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.
2013
Authors
Rainer Matyssek Thomas Knoke Nicholas Clarke Pavel Cudlin Teis Nørgaard Mikkelsen Juha-Pekka Tuovinen Gerhard Wieser Elena PaolettiAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Joachim Paul Spindelbøck Zöe Cook Matthew I. Daws Einar Heegaard Inger Elisabeth Måren Vigdis VandvikAbstract
Background and Aims: Across their range, widely distributed species are exposed to a variety of climatic and other environmental conditions, and accordingly may display variation in life history strategies. For seed germination in cold climates, two contrasting responses to variation in winter temperature have been documented: first, an increased ability to germinate at low temperatures (cold tolerance) as winter temperatures decrease, and secondly a reduced ability to germinate at low temperatures (cold avoidance) that concentrates germination towards the warmer parts of the season. Methods: Germination responses were tested for Calluna vulgaris, the dominant species of European heathlands, from ten populations collected along broad-scale bioclimatic gradients (latitude, altitude) in Norway, covering a substantial fraction of the species' climatic range. Incubation treatments varied from 10 to 25 °C, and germination performance across populations was analysed in relation to temperature conditions at the seed collection locations. Key Results: Seeds from all populations germinated rapidly and to high final percentages under the warmer incubation temperatures. Under low incubation temperatures, cold-climate populations had significantly lower germination rates and percentages than warm-climate populations. While germination rates and percentages also increased with seed mass, seed mass did not vary along the climatic gradients, and therefore did not explain the variation in germination responses. Conclusions: Variation in germination responses among Calluna populations was consistent with increased temperature requirements for germination towards colder climates, indicating a cold-avoidance germination strategy conditional on the temperature at the seeds' origin. Along a gradient of increasing temperatures this suggests a shift in selection pressures on germination from climatic adversity (i.e. low temperatures and potential frost risk in early or late season) to competitive performance and better exploitation of the entire growing season.
Authors
Ragnar Johnson Mika Mustonen Tomas Lundmark Annika Nordin Yuri Gerasimov Aksel Granhus Eugene Hendrick Jari Hyninen Vivian Kvist Johannesen Adam Kaliszewski Virginijus Miksis Thomas Nord-Larsen Heino Polley Liana Sadauskiene Pat Snowdon Birger Solberg Erik Sollander Arnor Snorrason Mati Valgepea Sheila Ward Toms ZalitisAbstract
Forests will play a crucial role in the transformation from an economy based on fossil fuels to one relying on renewable resources. Hence, besides being a source of raw material for the forest industry, in the future, forests are expected to increasingly contribute to the production of energy as well as providing a wide range of environmental and social services. Thus, the objective of the present study is to assess the short-term and long-term potential for increasing sustainable wood supply in the EFINORD countries. Present practices and prospects for intensive forest management have been assessed using information from a questionnaire complemented by compilation and evaluating of national forest inventory (NFI) data and other forest sector relevant information. The study indicates a striking variation in the intensity of utilisation of the wood resources within the EFINORD region. For the region as a whole, there seems to be a substantial unused (biophysical) potential. However, recent NFI data from some countries indicate that annual felling rates can be underestimated. If felling rates are higher than currently recognised then, given the increased demand for wood-based energy, there appears to be a need to discuss strategies for large-scale implementation of more intensive forestry practices to ensure that the availability of wood resources in the future can meet an increasing demand in the EFINORD countries.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Bark beetles and associated fungi are among the greatest natural threats to conifers worldwide. Conifers have potent defenses, but resistance to beetles and fungal pathogens may be reduced if tree stored resources are consumed by fungi rather than used for tree defense. Here, we assessed the relationship between tree stored resources and resistance to Ceratocystis polonica , a phytopathogenic fungus vectored by the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. We measured phloem and sapwood nitrogen, non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and lipids before and after trees were attacked by I. typographus (vectoring C. polonica) or artificially inoculated with C. polonica alone. Tree resistance was assessed by measuring phloem lesions and the proportion of necrotic phloem around the tree’s circumference following attack or inoculation. While initial resource concentrations were unrelated to tree resistance to C. polonica, over time, phloem NSC and sapwood lipids declined in the trees inoculated with C. polonica. Greater resource declines correlated with less resistant trees (trees with larger lesions or more necrotic phloem), suggesting that resource depletion may be caused by fungal consumption rather than tree resistance. Ips typographus may then benefit indirectly from reduced tree defenses caused by fungal resource uptake. Our research on tree stored resources represents a novel way of understanding bark beetle-fungal-conifer interactions.
Abstract
Retention of selected trees in clear-felling areas has become an important conservation measure in managed forests. Trees with large size or high age are usually preferred as retention trees. In this paper we investigated whether a single large or several small trees should be left in clear-felling areas to serve as life boats and future habitat for epiphytic species. The focal species were 25 Lobarion epiphytic lichens hosted by aspen (Populus tremula). We analyzed the relationships between: (1) proportion of trees colonized and tree size, (2) number of lichen thalli (lichen bodies) and aspen area, and (3) number of lichen species and aspen area, for 38 forest sites. Mixed effect models and rarefaction analyzes showed that large and small host trees had the same proportion of trees colonized, the same number of thalli, and the same species richness for the same area of aspen bark. This indicates that larger aspens do not have qualities, beyond size, that make them more suitable for Lobarion lichens than smaller sized aspen trees. None of the species, not even the red-listed, showed any tendencies of being dependent on larger aspens, and our results therefore did not support a strategy of retaining only large and old trees for conservation of epiphytic Lobarion lichens. Additionally, young aspens have a longer expected persistence than old aspens. However, old retention trees might be important for other species groups. We therefore recommend a conservational strategy of retaining a mixed selection of small/young and large/old aspens.
Authors
Helle Margrete Meltzer Hildegunn Dahl Anne Lise Brantsæter Bryndis Eva Birgisdottir Helle Katrine Knutsen Aksel Bernhoft Bente Margaret Oftedal Unni Støbet Lande Jan Alexander Margaretha Haugen Trond A YdersbondAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Editors
Helmer BelboAbstract
Skilled, motivated and well-informed contractors today form the backbone of a professional, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly forest sector in the Nordic countries. This understanding forms the playground for policy makers, forestry certification bodies, forestry education, business standards and research in forest operations. The aim of this workshop is to provide a special forum for researchers, practitioners and other interested parties to get together in exchanging information, experiences and outlooks in the field of contractor forestry. The fundamental goal and our prime hope is that events like this will bring the Nordic-Baltic forest sector further in improving local and global competitiveness. These proceedings are a collection of abstracts that represent a range of issues being faced, and the status of research within the field of contractor forestry in participating countries. Contractor forestry is a term that includes both operating skills and business management acumen of forestry contractors, but also the formulation of the special environment in which they operate, not least the conditions set and information passed on by landowners, forest management companies, other supply chain actors, and the markets themselves. As such, it represents the whole spectrum of ‘service provision’ in the forestry sector – both the process of placing the work tasks on the market, successfully winning the contract, and carrying out the work in both an economically and environmentally sustainable way that promotes the long-term existence of professional contracting outfits. Not only is the Nordic forestry sector fully dependent on contractor forestry, but the region plays an important role in determining international trends in forest operations and the world closely watches developments and emulates many of them, as the CTL method continues to expand into new markets. This places special impetus on the importance of the research work being done in this field. We wish to thank the OSCAR coordinating committee for their constructive input, as well as all those who participated or contributed to making the seminar a success. We also would like to thank the Nordic Forest Research Cooperation Committee (SNS) for the financial support of the OSCAR2 network, and the Forestry Extension Institute at Honne who provided an exceptionally suitable environment and hosting for the workshop participants.