Short Rotation Woody Crop Production Systems for Ecosystem Services and Phytotechnologies
While international efforts in the development of short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) have historically focused on the production of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts, research and deployment over the past decade has expanded to include broader objectives of achieving multiple ecosystem services. In particular, silvicultural prescriptions developed for SRWCs have been refined to include woody crop production systems for environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, water quality and quantity, and soil health.
Zalesny, Jr., Ronald S. --- Headlee, William L. --- Soolanayakanahally, Raju --- Richardson, Jim
MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Responses of Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics and GHG Fluxes in Forest Ecosystems to Climate Change and Human Activity
Forest soils are considered the largest carbon and nitrogen pools in soil organic matter among terrestrial ecosystems, and soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are normally affected by climate change and human activity. This Special Issue includes the effects of climate changes such as changes in throughfall, snow cover, and permafrost degradation; human activities such as nitrogen and/or phosphorus addition and the use of biochar; and soil–plant interactions on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics and GHG fluxes in forest ecosystems.
Biodiversity and Conservation in Forests
Global forest communities cover only about 30% of land areas, but they provide important ecosystem services, such as watershed protection, carbon sequestration, and oxygen production, as well as renewable forest products for human subsistence and markets. Forests also support the majority of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Although land conversion for agriculture and pastureland has historically resulted in fragmentation and declining forested areas, forests worldwide are now experiencing change at an unprecedented rate due to various anthropogenic activities and growing human populations.
Forest Measurements: an Applied Approach
This is a forest measurements textbook written for field technicians. Silvicultural applications and illustrations are provided to demonstrate the relevance of the measurements. Special “technique tips” for each skill are intended to help increase data collection accuracy and confidence. These include how to avoid common pitfalls, effective short cuts and essentials for recording field data correctly. The emphasis is on elementary skills; it is not intended to be a timber cruising guide.
Urban Forestry and Sustainable Environments
The planet is moving towards a complex future, under the pressure from climate change and rapid urbanization. According to the United Nations, there was an estimated average urbanization rate of ~80% and 55% in developed and developing countries, respectively, as of the end of 2021. Green infrastructure in urban areas provides people with a multitude of ecosystem benefits. However, the quality of urban green infrastructure varies among cities in the different countries/regions; key ecological processes, maintenance mechanisms, as well as policy-making routes remain unclear.
Nancai Pei, Qian Sun, Jiali Jin, Zezhou Hao
Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycling in Forest Soils
The majority of carbon stored in the soils of the world is stored in forests. The refractory nature of some portions of forest soil organic matter also provides the slow, gradual release of organic nitrogen and phosphorus to sustain long term forest productivity. Contemporary and future disturbances, such as climatic warming, deforestation, short rotation sylviculture, the invasion of exotic species, and fire, all place strains on the integrity of this homeostatic system of C, N, and P cycling.