Aim of study: We studied the germination ecology of a threatened daffodil in order to develop a protocol to produce plants ex-situ from seeds, a key tool for population reinforcement.Area of study: Experiments were carried out both outdoors and in the laboratory in Albacete (Spain).Material and methods: Embryo length, radicle and shoot emergence were analyzed to determine the level of morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Effects on germination of cold stratification or desiccation in late stages of embryo growth were also studied.Main results: Mean embryo length in fresh seeds was 1.36 mm, needing to grow up to 2.20 mm to be able to germinate. In the laboratory, embryo growth occurred during warm stratification (28/14, 25/10ºC), and then radicle emerged when temperatures went down (15/4ºC in darkness). Phenology study in outdoors conditions revealed that embryo grew during summer-early autumn, short time after seed dispersal in nature (i.e., May); radicle emerged in autumn. The shoot however did not emerge until late winter-early spring, because it was physiologically dormant and required a cold (5ºC) period of 30 days to break dormancy. Early cold temperatures interrupted the embryo growth and induced dormancy in seeds whose embryo had grown 30% with respect to the initial length. Desiccation in seeds whose embryo had grown 30% did not induce dormancy, but did it when the embryo growth reached 70%.Research highlights: Seeds of Narcissus radinganorum have deep simple epicotyl MPD.Key words: dormancy break; radicle emergence; shoot emergence; epicotyl MPD; phenology; secondary dormancy.

Aim of study: The study was conducted to characterize the impacts of plant roots systems (e.g., root length density and root biomass) on soil preferential flow in forest ecosystems.Area of study: The study was carried out in Jiufeng National Forest Park, Beijing, China.Material and methods: The flow patterns were measured by field dye tracing experiments. Different species (Sophora japonica Linn, Platycladus orientalis Franco, Quercus dentata Thunb) were quantified in two replicates, and 12 soil depth were applied. Plant roots were sampled in the sieving methods. Root length density and root biomass were measured by WinRHIZO. Dye coverage was implied in the image analysis, and maximum depth of dye infiltration by direct measurement.Main results: Root length density and root biomass decreased with the increasing distance from soil surface, and root length density was 81.6% higher in preferential pathways than in soil matrix, and 66.7% for root biomass with respect to all experimental plots. Plant roots were densely distributed in the upper soil layers. Dye coverage was almost 100% in the upper 5-10 cm, but then decreased rapidly with soil depth. Root length density and root biomass were different from species: Platycladus orientalis Franco > Quercus dentata Thunb > Sophora japonica Linn.Research highlights: The results indicated that fine roots systems had strong effects on soil preferential flow, particularly root channels enhancing nutrition transport across soil profiles in forest dynamics.Key words: soil preferential flow; preferential pathways; soil matrix; root length density; root biomass.

Aim of the study: The objective is to assess the influences of the tree stand age and other forestry management practices on species richness, composition, and distribution of the Patagonian pine plantation bird assemblages. Area of Study: The work was carried out in forested plots of Ponderosa pine located at the Lanín National Park (Patagonia, Argentina).Material and Methods: Birds were sampled using 25 m fixed radius point counts, at four plots varying in age, management, and forest structure. Main Results: A total of 2090 individuals belonging to 34 bird species were observed, their numbers vary significantly depending on the different modes of plantation management. The population density of the 14 most abundant bird species was compared among the four plantation plots and ten species don’t show statistically significant differences in their population density among the different forest plots. The California Quail, the White-Crested Elaenia and the Southern House Wren showed higher densities in pine plantations with lower tree densities and fewer cutting treatments. The Diuca Finch had high densities in the younger plantations not subjected to any treatment. Research highlights: Most of these bird species are opportunistic and a few are found more regularly in these non-native woods than in other native forested or afforested areas. Our data suggest that a mixed scenario based on a mosaic of plantation with patches of native deciduous forest may help maximize the bird diversity in the management of northwestern Patagonian plantation landscapes.Keywords: Bird population; diversity; exotic plantations; Patagonia; tree-age.

Aim of study: This paper aims to characterize some soil properties within the first 25 cm of the soil profile and the herbaceous biomass in Quercus forests, and the possible relationships between soil properties and understory standing biomass.Area of study: Three monoespecific Quercus forests (Q. suber L., Q. ilex subsp. rotundifolia Lam. and Q. pyrenaica Willd) in NE Portugal.Material and methods: During 1999 and 2000 soil properties (pH-KCl, total soil nitrogen (N), soil organic carbon (SOC), C/N ratio, available phosphorus (P), and available potassium (K)) and herbaceous biomass production of three forest types: Quercus suber L., Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia Lam. and Quercus pyrenaica Willd were studied.Main results: The results showed a different pattern of soil fertility (N, SOC, P, K) in Quercus forests in NE of Portugal. The C/N ratio and the herbaceous biomass confirmed this pattern. Research highlights: There is a pattern of Quercus sp. distribution that correlates with different soil characteristics by soil characteristics in NE Portugal. Q. pyrenaica ecosystems were found in more favoured areas (mesic conditions); Q. rotundifolia developed in nutrient-poor soils (oligotrophic conditions); and Q. suber were found in intermediate zones.Keywords: fertility; biomass; C/N ratio; cork oak; holm oak; pyrenean oak.

Aim of the study: The objective of this study was to evaluate skidding from stump area to roadside with a tracked skidder (Caterpillar 3DG XL) using two different types of cable (steel or synthetic).Area of study: NW of Spain.Material and methods: A time study was performed to calculate productivity for the two types of cable and two regression models were fitted to predict the productive and cycle time of the tracked skidder.Research highlights: An increase of 12.53% in productivity (m3/SMH) and improvements in working conditions using synthetic rope were found.Keywords: Chestnut; synthetic rope; time study; tracked skidder.

Aim of study: The aim of this paper is to compare differences in growth per hectare of species in pure and mixed stands as they result from different definitions of species proportions.Area of Study: We used the data of the Spanish National Forest Inventory for Scots pine and beech mixtures in the province of Navarra and for Scots pine and Pyrenean oak mixtures in the Central mountain range and the North Iberic mountain range.Material and Methods: Growth models were parameterized with the species growth related to its proportion as dependent variable, and dominant height, quadratic mean diameter density, and species proportion as independent variables. As proportions we use once proportions by basal area or by stand density index and once these proportions considering the species specific maximum densities.Main Results: In the pine – beech mixtures, where the maximum densities do not differ very much between species, the mixing effects are very similar, independent of species proportion definitions. In the pine – oak mixture, where the maximum densities in terms of basal area are very different, the equations using the proportions calculated without reference to the maximum densities, result in a distinct overestimation of the mixing effects on growth.Research highlights: When comparing growth per hectare of a species in a mixed stand with that of a pure stand, the species proportion must be described as a proportion by area considering the maximum density for the given species, wrong mixing effects could be introduced by inappropriate species proportion definitions.Keywords: Mixing effects; proportion by area; Stand Density Index; overyielding; Pinus sylvestris L.; Fagus sylvatica L.; Quercus pyrenaica Willd.

Aim of study: Our objective was to find habitat associations at a microhabitat level for two endemic birds in a Chilean temperate forest (biodiversity “hotspots”), in order to integrate biodiversity into forest planning.Area of study: Nahuelbuta Range, Chile.Material and methods: The two birds studied were Scelorchilus rubecula (Chucao Tapaculo) and Scytalopus magellanicus (Magellanic Tapaculo), both belonging to the Rhinocryptidae family. Presence or absence of the two species was sampled in 57 census spots. Habitat was categorized according to presence/absence results. We assessed the influence of abiotic variables (altitude, exposure, slope) and vegetation structure (percentage of understory cover, number of strata) using a statistical cluster analysis.Main results: The two bird species selected the habitat. Most frequent presence was detected at a range of 600-1100 masl, but Magellanic Tapaculo was associated to more protected sites in terms of vegetation structure (50-75% for understory cover and 2-3 strata). Slope was the most relevant abiotic variable in habitat selection due to its linkage to vegetation traits in this area.Research highlights: Our results can help managers to integrate biodiversity (endemic fauna species) into forest planning by preserving certain traits of the vegetation as part of a habitat (at a microhabitat level) selected by the fauna species. That planning should be implemented with both an adequate wood harvesting cuts system and specific silvicultural treatments.Key words: Chile; Nahuelbuta; rhinocryptidae; cluster analysis; rorest planning; vegetation structure.

Aim of study: This study aims to develop a calculation model for estimating carbon accumulation in cork products, both whilst in use and when in landfills, and to apply the model to Portugal as an example.Area of study: The model is applicable worldwide and the case-study is Portugal.Material and methods: The model adopts a flux-data method based on a lifetime analysis and quantifies carbon accumulation in cork products according to three approaches that differ on how carbon stocks (or emissions) are allocated to cork product consuming and producing countries. These approaches are: stock-change, production and atmospheric-flow. The effect on carbon balance of methane emissions from the decay of cork products in landfills is also evaluated.Main results: The model was applied to Portugal and the results show that carbon accumulation in cork products in the period between 1990 and 2010 varied between 24 and 92 Gg C year-1. The atmospheric-flow approach provided the highest carbon accumulation over the whole period due to the net export of carbon in cork products. The production approach ranked second because exported cork products were mainly manufactured from domestically produced cork. The net carbon balance in cork products was also a net carbon accumulation with all the approaches, ranging from 5 to 81 Gg C eq year-1.Research highlights: The developed model can be applied to other countries and may be a step forward to consider carbon accumulation in cork products in national greenhouse gas inventories, as well as in future climate agreements.Keywords: Atmospheric-flow approach; Greenhouse gas balance; Modelling; Production approach; Stock-change approach.

Aim of study: The program "Typology of truffle stations in the Pyrenean Regions" aimed to define the ecological conditions and culture practices that favor Tuber melanosporum growth and fruiting in this area.Area of study: Navarra, Catalonia, Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon.Material and methods: The program was based on the survey of 212 wild and cultivated truffle beds of evergreen oaks (Quercus ilex). The data collected in the field consisted of photographs, samples of soil, roots and mycorrhizae, and information on cultural practices followed by truffle growers.Main results: (i) truffle soils are alkaline, from neutral, dolomitic, to moderately or very calcareous soils; (ii) truffle soils are light, well-structured and stable to water immersion; (iii) mycelium that colonizes roots survives in suboptimal conditions, but it does not necessarily bear ascocarps. Finally our results suggest that T. melanosporum is a relatively ubiquitous fungus able to grow, or at least to persist, in a wide range of physical and chemical soil conditions. We propose a probabilistic model of the environment favorable for fruiting, built around a two-dimensional graph with an axis for the chemical conditions, like soil alkalinity, and another axis for the physical conditions, like soil structure. Research highlights: Soil alkalinity and structure allow to built a convenient representation of the ecological capacity of a place to be good T. melanosporum habitat, and thus of the probability for truffle growers to harvest truffles according to the environmental properties of their truffle orchards.Keywords: dolomite; limestone; mycorrhizae; Quercus ilex; field survey; Tuber melanosporum.

Aim of study: This study aims at evaluating the impact of site preparation techniques prior to plantation on carbon storage and distribution in a young mixed stand of Pseudotsuga menziesii (PM) and Castanea sativa (CS). Area of study: The experimental field was established near Macedo de Cavaleiros, Northern Portugal, at 700 m elevation, mean annual temperature 12ºC and mean annual rainfall 678 mm. Material and Methods: The experimental layout includes three replicates, where the different treatments corresponding to different tillage intensities were randomly distributed (high, moderate and slight intensity), in plots with an area of 375 m2 each. Twenty six months after forest stand installation, samples of herbaceous vegetation (0.49 m2 quadrat), forest species (8 PM and 8 CS) and mineral soil (at 0-5, 5-15, 15-30 and 30-60 cm depth) were collected in 15 randomly selected points in each treatment, processed in laboratory and analyzed for carbon by elemental carbon analyzer. Main results: The results obtained showed that: (i) more than 90% of the total carbon stored in the system is located in the soil, increasing in depth with tillage intensity; (ii) the contribution of herbaceous vegetation and related roots to the carbon storage is very low; (iii) the amount of carbon per tree is higher in CS than in PM; (iv) the global carbon storage was affected by soil tillage generally decreasing with the increase of tillage intensity. Accordingly, carbon storage capacity as affected by the application of different site preparation techniques should be a decision support tool in afforestation schemes.Keywords: Site preparation; forest species; herbaceous vegetation; carbon storage; mineral soil; Portugal.