72 research outputs found
Adapting forest health assessments to changing perspectives on threats – a case example from Sweden
A revised Swedish forest health assessment
system is presented. The assessment system
is composed of several interacting components
which target information needs for strategic
and operational decision making and accommodate
a continuously expanding knowledge base.
The main motivation for separating information
for strategic and operational decision making is
that major damage outbreaks are often scattered
throughout the landscape. Generally, large-scale
inventories (such as national forest inventories)
cannot provide adequate information for mitigation
measures. In addition to broad monitoring
programs that provide time-series information on
known damaging agents and their effects, there
is also a need for local and regional inventories
adapted to specific damage events. While information
for decision making is the major focus of
the health assessment system, the system also contributes
to expanding the knowledge base of forest
conditions. For example, the integrated monitoring
programs provide a better understanding of
ecological processes linked to forest health. The
new health assessment system should be able to
respond to the need for quick and reliable information
and thus will be an important part of the
future monitoring of Swedish forests
Fine root classification matters : nutrient levels in different functional categories, orders and diameters of roots in boreal Pinus sylvestris across a latitudinal gradient
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
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