Biodiversitätsmonitoring im Südtiroler Kräuteranbau = Biodiversity surveys in medicinal and aromatic plant fields in South Tyrol

Medicinal and aromatic plants in mountain regions such as South Tyrol are cultivated on small-scale farms, which are characterized by a high diversity of cultivated crop species grown on a relatively small area. This small-scale cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants suggests that MAP fields are of high ecological value. However, research on this topic is generally lacking. In this study flower-visiting arthropods were recorded with pan traps in three herb fields during three survey events conducted in 2021. Our results indicate that medicinal and aromatic plant fields are valuable habitats for several taxa. In total 12.570 individuals were collected. Wild bees were particularly species-rich, accounting for 10 % of the regional wild bee species pool. Next to beneficial arthropods, potential pests, such as aphids were also highly abundant. However, natural enemies possibly counteracting pests were also numerous. Overall, we conclude that medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation may act as resource-rich oases for several arthropod groups, thereby promoting biodiversity also on a broader scale.Der Anbau von Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzen zeichnet sich in der Regel durch vielfältige Anbaukulturen auf relativ kleinen Flächen aus. Dies gilt insbesondere für Südtirol, wo diese Kulturen hauptsächlich von kleinen Betrieben im Berggebiet angebaut werden. Dieser kleinflächige Anbau von Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzen lässt vermuten, dass die Betriebe einen hohen ökologischen Wert haben. Es gibt wenige Studien zur Erfassung der Biodiversität im Anbau von Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzen. Daher wurden in dieser Arbeit Kräuteranbau-Betriebe als Lebensraum für blütenbesuchende Arthropoden untersucht. An drei Untersuchungsstandorten wurden im Jahr 2021 jeweils an drei Terminen Farbschalen zur Sammlung von Arthropoden verwendet. Kräuteranbau-Betriebe stellten sich als ein wertvoller Lebensraum für verschiedene Arthropoden heraus. Insgesamt wurden 12.570 Individuen mit den Farbschalen gesammelt. Insbesondere Wildbienen waren mit 10 % des regionalen Artenpools sehr artenreich. Auch potenzielle Schädlinge, wie zum Beispiel Blattläuse, waren sehr häufig anzutreffen, wobei natürliche Feinde, wie zum Beispiel Parasitoide, ebenfalls zahlreich vertreten waren. Insgesamt können Kräuteranbaubetriebe als strukturreiche Oasen für Arthropoden fungieren und sich somit auf einer breiteren Skala positiv auf die Biodiversität auswirken

An Illustrated Guide to Fire in Central Oregon Forests

This pictorial guide is primarily intended to serve as a backdrop for field tours of central Oregon that involve topics surrounding wildland fire. It also is designed to provide an overview of the role of fire in the major ecosystems characteristic of this region. Topics covered include fire history, fire regimes, current fire conditions, fire behavior, fire threats to natural resources, fuel treatments, interactions with the public, and future challenges and management options. A list of key references and glossary are also included

Methods for evaluating crown area profiles of forest stands

Canopy architectures of five structurally complex forest stands and three structurally simple forest stands in southwest Oregon and the Willamette Valley, Oregon, were evaluated and quantified through crown area profiles. Mixed conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood stands across a range of sites were sampled for crown widths and heights. Crown width and shape equations were derived and used to quantify the stand crown area at incremental heights above the forest floor. Crown area profiles describe the spatial arrangement of aboveground forest vegetation and the total pore spaces between crowns. Plot by plot profiles were combined to produce vertical and horizontal displays of the stand crown area distribution. In complex stands, the forest space was moderately occupied by crowns from the forest floor up to heights over 30 m, producing uniform distributions of between-crown porosity. The structurally complex stands had between-crown porosity values of 70% to 90% for more than 23 vertical metres of canopy, and they had total between-crown porosities of 86% to 91%. The structurally simple stands had between-crown porosity values of 70% to 90% for less than 8 vertical metres of canopy, and they had total between-crown porosities of 69% to 85%. Variances in crown area indicate that variation in horizontal crown area (within heights) was larger in complex stands than in simple stands, but vertical crown areas (between heights) varied less in complex stands. The study provides a basis for discriminating between canopy architectures and for quantifying the porosity of forest canopies

Rituximab in refractory Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease

IntroductionVogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) prognosis depends on early recognition and treatment; chronic disease may be developed when either delayed or inadequate treatment is performed, whereas other cases despite correct treatment are refractory to different drugs and also become chronic. We report a case of refractory VKH controlled with rituximab treatment.Case reportA 41-year-old female with painful visual loss and headache was examined. (VA 0.4 in RE and hand movements (HM) in LE). Retinal examination demonstrated multiple serous retinal detachments in both eyes. High-dose oral steroids were started, followed by progressive tapering of prednisone. New acute anterior and posterior relapses were achieved, and other immunommodulators were progressively added—new high-dose steroid treatment, adalimumab, cyclosporine, and methotrexate—but patient had new anterior and posterior recurrences associated with tinnitus and headache. Thus, an infusion of 1 g of rituximab was administered after 15 months follow-up; the VA was 0.2 in RE and counting fingers in LE. Three additional doses of 1 g each were administered 1, 6, and 16 months later. We have achieved a final VA after 34 months follow-up of 0.2 in RE and HM in LE, with definitive control of inflammation, without acute relapses since rituximab was administered.ConclusionAfter searching PubMed/Medline, this is the first report of VKH disease treated with rituximab. Additional studies are warranted to confirm the efficacy of this new approach for inflammatory control in refractory cases of VKH disease

Survival and growth of Douglas-fir seed sources in the Hospital Tract rangewide source archive plantation

"In 1954, Dr. Helge Irgens-Moller initiated a rangewide collection of seed and seedlings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Nearly 700 trees or stands were sampled in 10 western states, Canada, and Mexico. From 1957 to 1971, 639 of these collections were planted in the Hospital Tract Rangewide Source Archive near Corvallis, Oregon. By 1989, the trees were from 20 to 34 years old; it became apparent that thinning the archive would be necessary in order to preserve the slower growing sources. This prompted growth and survival measurements and a complete inventory of the archive. Overall survival for all years of planting was greater than 80 percent for coastal sources (var. menziesii), but less than 60 percent for interior sources (var. glauca). The average diameter at breast height (DBH) of surviving trees was 29.05 cm; the range was from 1.2 to 61 cm. An analysis of the 1957 and 1961 plantings revealed that local and other low elevation coastal sources had the fastest growth and highest survival in the archive. High elevation sources from the Cascade Range had significantly smaller DBH, but higher survival. Southern interior sources from Arizona and New Mexico had the smallest DBH and lowest survival; northern interior sources from Montana and Idaho were intermediate in survival and DBH. Geographical variation among sources in the Hospital Tract was associated with environmental gradients, supporting the previously held conclusion that much of the genetic variation on a geographical scale in Douglas-fir is the result of adaptation."--Summar

Density, ages, and growth rates in old-growth and young-growth forests in coastal Oregon

We studied the ages and diameter growth rates of trees in former Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) old-growth stands on 10 sites and compared them with young-growth stands (50-70 years old, regenerated after timber harvest) in the Coast Range of western Oregon. The diameters and diameter growth rates for the first 100 years of trees in the old-growth stands were significantly greater than those in the young-growth stands. Growth rates in the old stands were comparable with those from long-term studies of young stands in which density is about 100-120 trees/ha; often young-growth stand density is well over 500 trees/ha. Ages of large trees in the old stands ranged from 100 to 420 years; ages in young stands varied by only about 5 to 10 years. Apparently, regeneration of old-growth stands on these sites occurred over a prolonged period, and trees grew at low density with little self-thinning; in contrast, after timber harvest, young stands may develop with high density of trees with similar ages and considerable self-thinning. The results suggest that thinning may be needed in dense young stands where the management objective is to speed development of old-growth characteristics.Keywords: thinning, young growth, old growth, diameter growth rate, Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, forest structure, stand densit

Response of young Douglas-fir to 16 years of intensive thinning

A 20-year-old Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] stand in the Oregon Coast Range was thinned from about 1,700 to about 350 trees/ac. Subsequent thinnings, under eight different regimes, occurred at ages 23, 27, 30, and 32. Average net periodic cubic-volume growth was strongly influenced by thinning regime, varying from about 220 ft /ac/yr (heavy thinning age 30) to over 550 ft /ac/yr (controls age 23). The results indicate that young Douglas-fir on productive sites (site index 160 to 170 ft at 100 years) are extremely adaptable and will respond to frequent thinnings of various intensities. Three representative treatments (after thinning at age 32) and the controls were projected and optimized with dynamic programming for two financial analyses. Adjusting rotation or commercial thinning can compensate for lack of early stand management or heavy early thinning