The spider fauna active on the bark of trees in forests on eight sites in different regions in Germany was investigated. Trunk eclectors at about 2-4 meters height on living trees were used in different regions of Germany (SW Bavaria, Hesse, Brandenburg) between 1990 and 2003. In Hesse eclectors were also used on dead beech trees (standing and lying). In this study data, mainly from beech (Fagu...

Ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations are expected to increase over the 21(st) century, especially in East Asia. However, the impact of O3 has not been directly assessed at the forest level in this region. We performed O3 flux-based risk assessments of carbon sequestration capacity in an old cool temperate deciduous forest, consisting of O3-sensitive Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), and in a wa...

In honeydew beech forest in the South Island of New Zealand, introduced Vespula vulgaris wasps are now very abundant. Approximated biomass estimates indicate that Vespula (mostly V. vulgaris) biomass (mean estimate at peak = 3761 g ha, averaged over the year = 1097 g ha) is as great as, or greater than combined biomasses of birds (best estimate = 206 g ha), rodents (up to 914 g ha in some years...

Sympatric orange-fronted (Cyanoramphus malherbi) and yellow-crowned parakeets (C. auriceps) were surveyed in a South Island beech (Nothofagus spp.) forest during the spring and summer of 1998/99. Habitat use, behaviour and diet were recorded for each parakeet identified. A single observer did all recording. Both species were seen most frequently in the upper-most 20% of the forest stratum. Oran...

Sustainable forest management should avoid disturbance and volatilization of the soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks both under present and projected future climate. Earlier studies have shown that thinning of European beech forests induces a strong initial perturbation of the soil C and N cycles in shallow Rendzic Leptosol, which consists of lower soil N retention and strongly enhanced gas...

Productivity of old-growth beech forests in the Mediterranean Basin was measured by average stem basal area increment (BAI) of dominant trees at two mountain sites in the Italian Apennines. Both forests could be ascribed to the old-growth stage, but they differed markedly with regard to elevation (1000 vs. 1725 m a.s.l.), soil parent material (volcanic vs. calcareous), mean tree age (less than ...

Tree stem diameter variations were measured simultaneously in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Sorø, Denmark and in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Hyytiälä, Finland. The variations were detected at two heights on the xylem and the whole stem on both trees. The evapo-transpiration of the forests was measured by eddy-covariance method. The pattern of evapo-transpiration was refl ected on the di...

Mixed forest of Douglas-fir and beech has been suggested as one of the possible future forest types in Northwest Europe but the effects of this mixed forest on soil properties relative to monoculture stands are unknown. In a transboundary investigation of adjacent common garden Douglas-fir and beech stands, we determined the effects on topsoil properties. However, responses of C and N stocks, t...

In the bioethanol production process via acid saccharification, a large amount of acid hydrolysis lignin is yielded as a byproduct. In this study, the behavior of hardwood sulfuric acid lignin (SAL), which is a typical acid hydrolysis lignin, during phenolization to convert into functional materials is investigated. We compared the product yield, average molecular weight, methoxy content, and r...