Effects of two different thinning methods on the diameter and basal area increments of silver lime (Tilia tomentosa Moench) target trees in Fruška Gora (Serbia)

This paper analyses the cumulative effects of selective thinning and thinning from below on diameter and basal area increments of target trees after 25/26 years in 52, 69- and 86-year-old silver lime (Tilia tomentosa Moench) stands. Two target tree collectives were analysed: (1) elite trees selected between 1993–1994 from permanent sampling plots (selective thinning method), and (2) a ‘comparable collective’ of target trees selected in 2019 (25/26 years later) according to the same criteria as the elite trees, in the same stands thinned from below. Elite trees that were selectively thinned had: higher diameter, basal area and volume per tree, higher diameter and basal area increment for a given time period, and lower slenderness coefficients compared to the target trees that were thinned from below at 52 and 69 yr. While diameter increment decreases with age, and differences between elite trees of different ages are clearly delineated, diameter increments of trees thinned from below are not significantly different at 52 and 69 yr. In addition, basal area increment of trees is highest at 69 yr with selective thinning. When thinning from below, there were no significant differences in basal area increments between trees at 69 and 86 yr. Silver lime shows a strong growth response after selective thinning at ages 25/26 and 44 yr. However, our results show that this response is less pronounced when selective thinning begins at 61 yr.

Different responses of Monochamus galloprovincialis and three non-target species to trap type, colour, and lubricant treatment

Gender inequalities in Transylvania's largest peri-urban forest usage

Urban green spaces (public gardens, parks, urban and peri-urban forests) offer multiple-use opportunities and spaces for recreational activities and played a key role in supporting mental and physical health of dwellers during covid-19 pandemic, being ones of few places where outdoor and social activities where allowed. This study was conducted in Brașov city (also known as Kronstadt, by its German name), the second largest metropolitan area of Romania and surrounded by a significant area of peri-urban forests in Transylvania. Brașov city own just 5.62 sqm of urban green space/inhabitant, one of the lowest in the country, so the presence of a large peri-urban forest area become very valuable for locals and tourists visiting the area. Due to its importance and because understanding visitors' expectations and perceptions is a key element to support decision-makers and ensure proper management of these forests, the Brașov’s forests administrator (Kronstadt Local Public Forest District – RPLPK) decided to investigate how dwellers generally interact with the peri-urban forests and to identify opportunities for improving the capacity of forests in providing social and recreational services. Data were collected through the administration of CAWI (computer assisted web interview) to 314 respondents at beginning of 2021, at exactly one year distance after the pandemic lockdown was imposed all around the country. Analyzing the participants responses, a surprising fact become evident: the use of peri-urban forest is not gender equal, women being less able than men to access these green natural spaces and, therefore, to uptake the benefits provided by the peri-urban forests.

Monitoring tree mortality in Ukrainian Pinus sylvestris L. forests using remote sensing data from earth observing satellites

This article considers the application of remote sensing data to solve the problems of forestry in the Polissia zone (Ukraine). The satellite remote sensing was shown to be applicable to monitoring the damage caused by diseases and pests to forest resources and to assessing the effects of fires. During the research, a detailed analysis and optimization of the information content of Sentinel-2 long-term data sets was performed to detect changes in the forest cover of Polissia, affected by pests and damaged by fires. The following classification algorithms were used for automated decryption: the maximum likelihood method; cluster classification without training; Principal Component Analysis (PCA); Random Forest classification. The results of this study indicate the high potential of Sentinel-2 data for application in applied problems of forestry and vegetation analysis, despite the decametric spatial resolution. Our proposed workflow has achieved an overall classification accuracy of 90 % for the Polissia region, indicating its reliability and potential for scaling to a higher level, and the proposed forecast model is stationary and does not depend on time parameters. To improve the classification results, testing of different combinations of bands emphasized the importance of Band 8 in combination with red edge bands, as well as other bands with a resolution of 10 m for summer scenes. The red margin shows clearly visible differences in the spectral profiles, but bands with a higher resolution of 10 m were crucial for good results.