Biophilia: Nature-based solutions for sustainable cities

Cities currently face a number of environmental issues which influence the wellbeing and every-day lives of millions worldwide. The latest United Nations projections indicate that world population will reach 10 billion by the year 2050. In response to rapid population growth, we need to find innovative approaches (e.g. biophilia, ecopolis and ecocities) to design more liveable, healthy, sustainable and resilient cities. Urban green infrastructure (UGI) provides multiple ecosystem services and promotes societal wellbeing and health in cities. However, nature-based solutions (NBS) and UGI have rarely been studied in Russian cities. This paper presents the background, research methodology and preliminary results of the Biophilic Vladivostok project. This multidisciplinary study will integrate environmental psychology, ecology, human geography, visual computing, landscape architecture and environmental planning and management. It will also evaluate the potential of NBS for healing unhealthy, poorly urbanised neighbourhoods and suburbs. One of the overall goals of our research is to assess the ecosystem services provided by urban green infrastructure. Specific objectives of this research are: (1) to identify monitoring and evaluation indicators (i.e. biodiversity, percentage of urban green space, green infrastructure, and tree cover fractions) for biophilic planning; (2) to assess ecosystem services (i.e. regulating services such as air quality regulation and carbon storage and sequestration, provisioning food production via edible green infrastructure, identifying cultural services by involving social and psychological methods); and (3) to develop possible applications of biophilic planning within the overall urban landscape of Vladivostok. This research will have a practical outcome and local relevance by improving community awareness and cooperation, i.e. by enhancing quality of life for residents. It can ultimately become a framework for decision making and developing an exemplar future-based tool for creating sustainable cities throughout the Asia-Pacific Region and beyond

The global naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database

This dataset provides the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, ver-sion 1.2. Glo NAF represents a data compendium on th e occurrence and identit y of naturalizedalien vascular plant taxa across geographic regions (e.g. countries, states, provinces, districts,islands) around the globe. The dataset includes 13,939 taxa and covers 1,029 regions (including381 islands). The dataset is based on 210 data sources. For each ta x on-b y-region combination, wepr ovide information on whether the tax on is consider ed to be naturalized in the specific region(i.e. has established self-sustaining popula tions in the wild). Non-native taxa are marked as“alien”, when it is not clear whether they are naturalized. To facilitate alignment with other plantdatabases, we pro v ide f or each taxon the name as given in the original data source and the stan-dardized taxon and family names used by The Plant List Version 1.1 (http://www.theplantlist.org/). We pro vide an ESRI shapefile including polygons f or each region and informa tion on whetherit is an island or a mainland region, the country and the Taxonomic Databases Working Group(TDWG) regions it is part of (TDWG levels 1–4). We also provide several variables that can beused to filter the data according to quality and completeness of alien taxon lists, which varyamong the combinations of regions and da ta sources. A pre vious version of the GloNAF dataset(version 1.1) has already been used in several studies on, for example, historical spatial flows oftaxa between continents and geographical patterns and determinants of naturalization across dif-ferent taxonomic groups. We intend the updated and expanded GloNAF version presented hereto be a global resource useful for studying plant inv asions and changes in biodiversity from regio-nal to global scales. We release these data into the public domain under a Crea ti ve CommonsZer o license waiver (https://creati v ecommons.org/share-y our -work/public-domain/cc0/). Wheny ou use the da ta in your publication, we request that y ou cite this da ta paper. If GloN AF is amajor part of the data analyzed in your study, you should consider inviting the GloNAF coreteam (see Metadata S1: Originators in the Overall project description) as collaborators. If youplan to use the GloNAF dataset, we encourage y ou to contact the GloNAF core team to checkwhether there have been recent updates of the dataset, and whether similar analyses are already ongoing

THE PHYTOCENOTIC VARIETY OF THE PLATYPHYLLOUS-CEDAR FORESTS OF THE MIDDLE SEAKHOTE-ALIN

The purpose of the work: to reveal and evaluate the variety of the platyphyllous-cedar forests of the Middle Seakhote-Alin in the floristic, phytocenotic aspects, and to give its cozological characteristic. For the first time, for the platyphyllous-cedar forests of the Middle Seakhote-Alin, the cenoflora of the formation has been revealed and analyzed, and the comparison with the cenofloras of the formations-markers of the main altitude belts of the vegetation has been performed. Described have been 9 new vegetative associations, 19 groups of associations, 1 class of associations; the classification of the communities vegetation by the criteria of the rare - common cases has been developed; 11 rare associations, 1 rare group and 1 rare class of the associations have been isolated for the platyphyllous-cedar forests of the Middle Seakhote-Alin. The developed phytocenotic classification, the original materials have been used for the geobotanic justification of the design of 4 national parks on the territory of the Primorsk krai; the materials of the work have been used in the development TEO of the Dalnerechensky GEC to be designedAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio

Scientia silvica extension series, no. 23

Knowledge of ecological characteristics of sites and growth of trees on different sites is fundamental for silvicultural decision-making and planning. With the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification in place in British Columbia, silvicultural management has been given an ecological foundation; however, relationships between growth and site quality have not yet been fully investigated, particularly for high-elevation tree species and sites. One of the contributing factors for this situation is limited knowledge of forest productivity in the high-elevation Mountain Hemlock (MH) and Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir (ESSF) biogeoclimatic zones. Consequently, the management and planning in the high-elevation forest is fraught with difficulties and uncertainties. Current harvest rates of old-growth forest stands and the method and distribution of cuttings in these zones suggest that there needs to be more recognition of the uppermost elevation limit for harvesting. Subalpine fir (Bl), Engelmann spruce (Se), and lodgepole pine (Pl) are important timber crop species in the interior high-elevation forest which is represented predominantly by the subalpine boreal ESSF zone. This zone extends from 49° to approximately 57° N latitude and from approximately 900 to 1,700 m in the north, from 1,200 to 2,100 m in central BC, and from 1,500 to 2,300 m in the south. In view of this relatively wide climatic and edaphic amplitude, a large variability in productivity is expected. The objective of this study was to quantify relationships between site index (height @ 50 yrs @ bh) of Bl, Se, and Pl, and three ecological determinants of site quality: climate, soil moisture, and soil nutrients. Quantitative relationships between site index and these measures provide predictive models for estimating site index. Additionally, we compared the site indices of the three study species to each other to examine their early height growth performance on the same sites.Forestry, Faculty ofForest Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacult

Trembling aspen height-age models for British Columbia

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), a common hardwood species in the interior of British Columbia, Canada is becoming an increasingly important timber crop species, especially in the northeast corner of the province. Better growth and yield information for aspen is required to manage this species properly. Height-age models for estimating site height and site index are provided in this paper. One-hundred and thirty-five stem analysis plots were established in six biogeoclimatic zones. Three trees in the 0.04 ha plots were selected and stem analysed, and ecological data were collected at each plot. The stem analysis data were split into a model calibration and test data set. Two models were fit to the calibration data: a base model and an extended model that is calibrated for the six biogeoclimatic zones. Both models adequately estimate the height of trembling aspen in British Columbia. The base model was compared to two models for aspen in Alberta, which showed that there were no large differences in the height growth of aspen, except on lower productivity sites

Scientia silvica extension series, no. 9

The importance of humus form or forest floor as a principal component of terrestrial forest ecosystems has led to the development of a taxonomic classification of humus forms for BC (first approximation: Klinka et al. 1981; second approximation: Green et al. 1993). This classification, as all others, is based on the field-observable (morphological) features because we expect that they reflect differences in the nature and development of humus forms. However, there is a continuing need to test (1) whether humus forms that appear different are in fact different in their physical, chemical, and biotic properties, and (2) the portability of the classification outside the area in which it was developed. As a result of recent studies of the biotic component of humus forms and recent testing of the classification outside British Columbia (Scandinavia, southeastern Russia, and northeastern China), we have recognized several new diagnostic horizons, and hence new taxa. In this pamphlet, we present synopsis of the third approximation of the classification for review and testing. For more detailed information on the background, methodology, and classification of humus forms, the readers should consult Green et al. (1993). Each humus form is represented by the sequence of organic and mineral horizons that constitute the humus form profile. Identification of a humus form, i.e., giving it a name, requires description of the humus form profile – the identification of master and subordinate horizons. For this reason we have included a description of the horizon designations as well as a synopsis of the classification and a key to the identification of humus forms.Forestry, Faculty ofForest Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacult

Scientia silvica extension series, no. 27

This full report presents the first approximation of vegetation classification of trembling aspen ecosystems in interior British Columbia. The classification is based on a total of 186 plots sampled during the summers of 1995, 1997 and 1998. We used multivariate and tabular methods to synthesize and classify ecosystems according to the Braun-Blanquet approach and the methods of biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification. The aspen ecosystems were classified into 15 basic vegetation units (associations or subassociations) that were grouped into four alliances. Communities of the Populus tremuloides – Mertensia paniculata, and Populus tremuloides – Elymus innovatus alliances were aligned with the boreal Picea glauca & mariana order and were distributed predominantly in the Boreal White and Black Spruce zone; communities of the Populus tremuloides – Thalictrum occidentale alliance were also aligned with the same order, but were distributed predominantly in the Sub-Boreal Spruce zone; communities of the Populus tremuloides – Symphoricarpos albus alliance were aligned with the wetter cool temperate Tsuga heterophylla order and the drier cool temperate Pseudotsuga menziesii order and were distributed in the Sub-boreal Spruce, Interior Western Hemlock, Montane Spruce, and Interior Douglas-fir zones. We describe the vegatation and environmental features of these units and present vegetation and environmental tables for individual plots and units.Forestry, Faculty ofForest Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacult

Scientia silvica extension series, no. 32

The boreal forest is confined to the Northern Hemisphere and is the most continuous and extensive forest in the world. In North America boreal forest extends from the Pacific to Atlantic coast spanning over 10° latitude. White spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), black spruce (P. mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) are among the dominant tree species. Black spruce and trembling aspen may form pure stands and occupy similar sites as their edaphic amplitudes overlap; however, spruce is rare on water-deficient sites and aspen does not tolerate excess water. Despite many studies conducted in the North American boreal forest, little is known about relationships between the boreal understory vegetation and softwood or hardwood canopy species in different climate regions. Furthermore, the variation in species diversity and succession between the stands dominated by coniferous trees and those dominated by broadleaved trees within the same region is unknown. The objectives of this study are to determine (1) the difference in the species diversity and floristic composition of understory vegetation between black spruce and trembling aspen stands within the same climatic region, and (2) how the species diversity and floristic composition of understory vegetation in each stand type vary with climate, and soil moisture and soil nutrient conditions.Forestry, Faculty ofForest Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacult

Trembling Aspen Height-Age Models for British Columbia

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), a common hardwood species in the interior of British Columbia, Canada is becoming an increasingly important timber crop species, especially in the northeast corner of the province. Better growth and yield information for aspen is required to manage this species properly. Height-age models for estimating site height and site index are provided in this paper. One-hundred and thirty-five stem analysis plots were established in six biogeoclimatic zones. Three trees in the 0.04 ha plots were selected and stem analysed, and ecological data were collected at each plot. The stem analysis data were split into a model calibration and test data set. Two models were fit to the calibration data: a base model and an extended model that is calibrated for the six biogeoclimatic zones. Both models adequately estimate the height of trembling aspen in British Columbia. The base model was compared to two models for aspen in Alberta, which showed that there were no large differences in the height growth of aspen, except on lower productivity sites.Nigh et al "Trembling aspen height-age models for British Columbia." Northwest Science. 2002; 76(3): 202-21