In this article, several findings on socio-economic conditions derived from national reports and a web-based questionnaire are discussed and related to the changing role of forestry and the future ...forest policy development. A number of Central and South-eastern European countries taking part in a SEE-ERA-NET project ReForMan project (www.reforman.de) participated in data acquisition: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Serbia and Slovenia. The aim of the research was to illustrate the present structure of forestry sector, as well as investigate newly emerging topics in forestry of Central and South-eastern Europe. The results indicated certain patterns in attitudes and perceptions among stakeholders that can be related to socio-economic conditions defined for each country. Clear differences between member and non-member countries exist only in level of implementation of EU legislation. Results showed consensus on main threats to the forests among all countries, but also some country specifics in perceptions of factors influencing forestry, their importance and professional competencies. These results could be additionally explained by influence of historical conditions which shaped development of forest sector in SEE region especially in its organizational dimension as well as in perceived role of forestry expressed through recognition of main forest functions. The influence of European forest policy processes in the region is evident through adaptation of EU legislation and perceived implications of international processes on national levels. Based on this observation, two possible options for future development of the forestry sector can be foreseen: (i) focusing on the productive function of forests and fostering its' sustainable use; or (ii) putting an emphasis on environmental and social issues. In both cases supporting public participation in decision-making processes is recommendable. Another conclusion based on perceived medium to low professional competencies to cope with new topics, that there is lack of confidence and need for professional support in decisionmaking processes.
Background and purpose: The importance of forest ecosystem services, related to provisioning of fresh water and water purification are of increasing importance, especially in urbanized areas. This ...study investigates key indicators for ecosystem services, related to drinking water protection, provided by urban and peri-urban forests.
Materials and methods: Seven different monitoring programs, projects or directives, assessing water quality variables were analysed. We determined which indicators, describing the drinking water protection services in forest ecosystems, can be applied to urban forests. A list of core indicators sensitive to the specifics of the drinking water supply and urban forest ecosystems in Ljubljana were suggested.
Results and conclusions: Analysis included over 86 potential indicators related to nutrient regulation, storage capacity and water purification in forest canopies, forest soils, surface streams, lakes and groundwater. Through scientific review and the application of “necessary” and “feasible” criteria to urban forests the number of indicators was reduced to 62. According to the specifics of drinking water supply and urban forest in Ljubljana 52 core indicators have been selected. Due to the influence of urbanization on water bodies, special emphasis should be given to indicators for storage capacity and water purification capacity of urban forest ecosystems for hazardous substances. This might increase the willingness of decision and policy makers to acknowledge the water protection capacity of urban forests.
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are toxic, bioaccumulative, persistent, and ubiquitously present in the environment. CPs were analyzed in humus and needle samples, which were taken within the Monitoring ...Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants (MONARPOP) at sampling sites of 7 different altitude profiles in the Alps. Gas chromatography combined with electron ionization tandem mass spectrometry (EI-MS/MS) was used for the determination of total CPs (sum of short, medium and long chain CPs). CPs were found in all samples; the concentrations varied between 7 and 199 ng g
−1 dry weight (dw) and within 26 and 460 ng g
−1 dw in humus and needle samples, respectively. A clear vertical tendency within the individual altitude profiles could not be ascertained. Within all altitude profiles, elevated concentrations were observed in humus samples taken between 700 and 900 m and between 1300 and 1500 m. In the needle samples no similar correlation could be observed due to higher variation of the data.
For the first time, CP levels of humus and spruce needle samples from the Alps (MONARPOP) were presented including the evaluation of altitude profiles.
This volume should be interpreted as a manual of best practices for sustainable forest management deriving from the experience of the project LIFE09ENV/IT/000078 ManFor C.BD coordinated by the ...National Research Council through the Institute of Agro-environmental and Forest Biology (CNR-IBAF). The other Project partners are: the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), the University of Molise (UNIMOL), the Slovenian Forestry Institute (SFI) and the regions of Veneto and Molise. In addition, the National Centre for Forest Biodiversity of Verona and the Regional Office to biodiversity of Castel di Sangro of the Italian National Forest Service (CFS), as well as the Slovenian Forest Service (SFS) collaborated to the project. This manual consists of several individual articles dealing with specific issues related to the project. These articles are conceptually organized into five categories that from the description of the project and of its activities arrive at providing operative indications for forestry operators.
Mycorrhiza is the main spatial and temporal linkage between different constituents in a forest ecosystem. The functional compatibility and stress tolerance of ectomycorrhizal types is species ...specific, and therefore the information on the ectomycorrhizal community structure can add to the understanding of processes in forest ecosystems and can also be applied as tools for bioindication of pollution stress in forest soils. We have studied the effects of pollution (N and S) on trees and forest soils by: (1) quantification of ECM types diversity as in situ indicators in forest stands, (2) determination and quantification of pollution-sensitive or -insensitive ECM types as passive monitors, (3) root growth and development of ECM on nonmycorrhizal spruce seedlings, planted at the studied sites (active monitors), and (4) ECM infection (a bioassay based on mycorrhizal inoculum potential) of seedlings in an experimental set-up as ex situ testers. ECM species richness for Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) showed higher values in unpolluted sites than in polluted ones, while the differences were not significant for European beech trees (Fagus sylvatica). As pollution-sensitive or -insensitive ECM species in spruce forests, we suggest Hydnum rufescens (sensitive) and Paxillus involutus (unsensitive). Mycorrhizal potential in Norway spruce seedlings as a bioassay for soil N and S pollution was effective, and is suggested as an additional, standardized and widely comparable system in bioindication of soil pollution.
Samples of Hypnum cupressiforme were collected at two types of site in forest areas: within the forest stand and within forest openings, and analyzed for N and S concentrations and δ15N. Mosses ...sampled within forest openings reflect the atmospheric N deposition; however, no influence of throughfall N deposition on the N in the moss that was sampled within the forest stand was found, nor was any influence of S deposition on the S in the moss found. For the N and S concentrations in the mosses sampled within forest openings, the within-site variability was comparable to the between-site variability, and for the δ15N, the within-site variability was lower than the between-site. The results showed that a short distance (<1 m) between the sampling location and the nearest tree canopy increases the N in the moss, and significantly higher values are found in mosses sampled in areas within the forest stand.
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•We collected moss samples within the forest stand and within the forest openings.•We examine dependence of N, S and δ15N content in moss on atmospheric deposition.•Moss sampled within forest openings reflect the atmospheric N but not S deposition.•Higher N and S content was found in mosses sampled in areas within the forest stand.•Metadata describing the boundary condition of moss sampling location is important.
H. cupressiforme reflects the atmospheric deposition of N but not S; a distance less than 1 m between the sampling site and the nearest tree crown increases the N and S concentrations in the moss.
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