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Articles containing the keyword 'assessment'

Category : Article

article id 5618, category Article
Marja-Leena Nykänen, Marianne Broadgate, Seppo Kellomäki, Heli Peltola, Christopher Quine. (1997). Factors affecting snow damage of trees with particular reference to European conditions. Silva Fennica vol. 31 no. 2 article id 5618. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a8519
Keywords: stem breakage; stand management; snow accumulation; topography; risk assessment; snow damage; snowfall; risk model
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Within the European Community snow damage affects an estimated 4 million m3 of timber every year, causing significant economic losses to forest owners. In Northern Europe, for example, the occurrence of snow damage has increased over the last few decades mainly due to the increase in total growing stock. The most common form of damage is stem breakage, but trees can also be bent or uprooted. Trees suffering snow damage are also more prone to consequential damage through insect or fungal attacks.

Snow accumulation on trees is strongly dependent upon weather and climatological conditions. Temperature influences the moisture content of snow and therefore the degree to which it can accumulate on branches. Wind can cause snow to be shed, but can also lead to large accumulations of wet snow, rime or freezing rain. Wet snow is most likely in late autumn or early spring. Geographic location and topography influence the occurrence of damaging forms of snow, and coastal locations and moderate to high elevations experience large accumulations. Slope plays a less important role and the evidence on the role of aspect is contradictory. The occurrence of damaging events can vary from every winter to once every 10 years or so depending upon regional climatology. In the future, assuming global warming in northern latitudes, the risk of snow damage could increase, because the relative occurrence of snowfall near temperatures of zero could increase.

The severity of snow damage is related to tree characteristics. Stem taper and crown characteristics are the most important factors controlling the stability of trees. Slightly tapering stems, asymmetric crowns, and rigid horizontal branching are all associated with high risk. However, the evidence on species differences is less clear due to the interaction with location. Management of forests can alter risk through choice of regeneration, tending, thinning and rotation. However, quantification and comparison of the absolute effect of these measures is not yet possible. An integrated risk model is required to allow the various locational and silvicultural factors to be assessed. Plans are presented to construct such a model, and gaps in knowledge are highlighted.

  • Nykänen, E-mail: mn@mm.unknown (email)
  • Broadgate, E-mail: mb@mm.unknown
  • Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown
  • Peltola, E-mail: hp@mm.unknown
  • Quine, E-mail: cq@mm.unknown
article id 5397, category Article
Juha Kaitera, Risto Jalkanen. (1984). Old and fresh Gremmeniella abietina damage on Scots pine in eastern Lapland in 1992. Silva Fennica vol. 28 no. 2 article id 5397. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a9166
Keywords: Pinus sylvestris; Gremmeniella abietina; shoots; fungal damage; assessment; plant diseases
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Damage on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) caused by Gremmeniella abietina (Lagerb.) Morelet was assessed in the summer of 1992 in 67 stands in eastern Lapland. The area and severity of damage were smaller and lighter than had earlier been estimated and occurred especially in stands in the first-thinning stage or in middle-age. Significant new infection of 1991 occurred in stands previously heavily infected by G. abietina near Kemihaara river, lake Naruska, the Naruska river, the Tuntsa river and lake Vilma. Fresh damage occurred mainly in the lower or middle parts of the Scots pine canopies.

  • Kaitera, E-mail: jk@mm.unknown (email)
  • Jalkanen, E-mail: rj@mm.unknown

Category : Article

article id 7432, category Article
Ukko Rummukainen. (1954). Männyn ja kuusen käpysadosta ja sen arvioinnista vuosina 1950-1953. Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 61 no. 20 article id 7432. https://doi.org/10.14214/aff.7432
English title: Estimation of Scots pine and Norway spruce cone crop in 1950-1953.
Original keywords: kuusi; mänty; käpysato; siemenkeräys; käpykeräys; arviointimenetelmä
English keywords: Pinus sylvestris; Norway spruce; Picea abies; Scots pine; seed collection; cone crop; cone collection; assessment method
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The cone crop of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) has been assessed in Finland since 1930 annually by sending a questionnaire to forest professionals around the country. Based on the result it is decided if the crop is good enough for collection of the cones next winter. This article presents the results of cone surveys in 1950-1953, and suggest improvements in the method of the investigation.

According to the survey, Scots pine crop was best in 1952, when the crop was intermediate in the whole country, and relatively abundant in the county of Lapland. Norway spruce crop was best in 1951, when the crop was better than in average in the whole country. The evaluators had variable opinions whether the crop was good enough for cone collection or not. They assessed the pine cone collection more often as profitable than the spruce cone collection. Usual reasons to regard spruce cone collection as unprofitable were seed damages and the sites being too far away. To make the results more uniform and accurate, a suggestion to change the evaluation method is presented. The evaluation should be focused on the cone crop of mature stands.

The Acta Forestalia Fennica issue 61 was published in honour of professor Eino Saari’s 60th birthday.
The PDF includes a summary in German.

  • Rummukainen, E-mail: ur@mm.unknown (email)

Category : Research article

article id 23030, category Research article
Harri Silvennoinen, Laura Pikkarainen, Heini Nakola, Matti Koivula, Liisa Tyrväinen, Jukka Tikkanen, Philip Chambers, Heli Peltola. (2024). Consistency of video and photo surveys in measuring attractiveness of forest stands managed with varying intensities. Silva Fennica vol. 58 no. 3 article id 23030. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.23030
Keywords: environment; assessment; forest treatment; preference; visualization
Highlights: The more intensely a forest is treated silviculturally, the less it corresponds to people’s wishes and expectations for nature; It is possible to assess the attractiveness of nature from both photographs and videos; Evaluations from videos and images differed slightly, but these differences do not affect how treatments are ranked; Photo and video assessments are not easy for everyone.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

We evaluated the consistency of video, ordinary photo, and panoramic photo surveys in measuring the attractiveness (recreational use, scenic values etc.) of forest stands managed with varying intensities. We also evaluated possible effects on the results caused by the personal background of citizen respondents and how the respondents experienced the evaluation events. Our experimental sites were in mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests in eastern Finland and included two replicate sites which were unharvested (control, basal area 26 m2 ha–1), a selective cutting site (basal area 18 m2 ha–1), small openings sites (gap cut) with 5 and 20% retained trees, respectively, and one site which was clear cut with 3% retained trees. In our study, 71 volunteer forestry students evaluated the attractiveness of these sites from an ordinary photo, a panoramic photo, and a video, with a 0–10 scale. Based on this study, the unharvested forest was the most attractive and clear cutting was the least attractive, regardless of the evaluation method. This result was in line with a previous study using on-site evaluations of the same sites. The differences of respondents considering in how easy they felt to assess the attractiveness of the environment as a whole and in using different visualisation methods affected the result, unlike background variables of the respondents. The results of forest attractiveness were consistent between panoramic and ordinary photos, and the attractiveness scoring was slightly higher for them than for the video. We conclude that all the compared visualisation methods seem to be suitable for assessment of the attractiveness of forest views.

  • Silvennoinen, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9095-7986 E-mail: harri.silvennoinen@uef.fi (email)
  • Pikkarainen, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5301-3639 E-mail: laura.pikkarainen@uef.fi
  • Nakola, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: heini.nakola@gmail.com
  • Koivula, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6415-4904 E-mail: matti.koivula@luke.fi
  • Tyrväinen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5144-7150 E-mail: liisa.tyrvainen@luke.fi
  • Tikkanen, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9693-8209 E-mail: jukka.tikkanen@uef.fi
  • Chambers, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0586-3142 E-mail: philip.chambers@uef.fi
  • Peltola, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1384-9153 E-mail: heli.peltola@uef.fi
article id 10088, category Research article
Antti-Jussi Lindroos, Kira Ryhti, Tomi Kaakkurivaara, Jori Uusitalo, Heljä-Sisko Helmisaari. (2019). Leaching of heavy metals and barium from forest roads reinforced with fly ash. Silva Fennica vol. 53 no. 2 article id 10088. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10088
Keywords: recycling; lysimeter; fly ash; forest road rehabilitation; environmental impact assessment; low-volume road
Highlights: Heavy metal concentrations were generally low in percolation and ditch water samples of ash roads, but elevated concentrations were found in some parts of ash roads; Risk for heavy metal leaching is negligible if road parts producing high concentrations are rare.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of leaching of heavy metals (Cr, As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Co, Mo) and earth-alkaline metal, barium (Ba), on the percolation and ditch water quality from the forest roads that contained ash in the road structures. Water quality was studied in the immediate vicinity below the ash layers as well as deeper in the road structure. Water quality was also determined in the drainage water in ditches that crossed the forest roads. A mixture of wood and peat based fly ash was used in the road structures. The treatments were: 1) no ash, 2) a 15 cm layer of ash/gravel mixture, 3) a 20 cm layer of ash/gravel mixture, 4) a 25 cm layer of ash, and 5) a 50 cm layer of ash. Large variation in the concentrations of Cr, As, Cu, Ni, Pb, Mo and Ba in the percolation water, even within the same treatment, caused difficulties to generalize the results. The concentrations of Cr, As, Ni, Pb, Mo and Ba in water samples were high in some treatment plot lysimeters containing ash compared to the control (no ash). On the other hand, many lysimeters had low and similar concentrations in water samples in the treatment plots containing ash compared to concentrations in the control plots. The ash in the roads did not affect the concentrations in the ditches. The leaching is uneven and seems to take place only from some parts of the ash layer. Risk for leaching is minimal if such parts are not widely spread.

  • Lindroos, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland E-mail: antti.lindroos@luke.fi (email)
  • Ryhti, University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: kira.ryhti@helsinki.fi
  • Kaakkurivaara, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland E-mail: tomi.kaakkurivaara@gmail.com
  • Uusitalo, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Korkeakoulunkatu 7, FI-33720 Tampere, Finland E-mail: jori.uusitalo@luke.fi
  • Helmisaari, University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: helja-sisko.helmisaari@helsinki.fi
article id 975, category Research article
Renats Trubins, Ola Sallnäs. (2014). Categorical mapping from estimates of continuous forest attributes – classification and accuracy. Silva Fennica vol. 48 no. 2 article id 975. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.975
Keywords: Sweden; land cover maps; forest type maps; map accuracy assessment; class membership probability; Bayesian network; k-NN estimates
Highlights: The paper presents an approach to classification and accuracy assessment of ad-hoc categorical maps based on existing spatial datasets with estimates of continuous forest variables; Pixel level class membership probabilities are estimated using a Bayesian network model.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info
Spatially explicit data on forest attributes is demanded for various research with landscape perspective. Existing datasets with estimates of continuous forest variables are often used as the basis for producing categorical forest type maps. Normally, this type of maps are used without knowing their accuracy. This paper presents a Bayesian network model for estimating pixel level class membership probabilities of thus derived categorical maps. Class membership probabilities can be used as a post-classification measure of map accuracy and in the process of map classification affecting the assignments of class labels. The method is applied in mapping deciduous dominated forests on the basis of the k-NN Sweden 2005 dataset in a study area in southern Sweden. The results indicate rather low accuracy for deciduous class regardless of the map classification method: 0.48 versus 0.50 in the maps classified without and with the use of the class membership probabilities given equal deciduous area. When probability-based classification is applied, the level of accuracy varies with the assumed map class proportions. Thus, when deciduous class area corresponding to the National Forest Inventory estimate was used, the accuracy of only 0.35 was obtained for the deciduous map class.
  • Trubins, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: renats.trubins@slu.se (email)
  • Sallnäs, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: ola.sallnas@slu.se
article id 1071, category Research article
Ursula Kretschmer, Nadeschda Kirchner, Christopher Morhart, Heinrich Spiecker. (2013). A new approach to assessing tree stem quality characteristics using terrestrial laser scans. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 5 article id 1071. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1071
Keywords: LIDAR; terrestrial laser scanner; tree stem quality assessment; cylinder approximation; bark defects
Highlights: Minimal deviations of the bark surface can be detected and visualized based on terrestrial laser scan data; Additionally the geometrical properties of bark scars and branched knots can be assessed; Two methods using two different approaches are presented: (1) a method using intensity data and (2) a method using bark surface models.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info
This paper presents an approach to assess and measure bark characteristics as indicators of wood quality using terrestrial laser scan data. In addition to the detection and measurement by use of the intensity information of the scan data a new approach was established. Bark surface models are calculated for each tree. They offer the representation of the bark as a height model. The reference is the tree stem approximated by a chain of cylinders. Minimal deviations of the bark surface can be detected and visualized and the geometrical properties of bark scars and branched knots can be assessed. Results of the measurement of 18 scars are presented using the two approaches: (1) a method using intensity data or (2) using bark surface models. The selection of the adequate approach depends on the stem characteristics. In a next step, methods for automatic measurement of bark scars will be developed.
  • Kretschmer, Chair of Forest Growth, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany E-mail: ursula.kretschmer@iww.uni-freiburg.de (email)
  • Kirchner, VOLKE Consulting Engineers GmbH, Schätzweg 7-9, 80935 München, Germany E-mail: nadeschda.kirchner@volke.muc.de
  • Morhart, Chair of Forest Growth, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany E-mail: christopher.morhart@iww.uni-freiburg.de
  • Spiecker, Chair of Forest Growth, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany E-mail: instww@uni-freiburg.de
article id 1000, category Research article
Sören Wulff, Cornelia Roberge, Anna Hedström Ringvall, Sören Holm, Göran Ståhl. (2013). On the possibility to monitor and assess forest damage within large scale monitoring programmes – a simulation study. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 3 article id 1000. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1000
Keywords: forest health; forest inventory; environmental monitoring and assessment; forest condition
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info
There is a growing demand for information on forest health due to fears that climate change may cause new kinds of damage that have not previously been encountered. In many cases, forest damage monitoring is conducted exclusively within sparse large-scale grids of sample plots and it is doubtful whether these are capable of providing relevant information to support mitigation programmes or other actions required to reduce economic losses due to damage outbreaks. In this study, we used simulated sampling to assess the precision of estimators related to forest state and changes in the damage sustained by trees within an area corresponding to the Swedish region Götaland, assuming a sampling design corresponding to that used in the Swedish National Forest Inventory (NFI) under different damage scenarios. Large and uniformly distributed damage outbreaks were well captured by an NFI-type inventory, but scattered damage outbreaks produced estimates with poor precision. As a consequence, we propose that there might be a need to revise current forest damage monitoring programmes to make them more useful for monitoring the kinds of damage that are likely to arise as a consequence of climate change.
  • Wulff, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: soren.wulff@slu.se (email)
  • Roberge, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: cornelia.roberge@slu.se
  • Ringvall, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: anna.ringvall@slu.se
  • Holm, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: soren.holm@slu.se
  • Ståhl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: goran.stahl@slu.se
article id 69, category Research article
Tarja Wallenius, Risto Laamanen, Jussi Peuhkurinen, Lauri Mehtätalo, Annika Kangas. (2012). Analysing the agreement between an Airborne Laser Scanning based forest inventory and a control inventory – a case study in the state owned forests in Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 1 article id 69. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.69
Keywords: forest inventory; quality assessment; airborne laser scanning
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
Airborne laser scanning based forest inventories have recently shown to produce accurate results. However, the accuracy varies according to the test area and used methodology and therefore, an unambiguous and practical quality assessment will be needed as a part of each inventory project. In this study, the accuracy of an ALS inventory was evaluated with a field sampling based control inventory. The agreement between the ALS inventory and the control inventory was analysed with four methods: 1) root mean square error (RMSE) and bias, 2) scatter plots with 95% confidence intervals, 3) Bland-Altman plots and 4) tolerance limits within Bland-Altman plots. Each method has its own special features which have to be taken into account when the agreement is analysed. The pre-defined requirements of the ALS inventory were achieved. A simplified control inventory approach with a slightly narrower focus is proposed to be used in the future. The Bland-Altman plots with the tolerance limits are proposed to be used in quality assessments of operational ALS inventories. Further studies to improve the efficiency of quality assessment are needed.
  • Wallenius, Metsähallitus, P.O. Box 94, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: tarja.wallenius@metsa.fi (email)
  • Laamanen, Metsähallitus, P.O. Box 94, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: rl@nn.fi
  • Peuhkurinen, Oy Arbonaut Ltd, Helsinki, Finland E-mail: jp@nn.fi
  • Mehtätalo, University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, Joensuu, Finland E-mail: lm@nn.fi
  • Kangas, University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, Helsinki, Finland E-mail: ak@nn.fi
article id 485, category Research article
Helen Uliczka. (2003). Nature conservation efforts by forest owners – intentions and practice in a Swedish case study. Silva Fennica vol. 37 no. 4 article id 485. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.485
Keywords: forest policy; boreal forest; indicators; biodiversity assessment; forest conservation; policy implementation
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
Before a forest operation Swedish forest owners need to fill in a registration form. Since 1994, when a new Swedish Forestry Act came into force, intended nature conservation measures can also be noted on the form. I evaluate 1) if the self-reported nature conservation intentions displayed any trends from 1995 to 2000, and 2) if the intentions were implemented. All forms from these years, in one municipality, were analysed and the stand structure retention was measured on 40 clear-cuts. The intentions, noted as check-marks on the form, showed an increasing trend during these years. However, the increase may be an artefact of changes the form during the time period. The number of check-marks on the forms and the stand structure items actually present on the 40 clear-cuts showed a positive relation. The clear-cuts with ≤ 3 check-marks on the form had lower amounts of the three most common items, than those with ≥ 4 check-marks. To conclude 1) a true increase in the self-reported intentions of the forest owners could not be established; 2) the intentions were generally followed by associated practices on the clear-cuts; 3) the amounts of stand structures retained were probably not enough to reach the biodiversity goal of the Forestry Act. The registration form could be improved to become less open for interpretation and contain quantified recommendations. Self-reported intentions of the forest owners could then possibly be used as indicators of real structural retention, which could facilitate planning and allow for making predictions about the future forests.
  • Uliczka, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Forest Faculty, Department of Conservation Biology, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, SE-730 91 Riddarhyttan, Sweden E-mail: helen.uliczka@nvb.slu.se (email)
article id 584, category Research article
Ralph Alig, Darius Adams, John Mills, Richard Haynes, Peter Ince, Robert Moulton. (2001). Alternative projections of the impacts of private investment on southern forests: a comparison of two large-scale forest sector models of the United States. Silva Fennica vol. 35 no. 3 article id 584. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.584
Keywords: forest sector; timber supply; forest resource assessment; plantation area
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The TAMM/NAPAP/ATLAS/AREACHANGE (TNAA) system and the Forest and Agriculture Sector Optimization Model (FASOM) are two large-scale forestry sector modeling systems that have been employed to analyze the U.S. forest resource situation. The TNAA system of static, spatial equilibrium models has been applied to make 50-year projections of the U.S. forest sector for more than 20 years. Much of its input on forest management behavior and decisions about use of forestland derives from expert-based systems external to the TNAA system. FASOM, a spatial intertemporal optimization model, directly incorporates decisions on management investment and land use options relative to agricultural alternatives as endogenous model elements. The paper contrasts projections of private forest investment from the TNAA and FASOM models, focusing on the southern United States. Comparison of the TNAA base case and an investment-restricted scenario from FASOM, both of which reflect a continuation of recent behavioral tendencies by nonindustrial private owners, suggests that Southern private timberlands have considerable biological and economic potential for intensified forest management. Unrestricted FASOM projections confirm that added investment could lead to substantially larger timber harvest volumes and lower prices than those projected in the base/restricted cases. But even under the more intensive investment scenarios, naturally regenerated forests would cover three-quarters of the future private timberland base and hardwoods would continue to dominate the inventory structure.
  • Alig, USDA Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Lab, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA E-mail: ralig@fs.fed.us (email)
  • Adams, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA E-mail: da@nn.us
  • Mills, USDA Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Lab, 1221 SW Yamhill, Portland, Oregon 97205, USA E-mail: jm@nn.us
  • Haynes, USDA Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Lab, 1221 SW Yamhill, Portland, Oregon 97205, USA E-mail: rh@nn.us
  • Ince, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA E-mail: pi@nn.us
  • Moulton, USDA Forest Service (retired), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA E-mail: rm@nn.us
article id 635, category Research article
Manfred J. Lexer, Karl Hönninger, Helfried Scheifinger, Christoph Matulla, Nikolaus Groll, Helga Kromp-Kolb. (2000). The sensitivity of central European mountain forests to scenarios of climatic change: methodological frame for a large-scale risk assessment. Silva Fennica vol. 34 no. 2 article id 635. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.635
Keywords: climate change; potential natural vegetation; alpine forests; risk assessment; patch model; multi-attribute decision making
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The methodological framework of a large-scale risk assessment for Austrian forests under scenarios of climatic change is presented. A recently developed 3D-patch model is initialized with ground-true soil and vegetation data from sample plots of the Austrian Forest Inventory (AFI). Temperature and precipitation data of the current climate are interpolated from a network of more than 600 weather stations to the sample plots of the AFI. Vegetation development is simulated under current climate (‘control run’) and under climate change scenarios starting from today's forest composition and structure. Similarity of species composition and accumulated biomass between these two runs at various points in time were used as assessment criteria. An additive preference function which is based on Saaty’s AHP is employed to synthesize these criteria to an overall index of the adaptation potential of current forests to a changing climate. The presented methodology is demonstrated for a small sample from the Austrian Forest Inventory. The forest model successfully simulated equilibrium species composition under current climatic conditions spatially explicit in a heterogenous landscape based on ground-true data. At none of the simulated sites an abrupt forest dieback did occur due to climate change impacts. However, substantial changes occured with regard to species composition of the potential natural vegetation (PNV).
  • Lexer, Institute of Silviculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Peter-Jordanstrasse 70, A-1190 Vienna, Austria E-mail: lexer@edv1.boku.ac.at (email)
  • Hönninger, Institute of Silviculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Peter-Jordanstrasse 70, A-1190 Vienna, Austria E-mail: kh@nn.at
  • Scheifinger, Institute of Meteorology and Physics, University of Agricultural Sciences, Türkenschanzstrasse 18, A-1180 Vienna, Austria E-mail: hs@nn.at
  • Matulla, Institute of Meteorology and Physics, University of Agricultural Sciences, Türkenschanzstrasse 18, A-1180 Vienna, Austria E-mail: cm@nn.at
  • Groll, Institute of Meteorology and Physics, University of Agricultural Sciences, Türkenschanzstrasse 18, A-1180 Vienna, Austria E-mail: ng@nn.at
  • Kromp-Kolb, Institute of Meteorology and Physics, University of Agricultural Sciences, Türkenschanzstrasse 18, A-1180 Vienna, Austria E-mail: hkk@nn.at

Category : Review article

article id 695, category Review article
Marja-Leena Päätalo. (1998). Factors influencing occurrence and impacts of fires in northern European forests. Silva Fennica vol. 32 no. 2 article id 695. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.695
Keywords: tree species; fire; climate; risk assessment; site
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The return interval and number of fires vary, depending on the geographical location in interaction with climate, topography and amount of fuel. During recent decades, in northern Europe the number and severity of fires have been insignificant compared with Mediterranean region, in which fire return intervals may be 15–35 years, compared to the average of 60–120 years for boreal forests. This is partly due to the efficient system of fire protection in northern Europe, but is mainly due to the less favourable climate for fire and the smaller human impact on ignition of forest fires. The consequences of fire are related to both site and stand characteristics, site being the most important factor controlling the stability of stands. Dry sites being more flammable and likely to ignite are associated with high risk of fire. In northern Europe, due to the interaction between species and site, the role of species difference in risk of fire damage is not clear. In southern Europe, fire risk cannot be explained by differences between tree species. There, other vegetation (shrubs, etc.) is of major importance for the risk of fire. Management of forests can, to some degree, alter the risk and the occurrence of fire. In northern Europe, logging may have compensated for fire occurrence by decreasing the amount of fuel. In addition, forest roads act as fire-breaks and facilitate fire-fighting. On the contrary, in southern Europe the risk of fire has been found to increase because the traditional forest uses and management have decreased, which increases the accumulation of fuel. However, it is not yet possible to quantify and compare the effect of management in absolute terms. Currently, some tools, such as fire-risk indices, remote sensing and GIS-based techniques, are available for prediction of fire risk in some areas. For example, fire-risk indices are most suitable for areas, like northern Europe, which have a low fire risk. In high-risk areas, such as southern Europe, more sophisticated techniques are needed for assessment of the risk. In the future, assuming global warming at northern latitudes (2 x CO2 climate), the risk of fire damage could also increase in northern Europe. Therefore, to allow the various locational and silvicultural factors to be assessed on the European level, an integrated risk model is needed.
  • Päätalo, Faculty of Forestry, University of Joensuu, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: mlp@nn.fi (email)

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