Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Aidin Parsakhoo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran Author-Name: Seyed Ataollah Hosseini Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Forest Economics Department, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran Title: Effect of bioengineering treatments on reduction of soil erosion from road cut slope and fill slope Abstract: The efficiency of different conservation practices on soil loss from road side slopes is scarcely identified in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran, which could retard the implementation of these management practices. Sediment of 48 plots on the cut slopes and fill slopes of forest roads were collected to explore their responses to soil conservation practices, including straw bale (SB), living hedge (LH), dead hedge (DH), geo-cell (GC), geotextile (GT), and bare soil (BS). Moreover, the efficiency of conservation practices was evaluated to find a cost-effective approach. Sediment traps were installed at the toe of side slopes in the ditch and end of each treated plot. Sediment volume was measured monthly for six months. The results demonstrated that the lowest soil loss occurred in autumn and fill slopes treated with GC (5.05 g.m-2) and the highest in winter and cut slopes treated with SB (41.81 g.m-2). In all cases, soil loss from BS (126.74 g.m-2) was significantly higher than in plots treated with conservation practices. GC performed well under certain circumstances due to two-dimensional protections of contiguous wooden lumbers. Moreover, it was found that in a short time there were not any significant differences between LH (28.78 g.m-2), DH (36.01 g.m-2), and GT (30.61 g.m-2) in soil loss control ability. Regarding implementation and installation costs, GC (USD 16.67 per plot) was the most expensive, while LH (USD 3.33 per plot) was the cheapest. Regarding GC, it is necessary to conduct long-term research to determine economic efficiency, durability, maintenance, and repair costs. Until then, it is possible to use affordable treatments such as LH, which have yielded favourable results in efficiency. Keywords: geo-cell, Hyrcanian region, road side slopes, season, sediment Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 367-376 Volume: 69 Issue: 9 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/55/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/55/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202309-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:9:id:55-2023-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo Castro-Camba Author-Workplace-Name: Plant Production Department, Misión Biológica de Galicia, Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Author-Name: Jesús María Vielba Author-Workplace-Name: Plant Production Department, Misión Biológica de Galicia, Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Author-Name: Purificación Covelo Author-Workplace-Name: Plant Production Department, Misión Biológica de Galicia, Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Author-Name: Nieves Vidal Author-Workplace-Name: Plant Production Department, Misión Biológica de Galicia, Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Author-Name: Conchi Sánchez Author-Workplace-Name: Plant Production Department, Misión Biológica de Galicia, Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Title: Reducing costs, improving profits: A low-cost culture media for woody plants micropropagation Abstract: Micropropagation has enormous potential in the forestry industry for the mass production of elite genotypes. A limiting factor that hinders a wider adoption of this technique is its high associated cost, dissuading small producers and laboratories from its use. Thus, it is important to develop low-cost protocols to increase the competitiveness of micropropagation. The goal of the present study was to elaborate a low-cost culture medium that would allow plant growth without diminishing plant quality and production. The replacement of laboratory sucrose with commercial sugar as a carbon source, and laboratory agar with locally produced agar as a gelling agent was tested. To validate the effects of the medium for woody species micropropagation, two relevant forest species, chestnut and birch, were used and several phenotypic characteristics were recorded. Our data indicated that the substitutions made in the media composition did not alter growth or rooting parameters. Substitution of laboratory sucrose and Bacto agar by table sugar and local commercial agar provides a valuable alternative for forest species micropropagation and for increasing their potential profitability. Keywords: birch, carbon source, chestnut, gelling agent, microshoots, woody species Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 377-388 Volume: 69 Issue: 9 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/56/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/56/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202309-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:9:id:56-2023-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Martin Smola Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Lesprojekt východní Čechy, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic Author-Name: Josef Cafourek Author-Workplace-Name: University Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest in Křtiny, Mendel University in Brno, Křtiny, Czech Republic Author-Name: Antonín Kusbach Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Martin Šenfeldr Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Josef Střítecký Author-Workplace-Name: Patrik System, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Czech Republic Author-Name: Petr Maděra Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Impact of protection methods and abiotic factors on Nothofagus pumilio seedlings mortality in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Abstract: National parks (NP) are the last refugia of forests dominated by the Nothofagus species in Chile. However, frequent, careless human-caused fires are destroying these forests even within the national parks. After large-scale fires, N. pumilio stands are unable to recover naturally neither in generative nor in vegetative ways and artificial regeneration must be resorted to in order to maintain their extent. However, even artificial regeneration is not successful without protection against browsing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to experimentally test a range of repellents and other methods of mechanical protection of seedlings against browsing. Five replicates of plots were placed in Torres del Paine NP, in different habitat conditions and with different methods of protection against browsing (11 repellents, wire mesh, plastic tube and control). In each plot, 12 seedlings were treated with each type of protection. In our experiment, only 8% of the seedlings were damaged by browsing, while the mortality rate was 38%. The results indicate a more significant effect of abiotic factors (mainly frost, drought or wind) on seedling mortality than browsing. In parallel, however, it is clear that, compared with the control, six of the eleven repellents used in the experiment showed a significantly positive effect. We suggest the use of plastic tubes as the best option to protect seedlings, which, in addition to providing 100% protection against browsing, are likely to provide more favourable microclimatic conditions for seedlings, similar to leaving the burned snags. Keywords: browsing, forest fires, guanaco, lenga, repellents Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 389-400 Volume: 69 Issue: 9 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/45/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/45/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202309-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:9:id:45-2023-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Giorgi Kavtaradze Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Lado Basilidze Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Jan Pergl Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic Author-Name: Elizaveta Avoiani Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Petr Vahalik Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Management and Applied Geoinformatics, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Besarion Aptsiauri Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Nani Goginashvili Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Margalita Bachilava Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Author-Name: Zurab Manvelidze Author-Workplace-Name: Batumi Botanical Garden, Batumi, Georgia Author-Name: Nato Kobakhidze Author-Workplace-Name: Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia Title: Distribution and environmental impact of alien woody species in lowland riparian forest habitats: Case study in the protected areas of Georgia, South Caucasus Abstract: Biological invasions are globally recognised as a significant threat to native biodiversity, as they can change the structure, composition, and functioning of the native ecological system. The riparian forest is considered a habitat highly invaded by invasive plants since rivers serve as corridors for alien species through the terrestrial ecosystem or may simply harbour exotic species that cannot survive elsewhere. The riparian forest, as a high conservation value forest, is an important part of the lowland forests of Georgia. These forests are distributed along large rivers, including the Mtkvari, Alazani, Iori, Aragvi, Ksani, Algeti, and Great and Little Liakhvi rivers. Here, we present a case study that was part of the scientific project titled 'Survey of Potential Invasive Alien Woody Species (PIAWS) in the Protected Areas of Georgia'. Protected areas (PAs) in Georgia play an important role in conserving native biodiversity, including forest ecosystems of distinguished biodiversity. We focused on the lowland riparian forest (LRF) distributed along the Mtkvari and Iori rivers within two PAs - Korugi and Gardabani Managed Reserves (MRs). Six main alien woody species (AWS) were identified in the study areas: Robinia pseudoacacia, Gleditsia triacanthos, Ailanthus altissima, Acer negundo, Amorpha fruticose and Morus alba. Among these AWS, the local status of R. pseudoacacia, G. triacanthos, A. altissima, and A. fruticosa is invasive, while that of A. negundo and M. alba is naturalised. The environmental impact of AWS on LRF habitat was evaluated using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) classification system. A major or moderate impact of AWS on the LRF habitat is evident, which, according to EICAT impact mechanisms, is expressed as apparent competition and physical, structural and indirect impacts. The study revealed that the impact levels of three AWS, R. pseudoacacia, G. triacanthos, and A. altissima, were classified as major or moderate ('harmful' impact), while the remaining AWS, A. negundo and A. fruticosa, were of minor or minimal concern. AWS in the invaded areas of the LRF are found as an understorey layer or, otherwise, they have already formed the main canopy and replaced native dominant woody species. Therefore, undesirable structural and succession processes in invaded LRFs are evident. Keywords: conservation, Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT), exotic trees, invasion Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 401-414 Volume: 69 Issue: 9 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/3/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/3/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202309-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:9:id:3-2023-JFS