauserudAbstract
Boreal forests are important carbon sinks and host a diverse array of species that provide important ecosystem functions. Boreal forests have a long history of intensive forestry, in which even-aged management with clear-cutting has been the dominant harvesting practice for the past 50–80 years. As a second cycle of clear-cutting is emerging, there is an urgent need to examine the effects of repeated clear-cutting events on biodiversity. Clear-cutting has led to reduced numbers of old and large trees, decreased volumes of dead wood of varied decay stages and diameters, and altered physical and chemical compositions of soils. The old-growth boreal forest has been fragmented and considerably reduced. Here, we review short- and long-term (≥50 years) effects of clear-cutting on boreal forest biodiversity in four key substrates: living trees, dead wood, ground and soil. We then assess landscape-level changes (habitat fragmentation and edge effects) on this biodiversity. There is evidence for long-term community changes after clear-cutting for several taxa: epiphytic lichens; saproxylic fungi, bryophytes and insects; epigeic bryophytes; and soil snails, bacteria, and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Long-term declines in species richness were found for saproxylic fungi, bryophytes and true flies. However, for the majority of taxa, long-term effects of clear-cutting are not well understood. On the landscape level, reduced connectivity to old-growth forests has negative effects on several species of fungi, lichens, bryophytes and insects, notably among Red-Listed species. Furthermore, altered microclimate near clear-cut edges negatively affects epiphytic lichens and epigeic arthropods, implying complex effects of habitat fragmentation. Repeated cycles of clear-cutting might pose even stronger pressures on boreal forest biodiversity due to continued fragmentation of old-growth forests and accumulation of extinction debts. Examining the broad effects of forestry on biodiversity across the boreal biome is crucial: (i) to increase our knowledge of long-term and landscape-level effects of former clear-cutting; and (ii) to gain a better understanding of how forestry will affect biodiversity and, subsequently, ecosystem functioning, with repeated cycles of clear-cutting.
2024
Authors
Knut ØistadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Johan Asplund Jenni Nordén O. Janne Kjønaas Rieke Lo Madsen Lisa Fagerli Lunde Tone Birkemoe Eivind Kverme Ronold Milda Norkute Ulrika Jansson Damian Petkovic Karlsen Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Inger Skrede Ine-Susanne Hopland Methlie Sundy Maurice Ulrik Geiran Botten Regine Jusnes Krok Håvard Kauserud Line NybakkenAbstract
The history of forestry in Fennoscandia spans five centuries, with clear-cutting being the dominant practice since the mid-20th century. This has led to a significant transformation of the forest landscape. In this study we investigated long-term effects of clear-cutting on forest structure and dead wood volumes. We established twelve pairs of spruce forest sites in southeastern Norway, each pair constituting of a mature, previously clear-cut stand and its near-natural counterpart with similar edaphic factors. The near-natural stands had 2.8 times higher volumes of dead wood and a larger proportion of dead wood in late stages of decay. The near-natural stands had on average 36.8 ± 9.1 m3 ha− 1 of downed dead wood and 24.1 ± 6.2 m3 ha− 1 of standing dead wood. Corresponding numbers for the previously clear-cut stands were 10.2 ± 2.8 m3 ha− 1 and 11.9 ± 3.7 m3 ha− 1 . Forests with lower volumes of dead wood often also had lower connectivity of old spruce forests, which potentially have further negative effects on biodiversity. Furthermore, near-natural stands displayed greater tree size heterogeneity, resulting in a wider variation in light conditions. While no difference was observed in living tree volume, we found only weak evidence for higher basal area in the previously clear-cut stands, which had a higher stem density with more slender stems and shorter crowns. Our findings suggest that managed forests do not develop structures typical of near-natural forests before they become mature for logging. We stress the importance of a thorough site selection for studies of management effects, as forest management history may be confounded with productivity and other edaphic factors. Experimental designs like ours are vital for testing how differences in structure and deadwood volumes, driven by forest management, translate into variations in biodiversity, carbon sequestration and ecosystem functioning in future studies Coarse woody debris Clear-cutting forestry Norway spruce Structural heterogeneity
Abstract
Tanzania dedicates a substantial proportion (38%) of its territory to conservation, with a large number of Protected Areas (PAs) managed under various regimes. Nevertheless, the country still experiences high rates of deforestation, which threaten the ecological integrity and socio-economic benefits of its forests. We utilized the Global Forest Change Dataset (2012–2022) and implemented a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach followed by a series of binomial logit regression modeling. Our objectives were to evaluate (1) the likelihood of PAs in avoiding deforestation compared with unprotected forest landscapes, (2) the variability in effectiveness among the different PA management regimes in avoiding deforestation, (3) evidence of leakage, defined here as the displacement of deforestation beyond PA boundaries as a result of protection inside PAs. Our findings reveal that, despite ongoing deforestation within and outside of PAs, conservation efforts are, on average, three times more likely to avoid deforestation compared with unprotected landscapes. However, the effectiveness of avoiding deforestation significantly varies among the different management regimes. National Parks and Game Reserves are nearly ten times more successful in avoiding deforestation, likely because of the stringent set of regulations and availability of resources for implementation. Conversely, Nature Forest Reserves, Game Controlled Areas, and Forest Reserves are, on average, only twice as likely to avoid deforestation, indicating substantial room for improvement. We found little evidence of the overall leakage as a consequence of protection. These results highlight the mixed success of Tanzania’s conservation efforts, suggesting opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of many less protected PAs. We conclude by proposing potential strategic pathways to enhance further the climate and ecosystem benefits of conservation in Tanzania.