In an effort to minimize environmental degradation caused by the intensive use of agrochemicals, European Union adopted regulations relevant to afforestation and set aside of agricultural land. The multifunctional role of agriculture enhanced through these regulations and provided adequate motives for a change in the conventional land uses. Cultivators/investors that are interested in afforeste...

Natural regeneration is the natural process by which plants replace themselves. It is a cost-effective way to re-establish vegetation, and it helps to preserve genetic identity and diversity. In this study, we investigated the natural regeneration of trees in three types of afforested stands in the Taihang Mountains, China, which were dominated by Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust), Quercus va...

In Hungary, the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) can be considered as most important fast-growing, stand-forming introduced tree species. Due to its positive growing technological characteristics well wood utilization possibilities, at present, is widely planted species in covering 25% of country’s total forest area. One tasks ahead Hungarian growers improve quality stands with introducin...

A mixed hardulood stand composed of 33% oak (Quercus “pp.), 33% yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), and 14% other spec ies, was clearcut in 1963. Twenty years lo ter a deueloping, even-aged stand of pedominantly sprout origin is domi?gated by yellow-poplar, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and sweet birch (Betula lenta L.). The 0ak.s are a minor and de...

The magnitude of inbreeding depression within populations is important for the evolution and maintenance of mixed mating systems. However, data are sparse on the magnitude of inbreeding depression in Robinia pseudoacacia. In this study, we compared differences in the mature seed set per fruit, seed mass, germination success, and seedling growth between self- and cross-pollination treatments and...

The conversion of farmland to forestland not only changes the ecological environment but also enriches the soil with organic matter and affects the global carbon cycle. This paper reviews the influence of land use changes on the soil organic carbon sink to determine whether the Chinese "Grain-for-Green" (conversion of farmland to forestland) project increased the rate of SOC content during its ...