Effects of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) on understorey layer species diversity in managed forests

Podrázský, Vílém; Martiník, Antonín; Matějka, K.; Viewegh, J.

doi:10.17221/49/2014-jfs

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Afforestation of agricultural lands constitutes a serious change in soil dynamics, including soil structure, organic matter and nutrient dynamics [11][12][13][14]. Compared to Norway spruce, Douglas fir shows less negative effects on the forest soil [15,16] and herb vegetation layer [17], and thus Douglas fir can represent a very convenient substitute for declining spruce, at least as a part of its non-native range in commercial forests [18]. Douglas fir also appears promising under local conditions in terms of wood quality [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Wood Quality of Douglas Fir and Spruce from Afforested Agricultural Land and Permanent Forest Land in the Czech Republic

Zeidler¹,

Borůvka²,

Schönfelder³

2017

Forests

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This study compares the quality of wood from two distinct sites in the Czech Republic-from former afforested agricultural land and forest land. We compared the properties of Norway spruce wood (Picea abies Karst.) and Scots pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.), the most important domestic tree species, to Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco), a North American tree species and a potential substitute for the domestic spruce. Wood density, modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR) and impact bending strength were the properties tested that were used for comparing tree species. Without taking into consideration the site, the highest density values from the tested tree species were obtained for Douglas fir (0.568 g·cm −3 ), followed by the pine (0.508 g·cm −3 ) and the spruce (0.463 g·cm −3 ). The Douglas fir also dominated in the remaining assessed properties, whilst the influence of site was not confirmed, with the exception of MOE and MOR, and only for the Douglas fir wood, wherein higher values were obtained for forest land. In terms assessed Douglas fir properties, it exceeds the domestic softwoods and represents a possible suitable replacement for them. The site only plays a role in terms of the Douglas fir, and only for certain properties.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Wood Quality of Douglas Fir and Spruce from Afforested Agricultural Land and Permanent Forest Land in the Czech Republic

Zeidler¹,

Borůvka²,

Schönfelder³

2017

Forests

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“…Many studies have shown that the content, abundance and cover of understory species depends on the species of trees present in the overstory. Namely, plants in the herbaceous layer are affected by the tree layer, which modifies the transmittance of light, the water balance and microclimate, litter characteristics, chemical characteristics and porosity of the soil, as well as through leaching of toxic compounds [1,5,11,35,39,50]. In addition, silvicultural management, former land use and atmospheric deposition have significant impact [1].…”

Section: Floristic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also observed the presence of young beech in the Douglas fir culture, which is a sign that artificial stands of conifers are rejuvenated by beech, i.e., succession moves toward autochthonous forest vegetation [39]. On the other hand, in a study at 12 localities in the Czech Republic, it was established that the cultivation of Douglas fir was reflected in an increase in diversity, but also in a decrease in the abundance of ground vegetation at the sites [35]. The impact of Douglas fir was most pronounced in comparison to managed Norway spruce stands.…”

Section: Floristic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Worldwide, the study of Douglas fir mostly focuses on the analysis of different silvicultural treatments, as well as the determination and augmentation of its productive characteristics by the application of various fertilization treatments in order to optimize production and profit [13,[29][30][31][32]. An ecological approach to research that examines its impact on the dynamics of the forest floor and on the diversity of the habitat at the time of introduction, especially compared to natural beech forests, is even less common [2,8,14,[33][34][35]. Not enough is known of how these introduced species affect the soil and biogeochemical cycle of nutrients through soil horizons [36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, from an ecological and conservation standpoint, the cultivation of the very invasive Douglas fir, particularly in pure and dense stands that cover large areas, can have seriously deleterious consequences on the forest ecosystem [14]. Recent studies have mostly focused on only one aspect of the effects of Douglas fir, examining its impact on either the soil characteristics [2,8] or the characteristics and diversity of understory species [35,39]. However, there is a lack of research including both interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of Douglas fir monoculture on stand characteristics in a zone of Montane beech forest

Kostić

Jarić

Gajić

et al. 2016

Arch biol sci (Beogr)

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The right choice of tree species to form forest cultures is of paramount importance to the preservation of the diversity, fertility and ecological stability of forest ecosystems. To that end, we examined the effect of a 40-year-long cultivation of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb) Franco) on the floristic composition, characteristics of the forest floor, physical and chemical properties of the soil and the intensity of organic matter decomposition in a beech forest in western Serbia (Mt. Maljen). It was found that the cultivation of Douglas fir caused a reduction in biodiversity, changes in the chemical properties of the soil, that were most pronounced in the surface layers (0-10 cm), and a slowing down in the metabolism of the beech stand. The absence of many plant species characteristic to natural beech forests was observed in the Douglas fir plantation, these were reflected in the detected changes in the chemical properties of the soil, such as lower substitutional acidity (p<0.05), depletion of the adsorption of basis in the cation complex (p<0.001) and lower amounts of C, N, P (p<0.001) and K (p<0.01) in relation to the beech stand (control). No differences were found in soil moisture and active acidity levels. The higher value of the C/N ratio of the Douglas fir litter (p<0.001) provided proof for its lower decomposition rate compared to beech litter (p<0.05). Over time, all these changes could lead to further acidification and degradation of the soil and a reduction in this ecosystem's productivity.

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Insights in forest structural diversity indicators with machine learning: what is indicated?

Ette

Ritter²,

Vospernik³

2023

Biodivers Conserv

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Indicator choice is a crucial step in biodiversity assessments. Forest inventories have the potential to overcome data deficits for biodiversity monitoring on large spatial scales which is fundamental to reach biodiversity policy targets. Structural diversity indicators were taken from information theory to describe forest spatial heterogeneity. Their indicative value for forest stand variables is largely unknown. This case study explores these indicator–indicandum relationships in a lowland, European beech (Fagus sylvatica) dominated forest in Austria, Central Europe. We employed five indicators as surrogates for structural diversity which is an important part of forest biodiversity i.e., Clark & Evans-, Shannon, Stand Density, Diameter Differentiation Index, and Crown Competition factor. The indicators are evaluated by machine learning, to detect statistic inter-correlation in an indicator set and the relationship to twenty explanatory stand variables and five variable groups on a landscape scale. Using the R packages randomForest, VSURF, and randomForest Explainer, 1555 sample plots are considered in fifteen models. The model outcome is decisively impacted by the type and number of explanatory variables tested. Relationships to interval-scaled, common stand characteristics can be assessed most effectively. Variables of ‘stand age & density’ are disproportionally indicated by our indicator set while other forest stand characteristics relevant to biodiversity are neglected. Within the indicator set, pronounced inter-correlation is detected. The Shannon Index indicates the overall highest, the Stand Density Index the lowest number of stand characteristics. Machine learning proves to be a useful tool to overcome knowledge gaps and provides additional insights in indicator–indicandum relationships of structural diversity indicators.

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Effects of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) on understorey layer species diversity in managed forests

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Comparison of Wood Quality of Douglas Fir and Spruce from Afforested Agricultural Land and Permanent Forest Land in the Czech Republic

Comparison of Wood Quality of Douglas Fir and Spruce from Afforested Agricultural Land and Permanent Forest Land in the Czech Republic

The effects of Douglas fir monoculture on stand characteristics in a zone of Montane beech forest

Insights in forest structural diversity indicators with machine learning: what is indicated?

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