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The quality of container-grown seedlings is influenced by the air and water properties of the substrate. These properties are closely tied to the amount and frequency of water supplied through sprinkler systems in nurseries, as well as the density of the substrate in the container cells. Throughout the entire growing season, this study examined how various parameters of Scots pine, Norway spruce, European beech, and pedunculate oak seedlings cultivated in HIKO V120SS and V265 containers were affected by two factors. Firstly, the study analyzed the impact of increased substrate density when filling the containers. Secondly, it explored the precise dosing of water applied by the sprinkler system, which was determined based on substrate sensors and meteorological conditions surrounding the seedlings. The results revealed that increased substrate compaction led to a long-term reduction in air capacity and an increase in water capacity within pine, spruce, and beech containers. However, oak seedlings were not affected by the increased substrate density. Additionally, the higher density of the compacted substrate positively influenced the growth parameters of pine seedlings but did not affect the other species. As a result, the current substrate compaction level used in the nursery where the measurements were taken appears to be optimal for spruce, beech, and oak seedlings. Furthermore, precise control over the amount of water applied during irrigation allowed for a reduction in water consumption by about 8%. This control also resulted in improved seedling sturdiness quotient and a more developed root system in the case of pine seedlings. However, no significant differences were observed for the other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivation of seedlings in trays requires the use of specifically developed substrates. This study presents the results of the analyses of selected physical and mechanical parameters of a peat–perlite substrate, in which seedlings of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) were grown during a production season. For each species, the substrate parameters changed throughout the production season, substrate dry weight decreased, whereas its compactness increased with time. Independent of the species, the bulk density and total porosity of the substrate changed or deviated from the optimum range, although the values of porosity were close to maximum and those of density were close to the minimum. In certain periods in the V265 trays with beech and oak seedlings, the substrate was characterized by very low water capacity and excessive air capacity. Compactness measured with a cone penetrometer showed, that this parameter might be used for monitoring the substrate properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fine roots and their symbionts are the key drivers of processes such as nutrient cycling and belowground productivity. Their function depends on position in a branching hierarchy, with absorptive roots (responsible for resource acquisition), and transport roots. Aim: We examined how the different diameter cutoffs for root classification mirror concentrations of 11 different nutrients, plus Al in functionally different fine roots of Pinus sylvestris based on anatomical/ functional categorization and in relation to their biomass along a latitudinal gradient. Results: The C:N:P ratios for pooled roots ≤2 mm in diameter reflected the nutrient concentrations of transport roots. In contrast, the C:N:P ratios for all absorptive roots was best reflected by nutrient ratios in the 1st root order, and not by those in root <2 mm. These patterns were more clear along decreasing mean annual temperature, despite increasing contribution of absorptive roots in the fine root biomass. Higher biomass fraction of transport roots did not always mirror higher concentration of element accumulated. Narrowing the root diameter cutoffs to 0.5 mm provided more informative data about nutrient concentrations in the absorptive root pool than <2 mm cut-off. Conclusions: By analyzing nutrient concentration using ≤2 mm cut-off it is impossible to properly understand nutritional properties of roots with different functional attributes. Given that the diameter of fine root orders vary considerably even within a single species between stands, the diameter cutoffs for absorptive roots should be based on the characteristics of the studied species, and not on a fixed, universal diameter cutoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of research in the pine plantations located in the green belt of the city of Astana, the dry steppe zone of Northern Kazakhstan, and in the research, the data on biomass and carbon content in various fractions of Scots pine were obtained. Assessment of morphometric parameters of the pine stands was carried out by measuring tree height and trunk diameter at breast height (DBH); to determine the carbon content, laboratory analytical methods were used. Samples were taken from each element of biomass (branches, trunk, leaves, and bark) of Scots pine, in triplicate. After that, the green mass was weighed on the analytical scales to within 0.001 g. The samples were then dried to a constant weight at a temperature of 65°C. In laboratory samples without mineralization, the content of carbon was determined using element analyser. Regression equations were used to calculate the biomass of stocks. To measure the taxation indicators and sampling of plantations, trial plots were laid in triplicate for trial plots, the height of plantations varied on average from 5.8 m to 8.4 m on the plotted trial plots, and the diameter of the trunk varied from 7.7 cm to 8.8 cm. The correlation between plant height and stem diameter was 0.745. As the studies of chemical composition in needles, bark, trunk and branches of pine trees showed, the amount of carbon was from 50.03 to 51.33%. Thus, the study of the chemical composition of the pine plantations showed that the greatest content of chemical elements, such as carbon, was in tree needles. The accumulation plantations of Pinus sylvestris L. in the green belt of the city of Astana were sequestrated 973.3 tons of carbon in the above-ground biomass varied from 2.9 to 4.8 t/ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demand for renewable energy and limiting CO2emissions have stimulated much interest in wood-based biofuels. Unfortunately, expanding the utilization of forest biomass may cause nutrient depletion in forested environments. This study investigates the element content from various parts of the tree. Comparisons were made between different harvesting scenarios and their impact on the amount of nutrients removed from the forest environment. The harvesting scenarios were: stem-only harvesting (SOH), branch and stem harvesting (BSH), and two variants of whole-tree harvesting (WTH). The elements taken into account were: carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulphur (S), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb). To make the results comparable, the same amount of removed biomass was taken into calculation. The differences between harvesting scenarios were significant. The amounts of removed elements formed similar pattern: the lowest level was found in SOH, average in BSH, and highest in both variants of WTH. This confirms that the application of WTH is connected with increased risk of nutrient depletion, even when the volume of harvest would be equal to other variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern forestry management should be based on the principle of sustainability. In order to preserve habitat productivity, the amount of nutrients removed from the environment along with forestry products must be taken into consideration. This study shows the exact concentrations of chemical elements in different tree parts of Scots pine, growing on poor soils in north-western Poland. The observed values were compared to the values found in literature. In addition, the relationship between the concentrations of elements and stem diameter or stand density was researched. The highest concentration of chemical elements was observed in the needles (C, N, P, K, Mg, S, Mn, Na, Fe) and the lowest (C, N, P, S, Cu, Na, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe) in the stem wood. Most of the macronutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg and S) reached optimal values, with the exception of N showing a deficiency, especially in the needles. The relationship between the content of elements and DBH or stand density was rather weak, and in both cases, negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate estimation of an increase in forest stand biomass has remained a challenge. Traditionally, in situ measurements are done by inventorying a number of trees and their biometric parameters such as diameter at the breast height (DBH) and height; sometimes these are complemented by carbon (C) content studies. Here we present the estimation of net primary productivity (NPP) over a two years period (2019–2020) at a 25-year-old Scots pine stand. Research was based on allometric equations made by direct biomass analysis (tree extraction) and carbon content estimations in individual components of sampled trees, combined with a series of stem diameter increments recorded by a network of band dendrometers. Site-specific allometric equations were obtained using two different approaches: using the whole tree biomass vs DBH (M1), and total dry biomass-derived as a sum of the results from individual tree components' biomass vs DBH (M2). Moreover, equations for similar forest stands from the literature were used for comparison. Gross primary productivity (GPP) estimated from the eddy-covariance measurements allowed the calculation of carbon use efficiency (CUE = NPP/GPP). The two investigated years differed in terms of the sum and patterns of precipitation distribution, with a moderately dry year of 2019 that followed the extremely dry 2018, and the relatively average year of 2020. As expected, a higher increase in biomass was recorded in 2020 compared to 2019, as determined by both allometric equations based on in situ and literature data. For the former approach, annual NPP estimates reached ca. 2.0–2.1 t C ha−1 in 2019 and 2.6–2.7 t C ha−1 in 2020 depending on the "in situ equations" (M1-M2) used, while literature-derived equations for the same site resulted in NPP values ca. 20–30% lower. CUE was higher in 2020, which resulted from a higher NPP total than in 2019, with lower summer and spring GPP in 2020. However, the CUE values were lower than those reported in the literature for comparable temperate forest stands. A thorough analysis of the low CUE value would require a full interpretation of interrelated physiological responses to extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the effect of atmospheric deposition on canopy leaching processes in stands predominantly composed of Scots pines. The research was conducted in two stands: the first located in the southwestern part of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains in the area known as Białe Zagłębie (Malik), and the second in the northwestern part of Poland in Western Pomerania (Czarne). The study was conducted in the hydrological years 2010–2013. The goal of the study was to assess the chemical transformation of precipitation as a result of various human activities. In Malik, the main factor that determined the physicochemical and chemical properties of throughfall was the cement/lime dust emitted by nearby industrial plants, which not only affected the quantity of deposit but also contributed to the alkalization process of throughfall. By contrast, the main source of pollution in Czarne, where local emitters are absent, was long-distance transport. We conducted a principal component analysis (PCA) in both stands that produced components representing local pollution (Malik) and long-distance transport (Czarne). For the stand in Czarne, sea aerosols were an important source of Na+ and Cl− ions in precipitation. In both stands, the highest enrichment ratio (ER) values were recorded for K+ ions. The contribution of leaching processes to the bulk deposition of K+ ions in Malik was 85.8%, whereas in Czarne, it was 73.8%. Regardless of the degree of anthropopressure, the intensity of quantitative and qualitative transformation in pine stands was comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Beech undergrowth increases the loads of alkaline cations in Scots pine stand. • Increased acidification of the 0–15 cm soil layer was observed in Scots pine with beech. • Lower ALK and ANCaq of soil water (15–60 cm) was found in solid Scots pine stand. The aim of the presented research was to assess the changes in selected ecochemical indices along the vertical precipitation profile - rainwater passing through the tree canopy and penetrating the topsoil. Two Scots pine stands were selected for this comparison (at one of them beech undergrowth was introduced), located at the Tuczno research site near the existed eddy covariance tower. The concentration of basic cations and anions in the collected water samples was measured and the following indices were calculated: Acid Neutralising Capacity (ANC aq), Alkalinity (ALK), Basic Cation Saturation (BS%) and Calcium to Aluminum ratio (Ca/Al). Additionally, Dry Deposition Factor (DDF) and Canopy Exchange for potassium, calcium, and magnesium cations were estimated (CE_K+, CE_Ca2+and CE_Mg2+, respectively). Observed changes in these variables values in throughfall (TF), as compared to bulk precipitation, at both pine stands during the investigated period 2013–2015 indicate that rainwater was enriched with almost all analyzed ions after passing through the canopy. Moreover, the mean annual deposition of all elements in throughfall was higher in the pine stand with beech undergrowth (SP + Bch) than at the plot with Scots pine only (SP). The average value of the DDF index was almost 3 times higher in the pine stand with beech undergrowth than at solely pine stand. Along with the depth in the soil profile, the ANC aq and ALK decreased. The main conclusion was that introduction of beech undergrowth in the pine stand most likely resulted in the accumulation of more organic matter and thus a slower decomposition rate, as suggested by an increase in acidification of the topsoil (0–15 cm). However, such an effect was not visible in the deeper layers. Higher values of ALK, ANC aq , and pH value under pine stand with beech undergrowth indicate positive effect of beech undergrowth in pine stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Upper Silesia in Poland, coal is still exploited intensively and mine dump reclamation and afforestation are important environmental mitigation activities. In this study, we analysed the survival rate and foliar nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) supply status and their quantitative relationships of two-year-old Scots pine, Norway spruce, Common oak and European beech at an early afforestation stage of a hard coal mine dump with topsoil. The conditions in the dump in the first years were particularly unfavorable for beech and spruce. The survival rate of seedlings varied between 93% for oak, 67% for pine, 30% for beech and 27% for spruce. Nutrient supply and their quantitative relationships in seedling foliage varied highly in all investigated species. The most deficient element was N; its content was lower than the accepted threshold for individual species under natural conditions. Of the soil properties analysed, electrolytic conductivity (EC) was strongly negatively correlated with foliar N and P. Thus, EC may be the factor with the highest negative effect on nutrient supply and the success of afforestation at early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]