Deadwood volume assessment in the third Swiss National Forest Inventory: methods and first results

The Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI) is expected to provide reliable data about the current state of the Swiss forests and recent changes. Since the first Swiss NFI (1982-1986) a deadwood assessment has been part of the inventory. However, the definition of deadwood used was restricted and only parts of the total deadwood volume were assessed. A broader definition was therefore used in the second NFI (1993-1995) and coarse wood debris (CWD) was also assessed using line intersect sampling in the third NFI (2004-2006). This paper discusses the development of the definition of deadwood from the first to the third Swiss NFI, as well as the tally rules and estimators used in assessing deadwood in the ongoing third NFI. Different definitions of deadwood were applied in two Swiss regions and the resulting volume estimates were compared. The definition of deadwood appears to be crucial for the estimate of deadwood volumes, which were significantly underestimated in the first and second Swiss NFI. The minimum diameter and other limits applied must be chosen with special care. Up to 30m3/ha of deadwood was found in Swiss forests varying with the region. There was little evidence of significant correlations between deadwood volume and such forest parameters as management, site or stand attributes. The proposed target values for the volume of deadwood have been generally reached, whereas the number of snags per hectare has no

Longitudinal validity of spirometers--a challenge in longitudinal studies.

Pulmonary function testing (PFT) in longitudinal studies involves the repeated use of spirometers over long time periods. We assess the comparability of PFT results taken under biologic field conditions using thirteen certified devices of various technology and age. Comparability of measurements across devices and over time is relevant both in clinical and epidemiological research. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) and Forced Expiratory Flow 50% (FEF50) were compared before and after the data collection of the Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) and the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) cohort studies. Three test series were conducted with 46, 50 and 56 volunteers using various combinations of spirometers to compare the eight flow-sensing spirometers (Sensormedics 2200) used in the SAPALDIA cross-sectional and follow-up, two new flow-sensing instruments (Sensormedics Vmax) and three volume displacement spirometers (two Biomedin/Baires and one Sensormedics 2400). The initial comparison (1999/2000) of eight Sensormedics 2200 and the follow-up comparison (2003) of the same devices revealed a maximal variation of up to 2.6% for FVC, 2.4% for FEV1 and 2.8% for FEF50 across devices with no indication of systematic differences between spirometers. Results were also reproducible between Biomedin, Sensormedics 2200 and 2400. The new generation of Sensormedics (Vmax) gave systematically lower results. The study demonstrates the need to conduct spirometer comparison tests with humans. For follow-up studies we strongly recommend the use of the same spirometers

Deadwood volume assessment in the third Swiss National Forest Inventory: Methods and first results

ISSN:1612-4677ISSN:1612-466

Optogenetically stimulating intact rat corticospinal tract post-stroke restores motor control through regionalized functional circuit formation

Existing methods to improve motor function after stroke include non-specific neuromodulatory approaches. Here the authors use an automated method of analysis of reaching behaviour in rodents to show that optogenetic stimulation of intact corticospinal tract fibres leads to restoration of prior motor functions, rather than compensatory acquisition of new movements

Totholz im Wald. Entstehung, Bedeutung und Förderung

Das durchschnittliche Totholzvolumen im Schweizer Wald reicht für den Erhalt vieler Totholzorganismen aus. Um anspruchsvolle Arten, die auf viel Totholz in einer bestimmten Qualität angewiesen sind, zu fördern, sind gezielte Massnahmen nötig. Geeignete Instrumente für die Förderung solcher Arten sind Naturwaldreservate oder Altholzinseln. Obschon die Totholzmenge im Schweizer Wald seit einigen Jahrzehnten zunimmt, sind die Ziele im Bereich der Totholzförderung noch nicht erreicht. Die Totholzförderung kann auf verschiedenen Ebenen, von der regionalen Planung bis zur Holzernte, stattfinden. In Form von Waldreservaten und Altholzinseln wird die Totholzförderung mit dem Waldeigentümer vertraglich langfristig gesichert (segregativer Ansatz). In Betriebsplänen sollte das Stehenlassen von Totholz und Habitatbäumen als Ziel formuliert sein (integrativer Ansatz). Umgekehrt gefährden herabfallende tote Äste Waldbesucher und Waldarbeiter. Letztlich gehören Waldreservate, Habitatbäume und Altholzinseln zu einer modernen Waldbewirtschaftung. Daher ist mit allfälligen Gefahren zu rechnen. Obwohl bis heute kein juristischer Präzedenzfall in Zusammenhang mit Totholz in der Schweiz bekannt ist, bleibt die juristische Situation für die Waldeigentümer und Bewirtschafter unbefriedigend. Die zunehmende Nachfrage nach Energieholz könnte den Trend zu mehr Totholz im Schweizer Wald stoppen oder sogar umkehren. Sowohl das Erhalten der Biodiversität als auch die Nutzung erneuerbarer Energiequellen sind Ziele einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Die Herausforderung im Wald wird darin bestehen, die nachwachsende Ressource Holz so zu nutzen, dass dies nicht zu Lasten der Biodiversität geschieht

Joining criteria for harmonizing European forest available for wood supply estimates. Case studies from national forest inventories

For national and international reporting on forest available for wood supply (FAWS), harmonized data are needed. This information is required as forests provide goods for various sectors like the timber industry or the bioenergy sector. The effect of applying different thresholds to the three restriction classes (environmental, social and economic restriction) within the proposed reference definition for FAWS was evaluated. We applied the reference definition for FAWS to national data sets provided by five European National Forest Inventories using harmonized thresholds. The effects on FAWS area and growing stock were evaluated for each restriction and threshold. All countries within this study could report on protected areas. Social restrictions were not applied in any country, data on other restrictions are available but definitions vary. The application of common thresholds for restrictions proved difficult as effects vary between countries. The economic restriction is the most challenging to assess as many countries do not have corresponding data for direct calculation of, e.g.;harvesting costs. Using proxies for harvesting costs was difficult, as common thresholds may not be applied in different countries. For standardized reporting, a FAWS definition should be developed that utilizes existing, harmonized indicators to describe restrictions. © 2016 by the authors

Modernisation and the practices of contemporary food shopping

This paper examines the relationship between modernisation, consumption, and society, challenging received ideas about the distinction between ‘modern’ and ‘premodern’ geographies of food consumption. While conventional accounts posit a historical progression from premodern to modern forms of consumption, associated with the rise of the supermarket and the demise of the corner store, we argue that such distinctions may, in fact, refer less to a historical process of transition than to a contrast between different forms of contemporary sociality, experienced simultaneously in different sites of consumption. By drawing critically on the work of Augé and his contrast between places and nonplaces, these ideas are then put to work empirically in an examination of contemporary food shopping in Germany, focusing particularly on notions of consumer trust. A practice-based and ethnographically informed account of food shopping in Germany shows how distinctions between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ forms of consumption involve historicised accounts of contemporary consumption spaces and their associated socialities rather than referring to historical differences per se