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In the northern boreal zone, revegetation and landscaping of closed mine tailings are challenging due to the high concentrations of potentially toxic elements; the use of nutrient-poor, glacigenic cover material (till); cool temperatures; and short growing period. Recycled waste materials such as biochar (BC) and composted sewage sludge (CSS) have been suggested to improve soil forming process and revegetation success as well as decrease metal bioavailability in closed mine tailing areas. We conducted two field experiments in old iron mine tailings at Rautuvaara, northern Finland, where the native mine soil or transported cover till soil had not supported plant growth since the mining ended in 1989. The impacts of CSS and spruce (Picea abies)–derived BC application to till soil on the survival and growth of selected plant species (Pinus sylvestris, Salix myrsinifolia, and grass mixture containing Festuca rubra, Lolium perenne, and Trifolium repens) were investigated during two growing seasons. In addition, the potential of BC to reduce bioaccumulation of metals in plants was studied. We found that (1) organic amendment like CSS markedly enhanced the plant growth and is therefore needed for vegetation establishment in tailing sites that contained only transported till cover, and (2) BC application to till soil-CSS mixture further facilitated the success of grass mixtures resulting in 71–250% higher plant biomass. On the other hand, (3) no effects on P. sylvestris or S. myrsinifolia were recorded during the first growing seasons, and (4) accumulation of metals in cover plants was negligible and BC application to till further decreased the accumulation of Al, Cr, and Fe in the plant tissues. Graphical abstract

An increasingly urbanized world is one of the most prominent examples of global environmental change. Across the globe, urban parks are designed and managed in a similar way, resulting in visually pleasing expansions of lawn interspersed with individually planted trees of varying appearances and functional traits. These large urban greenspaces have the capacity to provide various ecosystem services, including those associated with soil physicochemical properties. Our aim was to explore whether soil properties in urban parks diverge underneath vegetation producing labile or recalcitrant litter, and whether the impact is affected by climatic zone (from a boreal to temperate to tropical city). We also compared these properties to those in (semi)natural forests outside the cities to assess the influence of urbanization on plant-trait effects. We showed that vegetation type affected percentage soil organic matter (OM), total carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N), but inconsistently across climatic zones. Plant-trait effects were particularly weak in old parks in the boreal and temperate zones, whereas in young parks in these zones, soils underneath the two tree types accumulated significantly more OM, C and N compared to lawns. Within climatic zones, anthropogenic drivers dominated natural ones, with consistently lower values of organic-matter-related soil properties under trees producing labile or recalcitrant litter in parks compared to forests. The dominating effect of urbanization is also reflected in its ability to homogenize soil properties in parks across the three cities, especially in lawn soils and soils under trees irrespective of functional trait. Our study demonstrates that soil functions that relate to carbon and nitrogen dynamics-even in old urban greenspaces where plant-soil interactions have a long history-clearly diverged from those in natural ecosystems, implying a long-lasting influence of anthropogenic drivers on soil ecosystem services.

Funding Information: We want to thank Dr. Marjo Valtanen, Dr. Olli Ruth and all the other partners in the URCA research consortium for contributing with the data collection and analysis. This work was funded by the Academy of Finland (Project URCA within the AKVA program, project numbers 263308 , 263320 , and 263335 ), European Union Life + program (2009–2011), and Maa- ja Vesitekniikan Tuki Ry . We acknowledge the Environmental Laboratory at the Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki for assistance in study design and sample analysis. Additionally, we thank Ms. Amy Fallon for the language check. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors Urban hydrology is characterized by increased runoff and various pollutant sources. We studied the spatio-temporal patterns of stormwater metal (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb) concentrations and loads in five urbanized and one rural catchment in Southern Finland. The two-year continuous monitoring revealed a non-linear seasonal relationship between catchment urban intensity and metal export. For runoff, seasonal variation decreased with increasing imperviousness. The most urbanized catchments experienced greatest temporal variation in metal concentrations: the annual Cu and Zn loads in most of the studied urbanized catchments were up to 86 times higher compared to the rural site, whereas Fe loads in the urbanized catchments were only circa 29% of the rural load. Total metal levels were highest in the winter, whereas the winter peak of dissolved metal concentrations was less pronounced. The collection of catchment characteristics explained well the total metal concentrations, whereas for the dissolved concentrations the explanatory power was weaker. Our catchment-scale analysis revealed a mosaic of mainly diffuse pollutant sources and calls for catchment-scale management designs. As urban metal export occurred across seasons, solutions that operate also in cold conditions are needed.

Many of the world’s major cities have implemented tree planting programs based on assumed environmental and social benefits of urban forests. Recent studies have increasingly tested these assumptions and provide empirical evidence for the contributions of tree planting programs, as well as their feasibility and limits, for solving or mitigating urban environmental and social issues. We propose that current evidence supports local cooling, stormwater absorption, and health benefits of urban trees for local residents. However, the potential for urban trees to appreciably mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution over a wide array of sites and environmental conditions is limited. Consequently, urban trees appear to be more promising for climate and pollutionadaptationstrategies than mitigation strategies. In large part, this is due to space constraints limiting the extent of urban tree canopies relative to the current magnitude of emissions. The most promising environmental and health impacts of urban trees are those that can be realized with well-stewarded tree planting and localized design interventions at site to municipal scales. Tree planting at these scales has documented benefits on local climate and health, which can be maximized through targeted site design followed by monitoring, adaptive management, and studies of long-term eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Urban residents and their pets utilize urban greenspaces daily. As urban dog ownership rates increase globally, urban greenspaces are under mounting pressure even as the benefits and services they provide become more important. The urine of dogs is high in nitrogen (N) and may represent a significant portion of the annual urban N load. We examined the spatial distribution and impact of N deposition from dog urine on soils in three urban greenspace typologies in Finland: Parks, Tree Alleys, and Remnant Forests. We analyzed soil from around trees, lampposts and lawn areas near walking paths, and compared these to soils from lawn areas 8 m away from pathways. Soil nitrate, ammonium, total N concentrations, and electrical conductivity were significantly higher and soil pH significantly lower near path-side trees and poles relative to the 8 m lawn plots. Also, stable isotope analysis indicates that the primary source of path-side N are distinct from those of the 8 m lawn plots, supporting our hypothesis that dogs are a significant source of N in urban greenspaces, but that this deposition occurs in a restricted zone associated with walking paths. Additionally, we found that Remnant Forests were the least impacted of the three typologies analyzed. We recommend that landscape planners acknowledge this impact, and design parks to reduce or isolate this source of N from the wider environment.

Trees and other vegetation have been advocated as a mitigation measure for urban air pollution mainly due to the fact that they passively filter particles from the air. However, mounting evidence suggests that vegetation may also worsen air quality by slowing the dispersion of pollutants and by producing volatile organic compounds that contribute to formation of ozone and other secondary pollutants. We monitored nanoparticle (>10 nm) counts along distance gradients away from major roads along paired transects across open and forested landscapes in Baltimore (USA), Helsinki (Finland) and Shenyang (China) − i.e. sites in three biomes with different pollution levels − using condensation particle counters. Mean particle number concentrations averaged across all sampling sites were clearly reduced (15 %) by the presence of forest cover only in Helsinki. For Baltimore and Shenyang, levels showed no significant difference between the open and forested transects at any of the sampling distances. This suggests that nanoparticle deposition on trees is often counterbalanced by other factors, including differing flow fields and aerosol processes under varying meteorological conditions. Similarly, consistent differences in high frequency data patterns between the transects were detected only in Helsinki. No correlations between nanoparticle concentrations and solar radiation or local wind speed as affecting nanoparticle abundances were found, but they were to some extent associated with canopy closure. These data add to the accumulating evidence according to which trees do not necessarily improve air quality in near-road environments. Trees and other vegetation have been advocated as a mitigation measure for urban air pollution mainly due to the fact that they passively filter particles from the air. However, mounting evidence suggests that vegetation may also worsen air quality by slowing the dispersion of pollutants and by producing volatile organic compounds that contribute to formation of ozone and other secondary pollutants. We monitored nanoparticle (>10 nm) counts along distance gradients away from major roads along paired transects across open and forested landscapes in Baltimore (USA), Helsinki (Finland) and Shenyang (China) − i.e. sites in three biomes with different pollution levels − using condensation particle counters. Mean particle number concentrations averaged across all sampling sites were clearly reduced (15 %) by the presence of forest cover only in Helsinki. For Baltimore and Shenyang, levels showed no significant difference between the open and forested transects at any of the sampling distances. This suggests that nanoparticle deposition on trees is often counterbalanced by other factors, including differing flow fields and aerosol processes under varying meteorological conditions. Similarly, consistent differences in high frequency data patterns between the transects were detected only in Helsinki. No correlations between nanoparticle concentrations and solar radiation or local wind speed as affecting nanoparticle abundances were found, but they were to some extent associated with canopy closure. These data add to the accumulating evidence according to which trees do not necessarily improve air quality in near-road environments.

Urban soils can, when not sealed, store a considerable amount of carbon (C) especially under cool climates. Soil C sequestration is controlled by plant functional type, but the mechanisms by which plant types affect C accumulation in urbanised settings is poorly known. We selected 27 urban parks of varying ages (young: 5–15, old: >70 years) and 10 reference forests (>80 years) in southern Finland to study whether the ability of soils to store C relates to (i) the decomposition rate of different litter types (recalcitrant vs. labile), and/or (ii) organic matter (OM) input via root production among three common plant functional types (deciduous trees, evergreen trees, grass/lawn). Our results suggest that the high soil C accumulation under evergreen trees can result from low needle litter decomposability, accompanied by a low soil CO2 efflux. Furthermore, high root production by evergreen trees compared to deciduous trees and lawns, likely reflects the high % OM under evergreen trees. We showed that plant effects on C inputs and outputs are modulated, either directly or indirectly, by park age so that these effects are accentuated in old parks. Our results suggest that despite the capacity of evergreen trees to accumulate C in soils in urban parks, this capacity is far less compared to soils in forests of the same age. OM content under deciduous trees did not differ between old parks and reference forests, suggesting that the raking of leaves in the fall has a surprisingly small impact on OM and C accumulation in urban parks. Soil OM content is an important measure that controls various ecosystem services in cities and elsewhere. Therefore, increasing the proportion of evergreen trees in urban parks in cool cities is a good option to boost the ecosystem services capacity in the often strongly disturbed urban soils.

Using local and recycled materials is a sustainable way to establish a vegetated roof. In order to understand how the roof ecosystem functions and returns ecosystem services, it is important to study vegetation, soil organisms and runoff quality. We established a vegetated roof experiment based on a substrate containing lightweight crushed concrete, an alkaline side product from a concrete factory, mixed with compost. This five-year experiment in southern Finland tested how planting method (pre-grown vegetation mats vs. pot planting), compost content (20% vs. 40%, fresh volume), and substrate depth affect the cover and diversity of plants, the abundance of soil animals and the quality of runoff. Although the substrate had a high pH (7.3–11.8), many vascular plants were able to survive and establish viable populations. The planting method had a strong effect on plant diversity and the cover of individual species because the vegetation mats became dominated by the invasive, non-native Phedimus hybridus. Establishment with pot plants in turn provided bare ground that was colonised by spontaneous non-invasive species. This resulted in higher diversity, and a more even distribution of species. The amount of compost had only a weak impact on vegetation, whereas high pH generally reduced plant abundance and diversity. The concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen in runoff were low as compared to values reported from many other vegetated roofs, were not affected by compost content and decreased over time. In summary, the high-pH substrate based on recycled materials is an environmentally responsible choice, suitable for a wide variety of plants, even rare and endangered species.

Mine closures require landscape reclamation to reduce the environmental risks of tailings fields. However, information about the feasibility of recyclable waste materials as a growth medium layer for the cover systems of mine tailings and their effects on vegetation restoration and reforestation success is scant especially in the boreal climate. This study examines the use of various recyclable by-products in improving vegetation success on reclaimed mine tailings. The physical and chemical properties of two wood biochar types, fibre clay, compost, tailings soil and forest till soil as well as their effects as growth media on the growth of several plant species during one growing period in a greenhouse were examined. Marked differences in the properties (e.g. pH, element concentrations, water retention) as well as in plant growth among the growth media were found. Fresh non-oxidized tailings soil showed high salt contents and electrical conductivity which together with fine soil texture provided the poorest or nonexistent plant growth. Fibre clay was the coarsest and driest material and also showed poor plant growth. Root and shoot growth was greatest in pure compost. All media without compost additive showed relatively poor growth which indicates the lack of nitrogen. The results suggest that forest till soil and biochar are the most suitable growth media for the cover systems of mine tailings when added with compost or another nitrogen source. Scots pine container seedlings, willow cuttings and sown red clover showed to be the most feasible plant species to be grown on boreal tailings covers.

Urban soil can store large amounts of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). To accurately estimate C and N storage in urban soils, C and N contents underneath impervious surfaces - the most prevalent land cover type in cities - should be taken into account. To date, however, only few studies have reported urban soil C and N content underneath impervious surfaces, and no data exist for cities under cold/cool climates, such as the Boreal zone. Here, we studied, for the first time, the effects of sealing on soil C and N storage in a Boreal city. Sealed soils were sampled for physico-chemical and biological parameters from 13 sites in the city of Lahti, Finland, at three depths (0–10 and 45–55 cm, representing the construction layer composed of gravel, other moraine material and crushed rock, and the native soil layer beneath the ca. 1 m thick construction layer). Our results show that urban soils underneath impervious surfaces in Finland contain 11 and 31 times less C and N content, respectively, compared with warmer regions. This is due to a deep C and N deficient construction layer below sealed surfaces. Even though impervious surfaces cover ca. twice the area of pervious surfaces in the centre of Lahti, we estimate that only 6% and 4% of urban soil C and N, respectively, are stored underneath them. Furthermore, we found very little C and N accumulation underneath the sealed surfaces via root growth and/or leakage through ageing asphalt. Our results show that soil sealing, in concert with a massive top soil removal typical to cold climates, induces a considerable loss of C and N in Boreal urban areas.

Although it is commonly believed that trees can improve air quality, recent studies have shown that such pollution mitigation can be negligible – or that tree canopies can even increase pollutant concentrations near their sources compared to adjacent treeless areas. We explored the impacts of urban roadside forest patches on the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in summer and winter in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, and especially investigated if canopy cover can result in increased concentrations of NO2 below the canopy. Our results, however, did not show significantly higher – or lower – NO2 concentrations underneath tree canopies compared to levels above canopies. Neither did NO2 levels at the below-canopy sampling height differ significantly between forest patches and adjacent open, treeless areas. The lack of a canopy effect may derive from the rather small size of the forest patches, and – compared to previous studies with similar design – divergent tree species composition forming a dense canopy structure. Our results corroborate previous studies that the potential ecosystem services offered by urban near-road forests are more likely due to benefits other than those related to the removal of air pollutants.

Agrochemicals and plastics represent a burden on natural ecosystems and there is an urgent need to introduce alternative plant protection measures that have fewer negative impacts on the environment. Replacement of plastic mulches and synthetic pesticides with their biodegradable alternatives offers a way to decrease chemical residues. Pyrolysis liquids (PL) have been suggested as easily degradable and residue-free herbicides for agriculture. We tested the efficiency of PL (1%-10% of volume) containing peat mulch (PLM) in weed control under glasshouse and field conditions. We also estimated the length of the withdrawal period needed between PLM spreading and sowing/planting for crops and examined the light permeability and effects of PLM on soil temperature. In the glasshouse, the mulch amended with 5%-10% PL inhibited weed germination entirely. In the agricultural field, the number of weeds remained 44%-60% lower under PLM than under the control mulch. In a study performed in a city park, weed cover around the base of trees remained 64%-85% lower under PLM than without a mulch. However, a 7-21 d withdrawal period, depending on crop plant species, is needed to avoid injuring the crops. PLM inhibited sunlight effectively and the effects on soil heat sum across the growing season remained small. The weed-inhibiting effect of PLM is probably a result of both the PL compounds and the solid cover, formed by the sticky PL and peat fibres, which acts as a mechanical barrier. We conclude that the PLM is a promising alternative to plastic mulches.

Urban runoff from traffic areas is a major source of pollution that degrades the quality of adjacent surface waters. Green infrastructure provided by the substantial amount of roadside land at urban fringe areas can be used to better manage and infiltrate this urban runoff. When establishing urban green areas, recycled materials should be preferred in order to achieve economically feasible and environmentally responsible solutions. Wastewater treatment plants within e.g. the EU yield substantial amounts of solids containing nutrients and metals that need to be utilised in a sustainable way. However, soil composted from such sewage sludge is being used widely in constructing green infrastructure, such as parks and road verges, which may jeopardise their use for stormwater management even though the effects of sewage sludge at road verges on the quality of runoff waters have not been subjected to scientific examination. Biochar has been suggested to retain pollutants and may also meet the criteria of being recycled material. We established artificial biofilter structures, mimicking road verges, in large-scale field lysimeters under cold climatic conditions in southern Finland to study the ability of biochar to retain pollutants leaching from composted sewage sludge and from infiltrating artificial stormwater. The topmost 15 cm consisted of an organic layer of either natural peat (Peat) or soil composted from sewage sludge either mixed with birch-derived biochar (3% by volume) or without this biochar (Comp+bc and Comp, respectively). At the end of the 1st growing period grasses growing in the lysimeters had taken up to 32% of phosphorus in the top soil containing compost. Leaching of phosphorus did not differ between the treatments, while nitrogen (N) leaching was ten time larger from Comp than Peat. Leaching of heavy metals, such as nickel and copper, was also significantly higher from compost soils than peat, but biochar significantly reduced metal leaching from compost (up to 50%). Two years after establishment, lysimeters were irrigated with artificial stormwater mimicking runoff from roads with heavy traffic. Comp leached more N compared to Peat. However, biochar significantly reduced N load infiltrated through the compost by 44%. Mixing sewage sludge-originated compost with biochar, and adding a 5 cm thick layer of biochar underneath the organic soil layer can substantially reduce leaching of N and heavy metals. However, given the substantial amount of roadsides in urban fringe areas, the extensive use of sewage sludge and other N-rich materials in such areas should be considered carefully. Keywords: Stormwater, Biofiltration, Nutrients, Metals, Pollution retention, Sludge

Removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing carbon in vegetation and soil are important ecosystem services provided by urban green space. However, knowledge on the capacity of trees and soils to store carbon in urban parks - especially in the northern latitudes - is scarce. We assessed the amount of organic carbon stored in trees and soil of constructed urban parks under cold climatic conditions in Finland. More specifically, we investigated the effects of management, vegetation type and time since construction on the amount of carbon stored in park trees and soil. We conducted two tree surveys and collected soil samples (0 to 90 cm) in constructed parks managed by the city of Helsinki. The estimated overall carbon density was approximately 130 t per park hectare, when the carbon stock of trees was 22 to 28 t ha-1 and that of soil 104 t ha-1 at the very least. The soil to tree carbon storage ratio varied from 7.1 to 7.5 for vegetated, pervious grounds and from 3.7 to 5.0 for entire park areas. The effects of park management and vegetation type could not be entirely separated in our data, but time was shown to have a distinct, positive effect on tree and soil carbon stocks. The results indicate that park soils can hold remarkable carbon stocks in a cold climate. It also seems that park soil carbon holding capacity largely exceeds that of forested soils in Finland. Preservation and augmentation of carbon stocks in urban parks implies avoidance of drastic tree and soil renovation measures.

The proliferation of vegetated, or green roofs, warrant a revisit of the terminology used in order to efficiently, and without confusion, convey information among scientists, policy makers and practitioners. A Web of Science and Google Scholar search (from 1996 to 2018) showed a steady increase in green roof articles, reaching close to 300 per year in WOS and ca. 2500 in Google Scholar, with approximately 10-20%, and up to 40 % of all articles using the terms extensive and/or intensive, especially in recent years. We evaluated the use of these terms, including 'green roof, and 'intensive and extensive roof', found that they are used in confusing ways, and provide compelling evidence that there is a need for revising the terminology. Acknowledging that most, if not all, vegetated roofs are multifunctional, we propose a new classification system based on the roof's primary function(s) and vegetation, such as "stormwater meadow roof", "biodiversity meadow roof", "biodiversity forest roof", or even "multifunctional meadow roof". This new terminological sphere is not meant to be rigid, but should be allowed to evolve so that useful combinations survive the scrutiny of academia and practitioners, while less useful ones go extinct. A clear and standardized terminology will serve to avoid confusion, allow for generalizations and aid in the development of this rapidly-expanding field.

It is often stated that plants remove air pollutants from the urban atmosphere with their large leaf area, thus providing benefits − i.e. ecosystem services − for citizens. However, empirical evidence showing that local-scale air quality is uniformly improved by urban forests is scarce. We studied the influence of conifer-dominated peri-urban forests on the springtime levels of NO2 and particle pollution at different distances from roads, using passive samplers and high time resolution particle counters in a northern climate in Finland. Passive samplers provided average values over a one month period, while active particle counters provided real time measurements of air pollution to mimic human inhalation frequency. NO2 concentrations were slightly higher in forests than in adjacent open areas, while passive particle measurements showed the opposite trend. Active particle monitoring campaigns showed no systematic forest effect for PM2.5, but larger particles were reduced in the forest, corroborating the passive sampling result. Attenuation rates of the mean values of the studied pollutants did not differ between the forest and open habitats. However, high time resolution particle data revealed a distance effect that was apparent only in the forest transect: peak events at the forest edge were higher, while peaks furthest from the road were lower compared to the open transect. Furthermore, the magnitude of PM2.5 peak events was distinctly higher at forest edge than equivalent distance in the open area. Vegetation characteristics, such as canopy cover and tree density, did not explain differences in pollutant levels in majority of cases. Our results imply that evergreen-dominated forests near roads can slightly worsen local air quality regarding NO2 and PM2.5 in northern climates, but that coarser particle pollution can be reduced by such forest vegetation. It seems that the potential of roadside vegetation to mitigate air pollution is largely determined by the vegetation effects on airflow.

The present study addresses toxicological properties of metal contaminated soils, using glassworks sites in south-easternl Sweden as study objects. Soil from five selected glassworks sites as well as from nearby reference areas were analysed for total and water-soluble metal concentrations and general geochemical parameters. A battery of biotests was then applied to assess the toxicity of the glassworks soil environments: a test of phytotoxicity with garden cress (Lepidium sativum); the BioTox(TM) test for toxicity to bacteria using Vibrio fischeri; and analyses of abundancies and biomass of nematodes and enchytraeids. The glassworks-and reference areas were comparable with respect to pH and the content of organic matter and nutrients (C, N, P), but total metal concentrations (Pb, As, Ba, Cd and Zn) were significantly higher at the former sites. Higher metal concentrations in the water-soluble fraction were also observed, even though these concentrations were low compared to the total ones. Nevertheless, toxicity of the glassworks soils was not detected by the two ex situ tests; inhibition of light emission by V. fischeri could not be seen, nor was an effect seen on the growth of L. sativum. A decrease in enchytraeid and nematode abundance and biomass was, however, observed for the landfill soils as compared to reference soils, implying in situ toxicity to soil-inhabiting organisms. The confirmation of in situ bioavailability and negative effects motivates additional studies of the risk posed to humans of the glassworks villages. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.

A substantial percentage of manure nitrogen (N) can be lost as gaseous ammonia (NH3) during storage and field spreading. Lowering slurry pH is a simple and accepted method for preserving its N. Efficiency of slow pyrolysis liquid (PL) produced from birch (Betula sp.) as an acidifying agent, and its ability to reduce NH3 emissions following surface application of cattle slurry, was studied in a field experiment. Untreated slurry (US) and slurries acidified with PL and sulfuric acid (SA) were applied to the second harvest of a grass ley. Immediate NH3 emissions, grass biomass, N-yield and possible toxic impacts on soil nematodes and enchytraeids were examined. Furthermore, the effects on soil respiration, nitrogen dynamics and seed germination were studied in subsequent laboratory experiments. In the field, over one third of the water-extractable ammonium-N (NH4-N) applied was lost through NH3 volatilization from US. SA and PL acidified slurries reduced NH3-N emission rate equally from 3.4 to

Production of organic fertilizers from poultry manure may compromise availability of phosphorus (P) to plants. This study examined the effects of granulation, feather meal addition, and pyrolysis on bioavailability of P in broiler manure in a pot experiment with ryegrass and assessed whether P availability is enhanced by inoculating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) into soil. Granulated broiler manure gave similar plant yield and P uptake to superphosphate. Feather meal addition had a minor negative effect on P availability, whereas pyrolysis lowered the fertilization effect of broiler manure. The yield-based mineral-P equivalences were 120%, 85% and 75% during the first harvest, and 100%, 75% and 45% during one growing season for granulated unamended, granulated amended with feather meal and pyrolyzed broiler manure. Soil inoculation with AMF did not enhance P availability. Granulated poultry manure is suitable as a P fertilizer for annual crops with comparable bioavailability to mineral fertilizer P, whereas pyrolyzed poultry manure is suitable as a slow-release or storage P fertilizer in slightly acidic soils. Knowledge on P bioavailability in organic fertilizers produced with different technologies can be used for optimizing fertilization, minimizing build-up of soil P and its adverse environmental effects. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

The predicted increase in the number of urban flood events can result in substantial monetary losses to society. These costs may be alleviated by preserving ecosystem services, such as urban runoff management. We studied the monetary value of this ecosystem service by applying the replacement cost method in six catchments with varying land-use intensities in two cities in Finland. The economic analysis was based on metric data of urban runoff generation, provided by automatic monitoring stations in the catchments. A hydrological model was applied to estimate evaporation from impervious surfaces, and to simulate runoff in the catchments. Our results suggest that leaving green space unconstructed results in significant monetary savings. The cost of managing runoff correlated with land-use intensity. The ecosystem service value (ESV) was generally higher in catchments with high land-use intensity, low proportion of green space, and high costs of runoff management. Depending on the degree of imperviousness, the ESV ranged from 90,000–270,000 € ha−1. Further, our results suggest that estimates of runoff generation and evaporation are key hydrological factors for assessing ESV. Our study demonstrates how the combination of field data and hydrological and monetary analyses can support regional planning in cold climates.

Trees and other vegetation absorb and capture air pollutants, leading to the common perception that they, and trees in particular, can improve air quality in cities and provide an important ecosystem service for urban inhabitants. Yet, there has been a lack of empirical evidence showing this at the local scale with different plant configurations and climatic regions. We studied the impact of urban park and forest vegetation on the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3) while controlling for temperature during early summer (May) using passive samplers in Baltimore, USA. Concentrations of O3 were significantly lower in tree-covered habitats than in adjacent open habitats, but concentrations of NO2 did not differ significantly between tree-covered and open habitats. Higher temperatures resulted in higher pollutant concentrations and NO2 and O3 concentration were negatively correlated with each other. Our results suggest that the role of trees in reducing NO2 concentrations in urban parks and forests in the Mid-Atlantic USA is minor, but that the presence of tree-cover can result in lower O3 levels compared to similar open areas. Our results further suggest that actions aiming at local air pollution mitigation should consider local variability in vegetation, climate, micro-climate, and traffic conditions.

Within the context of enhancing sustainable and livable urban environments, one aim is to establish multifunctional green infrastructure (GI). We argue that in order to successfully plan and manage the development of GI, an inclusive and future-oriented stance concerning the needs and expectations of urbanites is required. By using green roofs as an example, the aim of this paper was to offer insights into how people envisage novel GI in urban environments and to reveal the scope of meanings and values people attach to these kinds of green infrastructure. We present results based on 149 stories collected with the method of empathy-based stories. Respondents were asked to use their imagination to produce mental images of not-yet-existing green roofs in different urban situations. Our results reflect a rich set of dimensions of green roofs that the respondents vividly imagined. Green roofs may contribute to the livability of urban areas in multiple ways, such as strengthening social cohesion, providing space for everyday renewal and restoration, offering interesting sceneries and multisensory experiences, softening the hard cityscape, showing ephemeral events and making experiences of "height" possible, as well as increasing the "contact with nature" experiences for residents, e.g. through biodiverse nature in the middle of built environments. Furthermore, the need for local, customized solutions that offer different benefits and experiences was expressed. Using both qualitative and quantitative analyses, we idealized four green roof meta-types for understanding the diverse expectations people may have for green roofs in urban area: Urban farm, Oasis, Urban hill and Meadow. Based on our results we suggest that comprehensive experiences and needs of people should be taken into account when designing urban green roofs or urban green in general not only, e.g. visual pleasure. Also, site- and user-specific solutions should be considered instead of generally applied ones. Our results offer tools for, e.g. urban planners to understand the value of diverse green roof solutions to the user. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Urban green spaces (UGS) provide multiple benefits, and public parks in particular have a key role in supporting ecological and social sustainability in cities, contributing to human-nature interactions. We studied the interrelationships between uses, experiences and the environment by adopting a novel concept of urban biocultural diversity (BCD). The concept identifies three interlinked spheres of urban BCD: materialised, lived and stewardship. We conducted place-based research in 33 parks located in four European capitals: Helsinki, Berlin, Bucharest and Lisbon. A total of 1474 visitors were interviewed concerning their motivations to use the park and their experiences during the visit. Using an open-ended survey, we revealed more than 50 motivations for park use and over 100 features people enjoyed during their visits. On the other hand, visitors mentioned far fewer things that disturbed them (60). We revealed that despite the fact motivations to use parks were strongly human-oriented, visitors widely enjoyed the environmental characteristics of parks, and especially nature. We found that parks located in neighbourhoods with low socio-economic status and outside the central area of the city were structurally less diverse than parks located in the city core. The structurally diverse parks enhanced motivations to use them, and increased overall enjoyments of the environment. We revealed clear differences in motivations and enjoyments between cities, implying that the day-to-day practices of people using and experiencing nature varies between cities. peerReviewed

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are priority environmental pollutants that cause adverse health effects. PAHs belong to endocrine signaling disruptors to which children are sensitive to. Recent evidence suggests that PAH pollution alters the abundance of environmental bacteria that is associated with health outcomes. The alteration of environmental and commensal microbiota by PAH pollution has never been connected to endocrine signaling pathways. To estimate the risk of endocrine disruption in daycare children, we measured PAHs from soil and air of eleven urban daycare centres in Finland. We analyzed daycare yards' soil and children's gut and skin bacterial communities with 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and used Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes database to categorize endocrine signaling pathways. We also assessed the PAH hazard to children's health based on the current risk assesments. We observed associations between signaling pathways in endocrine system and gaseous PAH levels in ambient air. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and adipocytokine signaling pathway decreased with higher chrysene concentration in the air. Soil PAH contamination was associated with altered Actinobacteria, Bacteoridetes and Proteobacteria communities on children's skin and in daycare yard soil. However, adjusted genera were not the same in soil and on skin, with the exception of Mycobacterium that was associated with higher PAH concentrations both in soil and on the skin. Even though fluoranhtene levels were above the current threshold values, total PAHs were below safety threshold values and based on current risk assessments there is a minor risk for child health. Our findings indicate that PAH concentrations that are considered safe may interfere with endocrine signaling by commensal microbiota and alter both environmental and commensal bacterial communities. The imbalance in human microbiota and the decrease in signaling pathways may contribute to emerging public health problems, including inflammatory disorders, obesity and diabetes. Therefore, the optimal risk assessments of PAHs and theoretically also other contaminants shaping commensal microbiota may need to take into account the possibility of the disruption of endocrine signaling pathways. publishedVersion

Human population density within 100 km of the sea is approximately three times higher than the global average. People in this zone are concentrated in coastal cities that are hubs for transport and trade - which transform the marine environment. Here, we review the impacts of three interacting drivers of marine urbanization (resource exploitation, pollution pathways and ocean sprawl) and discuss key characteristics that are symptomatic of urban marine ecosystems. Current evidence suggests these systems comprise spatially heterogeneous mosaics with respect to artificial structures, pollutants and community composition, while also undergoing biotic homogenization over time. Urban marine ecosystem dynamics are often influenced by several commonly observed patterns and processes, including the loss of foundation species, changes in biodiversity and productivity, and the establishment of ruderal species, synanthropes and novel assemblages. We discuss potential urban acclimatization and adaptation among marine taxa, interactive effects of climate change and marine urbanization, and ecological engineering strategies for enhancing urban marine ecosystems. By assimilating research findings across disparate disciplines, we aim to build the groundwork for urban marine ecology - a nascent field; we also discuss research challenges and future directions for this new field as it advances and matures. Ultimately, all sides of coastal city design: architecture, urban planning and civil and municipal engineering, will need to prioritize the marine environment if negative effects of urbanization are to be minimized. In particular, planning strategies that account for the interactive effects of urban drivers and accommodate complex system dynamics could enhance the ecological and human functions of future urban marine ecosystems.

Soil contamination with diesel oil is frequent and methods to improve remediation of diesel oil contaminated soils are urgently needed. The aim of the current study was to assess the potential of meat and bone meal (MBM) as a biostimulation agent to enhance diesel oil degradation in contaminated soils collected from southern Finland. MBM (2 % w/w) increased oil degradation in soils when compared to natural attenuation. The increase was comparable to soils treated with a traditional fertilizer (urea). Soil pH increased rapidly in urea treated soil but remained at the level of natural attenuation in MBM treated soil, suggesting that in large-scale experiments MBM treated soils avoid the usual negative impact of urea on soil pH and ultimately microbial degradation. These results indicate that MBM addition enhances diesel oil degradation, and that MBM speeds up ex situ bioremediation of oil contaminated soils.

Maintaining urban greenspace is important for stimulating diverse human-nature interactions. Yet, which greenspace to prioritize for conservation under threat of urban densification is a major planning challenge. Besides ecological knowledge and objective use, people’s subjective perception or opinion of urban greenspace has been emphasized in assessing the conservation value of urban greenspace and guiding present-day urban planning. Better understanding on people’s perception of urban greenspace and its influencing factors are, therefore, needed. Here we employ a Public Participatory Geographic information System (PPGIS) survey on “unique urban nature” in the city of Helsinki to explore people’s perceived uniqueness (i.e., perceived conservation value) of urban forest patches. We use generalized linear modeling (GLM) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to estimate the relationship between this perceived uniqueness and measurable conservation factors, specifically four biodiversity indicators (BDIs) and seven environmental factors characterizing vegetation structure, landscape features and urban context of the forest patch. Results show that biodiversity has a strong positive impact on perceived uniqueness (PU), while environmental factors have variable impacts on PU, either directly or indirectly through their impacts on biodiversity. While the size and surrounding population density of an urban forest are positively correlated with both biodiversity and PU, its connectivity, surrounding constructed land-use, and canopy cover exhibit negative correlations with PU. Our results highlight the importance of biodiversity in affecting PU both as a direct influencing factor and as a mediator of the impact of environmental factors. We detected distinct effects of environmental factors (e.g., connectivity, canopy cover) on biodiversity and PU, implying different responses of biodiversity and PU to these factors, and a potential trade-off between biodiversity (natural conservation value) and people’s conservation value when managing urban forests. peerReviewed

It is generally conceived that trees can clean polluted air in urban areas sufficiently enough to be considered providers of a vital ecosystem service, although there have not been many field studies showing this in practice in the neighbourhood scale. Using passive sampling methods, we investigated the effect of urban park trees on the concentrations of gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in early summer in the temperate zone city of Yanji, northeast China. Concentrations of total gaseous PAHs and certain PAH constituents were higher and concentrations of O3 lower in tree-covered areas compared to nearby open areas, while tree cover did not affect the concentrations of NO2 and SO2. The higher PAH concentrations under tree canopies may associate with air-soil gas exchange and the trapping of polluted air under canopies. Lower O3 concentrations in tree-covered areas may result from a combination of absorption of O3 by tree canopies, and lower temperatures and solar radiation under tree canopies compared to open areas.

Terrestrial export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to watercourses has increased in boreal zone. Effect of decomposing material and soil food webs on the release rate and quality of DOC are poorly known. We quantified carbon (C) release in CO2, and DOC in different molecular weights from the most common organic soils in boreal zone; and explored the effect of soil type and enchytraeid worms on the release rates. Two types of mor and four types of peat were incubated in laboratory with and without enchytraeid worms for 154 days at + 15 A degrees C. Carbon was mostly released as CO2; DOC contributed to 2-9% of C release. The share of DOC was higher in peat than in mor. The release rate of CO2 was three times higher in mor than in highly decomposed peat. Enchytraeids enhanced the release of CO2 by 31-43% and of DOC by 46-77% in mor. High molecular weight fraction dominated the DOC release. Upscaling the laboratory results into catchment level allowed us to conclude that peatlands are the main source of DOC, low molecular weight DOC originates close to watercourse, and that enchytraeids substantially influence DOC leaching to watercourse and ultimately to aquatic CO2 emissions.

Background Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulate in urban soils, and PAH contamination can change soil microbial community composition. Environmental microbiota is associated with human commensal microbiota, immune system and health. Therefore, studies investigating the degradation of PAHs, and the consequences of soil pollution on microbial communities in urban landscaping materials, are crucial. Methods Four landscaping materials (organic matter 1, 2, 13 and 56%) were contaminated with PAHs commonly found at urban sites (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene) in PAH concentrations that reflect urban soils in Finland (2.4 µg g -1 soil dry weight). PAHs were analyzed initially and after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Half-lives of PAHs were determined based on 12-weeks degradation. Bacterial communities were analyzed at 1 and 12 weeks after contamination using Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Results Half-lives ranged from 1.5 to 4.4 weeks for PAHs with relatively low molecular weights (phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene) in landscaping materials containing 1–2% organic matter. In contrast, in materials containing 13% and 56% organic matter, the half-lives ranged from 2.5 to 52 weeks. Shorter half-lives of phenanthrene and fluoranthene were thus associated with low organic matter content. The half-life of pyrene was inversely related to the relative abundance of Beta-, Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria, and diversity of Bacteroidetes and Betaprotebacteria. Compounds with higher molecular weights followed compound-specific patterns. Benzo(b)fluoranthene was resistant to degradation and half-life of chrysene was shorter when the relative abundance of Betaproteobacteria was high. Temporal microbiota changes involved increase in the relative abundance of Deltaproteobacteria and decrease in genera Flavobacterium and Rhodanobacter. Exposure to PAHs seems to adjust microbial community composition, particularly within class Beta- and Deltaproteobacteria. Conclusions In this study, PAH degradation depended on the organic matter content and bacterial community composition of landscaping materials. Contamination seems to alter bacterial community composition in landscaping materials depending on material type. This alteration includes changes in bacterial phyla associated with human health and immune system. This may open new possibilities for managing urban environments by careful selection of landscaping materials, to benefit health and wellbeing.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:50:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-02-01 The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept highlights the varied contributions the environment provides to humans and there are a wide range of methods/tools available to assess ES. However, in real-world decision contexts a single tool is rarely sufficient and methods must be combined to meet practitioner needs. Here, results from the OpenNESS project are presented to illustrate the methods selected to meet the needs of 24 real-world case studies and better understand why and how methods are combined to meet practical needs. Results showed that within the cases methods were combined to: i) address a range of ES; ii) assess both supply and demand of ES; iii) assess a range of value types; iv) reach different stakeholder groups v) cover weaknesses in other methods used and vi) to meet specific decision context needs. Methods were linked in a variety of ways: i) as input–output chains of methods; ii) through learning; iii) through method development and iv) through comparison/triangulation of results. The paper synthesises these case study-based experiences to provide insight to others working in practical contexts as to where, and in what contexts, different methods can be combined and how this can add value to case study analyses. Environmental Change Institute, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21 Leuphana University of Lüneburg Faculty of Sustainability Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Scharnhorststraβe 1 Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG Ltd.), Rómer Flóris u. 38. Department of Decision Sciences Corvinus University of Budapest, Fővám tér 8. Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25 Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140 Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15 CoKnow Consulting – Coproducing Knowledge for Sustainability CENSE – Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa Institute of Ecology and Botany Centre for Ecological Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Alkotmány u. 2-4 National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor Blvd 128 Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris Cedex 05 Urban Environment and Territorial Sustainability Area Energy and Environment Dividision Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia C/Geldo, Edificio 700 University of Bucharest – Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Splaiul Independentei 91-95 Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003 European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749 Institute of Landscape Ecology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefánikova 3 IRSTEA National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture UMR TETIS, 500 rue JF Breton UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av.24-A, 1515 CEP Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC CONICET), Houssay 200, Ushuaia (9140) IBRAD (Indian Institute of Bio Social Research and Development), VIP Road, Kestopur, Prafulla Kanan Department of Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 University of Helsinki Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), P.O.Box 20412-0200 Basque Centre for Climate Change, Alameda de Urquijo 4 INCLINE – Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research Group Instituto de Astronomia e Geofísica USP – Universidade de São Paulo, R. do Matão, 1226 – Butantã Wageningen University & Research – Marine (WUR), P.O.Box 57 IRIDRA, Via La Marmora Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) PRBB, Carrer Doctor Aiguader 88 UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av.24-A, 1515 CEP

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:17:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-02-01 The operational challenges of integrated ecosystem service (ES) appraisals are determined by study purpose, system complexity and uncertainty, decision-makers’ requirements for reliability and accuracy of methods, and approaches to stakeholder–science interaction in different decision contexts. To explore these factors we defined an information gap hypothesis, based on a theory of cumulative uncertainty in ES appraisals. When decision context requirements for accuracy and reliability increase, and the expected uncertainty of the ES appraisal methods also increases, the likelihood of methods being used is expected to drop, creating a potential information gap in governance. In order to test this information gap hypothesis, we evaluate 26 case studies and 80 ecosystem services appraisals in a large integrated EU research project. We find some support for a decreasing likelihood of ES appraisal methods coinciding with increasing accuracy and reliability requirements of the decision-support context, and with increasing uncertainty. We do not find that information costs are the explanation for this information gap, but rather that the research project interacted mostly with stakeholders outside the most decision-relevant contexts. The paper discusses how alternative definitions of integrated valuation can lead to different interpretations of decision-support information, and different governance approaches to dealing with uncertainty. Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21 Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG Ltd.), Rómer Flóris u.38 Department of Decision Sciences Corvinus University of Budapest, Fővám tér 8 Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik Leuphana University of Lüneburg Faculty of Sustainability Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Scharnhorststraβe 1 Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås Research Group Nature and Society Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25 Wageningen University and Research Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47 ENVS Aarhus University Department of Applied Research and Agricultural Extension Madrid Institute for Rural Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA) Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona (N-II), KM. 38.200, 28802 Alcalá de Henares Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140 Environmental Change Institute, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Postboks 5685 Torgarden Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, Sede Building 1, 1st Floor Department of Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 University of Helsinki Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès Wageningen University and Research Marine Research (IMARES), P.O. Box 57, 1780 AB, Den Helder, Wageningen Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1 Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15 National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture IRSTEA UMR TETIS, 500 rue JF BRETON CENSE – Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), P.O. Box 20412-0200 Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC CONICET), Houssay 200, Ushuaia (9140) Tierra del Fuego Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation Energy and Environment Division Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia C/Geldo, Edificio 700 National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor Blvd 128 Institute of Ecology and Botany MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány u. 2-4. IRIDRA Srl, Via La Marmora, 51 University of Bucharest – Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Splaiul Independentei 91-95 IBRAD (Indian Institute of Bio Social Research and Development), VIP Road, Kestopur, Prafulla Kanan UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av.24-A, 1515 CEP, 13506-900 UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av.24-A, 1515 CEP, 13506-900

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:15:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-02-01 The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners’ perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25 Social-ecological Systems Lab Department of Ecology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Darwin no. 2, Campus de Cantoblanco Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140 Institute of Landscape Ecology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademická 2 Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University, Trieda A. Hlinku 1 Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG Ltd.), Rómer Flóris u. 38. Department of Decision Sciences Corvinus University of Budapest, Fővám tér 8. Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15 CoKnow Consulting – Coproducing Knowledge for Sustainability, Jesewitz CENSE – Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica Institute of Ecology and Botany MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány u. 2-4. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21 Environmental Change Institute, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road Wageningen University and Research Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47 European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, FR-75231 Paris Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford Urban Environment and Territorial Sustainability Area Energy and Environment Dividision Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia C/Geldo, Edificio 700 University of Bucharest - Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Splaiul Independentei 91-95 European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749 Institute of Landscape Ecology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefánikova 3 UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av. 24-A, 1515 CEP: 13506-900, Rio Claro IRSTEA National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture UMR TETIS, 500 rue JF BRETON Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC CONICET), Houssay 200 Leuphana University of Lüneburg Faculty of Sustainability Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Scharnhorststraβe 1 IBRAD (Indian Institute of Bio Social Research and Development), VIP Road, Kestopur, Prafulla Kanan Department of Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 University of Helsinki Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), P.O. Box 20412-0200 Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), CC 332 (9400), Río Gallegos Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA) Río Gallegos Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) INCLINE – Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research Group Instituto de Astronomia e Geofísica USP – Universidade de São Paulo, R. do Matão, 1226 - Butantã Wageningen University & Research – Marine (WUR), P.O. Box 57 National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor Blvd 128 Institute of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management Szent István University, Páter Károly u. 1. Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU), Universitetstunet 3 Department of Applied Research and Agricultural Extension Madrid Institute for Rural Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA), Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona (N-II), KM. 38.200, 28802 Alcalá De Henares Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fakkelgården VISTA Analyse A/S, Meltzers gate 4 University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec, 3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, Alameda de Urquijo 4 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Postboks 5685 Sluppen De Økonomiske Råd, Amaliegade 44 UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista Ecology Department – LabTerra, Av. 24-A, 1515 CEP: 13506-900, Rio Claro

While the potential of plants to uptake polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widely acknowledged, empirical evidence of the effects of this process on local atmospheric PAH concentrations and human health is tenuous. We measured gaseous PAH concentrations using passive samplers in urban tree-covered areas and adjacent open, treeless areas in a near-road environment in Finland to gain information on the ability of urban vegetation to improve air quality. The ability of urban, mostly deciduous, vegetation to affect PAHs was season dependent: during summer, concentrations were significantly higher in tree-covered areas, while in the fall, concentrations in open areas exceeded those in tree-covered areas. During winter, concentrations in tree-covered areas were either lower or did not differ from those in open areas. Results of this study imply that the commonly believed notion that trees unequivocally improve air quality does not apply to PAHs studied here.

Environmental justice sheds light on the distributive and procedural aspects of planning and decision-making. We examined the challenges arising from the perspective of environmental justice on multi-level and participatory environmental governance by exploring the governance of aquatic environments in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. We found three main challenges and potential responses to them. First, even though most of Helsinki’s shoreline is free and/or accessible by road and accordingly used actively by people for recreational purposes, many parts of the shoreline are perceived as inaccessible, reflecting a need to combine factual and perceived accessibility of aquatic environments in detail during the planning processes and to discuss reasons for possible discrepancies between these two. Second, there was a remarkable seasonal variation in the use of aquatic environments, so more attention should be paid to social-demographic factors explaining the distribution of the use of urban nature. Third, it seems to be difficult to capture the variety of perceptions of people and to integrate them into planning and decision-making processes even on a local scale, and this challenge is likely even more pronounced on higher levels of planning and governance. Thus, better integration of regional and local-scale planning procedures should be encouraged. Building on these observations, we conclude that integration of procedural and distributive environmental justice into the practices of the governance of aquatic environments could remarkably decrease unwanted trade-offs and potential conflicts in their use and management.

Green roofs are a promising tool to return nature to cities and mitigate biodiversity loss brought about by urbanization. Yet, we lack basic information on how green roofs contribute to biodiversity and how their placement in the urban landscape affects different taxa and community composition. We studied the effects of local and landscape variables on beetle communities on green roofs. We expected that both local roof characteristics and urban landscape composition shape communities, but that their relative importance depends on species characteristics. Using pitfall traps, we collected beetles during two consecutive years from 17 green roofs in Basel, Switzerland. We evaluated the contribution of six local and six landscape variables to beetle community structure and to the responses of individual species. Communities on the roofs consisted of mobile and open dry-habitat species, with both local and landscape variables playing a role in structuring these communities. At the individual species level, local roof variables were more important than characteristics of the surrounding urban landscape. The most influential factors affecting the abundances of beetle species were vegetation, described as forb and grass cover (mainly positive), and roof age (mainly negative). Therefore, we suggest that the careful planning of green roofs with diverse vegetation is essential to increase their value as habitat for beetles. In addition, while beetle communities on green roofs can be diverse regardless of their placement in the urban landscape, the lack of wingless species indicates the need to increase the connectivity of green roofs to ground level habitats.

Long-term exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been connected to chronic human health disorders. It is also well-known that i) PAH contamination alters soil bacterial communities, ii) human microbiome is associated with environmental microbiome, and iii) alteration in the abundance of members in several bacterial phyla is associated with adverse or beneficial human health effects. We hypothesized that soil pollution by PAHs altered soil bacterial communities that had known associations with human health. The rationale behind our study was to increase understanding and potentially facilitate reconsidering factors that lead to health disorders in areas characterized by PAH contamination. Large containers filled with either spruce forest soil, pine forest soil, peat, or glacial sand were left to incubate or contaminated with creosote. Biological degradation of PAHs was monitored using GC-MS, and the bacterial community composition was analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing. Proteobacteria had higher and Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes had lower relative abundance in creosote contaminated soils than in non-contaminated soils. Earlier studies have demonstrated that an increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria and decreased abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes are particularly associated with adverse health outcomes and immunological disorders. Therefore, we propose that pollution-induced shifts in natural soil bacterial community, like in PAH-polluted areas, can contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases. We encourage studies that simultaneously address the classic "adverse toxin effect" paradigm and our novel "altered environmental microbiome" hypothesis.

Trees are believed to improve air quality, thus providing an important ecosystem service for urban inhabitants. However, empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of urban vegetation on air quality at the local level and in boreal climatic regions is scarce. We studied the influence of greenbelt-type forest patches on NO2 levels (i) in front of, (ii) inside and (iii) behind greenbelts next to major roads in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, during summer and winter using passive collectors. Concentrations of NO2 were significantly higher in front of greenbelts compared to road sides without greenbelts. The more trees there were inside greenbelts the higher the NO2 level in front of greenbelts, likely due to the formation of a recirculation zone of air flow in front of greenbelts. Similarly, NO2 levels were higher inside greenbelts than in open areas without them, likely due to reduced air flow inside greenbelts. NO2 levels behind greenbelts were similar to those detected at the same distance from the road but without greenbelts. Our results suggest that, regardless of season, roadside greenbelts of mostly broadleaf trees do not reduce NO2 levels in near-road environments, but can result in higher NO2 levels in front of and inside greenbelts. Trees are believed to improve air quality, thus providing an important ecosystem service for urban inhabitants. However, empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of urban vegetation on air quality at the local level and in boreal climatic regions is scarce. We studied the influence of greenbelt-type forest patches on NO2 levels (i) in front of, (ii) inside and (iii) behind greenbelts next to major roads in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, during summer and winter using passive collectors. Concentrations of NO2 were significantly higher in front of greenbelts compared to road sides without greenbelts. The more trees there were inside greenbelts the higher the NO2 level in front of greenbelts, likely due to the formation of a recirculation zone of air flow in front of greenbelts. Similarly, NO2 levels were higher inside greenbelts than in open areas without them, likely due to reduced air flow inside greenbelts. NO2 levels behind greenbelts were similar to those detected at the same distance from the road but without greenbelts. Our results suggest that, regardless of season, roadside greenbelts of mostly broadleaf trees do not reduce NO2 levels in near-road environments, but can result in higher NO2 levels in front of and inside greenbelts.

Urban greenspaces provide ecosystem services like more natural ecosystems do. For instance, vegetation modifies soil properties, including pH and soil organic matter content, yet little is known about its effect on metals. We investigated whether the accumulation and mobility of heavy metals, nutrients and carbon is affected by plant functional types (evergreen or deciduous trees, lawns) in urban parks of varying ages in southern Finland. Plant types modified soil physico-chemical parameters differently, resulting in diverging accumulation and mobility of metals and other elements in park soils. However, the effects of plant functional type depended on park age: lawns in parks of ca. 50 y old had the highest contents of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn, and in these, and older parks (>100 y old), contents of most metals were lowest under evergreen trees. The mobility of metals and other elements was influenced by the amount of water leached through the soils, highlighting the importance of vegetation on hydrology. Soils under evergreen trees in young parks and lawns in intermediately-aged parks were most permeable to water, and thus had high loads of Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, tot-P and tot-N. The loads/concentrations of elements in the leachates was not clearly reflected by their content/concentration in the soil, alluding to the storage capacity of these elements in urban park soils. Our results suggest that in urban systems with a high proportion of impermeable surfaces, park soil has the potential to store nutrients and metals and provide an important ecosystem service particularly in polluted cities.

Assessment of the amount of carbon sequestered and the value of ecosystem services provided by urban trees requires reliable data. Predicting the proportions and allometric relationships of individual urban trees with models developed for trees in rural forests may result in significant errors in biomass calculations. To better understand the differences in biomass accumulation and allocation between urban and rural trees, two existing biomass models for silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) were tested for their performance in assessing the above-ground biomass (AGB) of 12 urban trees. In addition, the performance of a volume-based method utilizing accurate terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data and stem density was evaluated in assessing urban tree AGB. Both tested models underestimated the total AGB of single trees, which was mainly due to a substantial underestimation of branch biomass. The volume-based method produced the most accurate estimates of stem biomass. The results suggest that biomass models originally based on sample trees from rural forests should not be used for urban, open-grown trees, and that volume-based methods utilizing TLS data are a promising alternative for non-destructive assessment of urban tree AGB. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Purpose Anthropogenic-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates derived from the soil are influenced by long-term nitrogen (N) deposition and N fertilization. However, our understanding of the interplay between increased N load and GHG emissions among soil aggregates is incomplete. Materials and methods Here, we conducted an incubation experiment to explore the effects of soil aggregate size and N addition on GHG emissions. The soil aggregate samples (0-10 cm) were collected from two 6-year N addition experiment sites with different vegetation types (mixed Korean pine forest vs. broad-leaved forest) in Northeast China. Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) production were quantified from the soil samples in the laboratory using gas chromatography with 24-h intervals during the incubation (at 20 degrees C for 168 h with 80 % field water capacity). Results and discussion The results showed that the GHG emission/uptake rates were significantly higher in the micro-aggregates than in the macro-aggregates due to the higher concentration of soil bio-chemical properties (DOC, MBC, NO3-, NH4+, SOC and TN) in smaller aggregates. For the N addition treatments, the emission/uptake rates of GHG decreased after N addition across aggregate sizes especially in mixed Korean pine forest where CO2 emission was decreased about 30 %. Similar patterns in GHG emission/uptake rates expressed by per soil organic matter basis were observed in response to N addition treatments, indicating that N addition might decrease the decomposability of SOM in mixed Korean pine forest. The global warming potential (GWP) which was mainly contributed by CO2 emission (>98 %) decreased in mixed Korean pine forest after N addition but no changes in broad-leaved forest. Conclusions These findings suggest that soil aggregate size is an important factor controlling GHG emissions through mediating the content of substrate resources in temperate forest ecosystems. The inhibitory effect of N addition on the GHG emission/uptake rates depends on the forest type.

The ability of urban vegetation to improve air quality for the benefit of urban residents is often considered fact since plants can absorb and capture air pollutants. However, there is little empirical evidence that urban air quality at the local scale is improved by the presence of, e.g. trees, especially in northern climatic regions. We studied the impact of urban forest vegetation on the levels of five types of air pollutants (NO 2 , ground-level O 3 , anthropogenic and biogenic VOCs, and particulate matter) in near-road environments during summer (June) using passive samplers in Helsinki, Finland. Concentrations of gaseous pollutants did not differ significantly between tree-covered and adjacent open areas, while particle pollutant levels were significantly lower in tree-covered areas than in adjacent open, treeless areas. Vegetation-related variables (canopy closure, tree number and size, and ground vegetation) did not explain differences in air quality. Our results suggest that the role of urban, mostly deciduous, vegetation is negligible in improving local air quality, in terms of the anthropogenic pollutants measured here, in northern climates. However, air particulate pollution, which is likely to be dominated by large-sized particles in our study, can be reduced by urban vegetation.

To understand how green roofs affect building energy performance under cold climatic conditions, a proper thermal analysis of the roof and its components is required. To address this, we measured the thermal conductivity of each layer of experimental green roofs, as well as equivalent thermal resistance of the complete green roof system during winter conditions in southern Finland. Three experimental green roof platforms (1 m x 2 m) with heated boxes and three identical bare roof platforms (without substrate, vegetation and other green roof layers) were equipped with thermocouples that continuously measured a vertical temperature profile through the roofs. A steady-state heat transfer analysis was performed to assess the functioning and relative thermal performance of the green roof systems. Layer analysis at various intensities of frost penetration showed that the thermal conductivity of each layer decreased when penetrated by frost. In particular, thermal conductivity of the substrate and vegetation layers decreased from 0.41 Wm(-1)K(-1) and 0.34 Wm(-1) K-1 prior to freezing, to 0.12 Wm(-1) K-1 and 0.10 Wm(-1) K-1 after freezing, respectively. This phenomenon is explained by a reduction in bridge-water connectivity during freezing and a volumetric water content that was below the critical threshold value. Overall, a frost depth that extended through the complete green roof yielded the greatest equivalent thermal resistance. During times of snow cover, snow acted as an insulator and reduced the relative energy saving benefits achieved by green roofs. These results provide information for designing the substrate and vegetation layers of green roofs for optimal insulation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

To explore how climatic factors influence tree growth within the context of global climate changes, we used a dendroclimatological analysis to understand the response of Larix gmelinii to climatic variations along a broad latitudinal gradient from 47.27 degrees to 52.66 degrees N in the Greater Khingan Mountains of Northeastern China. The growth-limiting climate factors and a detailed association between radial growth and climate were identified along the gradient using redundancy analysis (RDA) and standard correlation function analysis over the period 1960-2013. The results showed that temperatures during current June to July represented the most important factor affecting tree radial growth in the study area. Across all studied latitudes, Larix gmelinii growth might be decreasing in radial growth due to higher monthly maximum temperature (Tmax) and monthly mean temperatures (Tm) in the current June, especially for the stands at low and middle latitudes. With continued warming, Larix gmelinii radial growth at high latitudes (e.g., Mangui (MG) and Mohe (MH)) might be reduced by warmer temperatures in July. In addition, Larix gmelinii might be decreasing in radial growth from decreasing precipitation. Our results show that there is a decreasing trend in Larix gmelinii radial growth under the observed general increase of temperatures in the Greater Khingan Mountains in recent years.

Urban green spaces provide ecosystem properties fundamental to the provision of ecosystem services, such as the sequestration of carbon and nutrients and serving as a reservoir for organic matter. Although urban vegetation influences soil physico-chemical properties, it remains unknown whether ecosystem properties depend on plant species portfolios. We tested the influence of three common functional plant groups (evergreen trees, deciduous trees, grass/lawn) for their ability to modify soils in parks of various ages under cold climatic conditions in Finland. We hypothesized that (i) plant functional groups affect soils differently resulting in divergent ecosystem properties, and (ii) that these ecosystem properties also depend on park age. We included 41 urban parks of varying ages (10, 50 and > 100 years) and additional control forests. Park soils were sampled for physico-chemical parameters up to 50 cm depth. Our data indicate that plant functional groups modify soils differently, especially between the evergreen and lawn treatments at 50 and > 100 year old parks. Soils under evergreen trees had the lowest pH and generally the highest percentage organic matter, percentage total carbon and percentage total nitrogen. Soil pH remained the same, whereas concentrations of organic matter, total carbon and total nitrogen declined by depth. Soils in the reference forests had lower pH but higher percentages organic matter, total carbon and total nitrogen than those in parks. We estimate that old parks with evergreen trees can store 35.5 kg C m-2 and 2.3 kg N m-2 – considerably more than in urban soils in warmer climates. Our data suggest that plant-soil interactions in urban parks, in spite of being constructed environments, are surprisingly similar to those in natural forests.

The use of birch tar oil (BTO) is a new innovation in plant and animal protection working against various weeds, harmful insects and rodents. Due to its novelty as a biocide/repellent/plant protection product, no comprehensive information on the effects of BTO on non-target soil organisms is available. In this study we examined the impact of BTO on non-target soil organisms (enchytraeids, nematodes and soil microbes) and plants using laboratory toxicity tests and field experiments. In addition, we determined the LC50 value of BTO to the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa and the EC50 value of BTO to the offspring production of the collembolan Folsomia candida. The effects of BTO on soil fauna were mostly insignificant. BTO seemed to be detrimental to the growth of plants directly after application, but this effect was short-term; after a period of 2.5 months, the growth of most of the plant species recovered completely from the application. The LC50 for A. caliginosa was 6560 mg BTO kg-1 dry soil and EC50 for juvenile production of F. candida was 5100 mg BTO kg-1 dry soil. The results indicate that the risk caused by BTOs (concentration 500-1360 L ha-1) to the soil environment is insignificant and short-term as compared to the many chemical products applied for similar purposes., Koivupuun pyrolyysissa puuaine hajoaa lämmön vaikutuksestaerilaisiksi tuotteiksi. Prosessin yhteydessä syntyy muun muassa koivuöljytislettä (birch tar oil BTO). Koivuöljytisle näyttää useiden vielä tarkemmin tutkimattomien todisteiden mukaan toimivan rikkakasvien, tuhohyönteisten ja jyrsijöiden torjunta-aineena. Sen koostumuksesta, vaikutuksista ympäristöön ja myrkyllisyydestä eliöille on kuitenkin saatavilla hyvin vähän tietoa. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoitus oli selvittää koivuöljytisleen 1) vaikutus maaperän änkyri- ja sukkulamatoihin sekä mikro-organismeihin sekä määrittää koivuöljytisleen 2) 14 vrk:n LC50 arvo peltolierolle (Aporrectodea caliginosa) ja 28 vrk EC50 arvo hyppyhäntäisen (Folsomia candida) lisääntymiselle. Koivuöljytisleen vaikutukset maaperän änkyrimatojen biomassaan- ja sukkulamatojen lukumäärään olivat vähäisiä. Kasvillisuuteen BTO vaikutti tappaen suurimman osan kasvien maan päällisistä osista vuorokauden kuluessa. Kasvillisuuden toipuminen alkoi kuitenkin nopeasti eikä kenttäkokeessa havaittu 2.5 kk kuluttua käsittelyistä kasvibiomassassa ja kasvilajistossa eroa, vuohenputkea (Aporrectodea caliginosa) lukuunottamatta, eri käsittelyjen kesken. Sen sijaan mikrokosmoksissa tehdyissä kokeissa kasvibiomassa oli vielä 50 vrk kuluttua käsittelyistä 100% koivutisleellä käsitellyissä maissa merkitsevästi pienempi kuin kontrollimaissa. Koivutisle ei vaikuttanut mikrobien biomassaan. Sen sijaan se vaikutti positiivisesti mikrobiaktiivisuuteen heti lisäyksensä jälkeen toimien ilmeisesti lisäresurssina mikrobeille. Negatiivinen vaikutus mikrobiaktiivisuuteen 28 ja 42 vrk kuluttua koivutisleen lisäyksestä saattoi johtua kasvien kuihtumisesta: kasvit kuolivat eivätkä siten vapauttaneet juurieritteitä maaperään, mutta kuolleesta kasvillisuudesta ei ollut vielä ehtinyt modostua kariketta mikrobien ravinnoksi, jolloin ne vaipuivat lepotilaan. Kaiken kaikkian koivuöljytisleen vaikutus maaperän ravintoverkkoon oli vähäinen. 14 vrk:n LC50 arvo peltolierolle (Aporrectodea caliginosa) oli 6560 mg BTO1 kg-1 ja 28 vrk EC50 arvo hyppyhäntäisen (Folsomia candida) lisääntymiselle oli 5100 mg BTO1 kg-1. Luvut viittaavat koivutisleen olevan eliöille myrkyllistä vasta suurina pitoisuuksina verrattuna moniin nykyisin kasvinsuojelussa vastaavissa tarkoituksissa käytettyihin kemiallisiin yhdisteisiin.

Birch tar oil (BTO) is a by-product of processing birch wood in a pyrolysis system. Accumulating evidence suggests the suitability of BTO as a biocide or repellent in terrestrial environments for the control of weeds, insects, molluscs and rodents. Once applied as biocide, BTO may end up, either through run-off or leaching, in aquatic systems and may have adverse effects on non-target organisms. As very little is known about the toxicity of BTO to aquatic organisms, the present study investigated acute toxicity (LC50/EC50) of BTO for eight aquatic organisms. Bioassays with the Asellus aquaticus (crustacean), Lumbriculus variegatus (oligochaeta worm), Daphnia magna (crustacean), Lymnea sp. (mollusc), Lemna minor (vascular plant), Danio rerio (fish), Scenedesmus gracilis (algae), and Vibrio fischeri (bacterium) were performed according to ISO, OECD or USEPA-guidelines. The results indicated that BTO was practically nontoxic to most aquatic organisms as the median effective BTO concentrations against most organisms were >150 mg L-1. In conclusion, our toxicity tests showed that aquatic organisms are to some extent, invariably sensitive to birch tar oil, but suggest that BTO does not pose a severe hazard to aquatic biota. We deduce that, unless BTOs are not applied in the immediate vicinity of water bodies, no special precaution is required., Koivuöljytisle (birch tar oilvalmistuksessa syntyvä sivutuote, joka uusimpien tutkimustulosten mukaan soveltuu kasvinsuojeluaineeksi ja biosidiksi. Tisleellä voidaan torjua rikkakasveja, hyönteisiä sekä kasvitauteja ja sitä voidaan käyttää myös tuholaisten karkotusaineena. Koivuöljytisleen kaupallistaminen kasvinsuojeluaineeksi edellyttää tehojen lisäksi myös sen rekisteröintiä kasvinsuojeluaineeksi ja siten tarkkaa tietoa mahdollisista ympäristövaikutuksista. Tässä tutkimuksissa testattiin tisleen akuuttia myrkyllisyyttä (EC50) vesieliöille, joita käytetään yleisesti ekologisissa toksisuustesteissä. Tulokset osoittivat, että eri eliöiden herkkyys tisleen vaikutuksille vaihtelee: herkin oli Vibrio fisheri –bakteeri. Seuraavaksi herkimpiä olivat herkkyysjärjestyksessä Daphnia magna (vesikirppu) < Lumbriculus variegates (liero) < Lemna minor (vesikasvi) < Danio rerio (kala) < Asellus aguaticus (vesisiira) < Lymnaea sp. (vesikotilo).