Category: Forests

Agriculture, Forests, Practitioners, Research summaries

From the ground up: Understanding coffee agroforestry systems

Sarah Archibald describes her team’s latest research seeking to better understand emergent herbaceous communities in organic coffee agroforestry systems by identifying their taxonomic and functional diversity as well as their management by interviewing farmers in Costa Rica. Coffee agroecosystems range in management and diversity, from monocultures with chemical inputs to biologically complex multi-strata agroforestry systems. With the demand for organic coffee expected to increase by … Continue reading From the ground up: Understanding coffee agroforestry systems

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Agriculture, Forests, Research summaries

The proximity of rapeseed fields influences levels of forest damage by red deer

Deer can show transitional use between agricultural fields and forests for foraging and shelter which may have an effect on the level of forest damage. In their latest research, Anders Jarnemo and colleagues investigate this relationship by studying red deer in Skåne, Sweden. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been observed to cause severe damage to forest plantations through bark stripping, with tree species such as … Continue reading The proximity of rapeseed fields influences levels of forest damage by red deer

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Editor's Choice, Forests, Podcast, Restoration

Editor’s Choice 58:8 Tree species that live slow, die older enhance tropical peat swamp restoration: Evidence from a systematic review

Associate Editor, Sharif Mukul speaks to the co-lead author of this month’s Editor’s Choice article, Stuart Smith, which presents results from a systematic review of tropical peat swamp forests reforestation projects across Southeast Asia. The restoration of degraded forested lands is a global priority, incentivised by international commitments to counteract decades of rapid deforestation. However, syntheses using seedling monitoring data from past reforestation projects remain … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 58:8 Tree species that live slow, die older enhance tropical peat swamp restoration: Evidence from a systematic review

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Forests, Research summaries, Restoration, Translation

Jenis pohon mana yang bertahan dan tumbuh paling baik saat merestorasi hutan rawa gambut yang terdegradasi?

Posting ini juga tersedia dalam bahasa Inggris di sini Sementara kelestarian dan perlindungan hutan adalah yang terpenting, upaya yang besar sekali sedang berlangsung secara global untuk memulihkan hutan yang rusak dan hilang, terutama di daerah tropis. Dalam penelitian terbaru mereka, Smith dan rekan meninjau kelangsungan hidup dan pertumbuhan jenis pohon dalam proyek- proyek reforestasi lahan gambut tropis di seluruh Asia Tenggara. Lahan gambut tropis mencakup … Continue reading Jenis pohon mana yang bertahan dan tumbuh paling baik saat merestorasi hutan rawa gambut yang terdegradasi?

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Forests, Research summaries, Restoration

Which tree species survive and grow best when restoring a degraded peat swamp forest?

This post is also available in Indonesian here. Whilst preserving and protecting forests is crucial, tremendous efforts are on-going globally to restore degraded and lost forests, particularly in the tropics. In their latest research, Smith and colleagues review tree survival and growth in tropical peatland reforestation projects across Southeast Asia. Tropical peatlands cover a small area globally, but are dense stores of carbon. Waterlogged conditions … Continue reading Which tree species survive and grow best when restoring a degraded peat swamp forest?

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Agriculture, Forests, Research summaries

Unravelling the natural pollinating agents of cacao

Pollination services of cacao are crucial for global chocolate production, yet remain critically understudied. Author Justine Vansynghel describes her team’s latest research that seeks to develop a greater understanding of how agroforests of this crop tree can be better managed. Cacao is a crop tree native to the amazon basin with a longstanding cultivation history throughout the tropical realm. The crop tree is understandably of … Continue reading Unravelling the natural pollinating agents of cacao

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Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Home is where the heat is: Thermoregulation of European bats inhabiting artificial roosts and the threat of heat waves

In their new study, Czenze and colleagues demonstrate the importance of placing bat boxes in diverse locations to provide varied roost microclimates. There are over 1400 species of bats on the planet that live in a wide variety of roosts, including caves, buildings, and trees. Many bat species are threatened by climate change and habitat destruction, and this is particularly true for forest bats. Due … Continue reading Home is where the heat is: Thermoregulation of European bats inhabiting artificial roosts and the threat of heat waves

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Forests, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries, Uncategorized

Habitat availability alters the relative risk of a bovine tuberculosis breakdown in the aftermath of a commercial forest clearfell disturbance

In their new study, Murphy et al. discuss the relationship between human modification of landscapes and zoonotic disease emergence and spread, through their case study of bovine tuberculosis in Ireland. The interconnectedness of ecosystems is one of the most endearing facets of landscape ecology. Yet, it presents the biggest challenge for applied ecologists seeking to understand the cause and effect of ecosystem modification. Changes to … Continue reading Habitat availability alters the relative risk of a bovine tuberculosis breakdown in the aftermath of a commercial forest clearfell disturbance

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Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Karuk traditional ecological knowledge enhances elk habitat in Northern California

In their new article, Connor et al. discuss how prescribed forest burning that uses Karuk traditional ecological knowledge can have significant benefits for elk habitat. In a Northern California landscape increasingly plagued by severe wildfire, cultural burning, prescribed fire and forest management principles put into practice for generations by Karuk Tribal members are being brought back to restore fire adapted landscapes. Our research shows that … Continue reading Karuk traditional ecological knowledge enhances elk habitat in Northern California

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Editor's Choice, Forests

Editor’s Choice 59:6: Tree species mixing amplify forest microclimate offsets in European forests

Associate Editor, Sharif Mukul, introduces this month’s Editor’s Choice article by Zhang and colleagues, which shows that microclimate offsetting depends on tree species identity and diversity, and that buffered forest microclimates can be achieved rapidly in young plantations, depending on the species being planted.  Tree canopies can significantly buffer temperature fluctuations and enhance water availability, which has the potential to mitigate the effects of macroclimate … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 59:6: Tree species mixing amplify forest microclimate offsets in European forests

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