The Norway spruce is one of the most important tree species in Europe. This tree species has been put under considerable pressure due to the ongoing impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, frequent ...droughts and pest outbreaks are reported as the main reason for its dieback, resulting in severe forest cover loss. Such was the case with Norway spruce forests within the Kopaonik National Park (NP) in Serbia. This study aims to quantify, spatially and temporally, forest cover loss and to evaluate the sensitivity of various vegetation indices (VIs) in detecting drought-induced response and predicting the dieback of Norway spruce due to long-lasting drought effects in the Kopaonik NP. For this purpose, we downloaded and processed a large number of Landsat 7 (ETM+), Landsat 8 (OLI), and Sentinel 2 (MSI) satellite imagery acquired from 2009 to 2022. Our results revealed that forest cover loss was mainly driven by severe drought in 2011 and 2012, which was later significantly influenced by bark beetle outbreaks. Furthermore, various VIs proved to be very useful in monitoring and predicting forest health status. In summary, the drought-induced response detected using various VIs provides valuable insights into the dynamics of forest cover change, with implications for monitoring and conservation efforts of Norway spruce forests in the Kopaonik NP.
Two databases related to grassland in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) have been used in this research—the Copernicus Grassland (GRA) and CORINE Land Cover (CLC). The data have been processed by using ...GIS tools, and the spatial distribution of grass vegetation in relation to three biogeographical and four elevation zones has been determined. By using the Copernicus Water and Wetness (WaW) database, an insight into the coverage of grass vegetation in wetlands has been obtained. In addition, the analysis of changes in databases determined the total amount and location of the largest grassland losses. Based on GRA database, B&H is one of the richest countries, with 22.4% of its territory covered by grassland. According to the CLC database, pastures occupy 6.3% and natural grasslands 5.6% of the territory of B&H. However, grassland is exposed to various anthropogenic and natural processes that affect its distribution, quality, functions, etc. The CLC database has been processed by extracting the grasslands (pastures and natural grasslands) and calculating their spatial coverage and changes which happened during the three six-year periods from 2000 to 2018. The trend of decreasing pasture areas and increasing natural grasslands has been noticed. The pastures are most endangered by the processes of conversion to other types of agricultural land, while natural grassland increased spatial coverage during the period 2012–2018 mostly due to the revitalization and grazing of burned areas in the region of Herzegovina. Grasslands have been particularly targeted for afforestation and cropland conversion at present.
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is the most important deciduous tree species in Europe. According to different climate scenarios, there is a relatively high probability of a massive decline in ...and loss of beech forests in southern Europe and in the southern part of central Europe. Thus, the authors of this study explored the dynamics of tree diameter increments and the influence of extremely dry years on the width of tree rings. This study used dendroecological methods to analyze the growth and diameter increments of European beech trees at locations in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. The sampling was conducted along the vertical distribution of beech forests, at five sites at the lower limit of the distribution, at five optimal sites of the distribution, and at five sites at the upper limit of the distribution. Long-term analyses indicate that dry conditions during a growing season can reduce tree-ring width, but a reduction in tree growth can be expected as a result of more than one season of unfavorable conditions. Low temperatures in autumn and winter and prolonged winters can strongly affect upcoming vegetation and reduce tree development even under normal thermal conditions during a growing season.
Republic of Srpska (RS) covers an area of 24,666 km2 or about 48.5% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territory. Spatial and environmental changes accelerated due to dynamic historical period upon the RS ...formation and the following development period. The extent of these changes can be determined by comparing satellite images obtained from different acquisition periods. By processing images, with the support of geographic information systems, it is possible to create a database that aims to analyze spatial processes in a specific area in order to determine quantitative and qualitative parameters. In this way, the trends of spatial development (e.g. excessive logging, land cover damage, water pollution, etc.) and potentially vulnerable components of the environment can be monitored. The data for Bosnia and Herzegovina were collected from CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for 39 European countries. The CLC is a project launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA) more than thirty years ago with the aim of collecting, coordinating and ensuring the consistency of information on natural resources and the environment. The goal of the paper is to identify land cover types and determine environment changes in the territory of Republic of Srpska over the period 2000–2018 as a consequence of the land use conversion.
Republic of Srpska (RS) covers an area of 24,666 km2 or about 48.5% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territory. Spatial and environmental changes accelerated due to dynamic historical period upon the RS ...formation and the following development period. The extent of these changes can be determined by comparing satellite images obtained from different acquisition periods. By processing images, with the support of geographic information systems, it is possible to create a database that aims to analyze spatial processes in a specific area in order to determine quantitative and qualitative parameters. In this way, the trends of spatial development (e.g. excessive logging, land cover damage, water pollution, etc.) and potentially vulnerable components of the environment can be monitored. The data for Bosnia and Herzegovina were collected from CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for 39 European countries. The CLC is a project launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA) more than thirty years ago with the aim of collecting, coordinating and ensuring the consistency of information on natural resources and the environment. The goal of the paper is to identify land cover types and determine environment changes in the territory of Republic of Srpska over the period 2000–2018 as a consequence of the land use conversion.
Forest ecosystems represent one of the largest and most important ecosystems on Earth, containing close to 80% of the biomass of our planet. As such, they play a significant role in the global carbon ...cycle because through photosynthesis, forests absorb more carbon than they emit and thus accumulate it. The most important species in deciduous forests in Europe, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), is of exceptional importance from the aspect of carbon storage. Considering that the state of carbon in pure beech forests is poorly investigated in the western part of the Balkans, the need for total carbon research was imposed to complete the picture of its stocks and factors that impact it. Research on total carbon (TC) storage in uneven-aged pure beech stands in the western part of the Balkans was carried out in three regions located approximately at the same latitude, but different longitude, imposing different macro-habitat characteristics. This research aimed to determine the TC stock and to examine the effects of orographic factors, stand canopy, and macroclimate on its values. TC stock in forest biomass was determined using appropriate regression equations and formulas, while soil organic carbon stock was determined using ICP forests methodology. Effects of different factors on carbon stock were examined using ANOVA (Type II Sums of Squares), General Linear Hypothesis Test (GLHT), and regression analyses. It was found that the largest TC stock is located in the region of Eastern Serbia (SRB) where its macroclimate is classified as suitable for hornbeam and sessile oak or mixed beech-oak stands. It was found that anthropogenic activity plays a significant role in the size of the carbon stock stored in above-ground biomass via alteration of forest canopy. The results also indicate that Aboveground Carbon (AGC) stocks are approximately proportional to Belowground Carbon (BGC; C in belowground biomass + soil C) stocks. What makes the difference is the structure of BGC, as the share of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is higher in the regions of Eastern Republic of Srpska (ERS) and Western Republic of Srpska (WRS), which are climatically classified as highly suitable for beech. Further analysis has shown that the amount of SOC decreases with increasing aridity levels. Given the results, management goals should be aimed at increasing the stock of biomass for the sake of carbon sequestration and for reducing the adverse effects of climate change, as a large amount of carbon can be stored in the above-ground and belowground biomass.
The analysis of data from the first two decades of the 21st century shows that the area under forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina is gradually decreasing. In order to gain a detailed insight into this ...process, the paper will analyse the forest databases of the European satellite monitoring program Copernicus. This program, among other things, monitors the condition of forests in 39 European countries by using the High Resolution Layer (HRL). The HRL Forests database consists of 3 types of (status) products, and additional change products. The status products are available for the reference years 2012, 2015, and 2018. The status layers provide information on the Dominant Leaf Type and the Tree Cover Density at pixel level for the reference year 2018 in 10 m resolution. The Forest Type layer largely follows the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forest definition.
Also, the paper will use the data on forests from the CORINE Land Cover project for 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018. The time-series includes a land change layer, highlighting changes in land cover and land use. The CLC Changes database will be analysed separately for three periods: 2000-2006, 2006-2012 and 2012-2018, due to more accurate data on forest losses.
The results of the research show that forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina were reduced by 2.95%, in the period 2012-2018, where 2.55% of them were coniferous. Forests are primarily endangered by the process of conversion to transitional forest / shrub and fires.
Analiza podataka iz prve dvije dekade 21. stoljeća pokazuje da se teritorija pod šumom u Bosni i Hercegovini postepeno smanjuje. Da bi dobili detaljan uvid u taj proces u radu će biti analizirana baza podataka o šumama Europskog satelitskog monitoring programa Copernicus. Ovaj program, između ostalog, prati stanje šuma u 39 europskih zemalja koristeći bazu podataka slojeva visoke rezolucije High Resolution Layer (HRL). HRL Forest baza podataka sadrži tri tipa (statusnih) produkata i dodatni produkt o promjenama. Statusni produkti su dostupni za 2012, 2015. i 2018. godinu. Statusni slojevi daju informacije o dominantnom tipu lista i gustini šumskog pokrivača na pikselskom nivou za referentnu
godinu 2018. prostorne rezolucije 10 m. Forest Type sloj u najvećem dijelu prati FAO definiciju šume.
Osim toga, u radu će biti korišteni podaci CORINE Land Cover (CLC) projekta za 2000, 2006, 2012. i
2018. godinu. Vremenska serija uključuje i sloj o promjenama, koji prikazuje promjene u tipovima površinske pokrovnosti i načinu korištenja
zemljišta. Baza podataka o promjenama (CLC Changes) za sva tri perioda bit će analizirana zasebno: 2000-2006, 2006-2012. i 2012-2018, radi veće
preciznosti podataka o gubitcima šumskog tla. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da su šume u BiH u periodu 2012-2018. smanjile površinu za 2,95%, od čega su 2,55% četinari. Šume su najugroženije procesima konverzije u tranzicijsku šumu/šikaru i požarima.
Wild cherry (
L.) is a multi-purpose tree species with great ecological and economic importance for European forestry. Evaluating this species phenotypic diversity and quantitative traits ...characterization is of great importance to define its genetic resources conservation and breeding strategies. In this work, variations of physiological, biochemical, anatomical and morphological traits of one-year-old wild cherry seedlings were evaluated within and among populations to distinguish and characterize their phenotypic portfolio. We observed significant differences at the intra- and inter-population levels considering both biochemical and physiological leaf traits, whereas differences in morphological and anatomical traits were found to be significant only among half-sib lines within populations (i.e. intra-population level). With a multivariate approach, we explored the inter-population specificity and found out that the tiered approach spanning from organ morphology, across physiological scale, to the biochemical level gave out enough power to discriminate between different populations, and their acquisition and resource-use strategies. Moreover, stepwise discriminative analysis showed that radical scavenger capacity against 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline- 6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+) and water-use efficiency contributed to discrimination of studied populations to the largest extend. Lastly, our study highlights the robustness of certain functional traits, such as ABTS•+, water-use efficiency, net photosynthesis, total flavonoid content, width of stomata guard cell, and stomatal aperture length, which could be considered as a proxy to discriminate between wild cherry populations and assess phenotypic diversity.
The aim of this study is to investigate material and monetary valuation of forest resources in the beech forests of the North Caucasus. The plots were selected in the Central part of the North ...Caucasus, on the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Kartсinsky ridge), between 1200-1350 m above sea level. Two objects are located on the northern macroslopes and two on the southern macroslope. The characteristics of phytocenoses on the experimental plots were established based on the results of a continuous enumeration of trees on a test area of 50x100 m. The number of undergrowth and undergrbrush, their composition and distribution by height groups, are established on circular areas of 10 m2. The average wood volume is about 300 m3/ha, and the average stand density is 248 trees per 1 hctare. The average number of undergrowth is 8988 per hectare, and underbrush 1998 per hectare. The average height of the young generation is 0.65 m, and the undergrowth is 0.86 m. The weight of one plant of average height in the air-dry state is 0.24 kg for undergrowth and 0.55 kg for undergrbrush. Phytomass of undergrowth and underbrush by species was set by weighing in a fresh and airdry state. Prices for all types of wood resources used average market prices as of 2019. The main income can be obtained from the sale of wood – about 650 thousand RUB/ha. Undergrowth and underbrush can give in a total about 43 thousand RUB/ha. At the same time, the period of maturation for the harvest of beech and related species is 100-140 years. During this period, it can be carried out about 15-20 harvests of undergrowth and underbrush, which together can generate income comparable to the amount from the sale of wood.
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