Search

Future climate presents conflicting implications for forest biomass. We evaluate how plant hydraulic traits, elevated CO2 levels, warming, and changes in precipitation affect forest primary productivity, evapotranspiration, and the risk of hydraulic failure. We used a dynamic vegetation model with plant hydrodynamics (FATES-HYDRO) to simulate the stand-level responses to future climate changes in a wet tropical forest in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We calibrated the model by selecting plant trait assemblages that performed well against observations. These assemblages were run with temperature and precipitation changes for two greenhouse gas emission scenarios (2086-2100: SSP2-45, SSP5-85) and two CO2 levels (contemporary, anticipated). The risk of hydraulic failure is projected to increase from a contemporary rate of 5.7% to 10.1-11.3% under future climate scenarios, and, crucially, elevated CO2 provided only slight amelioration. By contrast, elevated CO2 mitigated GPP reductions. We attribute a greater variation in hydraulic failure risk to trait assemblages than to either CO2 or climate. Our results project forests with both faster growth (through productivity increases) and higher mortality rates (through increasing rates of hydraulic failure) in the neo-tropics accompanied by certain trait plant assemblages becoming nonviable.

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

While there has been significant progress in controlling falciparum malaria in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR), sporadic cases persist in southern provinces where the extent and patterns of transmission remain largely unknown. To assess parasite transmission in this area, 53 Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) positive cases detected through active test and treat campaigns from December 2017 to November 2018 were sequenced, targeting 204 highly polymorphic amplicons. Two R packages, MOIRE and Dcifer, were applied to assess the multiplicity of infections (MOI), effective MOI (eMOI), within-host parasite relatedness, and between-host parasite relatedness ([Formula: see text]). Genomic data were integrated with survey data to characterize the temporal and spatial structures of identified clusters. The positive cases were mainly captured during the focal test and treat campaign conducted in 2018, and in the Pathoomphone area, which had the highest test positivity and forest activity. About 30% of the cases were polyclonal infections, with over half of theses (63%) showing within-host relatedness greater than 0.6, suggesting that cotransmission rather than superinfection was primarily responsible for maintaining polyclonality. A large majority of cases (81%) were infected by parasites genetically linked to one or more other cases. We identified five genetically distinct clusters in forest fringe villages within the Pathoomphone district, characterized by a high degree of genetic relatedness between parasites (mean [Formula: see text] = 0.8). Four smaller clusters of 2-3 cases linked Moonlapamok and Pathoomphone districts, with an average [Formula: see text] of 0.6, suggesting cross-district transmission. Most of the clustered cases occurred within 20 km and 2 months of each other, consistent with focal transmission. Transmission clusters identified in this study confirm the role of ongoing focal parasite transmission occurring within the forest or forest-fringe in the highly mobile population.

The fundamental trade-off between current and future reproduction has long been considered to result in a tendency for species that can grow large to begin reproduction at a larger size. Due to the prolonged time required to reach maturity, estimates of tree maturation size remain very rare and we lack a global view on the generality and the shape of this trade-off. Using seed production from five continents, we estimate tree maturation sizes for 486 tree species spanning tropical to boreal climates. Results show that a species' maturation size increases with maximum size, but in a non-proportional way: the largest species begin reproduction at smaller sizes than would be expected if maturation were simply proportional to maximum size. Furthermore, the decrease in relative maturation size is steepest in cold climates. These findings on maturation size drivers are key to accurately represent forests' responses to disturbance and climate change.

Present and future climatic trends are expected to markedly alter water fluxes and stores in the hydrologic cycle. In addition, water demand continues to grow due to increased human use and a growing population. Sustainably managing water resources requires a thorough understanding of water storage and flow in natural, agricultural, and urban ecosystems. Measurements of stable isotopes of water (hydrogen and oxygen) in the water cycle (atmosphere, soils, plants, surface water, and groundwater) can provide information on the transport pathways, sourcing, dynamics, ages, and storage pools of water that is difficult to obtain with other techniques. However, the potential of these techniques for practical questions has not been fully exploited yet. Here, we outline the benefits and limitations of potential applications of stable isotope methods useful to water managers, farmers, and other stakeholders. We also describe several case studies demonstrating how stable isotopes of water can support water management decision-making. Finally, we propose a workflow that guides users through a sequence of decisions required to apply stable isotope methods to examples of water management issues. We call for ongoing dialogue and a stronger connection between water management stakeholders and water stable isotope practitioners to identify the most pressing issues and develop best-practice guidelines to apply these techniques.

Spatiotemporal patterns of plant water uptake, loss, and storage exert a first-order control on photosynthesis and evapotranspiration. Many studies of plant responses to water stress have focused on differences between species because of their different stomatal closure, xylem conductance, and root traits. However, several other ecohydrological factors are also relevant, including soil hydraulics, topographically driven redistribution of water, plant adaptation to local climatic variations, and changes in vegetation density. Here, we seek to understand the relative importance of the dominant species for regional-scale variations in woody plant responses to water stress. We map plant water sensitivity (PWS) based on the response of remotely sensed live fuel moisture content to variations in hydrometeorology using an auto-regressive model. Live fuel moisture content dynamics are informative of PWS because they directly reflect vegetation water content and therefore patterns of plant water uptake and evapotranspiration. The PWS is studied using 21,455 wooded locations containing U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis plots across the western United States, where species cover is known and where a single species is locally dominant. Using a species-specific mean PWS value explains 23% of observed PWS variability. By contrast, a random forest driven by mean vegetation density, mean climate, soil properties, and topographic descriptors explains 43% of observed PWS variability. Thus, the dominant species explains only 53% (23% compared to 43%) of explainable variations in PWS. Mean climate and mean NDVI also exert significant influence on PWS. Our results suggest that studies of differences between species should explicitly consider the environments (climate, soil, topography) in which observations for each species are made, and whether those environments are representative of the entire species range.

Net nitrogen mineralization (Nmin) and nitrification regulate soil N availability and loss after severe wildfires in boreal forests experiencing slow vegetation recovery. Yet, how microorganisms respond to postfire phosphorus (P) enrichment to alter soil N transformations remains unclear in N-limited boreal forests. Here, we investigated postfire N-P interactions using an intensive regional-scale sampling of 17 boreal forests in the Greater Khingan Mountains (Inner Mongolia-China), a laboratory P-addition incubation, and a continental-scale meta-analysis. We found that postfire soils had an increased risk of N loss by accelerated Nmin and nitrification along with low plant N demand, especially during the early vegetation recovery period. The postfire N/P imbalance created by P enrichment acts as a "N retention" strategy by inhibiting Nmin but not nitrification in boreal forests. This strategy is attributed to enhanced microbial N-use efficiency and N immobilization. Importantly, our meta-analysis found that there was a greater risk of N loss in boreal forest soils after fires than in other climatic zones, which was consistent with our results from the 17 soils in the Greater Khingan Mountains. These findings demonstrate that postfire N-P interactions play an essential role in mitigating N limitation and maintaining nutrient balance in boreal forests.

We conducted a research campaign in a neotropical rainforest in Costa Rica throughout the drought phase of an El-Nino Southern Oscillation event to determine microbial community dynamics and soil C fluxes. Our study included nests of the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes, as soil disturbances made by these ecosystem engineers may influence microbial drought response. Drought decreased the diversity of microbes and the abundance of core microbiome taxa, including Verrucomicrobial bacteria and Sordariomycete fungi. Despite initial responses of decreasing diversity and altered composition, 6 months post-drought the microbiomes were similar to pre-drought conditions, demonstrating the resilience of soil microbial communities to drought events. A. cephalotes nests altered fungal composition in the surrounding soil, and reduced both fungal mortality and growth of Acidobacteria post-drought. Drought increased CH4 consumption in soils due to lower soil moisture, and A. cephalotes nests decrease the variability of CH4 emissions in some soil types. CH4 emissions were tracked by the abundance of methanotrophic bacteria and fungal composition. These results characterize the microbiome of tropical soils across both time and space during drought and provide evidence for the importance of leafcutter ant nests in shaping soil microbiomes and enhancing microbial resilience during climatic perturbations.

Wildfires are increasing in duration and intensity across the United States' Pacific West region, resulting in heightened particulate matter from smoke in the atmosphere. Levels of peak particulate matter are concurrent to peak visitor attendance at National Parks, given seasonal alignment with summer vacation travel and heightened forest fire conditions. Particulate matter threatens visitor health and safety and contributes to poor visibility and a deteriorated visitor experience. To assess visitation response to diminished air quality, we utilized wildfire-generated particulate matter (PM2.5) data in conjunction with monthly attendance records for three ecoregions containing eight national parks in Washington, Oregon, and California from 2009 to 2019. We analyzed daily PM2.5 levels from data gridded at the 10 km scale for National Park Service units by Level III forest ecoregions within the National Park Service's Pacific West Unit. Data were then compared to normalized monthly visitation trends for each of the ecoregions using two statistical methods Kendall's Tau and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc Tukey tests. Results demonstrate that attendance at these national parks does not decrease in response to increased PM2.5 levels. Instead, we see several statistically significant increases in attendance across these ecoregions during periods of reduced air quality. Of 115 shifts between air quality categories during the busy season of July to September, there are no significant decreases in attendance as air quality worsens. These findings suggest that visitors are willing to tolerate reduced air quality compared to other factors such as temperature or precipitation. Given that park units within each ecoregion feature diverse historical contexts, varied built environments, and unique ecological systems, our discussion specifically addresses managerial concerns associated with maintained high levels of visitation during suboptimal, and potentially dangerous, conditions. There is substantial need for specific, scalable approaches to mitigate adverse health and experiential impacts as visitors are exposed to increased risks during a range of exertional activities associated with diverse settings.

Soil fungi belonging to different functional guilds, such as saprotrophs, pathogens, and mycorrhizal symbionts, play key roles in forest ecosystems. To date, no study has compared the actual gene expression of these guilds in different forest soils. We used metatranscriptomics to study the competition for organic resources by these fungal groups in boreal, temperate, and Mediterranean forest soils. Using a dedicated mRNA annotation pipeline combined with the JGI MycoCosm database, we compared the transcripts of these three fungal guilds, targeting enzymes involved in C- and N mobilization from plant and microbial cell walls. Genes encoding enzymes involved in the degradation of plant cell walls were expressed at a higher level in saprotrophic fungi than in ectomycorrhizal and pathogenic fungi. However, ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi showed similarly high expression levels of genes encoding enzymes involved in fungal cell wall degradation. Transcripts for N-related transporters were more highly expressed in ectomycorrhizal fungi than in other groups. We showed that ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi compete for N in soil organic matter, suggesting that their interactions could decelerate C cycling. Metatranscriptomics provides a unique tool to test controversial ecological hypotheses and to better understand the underlying ecological processes involved in soil functioning and carbon stabilization.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The increased likelihood and severity of storm events has brought into focus the role of coastal ecosystems in provision of shoreline protection by attenuating wave energy. Canopy-forming kelps, including giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), are thought to provide this ecosystem service, but supporting data are extremely limited. Previous in situ examinations relied mostly on comparisons between nominally similar sites with and without kelp. Given that other factors (especially seafloor bathymetry and topographic features) often differ across sites, efforts to isolate the effects of kelp on wave energy propagation confront challenges. In particular, it can be difficult to distinguish wave energy dissipation attributable to kelp from frictional processes at the seabed that often covary with the presence of kelp. Here, we use an ecological transition from no kelp to a full forest, at a single site with static bathymetry, to resolve unambiguously the capacity of giant kelp to damp waves. METHODS: We measured waves within and outside rocky reef habitat, in both the absence and the presence of giant kelp, at Marguerite Reef, Palos Verdes, CA, USA. Nested within a broader kelp restoration project, this site transitioned from a bare state to one supporting a fully formed forest (density of 8 stipes m-2). We quantified, as a function of incident wave conditions, the decline in wave energy flux attributable to the presence of kelp, as waves propagated from outside and into reef habitat. KEY RESULTS: The kelp forest damped wave energy detectably, but to a modest extent. Interactions with the seabed alone reduced wave energy flux, on average, by 12 ± 1.4 % over 180 m of travel. The kelp forest induced an additional 7 ± 1.2 % decrease. Kelp-associated declines in wave energy flux were slightly greater for waves of longer periods and smaller wave heights. CONCLUSIONS: Macrocystis pyrifera forests have a limited, albeit measurable, capacity to enhance shoreline protection from nearshore waves. Expectations that giant kelp forests, whether extant or enhanced through restoration, have substantial impacts on wave-induced coastal erosion might require re-evaluation.

Numerous studies have shown reduced performance in plants that are surrounded by neighbours of the same species1,2, a phenomenon known as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD)3. A long-held ecological hypothesis posits that CNDD is more pronounced in tropical than in temperate forests4,5, which increases community stabilization, species coexistence and the diversity of local tree species6,7. Previous analyses supporting such a latitudinal gradient in CNDD8,9 have suffered from methodological limitations related to the use of static data10-12. Here we present a comprehensive assessment of latitudinal CNDD patterns using dynamic mortality data to estimate species-site-specific CNDD across 23 sites. Averaged across species, we found that stabilizing CNDD was present at all except one site, but that average stabilizing CNDD was not stronger toward the tropics. However, in tropical tree communities, rare and intermediate abundant species experienced stronger stabilizing CNDD than did common species. This pattern was absent in temperate forests, which suggests that CNDD influences species abundances more strongly in tropical forests than it does in temperate ones13. We also found that interspecific variation in CNDD, which might attenuate its stabilizing effect on species diversity14,15, was high but not significantly different across latitudes. Although the consequences of these patterns for latitudinal diversity gradients are difficult to evaluate, we speculate that a more effective regulation of population abundances could translate into greater stabilization of tropical tree communities and thus contribute to the high local diversity of tropical forests.

Ecological communities can be stable over multiple generations, or rapidly shift into structurally and functionally different configurations. In kelp forest ecosystems, overgrazing by sea urchins can abruptly shift forests into alternative states that are void of macroalgae and primarily dominated by actively grazing sea urchins. Beginning in 2014, a sea urchin outbreak along the central coast of California resulted in a patchy mosaic of remnant forests interspersed with sea urchin barrens. In this study, we used a 14-year subtidal monitoring dataset of invertebrates, algae, and fishes to explore changes in community structure associated with the loss of forests. We found that the spatial mosaic of barrens and forests resulted in a region-wide shift in community structure. However, the magnitude of kelp forest loss and taxonomic-level consequences were spatially heterogeneous. Taxonomic diversity declined across the region, but there were no declines in richness for any group, suggesting compositional redistribution. Baseline ecological and environmental conditions, and sea urchin behaviour, explained the persistence of forests through multiple stressors. These results indicate that spatial heterogeneity in preexisting ecological and environmental conditions can explain patterns of community change.

Tropical rainforests of Latin America (LATAM) are one of the world's largest carbon sinks, with substantial future carbon sequestration potential and contributing a major proportion of the global supply of forest carbon credits. LATAM is poised to contribute predominantly towards high-quality forest carbon offset projects designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, halt biodiversity loss, and provide equitable conservation benefits to people. Thus, carbon markets, including compliance carbon markets and voluntary carbon markets continue to expand in LATAM. However, the extent of the growth and status of forest carbon markets, pricing initiatives, stakeholders, amongst others, are yet to be explored and extensively reviewed for the entire LATAM region. Against this backdrop, we reviewed a total of 299 articles, including peer-reviewed and non-scientific gray literature sources, from January 2010 to March 2023. Herein, based on the extensive literature review, we present the results and provide perspectives classified into five categories: (i) the status and recent trends of forest carbon markets (ii) the interested parties and their role in the forest carbon markets, (iii) the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) approaches and role of remote sensing, (iv) the challenges, and (v) the benefits, opportunities, future directions and recommendations to enhance forest carbon markets in LATAM. Despite the substantial challenges, better governance structures for forest carbon markets can increase the number, quality and integrity of projects and support the carbon sequestration capacity of the rainforests of LATAM. Due to the complex and extensive nature of forest carbon projects in LATAM, emerging technologies like remote sensing can enable scale and reduce technical barriers to MRV, if properly benchmarked. The future directions and recommendations provided are intended to improve upon the existing infrastructure and governance mechanisms, and encourage further participation from the public and private sectors in forest carbon markets in LATAM.

The possibility that the Amazon forest system could soon reach a tipping point, inducing large-scale collapse, has raised global concern1-3. For 65 million years, Amazonian forests remained relatively resilient to climatic variability. Now, the region is increasingly exposed to unprecedented stress from warming temperatures, extreme droughts, deforestation and fires, even in central and remote parts of the system1. Long existing feedbacks between the forest and environmental conditions are being replaced by novel feedbacks that modify ecosystem resilience, increasing the risk of critical transition. Here we analyse existing evidence for five major drivers of water stress on Amazonian forests, as well as potential critical thresholds of those drivers that, if crossed, could trigger local, regional or even biome-wide forest collapse. By combining spatial information on various disturbances, we estimate that by 2050, 10% to 47% of Amazonian forests will be exposed to compounding disturbances that may trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions and potentially exacerbate regional climate change. Using examples of disturbed forests across the Amazon, we identify the three most plausible ecosystem trajectories, involving different feedbacks and environmental conditions. We discuss how the inherent complexity of the Amazon adds uncertainty about future dynamics, but also reveals opportunities for action. Keeping the Amazon forest resilient in the Anthropocene will depend on a combination of local efforts to end deforestation and degradation and to expand restoration, with global efforts to stop greenhouse gas emissions.

BACKGROUND: A major challenge to malaria elimination is identifying and targeting populations that are harbouring residual infections and contributing to persistent transmission. In many near-elimination settings in Southeast Asia, it is known that forest-goers are at higher risk for malaria infection, but detailed information on their behaviours and exposures is not available. METHODS: In Aceh Province, Indonesia, a near-elimination setting where a growing proportion of malaria is due to Plasmodium knowlesi, a case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for symptomatic malaria, characteristics of forest-goers, and key intervention points. From April 2017 to September 2018, cases and controls were recruited and enrolled in a 1:3 ratio. Cases had confirmed malaria infection by rapid diagnostic test or microscopy detected at a health facility (HF). Gender-matched controls were recruited from passive case detection among individuals with suspected malaria who tested negative at a health facility (HF controls), and community-matched controls were recruited among those testing negative during active case detection. Multivariable logistic regression (unconditional for HF controls and conditional for community controls) was used to identify risk factors for symptomatic malaria infection. RESULTS: There were 45 cases, of which 27 were P. knowlesi, 17 were Plasmodium vivax, and one was not determined. For controls, 509 and 599 participants were recruited from health facilities and the community, respectively. Forest exposures were associated with high odds of malaria; in particular, working and sleeping in the forest (HF controls: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 21.66, 95% CI 5.09-92.26; community controls: aOR 16.78, 95% CI 2.19-128.7) and having a second residence in the forest (aOR 6.29, 95% CI 2.29-17.31 and 13.53, 95% CI 2.10-87.12). Male forest-goers were a diverse population employed in a variety of occupations including logging, farming, and mining, sleeping in settings, such as huts, tents, and barracks, and working in a wide range of group sizes. Reported use of protective measures, such as nets, hammock nets, mosquito coils, and repellents was low among forest-goers and interventions at forest residences were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Second residences in the forest and gaps in use of protective measures point to key malaria interventions to improve coverage in forest-going populations at risk for P. knowlesi and P. vivax in Aceh, Indonesia. Intensified strategies tailored to specific sub-populations will be essential to achieve elimination.

Kelp forests are highly productive and economically important ecosystems worldwide, especially in the North Pacific Ocean. However, current hypotheses for their evolutionary origins are reliant on a scant fossil record. Here, we report fossil hapteral kelp holdfasts from western Washington State, USA, indicating that kelp has existed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean since the earliest Oligocene. This is consistent with the proposed North Pacific origin of kelp associated with global cooling around the Eocene-Oligocene transition. These fossils also support the hypotheses that a hapteral holdfast, rather than a discoid holdfast, is the ancestral state in complex kelps and suggest that early kelps likely had a flexible rather than a stiff stipe. Early kelps were possibly grazed upon by mammals like desmostylians, but fossil evidence of the complex ecological interactions known from extant kelp forests is lacking. The fossil record further indicates that the present-day, multi-story kelp forest had developed at latest after the mid-Miocene climate optimum. In summary, the fossils signify a stepwise evolution of the kelp ecosystem in the North Pacific, likely enabled by changes in the ocean-climate system.

Cross-ecosystem subsidies are critical to ecosystem structure and function, especially in recipient ecosystems where they are the primary source of organic matter to the food web. Subsidies are indicative of processes connecting ecosystems and can couple ecological dynamics across system boundaries. However, the degree to which such flows can induce cross-ecosystem cascades of spatial synchrony, the tendency for system fluctuations to be correlated across locations, is not well understood. Synchrony has destabilizing effects on ecosystems, adding to the importance of understanding spatiotemporal patterns of synchrony transmission. In order to understand whether and how spatial synchrony cascades across the marine-terrestrial boundary via resource subsidies, we studied the relationship between giant kelp forests on rocky nearshore reefs and sandy beach ecosystems that receive resource subsidies in the form of kelp wrack (detritus). We found that synchrony cascades from rocky reefs to sandy beaches, with spatiotemporal patterns mediated by fluctuations in live kelp biomass, wave action, and beach width. Moreover, wrack deposition synchronized local abundances of shorebirds that move among beaches seeking to forage on wrack-associated invertebrates, demonstrating that synchrony due to subsidies propagates across trophic levels in the recipient ecosystem. Synchronizing resource subsidies likely play an underappreciated role in the spatiotemporal structure, functioning, and stability of ecosystems.

Understanding the topographic basis for microclimatic variation remains fundamental to predicting the site level effects of warming air temperatures. Quantifying diurnal fluctuation and seasonal extremes in relation to topography offers insight into the potential relationship between site level conditions and changes in regional climate. The present study investigated an annual understory temperature regime for 50 sites distributed across a topographically diverse area (>12 km2) comprised of mixed evergreen-deciduous woodland vegetation typical of California coastal ranges. We investigated the effect of topography and tree cover on site-to-site variation in near-surface temperatures using a combination of multiple linear regression and multivariate techniques. Sites in topographically depressed areas (e.g., valley bottoms) exhibited larger seasonal and diurnal variation. Elevation (at 10 m resolution) was found to be the primary driver of daily and seasonal variations, in addition to hillslope position, canopy cover and northness. The elevation effect on seasonal mean temperatures was inverted, reflecting large-scale cold-air pooling in the study region, with elevated minimum and mean temperature at higher elevations. Additionally, several of our sites showed considerable buffering (dampened diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations) compared to average regional conditions measured at an on-site weather station. Results from this study help inform efforts to extrapolate temperature records across large landscapes and have the potential to improve our ecological understanding of fine-scale seasonal climate variation in coastal range environments.

Deforestation of tropical rainforests is a major land use change that alters terrestrial biogeochemical cycling at local to global scales. Deforestation and subsequent reforestation are likely to impact soil phosphorus (P) cycling, which in P-limited ecosystems such as the Amazon basin has implications for long-term productivity. We used a 100-year replicated observational chronosequence of primary forest conversion to pasture, as well as a 13-year-old secondary forest, to test land use change and duration effects on soil P dynamics in the Amazon basin. By combining sequential extraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy with soil phosphatase activity assays, we assessed pools and process rates of P cycling in surface soils (0-10 cm depth). Deforestation caused increases in total P (135-398 mg kg-1 ), total organic P (Po ) (19-168 mg kg-1 ), and total inorganic P (Pi ) (30-113 mg kg-1 ) fractions in surface soils with pasture age, with concomitant increases in Pi fractions corroborated by sequential fractionation and XANES spectroscopy. Soil non-labile Po (10-148 mg kg-1 ) increased disproportionately compared to labile Po (from 4-5 to 7-13 mg kg-1 ). Soil phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase binding affinity (Km ) decreased while the specificity constant (Ka ) increased by 83%-159% in 39-100y pastures. Soil P pools and process rates reverted to magnitudes similar to primary forests within 13 years of pasture abandonment. However, the relatively short but representative pre-abandonment pasture duration of our secondary forest may not have entailed significant deforestation effects on soil P cycling, highlighting the need to consider both pasture duration and reforestation age in evaluations of Amazon land use legacies. Although the space-for-time substitution design can entail variation in the initial soil P pools due to atmospheric P deposition, soil properties, and/or primary forest growth, the trend of P pools and process rates with pasture age still provides valuable insights.

The management of large common-pool resources, like fisheries and forests, is more difficult when more people and more communities can access them-a particular problem given increased population sizes, higher mobility and globalized trade in the Anthropocene. Social relationships spanning communities, such as kin relationships, business or trade relationships and friendships, can make management even more challenging by facilitating and transmitting norms of overharvesting. However, these long-distance relationships can also bolster management by transmitting norms for sustainability, promoting interdependence and laying the groundwork for nested management systems. Here, we review the negative and positive impacts of long-distance relationships on local natural resource management (NRM), providing illustrative examples from our field research on forest and fisheries management in Tanzania. Drawing on the evolutionary literature, the development literature and our field data, we offer suggestions for how development partners can avoid the pitfalls of long-distance relationships and how they can use or even deliberately foster long-distance relationships to promote successful local NRM. This article is part of the theme issue Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis.

For an integer k ≥ 2 , a k - community structure in an undirected graph is a partition of its vertex set into k sets called communities , each of size at least two, such that every vertex of the graph has proportionally at least as many neighbours in its own community as in any other community. In this paper, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for a forest on n vertices to admit a k -community structure. Furthermore, we provide an O (k 2 ⋅ n 2) -time algorithm that computes such a k -community structure in a forest, if it exists. These results extend a result of Bazgan et al., 2018. We also show that if communities are allowed to have size one, then every forest with n ≥ k ≥ 2 vertices admits a k -community structure that can be found in time O (k 2 ⋅ n 2). We then consider threshold graphs and show that every connected threshold graph admits a 2-community structure if and only if it is not isomorphic to a star; also if such a 2-community structure exists, we explain how to obtain it in linear time. We further describe an infinite family of disconnected threshold graphs, containing exactly one isolated vertex, that do not admit any 2-community structure. Finally, we present a new infinite family of connected graphs that may contain an even or an odd number of vertices without 2-community structures, even if communities are allowed to have size one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contestations around forests and lands have a long history in Sabah, Malaysia and the divergent interests of the ruling State, private business and indigenous and local peoples have played out in narratives shaping policies and debated in media since colonial times. Coalition building among actors is one avenue of influencing policy and securing benefits from policy outcomes. Here, we examine print media related to the Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA), a controversial carbon trading proposal, to identify policy coalitions based on actors' narratives about development and forests. Relevant articles from October 2021 to January 2023 were coded to identify the media frames, actors, and their arguments. Using discourse network analyser (DNA), three coalitions were identified: 1) Local rights defenders; 2) NCA promoters; 3) Process sceptics. Actors for or against the NCA both emphasise the importance of managing forests and local development within Sabah, but closer examination of arguments reveal that coalitions have different visions of who is to be included in decision-making and who will benefit from it. NCA promoters use the same narratives that have been historically used to legitimise state control over forests and land, and frame the NCA as an effective "win–win" solution for climate change and local economic development. The coalitions of dissenters highlight lack of transparency and free, prior, informed consent, and inequities for local and indigenous people. Discourses on development and resource management in Sabah are not without contestation, even though alternative options for more just development are still absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many allometric models to predict tree aboveground biomass have been developed in tropical moist forests, but few models are available for tree belowground biomass. Theory predicts that belowground biomass scales in an isometric way with aboveground biomass. Estimates of belowground biomass could then be derived from aboveground biomass using the root:shoot ratio. Using a dataset of 118 tropical trees for which both aboveground and belowground biomass and other tree and species characteristics were measured in Gabon and Cameroon, we found a near isometric, yet significantly allometric, relationship between belowground biomass (B , in kilograms) and aboveground biomass (A , in kilograms): B  = 0.324 A 0.939. The root:shoot ratio was 0.20–0.22, regardless of tree size. An efficient model to predict belowground biomass from tree diameter (D , in centimeters), height (H , in meters) and wood density (ρ, in grams per cubic centimeter) was B  = 0.0188 (ρ D 2 H)0.977. A significant residual effect of species and leaf habit was found in this model, indicating that further tree and species characteristics are likely to explain additional variation in belowground biomass. Yet, the future development of belowground allometric models can benefit from the many models already developed for aboveground biomass. On the basis of this unprecedented sampling effort on tree belowground biomass in the dense tropical forests of the Congo Basin, we conclude that the scaling of belowground biomass with aboveground biomass should be the relationship to focus on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amplification effect of anthropogenic‐biogenic interactions on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation remains debated, particularly regarding the impact of anthropogenic emissions on biogenic SOA (BSOA) formation in forests near megacities. This study concurrently measured typical biogenic and anthropogenic SOA tracers during day and night at the summit (1,690 m a.s.l.) and foot (200 m a.s.l.) of the Nanling mountains, a large subtropical forest adjacent to the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in southern China. Results revealed unexpectedly high concentrations of BSOA tracers (149.9 ± 70.5 ng m−3 at the summit and 109.7 ± 51.2 ng m−3 at the foot), surpassing those at most other background sites worldwide. Daytime BSOA tracer levels at the foot were consistent with nighttime levels, whereas the summit showed significantly higher concentrations at night. Nighttime correlations between O₃ and BSOA tracers at the summit suggest that high O₃ levels stimulate BSOA formation. Conversely, a negative correlation between O₃ and isoprene derived SOA (SOAI) tracers at the foot indicates that other oxidants may also influence SOAI formation. BSOA tracer concentrations rose significantly with the arrival of anthropogenic pollutants (e.g., SO₂ and NO₂), indicating that anthropogenic pollution amplifies BSOA formation by enhancing aerosol acidity (pH < 3). This amplification effect could be mitigated by the reduction of aerosol acidity due to increased NH₃ and relative humidity (RH). Our findings provide valuable insights into the interactions between anthropogenic and biogenic emissions on SOA formation and vertical distribution in forests surrounding megacities. Plain Language Summary: Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) makes up a significant portion of global submicron‐sized atmospheric organic aerosols (OA), reaching up to 90% by mass. Understanding its composition and sources is essential for improving air quality and adapting climate change. However, the role of interactions between human‐made (anthropogenic) and natural (biogenic) emissions in enhancing SOA formation is still debated, especially near megacities. To investigate this, we measured biogenic and anthropogenic SOA tracers simultaneously at the summit (1,690 m a.s.l.) and foot (200 m above sea level) of the Nanling mountains, a subtropical forest near the PRD in southern China, during both day and night. Our results showed unexpectedly high concentrations of SOA tracers compared to most global sites. Isoprene‐derived SOA tracers were predominant at the summit, while monoterpene‐derived SOA tracers were more prevalent at the foot. Interactions between anthropogenic and biogenic emissions can enhance biogenic SOA formation in forested areas near megacities, although this effect can be mitigated by increase of ammonia (NH3) and RH. Also, ozone played a crucial role in nighttime biogenic SOA formation at the summit. These findings highlight the impact of anthropogenic‐biogenic interactions on SOA formation and its vertical distribution in urban‐adjacent forests. Key Points: Diurnal patterns of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) tracers were simultaneously investigated at the summit and foot of Mt. NanlingSOA tracer concentrations were found to be significantly higher than those at most other background sites worldwideInteractions between anthropogenic and biogenic emissions amplified SOA formation in forests near megacities, particularly during pollution periods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent global policy initiatives aimed at reducing forest degradation require practical definitions of degradation that are readily monitored. However, consistent approaches for monitoring forest degradation over the long term and at broad scales are lacking. We quantified the long‐term effects of intensive wood harvest on above‐ground carbon and biodiversity at fine resolutions (30 m2) and broad scales (New Brunswick, Canada; 72,908 km2). Model predictions for above‐ground biomass were highly correlated with independent data (r = 0.77). After accounting for carbon stored in wood products, net CO2 emissions from forests for the region from 1985 to 2020 were 141 CO2e Tg (4.02 TgCO2e year−1; 32% of all reported emissions). We found strong positive correlations between locations with declines in above‐ground carbon and habitats for old‐forest bird species, which have lost > 20% habitat over 35 years. High congruence between biodiversity and forest carbon offers potential for policy incentives to conserve both objectives simultaneously and slow rates of forest degradation. These methods could be used to track forest degradation for managed forest regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming has been shifting climatic envelopes of many tree species to higher latitudes and elevations across the globe; however, unsuitable soil biota may inhibit tree migrations into these areas of suitable climate. Specifically, the role of mycorrhizal fungi in facilitating tree seedling establishment beyond natural species range limits has not been fully explored within forest ecosystems. We used three experiments to isolate and quantify the effects of mycorrhizal colonization and common mycorrhizal networks (CMN) on tree seedling survival and growth across (within and beyond) the elevational ranges of two dominant tree species in northeastern North America, which were associated with either arbuscular mycorrhiza (AMF, Acer saccharum) or ectomycorrhiza (EMF, Fagus grandifolia). In order to quantify the influence of mycorrhiza on seedling establishment independent of soil chemistry and climate, we grew seedlings in soils from within and beyond our study species ranges in a greenhouse experiment (GE) as well as in the field using a soil translocation experiment (STE) and another field experiment manipulating seedling connections to potential CMNs (CMNE). Root length colonized, seedling survival and growth, foliar nutrients, and the presence of potential root pathogens were examined as metrics influencing plant performance across species' ranges. Mycorrhizal inoculum from within species ranges, but not from outside, increased seedling survival and growth in a greenhouse setting; however, only seedling survival, and not growth, was significantly improved in field studies. Sustained potential connectivity to AMF networks increased seedling survival across the entire elevational range of A. saccharum. Although seedlings disconnected from a potential CMN did not suffer decreased foliar nutrient levels compared with connected seedlings, disconnected AM seedlings, but not EM seedlings, had significantly higher aluminum concentrations and more potential pathogens present. Our results indicate that mycorrhizal fungi may facilitate tree seedling establishment beyond species range boundaries in this forested ecosystem and that the magnitude of this effect is modulated by the dominant mycorrhizal type present (i.e., AM vs. EM). Thus, despite changing climate conditions beyond species ranges, a lack of suitable mutualists can still limit successful seedling establishment and stall adaptive climate‐induced shifts in tree species distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Long‐standing theory predicts that the intensity of biotic interactions increases from high to low latitudes. Studies addressing geographic variation in predation on insect prey have often relied on prey models, which lack many characteristics of live prey. Our goals were to explore global latitudinal patterns of predator attack rates on standardised live insect prey and to compare the patterns in predation on live insects with those on plasticine prey models. Location: Global forested areas. Time Period: 2021–2023. Major Taxa: Arthropods, birds. Methods: We measured predation rates in 43 forested locations distributed across five continents from 34.1° S to 69.5° N latitude. At each location, we exposed 20 sets of three bait types, one set per tree. Each set included three live fly larvae (maggots), three live fly puparia and three plasticine models of the puparia. We used glue rings to isolate half of the sets from non‐flying predators. Results: Arthropod attack rates on plasticine prey decreased linearly from low to high latitudes, whereas attack rates on maggots had a U shaped distribution, with the lowest predation rates at temperate latitudes and the highest rates at tropical and boreal latitudes. This difference emerged from intensive predator attacks on live maggots, but not on plasticine models, in boreal sites. Site‐specific attack rates of arthropod predators on live and plasticine prey were not correlated. In contrast, bird attack rates on live maggots and plasticine models were positively correlated, but did not show significant latitudinal changes. Main Conclusions: Latitudinal patterns in predation differ between major groups of predators and between types of prey. Poleward decreases in both arthropod and combined arthropod and bird predation on plasticine models do not mirror patterns of predation on our live prey, the latter likely reflecting real patterns of predation risk better than do patterns of attack on artificial prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work establishes the relationship between climate, bioclimate, and forest ecosystems and highlights the need to teach these topics in educational institutions. It was found that such knowledge is not currently taught in universities, leading to scarce or non-existent teacher training in these areas. However, the teaching of bioclimatic aspects over a three-year period as a basis for land use planning, has shown highly positive results. The objective is to propose the teaching of bioclimatology to future managers and teachers in order to obtain a balanced environmental development. The analysis of bioclimatic diagrams makes it possible to stipulate the duration of the water reserve in the soil. This is essential for agricultural and forestry management. The edaphic factor and the bioclimatic ombrotclimatic (Io) and thermoclimatic (It/Itc) indexes condition the types of forests and crops that can exist in a territory, with the particularity that the ombrotype is conditioned by the edaphic factor, which allows a decrease in the ombrothermal index, expressed by the ombroedaphoboxerophilic index (Ioex). The humid ombrotypes condition the presence of Abies pinsapo, Quercus pyrenaica, Q. broteroi, and Q. suber, and the dry ones Q. rotundifolia and Olea sylvestris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, I explore and analyze Zora Neale Hurston's autoethnography The Dust Tracks on a Road (1942) as an alternative to the modern anthropological simplification of nature and the African American indigenous identity. Hurston's indigenous feminist subjectivity is focused on environmental sustainability and her resistance to anthropocentrism and racialized labor. Hurston's subjectivity as an indigenous feminist scholar can be articulated as minoritarian in the critical posthumanities since it is not about margin; rather, it revolutionizes anthropological discourse by re-signifying the African American lumberer identity and environmental sustainability in a robust, appealing, and unique manner. She reconceptualizes Black indigenous lumberers by articulating their historical and cultural relationality with the forests owned by forest industries in Polk County, Florida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Ecological and anthropogenic factors shift the abundances of dominant and rare tree species within local forest communities, thus affecting species composition and ecosystem functioning. To inform forest and conservation management it is important to understand the drivers of dominance and rarity in local tree communities. We answer the following research questions: (1) What are the patterns of dominance and rarity in tree communities? (2) Which ecological and anthropogenic factors predict these patterns? And (3) what is the extinction risk of locally dominant and rare tree species? Location: Global. Time period: 1990–2017. Major taxa studied: Trees. Methods: We used 1.2 million forest plots and quantified local tree dominance as the relative plot basal area of the single most dominant species and local rarity as the percentage of species that contribute together to the least 10% of plot basal area. We mapped global community dominance and rarity using machine learning models and evaluated the ecological and anthropogenic predictors with linear models. Extinction risk, for example threatened status, of geographically widespread dominant and rare species was evaluated. Results: Community dominance and rarity show contrasting latitudinal trends, with boreal forests having high levels of dominance and tropical forests having high levels of rarity. Increasing annual precipitation reduces community dominance, probably because precipitation is related to an increase in tree density and richness. Additionally, stand age is positively related to community dominance, due to stem diameter increase of the most dominant species. Surprisingly, we find that locally dominant and rare species, which are geographically widespread in our data, have an equally high rate of elevated extinction due to declining populations through large‐scale land degradation. Main conclusions: By linking patterns and predictors of community dominance and rarity to extinction risk, our results suggest that also widespread species should be considered in large‐scale management and conservation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Highlight discussing: Runnel, K., Lõhmus, P., Küngas, K., Marmor‐Ohtla, L., Palo, A., Pütsepp, G., Tamm, H., Tammekänd, I., & Lõhmus, A. (2024). Aerial eDNA contributes vital information for fungal biodiversity assessment. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365‐2664.14691. Fungi play key roles in ecosystems, yet it is not clear how best to capture their diversity or monitor their presence, especially for those species of particular conservation concern. In this issue of the Journal of Applied Ecology Runnel et al. address this problem by comparing different methodologies to estimate the diversity of lichen‐forming fungi and wood‐inhabiting basidiomycetes at a forest stand scale. Pairing aerial eDNA sampling with visual observation‐based surveys better captured the full spectrum of fungal diversity, including cryptic species and those of particular conservation interest. Certain fungal groups that are underrepresented in air samples might be better captured by sampling eDNA directly from wood or soil, but visual surveys should be considered as a more cost‐effective complementary method at least at a local scale. Their results highlight the importance of using multiple methods simultaneously in biodiversity assessments and the need for standardized methods to study and monitor fungal diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 60‐year precipitation and streamflow record from the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in northern California was used to explore the propagation of meteorological drought to hydrological drought. Standardized precipitation and runoff indices were calculated for the two forested catchments using integration periods of 12, 24, and 36 months. The resulting time series were used to define three severe drought events (1976–1977, 2013–2014, and 2020–2022). The earliest drought followed the 1971–1973 harvest of the 417 ha South Fork (SF) watershed, a second followed the 1989–1992 harvest of the 479 ha North Fork watershed, and a third followed the 2017–2019 reentry harvest of the SF. From these time series, we calculated drought metrics and anomalies to model differences in catchment responses in the context of climate and management. The meteorological drought in the 1977 event was more severe and extreme than the streamflow response. Both of the 21st Century droughts were hydrologically more severe than the 1977 drought. Timber harvest initially shortened and reduced streamflow drought (1977 and 2021) but prolonged and intensified the 2014 streamflow drought. Declining fall precipitation has reduced streamflows, thereby impeding salmonid migration and exacerbating impacts on native fish. Our results provide new insights into the role of climate variation, particularly long‐term and seasonal drought dynamics, in managed forests along the North American Pacific coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The manual study of root dynamics using images requires huge investments of time and resources and is prone to previously poorly quantified annotator bias. Artificial intelligence (AI) image-processing tools have been successful in overcoming limitations of manual annotation in homogeneous soils, but their efficiency and accuracy is yet to be widely tested on less homogenous, non-agricultural soil profiles, e.g., that of forests, from which data on root dynamics are key to understanding the carbon cycle. Here, we quantify variance in root length measured by human annotators with varying experience levels. We evaluate the application of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, trained on a software accessible to researchers without a machine learning background, on a heterogeneous minirhizotron image dataset taken in a multispecies, mature, deciduous temperate forest. Results: Less experienced annotators consistently identified more root length than experienced annotators. Root length annotation also varied between experienced annotators. The CNN root length results were neither precise nor accurate, taking ~ 10% of the time but significantly overestimating root length compared to expert manual annotation (p = 0.01). The CNN net root length change results were closer to manual (p = 0.08) but there remained substantial variation. Conclusions: Manual root length annotation is contingent on the individual annotator. The only accessible CNN model cannot yet produce root data of sufficient accuracy and precision for ecological applications when applied to a complex, heterogeneous forest image dataset. A continuing evaluation and development of accessible CNNs for natural ecosystems is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographical research is increasingly focused on how digital technology shapes human-nature relations. This article explores how internet search engines and their associated algorithms and indexing technologies order and produce homogenising accounts of forest places. We put forward 'un-indexing' as a critical and inventive method for un-ordering and re-ordering search engine results to complicate digital perspectives on forest-society relations. We present Everything at the Forest Park, a series of four speculative catalogues we created to invite collective inquiries into the digital mediation of a forested area in Scotland – Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Fostering a slower form of engagement with web material, the catalogues suggest how geographers and other scholars might critically repurpose, reappropriate and interrogate the algorithmically curated and advertising-oriented orderings of search engines to foster more careful and convivial forest-society relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates empirically if land characteristics (especially forests and mountains) are of importance for the local ability to withstand the shock of the Covid-19 on domestic tourism demand during the summer of 2020. A second step of the analysis focuses on the recovery stage in the subsequent summer. Three tourism indicators are considered: arrivals, overnight stays and length of stay. Official data on land use characteristics of 2029 villages in the Federal state of Bavaria (South Germany) are employed for the analysis. Estimations using the Spatial Durbin model combined with the Heckman selection model reveal that there is a significant relationship between the proportion of forest within as well as surrounding the village and the demand for domestic tourism compared with the 2019 baseline. There is also a significant relationship with the altitude of the surrounding areas. The importance of mountains and forests is present in both the initial year of the pandemic and in the recovery year of 2021, although the magnitude is lower in the summer of 2021. Direct and spatial effects can also be found for lakes and rivers on overnight stays and length of stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods provide a framework for addressing sustainable forest management challenges, especially under climate change. This study offers a systematic review of MCDM applications in forest management from January 2010 to March 2024. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze trends in MCDM use and geographic distribution. Thematic content analysis investigated the appearance of MCDM indicators supplemented by Natural Language Processing (NLP). Factorial Correspondence Analysis (FCA) explored correlations between models and publication outlets. We systematically searched Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, and OpenAlex using terms such as 'MCDM', 'forest management', and 'decision support'. We found that the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were the most commonly used methods, followed by the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), the Analytic Network Process (ANP), GIS, and Goal Programming (GP). Adoption varied across regions, with advanced models such as AHP and GIS less frequently used in developing countries due to technological constraints. These findings highlight emerging trends and gaps in MCDM application, particularly for argan forests, emphasizing the need for context-specific frameworks to support sustainable management in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The values of forests have been extensively researched by focusing on general public perspectives with different frameworks used to categorise them. Studies have also explored forest manager values; however, there is limited evidence on the values they associate with specific tree species. Understanding more about managers' values regarding a particular species is important when considering how they make decisions and might respond to tree pests and disease threats. In this study, we explored forest managers' values regarding oak trees and the effects of a particular pest and disease risk known as Acute Oak Decline on these. This paper outlines the results from interviews with forest managers in England and a survey of private forest managers in Britain to capture the ways in which they value the oak trees they own, manage, or influence. Forest manager types included private owners of single or multiple properties, forestry professionals, businesses, and tenants. The results show that oaks were highly valued by forest managers as an iconic cultural species in the landscape and for their timber. Veteran and ancient oak trees were considered very important, and managers were more likely to spend time and resources attempting to conserve these oaks due to their perceived cultural value. Those who had trees that were suffering from Acute Oak Decline were also more likely to spend resources on them to save the trees or try to reduce the impact of the disease. Gaining a better understanding of forest managers' attitudes towards protecting species they value is important as it has implications for their decision-making and management behaviours. It can also help to provide relevant bodies with information on how best to develop and communicate guidance and advice on monitoring and reporting disease symptoms, as well as managing oak tree health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The manual study of root dynamics using images requires huge investments of time and resources and is prone to previously poorly quantified annotator bias. Artificial intelligence (AI) image-processing tools have been successful in overcoming limitations of manual annotation in homogeneous soils, but their efficiency and accuracy is yet to be widely tested on less homogenous, non-agricultural soil profiles, e.g., that of forests, from which data on root dynamics are key to understanding the carbon cycle. Here, we quantify variance in root length measured by human annotators with varying experience levels. We evaluate the application of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, trained on a software accessible to researchers without a machine learning background, on a heterogeneous minirhizotron image dataset taken in a multispecies, mature, deciduous temperate forest. Results Less experienced annotators consistently identified more root length than experienced annotators. Root length annotation also varied between experienced annotators. The CNN root length results were neither precise nor accurate, taking ~ 10% of the time but significantly overestimating root length compared to expert manual annotation (p = 0.01). The CNN net root length change results were closer to manual (p = 0.08) but there remained substantial variation. Conclusions Manual root length annotation is contingent on the individual annotator. The only accessible CNN model cannot yet produce root data of sufficient accuracy and precision for ecological applications when applied to a complex, heterogeneous forest image dataset. A continuing evaluation and development of accessible CNNs for natural ecosystems is required.

Abstract Background Dry Afromontane forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing carbon, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite previous research highlighting the importance of carbon stocks in these ecosystems, the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on carbon storage in dry Afromontane forests has been barely assessed. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the effects of environmental factors and vegetation cover on carbon stocks in Desa’a forest, a unique and threatened Afromontane dry forest ecosystem in northern Ethiopia. Data on woody vegetation, dead litter, grass biomass, and soil samples were collected from 57 plots. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05) to examine the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on the carbon stocks of various pools. Results Among the 35 woody species identified, Juniperus procera was the most dominant, while Carissa edulis Vahl and Eucalyptus globulus were the least dominant. The average total carbon stock was 92.89 Mg ha−1, with contributions from aboveground carbon, below-ground carbon, litter carbon, grass carbon, and soil organic carbon. Among the carbon pools, soil organic carbon had the highest carbon stock, accounting for 76.8% of the total, followed by above-ground biomass carbon at 17.7%. Significant variations in carbon stocks were found across altitude class and canopy level but not slope and aspect factors. Conclusions In summary, altitude and canopy level were found to significantly influence carbon stocks in Desa’a forest, providing valuable insights for conservation and climate change mitigation efforts in dry Afromontane forests. Forest intervention planning and management strategies should consider the influence of different environmental variables and tree canopy levels.

With the incorporation of the State Forest Corps into the Carabinieri Corps and the establishment at the Ministry of Agriculture of the “General Direction of Forests” in November 2017, later renamed “General Direction of Mountain Economy and Forests” (DIFOR), many things have changed in the national and regional forestry sector, as forestry has been gradually given a new political and institutional status. DIFOR has initiated an unprecedented process of dialogue and discussion with the different institutions pertaining in the field, as well as the main stakeholders of the sector and the civil society. During the first five years of the Direction’s activity, efforts have been made to overcome the institutional inaction which was characterizing the former periods, by implementating an important and long-awaited regulatory reform of the national forestry sector (Legislative Decree no. 34 of 2018 - TUFF), defining a National Forestry Strategy (SFN) and establishing specific funds for priority issues in the forestry sector. Above all, many controversial issues were addressed through the TUFF enforcement decrees, and in the acts and actions of DIFOR as well, strengthening its role of national leadership and coordination in the regional application of the constitutional principles; hence, an unparalleled reform plan has taken place. This document reviews the work carried out and the operational implications which have arisen from its implementation, setting a new path for the development of the Italian forestry sector.

Objective To evaluate the physiological and psychological changes in cancer survivors who engage in repeated forest therapy in a living environment. Methods This study included stay-based forest therapy for female cancer survivors aged ≥40 years. The program was conducted in two cycles, each spanning 3 weeks and consisting of a 2-night, 3-day stay, followed by daily life integration. The cycles were repeated from July 2, 2022, to August 18, 2022. Participant assessment included standard physical health parameters and a questionnaire on general characteristics, lifestyle habits, stress levels, and health status. Results Thirty-seven female cancer survivors participated in the forest healing program, 56.8% of whom had a history of breast cancer. The median body mass index (BMI) was 23.80 kg/m2 (range, 21.00-25.60). More than half of the patients reported mild-to-moderate fatigue, chronic pain, and mild-to-moderate depression (81%, 65%, and 73%, respectively). After two cycles of forest therapy, no significant differences were observed in terms of fatigue, pain, or BMI levels. However, significant improvements were found in quality of life measures, particularly the psychological quality of life (mean score 12.54 at baseline vs. 13.48 after cycle 2; P=0.007). Positive improvements were also observed in terms of stress (mean score 17.03 vs. 13.76; P=0.002) and depression (mean score 8.35 vs. 6.11; P=0.002) levels. Conclusion Our forest-healing program demonstrated that nature-based therapies improve the mental health and quality of life of female cancer survivors, suggesting the need for further research on nature-based interventions to better support cancer survivors.

Introduction: This article offers an analysis of environmental communication (EC) and citizen science (CS) in the context of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (EMA) for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land) in Chile and Sweden. Methods: The paper is based on fieldwork in two rural study areas of Chile and Sweden where we followed different CS initiatives in relation to EMA and Agenda 2030. We conducted interviews, analyzed documentation and conducted an SDG mapping workshop to understand the implementation of SDG 15 in these two rural forest settings. Results: Our findings suggest that CS has potential as a democratic innovation for environmental governance in both countries. However, we also found important barriers to the legitimacy of CS as a feature of EMA and local environmental governance in both countries. The paper situates CS in the wider governance and environmental communication processes in regional politics surrounding implementation of national policies for the use of natural resources. Discussion: The article offers new insights into the barriers and possibilities for public participation in environmental governance and policy at local levels, by addressing the interlinkages between environmental communication and citizen science in rural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dry Afromontane forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing carbon, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite previous research highlighting the importance of carbon stocks in these ecosystems, the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on carbon storage in dry Afromontane forests has been barely assessed. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the effects of environmental factors and vegetation cover on carbon stocks in Desa'a forest, a unique and threatened Afromontane dry forest ecosystem in northern Ethiopia. Data on woody vegetation, dead litter, grass biomass, and soil samples were collected from 57 plots. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05) to examine the influence of canopy cover and environmental factors on the carbon stocks of various pools. Results: Among the 35 woody species identified, Juniperus procera was the most dominant, while Carissa edulis Vahl and Eucalyptus globulus were the least dominant. The average total carbon stock was 92.89 Mg ha−1, with contributions from aboveground carbon, below-ground carbon, litter carbon, grass carbon, and soil organic carbon. Among the carbon pools, soil organic carbon had the highest carbon stock, accounting for 76.8% of the total, followed by above-ground biomass carbon at 17.7%. Significant variations in carbon stocks were found across altitude class and canopy level but not slope and aspect factors. Conclusions: In summary, altitude and canopy level were found to significantly influence carbon stocks in Desa'a forest, providing valuable insights for conservation and climate change mitigation efforts in dry Afromontane forests. Forest intervention planning and management strategies should consider the influence of different environmental variables and tree canopy levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing out resonances across art-based practice and critical imaginations in the discipline, this paper maps out conceptual, creative and experiential resources for re-rooting International Relations for the climate and the needs of the more-than-human world. I trace what I describe as ecologically attuned ways of knowing along two main inspirations: L. H. M. Ling's Imagining World Politics and the 7000 HUMANS participatory initiative designed by Shelley Sacks. Writing with a rhizomatic sensibility and foregrounding ways of knowing that may emerge in and through encounters with trees, I explore imaginative possibilities for transforming epistemological disconnection from vegetal life into embodied, integrative, life-enhancing modes of relating to both ourselves and the more-than-human world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed nearly 31 years (1991–2022) of tree population dynamics in 108 permanent plots each 0.04 ha of the Lilyvlei Nature Reserve, a section of the Knysna Forest in South Africa which has not historically been disturbed by harvesting. The Knysna Forest is the only large piece of forest in South Africa and is marginal for tall forest, having low mean annual rainfall of only about 1000 mm and occurs on nutrient poor soils. In contrast to many studies of other forests globally, we found almost no change in overall biomass. Even at the scale of our small plots and on 10–30 year time scales, there has been little change. The forest has very low recruitment and mortality rates and thus low growth rates. Climatic changes too were minimal over this 30‐year period. The proportion of stems that died per size class was concentrated in the larger size‐classes per species, even for shorter species. This suggests that senescence rather than external disturbances determines the low mortality and thus the low dynamism and the high biomass (approx. 600 Mg ha−1AGB or 41 m2 ha−1 basal area) of the forest. Mortality of some species exceeded conspecific recruitment, a trend accompanied by non‐significant declines in biomass. However, these trends are not significant. In conclusion, neither composition nor biomass has changed significantly in these forests over a period of 30 years. This suggests that not all Southern Hemisphere forests are in a state of decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study on the diversity of plant species of locally protected forests patches in Inhambane Province, southern Mozambique. • Vepris myrei (Rutaceae) dominated a quadrat and it is simultaneously a near endemic and endangered tree species. • Dolichandrone alba (Bignoniaceae) dominated a quadrat and it is simultaneously a near endemic and vulnerable tree species. • Communities and their local heritage practices play a fundamental role in safeguarding plant diversity in non-officially protected forests. This study presents the vegetation composition of two forests, Chitanga and Mafai in Inhambane Province, Mozambique, which are protected by local communities. Plant diversity, forest structure and the existence of threatened plant species are assessed. This is the first biological study carried out in locally protected forests in Inhambane Province. Plant species were recorded in twelve 20 m × 20 m plots. A total of 952 plants from 151 species, 166 genera and 30 families were identified. 50 plant species occurred in both forests; 64 were only recorded in Chitanga; and 37 were unique to Mafai. In both forests, plant communities were dominated by the Fabaceae and Malvaceae families. Statistical analysis on the number of plants, genera, stand density, stand basal area, species richness, Shannon diversity, Inverse Simpson, and Piélou evenness indices shows that on average Chitanga is similar to Mafai. Both forests host near endemic and red listed plant species (Cissampelos hirta, Dolichandrone alba, Diospyros inhacaesis, Hyperacanthus microphyllus, Paropsia braunii, Synaptolepis oliveriana, and Vepris myrei). The study is significant in demonstrating the biological richness of locally protected forests. It illustrates how locally organised protection through customary laws plays an important role in the biodiversity and conservation status of non-formally protected areas. Inventories of other heritage forests in Inhambane province and Mozambique are recommended for the future firstly, as a means of providing botanical data and, secondly, as a means of supporting the formal adoption of heritage forest as conservation areas in a manner that does not alienate the communities safeguarding the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maasai Mara and the wider Mau River Basin in East Africa provide fundamental ecosystem services that support people, wildlife, livestock and agriculture. The historical indigenous land use of the Mara and wider Mau basin was wildlife conservation and pastoralism with highland agriculture. However, land policy changes, the rise of community conservancies and the increase in human populations have mediated unprecedented land use shifts over time. We analyze land use and land cover change (LULCC) trends from 1990 to 2040 in the Mara and the wider Mau River Basin landscape. The study examines land use and land cover change trends, establishes factors driving the trends, and assesses the implications of these trends on biodiversity. Multi-temporal satellite images, together with physical and social economic data, were collated to generate future scenarios for transitions for forest, shrubland, grassland, cropland, wetlands and built-up areas between 1990 and 2040. Agricultural expansion is the chief driver of LULCC in the Mara and the wider Mau River Basin, particularly since 2015. There was insignificant change to the forest cover after 2015, which was in part due to government intervention on forest encroachment and boundaries. The anthropogenic choice of tilling the land in the basin caused a decline in grasslands, forests and expanded shrublands, particularly where there was clear tree cutting in the Mau forest. Land use and land cover trends have generated undesirable impacts on ecosystem services that support wildlife conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The length and frequency of extreme fire weather has increased across the globe in recent decades, with potential deleterious consequences to streamflow quantity, timing and quality. Changes in the hydrologic regime following wildfire can have substantial downstream consequences, affecting communities and ecosystems through flooding, erosion, loss of habitat and degraded water quality. While there are many studies that address post‐wildfire hydrology across the globe, there are few studies in the snow‐dominated regions. The 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire in south‐central BC burned across or adjacent to four watersheds with long‐term streamflow gauges providing a rare opportunity to evaluate hydrologic change. Several approaches were used to identify patterns of change following the wildfire, all of which suggest increased post‐fire flows. The before‐after‐control‐impact design showed significant increases in annual, spring and summer water yield from the small (49 km2) Arrowstone Creek watershed (30%, 21% and 86%, respectively). Significant increases in spring water yield were observed in the larger (5318 km2) Bonaparte River watershed (48%). Annual and summer water yield increased in the Bonaparte River (31% and 58%, respectively) but these changes were not statistically significant. In both the Bonaparte River and Arrowstone Creek, the onset of spring freshet (26 days earlier in both) was significantly advanced, however, the timing of maximum snowmelt discharge was significantly advanced (27 days earlier) only in Arrowstone Creek. Smaller changes were also observed in the reference watersheds; however, these were not statistically significant. The difference in results between the small and large watershed, as well as the effects of weather and watershed attributes, highlight the need for continued research into the relationships between wildfire and hydrologic regime across diverse landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]