Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: I. Ulbrichová Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: V. Podrázský Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: F. Beran Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště, Czech Republic Author-Name: D. Zahradník Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Fulín Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: J. Procházka Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: J. Kubeček Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Picea abies provenance test in the Czech Republic after 36 years - Central European provenances Abstract: Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) provenances from Central Europe (Hercynian-Sudetes area) were evaluated in a long-term experimental project (Germany-Czech Republic) 36 years after the outplanting. The growth characteristics, mortality and qualitative morphological characteristics of 64 spruce provenances were evaluated on the experimental plot Ledeč-Zaháj, in the Czech-Moravian Highland region of the Czech Republic, in typical conditions for Norway spruce cultivation. Results show 15-20% differences in height and radial growth between provenances and insignificant differences in qualitative characteristics e.g. stem shape, branch density and shape and also health state. Environmental variables that significantly influenced production characteristics include longitude, latitude and altitude of the original locations of the provenances, while average annual temperature and average annual precipitation were not significant. Given conditions of the experimental plot, optimal production occurred with those provenances originally from 49-51 N latitude and 13-20 E longitude. Keywords: Norway spruce, forest tree breeding, spruce production Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 465-477 Volume: 61 Issue: 11 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/23/2015-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/23/2015-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-201511-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:61:y:2015:i:11:id:23-2015-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Mohebi Bijarpas Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran Author-Name: T. Rostami Shahraji Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran Author-Name: S. Mohammadi Limaei Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran Title: Socioeconomic evaluation of agroforestry systems (Case study: Northern Iran) Abstract: The aim of this research was to investigate the socioeconomic values of different land use in the agroforestry system. Questionnaires were used to collect social and economic data in two villages at Guilan province, northern Iran. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profitability Index (PI) were used for cost-benefit analysis. Net Present Value (NPV) of different farming systems was determined. ANOVA test was used to compare the outcomes of different land use. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between literacy and variety of land use in two villages. Results of IRR and PI indices show that these indices were higher in poplar plantation than in the other land use (paddy and tea field, horticulture and vegetable). Results of ANOVA test showed that there is a significant difference between net incomes from different farming systems in Tamchal village. Furthermore, the ANOVA test showed that there is no significant difference between net incomes from different farming systems in Narenj Bon Paeen village. The results showed that farmers tend to participate in training and promoting classes associated with the maximum use of land. Chi-squared test was used in order to determine the effect of participation in training and promoting classes on multiple uses of land, land use change, sericulture, and apiculture. The results of Chi-squared test showed that there is a significant and positive relationship between people's participation rates and the multiple use of land. In overall, results showed that traditional agroforestry systems provide a higher income than monoculture in the study area. Keywords: internal rate of return (IRR), profitability index (PI) Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 478-484 Volume: 61 Issue: 11 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/30/2015-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/30/2015-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-201511-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:61:y:2015:i:11:id:30-2015-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: S. Magnussen Author-Workplace-Name: Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Victoria BC, Canada Title: A fixed count sampling estimator of stem density based on a survival function Abstract: In fixed count sampling (FCS) a fixed number (k) of observations is made at n randomly selected sample locations. For estimation of stem density, the distance from a random sample location to the k nearest trees was measured. It is known that practical FCS estimators of stem density are biased. With the objective of reducing bias in FCS estimators of stem density, a new estimator derived from a survival function with distance acting as time was presented. To allow for spatial heterogeneity in stem density, the survival function includes shared frailty. Encouraging results with k = 6 in terms of bias, root mean squared error (RMSE), and coverage of nominal 95% confidence intervals were obtained in an extensive testing with simulated random sampling from 54 actual and four simulated spatial point patterns of tree locations. Sample sizes were 9, 15, and 30, with 1200 replications per setting. The performance across sites of the new FCS estimator was variable but almost paralleled that of a design-based estimator with fixed area plots. Users of the new FCS estimator can expect an absolute relative bias and a root mean squared error that are 1% greater than for sampling with fixed area plots holding an average of k trees. The chance of a smaller RMSE with the proposed estimator was estimated at 0.44. Keywords: bias, coverage, forest inventory, spatial point pattern, standard error, root mean squared error Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 485-495 Volume: 61 Issue: 11 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/46/2015-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/46/2015-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-201511-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:61:y:2015:i:11:id:46-2015-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: S. Chersich Author-Workplace-Name: University of Pavia, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pavia, Italy Author-Name: K. Rejšek Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Geology and Soil Science, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: V. Vranová Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Geology and Soil Science, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Bordoni Author-Workplace-Name: University of Pavia, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pavia, Italy Author-Name: C. Meisina Author-Workplace-Name: University of Pavia, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pavia, Italy Title: Climate change impacts on the Alpine ecosystem: an overview with focus on the soil Abstract: The Alpine ecosystem is very sensitive to climatic changes, which have an influence on glaciers, snow, vegetation and soils. The aim of this review is to illustrate the effects of global change on the Alpine soil ecosystem, which is an optimal marker to record them. The manuscript enhances our understanding of the global change effect on the Alpine environment: on morphology, on ice, on vegetation and points out how the cycles of soil nutrients equilibrium have been changed with a direct effect on soils that support plant species. The changes in cryosphere, glacier reduction and periglacial environment as glaciers retreat, decrease in the snow cover extent and earlier snowmelt, determine an effect on soils (on the structure, organic matter and humus forms, soil processes and soil types) from the top of the Alpine horizon to the bottom. The processes induced by climate change (such as erosion and tree line shifting) have a direct effect on water balance that can be observed on soil profile characters with an effect on upward migration, change in phenology, extensive losses of species. The equilibrium of the biogeochemical cycles has been changed and this has a direct effect on soils that support plant species. Keywords: Alpine environment, cryosphere, soil science, treeline Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 496-514 Volume: 61 Issue: 11 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/47/2015-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/47/2015-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-201511-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:61:y:2015:i:11:id:47-2015-JFS