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1
SANTOS, MARIA J., and JAMES H. THORNE. "Comparing culture and ecology: conservation planning of oak woodlands in Mediterranean landscapes of Portugal and California." Environmental Conservation 37, no. 2 (April 12, 2010): 155–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892910000238.
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SUMMARYMediterranean ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, however translating conservation need into implementation has been hindered by their function as working landscapes that integrate both human and natural components. This paper compares oak woodland working landscapes in California and Portugal: can conservation policy be reshaped to conserve Mediterranean oak woodland ecosystems with differing sociopolitical cultural contexts? Each oak woodland's cultural-historical legacy and socioecological system (SES) is described, and how each system can cross-inform improvements to conservation policies is assessed. The SES analysis shows that oak woodlands are managed to maximize revenue from one or more of four resources: forestry, rangeland, agriculture and natural areas. Sustainability of extractable resources may be threatened by replacement rate, land-use history and interdependence with other resources. Non-extractable resources (natural areas) are more volatile and sustainable management is dependent on the voluntary nature of collective-choice rules. Conservation planning and implementation require attention to the characteristic heterogeneity of oak woodlands and to the processes that generate biodiversity, such as fire and regeneration. Conservation plans should aim for the preservation of oak woodland functions (for example multiple use systems) and cultural characteristics (such as keeping people on the land), and governmental and public recognition of the value of preserving these woodlands.
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Antos, Mark J., and Andrew F. Bennett. "How important are different types of temperate woodlands for ground-foraging birds?" Wildlife Research 32, no. 6 (2005): 557. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04118.
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There is widespread concern about population decline in a number of woodland-dependent birds in southern Australia. Of all declining species, approximately half forage on the ground. This study examined the avifaunal assemblages of temperate woodlands of the Northern Plains, Victoria, to investigate the importance of woodland habitats for ground-foraging species. Four main types of woodland were surveyed (white cypress-pine, black box, grey box and river red gum) and, in total, 89 bird species were detected. All four woodland types differed in habitat structure and, in turn, supported significantly different avifaunal assemblages. Forty of the 89 species (45%) foraged, at least in part, on the ground. Species richness and abundance of ground-foragers differed significantly between woodland types, being highest in white cypress-pine and black box. There was a greater richness of ground-foragers during the breeding than non-breeding season, but abundance did not vary seasonally. Overall, ground-foraging birds comprised a greater proportion of species (>55%) and individuals (>60%) in white cypress-pine and black box woodland than in grey box and river red gum (42–48% of species, <50% individuals). Those ground-foragers regarded as declining also occurred in greatest richness in white cypress-pine woodlands, one of the most depleted habitats in the region. The lowest richness of ‘declining’ ground-foraging species was in river red gum woodland, the most widespread woodland type. Throughout Australia, the proportion of ground-foraging species in bird assemblages tends to be greater in temperate, semi-arid or arid woodlands than in moist forests and rainforests. However, in many regions woodland habitats are severely depleted and their open ground layer is particularly vulnerable to degradation. The extent of suitable habitat for ground-foraging birds in temperate woodlands may be much less than is apparent from current measures of tree cover. Sustainable management of drier (non-riverine) temperate woodlands is required to conserve this important element of the Australian avifauna.
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Gaytán, Á., A. Ricarte, and G. González-Bornay. "Hoverfly diversity (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Pyrenean oak woodlands in Central-Western Spain: a preliminary study with conservation outcomes." Journal of Insect Conservation 24, no. 1 (December 21, 2019): 163–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10841-019-00208-z.
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AbstractHoverflies are frequently used as biodiversity indicators and are targets of ecological studies across Europe. How hoverfly diversity responds to ecological variables is essential for species and habitat conservation. The present study is a first attempt to assess the hoverfly diversity of deciduous woodlands of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) in La Vera (Central-Western Spain), a habitat in need of conservation and a region that is poorly known in terms of hoverflies. Hoverflies were sampled with hand net in a mature-woodland site, a young-woodland site, and two close-by grassland sites. A higher number of species and individuals was recorded in woodland sites than in grassland sites, with only two species exclusive to the grasslands and thus, suggesting that woodland sites might be acting as a hoverfly reservoir and source. The proportion of species with phytophagous and saprophagous larvae in woodland sites was higher than outside the woodlands, probably due to a higher availability of resources in woodland sites for phytophagous and saprophagous species. The mature woodland was found to have a higher number of species and individuals than the young woodland, possibly due to the presence of grassy clearings and rotting materials in the trees of the mature woodland. The highest number of species was found in the predatory guild (Syrphinae), and smaller-bodied species within this guild were found to be more frequent in grassland than in woodland sites; possible explanations for this result are discussed. Further investigation is required to confirm and expand the results and conclusions found in this initial study on the hoverfly community of the poorly studied Q. pyrenaica woodlands of Central-Western Spain.
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Roberts, J., and P. Rosier. "The impact of broadleaved woodland on water resources in lowland UK: III. The results from Black Wood and Bridgets Farm compared with those from other woodland and grassland sites." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 9, no. 6 (December 31, 2005): 614–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-9-614-2005.
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Abstract. In the United Kingdom the planting of broadleaved woodland has led to concerns about the impact on water resources. Comparative studies, typically using soil water measurements, have been established to compare water use of broadleaved woodland and grassland. The diversity of outcomes from these studies makes it difficult to make any consistent prediction of the hydrological impact of afforestation. Most studies have shown greater drying of soils under broadleaved woodland than under grass. However, two studies in a beech wood growing on shallow soils above chalk at Black Wood, Micheldever, Hampshire showed little overall difference between broadleaved woodland and grass, either in soil water abstraction or in evaporation. Two factors are thought to contribute to the different results from Black Wood. It is known that evaporation can be considerably enhanced at the edges of woodlands or in small areas of woodlands. The studies at Black Wood were made well within a large area of fairly uniform woodland. Other studies in which a difference occurred in soil drying between broadleaved woodland and grass used measurements made in small areas of woodlands or at woodland edges. Another important difference between comparison of woodland at Black Wood and grassland growing nearby, also on shallow soils above Chalk, compared to other broadleaved woodland/grass comparisons, growing on other geologies, is the influence of the Chalk. Although vegetation such as grass (and woodland) does not populate the chalk profusely with roots, water can be removed from the Chalk by the roots which proliferate at the soil/chalk interface and which can generate upward water movement within the Chalk. Published work showed that only in a very dry summer did the evaporation from grass growing on shallow soils above chalk fall below potential. In broadleaved woodland/grass comparisons on non-chalky soils it is possible that moisture deficits in the soil below the grass may reach critical levels and reduce evaporation below that of the woodland with which it is being compared.
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McGinness, Heather M., Anthony D. Arthur, and Julian R. W. Reid. "Woodland bird declines in the Murray–Darling Basin: are there links with floodplain change?" Rangeland Journal 32, no. 3 (2010): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj10016.
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Woodland bird population declines in Australia have been attributed to various factors including habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. However, the influence of altered water availability in the landscape upon woodland bird populations has not been examined, particularly in terms of changes in flood regimes and subsequent loss of floodplain productivity. In this review, we examine the importance to woodland birds of floodplains, floods, and associated vegetation communities, highlighting potential links between declining water availability, habitat degradation, and bird populations. Floodplain woodlands and forests may be important refuges for woodland bird populations because (1) floodplain woodlands and forests comprise some of the largest and most continuous vegetation remnants in south-east Australia; and (2) floods intermittently supply water, sediment and nutrients that drive greater primary and secondary productivity than found in woodlands not subject to flooding. However, floodplains in south-east Australia have been subject to substantial flow regime change, driven predominantly by dams and irrigation water use. Consequently, habitat quality for woodland birds has been degraded, potentially exacerbating population declines. We suggest that despite such change, floodplain communities and their requisite floods remain of great importance for the persistence, productivity and diversity of woodland birds in Australian drylands. We hypothesise that (1) the influence of flooding upon primary and secondary productivity in floodplain and riparian zones is a key driver of resident bird populations, and a key determinant of nomadic/migratory bird use of a site; (2) alterations in flooding and consequent changes in productivity and condition of floodplain vegetation have contributed to observed declines in resident woodland birds in Australian drylands; and (3) the influence of flooding upon productivity extends beyond local populations of floodplain residents to non-floodplain populations via dispersal, and that floodplain woodlands often act as a source population for surrounding non-floodplain woodlands. We make several testable predictions regarding these hypotheses.
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Godlee, John L., Francisco Maiato Gonçalves, José João Tchamba, Antonio Valter Chisingui, Jonathan Ilunga Muledi, Mylor Ngoy Shutcha, Casey M. Ryan, Thom K. Brade, and Kyle G. Dexter. "Diversity and Structure of an Arid Woodland in Southwest Angola, with Comparison to the Wider Miombo Ecoregion." Diversity 12, no. 4 (April 3, 2020): 140. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d12040140.
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Seasonally dry woodlands are the dominant land cover across southern Africa. They are biodiverse, structurally complex, and important for ecosystem service provision. Species composition and structure vary across the region producing a diverse array of woodland types. The woodlands of the Huíla plateau in southwest Angola represent the extreme southwestern extent of the miombo ecoregion and are markedly drier than other woodlands within this ecoregion. They remain understudied, however, compared to woodlands further east in the miombo ecoregion. We aimed to elucidate further the tree diversity found within southwestern Angolan woodlands by conducting a plot-based study in Bicuar National Park, comparing tree species composition and woodland structure with similar plots in Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We found Bicuar National Park had comparatively low tree species diversity, but contained 27 tree species not found in other plots. Plots in Bicuar had low basal area, excepting plots dominated by Baikiaea plurijuga. In a comparison of plots in intact vegetation with areas previously disturbed by shifting-cultivation agriculture, we found species diversity was marginally higher in disturbed plots. Bicuar National Park remains an important woodland refuge in Angola, with an uncommon mosaic of woodland types within a small area. While we highlight wide variation in species composition and woodland structure across the miombo ecoregion, plot-based studies with more dense sampling across the ecoregion are clearly needed to more broadly understand regional variation in vegetation diversity, composition and structure.
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Karki, Lila B., Uma Karki, and Anand Tiwari. "Woodland Grazing: Untapped Resource to Increase Economic Benefits from Forestland." Journal of Animal Science 99, Supplement_2 (May 1, 2021): 7–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab096.011.
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Abstract The southeastern United States offers a tremendous opportunity for expanding woodland grazing technology for small ruminants in its almost 60 percent woodland. Like in many other states, Alabama alone has 23 million acres of woodland. Conversely, livestock owners face a daunting challenge to forage their animals for about seven lean months each year. Raising animals on concentrates, of course, is economically unfeasible for small-scale producers. Woodland grazing is an untapped practice that boosts economic, social, and environmental benefits to woodland owners. The objectives of this study were to diversify household cash flow for woodland owners and simultaneously promote forage-based livestock production systems. The study was conducted at Tuskegee University from 2017 to 2020 in 6 acres of woodland (southern pines and non-pine species). Meat goats (8 Wethers) and hair sheep (5 Rams) were grazed rotationally for 6 months (May–Oct.) until they consumed 50% of the available foliage. They were not fed any supplement feed while grazing in woodlands. The feeding cost was estimated using four scenarios: sack/pellet, hay, sack/pellet and hay, and woodland grazing holding health, management, minerals and water costs constant. Feeding cost was 58–204% lower, and labor cost was 50–100% less in woodland grazing compared to conventional feeding systems. Extrapolated data reveal that woodland owners may generate about $9,947.00 more cash flow annually from 50 acres with woodland grazing than without grazing. Moreover, the system approach strengthens knowledge, attitude, awareness, skill, and motivation of the family members and community as a percolation effect. Besides, the environmental benefits (controlling unwanted and invading species and aesthetic pleasure) increase the economic value. Results reveal that woodland grazing can open an enormous economic opportunity to all forestland owners by upholding annual cash flow while trees are growing and making the total returns from woodlands much higher than the monocropping-timber.
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Fors, Hanna, Märit Jansson, and Anders Nielsen. "The Impact of Resident Participation on Urban Woodland Quality—A Case Study of Sletten, Denmark." Forests 9, no. 11 (October 25, 2018): 670. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f9110670.
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Despite the potential of urban woodlands for recreational use and participatory management, citizens’ perception of urban woodland quality, as well as the impact of citizens’ co-management on urban woodland quality, have not been thoroughly studied to date. The present study investigated how residents in Holstebro, Denmark define urban woodland quality in their neighborhood named Sletten and how they perceive the quality impact of their participation in the management and maintenance of a transition from private gardens to public urban woodland—the so-called co-management zone. Field survey of participation for all housing units with a co-management zone (n = 201) informed strategic selection of residents for individual interviews (n = 16). It was found that social, experiential, functional, and ecological dimensions are all part of residents’ perception of urban woodland quality, whereby maintenance, accessibility, and nature are dominating aspects of these dimensions. While these aspects are already integrated in quality assessment schemes for other types of urban green space, our study revealed the importance of structural and species diversity between and within woodland stands as central for the perceived woodland quality—a quality aspect that distinguishes woodland from other types of urban green space. Participation in the management and maintenance positively influenced the perceived woodland quality. Residents found that their participation in the co-management zone created functional and ecological, physical qualities in the woodland. Moreover, the active participation provided the residents with a range of social and experiential benefits, many of which they themselves argue that they would have missed out on if they were only allowed to use the woodland “passively”. These findings suggest a large—but also largely untapped—potential of participatory urban woodland management to contribute physical qualities to urban woodlands and benefits to its users.
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Masters, Bernie. "Temperate woodland conservation and management." Pacific Conservation Biology 18, no. 4 (2012): 324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc120324.
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AS excellent as this book is, its title is something of a misnomer. Because the book contains 40 short chapters summarising the key findings and recommendations of many of Australia’s leading woodland researchers and managers, the words ‘Principles of . . . ’ should precede the existing title. While the book provides readers with a very good understanding of the major issues to be addressed in conserving and managing woodland habitat, as well as in producing effective and much-needed government policy, further reading is required from each chapter’s extensive list of references to obtain the detail of how to conserve and manage woodlands. Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management The biodiversity value of woodlands in southern Australia is significant, particularly for bird and bat conservation. Because woodlands soils were suitable for agriculture, between 80 and 90% have been cleared (Thackway, Chapter 31). The remainder is subject to many serious threats including grazing, weeds, fertilizer drift, fragmentation effects and altered fire regimes. This book is a timely summary of relevant research, much of which has been carried out in the last 10 to 15 years.
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Wood, C. M., S. M. Smart, and R. G. H. Bunce. "Woodland survey of Great Britain 1971–2001." Earth System Science Data Discussions 8, no. 1 (February 25, 2015): 259–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/essdd-8-259-2015.
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Abstract. The Woodland Survey of Great Britain is a unique dataset, consisting of a detailed range of ecological measurements at a national scale, covering a time span of 30 years. A set of 103 woods spread across Britain were first surveyed in 1971, which were again surveyed in 2000–2003 (for convenience referred to subsequently as the "2001 survey"). Standardised methods of describing the trees, shrubs, ground flora, soils and general habitats present were used for both sets of surveys. The sample of 1648 plots spread through 103 woodland sites located across Britain makes it probably the most extensive quantitative ecological woodland survey undertaken in Britain; it is also notable for the range of sites that have been re-visited after such a long interval. The dataset provides a unique opportunity to explore the effects of a range of potential drivers of woodland change that operated between 1971 and 2001. The dataset is available in four discrete parts, which have been assigned the following DOIs: doi:10.5285/4d93f9ac-68e3-49cf-8a41-4d02a7ead81a (Woodlands survey tree diameter data 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/d6409d40-58fe-4fa7-b7c8-71a105b965b4 (Woodlands survey site information 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/fb1e474d-456b-42a9-9a10-a02c35af10d2 (Woodlands survey soil data 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/2d023ce9-6dbe-4b4f-a0cd-34768e1455ae (Woodlands survey flora data 1971–2001).
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Smith, Frederick W., and Thomas Schuler. "Yields of Southwestern Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands." Western Journal of Applied Forestry 3, no. 3 (July 1, 1988): 70–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wjaf/3.3.70.
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Abstract Site quality and growth-growing stock relations were developed for southwestern woodlands of pinyon (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) or Utah juniper (J. osteosperma). Anamorphic height-age site index curves for pinyon were developed from a regional sample of 60 woodlands. Site index was unaffected by variation in stocking and was correlated with woodland yield when used in conjunction with density. Pinyon and juniper PAI, when taken separately, were highly correlated with stand density and pinyon site index. Pinyon was twice as productive as juniper at similar stand densities. Pinyon and juniper yields in woodlands of average density and site index were estimated at 0.29 and 0.15 m3ha-1y-1. At high densities pinyon and juniper yields increased to 0.61 and 0.31 m3ha-1y-1 Pinyon and juniper yields appeared independent of the density of the other species in an individual woodland. Maximum yield of dense mixed species woodlands on average sites was 0.78 m3ha-1y-1, and occurred when pinyon constituted 65% of woodland density. West. J. Appl. For. 3(3):70-74, July 1988.
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Good, Megan K., Jodi N. Price, Peter J. Clarke, and Nick Reid. "Dense regeneration of floodplain Eucalyptus coolabah: invasive scrub or passive restoration of an endangered woodland community?" Rangeland Journal 34, no. 2 (2012): 219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12008.
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Clearing of native vegetation and changes to disturbance regimes have resulted in dense regeneration of native trees and shrubs in parts of Australia. The conversion of open vegetation to dense woodlands may result in changes to the composition of plant communities and ecosystem function if structure, composition and function are tightly linked. Widespread clearing of the floodplain tree Eucalyptus coolabah subsp. coolabah (coolibah), in New South Wales, Australia, has led to state and federal listings of coolibah woodland as an endangered ecological community. Dense regeneration of coolibah in the mid 1970s, however, also resulted in its listing as an ‘invasive native species’ in NSW, meaning it can be legally cleared under certain conditions. Dense regeneration could be a novel state dissimilar to the threatened community or it could represent the next generation of coolibah woodlands and may contribute to passive restoration of heavily cleared landscapes. This study investigated if dense stands are distinct from remnant woodland by comparing floristic composition of the ground-storey community and top-soil properties of four coolibah vegetation states: derived grassland, derived degraded grassland, dense regeneration and remnant woodland. Ground-storey composition was found to overlap broadly among states regardless of tree density. Most species were common to all states, although dense regeneration contained characteristic woodland species that were absent from grasslands. The carbon : nitrogen ratio of the soil was significantly higher in dense regeneration and remnant woodland than in either of the grassland states, indicating that the woody states are broadly similar in terms of nutrient cycling. The study demonstrates that structurally different vegetation states (grasslands, woodlands and dense regeneration) are not associated with distinct plant communities. The results also suggest that grazing management has a more pronounced effect on ground-storey composition of plant communities than tree density and that well managed derived grasslands and dense regeneration are floristically similar to remnant woodlands. Since dense regeneration and remnant woodlands are not floristically distinct from one another, dense regeneration could contribute to the conservation of endangered coolibah woodlands in cleared agricultural landscapes.
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Ereso Denbel, Tsegu. "Woody Species Diversity and Structure of Protected Woodlands Adjacent to Free Grazing Land Woodland at Dugda Woreda, Oromia, Ethiopia." International Journal of Forestry Research 2021 (June 21, 2021): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/8834892.
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The study was conducted in protected woodland and free graze woodland located in Dugda Woreda, Oromia state, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to explore the floristic composition, structure, and regeneration of woody species. In the park, the vegetation ecology has not been studied up to date, which is necessary for conservation. The systematic sampling technique was used to collect vegetation and human disturbance (presence and absence) data from August to December 2017. The vegetation data were collected from 30 plots from each woodland with a size of 900 m2 (30 m × 300 m) for tree/shrub, while subplots of size 400 m2 (20 m × 20 m) for sapling, respectively, were established in the main plots. Individual tree and shrub diameters at breast height (DBH) ≥2.5 cm and height ≥ 2 m were measured using a tape meter and clinometer, respectively. Diameter at breast height (DBH), frequency, density, basal area, and importance value index (IVI) were used for vegetation structure description, while the densities of mature trees, sapling, and seedling were used for regeneration. A total of 446 individual stems from free grazed woodland and 641 individual stems from protected woodland with a DBH of ≥2.5 cm were encountered from 30 studied sample plots that are protected and free grazed woodlands. Of these, from the total woody species, 68.42% were trees and 31.57% shrubs found in protected woodland; 76.92% were trees and 23.07% shrubs found in free grazed woodland. The total basal area of the woody plant was 3.1 ± 1 m2/ha in free grazed woodland and 4.2 ± 2 m2/ha in protected woodland, calculated for 19 woody species. Fabaceae, Balanitaceae, Capparidaceae, Verbenaceae, and Boraginaceae families were the most abundant families in both woodlands. However, there is a good initiation for the conservation of the park; still, the vegetation of the park was threatened by human-induced fire following intensive farming, gold mining, and overgrazing.
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Fulton, Graham R., and John Lawson. "Birds respond to woodland type, soil and mesic gradients in heterogeneous woodlands at Dryandra." Australian Journal of Zoology 68, no. 2 (2020): 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo20095.
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The vast clearance of forest and woodland for agriculture with the removal of more than 93% of the native vegetation has decimated the fauna of what is now known as the Western Australian wheatbelt. This clearing has been particularly severe on wandoo woodlands through the wheatbelt. In order to quantify the usefulness of what has been left, three native woodland types were surveyed for avian abundance and diversity, in a large heterogeneous remnant of old-growth woodland, at Dryandra. Birds were counted at 70 points along seven transects, through three woodland types: powderbark wandoo (Eucalyptus accedens), wandoo (E. wandoo) and a brown mallet (E. astringens) plantation. Greater abundance and species richness were detected in E. wandoo woodland, although this is thought to be related to the more mesic and productive low-lying contours of the landscape on which it is situated.
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Dzwonko, Zbigniew. "Migration of vascular plant species to a recent wood adjoining ancient woodland." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 70, no. 1 (2014): 71–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/asbp.2001.010.
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Woodland communities can be restored by natural succession in sites adjoining ancient woodlands which can act as seed sources for trees, shrubs and woodland herbs. The influence of dominant tree species and the distance from an adjacent ancient oak-hornbeam woodland upon the floristic composition of species in a recent pine wood planted on dry rendzina soil were studied. It was found that, in spite of a 52-year long succession, the border between woods was sharp and the composition of species in the recent wood were significantly different than in the adjacent ancient woodland. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the distance to the ancient woodland had a significant influence on species distributions in the recent wood. The numbers of species from the <em>Querco-Fagetea</em> class, vegetatively reproducing species and myrmecochores decreased with this distance, whereas the numbers of anemochores increased. The migration rate of many woodland species, calculated on occurrence of the farthest individuals was very slow, varying from 0.0 m year<sup>-1</sup> to 0.38 m year<sup>-1</sup>. The restoration of the field layer vegetation in the studied pine wood was much slower than in recent deciduous woods on rich and moist soils where the migration rate of some species exceeded 1.50 m year<sup>-1</sup>. Recent woods adjacent to ancient woodlands can be more effectively colonised by woodland species only when they are dominated by broad-leaved trees with quickly decomposing litter, and the spatial continuity of these woods persists for a long period.
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Izhaki, I., A. Haim, and O. Zohar. "Rodent Populations Recovering from Fire in an East Mediterranean Woodland*." Water Science and Technology 27, no. 7-8 (April 1, 1993): 539–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1993.0593.
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Fire in woodlands causes a dramatic decrease in rodent populations. The aim of this study was to detect rodent succession in three different management regimes of a post-fire habitat on Mount Carmel: (1) a control area of mixed woodlands of burnt pine and oak; (2) a mixed burnt woodland in which the burnt pine trees were cut and left in situ; and (3) a mixed burnt woodland in which burnt pines were cut and removed from the plot. Two plots in an unburnt mixed woodland were used as controls. The first invader species observed in the post-fire habitats were Mus macedonicus, which was the most abundant species in all burnt plots, Gerbillus dasyurus, which was mainly trapped in plots where the burnt pine trees were removed, and Meriones tristrami, which was mainly trapped in plots where the burnt pine trees were left in situ. The highest species diversity was recorded in the control plots of the burnt pine and oak woodland. In these burnt control plots the field mice (Apodemus) of both species reappeared. However, the numbers of trapped A. flavicollis were rather higher than of A. mystacinus. It is thus assumed that the invading species will be replaced by the originial woodland rodent species through resilience. *This study is dedicated in the memory of our colleague Mr. D. Banin.
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Masters, Bernie. "Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management." Pacific Conservation Biology 20, no. 3 (2014): 336. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc140336.
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AS excellent as this book is, its title is something of a misnomer. Because the book contains 40 short chapters summarising the key findings and recommendations of many of Australia’s leading woodland researchers and managers, the words “Principles of . . .” should precede the existing title. While the book provides readers with a very good understanding of the major issues to be addressed in conserving and managing woodland habitat, as well as in producing effective and much-needed government policy, further reading is required from each chapter’s extensive list of references to obtain the detail of how to conserve and manage woodlands. The biodiversity value of woodlands in southern Australia is significant, particularly for bird and bat conservation. Because woodland soils were suitable for agriculture, between 80 and 90% have been cleared (Thackway, Chapter 31). The remainder is subject to many serious threats including grazing, weeds, fertilizer drift, fragmentation effects and altered fire regimes. This book is a timely summary of relevant research, much of which has been carried out in the last 10 to 15 years.
18
Lindenmayer, David, and Chris Taylor. "Extensive recent wildfires demand more stringent protection of critical old growth forest." Pacific Conservation Biology 26, no. 4 (2020): 384. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc20037.
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Old growth forests have many key values, but temporal changes across their spatial extent are poorly understood. This includes large parts of Australia and is a major knowledge gap given the extent of human and natural disturbances in the Australian forest estate over past decades. We integrated spatial data on the timing and extent of fire and logging across mapped forest and woodland cover in different Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) groups to quantify disturbance of the old growth forest and woodland estate in Victoria since 1995, including after the 2019–20 wildfires. We found ~77% of old growth forest and woodlands have been disturbed by fire and logging over the past 25 years. Disturbance was particularly marked in some EVCs, such as the Wet and Damp Forest and the Subalpine Woodlands. In contrast, relatively little of the Modelled Old Growth Forest and Woodland has been disturbed between 1995 and 2020 in other EVCs such as in Plains Woodlands and Heathy Woodlands. Wildfire was the primary driver of disturbance in Modelled Old Growth Forest and Woodland. We argue that a range of strategies is critical to increase protection of undisturbed old growth forest. These include re-assessing disturbance data layers to ensure that areas of old growth that have been burned at low severity are protected, and reducing the size of old growth patches to be conserved. There is also a need to increase levels of protection of young forests to enable them to grow through to an old growth state.
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Moore, T. L., L. E. Valentine, M. D. Craig, G. E. StJ Hardy, and P. A. Fleming. "Do woodland birds prefer to forage in healthy Eucalyptus wandoo trees?" Australian Journal of Zoology 61, no. 3 (2013): 187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo13045.
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Globally, many forests and woodlands are in decline. The marked loss of canopy foliage typical of these declines results in reduced foraging resources (e.g. nectar, pollen, and insects) and, subsequently, can reduce habitat quality for woodland birds. In south-west Western Australia, patches of Eucalyptus wandoo woodlands have shown a decline in condition since at least 2002. We investigated how changes in E. wandoo condition affect the woodland bird community. Foraging activities of three bird species were recorded for 20 sites in Dryandra State Forest and Wandoo Conservation Park either by conducting watches on focal trees (‘sitting’ method), or following individuals through the woodland (‘following’ method). Condition assessments of trees used by the birds were compared with those for trees available at the study site. Weebills (Smicrornis brevirostris; canopy insectivore) displayed preference for healthy trees (low amounts of canopy dieback), whereas rufous treecreepers (Climacteris rufa; bark-foraging insectivore) preferred trees with a higher proportion of dead branches. Yellow-plumed honeyeaters (Lichenostomus ornatus; insectivore/nectarivore) foraged in older, larger E. wandoo trees having full canopies with few signs of tree decline. Tree declines, such as that happening in E. wandoo, alter the foraging resources and habitat available to woodland birds.
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Watson, James, Alexander Watson, David Paull, and David Freudenberger. "Woodland fragmentation is causing the decline of species and functional groups of birds in southeastern Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 8, no. 4 (2002): 261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc030261.
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The clearance of woodlands and the simultaneous creation of alien environments have been identified as the primary reasons for the decline of many woodland birds in southeastern Australia. This study measured how the size of woodland remnants and habitat structural complexity affected bird composition and distribution in the northern Australian Capital Territory and bordering areas of New South Wales. Within this region only 8% of the original woodlands remain, embedded as patches in a matrix of pasture and suburbia. Woodland birds were surveyed in 72 woodland remnants of different size and vegetation structural complexity. Avifaunal species richness was found to increase with remnant area and habitat complexity (p < 0.01). Of the 31 resident woodland bird species detected, 22 were significantly affected by woodland patch size reduction and 20 species were significantly affected by habitat complexity loss (p < 0.05). Of the species affected, 19 were affected by both reductions in patch size and vegetation complexity. Seven species (Weebill, Brown Thornbill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Grey Shrike-thrush, Scarlet Robin and White-winged Chough) not previously identified as threatened by habitat fragmentation occurred significantly less often in small remnants with low habitat complexity. Assessment of avifaunal guilds based on body size and foraging behaviour showed that all large species (n = 4) and 85% (n = 17) of insectivorous species that foraged above the ground were statistically affected by patch size and/or loss of habitat complexity. The occurrence of three species (50%) of granivores was also significantly affected (p < 0.05) by patch size and/or habitat complexity reduction. These results show that the distribution of many bird species, including some considered "common" and "widespread", is affected by patch size and habitat complexity. There are few, large complex woodland remnants within the study area, which continue to reduce in size and complexity. It is therefore predicted that the decline of woodland bird species will continue unless appropriate habitat conservation strategies are applied.
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Mesfin, Demamu, Belay Simane, Abrham Belay, John W. Recha, and Habitamu Taddese. "Woodland Cover Change in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia." Forests 11, no. 9 (August 21, 2020): 916. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f11090916.
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Woodlands, which are part of the landscape and an important source of livelihood for smallholders living in the environmentally vulnerable Central Rift Valley (CRV) of Ethiopia, are experiencing rapid changes. Detecting and monitoring these changes is essential for better management of the resources and the benefits they provide to people. The study used a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the extent and pattern of woodland cover changes from 1973 to 2013. Pixel-based supervised image classification with maximum likelihood classification algorithm was used for land cover classification and change detection analyses. Local peoples’ perceptions were used to explain the patterns of change and their possible reasons. Four major land cover classes were identified, with an overall accuracy of 88.3% and a Kappa statistic of 0.81 for the latest image. The analysis revealed a major land cover reversal, where woodland (92.4%) was the dominant land cover in 1973, while it was agriculture (44.7%) in 2013. A rapid reduction in woodland (54%) and forest (99%) covers took place between 1973 and 2013, with the majority of the conversions being made during the government transition period (1973 to 1986). Agriculture (3878%) and grassland (11,117%) increased tremendously during the 40-year period at the expense of woodlands and forests. Bare land increased moderately (40%). Thus, woodlands are under increasing pressure from other land uses, particularly agriculture, and declining faster. If the current trends of land cover change remain unabated it is likely that woodlands will disappear from the landscape of the area in the near future. Therefore, better forest policy and implementation tools, as well as better woodland management strategies and practices, need to be in place for woodlands to continue providing vital ecosystem goods and services to the local people, as well as to the environment.
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Lentz, David L., Venicia Slotten, Nicholas P. Dunning, John G. Jones, Vernon L. Scarborough, Jon-Paul McCool, Lewis A. Owen, et al. "Ecosystem impacts by the Ancestral Puebloans of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA." PLOS ONE 16, no. 10 (October 27, 2021): e0258369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258369.
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The Ancestral Puebloans occupied Chaco Canyon, in what is now the southwestern USA, for more than a millennium and harvested useful timber and fuel from the trees of distant forests as well as local woodlands, especially juniper and pinyon pine. These pinyon juniper woodland products were an essential part of the resource base from Late Archaic times (3000–100 BC) to the Bonito phase (AD 800–1140) during the great florescence of Chacoan culture. During this vast expanse of time, the availability of portions of the woodland declined. We posit, based on pollen and macrobotanical remains, that the Chaco Canyon woodlands were substantially impacted during Late Archaic to Basketmaker II times (100 BC–AD 500) when agriculture became a major means of food production and the manufacture of pottery was introduced into the canyon. By the time of the Bonito phase, the local woodlands, especially the juniper component, had been decimated by centuries of continuous extraction of a slow-growing resource. The destabilizing impact resulting from recurrent woodland harvesting likely contributed to the environmental unpredictability and difficulty in procuring essential resources suffered by the Ancestral Puebloans prior to their ultimate departure from Chaco Canyon.
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García Morote, Francisco Antonio, Manuela Andrés Abellán, Eva Rubio, Iván Pérez Anta, Francisco García Saucedo, and Francisco Ramón López Serrano. "Stem CO2 Efflux as an Indicator of Forests’ Productivity in Relict Juniper Woodlands (Juniperus thurifera L.) of Southern Spain." Forests 12, no. 10 (September 30, 2021): 1340. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f12101340.
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There are considerable uncertainties about the C cycle in semi-arid ecosystems. Hence, studies that have focused on Juniperus in Mediterranean woodlands are non-existent. This study provides a survey of the effect of the juniper woodland type (young and mature woodlands; joint effect of maturity and forest productivity) on stem respiration. We checked the seasonal variation of stem respiration, evaluating the effects of stem temperature on stem CO2 efflux. For this, we measured the stem CO2 efflux (µmol CO2 m−2 s−1) over the four seasons on 16 junipers using LI-6400 equipment. The results showed that in the more productive site (young woodland), the stem CO2 efflux was higher. This variable followed a clear seasonal trend, being higher during the spring and progressively decreasing in cold periods. In both juniper woodlands, and especially in the older forests, the Q10 coefficients were low (<2), typical of cold forests and slow-growing species. The exponential model also confirmed that the Q10 was significantly higher in young juniper trees. Thus, stem CO2 efflux was an indicator of the growth in this juniper woodland that is well adapted to a semi-arid climate.
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Jana, Špulerová, Dobrovodská Marta, Šatalová Barbora, and Kanka Róbert. "Small Woodlands and Trees in Traditional Agricultural Landscapes of Slovakia." Journal of Landscape Ecology 10, no. 2 (November 1, 2017): 63–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2017-0014.
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Abstract The studies focused on distribution and characteristic of small woodlands and trees as a typical feature of traditional agricultural landscapes (TAL) in Slovakia are missing or are rather local. The source data for this study was obtained from the national inventory of TAL performed in 2010-2012 in Slovakia, where woody vegetation was considered as one of the landscape elements creating mosaic of TAL. Based on the types of woodland present, which endow the landscape with a distinctive character and structure, we have divided TAL into five subtypes: 1) TAL with low occurrence of woodland – not more than 10 % of the site covered by woods, 2) TAL with spatial woodland formation, 3) TAL with solitaire trees dominant, 4) TAL with lines of trees or shrubs dominant, and 5) TAL with small woodland dominant. The proportion of woodland was relatively low, as TAL with low occurrence of woodland (36 %) was the most extended subtype of TAL. The most common dominant woodland structure was lines of trees and shrubs, with significant occurrence in TAL of arable-land and grassland and TAL with dispersed settlement. They tended to occur on typical agrarian relief forms. Our evaluation was supported by statistical analyses focused on the relationships between woodland type on agrarian relief forms (mostly balks) and their biotic and abiotic characteristics (type of agrarian relief form, content of skeleton, width, height, its continuity, as well as continuity of wood cover)
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Yi, Qi, Yuting Gao, Hongrong Du, Junxu Chen, Liang Emlyn Yang, and Hongling Zhao. "Spatio-temporal variation of net primary productivity in a rapidly expanding artificial woodland area based on remote-sensing data." Erdkunde 75, no. 3 (September 30, 2021): 191–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.3112/erdkunde.2021.03.02.
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The expansion of artificial woodlands in China has contributed significantly to regional land-cover changes and changes in the regional net primary productivity (NPP). This study used Ximeng County in the Yunnan Province as a case study to investigate the overall changes, associated amplitude, and spatio-temporal distribution of NPP from 2000–2015.The Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach was used in the rapidly expanding artificial woodland area based on MODIS-NDVI data, meteorological data, and Landsat 5 TM data to calculate the NPP. The results show that (1) artificial woodlands experience a 10fold increase and account for 93 % of the land cover transfer, which was mainly from woodland areas. (2) The NPP was 906.2×109 gC·yr-1 in 2000 and 972.0×109 gC·yr-1 in 2015, presenting a total increase of 65.8×109 gC·yr-1 and a mean increase of 52.4 gC·m-2·yr-1 in Ximeng County. (3) The most notable NPP changes take place in the central and the western border regions, with the increasing NPP of artificial woodlands and arable land offsetting the negative effects of the decrease in woodland NPP. (4) The total NPP in the study area kept increasing, primarily due to the growing area of artificial woodlands as well as the stand age of the woods, whereas the mean value change of the NPP is mostly related to the increasing stand age. (5) The artificial woodlands increase the NPP value more than natural woodlands. While protecting and promoting ecologically valuable natural forests at the same time, it seems quite advantageous to establish regional plantations and coordinate their development on a scientific basis with a view to increasing NPP, economic development, but also the ecological stability of this mountain region. Our study reveals the changes in NPP and its distribution in a rapidly expanding area of artificial woodland in southwest China based on remote-sensing data and the CASA model, providing a decision-making basis for rational land-use management, the optimal utilization of land resources, and a county-scale assessment approach.
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Yilma, Getaw, Aliyi Edaso, and Shamble Teshome. "Characterizing the existing woodland forest to determine forest habitat management options in Gamogofa zone, southern Ethiopia." Plants and Environment 3, no. 4 (December 31, 2021): 113–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.22271/2582-3744.2021.dec.113.
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Ethiopian woodlands are vital for the conservation of plant diversity, including genetic pools of Combretum-Terminalia woodland. However, the woodlands are continuously shrinking and need empirical scientific studies for their effective conservation and sustainable management. These studies was, therefore, conducted to characterizing the existing woodland forest and synthesize literature to determine forest habitat management options in Gamogofa zone, southern parts of Ethiopia. A total of 30 (20 m × 20 m) quadrants for tree/shrubs and 5 m × 5 m for sapling and seedlings were sampled to identify and describe composition, population structure, species diversity, regeneration status, and importance value index (IVI) of woodland forest species. The analysis was done by excel, and results show that a total of 57 woody plant species were recorded. The study site woodland species, were 327 (11.36%) trees/shrubs, 2344 (81.45%) saplings, and 207 (7.19%) seedlings. The value of the Shannon diversity index and evenness were recorded 2.66 and 0.87, respectively. Combretum adenogonium had the highest IVI followed by Acacia mellifera, Euclea divinorum, Cadaba farinosa, Balanites aegyptiaca and accounted for 44% of the total species. Combretum paniculatum, Ficus ovata, Strychnos innocua, Grewia bicolor and Cordia africana were species with lower IVI. The ratio of seedlings and saplings to mature individuals was 0.7:3, respectively. The entire woodlands are good, fair and poor regeneration was recorded 0, 67%, and 33% respectively. 18% of the species had neither seedlings nor saplings. The forest has no good regeneration of species, so it needs immediate management intervention to conserve biodiversity and protect the ecosystem services.
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Lovis, William A., Kathryn C. Egan-Bruhy, Beverley A. Smith, and G. William Monaghan. "Wetlands and Emergent Horticultural Economies in the Upper Great Lakes: A New Perspective from the Schultz Site." American Antiquity 66, no. 4 (October 2001): 615–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2694176.
Full textAbstract:
The Schultz site (20SA2) is a benchmark site for understanding the Woodland adaptations of the Upper Great Lakes, although its older excavation data is not comparable with recent Eastern Woodlands research, which consistently uses fine-grained recovery techniques. The 1991 Schultz-site research collected supplementary and upgraded subsistence and environmental data to address questions about regional transformations from hunting and gathering to horticulture. In addition, questions regarding the role of aquatic and wetland resources, and how environmental change affected the availability and productivity of these alternative resources, were addressed. Results of faunal, floral, and geoarchaeological research reveal that Woodland economies in the Saginaw region of the Upper Great Lakes were keyed to environmental changes affecting wetland availability and productivity. The Early Woodland presence of cucurbits does not appear economically important until later when it is combined with more reliable supplementary food sources. Although chenopod is present during the Middle Woodland and early Late Woodland, wetland plant and animal resources act as surrogates for other starchy and oily seeded annuals common in other portions of the Midwest and in the Mid-South. Maize apparently does not achieve economic significance until the Late Woodland period. A model of this combined northern and southern strategy is developed.
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Abensperg-Traun, Max, Lyn Atkins, Richard Hobbs, and Dion Steven. "Exotic plant invasion and understorey species richness: a comparison of two types of eucalypt woodland in agricultural Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 4, no. 1 (1998): 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc980021.
Full textAbstract:
Exotic plants are a major threat to native plant diversity in Australia yet a generic model of the invasion of Australian ecosystems by exotic species is lacking because invasion levels differ with vegetation/soil type and environmental conditions. This study compared relative differences in exotic species invasion (percent cover, spp. richness) and the species richness of herbaceous native plants in two structurally very similar vegetation types, Gimlet Eucalyptus salubris and Wandoo E. capillosa woodlands in the Western Australian wheatbelt. For each woodland type, plant variables were measured for relatively undisturbed woodlands, woodlands with >30 years of livestock grazing history, and woodlands in road-verges. Grazed and road-verge Gimlet and Wandoo woodlands had significantly higher cover of exotic species, and lower species richness of native plants, compared with undisturbed Gimlet and Wandoo. Exotic plant invasion was significantly greater in Gimlet woodlands for both grazed (mean 78% cover) and road-verge sites (mean 42% cover) than in comparable sites in Wandoo woodlands (grazed sites 25% cover, road-verge sites 19% cover). There was no significant difference in the species richness of exotic plants between Wandoo and Gimlet sites for any of the three situations. Mean site richness of native plants was not significantly different between undisturbed Wandoo and undisturbed Gimlet woodlands. Undisturbed woodlands were significantly richer in plant species than grazed and road-verge woodlands for both woodland types. Grazed and road-verge Wandoo sites were significantly richer in plant species than communities in grazed and road-verge Gimlet. The percent cover of exotics was negatively correlated with total (native) plant species richness for both woodland types (Wandoo r = ?0.70, Gimlet r = ?0.87). Of the total native species recorded in undisturbed Gimlet, 83% and 61% were not recorded in grazed and road-verge Gimlet, respectively. This compared with 40% and 33% for grazed and road-verge Wandoo, respectively. Grazed Wandoo and grazed Gimlet sites had significantly fewer native plant species than did road-verge Wandoo and road-verge Gimlet sites. Ecosystem implications of differential invasions by exotic species, and the effects of grazing (disturbance) and other factors influencing susceptibility to exotic plant invasion (landscape, competition and allelopathy) on native species decline are discussed. Exclusion of livestock and adequate methods of control and prevention of further invasions by exotic plants are essential requirements for the conservation of these woodland systems.
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Yates, Colin J., and Richard J. Hobbs. "Temperate Eucalypt Woodlands: a Review of Their Status, Processes Threatening Their Persistence and Techniques for Restoration." Australian Journal of Botany 45, no. 6 (1997): 949. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt96091.
Full textAbstract:
Temperate eucalypt woodlands were once widespread throughout southern Australia and Tasmania. Following European settlement, woodlands were cleared for agriculture, or grazed and converted to pasture. In the wheatbelts of south-western and south-eastern Australia, woodlands have been almost completely eliminated from the landscape with as little as 3% of some woodland types remaining. As a consequence, some temperate eucalypt woodland communities are amongst the most poorly conserved ecosystems in Australia. The main effect of widespread clearing and grazing has been the loss of habitat. This has had a devastating impact on the woodland flora and fauna. A number of species have become extinct and many are threatened; many others have undergone regional and local population declines. Woodlands now occur throughout much of their former range as remnants of varying size, quality and isolation. Many of these are under threat from further clearing, rising saline water tables and increased inundation, livestock grazing, nutrient enrichment, soil structural decline, altered fire regimes and the invasion of exotic weeds. The degradation and loss of biodiversity in temperate eucalypt woodlands will continue unless clearing stops and the management of remnants changes; this will invariably involve ecological restoration both at the patch and landscape level. The review discusses approaches to restoration and reveals that there are few data in the published literature describing techniques for reversing degrading processes and restoring diversity structure and function in remnant woodlands. This information is urgently needed. Past research on temperate eucalypt woodlands has focused on identifying the processes of degradation and these are now relatively well documented. There is a need to shift the focus of research to developing solutions for these problems.
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Abay, Nigus Gebremedhn, and Matiwos Belayhun Haylemariyam. "Assessment on Acacia Woodland Degradation in Dire-Dawa Administration, Eastern Ethiopia." International Journal of Regional Development 5, no. 1 (February 22, 2018): 44. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijrd.v5i1.12280.
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Dry woodlands are vegetation formations which comprise of scrubs, bush lands, thickets, wooded grasslands and dense woodlands. The largest share of Ethiopia’s landmass is categorized as dryland, experiencing moisture stress during most days of the year. Hence, lowland woodlands are the largest remaining forests in Ethiopia, covering an estimated 55 million ha (48-6 per cent) of land. Beyond the socio-economic and ecological importance of forests Ethiopia experienced rapid loss of woodland vegetation annually. At country level the loss is attributed to low level of standard of living of farming community and their close dependency on forest and woodlands. Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles of Dire-Dawa administration which is located in the eastern part of the Ethiopia has a dense acacia woodland species occupying a total area of at 12250 hectare mainly found in Hurso, Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles. The dry forest which was home and source of forage to wildlife and local pastoral communities is dwindling from time to time. As there has been no study on site specific, this study was conducted to assess the recent degradation of dry land forest in Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles of Dire-Dawa administration. The study has employed questionnaire, interview, group discussions and field observation. The findings of the study shows acacia woodland vegetation of the kebelles have been subjected to degradation due to the ease accessibility of the kebelles connected by all-weather roads has triggered fetching of charcoal. Besides, easy money making from charcoal and its rising price has anticipated poor peoples to practice it as a means of livelihood. On the other hand, concentration of livestock, recurrent drought and prosopis juliflora invasion has perceived as major factors degradation. Therefore, the cumulative negative effect of the above factors has contributed to the fast deterioration of acacia woodland coverage. To this end, all concerned body’s particularly local customary institutions, agricultural and police departments have to work in harmony on providing alternative off farm activities. Furthermore, the government induced sedentary agriculture was widely practiced along the river sides of all kebelles therefore, further study on sustainable usage of grazing and woodland forest is very mandatory.
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Day, Keith S., Lester D. Flake, and W. Lee Tucker. "Characteristics of wild turkey nest sites in a mixed-grass prairie–oak–woodland mosaic in the northern great plains, South Dakota." Canadian Journal of Zoology 69, no. 11 (November 1, 1991): 2840–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z91-400.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat characteristics potentially important to nest site selection were measured at 44 wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) nests in a mixed-grass prairie–oak–woodland mosaic in south-central South Dakota during 1986 and 1987. Characteristics were compared between nest sites within woodland and grassland communities and with those of random sites within these respective communities by means of a median scores test (nonparametric). Almost all nests initiated in April were in woodland communities, whereas nests started after the 1 st week in May were primarily in grassland communities. Hens in woodlands and grasslands selected nest sites with concealing vegetation immediately above the nest and placed their nests in habitats associated with high interspersion. Shrubs were strongly selected for as nesting cover in grassland communities. Hens in grasslands selected sites with high visual obstruction (0–60 cm and 60–180 cm) immediately around the nest site when compared with random sites; nests in grasslands were also associated with higher than expected visual obstruction (0–60 cm) in the 10- to 40-m peripheral area. Nests in grasslands had better concealment from above (1.5 m) and higher visual obstruction readings under 60 cm (at nest site) than did nests in woodlands. We detected no association of nests with water sources in grasslands or woodlands.
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Theobald, Mark R., Mark C. Milford, Mark K. J. Hargreaves, Mark L. J. Sheppard, Mark E. Nemitz, Mark Y. S. Tang, Mark V. R. Phillips, et al. "Potential for Ammonia Recapture by Farm Woodlands: Design and Application of a New Experimental Facility." Scientific World JOURNAL 1 (2001): 791–801. http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2001.338.
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There has been increasing pressure on farmers in Europe to reduce the emissions of ammonia from their land. Due to the current financial climate in which farmers have to operate, it is important to identify ammonia control measures that can be adopted with minimum cost. The planting of trees around farmland and buildings has been identified as a potentially effective and low-cost measure to enhance ammonia recapture at a farm level and reduce long-range atmospheric transport. This work assesses experimentally what fraction of ammonia farm woodlands could potentially remove from the atmosphere. We constructed an experimental facility in southern Scotland to simulate a woodland shelterbelt planted in proximity to a small poultry unit. By measuring horizontal and vertical ammonia concentration profiles within the woodland, and comparing this to the concentration of an inert tracer (SF6) we estimate the depletion of ammonia due to dry deposition to the woodland canopy. Together with measurements of mean ammonia concentrations and throughfall fluxes of nitrogen, this information is used to provide a first estimate of the fraction of emitted ammonia that is recaptured by the woodland canopy. Analysis of these data give a lower limit of recapture of emitted ammonia, at the experimental facility, of 3%. By careful design of shelterbelt woodlands this figure could be significantly higher.
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Watts, W. A. "Contemporary accounts of the Killarney Woods 1580–1870." Irish Geography 17, no. 1 (December 20, 2016): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.55650/igj.1984.734.
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Numerous references to the history of woodland at Killarney can be found in accessible literature. The present woodlands represent survival from charcoal burning for iron-works, from estate management practices during the eighteenth century and from clear-felling and replanting during the period of the Napoleonic Wars. With the possible exception of woods on the Muckross Peninsula, all woodland stands in the Killarney Valley have been disturbed by various forms of human use in recent centuries. In the nineteenth century prior to modern afforestation with non-native trees, the introduction of exotic plants and animals has had a major impact on the landscape. The present protection of much of the Valley's woods in the National Park provides hope that natural woodland conditions will be re-established extensively with time. The existence of records of woodland in the literature is of great value in understanding the present condition of the Valley and in resolving the management problems it poses for conservation.
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Küster, Hansjörg. "Different forms of civilizations and the development of woodlands: systems of interactions." Studia Historiae Oeconomicae 42, no. 1 (May 22, 2024): 13–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/sho.2024.42.1.002.
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The development of woodland was influenced by different management since some thousands of years. During prehistoric times settlements were founded and given up after some decades. In connection with this, a secondary succession of woodland took place. The spread of beech in Central Europe was favoured and some other tree species expanded in other parts of Europe. This is documented by pollen diagrams. During historic times woodland exploitation was intensified. Some tree species became rarer by more intensive management such as beech. So human impact did not have generally the same effect on the development of woodlands. As management influenced the development of woodland more than climatic changes it is likely that this will also happen in the future. Pollen diagrams are not historic sources but can be well paralleled with historic sources. It is an advantage of pollen diagrams that they encompass a total development of vegetation and do not only reflect a single event at special points of time.
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Horňák, Ondřej, Andrej Mock, Bořivoj Šarapatka, and Ivan Hadrián Tuf. "Character of woodland fragments affects distribution of myriapod assemblages in agricultural landscape." ZooKeys 930 (April 28, 2020): 139–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.930.48586.
Full textAbstract:
Fragments of woodland fulfil many irreplaceable functions in the agricultural landscape including being the main source of biodiversity of soil invertebrates. Due to intensive farming and land use changes, especially in the second half of the 20th century, fragments of woodland in agricultural landscape almost disappeared. This has led to a decrease in the diversity of invertebrates, especially those for which the presence of these woodland habitats in the landscape is a key element for survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of fragments of woodland (characterised by their area, vegetation structure, the amount of leaf litter layer and soil moisture) on the distribution of centipedes and millipedes (Myriapoda) in the agricultural landscape of South Moravia (Czech Republic). Myriapods were collected using pitfall traps during summer in 2016 and 2017. Results showed that activity-density of myriapods is positively correlated with thickness of the leaf litter layer. Moreover, the species richness of centipedes is positively correlated with increasing size of fragments of woodland although higher centipedes’ activity-density was found in rather uniform woodlands in term of diversity of tree species.
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M. Fisher, Andrew, and David C. Goldney. "Use by birds of riparian vegetation in an extensively fragmented landscape." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970275.
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The bird communities of six riparian woodland sites are described and compared with those of eight terrestrial woodland sites in the Central Tablelands near Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. Riparian woodland, where still present in the Central Tablelands, is dominated by either relatively narrow strips of Casuarina cunninghamiana along stream banks or the less restricted Angophora floribunda trees associated with Eucalyptus melliodora?E. blakelyi woodlands. Four of the riparian sites were located within cleared agricultural land and two were located within a relatively large nature reserve. Bird censuses along a strip transect were conducted twice per season from spring 1993 to summer 1996. The riparian woodland communities contained within the cleared landscape of the Bathurst basin were found to support a diverse avifauna, a mix of woodland-forest and species associated with agricultural landscapes. Extensive observations of individual birds at riparian sites indicate that the tree canopy is the most widely used microhabitat stratum. While native riparian woodlands are generally degraded, their connectivity and stabilizing function (actual or potential) identifies them as a critical landscape component in maintenance or restoration programmes. Hence it is suggested that riparian strips could form the basis for rehabilitation initiatives within this landscape. Fenced plantings of endemic tree species supplemented by native understorey species could be linked with existing vegetation to enhance landscape connectivity. It is crucial that landholders become aware of the importance of riparian vegetation for nature conservation and stream stabilization. Incentives should be provided to landholders to encourage these areas to be fenced from stock in order to protect them from further degradation in a significantly disturbed ecosystem.
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Abensperg-traun, M., G. W. Arnold, D. E. Steven, G. T. Smith, L. Atkins, J. J. Viveen, and M. Gutter. "Biodiversity indicators in semi-arid, agricultural Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 2, no. 4 (1995): 375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc960375.
Full textAbstract:
The predicted future loss of native Australian species of plants and animals, in part as a result of adverse land management strategies, has led to attempts to identify areas of high biotic richness (numbers of species). Bioindicators are measures of the physical environment, or of a subset of the plants or animals, that best predict biotic richness. Ideally, bioindicators should aim at predicting as large a component of the plant or animal fauna as is possible at minimum cost. For two contrasting vegetation types, we examined remnant area, vegetation structural diversity, species richness of plants, lizards and terrestrial arthropods, and the relative abundance of individual arthropod species, as indicators of faunal richness, using correlation, principal component regression and stepwise regression analyses. The study was carried out in gimlet Eucalyptus salubris woodlands (29 sites) and shrublands (27 sites) in semi-arid, agricultural Western Australia. Sites varied considerably in grazing history (woodland) and in farming history (shrubland). Fauna sampled were lizards (woodland), scorpions (woodland), isopods (woodland), cockroaches (woodland), termites (woodland, shrubland), earwigs (woodland), hemipterans (shrubland), beetles (woodland, shrubland), butterflies (shrubland) and ants (woodland, shrubland). None of the indicator variables in any analyses effectively predicted total faunal richness for either vegetation type (<35% of variation in total richness explained). In correlation analyses for woodlands, vegetation structural diversity and plant richness, but no fauna variable, explained a high percentage of the variation in the richness of lizards (56% explained by richness of native plants, +ve), scorpions (48%, richness of native plants, +ve), termites (55%, vegetation structural diversity, +ve) and beetles (59%, litter, –ve). The richness of the shrubland fauna was poorly predicted by all indicator variables (<25% explained). When using the total richness and abundance of ant functional groups, the abundance of a subset of species within ant functional groups, and of termite and beetle species, in principal component regressions, various ant functional groups explained 42% each of the richness of scorpions and beetles, and eight beetle species explained 50% of termite richness. When remnant area, vegetation structural diversity and the richness of native plants in woodland were tested in step-wise regressions as indicators of total faunal richness, remnant area was the only significant indicator variable, explaining 33% of total richness. The richness of native plants and vegetation structural diversity explained a total of 76% of the pooled richness of lizards + scorpions + termites. No significant indicator variable was found by regression procedures for total richness, or for a subset, of the shrubland fauna. We argue that differences in the predictive qualities of vegetation structure and plant richness between the vegetation types was due, in part, to differences in the spatial heterogeneity of biotic richness, and possibly the scale at which structure was measured. The use of structural diversity or plant richness as predictors of faunal richness for different woodland types, or those with different disturbance histories, or in different geographic or climatic regions, should not be adopted without verification of their efficiency at predicting the richness of the local fauna.
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Broughton, Richard K., James M. Bullock, Charles George, Ross A. Hill, Shelley A. Hinsley, Marta Maziarz, Markus Melin, J. Owen Mountford, Tim H. Sparks, and Richard F. Pywell. "Long-term woodland restoration on lowland farmland through passive rewilding." PLOS ONE 16, no. 6 (June 16, 2021): e0252466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252466.
Full textAbstract:
Natural succession of vegetation on abandoned farmland provides opportunities for passive rewilding to re-establish native woodlands, but in Western Europe the patterns and outcomes of vegetation colonisation are poorly known. We combine time series of field surveys and remote sensing (lidar and photogrammetry) to study woodland development on two farmland fields in England over 24 and 59 years respectively: the New Wilderness (2.1 ha) abandoned in 1996, and the Old Wilderness (3.9 ha) abandoned in 1961, both adjacent to ancient woodland. Woody vegetation colonisation of the New Wilderness was rapid, with 86% vegetation cover averaging 2.9 m tall after 23 years post-abandonment. The Old Wilderness had 100% woody cover averaging 13.1 m tall after 53 years, with an overstorey tree-canopy (≥ 8 m tall) covering 91%. By this stage, the structural characteristics of the Old Wilderness were approaching those of neighbouring ancient woodlands. The woody species composition of both Wildernesses differed from ancient woodland, being dominated by animal-dispersed pedunculate oak Quercus robur and berry-bearing shrubs. Tree colonisation was spatially clustered, with wind-dispersed common ash Fraxinus excelsior mostly occurring near seed sources in adjacent woodland and hedgerows, and clusters of oaks probably resulting from acorn hoarding by birds and rodents. After 24 years the density of live trees in the New Wilderness was 132/ha (57% oak), with 390/ha (52% oak) in the Old Wilderness after 59 years; deadwood accounted for 8% of tree stems in the former and 14% in the latter. Passive rewilding of these ‘Wilderness’ sites shows that closed-canopy woodland readily re-established on abandoned farmland close to existing woodland, it was resilient to the presence of herbivores and variable weather, and approached the height structure of older woods within approximately 50 years. This study provides valuable long-term reference data in temperate Europe, helping to inform predictions of the potential outcomes of widespread abandonment of agricultural land in this region.
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Beilharz, Lisa V., and Desley A. Whisson. "Habitat selection by two sympatric rodent species in an alpine resort." Australian Journal of Zoology 64, no. 5 (2016): 327. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo16078.
Full textAbstract:
Conservation of small mammal species relies on an understanding of their habitat use. We used trapping surveys and telemetry to examine habitat selection and use by the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus mordicus) and the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) in an alpine resort in Victoria. M. fuscus occurred at low numbers, nesting in subalpine wet heathland and foraging in that habitat as well as small patches of disturbed woodland. In contrast, R. fuscipes was more common and nested in woodlands. Although foraging primarily in woodlands, R. fuscipes also foraged in all other available habitats. Both species showed strong selection for woodland fragments within ski runs. Although highly disturbed, these habitats may provide important habitat and connectivity between less disturbed and larger habitat patches.
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Hulbert, I. A. R., and B. Boag. "The potential role of habitat on intestinal helminths of mountain hares, Lepus timidus." Journal of Helminthology 75, no. 4 (December 2001): 345–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x0100052x.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last century in the uplands of Scotland, the extent of heather moorland which supports high densities of mountain hares Lepus timidus has diminished and has gradually been replaced by large-scale commercial forestry plantations or expanding natural woodlands. The potential impact of such a change in land use on host–parasite interactions was investigated by comparing the intensity and prevalence of infection of hares by parasites in two separate habitats: a large hare-fenced young forestry plantation and the adjacent open moorland. Carcasses were collected in November 1990 from within both habitats and after the woodland had been enclosed for nine months. Age, sex, fatness (kidney fat index) and degree of infection of hares were noted. Two parasites were recorded: the nematode Trichostrongylus retortaeformis and the cestode Mosgovoyia pectinata. Clear differences in the intensity of infection of adults occupying the different habitats had occurred in the nine months since woodland enclosure. Adult mountain hares in the woodland had levels of infections approaching four times that observed in hares occupying the open moorland and although not significant, the prevalence of infection was greater in hosts inhabiting the woodland than the open moorland. It is suggested that the parasite–host relationship differs between the two habitats and as heather-dominated moorland landscapes become more fragmented with the increasing establishment of woodlands, the impact of parasites on the life history strategies of mountain hares needs to be reconsidered.
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Cordeiro, Norbert J., and Mwangi Githiru. "Conservation evaluation for birds of Brachylaena woodland and mixed dry forest in north-east Tanzania." Bird Conservation International 10, no. 1 (March 2000): 47–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270900000058.
Full textAbstract:
Three forest and woodland sites were surveyed in the lowlands of the East Usambara mountains, Tanzania, from August to October, 1996. Bombo East I and II Proposed Forest Reserves (PFR) and Bombo West FR were previously unknown biologically. Our fieldwork revealed several records of conservation interest. Four species of global conservation concern (Amani Sunbird Anthreptes pallidigaster, Southern Banded Snake Eagle Circaetus fasciolatus, Fischer's Turaco Tauraco fischeri and Plain-backed Sunbird Anthreptes reichenowi) were recorded, with a further seven species of regional concern. These sites were not as rich in bird species as other East Usambara lowland forests. Bombo East I PFR had the highest richness, which included the presence of three montane species that were most likely cold-season visitors. The Endangered Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae, otherwise known from similar woodland habitat in Kenya as well as lowland forest in the East Usambaras, was apparently absent at these sites. It is also clear from our survey that at least four threatened mammals and one possibly endemic snake inhabit the Brachylaena woodlands and mixed dry forest. Thus, our results indicate that the previously unexplored Brachylaena woodlands and mixed dry forest in north-east Tanzania are an additional habitat to some fauna of threatened status and do, therefore, merit conservation attention. The Brachylaena tree is highly favoured for charcoal production and the enormous demand for this product is increasing the degradation of these woodland patches. Larger tracts of unprotected Brachylaena woodland should receive immediate conservation attention.
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Hulbert, I. A. R., and B. Boag. "The potential role of habitat on intestinal helminths of mountain hares, Lepus timidus." Journal of Helminthology 75, no. 4 (December 2001): 345–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x00701520.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last century in the uplands of Scotland, the extent of heather moorland which supports high densities of mountain hares Lepus timidus has diminished and has gradually been replaced by large-scale commercial forestry plantations or expanding natural woodlands. The potential impact of such a change in land use on host–parasite interactions was investigated by comparing the intensity and prevalence of infection of hares by parasites in two separate habitats: a large hare-fenced young forestry plantation and the adjacent open moorland. Carcasses were collected in November 1990 from within both habitats and after the woodland had been enclosed for nine months. Age, sex, fatness (kidney fat index) and degree of infection of hares were noted. Two parasites were recorded: the nematode Trichostrongylus retortaeformis and the cestode Mosgovoyia pectinata. Clear differences in the intensity of infection of adults occupying the different habitats had occurred in the nine months since woodland enclosure. Adult mountain hares in the woodland had levels of infections approaching four times that observed in hares occupying the open moorland and although not significant, the prevalence of infection was greater in hosts inhabiting the woodland than the open moorland. It is suggested that the parasite–host relationship differs between the two habitats and as heather-dominated moorland landscapes become more fragmented with the increasing establishment of woodlands, the impact of parasites on the life history strategies of mountain hares needs to be reconsidered.
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Wright, Thomas E., Sabine Kasel, Michael Tausz, and Lauren T. Bennett. "Leaf traits of Eucalyptus arenacea (Myrtaceae) as indicators of edge effects in temperate woodlands of south-eastern Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 61, no. 5 (2013): 365. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt13061.
Full textAbstract:
Despite recent trends in using plant functional traits to describe ecosystem responses to environmental change, few studies have examined the capacity of traits to represent environmental variation for individual species at small spatial scales, such as across forest edges. We examined the utility of 12 easy-to-measure leaf traits (fresh weight to dry weight ratio, specific leaf area (SLA), osmolality, δ13C, δ15N, and concentrations of key nutrients) to detect edge effects on the function of a dominant woodland tree, Eucalyptus arenacea Marginson & Ladiges. The study included replicate E. arenacea trees at the woodland edge (0 m) and interior (75 m from edge) of three woodlands adjoined by pasture and three woodlands adjoined by plantation established on pasture. Leaf traits proved useful in identifying potentially degrading processes at woodland edges. Notably, greater leaf P concentrations and δ15N in edge than interior trees irrespective of edge type (pasture versus plantation) indicated persistent effects of nutrient enrichment from agricultural practices; and leaf osmolality and Na concentrations indicated greatest exposure of woodland trees to salinity at pasture edges. Nonetheless, leaf traits proved less useful in detecting edge effects on tree physiology, with most traits being non-responsive to a pronounced interactive effect of edge type and distance from edge on physiological measures. In addition, negative correlations between SLA and physiological measures of tree productivity were contrary to global relationships. Overall, we found that although particular leaf traits indicated potentially degrading processes of nutrient enrichment and salinisation, they were not reliable indicators of small-scale edge effects on the physiological function of E. arenacea.
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Pelane, Gaositwe Lillian, Mulalu Innocent Mulalu, Gagoitseope Mmopelwa, and Moren Tibabo Stone. "Woodland Extraction Rate Estimation in the Savanna Ecosystem (Case Study of Foley and Makomoto in Central-East Botswana)." Sustainability 13, no. 20 (October 13, 2021): 11316. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132011316.
Full textAbstract:
Savanna woodlands make a significant contribution to rural households’ livelihoods, providing a wide range of resources as well as generating income. However, the sustainability of the woodland ecosystem is generally affected by the human harvesting intensities. This study aimed at quantifying the woodland resource extraction rates and its effects on woodland structure and density. Data were collected from households using a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and from 128 rectangular plots measuring 30 m × 30 m. Vegetation parameters, such as tree density, tree height, diameter at breast height, species, stump density, and stump diameter, were recorded. The results of the study revealed that a total of 649 woody stumps were recorded, with an average of 56 trees removed per hectare. The findings showed that the intensities of stumps varied widely, with a high number of stumps recorded at a distance of 10–15 km from the settlements, where major land-use activities are fuelwood extraction, cultivation, and livestock farming. The results also showed that the increased commercial fuelwood production led to cutting of large mopane trees, which is an indicator of unsustainable harvesting. Based on the harvest rates provided by the respondents, results showed that large quantities of fuelwood were harvested for trading, which could put pressure on the woodland ecosystem, consequently resulting in woodland degradation. This study provides forest and range resource managers with valuable information on the quantities of stumps as an indication of tree removals and could be useful in developing effective monitoring strategies and promoting sustainable forest and woodland management.
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J. Grey, Merilyn, Michael F. Clarke, and Richard H. Loyn. "Influence of the Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala on avian diversity and abundance in remnant Grey Box woodland." Pacific Conservation Biology 4, no. 1 (1998): 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc980055.
Full textAbstract:
The abundance of an aggressive Australian honeyeater, the Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala, was reduced at four small (<8 ha) Grey Box Eucalyptus microcarpa woodland remnants by experimental removal. The diversity and abundance of small insectivorous and nectarivorous birds increased at three of the four sites (relative to matching control sites) over the twelve months following the removal of the Noisy Miners. The one exception occurred at a pair of sites where eucalypts began flowering at one site and finished at the other during the Noisy Miner removal period. These results, taken together with those from three earlier experiments where the abundance of Noisy Miners was reduced in Mugga Ironbark E. Sideroxylon woodland remnants, demonstrate that Noisy Miners affect avian diversity and abundance by aggressive exclusion of other species. In five out of seven experiments, Noisy Miners did not reinvade the small woodland remnants during the ensuing twelve months. When Noisy Miner abundance was reduced, increased populations of small insectivorous and nectarivorous birds used small degraded woodland remnants. Colonizing populations of small birds have the potential to reduce insect infestations and may assist in the recovery of dieback-affected woodland remnants. Research is continuing to test this hypothesis. Reducing the abundance of Noisy Miners in remnant eucalypt woodlands may also be a useful, short-term measure, which could assist in the recovery of threatened or endangered bird species.
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Middleton, Barry, and Laura Norman. "Remote Sensing Analysis to Quantify Change in Woodland Canopy Cover on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA (1935 vs. 2017)." Land 10, no. 4 (April 9, 2021): 393. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10040393.
Full textAbstract:
Since the late 1800s, pinyon–juniper woodland across the western U.S. has increased in density and areal extent and encroached into former grassland areas. The San Carlos Apache Tribe wants to gain qualitative and quantitative information on the historical conditions of their tribal woodlands to use as a baseline for restoration efforts. At the San Carlos Apache Reservation, in east-central Arizona, large swaths of woodlands containing varying mixtures of juniper (Juniperus spp.), pinyon (Pinus spp.) and evergreen oak (Quercus spp.) are culturally important to the Tribe and are a focus for restoration. To determine changes in canopy cover, we developed image analysis techniques to monitor tree and large shrub cover using 1935 and 2017 aerial imagery and compared results over the 82-year interval. Results showed a substantial increase in the canopy cover of the former savannas, and encroachment (mostly juniper) into the former grasslands of Big Prairie. The Tribe is currently engaged in converting juniper woodland back into an open savanna, more characteristic of assumed pre-reservation conditions for that area. Our analysis shows areas on Bee Flat that, under the Tribe’s active restoration efforts, have returned woodland canopy cover to levels roughly analogous to that measured in 1935.
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Rannestad, Meley Mekonen, and Tigist Araya Gessesse. "Deforestation and Subsequent Cultivation of Nutrient Poor Soils of Miombo Woodlands of Tanzania: Long Term Effect on Maize Yield and Soil Nutrients." Sustainability 12, no. 10 (May 18, 2020): 4113. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12104113.
Full textAbstract:
The miombo woodlands of Tanzania have continued to be subjected to deforestation due to mainly agricultural expansion. Knowledge of long-term productivity of the subsequent land use can help to evaluate the sustainability of the existing land management systems. We used both socioeconomic and soil survey data to assess maize yield and selected soil properties, respectively, with an increasing cultivation period since conversion from miombo woodland. Data on maize production was collected from 121 households in three villages, while soil sampling was undertaken on 15 plots in one of the study villages. Soil samples were taken from miombo woodland and from croplands with cultivation periods varying from two to 52 years. Samples were taken at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm depths and analyzed for the major plant nutrients. According to the results of the socioeconomic data analysis, continued cultivation of former miombo woodlands does not have a significant effect on maize yield. The results of the soil analysis also showed that the major plant nutrients on farmlands in both soil layers did not show a significant change from the adjacent miombo woodland and did not decline with increasing cultivation period. This indicates that the current farming system can maintain the levels of the major plant nutrients and thus soil productivity.
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French, K., B. Callaghan, and S. Hill. "Classifying endangered vegetation communities: a case study of Cumberland Plain Woodlands." Pacific Conservation Biology 6, no. 2 (2000): 120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc000120.
Full textAbstract:
Remnants of an endangered community, Cumberland Plain Woodlands on shale, were studied in order to 1) investigate the conflict between the needs of legislation to define parameters of protected communities in a precise manner and the spatial variation in communities, and 2) to define floristic groupings in the Cumberland Plain Woodlands based on all plant species. Sites previously classified as Grey Box Woodland, Grey Box Ironbark Woodland and Spotted Gum Woodland map units were surveyed and compared to the same classification applied by one of the authors. Differences were evident, but both classifications showed statistically significant differences between map units, suggesting that although each classification is valid, the differences between these map units cannot be consistently applied. Canopy species were not useful descriptors of the community as they grouped differently to both the full species list and the understorey species. A significantly different community occurring at the transition between shale and sandstone in Holsworthy Military Area was identified, suggesting the importance of this area to the conservation of variability in communities in this area. The use of multivariate techniques to describe levels of variation in communities is discussed and a potential method for using a standard level of similarity to classify vegetation communities is introduced as a mechanism for defining communities using some consistent technique.
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Woinarski, JCZ, and SC Tidemann. "The Bird Fauna of a Deciduous Woodland in the Wet-Dry Tropics of Northern Australia." Wildlife Research 18, no. 4 (1991): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910479.
Full textAbstract:
Censuses of birds were made monthly from October 1986 to October 1987 in a deciduous woodland in the Australian Northern Territory. Additional limited counts of granivorous birds were made in March and April 1988. The woodland was selected for the study because it contains a population of the endangered Gouldian finch (Erythrua gouldiae). The species composition of birds was temporally unstable; this was associated with the marked wet-dry seasonality. For some foraging groups (e.g. nectarivores, foliage-gleaners), diversity was correlated with resource availability. Although the species composition of birds of this site is not very similar to that of any other surveyed area, it falls within the range encompassed by that of woodlands across tropical Australia, and is distinct from that of open and closed forests in the same region. Tropical savanna woodlands and open forests differ in composition of their foraging groups compared with their temperate counterparts. The species richness of granivores, hawking insectivores, nectarivores and terrestrial omnivores at this site is unusually high. The changing composition of bird species in this tropical woodland site suggests that many birds in this environment undergo substantial regional movements. The conservation of such species demands large and heterogeneous reserves, a strategically located reserve system and/or sympathetic management of land outside reserves.
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Recher, Harry F., and William E. Davis Jr. "Response of birds to a wildfire in the Great Western Woodlands, Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 19, no. 4 (2013): 188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130188.
Full textAbstract:
In December 2005, a wildfire burnt a large area of semi-arid eucalypt woodland along ~10 km of the Norseman- Coolgardie Road north of Norseman in the Great Western Woodlands (GWW), Western Australia. Few birds used the burnt area in the first year after the fire and these were mainly ground and shrub foraging insectivores. There was no influx of seed-eaters or open-country species as reported for post-fire habitats elsewhere in southern Australia. The greatest number of individuals and species of birds occurred in the second year post-fire when ground and shrub vegetation was floristically most diverse. Canopy foragers were attracted to the burnt area in the second year by an outbreak of psyllid insects on seedling eucalypts. At the same time, bark dwelling arthropods associated with the standing stems of fire-killed eucalypts attracted bark-foragers. From the third year, small insectivorous ground, shrub, and canopy foragers dominated the avifauna on the burnt area. These foraged on fire-killed shrubs, as well as living vegetation, including the lignotuberous regrowth of eucalypts. Bark foragers were uncommon after the second year. Throughout the study, the burnt area had fewer species and individuals than adjacent unburnt habitats. Compared with unburnt woodlands there were few differences in how species foraged on the burnt plots, but most species foraged lower reflecting the stature of the vegetation in the burnt woodland. Nectar-feeders, fruit-eaters, large insectivores, raptors, and parrots, although common in the unburnt woodland, were absent or rare in the burnt area. This reflected the limited regrowth of vegetation on the burnt area, which lacked the structural and floristic complexity of nearby unburnt woodlands. Ground foragers probably commenced nesting on the burnt area in the first year, with shrub and canopy foragers nesting from the second year. However, after five years, there was no evidence of large insectivores, nectar-feeders, raptors, seed-eaters, or foliage-eaters (i.e., parrots) nesting despite their abundance in adjacent unburnt woodland. Some of the unburnt woodlands monitored in this study were even-aged regeneration estimated to be 30–50 years post-fire or logging. Regardless of origin, these even-aged plots lacked the diverse avifauna associated with mature woodlands and suggest that post-fire recovery of birds and vegetation in these woodlands is likely to take decades and probably more than 100 years. If so, human activities that increase fire frequency in the GWW, including climate change and fuel-reduction burns, will have long-term adverse impacts on regional biodiversity exceeding those associated with wildfires in less arid forests and woodlands where rates of recovery are more rapid.