Journal of Forest Science - Latest articles

Applying the European Union (EU) assessment initiative of forest sustainability in Africa: A case study of the timber harvesting impact on the environment in Sierra Leone

Petra Hlaváčková, Sheku Kemoh Mansaray, Samuel Antwi Darkwah, Iva Živělová

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(2):79-90 | DOI: 10.17221/74/2023-JFS  

The European Union (EU) provides both financial and expert support for sustainable forest management initiatives and also boosts compliance with such initiatives in Africa. Thus, there is a need to monitor the progress of implementing such initiatives. The objective of this paper is to describe the role of timber harvesting entities in environmental impact discussions, and to also identify the role of EU institutions in promoting forest sustainability in Sierra Leone. Data were collected in a controlled survey from four communities, using a questionnaire formulated according to guidelines recommended by Babbie and Mouton (2010). The reliability test...

Water content in soil afforested with a mixture of broadleaves or Scots pine

Jan Vopravil, Pavel Formánek, Tomáš Khel, Karel Jacko

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(2):91-101 | DOI: 10.17221/114/2023-JFS  

Afforestation of agriculturally used land has many benefits which are described in different publications. As stated in these publications, afforestation of agricultural land can influence soil water content because of rainfall interception and concentration, transpiration, and properties of forest floor layer and soil; also, hydraulic lift may occur. In this study, we attempted to find changes in volumetric soil water content values (at depths of 20 cm, 40 cm, and 60 cm) on agriculturally used land afforested with a mixture of forest tree species (Quercus robur L., Quercus rubra L., and Acer platanoides L.)...

Comparison of growth, structure and production in stands of naturally regenerated Betula pendula and Populus tremula

Antonín Martiník, Zdeňek Adamec, Matúš Sendecký, Jan Krejza

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(2):64-78 | DOI: 10.17221/107/2023-JFS  

In Central Europe, the most important pioneer species are silver birch and European aspen. Changes in disturbance regime and an economic interest for this species have led to studies on this species and stands. Two naturally regenerated dense stands of birch (Betula pendula Roth – silver birch monoculture) and aspen (Populus tremula L. – European aspen monoculture) were selected from a Querceto – Fagetum mesotrophicum site to observe responses under the same conditions in Central Europe. Both stands regenerated after the allochthonous Norway spruce stands dieback at the site in 1999. Within a 10 m × 25 m...

Administrative system of afforestation in the Czech Republic: A long journey to a new forest

Martin Baláš, Josef Gallo, Marcin Czacharowski, Michal Pástor, Jaroslav Jankovič, Igor Štefančík, Ivan Kuneš, Hubert Hasenauer

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(2):41-63 | DOI: 10.17221/75/2023-JFS  

This review uses a case study based on an executed afforestation project to comprehensively describe the administrative procedure regarding afforestation of agricultural land in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. We consider the official proceedings for obtaining a permit to land-use change (i.e. changing the nature of land use and the mode of land use in the real estate cadastre) as a very complex and protracted procedure, which can substantially reduce the motivation of people to establish new forests. Therefore, we propose a simplification of the administration process of land-use change. The main idea is to make the procedure as simple as possible...

Index of reviewers 2023

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J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(1):I  

Characteristics of powdery mildew [Sawadaea bicornis (Wallr.) Miyabe] influence on the photosynthetic process in Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) seedlings

Anna Alexeyeva, Kyrylo Holoborodko, Iryna Ivanko, Olexandr Zhukov, Iryna Loza

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(1):31-39 | DOI: 10.17221/30/2023-JFS  

The article presents the results of research on the impact of Sawadaea bicornis (Wallr.) Miyabe on the state of photosynthetic apparatus in Acer platanoides L. seedlings using a technique of chlorophyll fluorescence induction (ChlF) measurement, which at the present time can be implemented through the use of biosensors. The research was conducted in September 2022 in the territory of the Botanical Garden of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. To diagnose a violation of the native chlorophyll photosynthesis in fresh leaves of A. platanoides, a portable fluorometer 'Floratest' was used (the selected spectral range for fluorescence...

Comparison of the growth of the provenances of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) on research plots in the regions Novohradské hory and Českomoravská vrchovina at the age of 50 years

Jiří Čáp, Martin Fulín, František Beran, Jaroslav Dostál, Martina Komárková

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(1):14-23 | DOI: 10.17221/113/2023-JFS  

The study evaluates the results of a long-term research trial lasting 50 years in two research plots established in the 1970s aimed at solving the decline of the silver fir in the Czech Republic. A total of 103 different provenances occurring naturally across 12 countries were planted in research plots No. 67, Černovice (Českomoravská vrchovina), and No. 77, Nové Hrady (Novohradské hory). The total tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and assessment of the health status of all trees in the area were measured with the same methodology. Subsequently, the volume of large wood was calculated by the volume equation, and the growing stock...

First records of Glyptapanteles liparidis (Braconidae, Microgastrinae) and Gelis areator (Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae) in Slovenia

Vladimir Žikić, Tanja Bohinc, Christos Athanassiou, Paraskevi Agrafioti, Matilde Eizaguirre, Drago Trajber, Stanislav Trdan

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(1):24-30 | DOI: 10.17221/106/2023-JFS  

Lymantria dispar, a well-known defoliating pest species, also presents a health challenge due to the allergenic potential of its hairs, making it interesting to study from various perspectives. As chemical control methods decline in popularity, the search for effective natural enemies of this pest, such as predators, parasites and parasitoids, are expanding. On this occasion, we report the discovery of the primary parasitoid Glyptapanteles liparidis and the secondary parasitoid Gelis areator for the fauna of Slovenia. Illustrations and a short biology are given for both species.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of Robinia pseudoacacia L. populations using ISSR markers, ITS1 and trnL-F intergenic spacer sequences

Mehmet Emin Uras, Ertugrul Filiz, Ugur Sen, Ibrahim Ilker Ozyigit

J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(1):1-13 | DOI: 10.17221/95/2023-JFS  

Robinia pseudoacacia L. is a deciduous tree planted almost all around the world for a wide variety of uses such as ornamental in urban ecosystems and forest trees in afforestation. This study aims to evaluate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relations of R. pseudoacacia using some selected populations in Istanbul and Kocaeli cities. For this aim, molecular marker-assisted and DNA sequence-based analyses were performed. According to the results, nine of 15 inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) primers gave clear and distinguishable bands with a total of 100 loci. The percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) was calculated as 100%...