Growth and mycorrhizal colonisation of naturally regenerating Scots pine Pinus sylvestris (L.) in relation to microsite conditions created by different site preparation methods

Mechanical site preparation (MSP) is recommended for natural regeneration of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The study aimed at comparing the effects of three MSP methods [LPz 75 double-mouldboard forest plough (FP), single-mouldboard U-162 active plough (AP) and FAO-FAR FV 4088 forest cutter (FC)] which in different ways interfere with the soil environment and influence the growth of naturally regenerating Scots pine seedlings and their mycorrhizal colonisation in the first year after self sowing. Pine seedlings growing within and outside strips prepared with FC did not have different growth parameters and mycorrhizal colonisation, but those from ridges were bigger and less mycorrhized than seedlings growing in furrows. This difference was bigger in FP than in AP and was probably caused by more favourable trophic conditions and presence of polyphenols in ridges. Removal of the organic layer in furrows did not limit a degree of mycorrhizal colonisation. Ploughing direction had no significant impact on pine features analysed. The trend towards improved growth in furrows formed with FP can be noticed in NW-SE variant. Higher mycorrhizal colonisation was found in seedlings growing in all microsites in the NW-SE variant. However, these differences were not confirmed statistically. Growth parameters of pines located within the area the edge and in the centre of the experimental clear-cut were to a great measure influenced by light conditions; seedlings from the edge were higher, had less lateral shoots, and shorter roots than those growing in the middle of the clear-cut. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down

On uniform convergence and some related types of convergence

Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Modelo bioético para el análisis de la habitabilidad en la vivienda

La habitabilidad se refiere a estas configuraciones del espacio edificado, y se expresa en las diferentes escalas y entornos que el ser humano ha creado para su desarrollo como especie.La habitabilidad, en palabras de Macías, es “la capacidad de los espacios construidos para satisfacer las necesidades objetivas y subjetivas de los individuos, en estrecha relación con los ambientes socioculturales y naturales hacia la mejora de la calidad de vida”. (De Hoyos Martínez, et al., 2014)El ser humano ha modificado la configuración del espacio que lo rodea a lo largo de la historia, con el fin de hacer del mundo un lugar habitable, adaptándolo para proveerse de sitios para vivir, descansar, transitar, en fin, para realizar todas sus actividades cotidianas. Dichas modificaciones tienen lugar en las diversas escalas del espacio construido, entre los que se encuentran la vivienda, el barrio y la ciudad, y que, según Paola Coppola (2004), varían de acuerdo con las características socio-territoriales dentro de las que son creadas

The effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on the quality of life in patients with COPD

Wstęp: Spośród chorób układu oddechowego przewlekła obturacyjna choroba płuc jest jedną z najczęstszych przyczyn zachorowalności, hospitalizacji i inwalidztwa. Jej przewlekły, postępujący charakter oraz okresowe zaostrzenia mają istotny niekorzystny wpływ na jakość życia chorych na POChP i na rokowanie. W ostatnich latach znacznie wzrosła rola rehabilitacji w leczeniu chorych na POChP. Stała się ona skutecznym i coraz bardziej rozpowszechnionym narzędziem w leczeniu zarówno choroby podstawowej, jak i jej powikłań. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono 3-tygodniowy program rehabilitacji chorych na POChP i jego wpływ na jakość życia tych pacjentów. Materiał i metody: Analizą objęto 132 chorych na POChP; do badania zakwalifikowano 70 osób (53%). Program rehabilitacji trwał 15 dni treningowych. Skuteczność rehabilitacji oceniano na podstawie kwestionariusza Szpitala Św. Jerzego, badania spirometrycznego i próby wysiłkowej. Wyniki: Stwierdzono znamienną poprawę jakości życia u chorych oraz wydłużenie czasu trwania testu wysiłkowego, zarówno bezpośrednio po zakończeniu rehabilitacji, jak i 3 miesiące później. Nie stwierdzono istotnej różnicy parametrów ocenianych na podstawie badania spirometrycznego. Wnioski: Trzytygodniowy program rehabilitacji chorych na POChP poprawił ich wydolność fizyczną i jakość życia, a poprawa ta utrzymywała się przynajmniej przez 3 miesiące.Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity, hospitalization and disability among lung diseases. Its chronic, progressive nature and acute exacerbations influence the quality and expectancy of life of COPD patients. The pulmonary rehabilitation is a basic non-pharmacological intervention in COPD and its role is increasing in recent years. The goal of this work was to evaluate the impact on quality of life patients undergoing 3 weeks pulmonary rehabilitation program. Material and methods: 132 patients with COPD were admitted to pulmonary rehabilitation program; 70 completed the 3 weeks long program. Pulmonary function tests, exercise endurance, quality of life (St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire) were measured at baseline, 3 weeks, and 3 months. Results: There was significant improvement in quality of life in St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and exercise endurance (treadmill) measured at 3 weeks and at 3 months. Parameters of lung function tests did not improved after completion of rehabilitation. Conclusions: 3 weeks pulmonary rehabilitation program of patients with COPD was effective in improving exercise endurance and the quality of life. The improvement was noted as well at 3 months post rehabilitation

European beech stem diameter grows better in mixed than in mono-specific stands at the edge of its distribution in mountain forests

Recent studies show that several tree species are spreading to higher latitudes and elevations due to climate change. European beech, presently dominating from the colline to the subalpine vegetation belt, is already present in upper montane subalpine forests and has a high potential to further advance to higher elevations in European mountain forests, where the temperature is predicted to further increase in the near future. Although essential for adaptive silviculture, it remains unknown whether the upward shift of beech could be assisted when it is mixed with Norway spruce or silver fir compared with mono-specific stands, as the species interactions under such conditions are hardly known. In this study, we posed the general hypotheses that the growth depending on age of European beech in mountain forests was similar in mono-specific and mixed-species stands and remained stable over time and space in the last two centuries. The scrutiny of these hypotheses was based on increment coring of 1240 dominant beech trees in 45 plots in mono-specific stands of beech and in 46 mixed mountain forests. We found that (i) on average, mean tree diameter increased linearly with age. The age trend was linear in both forest types, but the slope of the age–growth relationship was higher in mono-specific than in mixed mountain forests. (ii) Beech growth in mono-specific stands was stronger reduced with increasing elevation than that in mixed-species stands. (iii) Beech growth in mono-specific stands was on average higher than beech growth in mixed stands. However, at elevations > 1200 m, growth of beech in mixed stands was higher than that in mono-specific stands. Differences in the growth patterns among elevation zones are less pronounced now than in the past, in both mono-specific and mixed stands. As the higher and longer persisting growth rates extend the flexibility of suitable ages or size for tree harvest and removal, the longer-lasting growth may be of special relevance for multi-aged silviculture concepts. On top of their function for structure and habitat improvement, the remaining old trees may grow more in mass and value than assumed so far.The authors would like to acknowledge networking support by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CLIMO (Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions—CA15226) financially supported by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. This publication is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 778322. Thanks are also due to the European Union for funding the project ‘Mixed species forest management. Lowering risk, increasing resilience (REFORM)’ (# 2816ERA02S under the framework of Sumforest ERA-Net). Further, we would like to thank the Bayerische Staatsforsten (BaySF) for providing the observational plots and to the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry for permanent support of the Project W 07 ‘Long-term experimental plots for forest growth and yield research’ (#7831-26625-2017). We also thank the Forest Research Institute, ERTI Sárvár, Hungary, for assistance and for providing observational plots. Furthermore, our work was partially supported by the SRDA via Project No. APVV-16-0325 and APVV-15-0265, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland, the Project “EVA4.0” No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803 funded by OP RDE and the Project J4-1765 funded by the Slovenian Research Agency and also by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) and the Project No. DCOST 01/3/19.10.2018

Modeling light conditions on the forest floor

Contemporary models of light conditions on the forest floor can be divided into two categories: undercanopy models that allow the light conditions in a stand under the canopy to be simulated, and models that take into account shielding from the side. Under-canopy models precisely estimate the availability of wavelengths of light spatially distributed under the canopy of stands: however these models require a large amount of data on the spatial structure of forest stands. The other class of models describes the light conditions on a particular open surface. These incorporate shielding from the side and are easier to use as they require less data than under-canopy models. In practice, in forest conditions, such models require data on the size, shape, and geographical location of surveyed surfaces (e.g. gaps, and cut areas) and on the height of the surrounding stand. Often, these data are available in databases, such as the State Forest Information System (SILP), can otherwise be obtained relatively easily (and inexpensively). Compared to under-canopy models, these models provide a cheap way to obtain useful information on variation in the light environment that affects the microclimate for regenerating plants on clearcuts and canopy gaps

Nest-site selection by the white-tailed eagle and black stork – implications for conservation practice

Abstract Background Nesting trees and habitat represent the key factor underpinning stand selection by forest-dwelling birds. While two large European species – the black stork (Ciconia nigra L.) and white-tailed eagle (Haliaaetus albicilla L.) – are known to require old, large trees for nesting, we sought to investigate further by comparing species requirements at the levels of the nesting tree, nesting stand, and landscape. This entailed a detailed examination of forest features within circles of radius 15 m surrounding 16 and 19 trees holding the nests of storks and eagles respectively. The same parameters were also checked in the vicinity of 50 randomly-selected mature trees. Results Our results indicate different nesting preferences, with the eagles entirely confining themselves to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) – a species also chosen by black storks, which nevertheless regularly favour pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.). Both species select trees of greater girth than the random ones, but white-tailed eagles choose to nest in the vicinity of patches of mature old stands with a loose canopy, to the extent that nesting trees and surrounding trees are of similar ages. In contrast, black storks prefer “veteran” trees with low-set crowns that are much older than any others in their vicinity. Nesting trees of the eagles are away from roads and close to lakes, while black storks do not avoid roads. Conclusions As the ages of nesting trees of both species are greater than ages at final cutting in this region’s managed forest, silvicultural measures will need to be adjusted, with small patches of forest spared, or larger areas as “islands” of old-growth. Likewise, as tending and thinning are engaged in, certain trees with horizontal branches will need to remain, with relict trees also left untouched. As it happens, all of these recommendations are anyway key elements of close-to nature silviculture and multifunctional forestry

Effects of Site Preparation Methods on the Establishment and Natural-Regeneration Traits of Scots Pines (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L.) in Northeastern Poland

While some tree species can regenerate naturally without mechanical site preparation (MSP), Scots pine has been shown to benefit from this process. We compared three methods: using a double-mouldboard forest plough (FP), an active single-disc plough (AP), and a forest mill (FM), as well as a no-MSP control, in terms of growth, survival and density of occurrence of pines during the first 4 years of natural regeneration. Moisture conditions were expressed via calculated de Martonne aridity indices, while the microhabitats generated via different MSP methods were further characterised by the total contents of N and C, and the C/N ratio, P2O5, and base cations, as well as bulk density and actual moisture. The trials showed inferior regeneration without MSP in terms of the density and cover of young pines. Any of the studied treatments influenced survival, though the best growth was achieved by seedlings using the FP and AP methods, while the best density and evenness results were obtained using AP. The factors most influencing regeneration features were high precipitation during the first growing season after sowing and reduced competition with other vegetation in the cleared area. This impact seems far more important than the capacity of different MSPs to produce differentiation in soil microhabitats in terms of nutrient status or bulk density

Effect of Chitosan on Disease Control and Growth of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in a Forest Nursery

Chitosan has become a promising biological agent for disease control and plant growth promotion. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of chitosan, applied as an active ingredient of Beta-chikol (Poli-Farm, Łowicz, Poland), to control damping-off and Lophodermium needle cast on Scots pine seedlings growing in field conditions. Beta-chikol was used for seed treatment and as a foliar spray at recommended rates and concentrations. For each experimental variant (chitosan, fungicides, unprotected), inventories of seedlings were performed, after germination and again after six weeks. In the aboveground parts of seedlings, the concentration of endogenous salicylic acid was determined by HPLC. At the end of the growing season, seedling growth parameters were determined. Beta-chikol used as foliar spray limited infection by the damping-off fungi but was ineffective when used as a seed treatment. Lophodermium needle cast was not observed during the study period. After the application of Beta-chikol, the concentration of salicylic acid did not increase. The application of Beta-chikol enhanced all growth parameters under investigation. Our results indicate the possibility of using chitosan in the form of Beta-chikol to stimulate plant growth and protect pine seedlings against parasitic damping-off in forest nurseries