Journal of Forest Science - In Press
Progress and prospects in understanding the effects of forest management practices on soil nitrogen cyclingReview
Lili Liu, Chenyi Yu, Jiayi Yang, Zijun Zhang, Qingwei Guan
Soil nitrogen (N) cycling plays a pivotal role in forest ecosystem productivity and nutrient regulation. This review synthesises recent advances in understanding how forest management practices influence soil nitrogen cycling and highlights future research priorities for elucidating underlying mechanisms and optimising forest ecosystem functioning. Management interventions such as thinning, species composition adjustment, and understory vegetation control have been shown to affect N inputs and transformation pathways by modifying litter quality, microbial community structure, and N-cycling enzymes activities. However, current findings remain inconsistent, and mechanistic insights are still limited. Future research should focus on disentangling the multi-scale, multifactorial interactions through which forest management regulates soil N cycling. Integrative approaches that link molecular biology with ecosystem-level processes are needed to clarify the interplay among microbial dynamics, enzyme activity, root exudates, and soil physicochemical properties across spatial and temporal scales. In addition, research should explore how forest management affects community structure, litter inputs, soil aggregation, and subsurface biochemical processes to reveal the synergistic regulation of nitrogen cycling by biological, physical, and chemical drivers. Establishing long-term monitoring networks across a range of forest types and climatic regimes, combined with tools such as metagenomics, high-throughput sequencing, and stable isotope tracing, will enable the precise characterisation of key nitrogen-cycling genes and fluxes. In the context of global environmental change, it is also crucial to assess how forest management modulates the coupling of nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles and the resultant ecological feedbacks.
The potential of Thuja plicata and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana in the context of global climate change in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper
Pavel Horák, Petra Jablonická, Robert Knott
The introduction of non-native tree species may represent one of the possible adaptation measures to deal with the ongoing global climate change (GCC) in the forestry sector for several reasons. Since some of the most common native species are facing disintegration of their stands due to both abiotic and biotic factors, it is necessary to look for other species. These species can overcome already used species in their production potential, as well as their adaptation to the changing climate. Our research focused on the climate-growth relationships of two non-native species of the Cupressaceae family (Western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) and Lawson's cypress [Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray) Parl.] in comparison with the native species Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the northeast part of the Czech Republic. The constructed tree ring chronologies were used as a basis for dendroclimatological analyses: basal area increment (BAI), linear growth trends, Pearson´s correlations between climate variables and growth, resilience indices, etc. Out of the analysed species, Thuja plicata showed the highest BAI and the most positive growth trend in the last 35 years (2–3 times higher values). Chamaecyparis lawsoniana exhibited the highest negative correlation with mean summer temperatures. Overall, Pinus sylvestris exhibited the highest correlations with precipitation. No clear pattern in resilience indices has been observed. Out of the two studied introduced tree species, Thuja plicata appears promising for future use in the conditions of Central Europe in the ongoing GCC.
Additive volume-equation systems for Pinus ayacahuite and Pinus douglasiana in temperate forests of the Sierra Norte, Oaxaca, MexicoOriginal Paper
Wenceslao Santiago-García, Jonathan Ramírez-Arce, Agustín Ramírez-Martínez, Adan Nava-Nava, Juan Carlos Guzmán-Santiago, Elías Santiago-García
Volume models are essential tools for quantifying timber stocks and optimising forest utilisation. This study aimed to develop additive volume systems based on one- and two-entry simultaneous equations for Pinus ayacahuite Ehrenb. ex Schltdl. and Pinus douglasiana Martínez. Destructive sampling of 55 P. ayacahuite trees and 65 P. douglasiana trees was conducted in the communal forest of Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca, southern Mexico. The additive systems were fitted using non-linear seemingly unrelated regression to estimate tree-volume components: stem and branch volumes, with whole-tree volume being the sum of both. The systems were evaluated using the relative ranking method, considering statistical indicators of accuracy, variability, and relative errors. Additionally, the predictive capacity of the equations was assessed through linear regression between observed and predicted values for each volume component, and the biological consistency was verified. The results indicate that two-entry additive systems provide greater accuracy in estimating stem, branch, and whole-tree volumes for both species. These equations are based on the Schumacher–Hall model, and their recommended range of application for both species is for diameter at breast height (D) between 9 cm and 75 cm, and for total height (H) between 9 m and 34 m. Therefore, their application is recommended for forest inventories and the planning of sustainable forest management.
Development of sessile oak [Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.] seed coating material against rodents and evaluation of its performance on seed germination and emergenceOriginal Paper
Mesut Tandoğan, Mehmet Özdemir, Vedat Aslan, Ahmet F. Hacıyusufoğlu, Ali Ayhan Kul, Emine Şen, Kaan Polatoğlu, Duygu Sultan Oran, Feyza Arıcıoğlu, İlhami Turan, Salih Atmaca
Protecting sessile oak [Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.] seeds from rodents is crucial to ensure successful germination and emergence in activities such as artificial regeneration, afforestation, and seedling production. This study examined the effects of 12 natural or nature-identical substances, believed to have repellent properties, on the germination, emergence, and survival of sessile oak acorns under both laboratory and field conditions. Acorns were coated using a diatomaceous clay-based pellet system, and a Y-maze experiment was conducted to evaluate rodent behaviour. As a result of the research, among the tested substances, Ferulago confusa and Foeniculum vulgare were recommended as rodent repellents due to their success in laboratory and field trials. Diesel fuel+hair, a conventional repellent, showed poor performance and is not recommended. This study underscores the potential efficacy of natural or nature-identical coatings for protecting seeds from pests in forestry applications.
Criminal tax offenses in the Czech timber trade: A judicial practice analysisOriginal Paper
Martin Cempírek, Petra Hlaváčková, Dalibor Šafařík
This article presents a doctrinal legal analysis of judicial practice concerning criminal tax offences in the Czech timber trade, with a primary focus on VAT fraud. Court decisions were examined thematically to identify key categories of fraud schemes, recurring evidentiary challenges, and patterns of judicial reasoning. Administrative and regulatory frameworks, such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), have played only a marginal role in Czech judicial practice, with a single decision explicitly referring to the EUTR. The findings highlight how courts rely on indicators such as fictitious supply chains, economically irrational transactions, and incomplete documentation to establish fraudulent intent. The study contributes to a better understanding of judicial reasoning in tax fraud cases and offers evidence-based recommendations for strengthening enforcement practice. The article focuses on Criminal Tax Law, i.e., examples of tax fraud in the timber trade that were not dealt with by the tax authorities as administrative offenses but were assessed as criminal tax offenses falling within the jurisdiction of criminal courts. Criminal Tax Law is a subfield of Czech Tax Law dealing with criminal activity in the area of tax and fee administration. (Lichnovský et al. 2020). The article contains all court decisions in the field of Criminal Tax Law dealing with the issue of timber trade. The article deals only with the criminal law aspects of tax law. No other court decisions were found in the ASPI legal information system. The ASPI legal information system contains only one court decision relating to the EUTR Regulation, which is cited below. Criminal cases in the field of forestry and timber industry constitute only a small part of the entire criminal tax law. In terms of the method of committing the criminal activity (issuing fictitious invoices, fictitious deliveries of goods), these are common frauds common to all economic activities.