Classifying forest stands according to spatial species mingling

Legislature and international treaties increasingly underline the importance of biodiversity and sustainability, hence the need for accurate measurements, regarding the aforementioned concepts. Biodiversity is a comprehensive term, which can be very difficult/costly to measure directly. Therefore, surrogate measures can be used to quantify different aspects of biodiversity. An indicator closely linked to biodiversity in forest ecosystems is forest structure. To quantify different aspects of forest structure metrices from the field of point process statistics can be used. In this study we introduce the new function J(̅r) and evaluate its ability to describe species mingling in forest stands. This is done by incorporating data from 20 fully inventoried stands from different parts of the world. Producing curves from J(̅r) and from the mark mingling function, v(r) which is arguably the most similar established function. The curves are classified in groups based on characteristics. This is done separately for each function to be able to investigate how the groups differ between J(̅r) and v(r) and to see what new information J(̅r) could provide, additional to v(r). This study suggests that the new function of J(̅r) provides additional information to the mark mingling function, mostly related to J(̅r) being based on the nearest neighbour (NN) concept and thus providing more information on local neighbourhoods. This research also points to the value of J(̅r) being potentially more suitable to use on smaller plots, such as those commonly used in forest inventories.I lagstiftning och internationella fördrag betonas vikten av biodiversitet och hållbarhet, vilket medför ett behov av att kunna utföra korrekta mätningar och övervaka utvecklingen, relaterat till förenämnda begrepp. Biodiversitet är en övergripande term, som kan vara väldigt svår och dyr att mäta i sin helhet. Istället för att mäta biodiversitet direkt, kan man genomföra andra mätningar, vars resultat korrelerar med biologisk mångfald. I skogsekosystem är beståndsstrukturen ofta nära kopplad till biodiversitet. Genom att använda sig av mätetal från forskningsområdet point process statistics är det möjligt att kvantifiera olika aspekter av beståndsstruktur. I denna studie introduceras J(̅r), en ny funktion som är baserad på ett existerande mätetal. J(̅r) testas angående hur väl funktionen kan beskriva trädindividers spatiala fördelning i bestånd, med avseende på arttillhörighet. För att åstadkomma detta används data från 20 totalinventerade bestånd, från olika delar av världen. Kurvor från bestånden produceras med den nya funktionen J(̅r), och mark mingling-funktionen, v(r), som antas vara den mest likartade av existerande funktioner. Kurvorna delas därefter in i grupper baserat på egenskaper, detta görs separat för de enskilda funktionerna, med syftet att undersöka hur de resulterade grupperna skiljer sig åt, för J(̅r) och v(r), och för att kunna avgöra vilken ny information som J(̅r) kan tillföra. Denna studie antyder att den nya funktionen J(̅r) genererar delvis skiljaktig information jämfört med v(r), framförallt relaterat till att J(̅r) utgår från varje specifikt träd och jämför arttillhörighet med de närmaste träden i beståndet. J(̅r) kan potentiellt vara lämpligare att använda på små provytor, vilka vanligen används i skogliga inventeringar

Changes in winter length and spring flood in a boreal forest in northern Sweden

Jordens klimat förändras, atmosfären och haven blir allt varmare. Dessa förändringar påverkar vattenbalansen. Kandidatarbetes syfte har varit att undersöka huruvida det skett förändringar i vinterns längd och basflöde samt vårflodens tidpunkt, högsta flöde och volym i Krycklans försökspark under perioden 1981-2015. Daglig vattenflödesdata från Krycklans Site 7 laddades ned från Krycklans öppna databas. Snödata användes för att kunna definiera vinterns början. För att upptäcka eventuella trender i datat utfördes en regressionsanalys och ett Mann-Kendall test. Resultatet från regressionsanalysen och Mann-Kendall testet visade på en signifikant trend mot kortare vintrar, lägre högsta flöde och att vårfloden startar tidigare. Ingen av analyserna visade på någon signifikant förändring i vårflodens volym, vinterns basflöde och tidpunkt för högsta flöde. Vinterns basflöde visade inte på någon förändring vilket skulle kunna bero på definitionen av vinter som användes. Studiens definition av vinter var tiden mellan snön har lagt sig till vårflodens början. Vinterbasflödet var det dagliga flödets medelvärde under vintern. Genom att studera tiden på vintern då flödet är som lägst skulle eventuellt en förändring av vinterbasflödet upptäckas. Den relativt korta period mellan 1981-2015 som studerats här kanske inte är tillräcklig för att upptäcka förändringar i ett Svenskt klimat på lång sikt.The Earth’s climate is changing, the atmosphere and oceans are getting warmer. These changes affect the water balance. The aim of this thesis have been to investigate whether there has been any changes in winter length and winter base flow as well as in spring flood timing, maximum flow and volume in the The Krycklan catchment study area during the period of 1981-2015. Daily water flow data from Site 7 in Krycklan was downloaded from Krycklans open database. Snow data was downloaded to help define the start of winter. A regression analysis and a Mann- Kendall test was performed to reveal any trends in investigated parameters. The results from the regression analysis and Mann-Kendall test showed a significant change towards shorter winters, lower maximum flows and earlier spring flood onset. There was no significant change in spring flood volume, winter base flow or timing of maximum flow in any of the statistical analysis. The winter base flow did not show any trend which might be due to the definition of winter that was used. In this study winter is defined as the time between snow arrival and spring flood onset. The winter base flow was defined as the average daily flow during the winter. A trend might been detected by only studying the time during winter where the base flow is at its lowest. The relatively short period 1981-2015 that was used in this study might not be a long enough time scale to show long term changes in a Swedish climate

Drying and storage costs in existing grain plants

Att lagra spannmålen hemma på gården är något som många lantbrukare gör i hopp om att kunna sälja det till ett bättre pris senare på året. Att sälja spannmålen senare på året kan ge ett högre pris på 0,2 kr per kg spannmål. Tidigare studier av Westlin., et al (2002) har visat att man kan bygga en komplett anläggning för under 0,2 kr per kg spannmål. Detta kan då motivera en investering av en spannmålsanläggning hemma på gården. Kontakt togs med 8 stycken gårdar som hade investerat i en anläggning som inte var äldre än 10 år. Ett frågeformulär skickades ut där de fick skriva in kostnaderna som vi sen räknade om och sammanställde i tabeller. Det vi kunde få fram i våran undersökning är att mobiltork i kombination med planlager är det billigaste alternativet. Det går att kombinera planlagring med mobiltorkning för en kostnad av 0,168 kr per kg spannmål. Detta är exklusive energiåtgång för torkprocessen. Silolagring kräver mindre arbete än planlager då det mesta sker med skruvar. Det är individuellt mellan gårdarna och vad just de har för förutsättningar som styr val av tork och lagring, som i sin tur påverkar den slutliga kostanden. Vår slutsats: •Mobiltork i kombination med planlager är det billigaste alternativet •Gårdens förutsättningar har stor inverkan på val av system •Större anläggningar blir billigareStoring the grain at the farm is something that many farmers do, and they hope to sell the grain at a better price later on. Selling the grain later in the year can give a higher price of 0,2 kr per kg grain. Previous studies have shown that you can build a complete plant for less than 0.2 kr per kg grain. This can then justify an investment in a grain plant at the farm. We contacted 8 farms that we knew had invested in a plant, not older than 10 years. Then we sent out a questionnaire where they had to enter the costs that we later calculated and compiled in tables. What we found in our study is that the mobile dryer in combination with flatbeds is the cheapest option. It is possible to combine flatbeds with mobile drying for a cost of 0.168 kr per kg of grain. This is excluding energy usage for the drying process. Silo storage requires less work than flatbeds, since the grain are moved with augers. It is very individual between the farms and what conditions they have that control the choice of drying and storage, which in turn affects the final cost. Our conclusion: •Mobile drying in combination with flatbeds is the cheapest option •The conditions of the farm have a major impact on the choice of systems •Larger facilities will be cheape

Arealrepresentativ overvåking av skogvernområder gjennom Landsskogtakseringen. Landsskogtakseringen 2017-2021

Denne rapporten gir en oversikt over tilstanden i skog som var vernet per. 1.1.2021. Datamaterialet som er utgangspunktet for rapporten er registreringer gjennomført av Landsskogtakseringen, gjennom «Overvåkingsprogrammet for skog i verneområder». Registreringene er utført i løpet av femårsperioden 2017-2021. Utvalgte resultater: • Vernet skog omfattet per 1.1. 2021 totalt 592 481 ha, tilsvarende 4,9 prosent av det totale skogarealet. • 3,7 prosent av den produktive skogen, og 7,9 prosent av den uproduktive skogen i landet finnes i vernet skog, der skogbruk ikke er tillatt. • I produktiv skog er andelen skogareal i klassene middels og høy+ svært høy bonitet underrepresentert samlignet med skogen generelt. • Skogen i verneområder er generelt eldre og har en større andel skog i senere utviklingstrinn. Biologisk gammel skog etter Landsskogtakseringens definisjon utgjør nærmere tre ganger så høy andel i den produktive delen av vernet skogareal som i produktiv skog totalt. • Det stående volumet i verneområdene utgjør 4,1 prosent av totalt stående volum. • Gjennomsnittlig tilvekst i skog som var vernet per 1.1.2016 er lavere enn gjennomsnittet for skog generelt. • Vernet skog inneholder mer volum død ved per hektar i gjennomsnitt enn øvrig skog. • I produktiv skog er MiS-livsmiljøene “liggende dødved” og “stående dødved”, samt “gamle trær” vanligere i verneområdene. For uproduktiv skog er “gamle trær” vanligere. I tillegg presenteres resultater som viser hvordan den vernede skogen har utviklet seg siden forrige taksering, som ble gjennomført 2012-2016.Arealrepresentativ overvåking av skogvernområder gjennom Landsskogtakseringen. Landsskogtakseringen 2017-2021publishedVersio

Assessment of Platelet Function in Traumatic Brain Injury-A Retrospective Observational Study in the Neuro-Critical Care Setting.

BACKGROUND: Despite seemingly functional coagulation, hemorrhagic lesion progression is a common and devastating condition following traumatic brain injury (TBI), stressing the need for new diagnostic techniques. Multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) measures platelet function and could aid in coagulopathy assessment following TBI. The aims of this study were to evaluate MEA temporal dynamics, influence of concomitant therapy, and its capabilities to predict lesion progression and clinical outcome in a TBI cohort. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adult TBI patients in a neurointensive care unit that underwent MEA sampling were retrospectively included. MEA was sampled if the patient was treated with antiplatelet therapy, bled heavily during surgery, or had abnormal baseline coagulation values. We assessed platelet activation pathways involving the arachidonic acid receptor (ASPI), P2Y12 receptor, and thrombin receptor (TRAP). ASPI was the primary focus of analysis. If several samples were obtained, they were included. Retrospective data were extracted from hospital charts. Outcome variables were radiologic hemorrhagic progression and Glasgow Outcome Scale assessed prospectively at 12 months posttrauma. MEA levels were compared between patients on antiplatelet therapy. Linear mixed effect models and uni-/multivariable regression models were used to study longitudinal dynamics, hemorrhagic progression and outcome, respectively. RESULTS: In total, 178 patients were included (48% unfavorable outcome). ASPI levels increased from initially low values in a time-dependent fashion (p < 0.001). Patients on cyclooxygenase inhibitors demonstrated low ASPI levels (p < 0.001), while platelet transfusion increased them (p < 0.001). The first ASPI (p = 0.039) and TRAP (p = 0.009) were significant predictors of outcome, but not lesion progression, in univariate analyses. In multivariable analysis, MEA values were not independently correlated with outcome. CONCLUSION: A general longitudinal trend of MEA is identified in this TBI cohort, even in patients without known antiplatelet therapies. Values appear also affected by platelet inhibitory treatment and by platelet transfusions. While significant in univariate models to predict outcome, MEA values did not independently correlate to outcome or lesion progression in multivariable analyses. Further prospective studies to monitor coagulation in TBI patients are warranted, in particular the interpretation of pathological MEA values in patients without antiplatelet therapies

Seabird surveillance: combining CCTV and artificial intelligence for monitoring and research

Ecological research and monitoring need to be able to rapidly convey information that can form the basis of scientifically sound management. Automated sensor systems, especially if combined with artificial intelligence, can contribute to such rapid high-resolution data retrieval. Here, we explore the prospects of automated methods to generate insights for seabirds, which are often monitored for their high conservation value and for being sentinels for marine ecosystem changes. We have developed a system of video surveillance combined with automated image processing, which we apply to common murres Uria aalge. The system uses a deep learning algorithm for object detection (YOLOv5) that has been trained on annotated images of adult birds, chicks and eggs, and outputs time, location, size and confidence level of all detections, frame-by-frame, in the supplied video material. A total of 144 million bird detections were generated from a breeding cliff over three complete breeding seasons (2019–2021). We demonstrate how object detection can be used to accurately monitor breeding phenology and chick growth. Our automated monitoring approach can also identify and quantify rare events that are easily missed in traditional monitoring, such as disturbances from predators. Further, combining automated video analysis with continuous measurements from a temperature logger allows us to study impacts of heat waves on nest attendance in high detail. Our automated system thus produces comparable, and in several cases significantly more detailed, data than those generated from observational field studies. By running in real time on the camera streams, it has the potential to supply researchers and managers with high-resolution up-to-date information on seabird population status. We describe how the system can be modified to fit various types of ecological research and monitoring goals and thereby provide up-to-date support for conservation and ecosystem management

Managing existing forests can mitigate climate change

Planting new forests has received scientific and political attention as a measure to mitigate climate change. Large, new forests have been planted in places like China and Ethiopia and, over time, a billion hectares could become available globally for planting new forests. Sustainable management of forests, which are available to wood production, has received less attention despite these forests covering at least two billion hectares globally. Better management of existing forests would improve forest growth and help mitigate climate change by increasing the forest carbon (C) stock, by storing C in forest products, and by generating wood-based materials substituting fossil C based materials or other CO2-emission-intensive materials. Some published research assumes a trade-off between the timber harvested from existing forests and the stock of C in those forest ecosystems, asserting that both cannot increase simultaneously. We tested this assumption using the uniquely detailed forest inventory data available from Finland, Norway and Sweden, hereafter denoted northern Europe. We focused on the period 1960 - 2017, that saw little change in the total area covered by forests in northern Europe. At the start of the period, rotational forestry practices began to diffuse, eventually replacing selective felling management systems as the most common management practice. Looking at data over the period we find that despite significant increases in timber and pulp wood harvests, the growth of the forest C stock accelerated. Over the study period, the C stock of the forest ecosystems in northern Europe increased by nearly 70%, while annual timber harvests increased at the about 40% over the same period. This increase in the forest C stock was close to on par with the CO2-emissions from the region (other greenhouse gases not included). Our results suggest that the important effects of management on forest growth allows the forest C stock and timber harvests to increase simultaneously. The development in northern Europe raises the question of how better forest management can improve forest growth elsewhere around the globe while at the same time protecting biodiversity and preserving landscapes.Peer reviewe

Managing existing forests can mitigate climate change

Planting new forests has received scientific and political attention as a measure to mitigate climate change. Large, new forests have been planted in places like China and Ethiopia and, over time, a billion hectares could become available globally for planting new forests. Sustainable management of forests, which are available to wood production, has received less attention despite these forests covering at least two billion hectares globally. Better management of existing forests would improve forest growth and help mitigate climate change by increasing the forest carbon (C) stock, by storing C in forest products, and by generating wood-based materials substituting fossil C based materials or other CO2-emission-intensive materials. Some published research assumes a trade-off between the timber harvested from existing forests and the stock of C in those forest ecosystems, asserting that both cannot increase simultaneously. We tested this assumption using the uniquely detailed forest inventory data available from Finland, Norway and Sweden, hereafter denoted northern Europe. We focused on the period 1960 - 2017, that saw little change in the total area covered by forests in northern Europe. At the start of the period, rotational forestry practices began to diffuse, eventually replacing selective felling management systems as the most common management practice. Looking at data over the period we find that despite significant increases in timber and pulp wood harvests, the growth of the forest C stock accelerated. Over the study period, the C stock of the forest ecosystems in northern Europe increased by nearly 70%, while annual timber harvests increased at the about 40% over the same period. This increase in the forest C stock was close to on par with the CO2-emissions from the region (other greenhouse gases not included). Our results suggest that the important effects of management on forest growth allows the forest C stock and timber harvests to increase simultaneously. The development in northern Europe raises the question of how better forest management can improve forest growth elsewhere around the globe while at the same time protecting biodiversity and preserving landscapes

Suitability Of Nitisinone In Alkaptonuria 1 (SONIA 1): an international, multicentre, randomised, open-label, no-treatment controlled, parallel-group, dose-response study to investigate the effect of once daily nitisinone on 24-h urinary homogentisic acid excretion in patients with alkaptonuria after 4 weeks of treatment.

BACKGROUND: Alkaptonuria (AKU) is a serious genetic disease characterised by premature spondyloarthropathy. Homogentisate-lowering therapy is being investigated for AKU. Nitisinone decreases homogentisic acid (HGA) in AKU but the dose-response relationship has not been previously studied. METHODS: Suitability Of Nitisinone In Alkaptonuria 1 (SONIA 1) was an international, multicentre, randomised, open-label, no-treatment controlled, parallel-group, dose-response study. The primary objective was to investigate the effect of different doses of nitisinone once daily on 24-h urinary HGA excretion (u-HGA24) in patients with AKU after 4 weeks of treatment. Forty patients were randomised into five groups of eight patients each, with groups receiving no treatment or 1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg and 8 mg of nitisinone. FINDINGS: A clear dose-response relationship was observed between nitisinone and the urinary excretion of HGA. At 4 weeks, the adjusted geometric mean u-HGA24 was 31.53 mmol, 3.26 mmol, 1.44 mmol, 0.57 mmol and 0.15 mmol for the no treatment or 1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg and 8 mg doses, respectively. For the most efficacious dose, 8 mg daily, this corresponds to a mean reduction of u-HGA24 of 98.8% compared with baseline. An increase in tyrosine levels was seen at all doses but the dose-response relationship was less clear than the effect on HGA. Despite tyrosinaemia, there were no safety concerns and no serious adverse events were reported over the 4 weeks of nitisinone therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In this study in patients with AKU, nitisinone therapy decreased urinary HGA excretion to low levels in a dose-dependent manner and was well tolerated within the studied dose range. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: EudraCT number: 2012-005340-24. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCTO1828463

Skogens helsetilstand i Norge. Resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i 2022

Skogens helsetilstand påvirkes i stor grad av klima og værforhold, enten direkte ved tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klimaet påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Klimaendringene og den forventede økningen i klimarelaterte skogskader gir store utfordringer for forvaltningen av framtidas skogressurser. Det samme gjør invaderende skadegjørere, både allerede etablerte arter og nye som kan komme til Norge i nær framtid. I denne rapporten presenteres resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i Norge i 2022 og trender over tid for følgende temaer: (i) Landsrepresentativ skogovervåking; (ii) Intensiv skogovervåking; (iii) Overvåking av bjørkemålere i Troms og Finnmark; (iv) Barkbilleovervåkingen; (v) Furuvednematode; (vi) Askeskuddsyke; (vii) Andre spesielle skogskader i 2022