Identifying populations within tree species potentially adapted to future climatic conditions is an important requirement for reforestation and assisted migration programmes. Such populations can be identified either by empirical response functions based on correlations of quantitative traits with climate variables or by climate envelope models that compare the climate of seed sources and potential growing areas. In the present study, we analyzed the intraspecific variation in climate growth response of Douglas-fir planted within the non-analogous climate conditions of Central and continental Europe. With data from 50 common garden trials, we developed Universal Response Functions (URF) for tree height and mean basal area and compared the growth performance of the selected best performing populations with that of populations identified through a climate envelope approach. Climate variables of the trial location were found to be stronger predictors of growth performance than climate variables of the population origin. Although the precipitation regime of the population sources varied strongly none of the precipitation related climate variables of population origin was found to be significant within the models. Overall, the URFs explained more than 88% of variation in growth performance. Populations identified by the URF models originate from western Cascades and coastal areas of Washington and Oregon and show significantly higher growth performance than populations identified by the climate envelope approach under both current and climate change scenarios. The URFs predict decreasing growth performance at low and middle elevations of the case study area, but increasing growth performance on high elevation sites. Our analysis suggests that population recommendations based on empirical approaches should be preferred and population selections by climate envelope models without considering climatic constrains of growth performance should be carefully appraised before transferring populations to planting locations with novel or dissimilar climate.
We used the coupled forest and rockfall model PICUS Rock'n'Roll, linking a hybrid forest patch model and a 3D rockfall model, to assess the effects of four management scenarios (BAU: business as usual age class shelterwood approach; PFM1 and PFM2: rockfall protection management scenarios with slit-shaped gaps; NOM: no management scenario without any active silvicultural intervention) on rockfall protection and timber production on a 38 ha slope over 100 years. Compared to PFM1 and PFM2, we found slightly more harvested timber for the BAU scenario (BAU: 6.7 m³ha−1yr−1, PFM: 5.7–5.9 m³ha−1yr−1), but lower contribution margins (BAU: 55 €ha−1yr−1, PFM: 113–115 €ha−1yr−1). Overall, depending on rock size and forest state, 30–70% of the simulated rocks that would otherwise hit the road at the foot of the slope were stopped by the forest. While the PFM scenarios maintained a high rockfall protection level over 100 years (PE between 45–64%) the BAU showed periods of reduced protection (PE between 26–65%). The NOM scenario maintained favorable conditions in the beginning, but declining protection efficiency in the last decades of the century (PE 49–63%). We conclude that rockfall protection management can outperform BAU with regard to both timber production and rockfall protection.
Abstract. Many slopes in the Alps are prone to rockfall and forests play a vital role in protecting objects such as (rail) roads and infrastructure against rockfall. Decision support tools are required to assess rockfall processes and to quantify the rockfall protection effect of forest stands. This paper presents results of an iterative sequence of tests and improvements of a coupled rockfall and forest dynamics model with focus on the rockfall module. As evaluation data a real-size rockfall experiment in the French Alps and two 2-D rockfall trajectories from Austria and Switzerland were used. Modification of the rebound algorithm and the inclusion of an algorithm accounting for the sudden halt of falling rocks due to surface roughness greatly improved the correspondence between simulated and observed key rockfall variables like run-out distances, rebound heights and jump lengths for the real-size rockfall experiment. Moreover, the observed jump lengths and run-out distances of the 2-D trajectories were well within the stochastic range of variation yielded by the simulations. Based on evaluation results it is concluded that the rockfall model can be employed to assess the protective effect of forest vegetation.
Rear-edge populations of montane species are known to be vulnerable to environmental change, which could affect them by habitat reduction and isolation. Habitat requirements of two cold-adapted boreo-alpine owl species — Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) and Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) — have been studied in refugial montane populations in the western Rhodopes, South Bulgaria. Data on owl presence and forest stand attributes recorded in situ have been used to identify significant predictors for owl occurrence. The results revealed Boreal Owl's preference for comparatively dense forests (high canopy closure values), big trees (diameter at breast height ≥50 cm) and large amount of fallen dead wood in penultimate stage of decay. For Pygmy Owl the only significant explanatory variable was the total amount of fallen dead wood. Results suggest preference of both owl species for forests with structural elements typical of old-growth forests (i.e., veteran trees, deadwood), the Pygmy Owl being less prone to inhabit managed forests. Being at the rear edge of their Palearctic breeding range in Europe both Boreal and Pygmy Owls are of high conservation value on the Balkan Peninsula. Hence, additional efforts are needed for their conservation in the light of climate change and resulting alteration of forest structural parameters. Current findings can be used for adjusting forest management practices in order to ensure both, sustainable profit from timber and continuous species survival.
We modeled the behavior of an Austrian alpine forest ecosystem on calcareous soils under changing climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition scenarios. The change of nitrate leaching, emission rates of nitrogen compounds, and forest productivity were calculated using four process-oriented models for the periods 1998-2002 and 2048-2052. Each model reflects with high detail a segment of the ecosystem: PnET-N-DNDC (photosynthesis-evapotranspiration-nitrification-denitrification-decomposition; short-term nitrogen cycling), BROOK90 (water balance for small and homogenous forest watersheds), HYDRUS (water flux in complex and heterogenous soils), and PICUS v1.3 (forest productivity). The nitrogen balance model (NBM) combines the individual results into a comprehensive picture and extends the specific values beyond the limits of the individual models. The evaluation of the findings was outlined with TRACE, a model enabling a long-term prognosis of nitrogen cycling in annual time steps. Temperature increase and nitrogen input are influenced by various components and processes of the forest ecosystem. An increase of the temperature of 2.5 degrees C led to an enhancement of the N2O emission rates and affected the mineralization and the nitrification rates with the consequence of increased nitrate leaching into the subsoil. Enhanced nitrogen input also showed notable effects on nitrate leaching.
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