Helsetilstanden i norske skoger. Resultater fra den landsrepresentative skogovervåkingen i 2010

Hos alle de overvåkete treslagene, gran, furu og bjørk, ble det i 2010 registrert en økning i kronetetthet i forhold til året før. Dette er tredje år på rad med en tydelig bedring for de tre overvåkete treslagene etter flere år med synkende kronetetthet. Derimot ble det observert økt misfarging hos alle treslagene, og særlig bjørk hadde en kraftig økning i andelen misfargete trær. Det ble registrert få biotiske og abiotiske skader på gran og furu i 2010, mens over 20 % av bjørketrærne var skadet, for det meste av målere eller bjørkerustsopp.publishedVersio

Models for integrating and identifying the effect of senescence on individual tree survival probability for Norway spruce

Ageing and competition reduce trees’ ability to capture resources, which predisposes them to death. In this study, the effect of senescence on the survival probability of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) was analysed by fitting alternative survival probability models. Different model formulations were compared in the dataset, which comprised managed and unmanaged plots in long-term forest experiments in Finland and Norway, as well as old-growth stands in Finland. Stand total age ranged from 19 to 290 years. Two models were formulated without an age variable, such that the negative coefficient for the squared stem diameter described a decreasing survival probability for the largest trees. One of the models included stand age as a separate independent variable, and three models included an interaction term between stem diameter and stand age. According to the model including stand age and its interaction with stem diameter, the survival probability curves could intersect each other in stands with a similar structure but a different mean age. Models that did not include stand age underestimated the survival rate of the largest trees in the managed stands and overestimated their survival rate in the old-growth stands. Models that included stand age produced more plausible predictions, especially for the largest trees. The results supported the hypothesis that the stand age and senescence of trees decreases the survival probability of trees, and that the ageing effect improves survival probability models for Norway spruce

Statistikk over skogforhold og skogressurser i Troms. Landsskogtakseringen 2005-2009

Skogarealet i Troms omfatter 88 % lauvtredominert skog, der 77 prosentpoeng er bjørkeskog med mer enn 70 % bjørk. Grandominert skog utgjør 4 %, mens 6 % er furudominert skog. Ca 2 % er hogstklasse 1 med uspesifisert treslag. Andelen lauvtredominert skog er tre ganger så høy som landsgjennomsnittet, og det er særlig andelen bjørkeskog som er høy....publishedVersio

Norwegian monitoring programme for forest damage. Annual report 2007

I 2007 var hele 20 % av alle bjørketrær angrepet og skadet av insekter der fjellbjørkemåleren alene sto for 16 %. Hos furu var det færre insektangrep sammenlignet med fjoråret, men fortsatt var vel 2% av furutrærne angrepet av furubarveps. Antall nye toppbrekk, vindfall og andre snø- og vindrelaterte skader var omtrent på samme nivå som gjennomsnittet i overvåkingsperioden. Helsetilstanden til trær, registrert ved kronetetthet, misfarging og avdøing, påvirkes i stor grad direkte av klimatiske forhold som tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klima påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Langtransporterte luftforurensninger kan komme i tillegg til eller virke sammen med klimatiske forhold. Kronetettheten utviklet seg negativt på de landsrepresentative flatene for treslagene gran, furu og bjørk. Det var likevel store regionale forskjeller, og som kom tydeligst frem på de regionale flatene. Også i 2007 ble det registrert størst nedgang i kronetetthet for gran i Oppland, Hedmark og i Agderfylkene..

Stand-level mortality models for Nordic boreal forests

New mortality models were developed for the purpose of improving long-term growth and yield simulations in Finland, Norway, and Sweden and were based on permanent national forest inventory plots from Sweden and Norway. Mortality was modelled in two steps. The first model predicts the probability of survival, while the second model predicts the proportion of basal area in surviving trees for plots where mortality has occurred. In both models, the logistic function was used. The models incorporate the variation in prediction period length and in plot size. Validation of both models indicated unbiased mortality rates with respect to various stand characteristics such as stand density, average tree diameter, stand age, and the proportion of different tree species, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and broadleaves. When testing against an independent dataset of unmanaged spruce-dominated stands in Finland, the models provided unbiased prediction with respect to stand age

The state of health of Norwegian forests. Results from the national forest damage monitoring 2017

Source at http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2559230Skogens helsetilstand påvirkes i stor grad av klima og værforhold, enten direkte ved tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klimaet påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Klimaendringene og den forventede økningen i klimarelaterte skogskader gir store utfordringer for forvaltningen av framtidas skogressurser. Det samme gjør invaderende skadegjørere, både allerede etablerte arter og nye som kan komme til Norge i nær framtid. Denne rapporten presenterer resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i Norge i 2017 og trender over tid for følgende temaer...Forest health is to a large extent affected by climate and weather conditions, either directly by e.g. drought, frost and wind, or indirectly when climatic conditions influence the occurrence and abundance of pests and diseases. Climate change and the expected increase in abiotic damage are a challenge to the management of future forest resources. The same is true for invasive damage agents, both species which are already established and species which can possibly migrate to Norway in the future. This report presents results from the Norwegian forest damage monitoring in 2017 and trends over time for..

Skogens helsetilstand i Norge. Resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i 2016

Skogens helsetilstand påvirkes i stor grad av klima og værforhold, enten direkte ved tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klimaet påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Klimaendringene og den forventede økningen i klimarelaterte skogskader gir store utfordringer for forvaltningen av framtidas skogressurser. Det samme gjør invaderende skadegjørere, både allerede etablerte arter og nye som kan komme til Norge som følge av økt handel og import. Eksempler på begge er omtalt i denne rapporten som presenterer resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i Norge i 2016........publishedVersio

Association of Genetic Markers with CSF Oligoclonal Bands in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Objective:to explore the association between genetic markers and Oligoclonal Bands (OCB) in the Cerebro Spinal Fluid (CSF) of Italian Multiple Sclerosis patients.Methods:We genotyped 1115 Italian patients for HLA-DRB1*15 and HLA-A*02. In a subset of 925 patients we tested association with 52 non-HLA SNPs associated with MS susceptibility and we calculated a weighted Genetic Risk Score. Finally, we performed a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) with OCB status on a subset of 562 patients. The best associated SNPs of the Italian GWAS were replicated in silico in Scandinavian and Belgian populations, and meta-analyzed.Results:HLA-DRB1*15 is associated with OCB+: p = 0.03, Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% Confidence Limits (CL) = 1.1-2.4. None of the 52 non-HLA MS susceptibility loci was associated with OCB, except one SNP (rs2546890) near IL12B gene (OR: 1.45; 1.09-1.92). The weighted Genetic Risk Score mean was significantly (p = 0.0008) higher in OCB+ (7.668) than in OCB- (7.412) patients. After meta-analysis on the three datasets (Italian, Scandinavian and Belgian) for the best associated signals resulted from the Italian GWAS, the strongest signal was a SNP (rs9320598) on chromosome 6q (p = 9.4×10-7) outside the HLA region (65 Mb).Discussion:genetic factors predispose to the development of OCB

Non-Native Forest Tree Species in Europe: The Question of Seed Origin in Afforestation

Non-native forest tree species have been introduced in Europe since the 16th century, but only in the second half of the 20th century the significance of the seed source origin for their economic use was recognized, resulting in the establishment of numerous provenance trials at a national, regional, European and International level, as those led by IUFRO. Breeding programs have also been launched in the continent for the most economically important species. Aim of this work is the formulation of provenance recommendations for planting of five non-native tree species in Europe (Douglas fir, grand fir, Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine and black locust), based on the information obtained from twenty countries, in the frame of the EU FP-1403 NNEXT Cost Action. The survey revealed that official and non-official national recommendations, based on provenance research results, have been elaborated and followed at a different level and extend for the above five species, but only for Douglas fir recommendations exist in almost all the participating to the survey countries. The compilation of provenance recommendations across Europe for each species is presented in the current work. Besides the recommended introduced seed sources, European seed sources are also preferred for planting, due to ease of access and high availability of forest reproductive material. European breeding programs yielding genetic material of high productivity and quality constitute currently the seed source of choice for several species and countries. Consolidation of trial data obtained across countries will allow the joint analysis that is urgently needed to draw solid conclusions, and will facilitate the development of ‘Universal-Response-Functions’ for the species of interest, rendering possible the identification of the genetic material suitable for global change. New provenance trial series that will test seed sources from the entire climatic range of the species, established in sites falling within and outside the environmental envelopes of their natural ranges, are urgently needed to pinpoint and understand the species-specific climate constraints, as well as to correlate functional traits to the seed origin and the environmental conditions of the test sites, so that the selection of suitable forest reproductive material of non-native tree species in the face of climate change can be feasible.publishedVersio

The state of health of Norwegian forests. Results from the national forest damage monitoring 2018

Source at http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2616613Skogens helsetilstand påvirkes i stor grad av klima og værforhold, enten direkte ved tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klimaet påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Klimaendringene og den forventede økningen i klimarelaterte skogskader gir store utfordringer for forvaltningen av framtidas skogressurser. Det samme gjør invaderende skadegjørere, både allerede etablerte arter og nye som kan komme til Norge i nær framtid. I denne rapporten presenteres resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i Norge i 2018 og trender over tid for følgende temaer: (i) Landsrepresentativ skogovervåking; (ii) Skogøkologiske analyser og målinger av luftkjemi på de intensive overvåkingsflatene; (iii) Overvåking av bjørkemålere i Troms og Finnmark; (iv) Granbarkbilleovervåking – utvikling av barkbillepopulasjonene i 2018; (v) Ny barkbille på vei – vil den like klimaet?; (vi) Phytophthora i importert jord på prydplanter og faren det utgjør for skog; (vii) Overvåking av askeskuddsyke; (viii) Skog- og utmarksbranner i 2018; (ix) Andre spesielle skogskader i 2018...….Forest health is to a large extent affected by climate and weather conditions, either directly by e.g. drought, frost and wind, or indirectly when climatic conditions influence the occurrence and abundance of pests and diseases. Climate change and the expected increase in abiotic damage are a challenge to the management of future forest resources. The same is true for invasive damage agents, both species which are already established and species which can possibly migrate to Norway in the future. This report presents results from the Norwegian forest damage monitoring in 2018 and trends over time for: (i) Forest monitoring on the large-scale Level I plots; (ii) Ecological analyses and measurements of air quality on the intensive Level II plots; (iii) Monitoring of birch moths in northern Norway; (iv) Spruce bark beetle monitoring – status of the bark beetle population in 2018; (v) New bark beetle at Norway’s doorstep – will it like the climate?; (vi) Phytophthora in soil from imported ornamental plants and the danger that poses to forests; (vii) Monitoring of ash dieback; (viii) Forest fires in 2018; (ix) Other special incidents of forest damage in 2018..