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Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 | 2023

Category: Editorial

article id 23011, category Editorial
Sergio de Miguel. (2023). Artificial intelligence-driven disruption in science production ahead. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 23011. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.23011
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  • de Miguel, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain; Joint Research Unit CTFC – AGROTECNIO – CERCA, Ctra de Sant Llorenç de Morunys, km 2, 25280 Solsona, Spain ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9738-0657 E-mail: sergio.demiguel@udl.cat

Category: Research article

article id 22019, category Research article
Aleksi Nirhamo, Juha Pykälä, Kimmo Jääskeläinen, Jari Kouki. (2023). Habitat associations of red-listed epiphytic lichens in Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 22019. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.22019
Keywords: boreal forests; deciduous trees; biodiversity; conservation; threatened species
Highlights: We analyzed the habitat associations of 231 nationally red-listed epiphytic lichen species in Finland; Their habitat associations were varying, but deciduous trees, old forests and trees, and microclimates with intermediate or high light availability and humidity were particularly important; The maintenance of the habitats of many red-listed epiphytic lichens is difficult if not impossible to combine with intensive forest management.
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The Finnish red list shows that the epiphytic lichen flora of Finnish forests is highly threatened and declining steeply. Red lists provide limited information on the habitat associations of threatened species, which could be relevant in informing management and conservation measures. We used documented empirical data and expert assessments to determine for each red-listed (IUCN categories Near Threatened, NT; Vulnerable, VU; Endangered, EN; Critically Endangered, CR; Regionally Extinct, RE) epiphytic lichen species of Finland the following key habitat associations: host tree species, substrate type, habitat type, geographical distribution, preferred microclimate, and minimum required forest and tree age. The most important host tree species were Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. and Populus tremula L. Other tree species of high importance included Sorbus aucuparia L. and Salix caprea L. One fourth of red-listed epiphytic lichens were primarily lignicolous. Most species required old-growth forests (required by 41% of species) or old trees (52%), but many species required only mature forests (36%) or trees (35%). The microclimatic preferences of most red-listed epiphytic lichens consisted of high or intermediate light availability and humidity. Most species whose status had deteriorated were dependent on deciduous trees. The continuous availability of old deciduous trees (especially Populus, Salix and Sorbus) requires special attention in both managed and protected forests. Red-listed epiphytic lichens would be aided by increased forest protection or transitioning to less intensive management regimes.
article id 22014, category Research article
Nea Kuusinen, Aarne Hovi, Miina Rautiainen. (2023). Estimation of boreal forest floor lichen cover using hyperspectral airborne and field data. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 22014. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.22014
Keywords: remote sensing; Cladonia; spectroscopy
Highlights: A pilot study on estimating forest floor lichen cover from hyperspectral data; Multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis applied to field and airborne data; Accuracy of lichen cover estimates was good; Tree cover and presence of dwarf shrubs may influence lichen cover estimation.
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Lichens are sensitive to competition from vascular plants, intensive silviculture, pollution and reindeer and caribou grazing, and can therefore serve as indicators of environmental changes. Hyperspectral remote sensing data has been proved promising for estimation of plant diversity, but its potential for forest floor lichen cover estimation has not yet been studied. In this study, we investigated the use of hyperspectral data in estimating ground lichen cover in boreal forest stands in Finland. We acquired airborne and in situ hyperspectral data of lichen-covered forest plots, and applied multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis to estimate the fractional cover of ground lichens in these plots. Estimation of lichen cover based on in situ spectral data was very accurate (coefficient of determination (r2) 0.95, root mean square error (RMSE) 6.2). Estimation of lichen cover based on airborne data, on the other hand, was fairly good (r2 0.77, RMSE 11.7), but depended on the choice of spectral bands. When the hyperspectral data were resampled to the spectral resolution of Sentinel-2, slightly weaker results were obtained. Tree canopy cover near the flight plots was weakly related to the difference between estimated and measured lichen cover. The results also implied that the presence of dwarf shrubs could influence the lichen cover estimates.
  • Kuusinen, Department of Built Environment, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 14100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8063-1739 E-mail: nea.kuusinen@aalto.fi
  • Hovi, Department of Built Environment, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 14100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4384-5279 E-mail: aarne.hovi@aalto.fi
  • Rautiainen, Department of Built Environment, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 14100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6568-3258 E-mail: miina.a.rautiainen@aalto.fi
article id 10767, category Research article
Semo Mogeia, Alberto A. Manhiça, Andrade F. Egas. (2023). Wood ash content variation in Eucalyptus grandis clones in Mozambique. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 10767. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10767
Keywords: sapwood; heartwood; base-top; bioenergy quality; woody fuel
Highlights: Eucalyptus grandis heartwood produces better fuel than sapwood, if assuming ash content as energy quality parameter; Younger individuals have higher ash content in sapwood, and older individuals in the heartwood; There was not significant stem end variation of ash content in heartwood and sapwood.
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The sustainability of native forests in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on the diversification of sources to generate bioenergy, and Eucalyptus spp. wood has been highlighted. However, the determination of energy quality parameters has been a challenge to enable plantation wood to generate energy. The research assessed the ash content of radial and longitudinal samples of Eucalyptus grandis (Hill) clone with different ages and growth sites. Samples were collected in three pre-established plots in the center of Mozambique. Five trees were cut down in each plot and six discs were removed from each tree. Grinded samples with <0.5 mm particle size were generated from the heartwood and sapwood of each disk to determine the ash content. Wood from 7-year-olds had a higher ash content compared to 9-year-olds. The two sample plots differed from each other in terms of wood ash content. Heartwood samples had smaller ash content than sapwood samples. In general, the ash content of the intermediate positions was lower than those from the base and top of the stem, for both radial sections. No conclusive differences were found between samples from the base and the top of the trees, indicating that the material from the top of the trees can also be used as wood fuel. Ash content can be a considerable parameter to assess the quality of the wood of Eucalyptus spp. as a fuel.

  • Mogeia, Universidade Lúrio, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Silvicultura e Maneio [Lurio University, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forestry and Management], Campus de Wanaango, EN733, Km 42, Unango, Niassa, Mozambique E-mail: smogeia@unilurio.ac.mz (email)
  • Manhiça, Centro de Investigação Florestal, [Forestry Research Center], Marracuene, EN1, Maputo província, Mozambique E-mail: albertomanhica@gmail.com
  • Egas, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Faculdade de Agronomia e Engenharia Florestal, Departamento de Florestas, [Eduardo Mondlane University, Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, Department of Forests], Av. Julius Nyerere, Maputo cidade, Mozambique E-mail: aegas8@gmail.com
article id 10752, category Research article
Oiva Hiltunen, Ville Hallikainen, Teijo Palander. (2023). Analysing the groundwater level and its determinants in a drained peatland forest: a case study in South Lapland, Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 10752. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10752
Keywords: peatland; groundwater level; load-bearing capacity; subsoil
Highlights: Mineral subsoils under a peat layer (less than 1 m) affect the groundwater level; During average precipitation, silty subsoil often makes groundwater level remain too high for timber haulage; If the subsoil is sandy and the peat layer is thin, the groundwater level gets lower; The amount of stand evapotranspiration alone is not enough to keep the groundwater level low enough.
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In southern Lapland, 70% of drained peatland forests have a peat layer thickness of less than one metre. On these sites, the question is how the subsoil under the peat affects groundwater level and thus timber harvesting. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the peat layer (<1 m) and subsoil on the groundwater level and its variation during the growing season (non-frost) by modelling the factors affecting water level. In sandy soils, the groundwater level rose by 20 cm when the peat layer thickness increased from 20 to 70 cm. In silty soils the effect of the peat thickness on groundwater remained minor. When the subsoil was sand or coarser, the groundwater level was usually deeper than when it was silty or finer. The effect of stand volume (m–3 ha–1) on the groundwater level was rather weak albeit significant. The model explained a significant part of the groundwater surface variation, with a marginal coefficient of determination (R2) of 68%. It seems that the rutting of roads could be avoided in late summer if the precipitation is remarkably lower during that period, or if the subsoil is sandy with thin peat layer on top of it. Because the groundwater level affects the load-bearing capacity of timber-harvesting machinery, it is important to study this issue in more detail in the future.

  • Hiltunen, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Jokiväylä 11, FI-96300 Rovaniemi, Finland E-mail: oivah@student.uef.fi (email)
  • Hallikainen, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Ounasjoentie 6, FI-96300 Rovaniemi, Finland E-mail: ville.hallikainen@luke.fi
  • Palander, The University of Eastern Finland, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9284-5443 E-mail: teijo.s.palander@uef.fi

Category: Review article

article id 10709, category Review article
Pavel Škvor, Martin Jankovský, Pavel Natov, Jiří Dvořák. (2023). Evaluation of stress loading for logging truck drivers by monitoring changes in muscle tension during a work shift. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 1 article id 10709. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10709
Keywords: timber transportation; biofeedback; driver; electromyography; physical load
Highlights: This study compared the workload of drivers when driving different types of vehicles; The combination of a truck and trailer exposes the driver to a significantly greater workload than trucks without trailers; The workload of drivers varied during a work shift i.e. drivers experienced significantly more workload in the middle of their work shifts.
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Our research aimed to quantify and evaluate the stress loading of drivers by monitoring the loading of the radial extensor muscle at the wrist joint (musculus extensor carpi radialis) when they drove different types of timber trucks. We monitored changes in the electric potential of skeletal muscles with electromyographic measurements and measurements of changes of heart rate using the Biofeedback 2000 x-pert device. The drivers were observed throughout their work shifts during normal operation of logging trucks and logging trucks with trailers. As a reference, muscle load was measured when driving a passenger car. We evaluated the normality of the measured data and obtained descriptive statistics from the individual measurements. The differences in stress load associated with driving the different types of vehicles increased whilst driving on lower-class roads. Results showed a high stress load for drivers of loaded vehicles when driving on narrow roads. It was more challenging to control a loaded logging truck with a trailer than driving a logging truck, with the difference in muscular loading reaching 22.5%. Driving a logging truck with a trailer produced 46.5% more muscle loading compared to driving a loaded passenger car. For preventive health and safety reasons, it would be reasonable to alternate between drivers when operating various vehicles, thus minimizing the development of possible health issues.

  • Škvor, Department of Forestry Technologies and Construction, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7540-4761 E-mail: skvorp@fld.czu.cz (email)
  • Jankovský, Department of Forestry Technologies and Construction, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic E-mail: jankovskym@fld.czu.cz
  • Natov, Department of Forestry Technologies and Construction, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic E-mail: natov@fld.czu.cz
  • Dvořák, Department of Forestry Technologies and Construction, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5986-8002 E-mail: dvorakj@fld.czu.cz

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