Assessment of ecosystem services for urban regions in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals exemplified by the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg region

The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the conservation and protection of nature are among the greatest challenges facing urban regions. There are few approaches so far that link the SDGs to natural diversity and related ecosystem services at the local level and track them in terms of increasing sustainable development at the local level. We want to close this gap by developing a set of indicators that capture ecosystem services in the sense of the SDGs and which are based on data that are freely available throughout Germany and Europe. Based on 10 SDGs and 35 SDG indicators, we are developing an ecosystem service and biodiversity-related indicator set for the evaluation of sustainable development in urban areas. We further show that it is possible to close many of the data gaps between SDGs and locally collected data mentioned in the literature and to translate the universal SDGs to the local level. Our example develops this set of indicators for the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg metropolitan area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which comprises both rural and densely populated settlements. This set of indicators can also help improve communication and plan sustainable development by increasing transparency in local sustainability, implementing a visible sustainability monitoring system, and strengthening the collaboration between local stakeholders

Promoting mixed stands through conversion treatments. Effect of holm oak coppices thinning on black pine regeneration

The effects of conversion treatments, depending on ecological factors and silvicultural parameters (thinning intensity, thinning type and rotation, among others) have been studied during the last fifteen years in an experimental trial in Central Spain. The general climate is continental Mediterranean; soils are low depth and limy; vegetation is an homogeneous dense coppices of Quercus ilex with isolated Pinus nigra trees. The experimental design (three locations) includes different thinning intensities (from 0 to 100% of extracted basal area). Inventories have been carried out in 1994 and 2010; thinning treatments were done in 1995 and 2011. Analysis of the effects of the conversion treatment show the increment of diameter and height growth rates, the canopy recovery and the stand resprouting, finding differences in these effects between thinning treatments. Besides the induced changes at holm oak stand, the application of conversion treatment clearly changed the woodland dynamics. Fifteen years after the thinnings, floristic composition varied and an abundant pine regeneration was installed in the woodland. In this work we describe the changes between inventories in tree species composition and diameter distribution, specially in the case of black pine. The conversion treatment caused changes in forest dynamics in the short term, increasing biodiversity and diversifying the forest structure. The fast installation of Pinus regeneration suggests the potential of the zone for the establishment of multipurpose mixed Quercus-Pinus stands in wide areas where Quercus species were favoured by human populations for firewood production. Conversion treatment of coppices, with the creation of mixed stands, constitutes a good management alternative for extensive areas and an interesting technique to adaptation to global change

Stand, tree and crown variables affecting cone crop and seed yield of Aleppo pine forests in different bioclimatic regions in Tunisia

In Tunisia, the Aleppo pine seed has a great importance, since in the last decades human consumption has risen considerable. Thus its regeneration and seed production capacities are important factors to take into account to reach the necessities of the country. To study the production of cones and seeds of Aleppo pine, Tunisia’s native Aleppo pine forests were surveyed in summer 2006, using 79 plots (40 × 25 m: 1,000 m²) spread over four bioclimatic zones. Stand and tree characteristics, crown dimensions and cone/seed variables were measured from an average tree of each plot (i.e. a total of 79 trees). Recorded data were submitted to simple and multiple regression analyses for explaining the variability in crown volume and crown surface, cone number and seed yield per average tree. Results showed a negative correlation between the stand density, crown characteristics and number of cones and seeds harvested from the average tree. For crown volume and surface, age, stand density, tree height, diameter at breast height, crown diameter and crown height were important explanatory variables under multiple regression analyses. For cone number per tree, only the age, stand density and total height were the most determinant variables. Matures cone number per tree and cone mass per tree were the most informative parameters for the total seed yields per tree. Finally, forest managers should know that crown size affects cone and seed crop of the Aleppo pine individual tree grown in Tunisia, but has no effects on seed number per cone and seed mass per cone

Durability of high belite cement as new technical solution for concrete

The study presents an investigation on the durability performance of concretes produced with an industrial scale high belite cement. This binder, thanks to the high amount of C-S-H gel and the lower C3S/C2S ratio, is characterized by high durability properties. Good resistance to freeze/thaw cycles, very low chloride migration and excellent resistance to sulfate attack were demonstrated. Theaccelerated carbonation test revealed that the belite cement, due to the high C2S phase amount, is able to increase its strength over time when exposed to high CO2 concentration. Durability and strength results were compared with those of CEM I, CEM II, and CEM III. In addition, a comparison of the performance of a self-compacting concrete produced with high belite cement and CEM I (as reference) is also presented. The results show that the self-compacting concrete with the high belite cement is able to reach sufficient strengths already after 1 day of hydration, with a low heat development and improved durability properties, compared to CEM I

Influencia de la espesura de un pinar albar (Sistema Central, España) en la disponibilidad de luz y agua en el sotobosque, y la supervivencia de robles plantados en su interior

Information of tree-nurse shelterwood effects on survival of underplanted seedlings is particularly scant in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. To study light and water resources availability and survival associated to overstory density, two-year-old seedlings of Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. (sessile oak) and Quercus pyrenaica Willd. (pyrenean oak) were planted in the understory of an even-aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantation located in central Spain, which had been previously assigned to three density treatments: uncut, 33% thinned and 50% thinned of the original density, each replicated four times. Soil moisture was measured with a TDR during the first growing season after planting. Light conditions were estimated by hemispherical photography. Survival was measured at the end of the first growing season in the field and at the beginning of the next two growing seasons. The reduction in density after thinning had a positive effect on light availability and on near-surface soil moisture. Pyrenean oak had higher survival rates than sessile oak, which showed similarly high mortality rates in all three overstory treatments. Thinning had a positive effect on the survival of pyrenean oak, though irrespective of the intensity. Overall, these results point to the necessity to reduce canopy tree density in Mediterranean mountain pinewoods before carrying out enrichment plantations beneath.Con el fin de estudiar el efecto de la espesura de la cubierta forestal en la disponibilidad de luz y agua para las plantas y su supervivencia, se plantaron brinzales de dos savias de Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. (roble albar) y Quercus pyrenaica Willd. (melojo) en el interior de un pinar de Pinus sylvestris L. (pino albar) situado en el NE de la provincia de Madrid sometido previamente a tres tratamientos: clara del 33% de la densidad original, clara del 50% y ausencia de clara. Se midió la humedad volumétrica del suelo con un TDR y la disponibilidad de luz en el sotobosque por medio de fotografias hemisféricas. La supervivencia se midió al final del primer año y al comienzo del verano de los dos años siguientes. La reducción de la densidad del dosel incrementó la luz disponible en el sotobosque, la humedad de los primeros 10 cm de suelo y la supervivencia de las plantas de melojo, aunque no se apreció un efecto diferente segun la intensidad de la clara aplicada. La mortalidad de las plantas de roble albar fue elevada en todos los tratamientos, y superior a la del melojo. Estos resultados apuntan a la necesidad de reducir la espesura del pinar albar en la zona de estudio antes de llevar a cabo plantaciones con melojo en su interior

Efecto de las heladas sobre la capacidad germinativa de bellotas de encina

Un aspecto clave para lograr la regeneración de dehesas y montes bajos, los sistemas más extensos de aprovechamiento de la encina en España, son las características fisiológicas de la bellota. Se analizó la capacidad germinativa de bellotas procedentes de 15 encinas (familias) en dehesa y 15 familias en monte bajo de la misma finca, tras someterlas en laboratorio a heladas de distinta intensidad (-3ºC, -6ºC, -9ºC, -12ºC, -15ºC). Las bellotas procedentes de dehesa tuvieron una capacidad germinativa menor y con mayor variabilidad entre familias, aunque heladas incluso moderadas (-6ºC) afectaron en mayor medida a la germinación de las bellotas de montes bajos, si bien la reducción fue ya generalizada (60% en todas las familias); tras la exposición a -12ºC o inferior, la germinación fue residual en todos los casos. Se concluye que bajas temperaturas son un factor limitante para la regeneración de la encina en el interior de la península Ibérica

Integration von Planungssystemen in der Logistik – Ansatz und Anwendung

Während noch vor wenigen Jahren die meisten Produktions- oder Handelsunternehmen eigene Logistikabteilungen unterhielten, so sind Logistikfunktionen heute weitestgehend an Logistikdienstleister in Kontraktform ausgelagert. Eine der Hauptaufgaben von Logistikdienstleistern liegt in der mehrstufigen Planung logistischer Dienstleistungen für den Kunden. Sie schließt zahlreiche, meist isoliert betrachtete Planungsschritte ein. Für die Logistikplanung stellt dieser Beitrag einen Ansatz zur Integration von Planungssystemen in der Logistik auf Basis der Modellintegration vor. Am Beispiel der Prozessplanung und der Prozesssimulation wird gezeigt wie mit diesem Ansatz Modelle zwischen Planungssystemen konsistent wiederverwendet werden können

Nacimiento de una masa mixta: regeneración del pino salgareño tras aplicar resalveos de distinto peso en tallares envejecidos de encina en el centro peninsular

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos tras ejecutar resalveos de conversion de diferente peso en un tallar envejecido de encina (Quercus ilex subsp. ballota) situado en Guadalajara. El dispositivo experimental se instaló e inventarió en 1994. En 1995 se aplicaron resalveos de pesos variables entre 0 % (control) y 100 % de area basimétrica extraída. En 2010 se han realizado nuevos inventarios, encontrando una abundante egeneración de Pinus nigra a partir de pinos adultos dispersos en la zona de estudio. Dicha regeneración está significativamente relacionada con los pesos de clara aplicados y con la proximidad de pinos adultos de grandes diámetros

Mayor plasticidad fenotípica que diferenciación adaptativa entre procedencias de pino piñonero

The Mediterranean stone pine, Pinus pinea L., seems to be well adapted to the different climate zones of its distribution range that spans four thousand kilometres along the Northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. But recent molecular studies revealed it to be extremely genetically depauperate for a widespread tree. In this context, a provenances trial should elucidate whether any differentiation in adaptative traits can be identified between 34 accessions covering its natural range. The presence of strong spatial autocorrelations throughout four test sites required iterative nearest-neighbours adjustments in their statistical analysis. No significant differences in survival or ontogeny were found between accessions, while height growth was slightly though significantly more vigorous in northern or inland provenances. But these differences were masked by a common, stable reaction norm in dependence on site and microsite. On the other hand, its strong developmental plasticity allows the stone pine to delay the heteroblastic phase change in order to survive in unfavourable conditions, a clear advantage in the limiting and unpredictable environments of Mediterranean ecosystems.El pino piñonero, Pinus pinea L., está aparentemente adaptado a diferentes zonas climáticas a lo largo de los cuatro mil kilómetros de su rango de distribución en el Mediterráneo. Sin embargo, estudios moleculares recientes le han descrito como genéticamente muy empobrecido para ser un árbol de amplia distribución. En este contexto, el presente ensayo de procedencias estudió la presencia de diferenciación en características adaptativas entre 34 procedencias representativas de su rango de distribución. Debido a la presencia de autocorrelaciones espaciales en los cuatro sitios de ensayo, el análisis estadístico usó ajustes iterativos basados en los vecinos más próximos de cada árbol. No se observaron diferencias significativas entre procedencias respecto a supervivencia y desarrollo ontogénico, pero el crecimiento en altura fue ligera, aunque significativamente mayor en procedencias del interior o mayor latitud. Sin embargo, estas diferencias fueron muy inferiores al efecto del sitio o micrositio, común para todas las procedencias. Por último, se observó que su alta plasticidad ontogénica le permite al pino piñonero retrasar en condiciones desfavorables el cambio de fase vegetativa a follaje y crecimiento adulto durante varios años para sobrevivir en forma juvenil, lo que es un recurso estratégico más para ambientes limitantes e impredecibles de los ecosistemas mediterráneos