Mechanized tree planting with the Plantma X planting machine : the impact of terrain factors on planting quality

Utbudet av arbetskraft för manuell plantering minskar, vilket har föranlett att en ny planteringsmaskin har utvecklats med mål att i framtiden kunna ersätta den manuella planteringen av skogsplantor. Genomgående för tidigare kontinuerligt framryckande planteringsmaskiner har varit att planteringsresultatet varit för dåligt, samt att de inte klarat av att plantera i svår terräng. Dåliga planteringsresultat medförde höga kostnader för att skapa godkända föryngringar, och cirka år 2000 lades det sista kontinuerligt framryckande projektet ned. Idag finns en ny kontinuerligt framryckande maskin, Plantma X, som under 2020 planterat på Sveaskogs marker i Bergslagen och södra Norrland. Syftet med studien var att utvärdera planteringsresultatet från trakterna i Härjedalen som planterades med Plantma X, med hänsyn till terrängegenskaperna blockkvot, stubbtäthet och humustjocklek, samt att jämföra planteringsresultatet med manuell plantering. Ett delsyfte var även att undersöka hur andelen godkända plantor per hektar påverkar den teoretiska produktiviteten för Plantma X. Ett ytterligare delsyfte var att undersöka hur teknisk utnyttjandegrad (TU), traktstorlek och målstamantal påverkar planteringskostnaden för Plantma X i relativ kostnad per hektar. Studien utfördes under hösten 2020 och omfattade totalt sju trakter planterade med Plantma X och tre manuellt planterade trakter. Fältinventeringen bestod i bedömning av planteringspunkt och inventering av terrängegenskaper. Resultatet visar att andelen underkända plantor var 38 % på trakter planterade med Plantma X jämfört med 29 % på de manuellt planterade. Ingen av de enskilda terrängfaktorerna hade någon signifikant påverkan på planteringsresultatet för Plantma X, men ökande stubbtäthet och humustjocklek hade tillsammans en signifikant negativ påverkan. Slutsatser från denna studie är att kombinationen av ökad stubbtäthet och humustjocklek har en negativ påverkan på planteringsresultatet. Enligt fältstudien var andelen godkända plantor under hösten 2020 relativt låg för Plantma X, och att dess planteringsresultat var sämre än manuell plantering under likartade förhållanden. Plantma X har dock en hög produktivitet och stor utvecklingspotential, men maskinen måste utvärderas mer och helst bestyckas med sensorer som kan hjälpa planteringsarmarna att hitta bättre planteringspunkter.The supply of labour for manual planting is decreasing. This situation has led to the development of a new tree planting machine. Previous continuously advancing tree planting machines have planted seedlings poorly, and they have not been able to plant in difficult terrain. Poor planting results led to high costs for adequate regenerations, and around the year 2000, the last continuously advancing planting machine ceased operation. Today, there is a new continuously advancing machine, Plantma X, which in 2020 has been planted seedlings on Sveaskog's forestland in Bergslagen and southern Norrland. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tree planting results on tracts in Härjedalen that were planted with Plantma X, with regard to the terrain properties boulder quota, stump density and humus thickness, and to compare the planting results with manual planting. A secondary objective was to investigate how the proportion of approved seedlings per hectare affects the theoretical productivity of Plantma X. A tertiary objective was to investigate how the mechanical availability (MA), tract size, and target stocking rate affect the planting cost for Plantma X in relative cost per hectare. The study was carried out in the autumn of 2020 and included a total of seven tracts planted with Plantma X and three manually planted tracts. The field work consisted of an assessment of planting spots and an inventory of terrain characteristics. The results show that the proportion of inadequate seedlings was 38% on tracts planted with Plantma X compared with 29% on the manually planted tracts. None of the individual terrain factors had any significant impact on the planting results of Plantma X, but increased stump density and humus thickness together had a significant negative impact. Conclusions from this study are that the combination of increased stump density and humus thickness has a negative impact on the planting result. According to the field study, the proportion of approved seedlings in the autumn of 2020 was relatively low for Plantma X, and that its planting results were poorer than manual planting under similar conditions. However, Plantma X is highly productive and has great development potential. However, the machine must be further assessed, and preferably be equipped with sensors that can help the planting arms to find better planting spots

Microsatellite analysis of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga): population genetic structure in the Nord-East Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean sea

Stock heterogeneity was investigated in albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre 1788), a commercially important species in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were examined in 581 albacore tuna from nine locations, four in the north-east Atlantic Ocean (NEA), three in the Mediterranean Sea (MED) and two in the south-western Pacific Ocean (SWP). Maximum numbers of alleles per locus ranged from 9 to 38 (sample mean, 5.2-22.6 per locus; overall mean, 14.2 +/- 0.47 SE), and observed heterozygosities per locus ranged from 0.44 to 1.00 (overall mean: 0.79 +/- 0.19 SE). Significant deficits of heterozygotes were observed in 20% of tests. Multilocus F-ST values were observed ranging from 0.00 to Theta = 0.036 and Theta' = 0.253, with a mean of Theta = 0.013 and Theta' = 0.079. Pairwise F-ST values showed that the SWP, NEA and MED stocks were significantly distinct from one another, thus corroborating findings in previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA (other than microsatellites) and allozyme analyses. Heterogeneity was observed for the first time between samples within the Mediterranean Sea. GENELAND indicated the potential presence of three populations across the NEA and two separate populations in the Mediterranean Sea. Observed genetic structure may be related to migration patterns and timing of movements of subpopulations to the feeding grounds in either summer or autumn. We suggest that a more intensive survey be conducted throughout the entire fishing season to ratify or refute the currently accepted genetic homogeneity within the NEA albacore stock

Forest management program for maximization of carbon sequestration : a case-study on Kramfors municipality’s forests

Global uppvärmning och klimatförändringar gör att skogens roll som kolsänka blir allt större. De boreala skogarna utgör en större kolsänka än vad de tropiska och tempererade skogarna gör sammanlagt, det är därför mycket viktigt att förvalta dessa boreala skogar på ett hållbart sätt för att begränsa mängden koldioxid i atmosfären. Denna studie undersöker vilket skötselprogram som bidrar till en så hög kolbindning som möjligt utifrån specifika mål och krav. Kramfors kommuns skogar och deras mål samt krav på skogen har använts som underlag till analyserna. Kommunens krav var bland annat ett ekonomiskt avkastningskrav på två miljoner kr per år och att skogsbruket följer certifieringssystemet PEFC. Alla analyser gjordes med beslutstödssystemet Heureka PlanVis där olika skötselalternativ togs fram för att hitta ett optimalt skötselprogram för skogen. Analyserna med heureka visar att ett skötselprogram med nästan enbart fri utveckling skulle ge högst kolbindning. I och med kommunens avkastningskrav var detta inte ett alternativ utan ett skötselprogram där ca 40% av det totala skogsinnehavet lämnades till fri utveckling och resten sköttes med ett modifierat trakthyggesbruk valdes istället. Skötselprogrammet som valdes band totalt 21 966 8,3 ton kol om 97,5 år vilket var en ökning på 75,8% från dagsläget (2019) och även 7,8% mer än vad dagens skötselsystem skulle binda om 97,5 år.Global warming and climate change mean that the role of the forest as a carbon sink is increasing. The boreal forests constitute a larger carbon sink than the tropical and temperate forests do together, it is therefore very important to manage these boreal forests in a sustainable way in order to limit the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This study examines which management program that contributes to the maximization of carbon sequestration based on specific goals and requirements. Kramfors municipality's forests and their goals with requirements for the forest have been used as a basis for the analyzes. The municipality's requirements included an economic return requirement of two million SEK per year and that the forestry follows the certification system PEFC. All analyzes were made with the Heureka PlanVis decision support system, where various maintenance options were developed to find an optimal forest management program. The analyses with Heureka show that a management program with almost only free development would give the highest carbon sequestration. With the municipality's required rate of return, this was not an alternative, but a management program in which about 40% of the forest was left for free development and the rest was handled with a modified even-aged program, was selected instead. The management program, which was selected, contained a total of 219668.3 tonnes of coal in 97.5 years, which was an increase of 75.8% from the current situation (2019) and 7.8% more than today's management system will have in 97,5 years

Assessment of the environmental impact of polymeric membrane production

Polymeric membranes are important in advanced separation technologies because of their high efficiency and low environmental impact. However, procedures for membrane production are far from sustainable and environmentally friendly. This work presents a life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of fabricating 1000 m(2) of hollow fiber polymeric membranes. Membrane materials considered include the most popular fossil- and bio-based polymers in current use, i.e., polysulfones, polyvinylidene fluoride, and cellulose acetate. Solvents considered for use in polymer dope solution included polar aprotic solvents (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N, N-dimethylacetamide, and dimethylformamide) that are widely used in industry and an alternative green solvent (ethylene carbonate). The impacts of membrane production on global warming, marine ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity, land use potential, and fossil resource scarcity were analyzed. Additionally, the impact on the sustainability and environmental cost of membrane production resulting from replacing fossil-based polymers with bio-based polymers or substituting toxic solvents with a green alternative was investigated. Hot spots in the membrane production process were identified, and measures to reduce the environmental impact of membrane production were proposed

Co-Occurrence Patterns of Common and Rare Leaf-Litter Frogs, Epiphytic Ferns and Dung Beetles across a Gradient of Human Disturbance

Indicator taxa are commonly used to identify priority areas for conservation or to measure biological responses to environmental change. Despite their widespread use, there is no general consensus about the ability of indicator taxa to predict wider trends in biodiversity. Many studies have focused on large-scale patterns of species co-occurrence to identify areas of high biodiversity, threat or endemism, but there is much less information about patterns of species co-occurrence at local scales. In this study, we assess fine-scale co-occurrence patterns of three indicator taxa (epiphytic ferns, leaf litter frogs and dung beetles) across a remotely sensed gradient of human disturbance in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We measure the relative contribution of rare and common species to patterns of total richness in each taxon and determine the ability of common and rare species to act as surrogate measures of human disturbance and each other. We find that the species richness of indicator taxa changed across the human disturbance gradient but that the response differed among taxa, and between rare and common species. Although we find several patterns of co-occurrence, these patterns differed between common and rare species. Despite showing complex patterns of species co-occurrence, our results suggest that species or taxa can act as reliable indicators of each other but that this relationship must be established and not assumed

Using soil function evaluation in multi-criteria decision analysis for sustainability appraisal of remediation alternatives

Soil contamination is one of the major threats constraining proper functioning of the soil and thus provision of ecosystem services. Remedial actions typically only address the chemical soil quality by reducing total contaminant concentrations to acceptable levels guided by land use. However, emerging regulatory requirements on soil protection demand a holistic view on soil assessment in remediation projects thus accounting for a variety of soil functions. Such a view would require not only that the contamination concentrations are assessed and attended to, but also that other aspects are taking into account, thus addressing also physical and biological as well as other chemical soil quality indicators (SQIs). This study outlines how soil function assessment can be a part of a holistic sustainability appraisal of remediation alternatives using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The paper presents a method for practitioners for evaluating the effects of remediation alternatives on selected ecological soil functions using a suggested minimum data set (MDS) containing physical, biological and chemical SQIs. The measured SQls are transformed into sub-scores by the use of scoring curves, which allows interpretation and the integration of soil quality data into the MCDA framework. The method is demonstrated at a study site (Marieberg, Sweden) and the results give an example of how soil analyses using the suggested MDS can be used for soil function assessment and subsequent input to the MCDA framework

Determination of sorption of seventy five pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge

Sorption of 75 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to three different types of sludge (primary sludge, secondary sludge with short and long sludge age respectively) were investigated. To obtain the sorption isotherms batch studies with the APIs mixture were performed in four nominal concentrations to water containing 1 g of sludge. The range of APIs concentrations was between ng L-1 to mu g L-1 which are found in the wastewater effluents. Isotherms were obtained for approximately 45 of the APIs, providing distribution coefficients for linear (K-d), Freundlich (K-f) and Langmuir (K-L) isotherms. K-d, K-f and K-L ranging between 7.1 x 10(4) and 3.8 x 10(7), 1.1 x 10(-2) and 6.1 x 10(4) and 9.2 x 10(-3) and 1.1 L kg(-1), respectively. The obtained coefficients were applied to estimate the fraction of APIs in the water phase (see Abstract Graphic). For 37 of the 75 APIs, the predicted presence in the liquid phase was estimated to >80%. 24 APIs were estimated to be present in the liquid phase between 20 and 80%, and 14 APIs were found to have <20% presence in the liquid phase, i.e. high affinity towards sludge. Furthermore, the effect of pH at values 6, 7 and 8 was evaluated using one way ANOVA-test. A significant difference in K(d)s due to pH changes were found for 6 of the APIs (variation 10-20%). (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Removal of pharmaceuticals in WWTP effluents by ozone and hydrogen peroxide

Ozonation to achieve removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater effluents, with pH values in the upper and lower regions of the typical range for Swedish wastewater, was investigated. The main aim was to study the effects of varying pH values (6.0 and 8.0), and if small additions of H2O2 prior to ozone treatment could improve the removal and lower the reaction time. The effluents studied differed in their chemical characteristics, particularly in terms of alkalinity (65.3-427 mg center dot l(-1) HCO3-), COD (18.2-41.8 mg center dot l(-1)), DOC (6.9-12.5 mg center dot l(-1)), ammonium content (0.02-3.6 mg center dot l(-1)) and specific UV absorbance (1.78-2.76 l center dot mg(-1)center dot m(-1)). As expected, lower ozone decomposition rates were observed in the effluents at pH 6.0 compared to pH 8.0. When pH 8.0 effluents were ozonated, a higher degree of pharmaceutical removal occurred in the effluent with low specific UV absorbance. For pH 6.0 effluents, the removal of pharmaceuticals was most efficient in the effluent with the lowest organic content. The addition of H2O2 had no significant effect on the quantitative removal of pharmaceuticals but enhanced the ozone decomposition rate. Thus, H2O2 addition increased the reaction rate. In practice, this will mean that the reactor volume needed for the ozonation of wastewater effluents can be reduced