Relations between damage symptoms and nutritional status of Norway spruce stands (Picea abies Karst.) in southwestern Germany

Since the mid-1970s new types of forest damage are observed in the Federal Republic of Germany. Typical damage symptoms in coniferous tree species are needle yellowing, reddening and premature loss of older foliage. Needle analysis carried out in damaged Norway spruce stands indicated that these phenomena, most of all needle yellowing, are influenced by the nutritional status of the trees. For the investigated sites Mg but also other elements, particularly P, S, K, Ca and Zn may play a causal role. As N is the most abundant element in the plant its form of uptake is important for a balanced nutrition. On the contrary to NO₃-N high NH₄-N uptake reduces the uptake of cations, particularly Mg and Ca, eventually inducing foliar discoloration symptoms on specific sites. Fertilizer experiments indicated that Mg fertilization is an appropriate tool to mitigate forest damages associated with Mg deficiency for a sustained time period. The application of N in the form of NH₄-N may impede Mg uptake. This mechanism may cause severe damage in forest areas receiving continuously high NH₄-N deposition.     

Repellency of oral exudate to eastern and western spruce budworm larvae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

A two-choice feeding bioassay was used to investigate the intra-specific repellency of the larval oral exudate of eastern and western spruce budworms,Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.) andC. occidentalis Free., respectively. Results of the bioassay indicated that feeding behavior on artificial diet-drop feeding stations was modified in the presence of exudate, with feeding stations treated with conspecific exudate being avoided when an untreated station was available 3 cm away. Feeding was suppressed when a single, exudate-treated station was provided, or when the treated and untreated stations were separated by only 1 cm. The repellent effect functioned both inter- and intraspecifically. When induced to produce exudate,C. occidentalis larvae were not immediately repelled by either their own or other individuals' exudate. However, 24 hr after induction, test larvae were repelled by exudate from either source. In both species, larval oral exudate probably functions to repel conspecific competitors.     

Brash bale production on a clear-felled farm forest and comminution of bales to a biomass energy fuel

Utilising logging residues (termed brash in the UK) for energy production has become a focus for energy providers since the development of specialist baling machinery to improve the logistical and financial potential of this material. To explore a farm-scale operations scenario, brash from a mixed conifer, temperate zone forest was baled and chipped with commercial machinery to produce fuel-grade woodchip. Clear-fell logging procedures presented a range of brash configurations to facilitate baling machinery to produce compacted, tied, regular sized bales. Average hourly bale production and fresh weight tonnage output was 28 ± 2 bales/h and 12.4 t/h respectively. Extraction of bales and stacking along access road verges achieved an average 24 ± 2 bales/h. Woodchipping output averaged 11.8, 13.7 and 13.0 green t/h respectively for whole bale, log only and bale-log composite woodchip. Chipping production efficiency was affected by bale condition, handling and machinery performance but chiefly by site transport accessibility and logistical planning. The average total cost of in-farm delivered fuel quality woodchip product from brash bales was £25.22 (€29.67) per green tonne. Brash bale chips contained more than double the percentage of fines <6.3 mm compared to round log woodchips and also had significantly higher gross energy and nutrients content. Brash bale moisture content was observed to fluctuate widely and nutrients and energy content reduced during the 3-yr monitoring period. In conclusion, the combination of equipment and the confined production scenario was a viable process that provided fuel-grade woodchip at relatively low cost.     

Phloeophagous and predaceous insects responding to synthetic pheromones of bark beetles inhabiting white spruce stands in the Great Lakes region

Tree killing and saprophytic bark beetles exert important ecological and economic roles in North American spruce forests. Chemical signaling among bark beetles, and responses by associate insects such as predators and competitors, have significant effects on the population dynamics and ecology of this community. Synthetic pheromones of primary (tree killing) and secondary (saprophytic) bark beetle species and blank controls were tested using multiple funnel and lower stem flight traps in white spruce forests in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Six phloeophagous and four predaceous species were collected with significant attraction by the bark beetles Dryocoetes affaber, Dryocoetes autographus, and Polygraphus rufipennis, and the predatory checkered beetles (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Thanasimus dubius and Enoclerus nigrifrons. In general, trap catches to synthetic lures resembled the species composition obtained by felling trees and collecting emerging beetles in a companion study, although several species showed differing trends. Some cross attraction occurred among bark beetles and between bark beetles and predatory beetles. For example, P. rufipennis was abundant in traps baited with Dryocoetes spp. pheromones. Thanasimus dubius and E. nigrifrons were collected in significant numbers in traps baited with the pheromone of the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis), frontalin plus -pinene. This is a new observation for E. nigrifrons. Attraction of T. dubius to the pheromones of at least three bark beetle species in the Great Lakes region, as well as to several southern and western species, reflects its role as a habitat specialist and feeding generalist. Several other important predators and competitors commonly obtained in pine forests in this region were not obtained in these spruce stands, either in response to synthetic pheromones of spruce colonizing beetles, or in host material colonized by these beetles. Potential differences in predator prey dynamics between spruce and pine ecosystems in the Great Lakes region are discussed.     

A shadow fraction method for mapping biomass of northern boreal black spruce forests using QuickBird imagery

We have developed and tested a method for mapping above-ground forest biomass of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stands in northern boreal forests of eastern Canada. The method uses QuickBird images and applies image processing algorithms to extract tree shadow fraction (SF) as a predictive variable for estimating biomass. Three QuickBird images acquired over three test sites and 108 ground sample plots (GSP) were used to develop and test the method. SF was calculated from the fraction of tree shadow area over the area of a reference square overlaid on the images. Linear regressions between biomass of GSP and SF from the images for each test site resulted in R² in the range from 0.85 to 0.87 (except one case at 0.41), RMSE of 11 to 18 t/ha and bias of 2 to 5 t/ha. Statistical tests demonstrated that local regressions for the three test sites were not statistically significantly different. Consequently, a global regression was calculated with all GSP and produced R², RMSE, and bias of 0.84, 14.2 t/ha and 4.2 t/ha, respectively. While generalization of these results to extended areas of the boreal forest would require further assessment, the SF method provided an efficient means for mapping biomass of black spruce stands for three test areas that are characteristic of the northern boreal forest of eastern Canada (boreal and taiga shield ecozones).     

Lignin and Other Aromatic Substances Released from Spruce Wood During Pressurized Hot-Water Extraction,Part 2: Structural Characterization

Extraction of ground spruce sapwood with pressurized hot water in an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) at 170°C during 20, 60, and 100 min resulted in isolation of galactoglucomannans and aromatic substances, including lignin. The isolated lignin preparations were characterized by spectrometric (UV, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, liquid and solid-state ¹³C NMR), chromatographic (RP-HPLC, HP-SEC, GC-FID, and GC-MS), conventional pyrolysis, thermally assisted hydrolysis, and methylation techniques in tandem with GC-MS, and classical wet chemistry (methoxyl groups, total and phenolic hydroxyl groups, derivatization followed by reductive cleavage—DFRC). The content of β-O-4 bonds in isolated lignins was similar to that in MWL and their proportion decreased with extraction time. The oxidation of isolated lignins and content of total hydroxyl groups were significantly increased with extraction time. The lignin structure underwent condensation and demethylation reactions during hot-water extraction. The induction of new phenylcoumaran substructures was proposed in isolated lignins.     

The effect of anisotropicity of Norway spruce (Picea abies) during two-body abrasion

The effect of anisotropicity of Norway spruce (Picea abies) during two-body abrasive wear was investigated by rubbing the wood with five different orientations while using constant surface pressure and a sanding belt with very fine abrasive grits. The anisotropic nature was found to affect the microstructure of the worn surface and the breakage mechanism of the surface. The properties of the particles that were released from the surface during abrasion were dependent on the grinding orientation and if the particle originated from early- or latewood. The wear process was influenced by the anisotropic nature of wood.     

落叶松新浆种的开发——第二部分 落叶松与黑云杉混合制备预热化学机械浆和化学机械浆

对落叶松—云杉混合预热化学机械法(CTMP)和化学机械法(CMP)制浆的研究结果表明,在云杉中配加少比例量的落叶松、能降低磨浆能耗,提高所得浆的强度性能。在落叶松—云杉混合木片的磨浆过程中,两种木片之间有相互促进作用。