Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Nikola Žižlavská 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: Stanislav Herber Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Management and Applied Geoinformatics, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: The use of LiDAR for the documentation and modelling of cultural heritage sites hidden by the forest canopy Abstract: The large number of charcoal kiln sites (CHKS) preserved as cultural heritage monuments demonstrates how extensive forest management for charcoal production has influenced the present forest dynamics and contributed to industrial expansion. Therefore, it is necessary not only to have a reliable methodology for detecting and documenting individual kiln sites for management and protection purposes but also to present the results in a meaningful way to the public. The aim is to optimise the data processing workflow from airborne laser scanning (ALS) point cloud to printable model (from LAS format to STL), determine the influence of vegetation cover at the time of data collection on the quality of the resulting model, verify the quality of printed models using photogrammetry, and finally, produce printed models of CHKS as cultural heritage objects in a form that can be effectively presented to the public. After comparison of different ground filtering methods, we conclude that the most accurate method for creating a precise ground representation for our area of interest was the Cloth Simulation Filtering (CSF) algorithm. From the filtered point cloud, a high-resolution raster surface was generated, which served as the basis for CHKS detection. Using our proposed methodology - combining the topographic position index (TPI) with a 0-5% slope threshold - we achieved a significant improvement in detection performance compared to using a zero-slope threshold alone, with the F1 score increasing from 0.667 to 1.000. Subsequently, the most representative kiln site was selected, which was then processed and optimised using various software tools, resulting in an exchangeable STL file suitable for dissemination and 3D printing. The accuracy of the printable model was then evaluated. We conclude that point cloud from the winter flight campaign achieved higher accuracy. The average height differences were similar; however, the spatial distribution varied between the two clouds. The model from the winter flight campaign had more evenly distributed deviations and overall was better for modelling the CHKS. Keywords: 3D mesh, 3D objects, 3D printing, charcoal kiln sites, photogrammetry Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 501-515 Volume: 71 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/53/2025-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/53/2025-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202510-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:71:y:2025:i:10:id:53-2025-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Petra Jablonická Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Horák Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jakub Černý Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Silviculture, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Opočno, Czech Republic Title: Modulating Norway spruce growth and resilience through thinning intensity under climate change conditions Abstract: In recent decades, Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands have become increasingly vulnerable to frequent droughts and associated outbreaks of secondary biotic pests, resulting in significant degradation of forest ecosystems. To preserve their production and ecological functions, it is necessary to apply well-adapted silvicultural practices that mitigate the risk of stand decline. This study examines the effects of two thinning intensities (moderate and heavy) on stand productivity and resilience under varying site conditions. Three long-term research sites with paired differently thinned plots located within and outside the natural range of Norway spruce in the Czech Republic were analysed. Tree-ring width measurements were used to calculate radial growth trends and four resilience indices (resistance, resilience, recovery and average relative growth reduction). Across sites Blaník (BL), Tetřeví Boudy (TB) and Železná Ruda (ZR), basal area increment (BAI) differed significantly between thinning intensities (BL: P = 0.044; TB: P = 0.0076; ZR: P < 0.001), with moderate thinning showing higher BAI at BL and TB, whereas heavy thinning reduced growth at the waterlogged TB site. Site-specific differences in tree growth responses to negative pointer years were evaluated, particularly concerning drought events. Resilience metrics computed for five drought pointer years (1976, 2000, 2003, 2015, 2019) showed no consistent differences between thinning intensities; however, at ZR, heavy thinning yielded higher resilience (Rs) and resistance (Rt) in 2015 and 2019. During drought years, the average relative growth reduction (ARGR) ranged from 3% to 31%, with the lowest values under moderate thinning. Overall, moderate thinning enhanced stand productivity and resilience, whereas heavy thinning had adverse effects at the waterlogged site. These results highlight the need to adapt silvicultural practices to local ecological conditions to ensure long-term stability and productivity. Keywords: climate-growth relationships, climatic stress, dendroecology, resilience indices, silvicultural treatments, tree-ring analysis Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 482-500 Volume: 71 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/55/2025-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/55/2025-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202510-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:71:y:2025:i:10:id:55-2025-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lili Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing, China Author-Name: Chenyi Yu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing, China Author-Name: Jiayi Yang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing, China Author-Name: Zijun Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing, China Author-Name: Qingwei Guan Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing, China Title: Progress and prospects in understanding the effects of forest management practices on soil nitrogen cycling Abstract: Soil nitrogen (N) cycling plays a pivotal role in forest ecosystem productivity and nutrient regulation. This review synthesises recent advances in understanding how forest management practices influence soil nitrogen cycling and highlights future research priorities for elucidating underlying mechanisms and optimising forest ecosystem functioning (Figure 1). Management interventions such as thinning, species composition adjustment, and understory vegetation control have been shown to affect N inputs and transformation pathways by modifying litter quality, microbial community structure, and N-cycling enzyme activities. However, current findings remain inconsistent, and mechanistic insights are still limited. Future research should focus on disentangling the multi-scale, multifactorial interactions through which forest management regulates soil N cycling. Integrative approaches that link molecular biology with ecosystem-level processes are needed to clarify the interplay among microbial dynamics, enzyme activity, root exudates, and soil physicochemical properties across spatial and temporal scales. In addition, research should explore how forest management affects community structure, litter inputs, soil aggregation, and subsurface biochemical processes to reveal the synergistic regulation of nitrogen cycling by biological, physical, and chemical drivers. Establishing long-term monitoring networks across a range of forest types and climatic regimes, combined with tools such as metagenomics, high-throughput sequencing, and stable isotope tracing, will enable the precise characterisation of key nitrogen-cycling genes and fluxes. In the context of global environmental change, it is also crucial to assess how forest management modulates the coupling of nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles and the resultant ecological feedbacks. Keywords: fertilisation, fire, rotation periods, soil microbial communities, structure and composition Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 469-481 Volume: 71 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/61/2025-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/61/2025-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202510-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:71:y:2025:i:10:id:61-2025-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jiří Lehejček Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic Author-Name: Gabriel Vávrů Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic Author-Name: Sangay Wangchuk Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Forest Science and Technology, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Forestry Research and Training, Bumthang, Bhutan Author-Name: Miroslav Svoboda Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Katrien Boonen Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic Title: Himalayan fir growth in central Bhutan reflects variability in temperature and precipitation Abstract: Mountain ecosystems, especially those at the highest altitudes, are sensitive to current climate change. Proxy archives may provide an insightful tool to better understand ongoing changes and evaluate future scenarios. Trees have traditionally been used as such archives, as they often respond sensitively to environmental change. Thus, we studied tree-ring records of forest-line species Abies densa Griff. growing in the Eastern Himalayas, central Bhutan, to evaluate the effect of climate on the growth of this species. The annual chronologies were generated using standard dendrochronological methods and then compared with climatic data from the CRU TS database. The results demonstrate a negative effect of summer temperatures on the width of the annual rings, suggesting possible stress caused by higher temperatures during the monsoon season. On the other hand, a positive effect of temperatures on tree growth was observed during late winter months. The response to rainfall was mixed, with a positive effect on growth in November and a negative effect in May and January, suggesting a later onset of the vegetation season. To our knowledge, we present the first dendroclimatological study on this long-lived species in central Bhutan, portraying its potential for future climate and environmental research and applications. Keywords: Abies densa Griff., dendrochronology, dendroclimatology, Eastern Himalayas, tree rings Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 516-524 Volume: 71 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/58/2025-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/58/2025-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202510-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:71:y:2025:i:10:id:58-2025-JFS