Soil biomass characteristics under different silvopastoral threatments

The main purpose of the present research was the study of the combined effect of the thinning of brutia pine (Firms brutia Ten.) plantations and the legume seeding or fertilization on productivity of these plantations. More specifically, the interaction between the trees and the understorey vegetation was studied in combination with total soil nitrogen accumulation. Two experimental areas were selected, one at the low and the other at the middle elevation zone of northern Greece. The experimental areas were located at the Forest Research Institute Experimental Sites at Loutra Thermis near Thessaloniki and at Chrysopigi of Serres. A split-plot experimental design was applied in both areas. At the low elevation zone (Thermi), a thinning of brutia pine trees was carried out and three spacings were created: 2x4, 3x6 and 4x8 m. or 1240, 550 and 310 trees per hectare, respectively, in two replications. The whole area was seeded with the grass Phalaris aquatica. In each spacing, three understorey treatments were applied: a) seeding of Trifolium subterraneum and Mdicago lupulina, b) fertilizer application (nitrate ammonia) and c) the control. At the middle elevation zone (Chrysopigi), three degrees of shading were selected (high, medium and low), according to the light intensity, in three replications. The dominant grass Festuca valesiaca was well adapted under the trees. The understorey treatments were the same with Thermi. The results were the following: The reduction of tree canopy closure resulted in an increase of tree diameter and biomass of the understorey vegetation at Thermi, while it had no significant effects at Chrysopigi. It did not affect the total soil nitrogen at Thermi, but it caused a light increase of it at Chrysopigi. The understorey treatments did not affect the tree growth. At Thermi, the highest biomass production was observed in the fertilization treatment that was 25% greater than the legume seeded treatment and 42% greater than the control. At Chrysopigi, fertilization and legume seeding did not differ in biomass production, which was greater than that of the control treatment. Moisture had probably an important role at biomass production, especially during the second dry year. Limited light intensity was one of the main factors that reduced the biomass production at the dense stands during the first wet year. The cover of the understorey vegetation increased by legume seeding at both areas. The greater yield of the legume treatment was observed at the medium tree spacing at Thermi and at the low degree of shading at Chrysopigi. The seeded legumes balanced the greater yield from fertilization at Thermi, while at Chrysopigi, seeded legumes and fertilization had the same results on the biomass of understorey vegetation.Η συνδυασμένη επίδραση της αραίωσης φυτειών τραχείας πεύκης και της σποράς ψυχανθών ή λίπανσης στην παραγωγικότητα των φυτειών αυτών αποτελούσε τον κύριο σκοπό της παρούσας εργασίας. Συγκεκριμένα μελετήθηκαν οι αλληλεπιδράσεις των δέντρων και των φυτών της υποβλάστησης, καθώς και η περιεκτικότητα του εδάφους σε άζωτο. Επιλέχθηκαν δύο πειραματικές επιφάνειες, μία στη χαμηλή και μία στην ημιορεινή ζώνη της βόρειας Ελλάδας. Οι δύο επιφάνειες βρίσκονται στις εγκαταστάσεις του Ινστιτούτου Δασικών Ερευνών στα Λουτρά Θέρμης και στη Χρυσοπηγή Σερρών αντίστοιχα. Το πειραματικό σχέδιο που εφαρμόστηκε ήταν ομάδες με υποομάδες. Στη χαμηλή ζώνη (Θέρμη) έγινε αραίωση των δέντρων τραχείας πεύκης ηλικίας 30 ετών και δημιουργήθηκαν τρεις φυτευτικοί σύνδεσμοι: 2x4, 3x6 και 4x8 μ. ή 1240, 550 και 310 δέντρα / εκτάριο αντίστοιχα, σε δύο επαναλήψεις, που αποτελούσαν τις ομάδες. Σε όλη την επιφάνεια έγινε σπορά με το αγρωστώδες Phalaris aquatica. Σε κάθε φυτευτικό σύνδεσμο εφαρμόστηκαν τρεις χειρισμοί υποβλάστησης: α) σπορά με ψυχανθή (Trifolium subterraneum KaiMedicago lupulina), s) λίπανση με άζωτο (νιτρική αμμωνία) και γ) μάρτυρας (καμιά επέμβαση), που αποτελούσαν τις υποομάδες. Στη μεσαία ζώνη (Χρυσοπηγή), όπου τα δέντρα ήταν ηλικίας 60 ετών περίπου, ορίστηκαν τρεις βαθμοί σκίασης (μεγάλος, μέτριος, μικρός) ανάλογα με το ποσοστό φωτός που διαπερνούσε την κόμη των δέντρων, σε τρεις επαναλήψεις. Σπορά αγρωστωδών δεν έγινε γιατί υπήρχε ήδη το αυτοφυές Festuca valesiaca. Οι χειρισμοί της υποβλάστησης ήταν οι ίδιοι μεαυτούς της Θέρμης. Τα αποτελέσματα ήταν τα ακόλουθα: Η μείωση της συγκόμωσης προκάλεσε αύξηση της διαμέτρου των δέντρων και της παραγωγής των φυτών της υποβλάστησης στην επιφάνεια της Θέρμης, ενώ στη Χρυσοπηγή δεν είχε καμιά επίδραση. Το ολικό άζωτο του εδάφους δεν μεταβλήθηκε με τη μείωση της συγκόμωσης των δέντρων στη Θέρμη, ενώ στη Χρυσοπηγή αυξήθηκε ελαφρά. Οι χειρισμοί της υποβλάστησης δεν επηρέασαν την αύξηση των δέντρων κυρίωςλόγω της σχετικά μεγάλης ηλικίας των δέντρων. Η λίπανση με άζωτο είχε ως αποτέλεσμα την αύξηση της παραγωγής των φυτών του υπορόφου κατά 25% σε σχέση με τη σπορά ψυχανθών και κατά 42% σε σχέση με το μάρτυρα στη χαμηλή ζώνη. Στη μεσαία ζώνη, η σπορά με ψυχανθή και η λίπανση με άζωτο δε διέφεραν, ενώ είχαν σημαντικά μεγαλύτερη παραγωγή από το μάρτυρα. Η υγρασία πιθανόν ήταν ο παράγοντας που καθόρισε το ύψος της παραγωγής, ιδιαίτερα κατά το δεύτερο έτος που ήταν πολύ ξηρό, ενώ πιθανόν το μειωμένο φως που διαπερνούσε την κόμη των δέντρων στους πυκνούς συνδέσμους ήταν ο παράγοντας που μείωσε την παραγωγή κατά το πρώτο υγρό έτος. Η σπορά ψυχανθών αύξησε την κάλυψη της βλάστησης και στις δύο επιφάνειες. Η μεγαλύτερη παραγωγή της σποράς ψυχανθών παρατηρήθηκε στο μεσαίο φυτευτικό σύνδεσμο στη χαμηλή ζώνη και στο μικρό βαθμό σκίασης στην μεσαία ζώνη. Τα πλεονεκτήματα της σποράς των ψυχανθών στη χαμηλή ζώνη, ισορροπούσαν τη μικρότερη παραγωγή σε σχέση με τη λίπανση, ενώ στη μεσαία είχαν τα ίδια αποτελέσματα στην παραγωγή του υπορόφου

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Olive Agroforestry Practices in Northern Greece

Preservation and promotion of agroforestry systems entails the ideology for more ecosystem services, additional biodiversity benefits and climate change mitigation. Furthermore, farmland and forest landscapes and the consequent benefits to the environment from their combination, enhance the importance of agroforestry systems towards sustainable environmental policies. Nevertheless, traditional agroforestry systems face significant adaptation problems, especially in the EU, due to continuous economic reforms and strict agri-environmental measures. In this context our main goal is to assess the current managerial framework of two agroforestry systems and more specifically the olive agroforestry practices in Northern Greece. The economic and environmental implications of four different production plans are highlighted following the Life Cycle Costing and the Life Cycle Assessment protocols. The production plans include the simultaneous cultivation of annual crops, such as vetch and barley, along with olive groves. Potential environmental impacts are depicted in CO2 equivalents, while the economic allocation of costs is divided in targeted categories (e.g., raw materials, labor, land rent, etc.). The results indicate significant deviations among the four production plans, with the combination of olive trees and barley being heavily dependent on fertilization. Furthermore, the open-spaced olive trees intercropped with a mixture of barley and commonly depicted the lowest CO2 eq. emissions, though the economic cost was significantly higher than the other agroforestry system intercropped with barley only. The authors suggest that the formulation of a decision support system for agroforestry systems should be taken into account in order to preserve current agroforestry systems

Impact of Transhumant Livestock Grazing Abandonment on Pseudo-Alpine Grasslands in Greece in the Context of Climatic Change

Pseudo-alpine grassland ecosystems have started to decline during the past few decades. According to many studies, climate change and abandonment of traditional anthropogenic activities are directly linked to this phenomenon. However, the interaction of these two factors with pseudo-alpine grasslands has not been studied in Greece. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of climatic change and abandonment of transhumant livestock grazing on pseudo-alpine grassland ecosystems structure and stability in Mt Vermio and Mt Zireia. Geographic Information System data on land use/land cover from 1945 and 2020, as well as climatological and livestock data, have been examined and presented. Landscape metrics were also used to quantify landscape structure changes. Although both mountains’ pseudo-alpine grasslands have reduced in size, Mt Zireia has experienced an upward treeline shift, which seems to be the result of climate change, while in Mt Vermio, the more severe transhumance abandonment caused horizontal tree expansion. There are strong indications that a rise in temperature is the main driver for the upward increase in treeline

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Olive Agroforestry Practices in Northern Greece

Preservation and promotion of agroforestry systems entails the ideology for more ecosystem services, additional biodiversity benefits and climate change mitigation. Furthermore, farmland and forest landscapes and the consequent benefits to the environment from their combination, enhance the importance of agroforestry systems towards sustainable environmental policies. Nevertheless, traditional agroforestry systems face significant adaptation problems, especially in the EU, due to continuous economic reforms and strict agri-environmental measures. In this context our main goal is to assess the current managerial framework of two agroforestry systems and more specifically the olive agroforestry practices in Northern Greece. The economic and environmental implications of four different production plans are highlighted following the Life Cycle Costing and the Life Cycle Assessment protocols. The production plans include the simultaneous cultivation of annual crops, such as vetch and barley, along with olive groves. Potential environmental impacts are depicted in CO2 equivalents, while the economic allocation of costs is divided in targeted categories (e.g., raw materials, labor, land rent, etc.). The results indicate significant deviations among the four production plans, with the combination of olive trees and barley being heavily dependent on fertilization. Furthermore, the open-spaced olive trees intercropped with a mixture of barley and commonly depicted the lowest CO2 eq. emissions, though the economic cost was significantly higher than the other agroforestry system intercropped with barley only. The authors suggest that the formulation of a decision support system for agroforestry systems should be taken into account in order to preserve current agroforestry systems

Natura 2000 payments for private forest owners in Rural Development Programmes 2007–2013 - a comparative view

The role of Natura 2000 network is to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. Ecologically valuable forest ecosystems are often owned or managed by private forest owners. Natura 2000 benefits communities by enhancing tourism, regional brands and marketing. In private forests, however, its restrictions imposed on land owners cause financial losses in comparison to the usual forest management. The paper compares the level at which the compensation mechanism within the European Rural Development Programmes (RDP) for the period 2007–2013 was implemented in seven European Union countries - Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia. The research focuses on compensation and restrictions within Measure 224 - Natura 2000 Payments - imposed on forest owners in Natura 2000 sites. To obtain the data, a non-reactive research method was applied using a content analysis of the existing documentation. The data sources include European and national statistics and expert knowledge based on common terms of reference. The results show that due to substantial gaps in the implementation of Measure 224 across the EU, there are significant differences in compensation and restrictions for private forest owners in individual countries of the European Union (EU). As opposed to the initial expectations of the measure, the financial support reached less than a third of the forest holdings and less than half of the forest land. The member states (MSs) which implemented the measure spent 92% of their original budget on average. Moreover, rural development funds for private forest owners are very limited and the implementation of Measure 224 says nothing about the success of Natura 2000 with regard to biodiversity targets in private forests. One approach to financing Natura 2000 network is a comprehensive use of all existing EU funds, another would be to propose own Natura 2000 fund

Reading, listening, experiencing the city. An audio-visual analysis of the urban web, after a tour in a main street in Rethymnon (Stamathioudaki street, Koumpes Beach)

Περίληψη: Η παρούσα ερευνητική εργασία έχει ως σκοπό της την μελέτη του αστικού ιστού και την ανάλυση του, σε σχέση με τις δύο κυριότερες αισθήσεις του ανθρώπινου εγκεφάλου, την όραση και την ακοή. Ο συνδυασμός των οπτικών και ακουστικών ερεθισμάτων που αφομοιώνονται απο τον παρατηρητή, οδηγεί τελικά στο βίωμα του αστικού ιστού. Αυτή η διαδικασία γίνεται ακόμα πιο έντονη σε συγκεκριμένα σημεία ενδιαφέροντος ή αναφοράς μέσα στο αστικό τοπίο. Η ύπαρξη τέτοιων σημείων, βοηθάει τον κάθε περιπλανητή στο να αναγνώσει την πόλη και τελικά να την αξιολογήσει, με βάση την ψυχολογική κατάσταση στην οποία κάθε φορά βρίσκεται. Μία επιπλέον παράμετρος που έχει επίπτωση στο βίωμα του αστικού ιστού, είναι οι πιθανές αστικές μεταβολές που συμβαίνουν στη διάρκεια του χρόνου και γίνονται αντιληπτές από τους εκάστοτε χρήστες. Οι παραπάνω θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις θα χρησιμοποιηθούν ως εργαλεία για την μελέτη τμήματος της πόλης του Ρεθύμνου, (Οδός Σταμαθιουδάκη, Παραλία Κουμπέ). Η συγκεκριμένη αστική ανάλυση θα περιέχει διαγράμματα σχετικά με τα οπτικά και ακουστικά χαρακτηριστικά της περιοχής, τα σημεία ενδιαφέροντος ή αναφοράς που υπάρχουν σε αυτήν και τον τρόπο με τον οποίo μπορεί να δεχθεί αστικές μεταβολές. Η ανάλυση σε τελική φάση, θα οδηγήσει σε μία αξιολόγηση της περιοχής, η οποία θα σχετίζεται με την ψυχολογική κατάσταση του κάθε περιπλανητή που κινείται μέσα σε αυτήν.Presented on

Creating multi-functional spaces. Creation of a new point of interest for concerts and exhibitions in Koumpes, Rethymnon

Περίληψη: To έργο αποτελεί μια αστικού τύπου ανάπλαση ενός αστικού κενού επί της οδού Σταμαθιουδάκη στο ρέθυμνο, με σκοπό να δημιουργηθεί ένας πολυχώρος ικανός να φιλοξενήσει μουσικά και πολιτιστικά δρώμεν

Mixtures of forest and agroforestry alleviate trade-offs between ecosystem services in European rural landscapes

Rural Europe encompasses a variety of landscapes with differing levels of forest, agriculture, and agroforestry that can deliver multiple ecosystem services (ES). Whilst provisioning and regulating ES associated with individual land covers are comparatively well studied, less is known about the associated cultural ES. Only seldom are provisioning, regulating, and cultural ES investigated together to evaluate how they contribute to multifunctionality. In this study we combined biophysical and sociocultural approaches to assess how different landscapes (dominated by forest, agriculture or agroforestry) and landscape characteristics (i.e. remoteness and landscape diversity) drive spatial associations of ES (i.e. synergies, trade-offs and bundles). We analysed data of: i) seven provisioning and regulating ES (spatially modelled), and; ii) six cultural ES (derived from participatory mapping data) in 12 study sites across four different biogeographical regions of Europe. Our results showed highly differentiated ES profiles for landscapes associated to a specific land cover, with agroforestry generally providing higher cultural ES than forest and agriculture. We found a positive relationship between the proportion of forest in a landscape and provisioning and regulating ES, whilst agriculture showed negative relationships. We found four distinct bundles of ES. Three of them were directly related to a dominant land cover and the fourth to a mixture of forest and agroforestry that was associated with high social value. The latter bundle was related to zones close to urban areas and roads and medium to high landscape diversity. These findings suggest that agroforestry should be prioritised over other land covers in such areas as it delivers a suite of multiple ES, provided it is close to urban areas or roads. Our results also illustrate the importance and application of including people’s perception in the assessment of ES associations and highlight the relevance of developing integrated analyses of ES to inform landscape management decisions