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Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 35559

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Youqing Luo

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Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Liming Jia

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Guest Editor

College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: timber and biomass forest cultivation; afforestation on difficult sites; urban forestry; tree eco-physiology
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Prof. Dr. Huaguo Huang

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Guest Editor

Forestry College, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: 3D modelling of remote sensing in all spectrum; including visual; NIR; thermal; lidar; microwave; remote sensing of forests
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Qingzhang Du

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Guest Editor

College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: forest genetics and genomics; QTL mapping; MAS breeding in forest trees

Dr. Lili Ren

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Co-Guest Editor

1. Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
2. Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Invasive Forest Pests in Eurasia, BFU-INRAE, Beijing, China
3. Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Invasive Forest Pests in Eurasia, BFU-INRAE, Paris, France
Interests: forest entomology; chemical ecology; host microbial interactions; wood borer and its symbiosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests play important roles in the production of timber and nontimber forest products, biodiversity conservation of genes, species, and ecosystems, mitigation of climate change, and so on, and they provide various benefits called ecosystem services to human life.

Beijing Forestry University (BFU) is a key national university under the administration of the Ministry of Education of China, was established in 1952 and is a leading higher institution of forestry and ecology research and education in China.

BFU has been dedicated to forestry research ever since its establishment and made significant contributions to China's remarkable forestry development, and that BFU has gained extensive knowledge and experience in a wide range of areas including forest protection, silviculture, forest management, forest genetics, and tree breeding, ecology, wood processing, soil and water conservation, landscape architecture, forest economics and policy, urban and rural development, and utilization of natural resources, as well as geospatial techniques.

BFU is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2022. In recognition of these achievements, Forests is planning a dedicated Special Issue entitled “Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary”. This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality full research articles or comprehensive literature reviews in the broad scope of forest sciences related to current challenges and future innovation.

We would like to invite you to contribute an original research paper or a comprehensive review article on a trendy or hot topic for peer review and possible publication. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: forest and soil ecology, forest health, forest resource monitoring, tree breeding, silviculture, forest disaster detection, sustainable forest ecosystem management, invasive species, effects of climate change, forest wildlife, forest genetics.

Prof. Dr. Youqing Luo
Prof. Dr. Liming Jia
Prof. Dr. Huaguo Huang
Prof. Dr. Qingzhang Du
Dr. Lili Ren
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

forest ecosystem
forest managment
forest breeding and silverculture
forest protection

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 12810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Tea Trees Germination Density Detection Based on Improved YOLOv5

by Jinghua Wang, Xiang Li, Guijun Yang, Fan Wang, Sen Men, Bo Xu, Ze Xu, Haibin Yang and Lei Yan

Forests 2022, 13(12), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122091 - 8 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2053

Abstract

Tea plants are one of the most widely planted agricultural crops in the world. The traditional method of surveying germination density is mainly manual checking, which is time-consuming and inefficient. In this research, the Improved YOLOv5 model was used to identify tea buds and detect germination density based on tea trees canopy visible images. Firstly, five original YOLOv5 models were trained for tea trees germination recognition, and performance and volume were compared. Secondly, backbone structure was redesigned based on the lightweight theory of Xception and ShuffleNetV2. Meanwhile, reverse attention mechanism (RA) and receptive field block (RFB) were added to enhance the network feature extraction ability, achieving the purpose of optimizing the YOLOv5 network from both lightweight and accuracy improvement. Finally, the recognition ability of the Improved YOLOv5 model was analyzed, and the germination density of tea trees was detected according to the tea bud count. The experimental results show that: (1) The parameter numbers of the five original YOLOv5 models were inversely proportional to the detection accuracy. The YOLOv5m model with the most balanced comprehensive performance contained 20,852,934 parameters, the precision rate of the YOLOv5m recognition model was 74.9%, the recall rate was 75.7%, and the mAP_0.5 was 0.758. (2) The Improved YOLOv5 model contained 4,326,815 parameters, the precision rate of the Improved YOLOv5 recognition model was 94.9%, the recall rate was 97.67%, and the mAP_0.5 was 0.758. (3) The YOLOv5m model and the Improved YOLOv5 model were used to test the validation set, and the true positive (TP) values identified were 86% and 94%, respectively. The Improved YOLOv5 network model was effectively improved in both volume and accuracy according to the result. This research is conducive to scientific planning of tea bud picking, improving the production efficiency of the tea plantation and the quality of tea production in the later stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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12 pages, 2632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship between Landscape Patterns and Populations of Asian Longhorned Beetles

by Chao Yang, Zhongyi Zhan, Shixiang Zong and Lili Ren

Forests 2022, 13(12), 1981; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13121981 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1934

Abstract

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), is one of the most harmful invasive alien species attacking hardwood trees. Increasing human activities have caused changes in the landscape patterns of ALB habitats, disrupting the habitat balance and weakening landscape-driven pest suppression. However, the relationship between landscape patterns (compositional and structural heterogeneity) and ALB populations has not been defined. In this study, we used remote sensing data to calculate landscape metrics and combined them with ground survey data. Using a multivariable linear regression model and a linear mixed model, we analyzed the relationship between landscape metrics and ALB populations and between forest stands attributes and ALB populations. The study results indicated that largest patch index (LPI), mean radius of gyration (GYRATE_MN), mean shape index (SHAPE_MN), and Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI) strongly influenced ALB populations at the landscape level. In addition, at the class level, only the forest class metrics LPI and aggregation index (AI) significantly impacted ALBs. The study also indicated that tree height (TH) and tree abundance (TREEAB) were good predictors of ALB populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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11 pages, 1574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Quercetin on the Growth, Development, Nutrition Utilization, and Detoxification Enzymes in Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

by Yi-Lin Gao, Zhong-Yu Pan, Xiang Meng, Yu-Fei Yuan, Hong-Yun Li and Min Chen

Forests 2022, 13(11), 1945; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111945 - 18 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2299

Abstract

Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) is a worldwide quarantine pest that has a wide range of host plants. Quercetin is a secondary metabolite involved in chemical defense processes in plants. To understand how H. cunea adapt to quercetin in its host plants, we determined the effects of quercetin on larval mortality, growth, nutritional indices, and the activity or content of detoxification enzymes in H. cunea larvae by feeding them an artificial diet containing different concentrations of quercetin. Our results showed that 0.50% quercetin treatment significantly prolonged the development duration of H. cunea larvae and inhibited growth of H. cunea. Nutritional indices analysis indicated that quercetin significantly affected nutrient use, including effects on the approximate digestibility, consumption index, relative growth rate, and efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body substance. Furthermore, our results revealed that quercetin reduced the content of carboxylesterases, and increased the activity or content of glutathione S-transferases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, and ATP-binding cassette transporters in H. cunea larvae. These results provide a foundation for revealing the adaptation that H. cunea use to adapt to quercetin in host plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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17 pages, 3667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutrient Resorption and C:N:P Stoichiometry Responses of a Pinus massoniana Plantation to Various Thinning Intensities in Southern China

by Jun Jiang, Yuanchang Lu, Beibei Chen, Angang Ming and Lifeng Pang

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101699 - 15 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1579

Abstract

Understanding the responses of C:N:P stoichiometry and nutrient resorption to thinning is essential to evaluate the effects of management practices on biogeochemical cycling in plantation forest ecosystems. However, nutrient resorption and C:N:P stoichiometry do not always respond in the same way to various thinning intensities, and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to examine the mechanisms underlying the impacts of thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry in a Pinus massoniana plantation, focusing on interactions among soils, plant tissues (leaves and litter), and soil properties. We conducted four different thinning treatments to determine the effects of thinning on the C:N:P stoichiometric ratios in leaves, litter, and soil in a Pinus massoniana plantation ecosystem. Thinning significantly increased the C, N, and P content of leaves, litter, and soil (p < 0.05). The effects of thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry varied strongly with thinning intensity. Specifically, thinning significantly decreased all C:N:P stoichiometry except leaf N:P and litter C:N (p < 0.05). The N resorption efficiency (NRE) showed no significant change, but thinning significantly decreased the P resorption efficiency (PRE, p < 0.05). This suggests that thinning has inconsistent impacts on N and P cycling in Pinus massoniana plantations. In addition, these different responses suggest that soil physicochemical processes play a crucial role in regulating the effects of thinning. Thinning intensity regulates the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, and P in Pinus massoniana plantation ecosystems by affecting nutrient resorption and soil physicochemical processes. The inconsistent results obtained can be attributed to the complexities of stand environments and the redistribution of site resources following thinning. Therefore, incorporating the effects of thinning intensity into nutrient cycling models may improve predictions related to achieving long-term forest management strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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20 pages, 9107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Chemosensory Receptor Genes in the Antennae Transcriptomes of Sirex noctilio and Sirex nitobei (Hymenoptera: Siricidae)

by Weiwei Wu, Enhua Hao, Bing Guo, Huan Yang, Jingjiang Zhou, Mei Ma, Pengfei Lu and Haili Qiao

Forests 2022, 13(9), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091495 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1658

Abstract

The woodwasp Sirex noctilio Fabricius is a worldwide quarantine pest for forestry that mainly harms conifers, especially Pinus species. Sirex nitobei Matsumura, a native species from China and closely related to S. noctilio. Olfaction and gustation play a vital role in the life movements of woodwasps, but the molecular mechanisms of chemoperception in these species remain unclear. We performed a comparative analysis of 41 odorant receptors (ORs), 13 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 8 gustatory receptors (GRs) of S. noctilio and 43 ORs, 16 IRs, and 10 GRs of S. nitobei. Phylogenetic analysis showed that two species-specific OR subfamilies were identified in each species. In addition to conserved “antennal IRs”, “divergent IRs”, including 7 SnocIRs and 7 SnitIRs, were found. Moreover, a sugar receptor subfamily (SnocGR5 and SnitGR11), a carbon dioxide receptor subfamily (SnocGR2/GR3 and SnitGR3), and a fructose receptor subfamily (SnitGR9) emerged, but bitter receptors were not identified. The tissue-specific expression profiles showed 36 ORs were enriched in the antennae of S. noctilio. Among them, 19 ORs were female-biased, whereas 4 ORs (SnocOR6/15/18/30) were male-biased. In addition, 34 ORs were highly expressed in S. nitobei antennae, of which 22 ORs were female-biased, whereas SnitOR2/18/30 were male-biased. Seven IRs were enriched in the antennae of both species, of which SnocIR4, 6, 10, 11, and 12 were significantly male-biased, while SnitIR4, 6, 10, 11, and 12 were significantly female-biased. Three GRs were highly expressed in the antennae of both species. SnocGR2 and SnocGR6 were also highly expressed in the head and leg, respectively. In the present study, a total 62 and 69 chemosensory receptor genes were identified in the antennal transcriptomes of S. noctilio and S. nitobei, respectively. Although most receptor genes are homologous, there are also some specific receptor genes, suggesting similarities and differences in molecular mechanisms between the two closely related species. OR genes may be involved in different physiological functions by whether they are expressed in olfactory organs, or obvious gender bias. Our results provide a foundation for further investigating the molecular mechanisms of chemoreception in these two closely related woodwasp species, and establishes a starting point for further research on molecular mechanisms of the olfactory system in symphyta woodwasps. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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12 pages, 1341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Initial Planting Density on the Moisture Content and Chemical Composition of the Triploid Chinese White Poplar (Populus× tomentosa Carrière) Plantation

by Yaru Sang, Xiangyang Kang and Pingdong Zhang

Forests 2022, 13(9), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091494 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1567

Abstract

The triploid Chinese white poplar (Populus × tomentosa Carrière) features desirable growth traits and wood properties, making it the preferred species in the pulp and paper industries and the sawn timber industry. In this study, we characterized the effects of initial planting densities on the moisture content (MC) and four chemical components (benzene-alcohol (BA), holocellulose (HC), alpha-cellulose (AC), and klason lignin (KL)) of the triploid Chinese white poplar. In this study, 11-year-old Chinese white poplars with three triploid clones (S86, B331, and B301) and one diploid clone (1316) that were planted using seven levels of planting densities (2490, 1665, 1110, 832, 624, 499 and 416 trees/hm²) were examined in the Huabei Great Plain in China. The MC was observed to initially decrease and then subsequently increase with decreasing planting density, and exhibited significant differences under different initial planting densities (0.001 < p < 0.01). In terms of the chemical composition, the BA content of the triploid hybrid clones presented with much higher phenotypic variation (CVp = 17.11%–32.45%) at each planting density compared to either the MC (CVp = 3.73%–11.21%) or the other three chemical composition variations (CVp = 1.16%–11.46%). Substantial differences were observed in the chemical composition of the triploid hybrid clones (p < 0.05), while no differences were found in the chemical composition within the initial planting density categories. The correlation between the chemical composition of wood (BA, HC, AC, and KL) and growth traits was generally weak. These results demonstrate that compared with the MC, the chemical composition of the triploid Chinese white poplar was primarily controlled by its own genetic background and was almost unaffected by the initial planting density. Thus, it is important to select a suitable clone and initial planting density to ensure the full growth of these trees and to improve the quality of pulping in the construction of pulp timber forests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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18 pages, 8311 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Picea wilsonii Transcription Factor PwNAC38 Promotes Drought and Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis and Apple Calli

by Mingxin Yu, Junling Liu, Jing Hu, Jing Zhou, Mengjuan Zhang, Yibo Cao and Lingyun Zhang

Forests 2022, 13(8), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081304 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2001

Abstract

The mechanism of Picea wilsonii adapting to abiotic stress remains largely unknown. NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC) transcription factors play significant roles in plant response to adverse environments. In this study, based on our previous RNA-seq, we analyzed the expression patterns of PwNAC38, and revealed its functions in the process of PwNAC38-mediated stress responses. An open-reading frame, encoding PwNAC38 protein with 330 amino acids, was isolated from the cDNA library, a process which can be induced by drought, salt and ABA treatment. Subcellular localization and yeast experiments showed that PwNAC38 was a nuclear-localized transcription factor, and could form homodimers. The full length of PwNAC38 showed transcriptional activity, while the truncated segments, C-PwNAC38 (156–330 aa) and N-PwNAC38 (1–156 aa), did not. The constitutive expression of PwNAC38 (OE lines) in Arabidopsis did not exert influence on the growth of transgenic plants under normal conditions, whereas transgenic seedlings showed higher survival rates, and the seeds had stronger vigor and a higher germination rate under drought and salt stress. The seed germination and root growth of PwNAC38 OE lines were significantly inhibited in the presence of ABA, suggesting the hypersensitivity of PwNAC38 to ABA treatment. Physiological assays showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD and POD, increased, and that the accumulation of superoxide anion decreased, in OE lines under stress conditions. Moreover, overexpression of PwNAC38 significantly improved drought and salt tolerance in apple calli. A qRT-PCR assay showed that overexpression of PwNAC38 in Arabidopsis promoted the expression of drought or ABA-responsive genes ATHB-7, ANAC019, ERD1, DREB2A, RD29A, ABI5 and NCED3. Taken together, our results revealed that PwNAC38 is positively involved in plants’ response to drought and salt stress by enhancing ROS scavenging efficiency, and is partially dependent on the ABA signaling pathway. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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11 pages, 2428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cold Tolerance in Pinewood Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus Promoted Multiple Invasion Events in Mid-Temperate Zone of China

by Zhenxiao Li, Jing Tao and Shixiang Zong

Forests 2022, 13(7), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071100 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is a highly destructive invasive species, causing extensive economic and ecological losses across Eurasia. It has recently invaded mid-temperate zone of northern China, threating large areas of coniferous forests. Herein, we evaluated the physiological and molecular basis of cold tolerance in pinewood nematode isolates from different temperature zones of China. After exposure to −5 °C and −10 °C, the survival rates of five pinewood nematode isolates from different temperature zones were 93.94%–94.77% and 43.26%–45.58% after 8 h, and 93.04%–94.85% and 9.93%–10.56% after 24 h, without significant differences among isolates. In a comparison of an isolate from a mid-temperate zone and an isolate from a subtropical zone under gradient cooling, the survival rates remained steady at nearly 95% when minimum temperature ranged from −5 °C to −15 °C, with no significant difference between isolates. In addition, phylogenetic and population structure analyses based on whole genome resequencing data suggested that isolates from mid-temperate and warm temperate zones are clustered with different isolates from subtropical zone, with no obvious geographic pattern. We did not detect significant variation in cold tolerance ability and selected gene among pinewood nematode isolates from different temperature zones. The recently invaded pinewood nematodes in the mid-temperate zone of northern China may spread by multiple invasion events from southern China, without adaptive revolution. Our research implies that it is important to reinforce quarantine inspection to control the rapid spread of pinewood nematode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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15 pages, 772 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

A Review of Research on Forest Ecosystem Quality Assessment and Prediction Methods

by Ke Guo, Bing Wang and Xiang Niu

Forests 2023, 14(2), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020317 - 6 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7148

Abstract

The accurate assessment and prediction of forest ecosystem quality is an important basis for evaluating the effectiveness of regional ecological protection and restoration, establishing a positive feedback mechanism for forest quality improvement and restoration policies, and promoting the construction of an ecological civilization in China. Based on the existing studies at home and abroad, this paper mainly analyzes and summarizes the connotation of forest ecosystem quality, assessment index systems, assessment and prediction methods, and outlooks on the existing problems of imperfect forest ecological quality assessment index systems, preliminary assessment and prediction capabilities, and unknown dynamic responses of forest ecological quality to climate change, etc. Efforts should be made to develop a scientific and standardized assessment index system, produce high-quality forest ecological data products, develop localization of assessment model parameters, and explore forest quality–climate change response mechanisms to provide references for in-depth research to realize the transformation of forest ecosystem quality assessments from historical and status quo assessments to future predictions, and to support the construction of a national ecological civilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

14 pages, 1330 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pine Wilt Disease in Northeast and Northwest China: A Comprehensive Risk Review

by Qinwang Xu, Xuejiao Zhang, Jiaxing Li, Jiaru Ren, Lili Ren and Youqing Luo

Forests 2023, 14(2), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020174 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3675

Abstract

Pine wilt disease (PWD) caused by the pine wood nematode (PWN) is China’s most serious forest disease in recent decades. Its complex disease system with unclear pathogenesis and differentiated pathogenicity makes it challenging to manage and control. PWD has spread rapidly in Northeast and Northwest China in recent years, exceeding previous predictions and the traditional understanding of its potential distribution. This paper reviewed the comprehensive risk of PWD in Northeast and Northwest China through the occurrence of influencing factors. Regarding PWN’s temperature resistance, all regions of China are suitable for PWD. In terms of altitude, the PWD system is mainly distributed below 1000 m. In China, Pinus and Larix species are confirmed host trees of PWN, while Monochamus alternatus and M. saltuarius are confirmed vector insects of PWN. In this case, PWD may occur in all low-altitude pine forests in China. Northeast China has a higher risk than Northwest China due to its distribution of suitable host trees and vector beetles at low altitudes. To confront the threat, two scientific bottlenecks are required to be demonstrated. The first is the pathogenicity of Chinese PWN strains to Chinese Picea and Abies species. The other is the geographical distribution and highest altitude distribution of other Monochamus species in the Palaearctic region of China and their PWN transmission ability. We also suggest strengthening plant quarantining in Northeast China. In conclusion, this review comprehensively analyzes the risk of PWD in Northeast and Northwest China in terms of temperature, altitude, host trees, and vector insects. It provides a new perspective and reference for the management and research of PWD in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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20 pages, 1942 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Research on Tree Risk Assessment Methods

by Haibin Li, Xiaowei Zhang, Zeqing Li, Jian Wen and Xu Tan

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101556 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5691

Abstract

As an important part of the urban environment, trees have certain risks while living in harmony with humans. For example, the failure of trees in extreme weather may cause casualties and damage to public and private; the decline and death of old and valuable trees can have an impact on the diversity and cultural value of trees. This paper outlines the theories related to tree risk and the development of tree risk assessment, evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of various tree risk assessment methods in existing studies, and explains some factors affecting the bearing capacity and related applications using knowledge of tree mechanics. Approaches in modern probing techniques are applied to study the response and loading of tree crowns and branches under wind loads, the application of different non-destructive testing techniques in visual assessment for detecting internal defects and root distribution of trees, and the role and impact of objective quantitative test results on tree risk assessment. Finally, the future development direction of tree risk assessment is predicted, which provides an important reference for research on tree risk assessment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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Other

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9 pages, 2113 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

An Analysis of Physiological Changes and Spectral Characteristics of Platanus occidentalis Leaves Infested by Corythucha ciliata (SAY) (Hemiptera:Tingidae)

by Xinwei Zhang, Yan Zhang, Mengxiao Wang, Yin Liu, Haiwei Wu and Kemei Wang

Forests 2023, 14(3), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030449 - 22 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1348

Abstract

Since its infestation was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in October 2006, Corythurcha ciliata has become an important piercing-sucking pest of Platanus occidentalis. In this paper, the content of secondary plant products, nutrients, and resistance enzymes in damaged leaves of P. occidentalis was determined, and the leaves infested by different numbers of adults (0 head, 1–3 heads, or >7 heads) were tested via spectrum analysis. The results showed that the tannin content of the damaged leaves was 1.47 mg/100 g, which was higher than that of the undamaged leaves (1.20 mg/g). The tannin content in the control poplar (Populus × euramericana cv.‘74/76’) leaves was 0.2 mg/100 g higher than that in damaged leaves. The soluble sugar content in intact leaves of P. occidentalis (1.35 mg/100 g) was significantly higher than that of damaged leaves and poplar leaves. C. ciliata feeding can induce an increase in defense enzymes, such as peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase, in host leaves. In the west and south part of the crown, 580–680 nm is a sensitive band for monitoring C. ciliata. The results of this study can be used to reveal the host-selection mechanism of C. ciliata and to explore new infestation-monitoring technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests Research in Beijing Forestry University: Commemorating the University’s 70th Anniversary)

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