Harvesting Method Affects Water Dynamics and Yield of Sweet Orange with Huanglongbing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Said A. Hamido

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Changes in grove management practices may change crop water dynamics. The objective of this study was to estimate sap flow, stem water potential (Ψstem, and citrus yield as affected by harvesting methods in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis trees affected by Huanglongbing. The study was initiated in March 2015 for two years on five-year-old commercial sweet orange trees at a commercial grove located at Felda, Florida (26.61° N, 81.48° W on Felda fine sand soil (Loamy, siliceous, superactive, hyperthermic Arenic Endoaqualfs. All measurements were replicated before and after harvest in four experiments (A, B, C and D under hand and mechanical harvesting treatments. Sap flow measurements were taken on four trees per treatment with two sensors per tree. Sap flow measured by the heat balance method at hourly intervals during March and April of 2015 and 2016 significantly declined after harvesting by 25% and 35% after hand and mechanical harvesting, respectively. Ψstem measured after harvest was significantly higher than measurements before harvest. The average value of Ψstem measured increased by 10% and 6% after hand and mechanical harvesting, respectively. Mechanical harvesting exhibited lower fruit yields that averaged between 83%, 63%, 49% and 36% of hand-harvested trees under A, B, C and D experiments, respectively. It is concluded that the hand harvesting method is less stressful and less impactful on tree water uptake and fruit yield compared with mechanical harvesting.

Removal intensity and tree size effects on harvesting cost and profitability

Science.gov (United States)

R. Kluender; D. Lortz; W. McCoy; B. Stokes; J. Klepac

1997-01-01

Sixteen stands were harvested at intensities (proportion of basal area removed) ranging from 0.27 to 1.00. Logging contractors used chain saws and rubber-tired skidders. Harvested sites were similar in slope and tree size. Harvest cost per hundred cubic feet of wood (CCF) was inversely related to harvest intensity and tree size. Harvesting profitability per CCF was...

Ash addition after whole-tree harvesting on fertile sites in southern Sweden Establishment of two field trials; Askaaterfoering efter skogsbraensleuttag paa boerdig skogsmark i soedra Sverige Anlaeggning av tvaa faeltfoersoek

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikstroem, Ulf; Hoegbom, Lars; Jacobson, Staffan; Lundstroem, Hagos; Ring, Eva

2012-02-15

In Sweden, the Swedish Forest Agency recommend ash recycling after whole-tree harvest (WTH), i.e. the whole tree above the stump is harvested. If this recommendation is complied, ash recycling will become a quite extensive forestry practice. To gain more knowledge regarding effects of ash on tree growth, storage of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in the upper soil, and soil-water chemistry, two field experiments were established. The experimental design was a randomized block design. Both experiments were installed on quite fertile sites in southern Sweden. On fertile sites (C/N less than 30), ash addition is hypothesized to increase tree growth, reduce the storage of C and N in the upper soil, and increase the concentrations of nitrate in soil water. One experiment (291 Guvarp) was established on a recently harvested clear cut. The sample plots were soil scarified by disc trenching and planted with Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) seedlings. Seedling height was measured at planting, and, two months later, seedling survival and height growth in 2011 was recorded. The other experiment (290 Bala) was located to a Norway spruce stand that was thinned by WTH. The initial registration and sampling comprised stand data and sampling of the upper soil (FH-layer). In addition, suction cups were installed at 50 cm depth for sampling of soil water. The experiments were designed for long-term monitoring, comprising several decades. For most of the variables registered, data did not show any significant differences among means for the plots representing different treatments. Pre-treatment data for individual plots showed acceptable comparability among plots within the blocks, which is a good starting point for detecting future changes caused by the treatments

Growth effects after whole-tree harvest in final cut of Scots pine and Norway spruce forest. Final report; Tillvaexteffekternas storlek och uthaallighet efter skogsbraensleuttag i slutavverkning av tall och gran. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valinger, E. [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umeaa (Sweden). Dept. of Silviculture

2001-12-01

A great concern in forestry today is whether whole-tree harvesting influence site productivity and whether it is consistent with the principle of sustainable use of forest resources. To evaluate this a randomised field experiment established 24 years ago in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Southern Sweden was used. The field experiment was established in fall 1975 as a naturally regenerated mixed forest with Scots pine and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) with a growing stock of 305 m{sup 3}/ha was clear-cut near Kosta (56 deg 52' N, 15 deg 50' E, 240 m.a.s.l.). The site was a mesic dwarf-shrub type of medium fertility, with an average precipitation of 600 mm yr-1 and the soil was an orthic podzol. Treatments were conventional stem harvest (CH), whole-tree harvest (WTH), and branch and stem harvest (BSH). Scots pine seedlings of local provenance were planted in spring 1977 at the beginning of the second growing season following the harvest. The seedlings were planted in exposed mineral soil in manually scarified patches (40 x 40 cm) at 1.7 m spacing (144 seedlings per assessment plot, i.e. 3 600 seedlings/ha). Based on calliper data, the diameter for the mean basal area per tree (db) was calculated for each plot after 24 years using the formula: db = ({sigma} b{sup 3}/{sigma} b{sup 2}), where b is basal area at breast height for each tree. Three undamaged sample trees with a diameter equal or close to the diameter of the mean basal area per tree were selected on each plot giving 36 stems that were felled for destructive measurements in 2000. Total tree height ({+-} 0.01 m) was measured on every tree felled. Stem biomass was estimated by sampling of stem discs, 2 cm thick, at stump height (1 % of tree height), breast height (1.3 m), and at every meter along the bole. Crown biomass was estimated by sampling live and dead branches on the felled trees. From every whorl of branches one living branch was sampled and all branches were counted. Stem

Preparing Platelet-Rich Plasma with Whole Blood Harvested Intraoperatively During Spinal Fusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Bin; Zhang, Zheng; Zhou, Ning-Feng; Huang, Yu-Feng; Bao, Yu-Jie; Wu, De-Sheng; Zhang, Ya-Dong

2017-07-22

BACKGROUND Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained growing popularity in use in spinal fusion procedures in the last decade. Substantial intraoperative blood loss is frequently accompanied with spinal fusion, and it is unknown whether blood harvested intraoperatively qualifies for PRP preparation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Whole blood was harvested intraoperatively and venous blood was collected by venipuncture. Then, we investigated the platelet concentrations in whole blood and PRP, the concentration of growth factors in PRP, and the effects of PRP on the proliferation and viability of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HBMSCs). RESULTS Our results revealed that intraoperatively harvested whole blood and whole blood collected by venipuncture were similar in platelet concentration. In addition, PRP formulations prepared from both kinds of whole blood were similar in concentration of platelet and growth factors. Additional analysis showed that the similar concentrations of growth factors resulted from the similar platelet concentrations of whole blood and PRP between the two groups. Moreover, these two kinds of PRP formulations had similar effects on promoting cell proliferation and enhancing cell viability. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, intraoperatively harvested whole blood may be a potential option for preparing PRP spinal fusion.

Apparatus and method for harvesting woody plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Eggen, D.L.

1988-11-15

A tree harvester for harvesting felled trees includes a wheel mounted wood chipper which moves toward the butt ends of the tree stems to be processed. The harvester includes a plurality of rotating alignment discs in front of the chipper. These discs align the tree stems to be processed with the mouth of the chipper. A chipper infeed cylinder is rotatably mounted between the discs and the front end of the chipper, and lifts the tree stem butts up from the ground into alignment with the chipper inlet port. The chips discharge from the chipper and go into a chip hopper which moves with the tree harvester. 8 figs.

Energy and industrial wood harvesting from young forests; Energia- ja ainespuun korjuu nuorista metsistae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rieppo, K.; Mutikainen, A.; Jouhiaho, A. (eds.)

2011-07-01

In the METKA Forest Energy Profitably project TTS (Work Efficiency Institute) compared methods suitable for the harvesting of energy wood and industrial wood. During the thinning of a young forest by a forest worker, the whole-tree logging method was one-third less expensive than the pulpwood method, including terrain transport. In harvesting whole trees as part of the thinning of young forests, methods based on combinations of manual and mechanized workproved to be several dozen per cent less expensive than the entirely mechanized method. When cutting energy wood with a Harveri small harwarder productivity was slightly higher when using 40-metre distances two cutting trails than when using 20-metre distances. When using a Tehojaetkae small harvester, creating two cutting trails in addition to the standard four-metre-wide cutting trail resulted in slightly higher productivity than creating three narrow cutting trails. A Risutec L3A energy head was used in tests involving both clearing and energy wood cutting. This method proved to be very promising, and it seems highly proable that advance clearing will no longer be needed in energy wood harvesting under all circumstances. When using traditional harvester-forwarder chains and a harvarder for first thinning in pine stands, the harvesting of entirely or partly non-delimbed trees was 20 to 40 per cent less expensive per harvested cubic meter than the harvesting of delimbed trees. In tests carried out using the Naarva RS25 harvester head for first thinning in pine stands, the integrated method resulted in approximately one-third productivity than the traditional cutting of industrial wood. In a spruce-dominant site with delayed first thinning, the unit costs of harvesting delimbed energy wood were 16 per cent lower than those of the harvesting of pulpwood. In the future development of machinery, it will be important to aim at continuous motion, at least in terms of cutting small trees. (orig.)

Initial soil respiration response to biomass harvesting and green-tree retention in aspen-dominated forests of the Great Lakes region

Science.gov (United States)

Kurth, Valerie J.; Bradford, John B.; Slesak, Robert A.; D'Amato, Anthony W.

2014-01-01

Contemporary forest management practices are increasingly designed to optimize novel objectives, such as maximizing biomass feedstocks and/or maintaining ecological legacies, but many uncertainties exist regarding how these practices influence forest carbon (C) cycling. We examined the responses of soil respiration (Rs) to biomass harvesting and green-tree retention in an effort to empirically assess their impacts on C cycling. We measured Rs and soil microclimatic variables over four growing seasons following implementation of these management practices using a fully replicated, operational-scale experiment in aspen-dominated forests in northern Minnesota. Treatments included three levels of biomass removal within harvested areas: whole-tree harvest (no slash deliberately retained), 20% slash retained, and stem-only harvest (all slash retained), and two levels of green-tree retention: 0.1 ha aggregate or none. The relative amount of biomass removed had a negligible effect on Rs in harvested areas, but treatment effects were probably obscured by heterogeneous slash configurations and rapid post-harvest regeneration of aspen in all of the treatments. Discrete measurements of Rs and soil temperature within green-tree aggregates were not discernible from surrounding harvested areas or unharvested control stands until the fourth year following harvest, when Rs was higher in unharvested controls than in aggregates and harvested stands. Growing season estimates of Rs showed that unharvested control stands had higher Rs than both harvested stands and aggregates in the first and third years following harvest. Our results suggest that retention of larger forest aggregates may be necessary to maintain ecosystem-level responses similar to those in unharvested stands. Moreover, they highlight the innate complexity of operational-scale research and suggest that the initial impacts of biomass harvest on Rs may be indiscernible from traditional harvest in systems where incidental

Energy wood harvesting from nurse crop of spruce seeding stand; Kuusen taimikon verhopuuston korjuu energiapuuksi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peltola, M.; Tanttu, V.

2008-07-01

The study focused on establishing the productivity and costs of mechanical energy wood cutting and the profitability of forest management alternatives in the harvesting of hold-overs from spruce seeding stands. The productivity in whole-tree harvesting performed using a multi-tree whole tree processing method reached 3.5 m3/E{sub 0}h with a felling cost of 26 euros/m3. The calculated cost of chainsaw harvesting using a felling-piling technique was 16 euros/m3. The average size of trees harvested from the research stand was 15 dm3. At a rate of 17.8 euros per megawatt that was paid for forest chips delivered to the plant, the net profit using mechanical harvesting method was 272 euros per hectare. The net profit using chainsaw harvesting was 464 euros per hectare. 'Net profit' is defined here as the total amount earned, taking into account forest management costs, the production cost of forest chips, the Kemera subsidies and the price paid for the chips at the place of usage. The net profit of felling the removed trees to the ground (not processing it into fuel) was minus 124 euros. A theoretical stumpage price rate was calculated for the energy harvesting alternatives by dividing the net result by the volume of trees harvested. Theoretical stumpage price was positive when the paid price per megawatt of chips delivered to the place of usage was 13 euros per megawatt-hour for mechanically harvested chips or 10 euros per megawatt-hour for chainsaw-harvested chips. In mechanical harvesting, 17 percent of the trees harvested were damaged in the harvesting process. While it is often essential for the forest owner to ensure that any forest management measures contribute to quick profitability, the forest management benefits that will become realisable assets in the future must nevertheless also be taken into account. (orig.)

Initial response to understory plant diversity and overstory tree diameter growth to a green tree retention harvest

Science.gov (United States)

Malcolm North; Jiquan Chen; Gordon Smith; Lucy Krakowlak; Jerry Franklin

1996-01-01

The increasing use of harvest techniques other than clearcutting in forests west of the Cascade mountains has created an urgent need to understand the effects of these practices on ecosystem species composition and structure. One common alternative, "green tree retention" (GTR), leaves some live trees on a harvest site to more closely mimic a moderate-...

Comparison of wood harvesting methods in the Republic of Karelia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syunev, V.; Sokolov, A.; Konovalov, A.; Katarov, V.; Seliverstov, A.; Gerasimov, Y.; Karvinen, S. email: sari.karvinen@metla.fi; Vaelkky, E.

2009-07-01

Impacts of cut-to-length, tree-length and full-tree harvesting technology on direct operating costs, productivity, forest environment, ergonomics and work safety, as well as on wood quality were studied in 2007 and 2008 in 15 harvesting companies in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Productivity varied within a relatively wide range from 20 to 150 m3 per shift. Fully mechanized full-tree harvesting provided the maximum productivity. The professional skills and experience of harvesting machine operators had a significant impact on the productivity. Direct operating costs had insignificant differences - the average costs were 250 RUB/m3. In the traditional Russian tree-length and full-tree harvesting, real harvesting costs were higher than in the cut-to-length technology, due to additional work at the central processing yard. All the technologies demonstrated an almost identical impact on the lower layers of soil, when applied on sandy or sandy loam soils. Porosity was reduced by 9-10%. On clay loams, the tree-length technology resulted in significant topsoil compaction but, at the same time, formed almost no track. The studied full-tree technology was only acceptable in harvesting sites where no undergrowth preservation was required. Partially mechanized cut-to-length technology ensured high undergrowth preservation. In thinnings the tree-length and the fully mechanized cut-to-length technology resulted in less damage to the remaining trees compared to the other technologies. The best working conditions in terms of ergonomics and occupational safety were provided by the chain consisting of a harvester and a forwarder. It was closely followed by the chain 'feller buncher and wheeled skidder'. Traditional tree-length harvesting with cable skidders demonstrated the worst results in terms of ergonomics, work severity and occupational safety. Fully mechanized cut-to-length technology provided with the best results in the preservation of wood quality The quality

Increasing harvest maturity of whole-plant corn silage reduces methane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hatew, B.; Bannink, A.; Laar, van H.; Jonge, de L.H.; Dijkstra, J.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing maturity of whole-plant corn at harvest on CH4 emissions by dairy cows consuming corn silage (CS) based diets. Whole-plant corn was harvested at a very early [25% dry matter (DM); CS25], early (28% DM; CS28), medium (32% DM;

Tree regeneration following group selection harvesting in southern Indiana

Science.gov (United States)

Dale R. Weigel; George R. Parker

1995-01-01

An increased interest in the use of group selection harvesting in the Central Hardwood forests has emphasized the lack of scientific information about species response under this uneven-aged management system. Tree regeneration response following group selection harvesting was studied on thirty-six group selection openings on the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane...

Tree production in desert regions using effluent and water harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Martin M. Karpiscak; Gerald J. Gottfried

2000-01-01

Treated municipal effluent combined with water harvesting can be used for land restoration and enhancing the growth of important riparian tree species. Paired studies in Arizona are assessing the potential of growing trees using mixtures of effluent and potable water. Trees are grown in the field and in containers. Initial results from the field show high survival for...

Community harvesting of trees used as dens and for food by the tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus in the Pirie forest, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth J. Opperman

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Forests in South Africa are harvested by local communities for multiple purposes and this affects the animals that inhabit them. The tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus has a restricted distribution and utilises various tree species as dens and a source of food. In this article, we determined, through a series of interviews in the communities surrounding the Pirie forest, which plant species are harvested by local people and whether these overlap with those used by the tree hyrax. In addition, we determined the extent to which tree hyraxes are hunted by these communities. Of the trees used by the hyrax as dens in the Pirie forest, Afrocarpus falcatus, Schotia latifolia, Andrachne ovalis, Teclea natalensis and Apodytes dimidiata are important resources for local communities. But as these are harvested at relatively low levels, it is unlikely that current harvesting has a large impact on the tree hyrax. Opportunistic hunting occurs, but the hyrax is not targeted by hunters. Very limited commercial harvesting of A. falcatus has been taking place in the Pirie forest since 1975, but its impact on the hyrax population, although undetermined, is also unlikely to be high. We recommend that the Pirie forest tree hyrax population should be monitored by forest management in order to ascertain the impact of both commercial and community harvesting over the past quarter-century. Conservation implications: Tree hyrax populations in the Pirie forest should be actively monitored by management on an annual basis.

Cork Oak Vulnerability to Fire: The Role of Bark Harvesting, Tree Characteristics and Abiotic Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Catry, Filipe X.; Moreira, Francisco; Pausas, Juli G.; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Rego, Francisco; Cardillo, Enrique; Curt, Thomas

2012-01-01

Forest ecosystems where periodical tree bark harvesting is a major economic activity may be particularly vulnerable to disturbances such as fire, since debarking usually reduces tree vigour and protection against external agents. In this paper we asked how cork oak Quercus suber trees respond after wildfires and, in particular, how bark harvesting affects post-fire tree survival and resprouting. We gathered data from 22 wildfires (4585 trees) that occurred in three southern European countries (Portugal, Spain and France), covering a wide range of conditions characteristic of Q. suber ecosystems. Post-fire tree responses (tree mortality, stem mortality and crown resprouting) were examined in relation to management and ecological factors using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results showed that bark thickness and bark harvesting are major factors affecting resistance of Q. suber to fire. Fire vulnerability was higher for trees with thin bark (young or recently debarked individuals) and decreased with increasing bark thickness until cork was 3–4 cm thick. This bark thickness corresponds to the moment when exploited trees are debarked again, meaning that exploited trees are vulnerable to fire during a longer period. Exploited trees were also more likely to be top-killed than unexploited trees, even for the same bark thickness. Additionally, vulnerability to fire increased with burn severity and with tree diameter, and was higher in trees burned in early summer or located in drier south-facing aspects. We provided tree response models useful to help estimating the impact of fire and to support management decisions. The results suggested that an appropriate management of surface fuels and changes in the bark harvesting regime (e.g. debarking coexisting trees in different years or increasing the harvesting cycle) would decrease vulnerability to fire and contribute to the conservation of cork oak ecosystems. PMID:22787521

Cork oak vulnerability to fire: the role of bark harvesting, tree characteristics and abiotic factors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipe X Catry

Full Text Available Forest ecosystems where periodical tree bark harvesting is a major economic activity may be particularly vulnerable to disturbances such as fire, since debarking usually reduces tree vigour and protection against external agents. In this paper we asked how cork oak Quercus suber trees respond after wildfires and, in particular, how bark harvesting affects post-fire tree survival and resprouting. We gathered data from 22 wildfires (4585 trees that occurred in three southern European countries (Portugal, Spain and France, covering a wide range of conditions characteristic of Q. suber ecosystems. Post-fire tree responses (tree mortality, stem mortality and crown resprouting were examined in relation to management and ecological factors using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results showed that bark thickness and bark harvesting are major factors affecting resistance of Q. suber to fire. Fire vulnerability was higher for trees with thin bark (young or recently debarked individuals and decreased with increasing bark thickness until cork was 3-4 cm thick. This bark thickness corresponds to the moment when exploited trees are debarked again, meaning that exploited trees are vulnerable to fire during a longer period. Exploited trees were also more likely to be top-killed than unexploited trees, even for the same bark thickness. Additionally, vulnerability to fire increased with burn severity and with tree diameter, and was higher in trees burned in early summer or located in drier south-facing aspects. We provided tree response models useful to help estimating the impact of fire and to support management decisions. The results suggested that an appropriate management of surface fuels and changes in the bark harvesting regime (e.g. debarking coexisting trees in different years or increasing the harvesting cycle would decrease vulnerability to fire and contribute to the conservation of cork oak ecosystems.

Cork oak vulnerability to fire: the role of bark harvesting, tree characteristics and abiotic factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Catry, Filipe X; Moreira, Francisco; Pausas, Juli G; Fernandes, Paulo M; Rego, Francisco; Cardillo, Enrique; Curt, Thomas

2012-01-01

Forest ecosystems where periodical tree bark harvesting is a major economic activity may be particularly vulnerable to disturbances such as fire, since debarking usually reduces tree vigour and protection against external agents. In this paper we asked how cork oak Quercus suber trees respond after wildfires and, in particular, how bark harvesting affects post-fire tree survival and resprouting. We gathered data from 22 wildfires (4585 trees) that occurred in three southern European countries (Portugal, Spain and France), covering a wide range of conditions characteristic of Q. suber ecosystems. Post-fire tree responses (tree mortality, stem mortality and crown resprouting) were examined in relation to management and ecological factors using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results showed that bark thickness and bark harvesting are major factors affecting resistance of Q. suber to fire. Fire vulnerability was higher for trees with thin bark (young or recently debarked individuals) and decreased with increasing bark thickness until cork was 3-4 cm thick. This bark thickness corresponds to the moment when exploited trees are debarked again, meaning that exploited trees are vulnerable to fire during a longer period. Exploited trees were also more likely to be top-killed than unexploited trees, even for the same bark thickness. Additionally, vulnerability to fire increased with burn severity and with tree diameter, and was higher in trees burned in early summer or located in drier south-facing aspects. We provided tree response models useful to help estimating the impact of fire and to support management decisions. The results suggested that an appropriate management of surface fuels and changes in the bark harvesting regime (e.g. debarking coexisting trees in different years or increasing the harvesting cycle) would decrease vulnerability to fire and contribute to the conservation of cork oak ecosystems.

Processing of whole-wood to fuel and raw material; Kokopuun kaesittely polttoaineeksi ja raaka-aineeksi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aho, V J [VTT Energy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland). Biofuels

1997-12-01

The forest industry`s need of wood has increased remarkably during this decade, and will probably continue to increase also during the next few years due to the realisation of the extension investments of the production. Mechanising of whole-tree and tree- section harvesting, development of the lorry transportation of whole-trees and tree-sections, and the improvement of the yield and the quality of pulp-chip fraction produced using integrated harvesting methods are important development targets for the production methods research. The objective of this project is to develop research equipment, by which it is possible to study the unit processes of wood processing, and to develop new wood processing concepts, by which whole-trees could be used for fuel and forest industrial raw material purposes optimally, by combining the unit processes. The research equipment will be of full scale so that it will enable the processing of whole-trees, whole-tree bundles, felling residues and stem-wood fragments. The research equipment consists of versatile measuring and data collection equipment, enabling the processing and analysis of research data. A compactor has been developed in the project, and the development of debarking and feeding units has been started. Additionally, a crushing equipment serving the needs of the research projects of VTT Energy`s research programme `Solid fuel processing technology` has been constructed in the project. The data collection system and the high- speed camera have been acquired to VTT Energy to be used for the measuring equipment

The Potential for Harvesting Energy from the Movement of Trees

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Chris Knight

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Over the last decade, wireless devices have decreased in size and power requirements. These devices generally use batteries as a power source but can employ additional means of power, such as solar, thermal or wind energy. However, sensor networks are often deployed in conditions of minimal lighting and thermal gradient such as densely wooded environments, where even normal wind energy harvesting is limited. In these cases a possible source of energy is from the motion of the trees themselves. We investigated the amount of energy and power available from the motion of a tree in a sheltered position, during Beaufort 4 winds. We measured the work performed by the tree to lift a mass, we measured horizontal acceleration of free movement, and we determined the angular deflection of the movement of the tree trunk, to determine the energy and power available to various types of harvesting devices. We found that the amount of power available from the tree, as demonstrated by lifting a mass, compares favourably with the power required to run a wireless sensor node.

Development and Successful Application of a Tree Movement Energy Harvesting Device, to Power a Wireless Sensor Node

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris Knight

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks are becoming increasingly more common as a means to sense, measure, record and transmit data for scientific and engineering evaluation, remotely and autonomously. Usually, remotely located sensor nodes are powered by batteries which are recharged by solar or wind energy harvesters. Sometimes nodes are located in areas where these forms of energy harvesting are not possible due to local conditions, such as under the canopy of a forest. This article outlines the design and testing of a device capable of harvesting energy from tree movement, and shows the device powering a wireless sensor node continuously. The device uses the force and displacement of the movement of a tree trunk (of a 6 m tall tree to drive an electromagnetic generator that recharges a nickel metal hydride battery. The battery stores the energy from which a ~0.5 mW wireless sensor node is powered continuously. This demonstrated method of energy harvesting may allow the placement and powering of nodes in locations previously not possible.

Simulating growth dynamics in a South-East Asian rainforest threatened by recruitment shortage and tree harvesting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koehler, P. [Centre for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, Kurt-Wolters-Str. 3, D-34109 Kassel (Germany); Huth, A. [Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Department of Ecological Modelling, P.O. Box 500 136, D-04301 Leipzig (Germany)

2004-11-01

There is increasing evidence that the future recruitment in South-East Asian dipterocarp trees species depending on mast-fruiting events might be endangered by climate change or enhanced seed predation in forest fragments. Especially in combination with the ongoing tree harvesting in this region the recruitment threat imposes a severe danger on the species richness and forest structure of the whole area. We here assess with the process-based forest growth model FORMIND2.0 the impacts of common tree-logging strategies in those recruitment endangered forests. FORMIND2.0 is based on the calculations of the carbon balance of individual trees belonging to 13 different plant functional types. Even single logging events in those rainforests threatened by a lack of recruitment led to shifts in the abundances of species, to species loss, and to forest decline and dieback. The results show that current logging practices in South-East Asia seriously overuse the forests especially in the light of changing climate conditions.

Whole-tree water transport scales with sapwood capacitance in tropical forest canopy trees.

Science.gov (United States)

F.C. Meinzer; S.A. James; G. Goldstein; D. Woodruff

2003-01-01

The present study examines the manner in which several whole-tree water transport properties scale with species specific variation in sapwood water storage capacity. The hypothesis that constraints on relationships between sapwood capacitance and other water relations characteristics lead to predictable scaling relationships between intrinsic capacitance and whole-tree...

The Harvest suite for rapid core-genome alignment and visualization of thousands of intraspecific microbial genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Treangen, Todd J; Ondov, Brian D; Koren, Sergey; Phillippy, Adam M

2014-01-01

Whole-genome sequences are now available for many microbial species and clades, however existing whole-genome alignment methods are limited in their ability to perform sequence comparisons of multiple sequences simultaneously. Here we present the Harvest suite of core-genome alignment and visualization tools for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of thousands of intraspecific microbial strains. Harvest includes Parsnp, a fast core-genome multi-aligner, and Gingr, a dynamic visual platform. Together they provide interactive core-genome alignments, variant calls, recombination detection, and phylogenetic trees. Using simulated and real data we demonstrate that our approach exhibits unrivaled speed while maintaining the accuracy of existing methods. The Harvest suite is open-source and freely available from: http://github.com/marbl/harvest.

Diameter sensors for tree-length harvesting systems

Science.gov (United States)

T.P. McDonald; Robert B. Rummer; T.E. Grift

2003-01-01

Most cut-to-length (CTL) harvesters provide sensors for measuring diameter of trees as they are cut and processed. Among other uses, this capability provides a data collection tool for marketing of logs in real time. Logs can be sorted and stacked based on up-to-date market information, then transportation systems optimized to route wood to proper destinations at...

Retention of seed trees fails to lifeboat ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity in harvested Scots pine forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Varenius, Kerstin; Lindahl, Björn D; Dahlberg, Anders

2017-09-01

Fennoscandian forestry has in the past decades changed from natural regeneration of forests towards replantation of clear-cuts, which negatively impacts ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) diversity. Retention of trees during harvesting enables EMF survival, and we therefore expected EMF communities to be more similar to those in old natural stands after forest regeneration using seed trees compared to full clear-cutting and replanting. We sequenced fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) amplicons to assess EMF communities in 10- to 60-year-old Scots pine stands regenerated either using seed trees or through replanting of clear-cuts with old natural stands as reference. We also investigated local EMF communities around retained old trees. We found that retention of seed trees failed to mitigate the impact of harvesting on EMF community composition and diversity. With increasing stand age, EMF communities became increasingly similar to those in old natural stands and permanently retained trees maintained EMF locally. From our observations, we conclude that EMF communities, at least common species, post-harvest are more influenced by environmental filtering, resulting from environmental changes induced by harvest, than by the continuity of trees. These results suggest that retention of intact forest patches is a more efficient way to conserve EMF diversity than retaining dispersed single trees. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impacts of post-harvest slash and live-tree retention on biomass and nutrient stocks in Populus tremuloides Michx.-dominated forests, northern Minnesota, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Klockow, Paul A.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Bradford, John B.

2013-01-01

Globally, there is widespread interest in using forest-derived biomass as a source of bioenergy. While conventional timber harvesting generally removes only merchantable tree boles, harvesting biomass feedstock can remove all forms of woody biomass (i.e., live and dead standing woody vegetation, downed woody debris, and stumps) resulting in a greater loss of biomass and nutrients as well as more severe habitat alteration. To investigate the potential impacts of this practice, this study examined the initial impacts (pre- and post-harvest) of various levels of slash and live-tree retention on biomass and nutrient stocks, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P), in Populus tremuloides Michx.-dominated forests of northern Minnesota, USA. Treatments examined included three levels of slash retention, whole-tree harvest (WTH), 20% slash retention (20SR), and stem-only harvest (SOH), factored with three levels of green-tree retention, no trees retained (NONE), dispersed retention (DISP), and aggregate retention (AGR). Slash retention was the primary factor affecting post-harvest biomass and nutrient stocks, including woody debris pools. Compared to the unharvested control, stocks of biomass, carbon, and nutrients, including N, Ca, K, and P, in woody debris were higher in all treatments. Stem-only harvests typically contained greater biomass and nutrient stocks than WTH, although biomass and nutrients within 20SR, a level recommended by biomass harvesting guidelines in the US and worldwide, generally did not differ from WTH or SOH. Biomass in smaller-diameter slash material (typically 2.5-22.5 cm in diameter) dominated the woody debris pool following harvest regardless of slash retention level. Trends among treatments in this diameter range were generally similar to those in the total woody debris pool. Specifically, SOH contained significantly greater amounts of biomass than WTH while 20SR was not different from either WTH or

Vibration parameters assessment to develop a continuous lateral canopy shaker for mechanical harvesting of traditional olive trees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sola-Guirado, R.R.; Jimenez-Jimenez, F.; Blanco-Roldan, G.L.; Castro-Garcia, S.; Castillo-Ruiz, F.J.; Gil Ribes, J.A.

2016-11-01

The fruit harvesting is a key factor involving both product quality and profitability. Particularly, mechanical harvesting of traditional oil olive orchards is hint by tree training system for manual harvesting, tree size and several and slanted trunks which makes difficult trunk shaker work. Therefore, canopy shaker technology could be a feasible alternative to develop an integral harvester able to work on irregular canopies. The aim of this research was to determine vibration parameters applied to the olive tree for efficient mechanical harvesting by canopy shaker measuring fruit removal efficiency and debris. In this work, a continuous lateral canopy shaker harvester has been developed and tested on large olive trees in order to analyse the operating harvester parameters and tree properties to improve mutual adaptation. Vibration amplitude and frequency, rod density and ground speed were assessed. Vibration amplitude and frequency beside ground speed were decisive factors on fruit removal efficiency. Increasing rod density has not influenced on removal efficiency although it increased significantly debris. Promising results has been reached with 77.3% of removal efficiency, applying a 28 s shaking duration, 0.17 m amplitude vibration and 12 rod drum. This result was obtained reporting 0.26 s of accumulative shaking time over 200 m/s2 resultant acceleration. The canopy shaker mechanism enabled more than 65% of detached fruits to fall vertically, facilitating catch fruit. In order to improve removal efficiency it is advisable to adapt trees, set high amplitude in the shaker mechanism, and enhance the contact time between rods and tree. (Author)

Whole-tree distribution and temporal variation of non-structural carbohydrates in broadleaf evergreen trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Merryn G; Miller, Rebecca E; Arndt, Stefan K; Kasel, Sabine; Bennett, Lauren T

2018-04-01

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) form a fundamental yet poorly quantified carbon pool in trees. Studies of NSC seasonality in forest trees have seldom measured whole-tree NSC stocks and allocation among organs, and are not representative of all tree functional types. Non-structural carbohydrate research has primarily focussed on broadleaf deciduous and coniferous evergreen trees with distinct growing seasons, while broadleaf evergreen trees remain under-studied despite their different growth phenology. We measured whole-tree NSC allocation and temporal variation in Eucalyptus obliqua L'Hér., a broadleaf evergreen tree species typically occurring in mixed-age temperate forests, which has year-round growth and the capacity to resprout after fire. Our overarching objective was to improve the empirical basis for understanding the functional importance of NSC allocation and stock changes at the tree- and organ-level in this tree functional type. Starch was the principal storage carbohydrate and was primarily stored in the stem and roots of young (14-year-old) trees rather than the lignotuber, which did not appear to be a specialized starch storage organ. Whole-tree NSC stocks were depleted during spring and summer due to significant decreases in starch mass in the roots and stem, seemingly to support root and crown growth but potentially exacerbated by water stress in summer. Seasonality of stem NSCs differed between young and mature trees, and was not synchronized with stem basal area increments in mature trees. Our results suggest that the relative magnitude of seasonal NSC stock changes could vary with tree growth stage, and that the main drivers of NSC fluctuations in broadleaf evergreen trees in temperate biomes could be periodic disturbances such as summer drought and fire, rather than growth phenology. These results have implications for understanding post-fire tree recovery via resprouting, and for incorporating NSC pools into carbon models of mixed

Systems Analysis of Ten Supply Chains for Whole Tree Chips

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Helmer Belbo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Whole trees from energy thinnings constitute one of many forest fuel sources, yet ten widely applied supply chains could be defined for this feedstock alone. These ten represent only a subset of the real possibilities, as felling method was held constant and only a single market (combustion of whole tree chips was considered. Stages included in-field, roadside landing, terminal, and conversion plant, and biomass states at each of these included loose whole trees, bundled whole trees or chipped material. Assumptions on prices, performances, and conversion rates were based on field trials and published literature in similar boreal forest conditions. The economic outcome was calculated on the basis of production, handling, treatment and storage costs and losses. Outcomes were tested for robustness on a range of object volumes (50–350 m3solid, extraction distances (50–550 m and transport distances (10–70 km using simulation across a set of discrete values. Transport was calculated for both a standard 19.5 m and an extended 24 m timber truck. Results showed that the most expensive chain (roadside bundling, roadside storage, terminal storage and delivery using a 19.5 m timber truck at 158 € td−1 was 23% more costly than the cheapest chain (roadside chipping and direct transport to conversion plant with container truck, at 128 € td−1. Outcomes vary at specific object volumes and transport distances, highlighting the need to verify assumptions, although standard deviations around mean supply costs for each chain were small (6%–9%. Losses at all stages were modelled, with the largest losses (23 € td−1 occurring in the chains including bundles. The study makes all methods and assumptions explicit and can assist the procurement manager in understanding the mechanisms at work.

Stand, Harvest, and Equipment Interactions in Simulated Harvesting Prescriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Jingxin Wang; W. Dale Greene; Bryce J. Stokes

1998-01-01

We evaluated potential interactions of stand type, harvesting method, and equipment in an experiment using interactive simulation. We examined three felling methods (chain saw, feller-buncher, harvester) and two extraction methods (grapple skidder and forwarder) performing clearcuts, sheltenvood cuts, and single-tree selection cuts in both an uneven-aged natural stand...

Construction of a phylogenetic tree of photosynthetic prokaryotes based on average similarities of whole genome sequences.

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Soichirou Satoh

Full Text Available Phylogenetic trees have been constructed for a wide range of organisms using gene sequence information, especially through the identification of orthologous genes that have been vertically inherited. The number of available complete genome sequences is rapidly increasing, and many tools for construction of genome trees based on whole genome sequences have been proposed. However, development of a reasonable method of using complete genome sequences for construction of phylogenetic trees has not been established. We have developed a method for construction of phylogenetic trees based on the average sequence similarities of whole genome sequences. We used this method to examine the phylogeny of 115 photosynthetic prokaryotes, i.e., cyanobacteria, Chlorobi, proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes and nonphotosynthetic organisms including Archaea. Although the bootstrap values for the branching order of phyla were low, probably due to lateral gene transfer and saturated mutation, the obtained tree was largely consistent with the previously reported phylogenetic trees, indicating that this method is a robust alternative to traditional phylogenetic methods.

Improving estimation of tree carbon stocks by harvesting aboveground woody biomass within airborne LiDAR flight areas

Science.gov (United States)

Colgan, M.; Asner, G. P.; Swemmer, A. M.

2011-12-01

The accurate estimation of carbon stored in a tree is essential to accounting for the carbon emissions due to deforestation and degradation. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has been successful in estimating aboveground carbon density (ACD) by correlating airborne metrics, such as canopy height, to field-estimated biomass. This latter step is reliant on field allometry which is applied to forest inventory quantities, such as stem diameter and height, to predict the biomass of a given tree stem. Constructing such allometry is expensive, time consuming, and requires destructive sampling. Consequently, the sample sizes used to construct such allometry are often small, and the largest tree sampled is often much smaller than the largest in the forest population. The uncertainty resulting from these sampling errors can lead to severe biases when the allometry is applied to stems larger than those harvested to construct the allometry, which is then subsequently propagated to airborne ACD estimates. The Kruger National Park (KNP) mission of maintaining biodiversity coincides with preserving ecosystem carbon stocks. However, one hurdle to accurately quantifying carbon density in savannas is that small stems are typically harvested to construct woody biomass allometry, yet they are not representative of Kruger's distribution of biomass. Consequently, these equations inadequately capture large tree variation in sapwood/hardwood composition, root/shoot/leaf allocation, branch fall, and stem rot. This study eliminates the "middleman" of field allometry by directly measuring, or harvesting, tree biomass within the extent of airborne LiDAR. This enables comparisons of field and airborne ACD estimates, and also enables creation of new airborne algorithms to estimate biomass at the scale of individual trees. A field campaign was conducted at Pompey Silica Mine 5km outside Kruger National Park, South Africa, in Mar-Aug 2010 to harvest and weigh tree mass. Since

Improved prediction of hardwood tree biomass derived from wood density estimates and form factors for whole trees

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David W. MacFarlane; Neil R. Ver Planck

2012-01-01

Data from hardwood trees in Michigan were analyzed to investigate how differences in whole-tree form and wood density between trees of different stem diameter relate to residual error in standard-type biomass equations. The results suggested that whole-tree wood density, measured at breast height, explained a significant proportion of residual error in standard-type...

Laser scanning measurements on trees for logging harvesting operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yili; Liu, Jinhao; Wang, Dian; Yang, Ruixi

2012-01-01

Logging harvesters represent a set of high-performance modern forestry machinery, which can finish a series of continuous operations such as felling, delimbing, peeling, bucking and so forth with human intervention. It is found by experiment that during the process of the alignment of the harvesting head to capture the trunk, the operator needs a lot of observation, judgment and repeated operations, which lead to the time and fuel losses. In order to improve the operation efficiency and reduce the operating costs, the point clouds for standing trees are collected with a low-cost 2D laser scanner. A cluster extracting algorithm and filtering algorithm are used to classify each trunk from the point cloud. On the assumption that every cross section of the target trunk is approximate a standard circle and combining the information of an Attitude and Heading Reference System, the radii and center locations of the trunks in the scanning range are calculated by the Fletcher-Reeves conjugate gradient algorithm. The method is validated through experiments in an aspen forest, and the optimized calculation time consumption is compared with the previous work of other researchers. Moreover, the implementation of the calculation result for automotive capturing trunks by the harvesting head during the logging operation is discussed in particular.

Enviromentally Sound Timber Extracting Techniques for Small Tree Harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Lihai Wang

1999-01-01

Due to large area disturbed and great deal of energy cost during-its operations, introducing or applying the appropriate timber extracting techniques could significantly reduce the impact of timber extraction operations to forest environment while pursuing the reasonable operation costs. Four environmentally sound timber extraction techniques for small tree harvesting...

Harvesting small trees for bio-energy

Science.gov (United States)

John Klepac; Robert Rummer; Jason Thompson

2011-01-01

A conventional whole-tree logging operation consisting of 4-wheeled and 3-wheeled saw-head feller-bunchers, two grapple skidders and a chipper that produces dirty chips was monitored across several stands and machine performance evaluated. Stands were inventoried to determine density, volume, and basal area per acre and will be used to relate machine performance to...

Pine Harvest Impact on Soil Structure of a Dystric Cambisol (Humic

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Adriano da Costa

2016-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Traffic of heavy machinery at harvest and log extraction causes structural degradation of the soil, but studies on the effects of forest harvesting on soils with high organic matter content and exchangeable Al are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of mechanized forest harvesting operations on a Dystric Cambisol (Humic with high organic matter (more 50 g kg1 content and exchangeable Al (more 6,0 cmolc kg-1, reforested with Pinus taeda L. The evaluated harvesting system were the whole-tree, in which the feller-buncher cuts and lays the trees down in bundles; the skidder drags the tree bundles up near a road; and the harvester delimbs and cuts the trees into short logs, stacking them on the roadside to be loaded onto trucks. The areas were evaluated for soil conditions at pre-harvest, prior to harvest, and at post-harvest, consisting of areas of low disturbance, high disturbance, forest residues and log yards. The effects of compaction after forest harvesting are observed by the decrease in total porosity (especially biopores and macropores, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and stability of aggregates. After forest harvesting, soil compaction was observed in all evaluated situations, but with different depths depending on operation type and the intensity of traffic carried in each area.

Modelling in 3D the olive trees cultures in order to establish the forces (interval) needed for automatic harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Babanatsas, T.; Glăvan, D. O.; Babanatis Merce, R. M.; Maris, S. A.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to bring as much as possible, close to real situation the 3D modelling for the olive trees in order to establish the necessary forces for automatic harvesting (harvesting robots). To fulfil our goal we have at our disposal different ways to do modelling very close to the real situation. One way is to use reality capture software (its results being photos) that are converted into a real 3D model, the disadvantage of the method being a mesh model that is not accurate enough. The reasonable alternative is to develop an experiment by measuring a sample orchard of olive trees (experiment who took place in Halkidiki, Greece, measuring over 120 trees). After establishing the real dimensions, we adopted as model the media that we have measured (the height of the tree, the thickness of branches, number of branches, etc.), model which we consider closer to the reality and therefor more suitable for our simulation.

Analysis of fruit and oil quantity and quality distribution in high-density olive trees in order to improve the mechanical harvesting process

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Francisco J. Castillo-Ruiz

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Olive fruit production and oil quality distribution with respect to canopy distribution are important criteria for selection and improvement of mechanical harvesting methods. Tests were performed in a high-density olive orchard (Olea europea L., cv. Arbequina in southern Spain. Fruit distribution, fruit properties and oil parameters were measured by taken separate samples for each canopy location and tree. Results showed a high percentage of fruits and oil located in the middle-outer and upper canopy, representing more than 60% of total production. The position of these fruits along with their higher weight per fruit, maturity index and polyphenol content make them the target for all mechanical harvesting systems. The fruits from the lower canopy represented close to 30% of fruit and oil production, however, the mechanical harvesting of these fruits is inefficient for mechanical harvesting systems. Whether these fruits cannot be properly harvested, enhance tree training to raise their position is recommended. Fruits located inside the canopy are not a target location for mechanical harvesting systems as they were a small percentage of the total fruit (<10%. Significant differences were found for polyphenol content with respect to canopy height, although this was not the case with acidity. In addition, the ripening index did not influence polyphenol content and acidity values within the canopy. Fruit production, properties and oil quality varied depending on fruit canopy position. Thus harvesting systems may be targeted at maximize harvesting efficiency including an adequate tree training system adapted to the harvesting system.

Analysis of fruit and oil quantity and quality distribution in high-density olive trees in order to improve the mechanical harvesting process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castillo-Ruiz, F. J.; Jiménez-Jiménez, F.; Blanco-Roldán, G.L.; Sola-Guirado, R. R.; Agüera-Vega, J.; Castro-Garcia, S.

2015-07-01

Olive fruit production and oil quality distribution with respect to canopy distribution are important criteria for selection and improvement of mechanical harvesting methods. Tests were performed in a high-density olive orchard (Olea europea L., cv. Arbequina) in southern Spain. Fruit distribution, fruit properties and oil parameters were measured by taken separate samples for each canopy location and tree. Results showed a high percentage of fruits and oil located in the middle-outer and upper canopy, representing more than 60% of total production. The position of these fruits along with their higher weight per fruit, maturity index and polyphenol content make them the target for all mechanical harvesting systems. The fruits from the lower canopy represented close to 30% of fruit and oil production, however, the mechanical harvesting of these fruits is inefficient for mechanical harvesting systems. Whether these fruits cannot be properly harvested, enhance tree training to raise their position is recommended. Fruits located inside the canopy are not a target location for mechanical harvesting systems as they were a small percentage of the total fruit (<10%). Significant differences were found for polyphenol content with respect to canopy height, although this was not the case with acidity. In addition, the ripening index did not influence polyphenol content and acidity values within the canopy. Fruit production, properties and oil quality varied depending on fruit canopy position. Thus harvesting systems may be targeted at maximize harvesting efficiency including an adequate tree training system adapted to the harvesting system. (Author)

A combimachine for harvesting of small sized trees; Pienpuun keraeilykaatoon perustuvan harvennuskoneen kehittaeminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lilleberg, R [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1997-12-31

The goal of the project was to develop a combimachine suitable for the harvesting of small sized trees in first thinning. The use of such a machine could considerably decrease harvesting costs in first thinning. The basic idea with the combimachine is, that the same machine both fells the trees and transports the timber to roadside storages. A forwarder was equipped with a lightweight felling device, which also can do the crosscutting and loading. When harvesting undelimbed timber the forwarder could be equipped with a load-compressing device. During the spring 1995 a trial was made with a combimachine in a first thinning stand of pine. An ordinary forwarder was equipped with the `Naarva-grapple` a device for felling, crosscutting and loading. The aim was to test how the felling device is working, to examine time expenditure for two different working methods and to collect data for the further development of the machine. The trial showed a need to add a delimbing feature to the Naarva-grapple. The need for delimbing is based on the fact, obtained during the trial, that productivity in transport of delimbed timber was over 30 % higher than in transport of undelimbed pieces. A device capable of delimbing was designed, and it was ready for a prototype test in December 1995. The idea worked, but also showed a lot of details which have to be redesigned, before the device is ready for manufacturing and marketing

A combimachine for harvesting of small sized trees; Pienpuun keraeilykaatoon perustuvan harvennuskoneen kehittaeminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lilleberg, R. [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1996-12-31

The goal of the project was to develop a combimachine suitable for the harvesting of small sized trees in first thinning. The use of such a machine could considerably decrease harvesting costs in first thinning. The basic idea with the combimachine is, that the same machine both fells the trees and transports the timber to roadside storages. A forwarder was equipped with a lightweight felling device, which also can do the crosscutting and loading. When harvesting undelimbed timber the forwarder could be equipped with a load-compressing device. During the spring 1995 a trial was made with a combimachine in a first thinning stand of pine. An ordinary forwarder was equipped with the `Naarva-grapple` a device for felling, crosscutting and loading. The aim was to test how the felling device is working, to examine time expenditure for two different working methods and to collect data for the further development of the machine. The trial showed a need to add a delimbing feature to the Naarva-grapple. The need for delimbing is based on the fact, obtained during the trial, that productivity in transport of delimbed timber was over 30 % higher than in transport of undelimbed pieces. A device capable of delimbing was designed, and it was ready for a prototype test in December 1995. The idea worked, but also showed a lot of details which have to be redesigned, before the device is ready for manufacturing and marketing

Initial responses of rove and ground beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Carabidae) to removal of logging residues following clearcut harvesting in the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Work, Timothy T; Klimaszewski, Jan; Thiffault, Evelyne; Bourdon, Caroline; Paré, David; Bousquet, Yves; Venier, Lisa; Titus, Brian

2013-01-01

Increased interest in biomass harvesting for bioenergetic applications has raised questions regarding the potential ecological consequences on forest biodiversity. Here we evaluate the initial changes in the abundance, species richness and community composition of rove (Staphylinidae) and ground beetles (Carabidae), immediately following 1) stem-only harvesting (SOH), in which logging debris (i.e., tree tops and branches) are retained on site, and 2) whole-tree harvesting (WTH), in which stems, tops and branches are removed in mature balsam fir stands in Quebec, Canada. Beetles were collected throughout the summer of 2011, one year following harvesting, using pitfall traps. Overall catch rates were greater in uncut forest (Control) than either stem-only or whole-tree harvested sites. Catch rates in WTH were greater than SOH sites. Uncut stands were characterized primarily by five species: Atheta capsularis, Atheta klagesi, Atheta strigosula, Tachinus fumipennis/frigidus complex (Staphylinidae) and to a lesser extent to Pterostichus punctatissimus(Carabidae). Increased catch rates in WTH sites, where post-harvest biomass was less, were attributable to increased catches of rove beetles Pseudopsis subulata, Quedius labradorensis and to a lesser extent Gabrius brevipennis. We were able to characterize differences in beetle assemblages between harvested and non-harvested plots as well as differences between whole tree (WTH) and stem only (SOH) harvested sites where logging residues had been removed or left following harvest. However, the overall assemblage response was largely a recapitulation of the responses of several abundant species.

Initial responses of rove and ground beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Carabidae to removal of logging residues following clearcut harvesting in the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada

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Timothy Work

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Increased interest in biomass harvesting for bioenergetic applications has raised questions regarding the potential ecological consequences on forest biodiversity. Here we evaluate the initial changes in the abundance, species richness and community composition of rove (Staphylinidae and ground beetles (Carabidae, immediately following 1 stem-only harvesting (SOH, in which logging debris (i.e., tree tops and branches are retained on site, and 2 whole-tree harvesting (WTH, in which stems, tops and branches are removed in mature balsam fir stands in Quebec, Canada. Beetles were collected throughout the summer of 2011, one year following harvesting, using pitfall traps. Overall catch rates were greater in uncut forest (Control than either stem-only or whole-tree harvested sites. Catch rates in WTH were greater than SOH sites. Uncut stands were characterized primarily by five species: Atheta capsularis, A. klagesi, A. strigosula, Tachinus fumipennis/frigidus complex (Staphylinidae and to a lesser extent to Pterostichus punctatissimus (Carabidae. Increased catch rates in WTH sites, where post-harvest biomass was less, were attributable to increased catches of rove beetles Pseudopsis subulata, Quedius labradorensis and to a lesser extent Gabrius brevipennis. We were able to characterize differences in beetle assemblages between harvested and non-harvested plots as well as differences between whole tree (WTH and stem only (SOH harvested sites where logging residues had been removed or left following harvest. However, the overall assemblage response was largely a recapitulation of the responses of several abundant species.

Early regeneration response to aggregated overstory and harvest residue retention in Populus tremuloides (Michx.)-dominated forests

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda T. Curzon; Anthony W. D' Amato; Brian J. Palik

2017-01-01

Recent emphasis on increasing structural complexity and species diversity reflective of natural ecosystems through the use of retention harvesting approaches is coinciding with increased demand for forest-derived bioenergy feedstocks, largely sourced through the removal of harvest residues associated with whole-tree harvest. Uncertainties about the consequences of such...

Whole-tree bark and wood properties of loblolly pine from intensively managed plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Finto Antony; Laurence R. Schimleck; Richard F. Daniels; Alexander Clark; Bruce E. Borders; Michael B. Kane; Harold E. Burkhart

2015-01-01

A study was conducted to identify geographical variation in loblolly pine bark and wood properties at the whole-tree level and to quantify the responses in whole-tree bark and wood properties following contrasting silvicultural practices that included planting density, weed control, and fertilization. Trees were destructively sampled from both conventionally managed...

Project whole tree utilization. Final summary report 1977

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-01-01

The emerging shortage of wood fiber and the energy crisis in 1973 initiated this study to analyze the prospect of fuller utilization of the wood fiber resources. At a foreseen gross removal 75 million m/sup 3/sk, corresponding to around 62 million m/sup 3/ solid merchantable wood under bark, around 50 million m/sup 3/ solid volume, including needles, leaves, etc., is left in the forest, corresponding to around 30 million m/sup 3/ wood fiber. In general, these additional quantities are relatively more expensive than the normal wood, and of an inferior quality. Continued developments of machines and systems are urgent if the cost of harvesting is to be reduced. The ecological impact is varied. Stump extraction involves favorable soil preparation and diminishes the risk of insect infestations. Wood residues and stumps should not be removed on unfertile soils, poor in organic matter. On other forest soils it is unlikely that whole tree utilization will have any long term negative effect on soil fertility. However, needles, leaves, small branches, and roots should preferably be left since they are especially rich in nutrients. It was concluded that the short rotation energy forest will produce a fuel which is more expensive than available logging waste.

Tree mortality from fires, bark beetles, and timber harvest during a hot and dry decade in the western United States (2003-2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Berner, Logan T.; Law, Beverly E.; Meddens, Arjan J. H.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.

2017-06-01

High temperatures and severe drought contributed to extensive tree mortality from fires and bark beetles during the 2000s in parts of the western continental United States. Several states in this region have greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets and would benefit from information on the amount of carbon stored in tree biomass killed by disturbance. We quantified mean annual tree mortality from fires, bark beetles, and timber harvest from 2003-2012 for each state in this region. We estimated tree mortality from fires and beetles using tree aboveground carbon (AGC) stock and disturbance data sets derived largely from remote sensing. We quantified tree mortality from harvest using data from US Forest Service reports. In both cases, we used Monte Carlo analyses to track uncertainty associated with parameter error and temporal variability. Regional tree mortality from harvest, beetles, and fires (MORTH+B+F) together averaged 45.8 ± 16.0 Tg AGC yr-1 (±95% confidence interval), indicating a mortality rate of 1.10 ± 0.38% yr-1. Harvest accounted for the largest percentage of MORTH+B+F (˜50%), followed by beetles (˜32%), and fires (˜18%). Tree mortality from harvest was concentrated in Washington and Oregon, where harvest accounted for ˜80% of MORTH+B+F in each state. Tree mortality from beetles occurred widely at low levels across the region, yet beetles had pronounced impacts in Colorado and Montana, where they accounted for ˜80% of MORTH+B+F. Tree mortality from fires was highest in California, though fires accounted for the largest percentage of MORTH+B+F in Arizona and New Mexico (˜50%). Drought and human activities shaped regional variation in tree mortality, highlighting opportunities and challenges to managing GHG emissions from forests. Rising temperatures and greater risk of drought will likely increase tree mortality from fires and bark beetles during coming decades in this region. Thus, sustained monitoring and mapping of tree mortality is necessary to

Orange Recognition on Tree Using Image Processing Method Based on Lighting Density Pattern

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H. R Ahmadi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Within the last few years, a new tendency has been created towards robotic harvesting of oranges and some of citrus fruits. The first step in robotic harvesting is accurate recognition and positioning of fruits. Detection through image processing by color cameras and computer is currently the most common method. Obviously, a harvesting robot faces with natural conditions and, therefore, detection must be done in various light conditions and environments. In this study, it was attempted to provide a suitable algorithm for recognizing the orange fruits on tree. In order to evaluate the proposed algorithm, 500 images were taken in different conditions of canopy, lighting and the distance to the tree. The algorithm included sub-routines for optimization, segmentation, size filtering, separation of fruits based on lighting density method and coordinates determination. In this study, MLP neural network (with 3 hidden layers was used for segmentation that was found to be successful with an accuracy of 88.2% in correct detection. As there exist a high percentage of the clustered oranges in images, any algorithm aiming to detect oranges on the trees successfully should offer a solution to separate these oranges first. A new method based on the light and shade density method was applied and evaluated in this research. Finally, the accuracies for differentiation and recognition were obtained to be 89.5% and 88.2%, respectively.

Effects of variable retention harvesting on natural tree regeneration in Pinus resinosa (red pine) forests

Science.gov (United States)

Margaret W. Roberts; Anthony W. D' Amato; Christel C. Kern; Brian J. Palik

2017-01-01

Concerns over loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity in managed forests have led to the development of silvicultural approaches that meet ecological goals as well as sustain timber production. Variable Retention Harvest (VRH) practices, which maintain mature overstory trees across harvested areas, have been suggested as an approach to balance these objectives;...

Production and cost of harvesting, processing, and transporting small-diameter (< 5 inches) trees for energy

Science.gov (United States)

Fei Pan; Han-Sup Han; Leonard R. Johnson; William J. Elliot

2008-01-01

Dense, small-diameter stands generally require thinning from below to improve fire-tolerance. The resulting forest biomass can be used for energy production. The cost of harvesting, processing, and transporting small-diameter trees often exceeds revenues due to high costs associated with harvesting and transportation and low market values for forest biomass....

Modeling whole-tree carbon assimilation rate using observed transpiration rates and needle sugar carbon isotope ratios.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jia; Moore, David J P; Riveros-Iregui, Diego A; Burns, Sean P; Monson, Russell K

2010-03-01

*Understanding controls over plant-atmosphere CO(2) exchange is important for quantifying carbon budgets across a range of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we used a simple approach to estimate whole-tree CO(2) assimilation rate (A(Tree)) in a subalpine forest ecosystem. *We analysed the carbon isotope ratio (delta(13)C) of extracted needle sugars and combined it with the daytime leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit to estimate tree water-use efficiency (WUE). The estimated WUE was then combined with observations of tree transpiration rate (E) using sap flow techniques to estimate A(Tree). Estimates of A(Tree) for the three dominant tree species in the forest were combined with species distribution and tree size to estimate and gross primary productivity (GPP) using an ecosystem process model. *A sensitivity analysis showed that estimates of A(Tree) were more sensitive to dynamics in E than delta(13)C. At the ecosystem scale, the abundance of lodgepole pine trees influenced seasonal dynamics in GPP considerably more than Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir because of its greater sensitivity of E to seasonal climate variation. *The results provide the framework for a nondestructive method for estimating whole-tree carbon assimilation rate and ecosystem GPP over daily-to weekly time scales.

Effects of intensive harvesting on forest floor properties in Betula papyrifera stands in Newfoundland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, B.A.; Deering, K.W.; Titus, B.D.

1998-01-01

This study investigates litter and organic matter production and related site ecology in nine medium to high quality Betula papyrifera stands in three locations in central Newfoundland on a variety of land form and drainage conditions. Three sites, Badger West (BW), Moose Pond (MP) and Middleton Lake (ML) were selected. The ML site has the highest quality (with the best height/age ratio, 18 m/60 yr, and height/DBH ratio, 18 m/30 cm), followed by MP and BW. Litter depth on well developed moders or mulls was usually 2 - 3 cm and varied from 1 - 15 cm. Forest floor depths (measured in 324 profiles) rarely reached 20 cm and was commonly 5 - 10 cm; it varied with position and site. Total and available nutrients indicate that B. papyrifera produces one of the highest-quality organic matter types of the local forest types and is important in improving site quality. The mean N-concentration in green foliage (2.21 %) and trapped litter (1.03 %) was highest at the best quality site ML, followed by MP and BW. The concentration of calcium, 0.85 %, was highest at the poorest quality site. Four years after harvesting, litter depth significantly decreased in all sites and treatments with the exception of the BW whole-tree harvest treatment. Total forest floor depth significantly decreased at all sites in the stem-only harvest treatment as well as the MP whole-tree harvest treatment. There was a significant decrease in available nitrogen following harvesting in both treatments at both the MP and BW sites. Change in available phosphorus was insignificant, with the exception of an increase in the MP stem-only harvest treatment. There was a significant decrease in available potassium at both the ML and BW whole-tree harvest treatments, but a significant increase in the stem-only harvest treatments at ML and MP. There was a significant decrease in available calcium in both treatments at both the MP and BW sites 34 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

[Development of whole process quality control and management system of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces based on traditional Chinese medicine quality tree].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Wen-Kang; Dong, Ling; Pei, Wen-Xuan; Sun, Zhi-Rong; Dai, Jun-Dong; Wang, Yun

2017-12-01

The whole process quality control and management of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces is a system engineering, involving the base environment, seeds and seedlings, harvesting, processing and other multiple steps, so the accurate identification of factors in TCM production process that may induce the quality risk, as well as reasonable quality control measures are very important. At present, the concept of quality risk is mainly concentrated in the aspects of management and regulations, etc. There is no comprehensive analysis on possible risks in the quality control process of TCM decoction pieces, or analysis summary of effective quality control schemes. A whole process quality control and management system for TCM decoction pieces based on TCM quality tree was proposed in this study. This system effectively combined the process analysis method of TCM quality tree with the quality risk management, and can help managers to make real-time decisions while realizing the whole process quality control of TCM. By providing personalized web interface, this system can realize user-oriented information feedback, and was convenient for users to predict, evaluate and control the quality of TCM. In the application process, the whole process quality control and management system of the TCM decoction pieces can identify the related quality factors such as base environment, cultivation and pieces processing, extend and modify the existing scientific workflow according to their own production conditions, and provide different enterprises with their own quality systems, to achieve the personalized service. As a new quality management model, this paper can provide reference for improving the quality of Chinese medicine production and quality standardization. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Effects of vibration on stone pine trees (Pinus pinea L.) on the vigor of the trees: crown density, growth shoots and parasites of weak trees.; Efectos del vibrado del pino pinonero (Pinus pinea L.) en el vigor de los arboles: densidad de copa, crecimiento de guias y parasitos de debilidad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez-Zurimendi, P.; Alvarez, J. M.; Pando, V.; Dominguez, M.; Gordo, J.; Finat, L.; Sierra-De-Grado, R.

2009-07-01

In the northwest of Spain the mechanized harvesting of pine cones is more and more frequent. In order to quantify the effects of vibration on the vigor of the trees, parcels of stone pine were planted in plateau and countryside. Both the mechanized and manual harvests were analyzed in adult and young trees. The growth of the tree shoots was measured. The presence and abundance of three insect plagues was analyzed in those same trees: Tacoma's piniperda, Rhyacionia buoliana and Thaumetopoea pityocampa. The average shoot length of those trees manually harvested was superior to that of those mechanically harvested. The difference was very significant in young trees (40-50 years old) in the countryside and in adult trees (more than 80 years) on the plateau. Rhyacionia buoliana was more abundant in adult trees that young trees, but the relation of its abundance with the harvest method was not seen. The presence of Tomicus piniperda was rare and was only detected in mechanically harvested stands. Thaumetopoea pityocampa was more frequent in trees harvested by hand than those harvested mechanically and was more abundant in young stands. The percentage tree of defoliation was low in all stands independent of harvest method. (Author) 45 refs.

New harvesting technology in forest fuel procurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raitila, J. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)), Email: jyrki.raitila@vtt.fi; Kaerhae, K. (Metsaeteho Oy, Helsinki (Finland)), Email: kalle.karha@metsateho.fi; Jylhae, P. (Finnish Forest Research Inst., Kannus (Finland)), Email: paula.jylha@metla.fi; Laitila, J. (Finnish Forest Research Inst., Joensuu (Finland)), Email: juha.laitila@metla.fi

2009-07-01

In order to increase the use of forest fuels, a regional development project was launched in the fall of 2008. The co-ordinator of the project is Metsaekeskus Keski-Suomi (Forestry Centre of Central Finland), while VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) is in charge of research and technical development. The aim of this project is to enhance energy wood procurement from early thinnings, to develop the supply chains of pine stump extraction, and to reduce storage losses of energy wood at roadside landings and at terminals. The results of a pre-feasibility study on the first-generation feller-bundler (Fixteri) by Metsaeteho Oy and the Finnish Forest Research Institute indicates that whole-tree bundling might enable undercutting of the current costs of separate procurement of pulp-wood and energy wood from first-thinning stands. The greatest cost-saving potential lies in small-diameter (d{sub 1.3} = 7-10 cm) first-thinning stands, which are currently relatively unprofitable sites for conventional pulpwood procurement based on single-tree harvesting. Preliminary tests of seasoning of whole-tree bundles have been very encouraging. In some cases the moisture content of energy wood bundles has decreased from 55 % to 25 % after about year of seasoning at the roadside (two summers). One of the most promising devices for pine stump harvesting was developed by Karelian Puu ja Metalli Oy. (orig.)

Rooting Rose Cuttings in Whole Pine Tree Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Increased demand for alternatives to pine bark (PB) and peat moss (P) has led to extensive research on wood-based substrates, such as processed whole pine trees (WPT), for nursery and greenhouse crop production. Limited information is available on how WPT may perform as a rooting substrate for cutti...

Assessing soil calcium depletion following growth and harvesting of Sitka spruce plantation forestry in the acid sensitive Welsh uplands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Reynolds

1998-01-01

Full Text Available A simple mass balance has been used to estimate soil calcium depletion during the growth of a 50 year old Sitka spruce crop on acid, base-poor peaty podzol soils in upland Wales. Growth of the crop will deplete the soil calcium reserve by an amount (205 kg Ca ha-1 approximately equivalent to the exchangeable calcium pool to the bottom of the profile and equal to 14% of the total soil calcium reserve to the bottom of the B horizon. Despite these predictions, measurements of exchangeable calcium show no differences beneath mature forest and acid grassland, implying that i weathering rates in forest soils are greater than long-term estimates and predictions by the PROFILE soil chemistry model ii the trees can access other sources of calcium or iii there are significant errors in the mass balance. Following stem-only harvesting, growth of a 50 year old second rotation crop will lead to further depletion of soil calcium, but this amount (79 kg Ca ha-1, is less than for a second rotation crop following whole-tree harvesting (197 kg Ca ha-1. After the first crop, stem-only harvesting would allow a further 18 rotations before depletion of the total calcium reserve to the bottom of the B horizon. Whole-tree harvesting would allow for seven rotations after the first crop. These calculations assume that all sources of calcium are equally available to the crop. This can only be resolved by dynamic modelling of the calcium cycle at the ecosystem scale based on appropriate field measurements. The potential for significant soil acidification is therefore greater following whole-tree harvesting and, in line with current recommendations (Nisbet et al., 1997, this technique should probably be avoided on acidic, nutrient-poor soils unless remedial measures are included to enhance the soil base cation status.

Cost, energy use and GHG emissions for forest biomass harvesting operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fengli; Johnson, Dana M.; Wang, Jinjiang; Yu, Chunxia

2016-01-01

For forest-based biomass to become a significant contribution to the United States' energy portfolio, harvesting operations must be physically feasible and economically viable. An assessment of cost, energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of forest biomass harvesting was conducted. The assessment differentiates harvesting systems by cut-to-length and whole tree; harvest types of 30%, 70%, and 100% cut; and forest types of hardwoods, softwoods, mixed hardwood/softwood, and softwood plantations. Harvesting cost models were developed for economic assessment and life cycle energy and emission assessment was applied to calculate energy and emissions for different harvesting scenarios, considering material and energy inputs (machinery, diesel, etc.) and outputs (GHG emissions) for each harvesting process (felling, forwarding/skidding, etc.). The developed harvesting cost models and the life cycle energy and emission assessment method were applied in Michigan, U.S. using information collected from different sources. A sensitivity analysis was performed for selected input variables for the harvesting operations in order to explore their relative importance. The results indicated that productivity had the largest impact on harvesting cost followed by machinery purchase price, yearly scheduled hours, and expected utilization. Productivity and fuel use, as well as fuel factors, are the most influential environmental impacts of harvesting operations. - Highlights: • Life cycle energy and emissions for forest biomass harvesting operations. • Harvesting cost models were developed for economic assessment. • Productivity had the largest impact on harvesting cost. • Fuel use contributes the most emissions while lubricants contribute the least.

Juvenile tree growth on some volcanic ash soils disturbed by prior forest harvest.

Science.gov (United States)

J. Michael Geist; John W. Hazard; Kenneth W. Seidel

2008-01-01

The effects of mechanical disturbance from traditional ground-based logging and site preparation on volcanic ash soil and associated tree growth were investigated by using two study approaches in a retrospective study. This research was conducted on volcanic ash soils within previously harvested units in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southwest Washington....

Does tree harvesting in riparian areas increase stream sedimentation and turbidity - world-wide experience relative to Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Neary, D.; Smethurst, P.; Petrone, K.

2009-04-01

A typical improved-pasture property in the high-rainfall zone of Australia contains 0.5-2.0 km of waterways per 100 ha. Nationwide, some 25-30 million ha of improved pasture contains about 100,000 km of streams, of which about 75% are currently un-buffered and contributing to soil and water degradation. Farmers and natural resource managers are considering ways to enhance environmental outcomes at farm and catchment scales using stream-side buffers of trees and other perennial vegetation. Benefits of buffers include improved water quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and aesthetics. Lack of sound information and funding for establishing and managing buffer zones is hindering wide-scale adoption of this practice. Stream-side areas of farms are generally highly productive (wet and nutrient-rich) and contain a high biodiversity, but they are also high-risk zones for soil and water values and stock safety. Development of options based on a balance between environmental and economic outcomes would potentially promote wider adoption. Australian codes of forest practice currently discourage or prevent harvesting of trees in streamside buffers. These codes were developed exclusively for large-scale native forests and industrial-scale plantations, and were applicable to farm forestry as now required. In countries including USA and Germany trees in stream-side buffers are harvested using Best Management Practices. Trees may grow at a faster rate in riparian zones and provide a commercial return, but the impacts of tree establishment and harvesting on water yield and quality must be evaluated. However, there have been few designed experiments investigating this problem. Australia has recently initiated studies to explore the use of high-value timber species and associated vegetation in riparian zones to improve water quality, particularly suspended sediment. Preliminary information from the Yan Yan Gurt Catchment in Victoria indicate that forested riparian strips can

Computer Vision for Timber Harvesting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg

The goal of this thesis is to investigate computer vision methods for timber harvesting operations. The background for developing computer vision for timber harvesting is to document origin of timber and to collect qualitative and quantitative parameters concerning the timber for efficient harvest...... segments. The purpose of image segmentation is to make the basis for more advanced computer vision methods like object recognition and classification. Our second method concerns image classification and we present a method where we classify small timber samples to tree species based on Active Appearance...... to the development of the logTracker system the described methods have a general applicability making them useful for many other computer vision problems....

Exemplifying whole-plant ozone uptake in adult forest trees of contrasting species and site conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nunn, Angela J.; Wieser, Gerhard; Metzger, Ursula; Loew, Markus; Wipfler, Philip; Haeberle, Karl-Heinz; Matyssek, Rainer

2007-01-01

Whole-tree O 3 uptake was exemplified for Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica and Larix decidua in stands at high and low altitude and contrasting water availability through sap flow measurement in tree trunks, intrinsically accounting for drought and boundary layer effects on O 3 flux. O 3 uptake of evergreen spruce per unit foliage area was enhanced by 100% at high relative to low elevation, whereas deciduous beech and larch showed similar uptake regardless of altitude. The responsiveness of the canopy conductance to water vapor and, as a consequence, O 3 uptake to soil moisture and air humidity did not differ between species. Unifying findings at the whole-tree level will promote cause-effect based O 3 risk assessment and modeling. - Sap flow-based assessment of whole-tree O 3 uptake reflects similar responsiveness of canopy conductance and O 3 uptake across contrasting tree species and site conditions

Whole tree transportation system for timber processing depots

Science.gov (United States)

John Lancaster; Tom Gallagher; Tim  McDonald; Dana Mitchell

2016-01-01

The growing demand for alternative energy has led those who are interested in producing sustainable energy from renewable timber to devise new concepts to satisfy those demands. The concept of timber processing depots, where whole stem trees will be delivered for future processing into wood products and high quality energy fuel, has led to the re-evaluation of our...

Impacts of Frequent Burning on Live Tree Carbon Biomass and Demography in Post-Harvest Regrowth Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Collins

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The management of forest ecosystems to increase carbon storage is a global concern. Fire frequency has the potential to shift considerably in the future. These shifts may alter demographic processes and growth of tree species, and consequently carbon storage in forests. Examination of the sensitivity of forest carbon to the potential upper and lower extremes of fire frequency will provide crucial insight into the magnitude of possible change in carbon stocks associated with shifts in fire frequency. This study examines how tree biomass and demography of a eucalypt forest regenerating after harvest is affected by two experimentally manipulated extremes in fire frequency (i.e., ~3 year fire intervals vs. unburnt sustained over a 23 year period. The rate of post-harvest biomass recovery of overstorey tree species, which constituted ~90% of total living tree biomass, was lower within frequently burnt plots than unburnt plots, resulting in approximately 20% lower biomass in frequently burnt plots by the end of the study. Significant differences in carbon biomass between the two extremes in frequency were only evident after >15–20 years of sustained treatment. Reduced growth rates and survivorship of smaller trees on the frequently burnt plots compared to unburnt plots appeared to be driving these patterns. The biomass of understorey trees, which constituted ~10% of total living tree biomass, was not affected by frequent burning. These findings suggest that future shifts toward more frequent fire will potentially result in considerable reductions in carbon sequestration across temperate forest ecosystems in Australia.

A simple photographical method for analyzing the radiation interception by an individual tree

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsacker, P. van; Keppens, H.; Impens, I.

1983-01-01

A method for analyzing radiation interception by an individual tree is presented. The use of a whole set of expensive radiation instruments is eliminated, the work-intensive field experiments are reduced to half a day for a large tree (9 m), and neither clear sky conditions nor diffuse radiation data are necessary. It is assumed that for a given azimuth and solar elevation the shading caused by a tree can be estimated photographically by taking a slide in the opposite direction. From slides taken of the whole tree in different directions and from different distances (i.e., different view angles), gap frequencies for certain heights are measured. At each height, gap frequency decreases significantly with increasing solar elevation. By calculating the mean path length within the crown (s) corresponding with each gap frequency (g), a highly significant exponential relationship between both is obtained [g = exp(−0.42s)]. With this equation and by knowing the tree dimensions calculated from the slides, direct and diffuse radiation interception of the whole tree can be estimated. Total leaf area and leaf area density are also calculated. These values agree very well with direct measurements on similar cut trees

Biophysical control of whole tree transpiration under an urban environment in Northern China

Science.gov (United States)

Lixin Chen; Zhiqiang Zhang; Zhandong Li; Jianwu Tang; Peter Caldwell; et al

2011-01-01

Urban reforestation in China has led to increasing debate about the impact of urban trees and forests on water resources. Although transpiration is the largest water flux leaving terrestrial ecosystems, little is known regarding whole tree transpiration in urban environments. In this study, we quantified urban tree transpiration at various temporal scales and examined...

Response of a tropical tree to non-timber forest products harvest and reduction in habitat size

Science.gov (United States)

Kouagou, M’Mouyohoun; Natta, Armand K.; Gado, Choukouratou

2017-01-01

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are widely harvested by local people for their livelihood. Harvest often takes place in human disturbed ecosystems. However, our understanding of NTFPs harvesting impacts in fragmented habitats is limited. We assessed the impacts of fruit harvest, and reduction in habitat size on the population structures of Pentadesma butyracea Sabine (Clusiaceae) across two contrasting ecological regions (dry vs. moist) in Benin. In each region, we selected three populations for each of the three fruit harvesting intensities (low, medium and high). Harvesting intensities were estimated as the proportion of fruits harvested per population. Pentadesma butyracea is found in gallery forests along rivers and streams. We used the width of gallery forests as a measure of habitat size. We found negative effects of fruit harvest on seedling and adult density but no significant effect on population size class distribution in both ecological regions. The lack of significant effect of fruit harvest on population structure may be explained by the ability of P. butyracea to compensate for the negative effect of fruit harvesting by increasing clonal reproduction. Our results suggest that using tree density and population structure to assess the ecological impacts of harvesting clonal plants should be done with caution. PMID:28850624

Response of a tropical tree to non-timber forest products harvest and reduction in habitat size.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orou G Gaoue

Full Text Available Non-timber forest products (NTFPs are widely harvested by local people for their livelihood. Harvest often takes place in human disturbed ecosystems. However, our understanding of NTFPs harvesting impacts in fragmented habitats is limited. We assessed the impacts of fruit harvest, and reduction in habitat size on the population structures of Pentadesma butyracea Sabine (Clusiaceae across two contrasting ecological regions (dry vs. moist in Benin. In each region, we selected three populations for each of the three fruit harvesting intensities (low, medium and high. Harvesting intensities were estimated as the proportion of fruits harvested per population. Pentadesma butyracea is found in gallery forests along rivers and streams. We used the width of gallery forests as a measure of habitat size. We found negative effects of fruit harvest on seedling and adult density but no significant effect on population size class distribution in both ecological regions. The lack of significant effect of fruit harvest on population structure may be explained by the ability of P. butyracea to compensate for the negative effect of fruit harvesting by increasing clonal reproduction. Our results suggest that using tree density and population structure to assess the ecological impacts of harvesting clonal plants should be done with caution.

Sustainability of Mangrove Harvesting: How do Harvesters' Perceptions Differ from Ecological Analysis?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura López-Hoffman

2006-12-01

Full Text Available To harvest biological resources sustainably, it is first necessary to understand what "sustainability" means in an ecological context, and what it means to the people who use the resources. As a case study, we examined the extractive logging of the mangrove Rhizophora mangle in the Río Limón area of Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela. The ecological definition of sustainable harvesting is harvesting that allows population numbers to be maintained or to increase over time. In interviews, the harvesters defined sustainable harvesting as levels permitting the maintenance of the mangrove population over two human generations, about 50 yr. In Río Limón, harvesters extract a combination of small adult and juvenile trees. Harvesting rates ranged from 7-35% of small adult trees. These harvesting levels would be sustainable according to the harvester's definition as long as juvenile harvesting was less than 40%. However, some harvesting levels that would be sustainable according to the harvesters were ecologically unsustainable, i.e., eventually causing declines in mangrove population numbers. It was also determined that the structure of mangrove forests was significantly affected by harvesting; even areas harvested at low, ecologically sustainable intensities had significantly fewer adult trees than undisturbed sites. Western Venezuela has no organized timber industry, so mangrove logs are used in many types of construction. A lagging economy and a lack of alternative construction materials make mangrove harvesting inevitable, and for local people, an economic necessity. This creates a trade-off between preserving the ecological characteristics of the mangrove population and responding to human needs. In order to resolve this situation, we recommended a limited and adaptive mangrove harvesting regime. We also suggest that harvesters could participate in community-based management programs as harvesting monitors.

Effects of Nitrogen Enrichment, Wildfire, and Harvesting on Forest-Soil Carbon and Nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Jennifer L. Parker; Ivan J. Fernandez; Lindsey E. Rustad; Stephen A. Norton

2001-01-01

Northern forest soils represent large reservoirs of C and N that may be altered by ecosystem perturbations. Soils at three paired watershed in Maine were investigated as case studies of experimentally elevated N deposition, wildfire, and whole-tree harvesting. Eight years of experimental (NH4)2SO4...

Individual tree control

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey A. Holt

1989-01-01

Controlling individual unwanted trees in forest stands is a readily accepted method for improving the value of future harvests. The practice is especially important in mixed hardwood forests where species differ considerably in value and within species individual trees differ in quality. Individual stem control is a mechanical or chemical weeding operation that...

Canopy arthropod response to density and distribution of green trees retained after partial harvest.

Science.gov (United States)

Timothy D. Schowalter; Yanli Zhang; Robert A. Progar

2005-01-01

We measured canopy arthropod responses to six contrasting green-tree retention treatments at six locations (blocks) in western Oregon and Washington as part of the Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study. Treatments were 100% retention (uncut), 75% retention with three 1-ha harvested gaps, 40% dispersed retention, 40% aggregated retention with five 1...

International evaluation of Swedish research projects on the environmental impacts of wood fuel harvesting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hornung, M. [Inst. of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands (United Kingdom); Kellomaeki, S. [Joensuu Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forestry; Larsen, J.B. [Royal Veterinary Univ., Fredriksberg (Denmark). Dept. of Economics and Natural Resources

1995-12-31

The purpose of this evaluation was to inform NUTEK of the scientific quality of the research projects, as seen in an international context. The projects were therefore the main elements considered in the evaluation. The main basis of the evaluation was the scientific quality of the research and its relevance to NUTEK`s aims in the application of industrial research and development. The present report is based on the information contained in the written reports submitted by the grant holders, site visits and discussions between the grant holders and the Committee. The report first gives an overview and general recommendations concerning the overall programme on the Environmental Impacts of Wood Fuel Harvest. Thereafter, the projects are evaluated separately. The Committee was unanimous in its conclusions. Evaluated projects: Whole tree harvesting effects on forest soil; Whole tree utilization - forest yield; Nature conservation/Forest energy; Utilizing hardwoods from first thinnings of spruce as fuel wood

International evaluation of Swedish research projects on the environmental impacts of wood fuel harvesting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hornung, M [Inst. of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands (United Kingdom); Kellomaeki, S [Joensuu Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forestry; Larsen, J B [Royal Veterinary Univ., Fredriksberg (Denmark). Dept. of Economics and Natural Resources

1996-12-31

The purpose of this evaluation was to inform NUTEK of the scientific quality of the research projects, as seen in an international context. The projects were therefore the main elements considered in the evaluation. The main basis of the evaluation was the scientific quality of the research and its relevance to NUTEK`s aims in the application of industrial research and development. The present report is based on the information contained in the written reports submitted by the grant holders, site visits and discussions between the grant holders and the Committee. The report first gives an overview and general recommendations concerning the overall programme on the Environmental Impacts of Wood Fuel Harvest. Thereafter, the projects are evaluated separately. The Committee was unanimous in its conclusions. Evaluated projects: Whole tree harvesting effects on forest soil; Whole tree utilization - forest yield; Nature conservation/Forest energy; Utilizing hardwoods from first thinnings of spruce as fuel wood

International evaluation of Swedish research projects on the environmental impacts of wood fuel harvesting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hornung, M.; Kellomaeki, S.; Larsen, J.B.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this evaluation was to inform NUTEK of the scientific quality of the research projects, as seen in an international context. The projects were therefore the main elements considered in the evaluation. The main basis of the evaluation was the scientific quality of the research and its relevance to NUTEK's aims in the application of industrial research and development. The present report is based on the information contained in the written reports submitted by the grant holders, site visits and discussions between the grant holders and the Committee. The report first gives an overview and general recommendations concerning the overall programme on the Environmental Impacts of Wood Fuel Harvest. Thereafter, the projects are evaluated separately. The Committee was unanimous in its conclusions. Evaluated projects: Whole tree harvesting effects on forest soil; Whole tree utilization - forest yield; Nature conservation/Forest energy; Utilizing hardwoods from first thinnings of spruce as fuel wood

Harvesting costs and production rates for seed-tree removal in young-growth, mixed-conifer stands

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald

1969-01-01

Ponderosa pine seed trees left from a previous cutting on the Challenge Experimental Forest, California, were removed in October 1963. Logging costs and production rates were compared with those for a seed-tree cutting on an area nearby. Production rates for seed-tree removal greatly exceeded those for the operation as a whole. Skidding production increased by 38...

The Effect of Nitrogen Form on pH and Petunia Growth in a WholeTree Substrate

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of our research was to investigate the effect of nitrogen form and proportion on peat-lite (PL) and WholeTree (WT) substrate pH and petunia growth. Chipped whole pine trees (consisting of needles, limbs, bark, wood and cones) were obtained from a commercial fuel wood chipping operation...

A whole-tree chamber system for examining tree-level physiological responses of field-grown trees to environmental variation and climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Medhurst, Jane; Parsby, Jan; Linder, Sune; Wallin, Göran; Ceschia, Eric; Slaney, Michelle

2006-09-01

A whole-tree chamber (WTC) system was installed at Flakaliden in northern Sweden to examine the long-term physiological responses of field-grown 40-year-old Norway spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] to climate change. The WTCs were designed as large cuvettes to allow the net tree-level CO(2) and water fluxes to be measured on a continuous basis. A total of 12 WTCs were used to impose combinations of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, [CO(2)], and air temperature treatments. The air inside the ambient and elevated [CO(2)] WTCs was maintained at 365 and 700 micromol mol(-1), respectively. The air temperature inside the ambient temperature WTCs tracked air temperature outside the WTCs. Elevated temperatures were altered on a monthly time-step and ranged between +2.8 and +5.6 degrees C above ambient temperature. The system allowed continuous, long-term measurement of whole-tree photosynthesis, night-time respiration and transpiration. The performance of the WTCs was assessed using winter and spring data sets. The ability of the WTC system to measure tree-level physiological responses is demonstrated. All WTCs displayed a high level of control over tracking of air temperatures. The set target of 365 micromol mol(-1) in the ambient [CO(2)] chambers was too low to be maintained during winter because of tree dormancy and the high natural increase in [CO(2)] over winter at high latitudes such as the Flakaliden site. Accurate control over [CO(2)] in the ambient [CO(2)] chambers was restored during the spring and the system maintained the elevated [CO(2)] target of 700 micromol mol(-1) for both measurement periods. Air water vapour deficit (VPD) was accurately tracked in ambient temperature WTCs. However, as water vapour pressure in all 12 WTCs was maintained at the level of non-chambered (reference) air, VPD of elevated temperature WTCs was increased.

Renewal of Collaborative Research: Economically viable Forest Harvesting Practices that Increase Carbon Sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dail, David Bryan [University of Maine

2012-08-02

This technical report covers a 3-year cooperative agreement between the University of Maine and the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station that focused on the characterization of forest stands and the assessment of forest carbon storage (see attached for detailed description of the project). The goal of this work was to compare estimates of forest C storage made via remeasurement of FIA-type plots with eddy flux measurements. In addition to relating whole ecosystem estimates of carbon storage to changes in aboveground biomass, we explored methodologies by partitioning growth estimates from periodic inventory measurements into annual estimates. In the final year, we remeasured plots that were subject to a shelterwood harvest over the winter of 2001-02 to assess the production of coarse woody debris by this harvest, to remeasure trees in a long-term stand first established by NASA, to carry out other field activities at Howland, and, to assess the importance of downed and decaying wood as well as standing dead trees to the C inputs to harvested and non harvested plots.

Harvesting options of small-diameter wood from early thinnings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaerhae, K.; Petty, A. (Metsaeteho Oy, Helsinki (Finland)), e-mail: kalle.karha@metsateho.fi; Mutikainen, A. (TTS Research, Rajamaeki (Finland)), e-mail: arto.mutikainen@tts.fi

2010-07-01

The integrated harvesting of industrial roundwood and energy wood by the so-called 'two-pile cutting method' has increased steadily in young forests in Finland during the last three years. The studies carried out by Metsaeteho Oy and TTS Research (i) determined the time consumption and productivity in cutting work when using the integrated cutting of first-thinning wood, (ii) clarified the development of the total removal in integrated harvesting operation, and (iii) investigated the quality of pulpwood poles when using integrated cutting with multi-tree handling. The studies indicated that the total removal in integrated wood harvesting increase significantly compared to that of conventional, separate roundwood harvesting. When the total removal from the harvesting site increased considerable, there was a significant increase in the productivity of cutting work in integrated wood harvesting compared to the situation in separate pulpwood harvesting. In addition, the delimbing quality and bucking accuracy of the pulpwood poles obtained in multi-tree processing were comparable to those produced in single-tree handling. There were no problems with measuring the work output by a weight scale attached to the crane of the forwarder. As the studies indicated very promising results with integrated wood cutting, integrated harvesting is likely to continue to increase in both first and later thinnings in Finland. (orig.)

NTFP harvesters as citizen scientists: Validating traditional and crowdsourced knowledge on seed production of Brazil nut trees in the Peruvian Amazon.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Evert; Valdivia, Jheyson; Alcázar Caicedo, Carolina; Quaedvlieg, Julia; Wadt, Lucia Helena O; Corvera, Ronald

2017-01-01

Understanding the factors that underlie the production of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), as well as regularly monitoring production levels, are key to allow sustainability assessments of NTFP extractive economies. Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythidaceae) seed harvesting from natural forests is one of the cornerstone NTFP economies in Amazonia. In the Peruvian Amazon it is organized in a concession system. Drawing on seed production estimates of >135,000 individual Brazil nut trees from >400 concessions and ethno-ecological interviews with >80 concession holders, here we aimed to (i) assess the accuracy of seed production estimates by Brazil nut seed harvesters, and (ii) validate their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about the variables that influence Brazil nut production. We compared productivity estimates with actual field measurements carried out in the study area and found a positive correlation between them. Furthermore, we compared the relationships between seed production and a number of phenotypic, phytosanitary and environmental variables described in literature with those obtained for the seed production estimates and found high consistency between them, justifying the use of the dataset for validating TEK and innovative hypothesis testing. As expected, nearly all TEK on Brazil nut productivity was corroborated by our data. This is reassuring as Brazil nut concession holders, and NTFP harvesters at large, rely on their knowledge to guide the management of the trees upon which their extractive economies are based. Our findings suggest that productivity estimates of Brazil nut trees and possibly other NTFP-producing species could replace or complement actual measurements, which are very expensive and labour intensive, at least in areas where harvesters have a tradition of collecting NTFPs from the same trees over multiple years or decades. Productivity estimates might even be sourced from harvesters through registers on an annual basis

NTFP harvesters as citizen scientists: Validating traditional and crowdsourced knowledge on seed production of Brazil nut trees in the Peruvian Amazon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evert Thomas

Full Text Available Understanding the factors that underlie the production of non-timber forest products (NTFPs, as well as regularly monitoring production levels, are key to allow sustainability assessments of NTFP extractive economies. Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythidaceae seed harvesting from natural forests is one of the cornerstone NTFP economies in Amazonia. In the Peruvian Amazon it is organized in a concession system. Drawing on seed production estimates of >135,000 individual Brazil nut trees from >400 concessions and ethno-ecological interviews with >80 concession holders, here we aimed to (i assess the accuracy of seed production estimates by Brazil nut seed harvesters, and (ii validate their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK about the variables that influence Brazil nut production. We compared productivity estimates with actual field measurements carried out in the study area and found a positive correlation between them. Furthermore, we compared the relationships between seed production and a number of phenotypic, phytosanitary and environmental variables described in literature with those obtained for the seed production estimates and found high consistency between them, justifying the use of the dataset for validating TEK and innovative hypothesis testing. As expected, nearly all TEK on Brazil nut productivity was corroborated by our data. This is reassuring as Brazil nut concession holders, and NTFP harvesters at large, rely on their knowledge to guide the management of the trees upon which their extractive economies are based. Our findings suggest that productivity estimates of Brazil nut trees and possibly other NTFP-producing species could replace or complement actual measurements, which are very expensive and labour intensive, at least in areas where harvesters have a tradition of collecting NTFPs from the same trees over multiple years or decades. Productivity estimates might even be sourced from harvesters through registers on an

Nitrogen studies for achieving the whole-year harvest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boven, G.D.; Danso, K.A.

1987-01-01

The IAEA activity in solving the problems related to recovery of productivity of soils subjected to erosion in tropical regions using nitrogen-fixator plants which include pasture bean crops and trees, is considered. The IAEA activity covers development of appropriate methods of changing fixed nitrogen in perennial plants, determination of practical ways of increasing nitrogen fixation and development of reliable and high-productivity systems of bean-herb pastures. The main attention is paid to methods of farming and selection. Favourable effect of forest planting on recovery and preservation of soil productivity and important role of isotopic and nuclear methods (using 15 N) in care for trees and nitrogen fixation improvement are underlined

Ergonomic evaluation and comparison of wood harvesting systems in Northwest Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerasimov, Yuri; Sokolov, Anton

2014-03-01

A comparison of 14 currently applicable wood harvesting systems was assessed with respect to ergonomic point of view. For this purpose, the research method, based on the Hodges-Lehmann rule and the integrated work-severity rate of single machinery, was developed for ergonomic evaluation of cut-to-length, tree-length and full-tree harvesting systems. Altogether, about 130 different parameters of 36 units of equipment that impact on the ergonomics and work conditions were measured and estimated in interviews undertaken directly at forestry harvesting workplaces in 15 logging companies in the Republic of Karelia, Northwest Russia. Then the results were compared to the effective norms, and the degree of compliance with the stipulated values was determined. The estimates obtained for the degree of compliance were combined. This permits a direct comparison of the workload on forestry harvesting workers such as operators, lumberjacks and choker setters. In many respects, the current ergonomic standard is standard, except for the operators of cable skidders, chainsaws and choker settings. Visibility and work postures were considered to be the most critical features influencing the operator's performance. Problems still exist, despite the extensive development of cabs. The best working conditions in terms of harvesting systems were provided by "harvester + forwarder" in cut-to-length harvesting, and "feller-buncher + grapple skidder" in full-tree harvesting. The motor-manual tree-length harvesting performed with cable skidders showed the worst results in terms of ergonomics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Integrated energy wood and pulpwood harvesting in first-thinning stands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaerhae, K.; Pajuoja, H. (Metsaeteho Oy, Helsinki (Finland)), Email: kalle.karha@metsateho.fi, Email: heikki.pajuoja@metsateho.fi; Hoegnaes, T. (Metsaehallitus, Kajaani (Finland)), Email: tore.hognas@metsa.fi; Mutikainen, A. (TTS Research, Rajamaeki (Finland)), Email: arto.mutikainen@tts.fi

2009-07-01

The integrated harvesting of industrial roundwood and energy wood by the so-called 'two-pile cutting method' has increased strongly in young forests in Finland during the last two years. The studies carried out by Metsaeteho Oy, Metsaehallitus and TTS Research (I) determined the time consumption and productivity in cutting work when using the integrated cutting of first-thinning wood, (II) clarified the development of the total removal in integrated harvesting operation, and (III) investigated the quality of pulpwood poles when using integrated the quality of pulpwood poles when using integrated cutting with multi-tree handling. The studies indicated that the total removal in integrated wood harvesting increases significantly compared to that of conventional, separate roundwood harvesting. When the total removal from the harvesting site increased considerably, there was a significant increase in the productivity of cutting work in integrated wood harvesting compared to the situation in separate pulpwood harvesting. In addition, the delimbing quality and bucking accuracy of the pulpwood poles obtained in multi-tree processing were comparable to those produced in single-tree handling. There were no problems with measuring the work output by a grapple scale attached to the boom of the forwarder. As the studies indicated very promising experiences in integrated wood cutting, integrated harvesting is likely to continue to increase in both first and later thinning in Finland. (orig.)

Logging damage to residual trees following commercial harvesting to different overstory retention levels in a mature hardwood stand in Tennessee

Science.gov (United States)

Wayne K. Clatterbuck

2006-01-01

Partial cutting in mature hardwood stands often causes physical damage to residual stems through felling and skidding resulting in a decline in bole quality and subsequent loss of tree value. This study assessed the logging damage to residual trees following commercial harvesting in a fully stocked, mature oak-hickory stand cut to three overstory basal area retention...

The Role of Forest Tent Caterpillar Defoliations and Partial Harvest in the Decline and Death of Sugar Maple

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, Henrik; Messier, Christian

2008-01-01

Background and Aims Natural and anthropogenic disturbances can act as stresses on tree vigour. According to Manion's conceptual model of tree disease, the initial vigour of trees decreases as a result of predisposing factors that render these trees more vulnerable to severe inciting stresses, stresses that can then cause final vigour decline and subsequent tree death. This tree disease model was tested in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) by assessing the roles of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in tree decline and death. Methods Radial growth data from 377 sugar maple trees that had undergone both defoliations by insects and partial harvest were used to estimate longitudinal survival probabilities as a proxy for tree vigour. Radial growth rates and survival probabilities were compared among trees subjected to different levels of above- and below-ground disturbances, between periods of defoliation and harvest, and between live and dead trees. Key Results Manion's tree disease model correctly accounts for vigour decline and tree death in sugar maple; tree growth and vigour were negatively affected by a first defoliation, predisposing these trees to death later during the study period due to a second insect outbreak that initiated a final vigour decline. This decline was accelerated by the partial harvest disturbance in 1993. Even the most severe anthropogenic disturbances from partial harvest did not cause, unlike insect defoliation, any growth or vigour declines in live sugar maple. Conclusions Natural disturbances acted as predisposing and inciting stresses in tree sugar maple decline and death. Anthropogenic disturbances from a partial harvest at worst accelerated a decline in trees that were already weakened by predisposing and inciting stresses (i.e. repeated insect defoliations). Favourable climatic conditions just before and after the partial harvest may have alleviated possible negative effects on growth resulting from harvesting. PMID:18660493

A Spatially Explicit Method to Assess the Economic Suitability of a Forest Road Network for Timber Harvest in Steep Terrain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leo Gallus Bont

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Despite relatively high road density in the forests of Switzerland, a large percentage of that road network does not fulfill best practice requirements. Before upgrading or rebuilding the road network, harvesting planners must first determine which areas have insufficient access. Traditional assessment methods tend to only report specific values such as road density. However, those values do not identify the exact parcels or areas that are inaccessible. Here, we present a model that assesses the economic suitability of each timbered parcel for wood-harvesting operations, including tree-felling and processing, and off- and on-road transport (hauling, based on the existing road network. The entire wood supply chain from forest (standing trees to a virtual pile at the border of the planning unit was captured. This method was particularly designed for steep terrain and was tested in the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland. Compared with classical approaches, such as the road density concept, which only deliver average values, this new method enables planners to assess the development of a road network in a spatially explicit manner and to easily identify the reason and the location of shortcomings in the road network. Moreover, while other related spatially explicit approaches focus only on harvesting operations, the assessment method proposed here also includes limitations (road standards of the road network.

Evaluation of Whole Tree Growth Increment Derived from Tree-Ring Series for Use in Assessments of Changes in Forest Productivity across Various Spatial Scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juha M. Metsaranta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The inherent predictability of inter-annual variation in forest productivity remains unknown. Available field-based data sources for understanding this variability differ in their spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and typical units of measure. Nearly all other tree and forest characteristics are in practice derived from measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH. Therefore, diameter increment reconstructed annually from tree-ring data can be used to estimate annual growth increments of wood volume, but the accuracy and precision of these estimates requires assessment. Annual growth estimates for n = 170 trees sampled for whole stem analysis from five tree species (jack pine, lodgepole pine, black spruce, white spruce, and trembling aspen in Western Canada were compared against increments derived from breast height measurements only. Inter-annual variability of breast height and whole tree growth increments was highly correlated for most trees. Relative errors varied by species, diameter class, and the equation used to estimate volume (regional vs. national. A simple example of the possible effect of this error when propagated to the stand level is provided.

A practical alternative to single tree selection?

Science.gov (United States)

Gary W. Miller; H. Clay Smith

1993-01-01

When landowners want to develop and maintain an uneven-aged tree structure in eastern hardwood stands, single-tree selection often is suggested as the only advisable, long-term partial regeneration harvest method. Single-tree selection is preferred because it provides a means for improving quality and controlling stocking of the residual stand necessary for sustained...

Tree regeneration and future stand development after bark beetle infestation and harvesting in Colorado lodgepole pine stands

Science.gov (United States)

Byron J. Collins; Charles C. Rhoades; Robert M. Hubbard; Michael A. Battaglia

2011-01-01

In the southern Rocky Mountains, current mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks and associated harvesting have set millions of hectares of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex Wats.) forest onto new stand development trajectories. Information about immediate, post-disturbance tree regeneration will provide insight on...

Resource investments in reproductive growth proportionately limit investments in whole-tree vegetative growth in young olive trees with varying crop loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosati, Adolfo; Paoletti, Andrea; Al Hariri, Raeed; Morelli, Alessio; Famiani, Franco

2018-02-21

It has long been debated whether tree growth is source limited, or whether photosynthesis is adjusted to the actual sink demand, directly regulated by internal and environmental factors. Many studies support both possibilities, but no studies have provided quantitative data at the whole-tree level, across different cultivars and fruit load treatments. This study investigated the effect of different levels of reproductive growth on whole-tree biomass growth across two olive cultivars with different growth rates (i.e., Arbequina, slow-growing and Frantoio, fast-growing), over 2 years. Young trees of both cultivars were completely deflowered either in 2014, 2015, both years or never, providing a range of levels of cumulated reproductive growth over the 2 years. Total vegetative dry matter growth over the 2 years was assessed by destructive sampling (whole tree). Vegetative growth increased significantly less in fruiting trees, however, the total of vegetative and reproductive growth did not differ significantly for any treatment or cultivar. Vegetative growth over the 2 years was closely (R2 = 0.89) and inversely related to reproductive growth across all treatments and cultivars. When using data from 2015 only, the regression improved further (i.e., R2 = 0.99). When biomass was converted into grams of glucose equivalents, based on the chemical composition of the different parts, the results indicated that for every gram of glucose equivalent invested in reproductive growth, vegetative growth was reduced by 0.73-0.78 g of glucose equivalent. This indicates that competition for resources played a major role in determining tree growth, but also that photosynthesis was probably also enhanced at increasing fruit load (or downregulated at decreasing fruit load). The leaf area per unit of trunk cross sectional area increased with deflowering (i.e., decreased with reproductive growth), suggesting that water relations might have limited photosynthesis in deflowered plants

snpTree - a web-server to identify and construct SNP trees from whole genome sequence data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leekitcharoenphon, Pimlapas; Kaas, Rolf Sommer; Thomsen, Martin Christen Frølund

2012-01-01

identify SNPs and construct phylogenetic trees from WGS as well as from assembled genomes or contigs. WGS data in fastq format are aligned to reference genomes by BWA while contigs in fasta format are processed by Nucmer. SNPs are concatenated based on position on reference genome and a tree is constructed...... to differentiate and classify isolates. One of the successfully and broadly used methods is analysis of single nucletide polymorphisms (SNPs). Currently, there are different tools and methods to identify SNPs including various options and cut-off values. Furthermore, all current methods require bioinformatic...... skills. Thus, we lack a standard and simple automatic tool to determine SNPs and construct phylogenetic tree from WGS data. Results Here we introduce snpTree, a server for online-automatic SNPs analysis. This tool is composed of different SNPs analysis suites, perl and python scripts. snpTree can...

Automated Detection of Branch Shaking Locations for Robotic Cherry Harvesting Using Machine Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suraj Amatya

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Automation in cherry harvesting is essential to reduce the demand for seasonal labor for cherry picking and reduce the cost of production. The mechanical shaking of tree branches is one of the widely studied and used techniques for harvesting small tree fruit crops like cherries. To automate the branch shaking operation, different methods of detecting branches and cherries in full foliage canopies of the cherry tree have been developed previously. The next step in this process is the localization of shaking positions in the detected tree branches for mechanical shaking. In this study, a method of locating shaking positions for automated cherry harvesting was developed based on branch and cherry pixel locations determined using RGB images and 3D camera images. First, branch and cherry regions were located in 2D RGB images. Depth information provided by a 3D camera was then mapped on to the RGB images using a standard stereo calibration method. The overall root mean square error in estimating the distance to desired shaking points was 0.064 m. Cherry trees trained in two different canopy architectures, Y-trellis and vertical trellis systems, were used in this study. Harvesting testing was carried out by shaking tree branches at the locations selected by the algorithm. For the Y-trellis system, the maximum fruit removal efficiency of 92.9% was achieved using up to five shaking events per branch. However, maximum fruit removal efficiency for the vertical trellis system was 86.6% with up to four shakings per branch. However, it was found that only three shakings per branch would achieve a fruit removal percentage of 92.3% and 86.4% in Y and vertical trellis systems respectively.

Response of the soil microbial community and soil nutrient bioavailability to biomass harvesting and reserve tree retention in northern Minnesota aspen-dominated forests

Science.gov (United States)

Tera E. Lewandowski; Jodi A. Forrester; David J. Mladenoff; Anthony W. D' Amato; Brian J. Palik

2016-01-01

Intensive forest biomass harvesting, or the removal of harvesting slash (woody debris from tree branches and tops) for use as biofuel, has the potential to negatively affect the soil microbial community (SMC) due to loss of carbon and nutrient inputs from the slash, alteration of the soil microclimate, and increased nutrient leaching. These effects could result in...

Wood harvesting as chunkwood chips and multi-stage chipping; Puun korjuu palahakkeena ja monivaiheinen lastuaminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaipainen, H; Seppaenen, V

1997-12-31

The task for the year 1995 was to define the preliminary results of the previous years, to measure the productivity of a harvester, designed for production of chunkwood, and the properties of the chunks. The costs of the PALAPUU method from the felling site to pulpwood chips were to be examined on this basis. Because the prototype of the harvester was not yet available for field tests, the costs were partially calculated on the basis of previous measurements, completed by productivity data obtained from the time-consumption measurements of a multi-tree harvester, applied with minor alteration for this purpose. According to the calculations the PALAPUU method cannot compete with partial-tree or shortwood methods. The profitability of the method could be improved by adding the transportation density and the productivity of the harvester. It is also possible to procure timber to the mill as partial-trees and to chunk it while feeding it into the drum. Chipping tests were made using the steel-frame-chipper owned by VTT Construction Technology. The blade construction of the chipper was changed so, that it was possible to adjust the cutting thickness of the chips to 4 mm, while in the previous mill-tests it had been 6 mm. The chips were used for cooking tests in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Jyvaeskylae. The results showed that the thinner chips were cooked further under the same cooking conditions. By using the chunkwood method it is possible to harvest 10-70 more biomass for the mills, than it is possible in the pulpwood harvesting

Wood harvesting as chunkwood chips and multi-stage chipping; Puun korjuu palahakkeena ja monivaiheinen lastuaminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaipainen, H.; Seppaenen, V.

1996-12-31

The task for the year 1995 was to define the preliminary results of the previous years, to measure the productivity of a harvester, designed for production of chunkwood, and the properties of the chunks. The costs of the PALAPUU method from the felling site to pulpwood chips were to be examined on this basis. Because the prototype of the harvester was not yet available for field tests, the costs were partially calculated on the basis of previous measurements, completed by productivity data obtained from the time-consumption measurements of a multi-tree harvester, applied with minor alteration for this purpose. According to the calculations the PALAPUU method cannot compete with partial-tree or shortwood methods. The profitability of the method could be improved by adding the transportation density and the productivity of the harvester. It is also possible to procure timber to the mill as partial-trees and to chunk it while feeding it into the drum. Chipping tests were made using the steel-frame-chipper owned by VTT Construction Technology. The blade construction of the chipper was changed so, that it was possible to adjust the cutting thickness of the chips to 4 mm, while in the previous mill-tests it had been 6 mm. The chips were used for cooking tests in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Jyvaeskylae. The results showed that the thinner chips were cooked further under the same cooking conditions. By using the chunkwood method it is possible to harvest 10-70 more biomass for the mills, than it is possible in the pulpwood harvesting

Simulation study of a single-grip harvester in thinning from below and thinning from above

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eliasson, Lars [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umeaa (Sweden). Dept. of Silviculture; Lageson, Haakan [Forest Owner' s Ass. of Norrbotten, Boden (Sweden)

1999-07-01

The time consumption and productivity of a single-grip harvester were studied, using a simulation model, when thinning from below and above in eight randomly selected stands. The model estimated the time required for each work element, given machine and tree positions, and tree size. A 2 x 5 factorial design was used with factors thinning type [from below (T{sub b}) and above (T{sub a})] and tree size. Trees were subjectively selected for harvest according to thinning type. Total basal area removal was 30% plot{sup -1}. Approximately 50% more trees were harvested in T{sub b} than in T{sub a}. Time consumption tree{sup -1} was higher for T{sub a} than T{sub b}. Time consumption for machine and boom movements decreased with increasing number of harvested trees, and time for felling and processing of trees increased with harvested mean stem volume. Harvester productivity was 36% higher for T{sub a}, since the increase in harvested mean stem volume was higher than the increase in time consumption tree{sup -1}.

Effects of timber harvest on phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae in a production forest: abundance of species on tree trunks and prevalence of trypanosomatids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa

2007-08-01

Full Text Available The Amazon forest is being exploited for timber production. The harvest removes trees, used by sand flies as resting sites, and decreases the canopy, used as refuges by some hosts. The present study evaluated the impact of the timber harvest, the abundance of sand flies, and their trypanosomatid infection rates before and after selective logging. The study was accomplished in terra-firme production forest in an area of timber harvest, state of Amazonas, Brazil. Sand fly catches were carried out in three areas: one before and after the timber harvest, and two control areas, a nature preservation area and a previously exploited area. The flies were caught by aspiration on tree trunks. Samples of sand flies were dissected for parasitological examination. In the site that suffered a harvest, a larger number of individuals was caught before the selective extraction of timber, showing significant difference in relation to the number of individuals and their flagellate infection rates after the logging. The other two areas did not show differences among their sand fly populations. This fact is suggestive of a fauna sensitive to the environmental alterations associated with selective logging.

Effect of maturity at harvest for whole-crop barley and oat on dry matter intake, sorting, and digestibility when fed to beef cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosser, C L; Beattie, A D; Block, H C; McKinnon, J J; Lardner, H A; Górka, P; Penner, G B

2016-02-01

The objectives were to evaluate the effect of harvest maturity of whole-crop oat (Study 1) and whole-crop barley (Study 2) on forage intake and sorting, ruminal fermentation, ruminal digestibility, and total tract digestibility when fed to beef heifers. In Study 1, 3 ruminally cannulated heifers (417 ± 5 kg) were used in a 3 × 3 Latin square design with 24-d periods. Whole-crop oat forage harvested at the late milk (LMILK), hard dough (HD), or ripe (RP) stages was fed for ad libitum intake and heifers were supplemented (1% of BW) with alfalfa pellets, barley grain, canola meal, and a mineral and vitamin pellet. Maturity at harvest for whole-crop oat did not affect ( ≥ 0.058) forage intake, DE intake, amount of forage refused, ruminal short-chain fatty acid concentration, or digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, and ADF. Ruminal starch digestibility decreased ( digestibility decreasing ( = 0.043) from 95.8% at the LMILK stage to 94.8% at the RP stage. Ruminal CP digestibility was reduced at the HD stage compared with the LMILK and RP stages ( digestibility of DM, OM, and NDF observed at the HD stage compared with the LMILK and RP stages ( ≤ 0.004). Ruminal NDF digestibility decreased from 69.7% at the LMILK stage to 54.4% at the HD stage and 54.9% at the RP stage ( = 0.001), whereas ruminal ADF digestibility decreased from 70.0% at the LMILK stage to 44.4% at the HD stage and 42.5% at the RP stage ( = 0.002). Minimum and mean ruminal pH were least for the LMILK stage, intermediate at the RP stage, and greatest at the HD stage ( = 0.016 and = 0.031, respectively). These data suggest that despite reductions in ruminal digestibility of NDF and ADF with advancing maturity, harvesting whole-crop oat and barley forage at the HD and RP stages of maturity did not negatively affect DMI, fermentation characteristics, or DE relative to whole-crop cereal forage harvested at the LMILK stage.

MECHANIZED HARVESTING TESTS PERFORMED BY GRAPE HARVESTERS IN SUPER INTENSIVE OLIVE ORCHARD CULTIVATION IN SPAIN

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Gennaro Giametta

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Today also those countries boasting a century-old olive growing tradition have to look at the latest, most dynamic, non labour-intensive olive growing systems to abate production (notably, harvesting operations costs and remain competitive in a globalized market. This is why over the last few years super intensive olive orchard cultivation has been attracting a lot of interest on the part of olive growers all over the world as it accounts for an innovative model whereby olive groves are tailored to the special needs of grape harvesters. This paper reports the first results of experimental mechanical harvesting tests in a super-intensive olive cultivation. The study is intended to explore both productivity and work capacity of two of the most commonly used grape harvesters, Grégoire G120SW and New Holland Braud VX680, in a view to assessing their harvesting performance by a series of tests conducted in Spain. On the basis of the tests it was possible to verify that the machines are able to detach the almost all the drupes (more than 90%, with one only passage, and this independently of both size and location of drupes on the tree crown and of their maturity stage. Using these machines, two people can often carry out the whole harvest process: an operator driving the harvester and another person transferring the fruit from the harvester in the field to the olive oil mill for processing. With this system, the work speed is usually, in the best working conditions, about 1.7 km/hour and the average harvesting time is about 2.5-3 hours/ha. For the time being it is however impossible to draw definitive conclusions in terms of performance of the above cultivation systems and harvesting machines. Additional key observational studies are needed in the years to come to assess the efficiency of the entire model.

Water harvest via dewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Anna; Moon, Myoung-Woon; Lim, Hyuneui; Kim, Wan-Doo; Kim, Ho-Young

2012-07-10

Harvesting water from humid air via dewing can provide a viable solution to a water shortage problem where liquid-phase water is not available. Here we experimentally quantify the effects of wettability and geometry of the condensation substrate on the water harvest efficiency. Uniformly hydrophilic surfaces are found to exhibit higher rates of water condensation and collection than surfaces with lower wettability. This is in contrast to a fog basking method where the most efficient surface consists of hydrophilic islands surrounded by hydrophobic background. A thin drainage path in the lower portion of the condensation substrate is revealed to greatly enhance the water collection efficiency. The optimal surface conditions found in this work can be used to design a practical device that harvests water as its biological counterpart, a green tree frog, Litoria caerulea , does during the dry season in tropical northern Australia.

Effects of physical form and stage of maturity at harvest of whole-crop barley silage on intake, chewing activity, diet selection and faecal particle size of dairy steers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rustas, B.-O.; Nørgaard, Peder; Jalali, Alireza

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of physical form and stage of maturity at harvest of whole-crop barley silage (WCBS) on feed intake, eating and rumination activity, diet selection and faecal particle size in dairy steers. Whole-crop barley was harvested and ensiled in round bales. Eight dairy ste...

Consequences of forest energy for flora

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruuse, A.

1992-01-01

The report examines the effects of forest energy on the field layer vegetation, and includes whole-tree harvesting, liming, fertilization, wood ash distribution and the importance of broadleaved trees. Whole-tree harvesting is negative for some of the vascular plant species, and positive for others, and can have a drastically negative effect on lichens, mosses and decomposing fungi. Whole-tree harvesting can be accepted from the viewpoint of the flora if: - between 10 and 30 % of the slash is left on the clearcut area, - hardwood stands or mixed stands with hardwood are excepted from whole-tree harvesting, - dead lying or standing trees, a few broadleaved trees and old trees, are left on the clearcut area. Liming has some effects on the flora, especially a very negative effect on lichens and mosses. Liming can be accepted if; - it only takes place where whole-tree harvesting has been used or where acidification caused by air pollution has been observed, - the amounts are moderate, 2 to 4 tonnes/ha, and the liming material has a rather large grain size, - it is unevenly distributed, and - it is avoided in naturally acid stands with a special vegetation. Fertilization has negative effects on all the considered vegetation groups. It can only be accepted as compensation for whole-tree harvesting, and no more nitrogen must be added than is taken away in the harvest. In southern Sweden even the compensatory fertilization should be avoided. The consequences of wood ash distribution are little known. Until more facts are presented, only enough wood ash as to compensate for the loss through whole-tree harvesting should be distributed. If the use of forest energy would lead to an increase of the broadleaved tree ratio it would be positive. (54 refs.)

Early Yield Prediction Using Image Analysis of Apple Fruit and Tree Canopy Features with Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Cheng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available (1 Background: Since early yield prediction is relevant for resource requirements of harvesting and marketing in the whole fruit industry, this paper presents a new approach of using image analysis and tree canopy features to predict early yield with artificial neural networks (ANN; (2 Methods: Two back propagation neural network (BPNN models were developed for the early period after natural fruit drop in June and the ripening period, respectively. Within the same periods, images of apple cv. “Gala” trees were captured from an orchard near Bonn, Germany. Two sample sets were developed to train and test models; each set included 150 samples from the 2009 and 2010 growing season. For each sample (each canopy image, pixels were segmented into fruit, foliage, and background using image segmentation. The four features extracted from the data set for the canopy were: total cross-sectional area of fruits, fruit number, total cross-section area of small fruits, and cross-sectional area of foliage, and were used as inputs. With the actual weighted yield per tree as a target, BPNN was employed to learn their mutual relationship as a prerequisite to develop the prediction; (3 Results: For the developed BPNN model of the early period after June drop, correlation coefficients (R2 between the estimated and the actual weighted yield, mean forecast error (MFE, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE, and root mean square error (RMSE were 0.81, −0.05, 10.7%, 2.34 kg/tree, respectively. For the model of the ripening period, these measures were 0.83, −0.03, 8.9%, 2.3 kg/tree, respectively. In 2011, the two previously developed models were used to predict apple yield. The RMSE and R2 values between the estimated and harvested apple yield were 2.6 kg/tree and 0.62 for the early period (small, green fruit and improved near harvest (red, large fruit to 2.5 kg/tree and 0.75 for a tree with ca. 18 kg yield per tree. For further method verification, the cv. �

Development and implementation of a dustfree and efficient pneumatic harvesting method; Poelyttoemaen ja tehokkaan imukokoamismenetelmaen kehittaeminen ja kaeyttoeoenotto

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nurminen, T; Ruokolainen, O; Rytkoenen, P.; Saastamoinen, V. [Vapo Oy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland); Kallio, M.; Aalto, J.; Leinonen, A.; Mehto, M. [VTT Energy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

1997-12-01

The overall aim of the research work (1995 - 1998) is to develop dust separators of the pneumatic harvester, to eliminate dust emissions and to plan and implement a more efficient pneumatic harvesting method. New JIK-35/96 pneumatic harvesters equipped with four secondary separating cyclones (17 units) were taken into use in spring 1996. In addition, 15 JIK-35 pneumatic harvesters constructed earlier were modified dustfree. The mechanical strength of the harvesters was improved by after-installations and by changing the drive method during harvesting. JIK-35/96 pneumatic harvester (test unit) was developed further during summertime. The greatest modification was testing of three secondary cyclones with a larger diameter. Dust separation of the larger cyclones was poorer than that of cyclones with a smaller diameter. In test runs, the test unit collected peat about 10 % more than the other harvesters of JIK-35 type. The fuel consumption of the test unit was about a fifth higher than that of the conventional JIK-35 harvester (20 vs 25 l/h). The larger pneumatic harvester, a prototype of 45 m{sup 3}, operated as a whole as expected. Exhaust air from the settling chamber of the harvester, and dust distributed well to the four parallel cyclones. Problems were high power demand and low pressure in the harvesting bin compared to those of JIK-35/96. The peat harvesting efficiency of the prototype was less than 2 kg/s m(m = nozzle of 1 m width), while the corresponding value of JIK-35/96 ranged 2.5 - 4 kg/s m. In continuation, the aim is to eliminate problems of the prototype and to construct a more efficient version, i.e., by enlarging the width

High relative humidity pre-harvest reduces post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella in tomatoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Devleesschauwer, Brecht; Marvasi, Massimiliano; Giurcanu, Mihai C; Hochmuth, George J; Speybroeck, Niko; Havelaar, Arie H; Teplitski, Max

2017-09-01

Outbreaks of human illness caused by enteric pathogens such as Salmonella are increasingly linked to the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Knowledge on the factors affecting Salmonella proliferation on fresh produce therefore becomes increasingly important to safeguard public health. Previous experiments showed a limited impact of pre-harvest production practices on Salmonella proliferation on tomatoes, but suggested a significant effect of harvest time. We explored the data from two previously published and one unpublished experiment using regression trees, which allowed overcoming the interpretational difficulties of classical statistical models with higher order interactions. We assessed the effect of harvest time by explicitly modeling the climatic conditions at harvest time and by performing confirmatory laboratory experiments. Across all datasets, regression trees confirmed the dominant effect of harvest time on Salmonella proliferation, with humidity-related factors emerging as the most important underlying climatic factors. High relative humidity the week prior to harvest was consistently associated with lower Salmonella proliferation. A controlled lab experiment confirmed that tomatoes containing their native epimicrobiota supported significantly lower Salmonella proliferation when incubated at higher humidity prior to inoculation. The complex interactions between environmental conditions and the native microbiota of the tomato crop remain to be fully understood. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coalescent methods for estimating phylogenetic trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Liang; Yu, Lili; Kubatko, Laura; Pearl, Dennis K; Edwards, Scott V

2009-10-01

We review recent models to estimate phylogenetic trees under the multispecies coalescent. Although the distinction between gene trees and species trees has come to the fore of phylogenetics, only recently have methods been developed that explicitly estimate species trees. Of the several factors that can cause gene tree heterogeneity and discordance with the species tree, deep coalescence due to random genetic drift in branches of the species tree has been modeled most thoroughly. Bayesian approaches to estimating species trees utilizes two likelihood functions, one of which has been widely used in traditional phylogenetics and involves the model of nucleotide substitution, and the second of which is less familiar to phylogeneticists and involves the probability distribution of gene trees given a species tree. Other recent parametric and nonparametric methods for estimating species trees involve parsimony criteria, summary statistics, supertree and consensus methods. Species tree approaches are an appropriate goal for systematics, appear to work well in some cases where concatenation can be misleading, and suggest that sampling many independent loci will be paramount. Such methods can also be challenging to implement because of the complexity of the models and computational time. In addition, further elaboration of the simplest of coalescent models will be required to incorporate commonly known issues such as deviation from the molecular clock, gene flow and other genetic forces.

Estimating and validating ground-based timber harvesting production through computer simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux

2003-01-01

Estimating ground-based timber harvesting systems production with an object oriented methodology was investigated. The estimation model developed generates stands of trees, simulates chain saw, drive-to-tree feller-buncher, swing-to-tree single-grip harvester felling, and grapple skidder and forwarder extraction activities, and analyzes costs and productivity. It also...

Maple Sugar Harvesting/Wild Rice Harvesting.

Science.gov (United States)

Minneapolis Public Schools, MN.

Comprised of two separate booklets, this resource unit assists elementary teachers in explaining how the Ojibwe people harvest maple sugar and wild rice. The first booklet explains the procedure of tapping the maple trees for sap, preparation for boiling the sap, and the three forms the sugar is made into (granulated, "molded," and…

Inhibitory Effect of Phragmanthera Incana (Schum.) Harvested from Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao) and Kolanut (Cola Nitida) Trees on Fe2+ induced Lipid Oxidative Stress in Some Rat Tissues - In Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Ogunmefun, O. T.; Fasola, T. R.; Saba, A. B.; Akinyemi, A. J.

2015-01-01

Evidence in both experimental and clinical studies has shown the participation of oxidative stress in the development and progression of diabetes mellitus. This study therefore, sought to investigate the inhibitory effect of methanolic extract of Phragmanthera incana leaves, a mistletoe species harvested from Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and Kolanut (Cola nitida) on FeSO4 induced lipid peroxidation in rat pancreas, liver, kidney, heart and brain in vitro. The methanolic extract was prepared with 90% methanol (v/v); subsequently, the antioxidant properties and inhibitory effect of the extract on Fe2+ induced lipid peroxidation in some rat tissues were determined in vitro. Incubation of the different rat tissues homogenate in the presence of Fe caused a significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the tissues. However, the methanolic extracts of Phragmanthera incana leaves harvested from both Cocoa and Kolanut trees caused a significant decrease in the MDA contents of all the tissues tested in a dose-dependent manner. However, the extract of Phragmanthera incana leaves harvested from kolanut trees had a better inhibitory effect on Fe2+- induced lipid peroxidation in the rat tissues homogenates than that of Phragmanthera incana leaves harvested from cocoa trees. This higher inhibitory effect could be attributed to its significantly higher antioxidant properties as typified by their phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging ability and reducing power. Therefore, oxidative stress associated with diabetes and its other complications could be potentially managed/prevented by harnessing Phragmanthera incana leaves as cheap nutraceuticals. However, Phragmanthera incana leaves harvested from kolanut trees exhibited better antioxidant properties.

Stand mid-diameter extraction mid-distances influence in the harvesting costs of Eucalyptus globulus forest system in the Chile central zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrios, Alonso; Lopez, Ana M; Nieto, Victor M

2008-01-01

A whole tree and in-wood chipping harvesting system was studied by modelling and dynamic simulation. The iThink environment was used to build an application for simulating the operation of the harvesting system, using both deterministic and stochastic models (Isee systems, Inc. 2007). The variables used in this study were the mean diameter at breast height and the mean skidding distance of the stand. In this way, the influence of these variables in the systems cost per cubic meter was determined. This study exhibits a technical approach for establishing more appropriate payment fees, considering that the harvesting costs vary according to the stand characteristics.

Monitoring moisture content, temperature, and humidity in whole-tree pine chip piles

Science.gov (United States)

John Klepac; Dana Mitchell; Jason Thompson

2015-01-01

Two whole-tree chip piles were monitored for moisture content, temperature, and relative humidity from October 8th, 2010 to March 16th, 2011 at a location in south Alabama. Initial moisture content samples were collected immediately after chips were delivered to the study location on October 8th for Pile 1 and October 22nd for Pile 2. During pile construction, Lascar...

Modeling ground-based timber harvesting systems using computer simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux

2001-01-01

Modeling ground-based timber harvesting systems with an object-oriented methodology was investigated. Object-oriented modeling and design promote a better understanding of requirements, cleaner designs, and better maintainability of the harvesting simulation system. The model developed simulates chainsaw felling, drive-to-tree feller-buncher, swing-to-tree single-grip...

Bacterial whole genome-based phylogeny: construction of a new benchmarking dataset and assessment of some existing methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahrenfeldt, Johanne; Skaarup, Carina; Hasman, Henrik; Pedersen, Anders Gorm; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Lund, Ole

2017-01-05

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is increasingly used in diagnostics and surveillance of infectious diseases. A major application for WGS is to use the data for identifying outbreak clusters, and there is therefore a need for methods that can accurately and efficiently infer phylogenies from sequencing reads. In the present study we describe a new dataset that we have created for the purpose of benchmarking such WGS-based methods for epidemiological data, and also present an analysis where we use the data to compare the performance of some current methods. Our aim was to create a benchmark data set that mimics sequencing data of the sort that might be collected during an outbreak of an infectious disease. This was achieved by letting an E. coli hypermutator strain grow in the lab for 8 consecutive days, each day splitting the culture in two while also collecting samples for sequencing. The result is a data set consisting of 101 whole genome sequences with known phylogenetic relationship. Among the sequenced samples 51 correspond to internal nodes in the phylogeny because they are ancestral, while the remaining 50 correspond to leaves. We also used the newly created data set to compare three different online available methods that infer phylogenies from whole-genome sequencing reads: NDtree, CSI Phylogeny and REALPHY. One complication when comparing the output of these methods with the known phylogeny is that phylogenetic methods typically build trees where all observed sequences are placed as leafs, even though some of them are in fact ancestral. We therefore devised a method for post processing the inferred trees by collapsing short branches (thus relocating some leafs to internal nodes), and also present two new measures of tree similarity that takes into account the identity of both internal and leaf nodes. Based on this analysis we find that, among the investigated methods, CSI Phylogeny had the best performance, correctly identifying 73% of all branches in the

Success tree method of resources evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Qinglan; Sun Wenpeng

1994-01-01

By applying the reliability theory in system engineering, the success tree method is used to transfer the expert's recognition on metallogenetic regularities into the form of the success tree. The aim of resources evaluation is achieved by means of calculating the metallogenetic probability or favorability of the top event of the success tree. This article introduces in detail, the source, principle of the success tree method and three kinds of calculation methods, expounds concretely how to establish the success tree of comprehensive uranium metallogenesis as well as the procedure from which the resources evaluation is performed. Because this method has not restrictions on the number of known deposits and calculated area, it is applicable to resources evaluation for different mineral species, types and scales and possesses good prospects of development

Mixed-power scaling of whole-plant respiration from seedlings to giant trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Shigeta; Yamaji, Keiko; Ishida, Atsushi; Prokushkin, Stanislav G; Masyagina, Oxana V; Hagihara, Akio; Hoque, A T M Rafiqul; Suwa, Rempei; Osawa, Akira; Nishizono, Tomohiro; Ueda, Tatsushiro; Kinjo, Masaru; Miyagi, Tsuyoshi; Kajimoto, Takuya; Koike, Takayoshi; Matsuura, Yojiro; Toma, Takeshi; Zyryanova, Olga A; Abaimov, Anatoly P; Awaya, Yoshio; Araki, Masatake G; Kawasaki, Tatsuro; Chiba, Yukihiro; Umari, Marjnah

2010-01-26

The scaling of respiratory metabolism with body mass is one of the most pervasive phenomena in biology. Using a single allometric equation to characterize empirical scaling relationships and to evaluate alternative hypotheses about mechanisms has been controversial. We developed a method to directly measure respiration of 271 whole plants, spanning nine orders of magnitude in body mass, from small seedlings to large trees, and from tropical to boreal ecosystems. Our measurements include the roots, which have often been ignored. Rather than a single power-law relationship, our data are fit by a biphasic, mixed-power function. The allometric exponent varies continuously from 1 in the smallest plants to 3/4 in larger saplings and trees. Therefore, our findings support the recent findings of Reich et al. [Reich PB, Tjoelker MG, Machado JL, Oleksyn J (2006) Universal scaling of respiratory metabolism, size, and nitrogen in plants. Nature 439:457-461] and West, Brown, and Enquist [West GB, Brown JH, Enquist BJ (1997) A general model for the origin of allometric scaling laws in biology. Science 276:122 -126.]. The transition from linear to 3/4-power scaling may indicate fundamental physical and physiological constraints on the allocation of plant biomass between photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic organs over the course of ontogenetic plant growth.

Natural Regeneration in a Multi-Layered Pinus sylvestris-Picea abies Forest after Target Diameter Harvest and Soil Scarification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lars Drössler

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Forest management in Sweden can be characterized by even-aged silviculture heavily relying on three established harvest regimes: clearcutting, the seed-tree method, and the shelterwood system. Less intense, small-scale retention harvest systems such as single tree and group selection harvest are rarely used. In addition, natural regeneration dynamics without enrichment planting have barely been studied. Consequently, this study examined natural regeneration establishment in a multi-layered Pinus sylvestris-Picea abies forest stand in southwest Sweden after target diameter harvesting and soil scarification. The creation of forest canopy gaps had a positive effect on total seedling density five years after harvest, mainly due to a significantly higher number of Betula pendula individuals. Seedling density of more desirable tree species suitable for continuous cover forestry such as Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea and Picea abies also increased substantially in gaps when compared to pre-harvest conditions or the unharvested plots. In contrast, soil scarification did not increase the number of seedlings of desired tree species due to a significant decrease in Picea abies abundance. Soil moisture and gap size significantly improved Betula pendula seedling establishment while a larger number of Quercus petraea seedlings were observed in Vaccinium myrtillus patches. We conclude that canopy gaps are beneficial under the encountered stand conditions to initiate forest regeneration, and that soil scarification without the timely occurrence of a mast year of desired tree species is not effective in the type of forest studied.

Red Guava Leaf Harvesting Impact on Flavonoid Optimation in Different Growth Phases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MUNIF GHULAMAHDI

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Harvesting process is a critical time to identify the quality of raw material for traditional medicine. The time and harvesting techniques, drying process after harvesting, and processing to make the simplicia, are the crucial role to make the good quality of the natural product. On the other hand, there is a lack of general understanding and appreciation about the processes involved in governing shoot and tree growth and development, i.e. red guava. The research objective was to evaluate the influence of leaf harvesting and growth phases on red guava for flavonoid production as antioxidant. Randomized factorial block design in time were laid out with two factors and followed by Duncan’s multiple range test. The treatments were the amount of leaf harvested on tertiary branches (0, 25, 50, and 100% and growth phases of the plant (vegetative and generative. Leaf harvesting 25% on tertiary branches significantly increased the leaf number (766.3 tree-1 and the number of new quarternary branches, decreasing leaf area index (LAI and leaf dry weight at the end of the experiment (22 weeks of observation/WO. The highest leaf dry weight (156.94 g tree-1 and LAI (0.47 was found in harvesting 25% tertiary branches. Harvesting 100% leaf on tertiary branches in vegetative phase significantly produced the lowest flavonoid production (7.82 g tree-1. The result suggested that flavonoid production from red guava leaves should be done by harvesting 50% leaf on tertiary branches in generative phase can be used to produce the highest flavonoid (89.90 g tree-1.

Tree root systems and nutrient mobilization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boyle, Jim; Rob, Harrison; Raulund-Rasmussen, Karsten

sometimes stored at depth. Other recent studies on potential release of nutrients due to chemical weathering indicate the importance of root access to deep soil layers. Release profi les clearly indicate depletion in the top layers and a much higher potential in B and C horizons. Review of evaluations......Roots mobilize nutrients via deep penetration and rhizosphere processes inducing weathering of primary minerals. These contribute to C transfer to soils and to tree nutrition. Assessments of these characteristics and processes of root systems are important for understanding long-term supplies...... of nutrient elements essential for forest growth and resilience. Research and techniques have signifi cantly advanced since Olof Tamm’s 1934 base mineral index for Swedish forest soils, and basic nutrient budget estimates for whole-tree harvesting systems of the 1970s. Recent research in areas that include...

The Effect of Plant Cultivar, Growth Media, Harvest Method and Post Harvest Treatment on the Microbiology of Edible Crops

Science.gov (United States)

Hummerick, Mary P.; Gates, Justin R.; Nguyen, Bao-Thang; Massa, Gioia D.; Wheeler, Raymond M.

2011-01-01

Systems for the growth of crops in closed environments are being developed and tested for potential use in space applications to provide a source of fresh food. Plant growth conditions, growth media composition and harvest methods can have an effect on the microbial population of the plant, and therefore should be considered along with the optimization of plant growth and harvest yields to ensure a safe and palatable food crop. This work examines the effect of plant cultivar, growth media, and harvest method on plant microbial populations. Twelve varieties of leafy greens and herbs were grown on a mixture of Fafard #2 and Arcillite in the pillow root containment system currently being considered for the VEGGIE plant growth unit developed by Orbitec. In addition, ,Sierra and Outredgeous lettuce varieties were grown in three different mixtures (Fafard #2, Ardllite, and Perlite/Vermiculite). The plants were analyzed for microbial density. Two harvest methods, "cut and come again" (CACA) and terminal harvest were also compared. In one set ofexpe'riments red leaf lettuce and mizuna were grown in pots in a Biomass Production System for education. Plants were harvested every two weeks by either method. Another set of experiments was performed using the rooting pillows to grow 5 varieties of leafy greens and cut harvesting at different intervals. Radishes were harvested and replanted at two-week intervals. Results indicate up to a 3 IOglO difference in microbial counts between some varieties of plants. Rooting medium resulted in an approximately 2 IOglO lower count in the lettuce grown in arscillite then those grown in the other mixtures. Harvest method and frequency had less impact on microbial counts only showing a significant increase in one variety of plant. Post harvest methods to decrease the bacterial counts on edible crops were investigated in these and other experiments. The effectiveness of PRO-SAN and UV-C radiation is compared.

Edge effects enhance selfing and seed harvesting efforts in the insect-pollinated Neotropical tree Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Tarazi, R; Sebbenn, A M; Kageyama, P Y; Vencovsky, R

2013-06-01

Edge effects may affect the mating system of tropical tree species and reduce the genetic diversity and variance effective size of collected seeds at the boundaries of forest fragments because of a reduction in the density of reproductive trees, neighbour size and changes in the behaviour of pollinators. Here, edge effects on the genetic diversity, mating system and pollen pool of the insect-pollinated Neotropical tree Copaifera langsdorffii were investigated using eight microsatellite loci. Open-pollinated seeds were collected from 17 seed trees within continuous savannah woodland (SW) and were compared with seeds from 11 seed trees at the edge of the savannah remnant. Seeds collected from the SW had significantly higher heterozygosity levels (Ho=0.780; He=0.831) than seeds from the edge (Ho=0.702; He=0.800). The multilocus outcrossing rate was significantly higher in the SW (tm=0.859) than in the edge (tm=0.759). Pollen pool differentiation was significant, however, it did not differ between the SW (=0.105) and the edge (=0.135). The variance effective size within the progenies was significantly higher in the SW (Ne=2.65) than at the edge (Ne=2.30). The number of seed trees to retain the reference variance effective size of 500 was 189 at the SW and 217 at the edge. Therefore, it is preferable that seed harvesting for conservation and environmental restoration strategies be conducted in the SW, where genetic diversity and variance effective size within progenies are higher.

Combine harvester monitor system based on wireless sensor network

Science.gov (United States)

A measurement method based on Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) was developed to monitor the working condition of combine harvester for remote application. Three JN5139 modules were chosen for sensor data acquisition and another two as a router and a coordinator, which could create a tree topology netwo...

A hybrid 3D spatial access method based on quadtrees and R-trees for globe data

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jun; Ke, Shengnan; Li, Xiaomin; Qi, Shuhua

2009-10-01

3D spatial access method for globe data is very crucial technique for virtual earth. This paper presents a brand-new maintenance method to index 3d objects distributed on the whole surface of the earth, which integrates the 1:1,000,000- scale topographic map tiles, Quad-tree and R-tree. Furthermore, when traditional methods are extended into 3d space, the performance of spatial index deteriorates badly, for example 3D R-tree. In order to effectively solve this difficult problem, a new algorithm of dynamic R-tree is put forward, which includes two sub-procedures, namely node-choosing and node-split. In the node-choosing algorithm, a new strategy is adopted, not like the traditional mode which is from top to bottom, but firstly from bottom to top then from top to bottom. This strategy can effectively solve the negative influence of node overlap. In the node-split algorithm, 2-to-3 split mode substitutes the traditional 1-to-2 mode, which can better concern the shape and size of nodes. Because of the rational tree shape, this R-tree method can easily integrate the concept of LOD. Therefore, it will be later implemented in commercial DBMS and adopted in time-crucial 3d GIS system.

Comparison of tree size structure and growth for partially harvested and even-aged hemlock-spruce stands in southeast Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Robert L. Deal; Troy Heithecker; Eric K. Zenner

2010-01-01

The effects of partial cutting on tree size structure and stand growth were evaluated in 52 plots in 13 stands in southeast Alaska that were partially harvested 53 to 96 years ago and compared with 50-year-old even-aged stands that developed after clearcutting. The net basal-area growth was greater in the partially cut plots than in the uncut plots, and basal-area...

Fifteen-year patterns of soil carbon and nitrogen following biomass harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Kurth, Valerie J.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Palik, Brian J.; Bradford, John B.

2014-01-01

The substitution of forest-derived woody biofuels for fossil fuel energy has garnered increasing attention in recent years, but information regarding the mid- and long-term effects on soil productivity is limited. We investigated 15-yr temporal trends in forest floor and mineral soil (0–30 cm) C and N pools in response to organic matter removal treatments (OMR; stem-only harvest, SOH; whole-tree harvest, WTH; and whole-tree plus forest floor removal, FFR) at three edaphically distinct aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx. and P. grandidentata Michx.) forests in the Great Lakes region. The OMR and temporal effects were generally site specific, and both were most evident in the forest floor and combined profile (mineral soil and forest floor) compared with the mineral soil alone. Forest floor and combined profile C and N pools were generally similar in the SOH and WTH treatments, suggesting that slash retention has little impact on soil C and N in this time frame. Temporal changes in C and N at one of the three sites were consistent with patterns documented following exotic earthworm invasion, but mineral soil pools at the other two sites were stable over time. Power analyses demonstrated that significant effects were more likely to be detected for temporal differences than the effects of OMR and in the combined profile than in the mineral soil. Our findings are consistent with previous work demonstrating that OMR effects on soil C and N pools are site specific and more apparent in the forest floor than the mineral soil.

Fruit Detachment and Classification Method for Strawberry Harvesting Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Feng

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Fruit detachment and on-line classification is important for the development of harvesting robot. With the specific requriements of robot used for harvesting strawberries growing on the ground, a fruit detachment and classification method is introduced in this paper. OHTA color spaces based image segmentation algorithm is utilized to extract strawberry from background; Principal inertia axis of binary strawberry blob is calculated to give the pose information of fruit. Strawberry is picked selectively according to its ripeness and classified according to its shape feature. Histogram matching based method for fruit shape judgment is introduced firstly. Experiment results show that this method can achieve 93% accuracy of strawberry's stem detection, 90% above accuracy of ripeness and shape quality judgment on black and white background. With the improvement of harvesting mechanism design, this method has application potential in the field operation.

Fruit Detachment and Classification Method for Strawberry Harvesting Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Feng

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Fruit detachment and on-line classification is important for the development of harvesting robot. With the specific requriements of robot used for harvesting strawberries growing on the ground, a fruit detachment and classification method is introduced in this paper. OHTA color spaces based image segmentation algorithm is utilized to extract strawberry from background; Principal inertia axis of binary strawberry blob is calculated to give the pose information of fruit. Strawberry is picked selectively according to its ripeness and classified according to its shape feature. Histogram matching based method for fruit shape judgment is introduced firstly. Experiment results show that this method can achieve 93% accuracy of strawberry's stem detection, 90% above accuracy of ripeness and shape quality judgment on black and white background. With the improvement of harvesting mechanism design, this method has application potential in the field operation.

How stem defects affect the capability of optimum bucking method?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Emin Akay

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In forest harvesting activities, computer-assisted optimum bucking method increases the economic value of harvested trees. The bucking decision highly depends on the log quality grades which mainly vary with the surface characteristics such as stem defects and form of the stems. In this study, the effects of stem defects on optimum bucking method was investigated by comparing bucking applications which were conducted during the logging operations in two different Brutian Pine (Pinus brutia Ten stands. In the applications, the first stand contained the stems with relatively more stem defects than that of the stems in the second stand. The average number of defects per log for sample trees in the first and the second stand was recorded as 3.64 and 2.70, respectively. The results indicated that optimum bucking method increased the average economic value of harvested trees by 15.45% and 8.26 % in the stands, respectively. Therefore, the computer-assisted optimum bucking method potentially provides better results than that of traditional bucking method especially for the harvested trees with more stem defects.

pH sensitivity of Swedish forest streams related to catchment characteristics and geographical location - Implications for forest bioenergy harvest and ash return

Science.gov (United States)

Ågren, Anneli; Löfgren, Stefan

2013-04-01

Whole-tree harvesting acidifies forest soils more than conventional harvest of stems. There is concern that this excess acidification will also affect surface waters and counteract the well-documented recovery from acid deposition in streams and lakes. Here we present a first attempt to identify the landscape types within Sweden where the streams are most sensitive to acidification and potentially in need of protection from excessive biomass harvest or countermeasures such as ash application. Conservative estimates indicate that forest slash must be harvested from >30 ha to produce the amount of ash needed to restore 1 ha acidified surface water. This highlights the need for careful planning of where ash should be distributed. Streams with a high pH are well buffered by the bicarbonate system and not sensitive to a potential pH decline. Streams with a low pH are also well buffered by dissolved organic carbon and aluminum and are not likely affected by bioenergy harvest. However, streams in the intermediate pH range (5-6.2) are potentially sensitive to acidification from excess base cation removal due to whole-tree harvesting. In such streams a small change in acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) can change pH dramatically. The pH sensitivity of 218 streams in different regions (northern, central, southern, and southwest Sweden) was defined from stream water pH and related to catchment characteristics and stream water acid-base chemistry. At the national level, catchments with till soils and a large proportion of forested wetlands formed the most pH sensitive areas. Because of regional variability in acidification history, amount and distribution of quaternary deposits, vegetation cover, etc. pH sensitivity was determined by different landscape elements in different regions. For example, in northern Sweden streams draining forest mires were the most pH sensitive streams. The patchy spatial distribution of this landscape type, makes it difficult from an administrative

Fruit production and branching density affect shoot and whole-tree wood to leaf biomass ratio in olive.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosati, Adolfo; Paoletti, Andrea; Al Hariri, Raeed; Famiani, Franco

2018-02-14

The amount of shoot stem (i.e., woody part of the shoot) dry matter per unit shoot leaf dry matter (i.e., the shoot wood to leaf biomass ratio) has been reported to be lower in short shoots than in long ones, and this is related to the greater and earlier ability of short shoots to export carbon. This is important in fruit trees, since the greater and earlier carbon export ability of shoots with a lower wood to leaf biomass ratio improves fruit production. This ratio may vary with cultivars, training systems or plant age, but no study has previously investigated the possible effect of fruit production. In this study on two olive cultivars (i.e., Arbequina, with low growth rate, and Frantoio, with high growth rate) subject to different fruit production treatments, we found that at increasing fruit production, shoot length and shoot wood to leaf biomass ratio were proportionally reduced in the new shoots growing at the same time as the fruit. Specifically, fruit production proportionally reduced total new-shoot biomass, length, leaf area and average shoot length. With decreasing shoot length, shoot diameter, stem mass, internode length, individual leaf area and shoot wood to leaf biomass ratio also decreased. This may be viewed as a plant strategy to better support fruit growth in the current year, given the greater and earlier ability of short shoots to export carbon. Moreover, at the whole-tree level, the percentage of total tree biomass production invested in leaves was closely correlated with branching density, which differed significantly across cultivars. By branching more, Arbequina concentrates more shoots (thus leaves) per unit of wood (trunk, branches and root) mass, decreasing wood to leaf biomass ratio at the whole-tree level. Therefore, while, at the shoot level, shoot length determines shoot wood to leaf biomass ratio, at the canopy level branching density is also an important determinant of whole-tree wood to leaf biomass ratio. Whole-tree wood to leaf

Evaluation of chips quality by the analysis of two different harvesting methodologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pari, L.; Civitarese, V.; Del Giudice, A. [Council for Research in Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering Research Unit, Rome (Italy)

2010-07-01

The Council for Research in Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering Research Unit (CRA-ING) in Rome, Italy has developed an innovative short-rotation forestry (SRF) harvesting system. The system involves a 2 step operation, notably the tree felling and inter-row windrowing performed by a feller windrower equipment; and subsequent chipping performed by a harvester equipped with a pick-up device. The low moisture content of the windrowed trees at harvesting time affects their physical qualities and mechanical strength throughout the chipping operation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the moisture losses of windrowed trees, in relation to the windrow location, on field storage and weather condition. In addition, the study characterized chips quality changes during on field storage by the 2 different harvesting systems. The innovative 2-step system was compared with the traditional 1-step harvesting system.

Biophysical control of whole tree transpiration under an urban environment in Northern China

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lixin; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Li, Zhandong; Tang, Jianwu; Caldwell, Peter; Zhang, Wenjuan

2011-05-01

SummaryUrban reforestation in China has led to increasing debate about the impact of urban trees and forests on water resources. Although transpiration is the largest water flux leaving terrestrial ecosystems, little is known regarding whole tree transpiration in urban environments. In this study, we quantified urban tree transpiration at various temporal scales and examined the biophysical control of the transpiration pattern under different water conditions to understand how trees survive in an urban environment. Concurrent with microclimate and soil moisture measurements, transpiration from C edrus deodara(Roxb)Loud ., Zelkova schneideriana Hend.-Mazz., Euonymus bungeanus Maxim., and Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et cheng was measured over a 2-year period using thermal dissipation probe (TDP) techniques. The average monthly transpiration rates reached 12.78 ± 0.73 (S.E.) mm, 1.79 ± 0.16 mm, 10.18 ± 0.55 mm and 19.28 ± 2.24 mm for C. deodara, Z.schneideriana, E. bungeanus and M. glyptostroboides, respectively. Transpiration rates from M. glyptostroboides reported here may need further study as this species showed much higher sap flows and greater transpiration fluctuation under different environmental conditions than other species. Because of deep soil moisture supply, summer dry spells did not reduce transpiration rates even when tree transpiration exceeded rainfall. While vapor pressure deficit ( VPD) was the dominant environmental factor on transpiration, trees controlled canopy conductance effectively to limit transpiration in times of water stress. Our results provide evidence that urban trees could adopt strong physiological control over transpiration under high evaporative demands to avoid dehydration and can make use of water in deeper soil layers to survive summer dry spells. Moreover, urban trees have the ability to make the best use of precipitation when it is limited, and are sensitive to soil and air dryness.

Improving the water use efficiency of olive trees growing in water harvesting systems

Science.gov (United States)

Berliner, Pedro; Leake, Salomon; Carmi, Gennady; Agam, Nurit

2017-04-01

Water is a primary limiting factor for agricultural development in many arid and semi-arid regions in which a runoff generation is a rather frequent event. If conveyed to dyke surrounded plots and ponded, runoff water can thereafter be used for tree production. One of the most promising runoff collection configurations is that of micro-catchments in which water is collected close to the area in which runoff was generated and stored in adjacent shallow pits. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of the geometry of runoff water collection area (shallow pit or trench) on direct evaporative water losses and on the water use efficiency of olive trees grown in them. The study was conducted during the summer of 2013 and 2014. In this study regular micro-catchments with basins of 9 m2 (3 x 3 m) by 0.1 m deep were compared with trenches of one meter deep and one meter wide. Each configuration was replicated three times. One tree was planted in each shallow basin and the distance between trees in the 12 m long trench was four meters. Access tubes for neutron probes were installed in the micro-catchments and trenches (four and seven, respectively) to depths of 2.5 m. Soil water content in the soil profile was monitored periodically throughout drying periods in between simulated runoff events. Transpiration of the trees was estimated from half-hourly sap flow measurements using a Granier system. Total transpiration fluxes were computed for time intervals corresponding to consecutive soil water measurements. During the first year, a large runoff event was simulated by applying once four cubic meters to each plot; and in the second year the same volume of water was split into four applications, simulating a series of small runoff events. In both geometries, trees received the same amount of water per tree. Evaporation from trenches and micro-catchments was estimated as the difference between evapotranspiration obtained computing the differences in total soil water

Crop tree release options for young hardwood stands in North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

Jamie L. Schuler; Daniel J. Robison

2006-01-01

Harvesting southern hardwood forests using even-aged reproduction methods commonly regenerate new stands with 20,000 to 50,000 stems per acre. Overstocking and an overabundance of non-commercial tree species are considered major constraints to growing productive and valuable hardwoods. Crop tree release practices have been promoted as an efficient way of thinning young...

Whole-tree clearcutting in New England: manager's guide to impacts on soils, streams, and regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Robert S. Pierce; James W. Hornbeck; Wayne C. Martin; Louise M. Tritton; Tattersall C. Smith; Anthony C. Federer; Harry W. Yawney

1993-01-01

Studies of impacts of whole-tree clearcutting in spruce-fir, northern hardwood, and central hardwood forest types are summarized for use by practicing foresters, land managers, environmental protection agencies and organizations, and the general public. Guidelines are given for protecting soils, stream water quality, nutrient cycles, and site productivity.

Felling and skidding productivity and harvesting cost in southern pine forests

Science.gov (United States)

R.A. Kluender; B.J. Stokes

1996-01-01

Sixteen stands were harvested at various levels of basal area removed (intensity). Chainsaw felling productivity was more sensitive to stem diameter than harvest intensity. Skidding productivity was highest when removing large trees at high intensity. Harvesting cost was more sensitive to stem size than harvest intensity, although harvest intensity was a very important...

Production economics of harvesting young hardwood stands in central Appalachia

Science.gov (United States)

Yaoxiang Li; Jingxin Wang; Gary W. Miller; Joe McNeel

2004-01-01

Three harvesting systems of chainsaw/cable skidder, fell-buncher/grapple skidder, and harvester/forwarder were simulated in harvesting three hardwood stands of 30 to 50 years old in central Appalachia. Stands were generated by using a stand generator and harvesting prescriptions included clearcut, shelterwood cut, selective cut, diameter limit cut, and crop tree...

Assessing the feasibility and profitability of cut-to-length harvests in eastern hardwoods

Science.gov (United States)

Chris B. LoDoux

2002-01-01

Cut-to-length (CTL) logging applications are becoming more popular in hardwood forests. CTL harvesting causes much less damage to the residual stand than conventional harvesting because logs and trees are not pulled through the stand and trees can be felled directionally.

A novel method for energy harvesting simulation based on scenario generation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhe; Li, Taoshen; Xiao, Nan; Ye, Jin; Wu, Min

2018-06-01

Energy harvesting network (EHN) is a new form of computer networks. It converts ambient energy into usable electric energy and supply the electrical energy as a primary or secondary power source to the communication devices. However, most of the EHN uses the analytical probability distribution function to describe the energy harvesting process, which cannot accurately identify the actual situation for the lack of authenticity. We propose an EHN simulation method based on scenario generation in this paper. Firstly, instead of setting a probability distribution in advance, it uses optimal scenario reduction technology to generate representative scenarios in single period based on the historical data of the harvested energy. Secondly, it uses homogeneous simulated annealing algorithm to generate optimal daily energy harvesting scenario sequences to get a more accurate simulation of the random characteristics of the energy harvesting network. Then taking the actual wind power data as an example, the accuracy and stability of the method are verified by comparing with the real data. Finally, we cite an instance to optimize the network throughput, which indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method we proposed from the optimal solution and data analysis in energy harvesting simulation.

The population ecology of two tropical trees, Brachychiton diversifolius (Malvaceae) and Bombax ceiba (Bombaceae), harvested by Indigenous woodcarvers in Arnhem Land, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Jennifer; Griffiths, Anthony

2012-10-01

We describe the population ecology of two tropical deciduous trees, Bombax ceiba leiocarpum A. Robyns and Brachychiton diversifolius R. Br., which are in high demand for Indigenous sculpture production in Arnhem Land, Australia. We monitored tagged populations of both species at two locations for 2 years to examine their reproduction, growth, and survival rates and their response to harvest. Both species have similar life histories: they reproduce during the dry season (June-November) producing a high seed load, seed predation was high, seeds did not survive in the soil past the following wet season to form a seed bank, and germination rates were low and variable for both species. Average annual circumference growth rates were 1.07 cm year(-1) for B. ceiba and 0.98 cm year(-1) for B. diversifolius, with most of the growth occurring during the early wet season. Most (65-88 %) of the harvested B. ceiba and B. diversifolius stems coppiced. Coppice and stem size class were the main factors influencing tree growth rates with coppice stems growing up to six times faster than similar sized non-coppice stems. The survival of B. ceiba and B. diversifolius stems was size class dependent and affected by local site factors (e.g. fire and other disturbances) so that the smaller size classes had a low probability of survival. Given the resprouting potential of both species, their wild harvest is likely to have only minimal local impact on wild populations. However, further population modelling is required to determine whether the small and disjunct B. ceiba populations can sustain harvesting at current levels.

Magnetic flux concentration methods for magnetic energy harvesting module

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wakiwaka Hiroyuki

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents magnetic flux concentration methods for magnetic energy harvesting module. The purpose of this study is to harvest 1 mW energy with a Brooks coil 2 cm in diameter from environmental magnetic field at 60 Hz. Because the harvesting power is proportional to the square of the magnetic flux density, we consider the use of a magnetic flux concentration coil and a magnetic core. The magnetic flux concentration coil consists of an air­core Brooks coil and a resonant capacitor. When a uniform magnetic field crossed the coil, the magnetic flux distribution around the coil was changed. It is found that the magnetic field in an area is concentrated larger than 20 times compared with the uniform magnetic field. Compared with the air­core coil, our designed magnetic core makes the harvested energy ten­fold. According to ICNIRP2010 guideline, the acceptable level of magnetic field is 0.2 mT in the frequency range between 25 Hz and 400 Hz. Without the two magnetic flux concentration methods, the corresponding energy is limited to 1 µW. In contrast, our experimental results successfully demonstrate energy harvesting of 1 mW from a magnetic field of 0.03 mT at 60 Hz.

The economy of chip, whole-tree and short-wood methods in the pulpwood and fuelwood procurement of a pulp mill; Hake-, puu- ja puutavaralajimenetelmien taloudellisuus massatehtaan kuitu- ja energiapuun hankinnassa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imponen, V [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1997-12-31

Branch-mass models, applicable for different kinds of technical/economical inspections of timber procurement, based on large data collections of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, were developed in the project. These models are based on the assumption that the branch-mass distribution inside the top-end of different tree-species resembles each-other. The production costs of pulp produced from first-thinning pine were lowest when the minimum diameter of the pulpwood varied between 6 - 9 cm, then the relative costs varied between 101 - 99. The production costs consisted of timber procurement costs, variable industrial timber processing and pulping costs, and secondary product reimbursements. In addition to the calculational inspections, the effects of the dimensions of pulpwood and the harvesting technology on profitability of harvesting of first thinning pine, on debarking, on the chip-size distribution and on fiber properties, were studied in the research. The profitability of harvesting is increased by about 10 % when the minimum diameter is decreased from 7 cm to 5 cm. This requires, however, that the size of the minimum-stem is not decreased

The economy of chip, whole-tree and short-wood methods in the pulpwood and fuelwood procurement of a pulp mill; Hake-, puu- ja puutavaralajimenetelmien taloudellisuus massatehtaan kuitu- ja energiapuun hankinnassa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imponen, V. [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1996-12-31

Branch-mass models, applicable for different kinds of technical/economical inspections of timber procurement, based on large data collections of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, were developed in the project. These models are based on the assumption that the branch-mass distribution inside the top-end of different tree-species resembles each-other. The production costs of pulp produced from first-thinning pine were lowest when the minimum diameter of the pulpwood varied between 6 - 9 cm, then the relative costs varied between 101 - 99. The production costs consisted of timber procurement costs, variable industrial timber processing and pulping costs, and secondary product reimbursements. In addition to the calculational inspections, the effects of the dimensions of pulpwood and the harvesting technology on profitability of harvesting of first thinning pine, on debarking, on the chip-size distribution and on fiber properties, were studied in the research. The profitability of harvesting is increased by about 10 % when the minimum diameter is decreased from 7 cm to 5 cm. This requires, however, that the size of the minimum-stem is not decreased

Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas; Li, Cai; Li, Bo

2014-01-01

To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods created to handle genome-scale data. We recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister...... or close relationships. We identified the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups we named Passerea and Columbea, representing independent lineages of diverse and convergently evolved land and water bird species. Among Passerea, we infer the common ancestor of core landbirds to have been an apex predator...... and confirm independent gains of vocal learning. Among Columbea, we identify pigeons and flamingoes as belonging to sister clades. Even with whole genomes, some of the earliest branches in Neoaves proved challenging to resolve, which was best explained by massive protein-coding sequence convergence and high...

A Survey on Robotic Coconut Tree Climbers - Existing Methods and Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan Megalingam, Rajesh; Sakthiprasad, K. M.; Sreekanth, M. M.; Vamsy Vivek, Gedela

2017-08-01

As the coconut palm growers are struggling with the acute shortage of human coconut tree climbers to climb and harvest the coconuts, many are working towards possible alternatives to help them handle this situation. In this study paper we analyse the problems associated with the shortage of human coconut tree climbers in -depth. We also present details of various existing mechanical models available in the market and have not yet solved this issue. Along with this we discuss how robotics and automation could be a possible solution for this entire problem. In this context we discuss about the features of such robotic system and also give suggestions on various unmanned robotic models that can be designed and implemented.

Pine growth and plant community response to chemical vs. mechanical site preparation for establishing loblolly and slash pine

Science.gov (United States)

James H. Miller; Zhijuan Qiu

1995-01-01

Chemical and mechanical site preparation methods were studied for establishing loblolly (Pinus taeda L) and slash (P. elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) pine following both integrated fuelwood-pulpwood harvesting and conventional whole-tree harvesting of pines and hardwoods in southem Alabama's Middle Coastal...

Harvesting budworm-damaged stands for fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henley, S.G. (York, Sunbury, Charlotte Wood Products Marketing Board, (Canada))

1985-01-01

This project was initiated to demonstrate the economics and logistics of harvesting budworm-damaged stands for use as fuel. Dead spruce and balsam fir were to be harvested from small private woodlots in southwestern New Brunswick, using an integrated, full-tree harvesting system to produce wood chip fuel and other forest products. The overall objectives of the study are listed. The harvesting equipment and the selection of sites are discussed. The most efficient methods of finding candidate woodlots was found to be by advertising and word of mouth. Contact was made with 85 woodlot owners, and 45 woodlots were visited and evaluated for their suitability. A further 150 management plans were screened and rejected for various reasons. Only 2 woodlots were initially recognized as potential sites; however, after showing some interest, the owners decided not to participate. The reasons for the rejection of the various woodlots are listed. The fact that a number of owners were against clearcutting, and, in some cases, against any cutting, and that others showed no interest in the study, is attributed to the high percentage of white-collar workers owning woodlots. Other strategies for harvesting dead or scrap wood are suggested. 1 ref., 1 tab.

Physical and chemical properties of slash pine tree parts

Science.gov (United States)

E. T. Howard

1973-01-01

In three 22-year-old slash pines from an unthinned plantation in central Louisiana, stemwood comprised 58.5 percent of total ovendry tree weight. Stumps and main roots made up 16.5 percent, bark 12.5, top of bole 5.0, needles 4.0, and branches 3.5. This material now is largely wasted when a tree is harvested; methods of utilizing it would extend fiber supplies by 70...

Environmental stress and whole-tree physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Peter L. Jr. Lorio

1993-01-01

Interactions among bark beetles, pathogens, and conifers constitute a triangle. Another triangle of interactions exist among the invading organism (bark beetles and pathogens), the trees, and the environment. How important, variable or constant, simple or complex, is the role of trees in these triangles? Understanding the wide range of interactions that take place...

Evaluation of the on-site impact of water harvesting in southern Tunisia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fleskens, L.; Stroosnijder, L.; Ouessar, M.; Graaff, de J.

2005-01-01

Water harvesting techniques (WHT) play an important role in water resources conservation in (semi-) arid environments. However, the impacts of WHT are not clearly understood. This paper presents a method to measure increased water availability to olive (Olea europeae) trees grown on the terraced

A simple and efficient method for measuring the uptake of radiolabelled compounds by leukocytes in whole blood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pauly, J.L.; Schuller, M.G.; Germain, M.J.

1977-01-01

A liquid scintillation counting procedure is described for measuring the uptake of radiolabelled compounds by leukocytes in large or small volumes of whole blood. Color and chemical quenching as well as other technical difficulties noted previously by investigators attempting to process whole blood were eliminated by selectively disrupting the erythrocytes. This was readily accomplished by washing the blood with 3% acetic acid. After bleaching the leukocyte pellet with hydrogen peroxide, the sample was prepared for counting using methods in which the cells were dissolved or oxidized. Examples demonstrating the utility of the proposed technique are presented in which DNA, RNA and protein synthesis of leukocytes from patients with uncontrolled leukemia were measured by the uptake of tritiated thymidine, uridine and leucine, respectively. Also noted is the feasibility of employing a multiple automated sample harvester and whole blood microcultures. The advantages realised by these methods and their potential clinical and experimental utility are discussed. (author)

An evaluation of harvesting machinery for short rotation coppice willow in Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kofman, P.D.; Spinelli, R.

1997-12-31

During the harvesting seasons 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 several harvesting trials were carried out within the EU project on harvesting and storage of Short Rotation Crops and within a national project. During this period the following machines were investigated: Diemelstadt poplar harvester, cut and chip; Claas forage harvester with SRF header, cut and chip; Austoft sugarcane harvester, adapted to SRF, cut and chip; Bender II, cut and chip; Hvidsted Energy Allrounder, whole shoot harvester; Dansalix whole shoot harvester. In the 1994-1995 season the intention was to harvest 300 tonnes of whole shoots, chunks and chips for a storage trial. The main conclusions of the 1994-1995 harvesting season must be that harvesting willow with the existing machines in wet winters without frozen ground is very difficult. The machines will have to be developed further and special interest should be given to developing shuttle vehicles with the same flotation as the tracked harvester. Several of the problems encountered with the machines in Denmark were confirmed by the experience in the other trials. Road transportation of chips from SRF plantations is just as expensive as transporting energy chips from the forest at about Dkr 50 per tonne over 48 km. Transporting whole shoots is very expensive due to the low bulk density. Transportation of whole shoots over 48 km costs on the average Dkr 133 per tonne fresh. A very short pilot study into chipping of whole shoots from a three metre high pile indicated that this comminution with a normal forest chipper has a low productivity (8.9 tonnes fresh per work place hour) and is very expensive at Dkr 157 per tonne. This productivity can be improved by equipping the chipper with a special feeding table and better feed rollers for the SRF crop. (EG)

Computational model of a whole tree combustor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bryden, K.M.; Ragland, K.W. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

1993-12-31

A preliminary computational model has been developed for the whole tree combustor and compared to test results. In the simulation model presented hardwood logs, 15 cm in diameter are burned in a 4 m deep fuel bed. Solid and gas temperature, solid and gas velocity, CO, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, HC and O{sub 2} profiles are calculated. This deep, fixed bed combustor obtains high energy release rates per unit area due to the high inlet air velocity and extended reaction zone. The lowest portion of the overall bed is an oxidizing region and the remainder of the bed acts as a gasification and drying region. The overfire air region completes the combustion. Approximately 40% of the energy is released in the lower oxidizing region. The wood consumption rate obtained from the computational model is 4,110 kg/m{sup 2}-hr which matches well the consumption rate of 3,770 kg/m{sup 2}-hr observed during the peak test period of the Aurora, MN test. The predicted heat release rate is 16 MW/m{sup 2} (5.0*10{sup 6} Btu/hr-ft{sup 2}).

Evaluating timber harvesting impacts on wildlife habitat suitability using FOREX

Science.gov (United States)

Chris B. LeDoux

1997-01-01

Precommercial, commercial, and final harvesting operations can impact wildlife habitat suitability by altering the vegetation composition on a given site. Harvesting operations remove trees and many times provide the necessary perturbation to trigger successional conditions different from those that existed prior to the harvest. Although these new successional changes...

Changes in whole-tree water relations during ontogeny of Pinus flexilis and Pinus ponderosa in a high-elevation meadow.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Dylan G; Kolb, Thomas E; DeWald, Laura E

2002-07-01

We measured sap flux in Pinus ponderosa Laws. and Pinus flexilis James trees in a high-elevation meadow in northern Arizona that has been invaded by conifers over the last 150 years. Sap flux and environmental data were collected from July 1 to September 1, 2000, and used to estimate leaf specific transpiration rate (El), canopy conductance (Gc) and whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kh). Leaf area to sapwood area ratio (LA/SA) increased with increasing tree size in P. flexilis, but decreased with increasing tree size in P. ponderosa. Both Gc and Kh decreased with increasing tree size in P. flexilis, and showed no clear trends with tree size in P. ponderosa. For both species, Gc was lower in the summer dry season than in the summer rainy season, but El did not change between wet and dry summer seasons. Midday water potential (Psi(mid)) did not change across seasons for either species, whereas predawn water potential (Psi(pre)) tracked variation in soil water content across seasons. Pinus flexilis showed greater stomatal response to vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and maintained higher Psi(mid) than P. ponderosa. Both species showed greater sensitivity to VPD at high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; > 2500 micromol m-2 s-1) than at low PAR (Pinus species, and was influenced by changes in LA/SA. Whole-tree water use and El were similar between wet and dry summer seasons, possibly because of tight stomatal control over water loss. 2002 Heron Publishing--Victoria, Canada

Whole Genome Phylogenetic Tree Reconstruction using Colored de Bruijn Graphs

OpenAIRE

Lyman, Cole

2017-01-01

We present kleuren, a novel assembly-free method to reconstruct phylogenetic trees using the Colored de Bruijn Graph. kleuren works by constructing the Colored de Bruijn Graph and then traversing it, finding bubble structures in the graph that provide phylogenetic signal. The bubbles are then aligned and concatenated to form a supermatrix, from which a phylogenetic tree is inferred. We introduce the algorithm that kleuren uses to accomplish this task, and show its performance on reconstructin...

Production economics of harvesting small-diameter hardwood stands in central Appalachia

Science.gov (United States)

Yaoxiang Li; Jingxin Wang; Gary Miller; Joe McNeel

2006-01-01

Three harvesting systems of chainsaw/cable skidder, feller-buncher/grapple skidder, and harvester/forwarder were simulated in harvesting three hardwood stands 30 to 50 years old in central Appalachia. Stands were generated by using a 3D stand generator. Harvesting prescriptions included clearcut, shelterwood cut, selective cut, diameter limit cut, and crop tree release...

Toward sustainable harvesting of Africa's largest medicinal plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global demand for treating prostate disorders with Prunus africana bark extract has made P. africana Africa's largest medicinal plant export. Unsustainable harvesting practices can lead to local extirpations of this multipurpose tree. Survey research targeting P. africana harvesters in a Tanzania forest reserve revealed that ...

Final Harvest of Above-Ground Biomass and Allometric Analysis of the Aspen FACE Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mark E. Kubiske

2013-04-15

The Aspen FACE experiment, located at the US Forest Service Harshaw Research Facility in Oneida County, Wisconsin, exposes the intact canopies of model trembling aspen forests to increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and O3. The first full year of treatments was 1998 and final year of elevated CO2 and O3 treatments is scheduled for 2009. This proposal is to conduct an intensive, analytical harvest of the above-ground parts of 24 trees from each of the 12, 30 m diameter treatment plots (total of 288 trees) during June, July & August 2009. This above-ground harvest will be carefully coordinated with the below-ground harvest proposed by D.F. Karnosky et al. (2008 proposal to DOE). We propose to dissect harvested trees according to annual height growth increment and organ (main stem, branch orders, and leaves) for calculation of above-ground biomass production and allometric comparisons among aspen clones, species, and treatments. Additionally, we will collect fine root samples for DNA fingerprinting to quantify biomass production of individual aspen clones. This work will produce a thorough characterization of above-ground tree and stand growth and allocation above ground, and, in conjunction with the below ground harvest, total tree and stand biomass production, allocation, and allometry.

Estimating phylogenetic trees from genome-scale data.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Liang; Xi, Zhenxiang; Wu, Shaoyuan; Davis, Charles C; Edwards, Scott V

2015-12-01

The heterogeneity of signals in the genomes of diverse organisms poses challenges for traditional phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic methods known as "species tree" methods have been proposed to directly address one important source of gene tree heterogeneity, namely the incomplete lineage sorting that occurs when evolving lineages radiate rapidly, resulting in a diversity of gene trees from a single underlying species tree. Here we review theory and empirical examples that help clarify conflicts between species tree and concatenation methods, and misconceptions in the literature about the performance of species tree methods. Considering concatenation as a special case of the multispecies coalescent model helps explain differences in the behavior of the two methods on phylogenomic data sets. Recent work suggests that species tree methods are more robust than concatenation approaches to some of the classic challenges of phylogenetic analysis, including rapidly evolving sites in DNA sequences and long-branch attraction. We show that approaches, such as binning, designed to augment the signal in species tree analyses can distort the distribution of gene trees and are inconsistent. Computationally efficient species tree methods incorporating biological realism are a key to phylogenetic analysis of whole-genome data. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

West Virginia harvest and utilization study, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Jan Wiedenbeck; Shawn. Grushecky

2014-01-01

Thirty active harvesting operations were part of a harvest and utilization study conducted in West Virginia in 2008. Data were collected on roundwood product and residue yields obtained from trees of different sizes, species, and qualities. This study was modeled after studies conducted on a regular and frequent basis by the Forest Inventory and Analysis unit in the...

Relationship Between Site Disturbance and Forest Harvesting Equipment Traffic

Science.gov (United States)

Tim McDonald; Emily Carter; Steve Taylor; John Tobert

1998-01-01

A study was done to evaluate the use of global positioning systems (GPS) to track the position of forest harvesting equipment and use the information to assess site impacts. GPS units were attached to tree-length harvesting machinery in two clearcuts (1 feller-buncher, 2 skidders). Position of the equipment was recorded at 2-second intervals throughout the harvest of...

Effects of timber harvest on structural diversity and species composition in hardwood forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FARZAM TAVANKAR

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Tavankar F, Bonyad AE. 2015. Effects of timber harvest on structural diversity and species composition in hardwood forests. Biodiversitas 16: 1-9. Forest management leads to changes in structure and species composition of stands. In this research vertical and horizontal structure and species composition were compared in two harvested and protected stands in the Caspian forest of Iran. The results indicated the tree and seedling density, total basal area and stand volume was significantly (P < 0.01 higher in the protected stand. The Fagus orientalis L. had the most density and basal area in the both stands. Species importance value (SIV of Fagus orientalis in the protected stand (92.5 was higher than in the harvested stand (88.5. While, the SIV of shade-intolerant tree species such as Acer insigne, Acer cappadocicum and Alnus subcordata was higher in the harvested stand. The density of trees and seedling of rare tree species, such as Ulmus glabra, Tilia begonifolia, Zelkova caprinifolia and Fraxinus coriarifolia, was also higher in the protected stand. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index in the protected stand (0.84 was significantly higher (P < 0.01 than in the harvested stand (0.72. The highest diversity value in the harvested stand was observed in DBH of 10-40 cm class, while DBH of 40-70 cm had the highest diversity value in the protected stand.

Chronic impacts of invasive herbivores on a foundational forest species: a whole-tree perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Claire M; Schaeffer, Robert N; Hickin, Mauri L; Rigsby, Chad M; Sommi, Amanda F; Thornber, Carol S; Orians, Colin M; Preisser, Evan L

2018-05-05

Forests make up a large portion of terrestrial plant biomass, and the long-lived woody plants that dominate them possess an array of traits that deter consumption by forest pests. Although often extremely effective against native consumers, invasive species that avoid or overcome these defenses can wreak havoc on trees and surrounding ecosystems. This is especially true when multiple invasive species co-occur, since interactions between invasive herbivores may yield non-additive effects on the host. While the threat posed by invasive forest pests is well known, long-term field experiments are necessary to explore these consumer-host interactions at appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Moreover, it is important to measure multiple variables to get a 'whole-plant' picture of their combined impact. We report the results of a four-year field experiment addressing the individual and combined impacts of two invasive herbivores, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa), on native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in southern New England. In 2011, we planted 200 hemlock saplings into a temperate forest understory and experimentally manipulated the presence/absence of both herbivore species; in 2015, we harvested the 88 remaining saplings and assessed plant physiology, growth, and resource allocation. Adelgids strongly affected hemlock growth: infested saplings had lower above/belowground biomass ratios, more needle loss, and produced fewer new needles than control saplings. Hemlock scale did not alter plant biomass allocation or growth, and its co-occurrence did not alter the impact of adelgid. While both adelgid and scale impacted the concentrations of primary metabolites, adelgid effects were more pronounced. Adelgid feeding simultaneously increased free amino acids local to feeding sites and a ~30% reduction in starch. The cumulative impact of adelgid-induced needle loss, manipulation of nitrogen pools, and the loss

TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF THE HARVEST OF EUCALYPTUS WITH FELLER-BUNCHER IN DIFFERENT OPERATING CONDITIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danilo Simões

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to technically and economically evaluate the Feller-buncher in different conditions of harvest in eucalyptus forests of second cut. The technical analysis included a study of time and movements by the method of continuous time, and operational performance was determined by volume in cubic meters of harvested wood. The economic analysis included the parameters of operational cost, harvest cost and energy consumption. The analysis of the data showed that the composition of main line harvesting and the arrangement of bundles of trees influenced operational performance. The average operational cost was US$ 86.26 per hour of actual work, which resulted in an average cost of forest harvesting of US$ 1.09 m-³.

Promoting Approaches For Increasing The Cost-Efficiency Of Energy Wood And Pulpwood Harvesting In Young Stands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oikari, Markku; Palander, Teijo; Ovaskainen, Heikki (Univ. of Joensuu, Faculty of Forest Science FI-80101 Joensuu (Finland)); Kaerhae, Kalle (Metsaeteho Oy , FI-00171 Helsinki (Finland))

2008-10-15

Potential approaches for increasing the cost-efficiency of energy wood and industrial roundwood (i.e. pulpwood) harvesting from early thinnings in Finland were ranked in the survey carried out by Metsaeteho Oy and the University of Joensuu. The study was implemented by conducting personal interviews. Research data, based on a total of 40 interviews, were collected during January and February, 2008. In this study, employment, education, and operator issues proved to be of decisive importance for improving energy wood and industrial roundwood harvesting. In the opinion of the respondents, there is considerable potential for increasing the cost-efficiency of wood harvesting by improving harvesting conditions (i.e. effective tending of seedling stands, delaying harvesting operations, pre-clearance of undergrowth, and new wood production methods). The interviewees also stressed that harvesting methods can be rationalized, e.g. multiple-tree handling in industrial roundwood cuttings, integrated pulpwood and energy wood harvesting, and grapple scale measuring. If the most potential methods and techniques were utilized completely in wood harvesting, then there would be significant possibilities for cost savings in young stands. Based on the suggestions of this study, the most profitable guidelines should be utilized immediately

Analysis of the means of forest harvesting in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

OpenAIRE

Halilović Velid; Musić Jusuf; Gudra Safet; Topalović Jelena

2015-01-01

The development of technology and the means of labour in the technological process of forest harvesting in FBiH mainly depends on the factors related to the specific manner of forest management. The dominant share of mixed tall forests with natural regeneration, the selective manner of management and rather difficult natural conditions have resulted in the application of the cut-to-length method and to a lesser extent, the tree-length and semi-tree-length m...

Vibration produced by hand-held olive electrical harvesters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Cerruto

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The paper reports the results of some laboratory and field tests aimed at assessing the acceleration levels transmitted to the hand-arm system by electric portable harvesters for olive. Four harvesting heads, different for shape and kinematic system, and five bars, different for diameter, length and material (aluminium and carbon fibre, were used in assembling eleven harvesters. The vibrations were measured in two points, next to the handgrips. The laboratory tests allowed the evaluation of the acceleration levels in standard controlled conditions, while the field tests allowed the assessing of the effects of the tree canopy with respect to the no load running. The laboratory tests showed that in reducing the vibration level plays a major role the kinematic system of the harvesting head and then the bar material. The classical flap-type harvester produced accelerations of around 20 m/s2, while by using a harvesting head with two parts in opposite movement, the accelerations were lowered to about 6 m/s2. The use of carbon fibres for the bars, besides the reduction in weight, produced also a reduction in acceleration (from 21 to 16 m/s2. The field tests proved that the tree canopy had a negative effect on the vibrations transmitted to the hand-arm system, especially when the aluminium bar of small diameter was used.

The relationships of forest biodiversity and rattan jernang (Deamonorops draco sustainable harvesting by Anak Dalam tribe in Jambi, Sumatra

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ANDRIO ADIWIBOWO

Full Text Available Adiwibowo A, Sulasmi IS. 2012. Relationships of forest biodiversity and rattan jernang (Deamonorops draco sustainable harvesting by Anak Dalam tribe in Jambi, Sumatra. Biodiversitas 13: 00-00. Conservation of tropical trees can be achieved if supported by the sustainable use of forest by community live nearby through harvesting of non timber woods, for instance rattan. Furthermore, rattan jernang individuals and trees have significant associations. Therefore, objective of this paper is to investigate the utilization of rattan jernang (Deamonorops draco Wild related to the forest tree biodiversity by Anak Dalam tribe in several villages in Jambi, Sumatra. The study has identified that populations of Deamonorops draco were varied among villages, ranged from 40 to 71 clumps in the forests and up to 500 clumps in plantations. Moreover, 73 individual trees consisted of 32 species were identified as rattan host and conserved by the community. Dialium platyespalyum. Quercus elmeri, and Adinandra dumosa were rattan host trees with the highest populations. Meanwhile, a biodiversity of non-host trees consisted of 30 individual trees from 16 species. Interviews revealed that traditional harvesters have acknowledged that trees have significant important ecological roles for the rattan livelihood and therefore it is very important to conserve the forests for the sustainability of harvest in the future. Furthermore, to secure the availability of rattan, the traditional harvesters had started rattan plantation.

Inferring regulatory networks from expression data using tree-based methods.

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Vân Anh Huynh-Thu

2010-09-01

Full Text Available One of the pressing open problems of computational systems biology is the elucidation of the topology of genetic regulatory networks (GRNs using high throughput genomic data, in particular microarray gene expression data. The Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods (DREAM challenge aims to evaluate the success of GRN inference algorithms on benchmarks of simulated data. In this article, we present GENIE3, a new algorithm for the inference of GRNs that was best performer in the DREAM4 In Silico Multifactorial challenge. GENIE3 decomposes the prediction of a regulatory network between p genes into p different regression problems. In each of the regression problems, the expression pattern of one of the genes (target gene is predicted from the expression patterns of all the other genes (input genes, using tree-based ensemble methods Random Forests or Extra-Trees. The importance of an input gene in the prediction of the target gene expression pattern is taken as an indication of a putative regulatory link. Putative regulatory links are then aggregated over all genes to provide a ranking of interactions from which the whole network is reconstructed. In addition to performing well on the DREAM4 In Silico Multifactorial challenge simulated data, we show that GENIE3 compares favorably with existing algorithms to decipher the genetic regulatory network of Escherichia coli. It doesn't make any assumption about the nature of gene regulation, can deal with combinatorial and non-linear interactions, produces directed GRNs, and is fast and scalable. In conclusion, we propose a new algorithm for GRN inference that performs well on both synthetic and real gene expression data. The algorithm, based on feature selection with tree-based ensemble methods, is simple and generic, making it adaptable to other types of genomic data and interactions.

Whole-tree sap flow responses to soil water and weather variables for Pinus radiata and three indigenous species in a southern afrotemperate forest region

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mapeto, T

2018-03-01

Full Text Available –plant–atmosphere continuum and facilitate the development of rapid estimation techniques through extrapolation. To quantify and characterise the influence of local environmental conditions on single-tree water use, whole-tree daily sap flow for three indigenous afrotemperate...

Effect of 'oxygen and carbon-dioxide' on the post-harvest management in tree-ripe mango storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullah, H.; Ahmad, S.; Anwar, R.; Noor-un-Nisa; Nafees, M.; Thompson, A.K.

2010-01-01

There is an increasing niche market demand for tree-ripe mango fruit due to their pleasant level of sweetness and flavour than artificially ripened fruits. However, tree-ripe mango fruits normally have a short storage life therefore, some time these fruits can not be reached to the ultimate consumers and heavy losses occurred. To avoid this problem growers try to harvest the mangoes at early stage of maturity which directly affect the physico-chemical constituents of fruit. Research was carried out to investigate the Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage feasibility and optimum storage conditions for tree-ripe cv. Chaunsa mangoes in order to extend their shelf life without compromising their quality. Tree ripe mangoes were stored in 1, 3, or 5% O/sub 2/ combined with 3, 6, and 9 % CO/sub 2/ at 10 deg. C for two weeks and compared with those stored in 21% O/sub 2/ and 0% CO/sub 2/ as control. It was found that the rate of fruit weight loss decreased with an increase of CO/sub 2/ in the storage atmosphere. Higher acidity was found in the fruit which were stored at lower concentration of O/sub 2/ and higher concentration of CO/sub 2/ which might be due to the accumulation of higher concentration of CO/sub 2/ in the fruit tissues. CA storage showed better retention of Ascorbic acid but did not show any systematic trend regarding citric acid, tartaric acid and malic acid. Fruits stored under controlled atmosphere showed better retention of freshness, colour, firmness, total soluble solids and flavour in comparison with the fruit stored in air (control). Mangoes stored in 3% O/sub 2/ with 6% CO/sub 2/ were highly acceptable by the panellists due to their better sweetness, flavour as compared to others. (author

CO2 uptake of Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Mill. whole trees and single cladodes, in relation to plant water status and cladode age

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Giorgia Liguori

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Most of net photosynthesis determinations in Opuntia ficus-indica come from measurements on individual cladodes. However, they have limitations when used to scale up to whole canopy gas exchange, because a large variability of carbon assimilation may occur within the canopy, due to, among others, differences in cladode age and intercepted radiation or individual cladode response to abiotic stresses. The aim of this work was to evaluate the application of open gas exchange chambers, simultaneously applied around the whole canopy, to measure net CO2 uptake, continuously over a 24 h period, in single Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Mill. potted trees and in relation with their water status. Net CO2 uptake was also measured for single cladodes differentiated by age. O. ficus-indica trees continued their photosynthetic activity 60 days after the irrigation was stopped, when soil water content was lower than 5%. At this stage, current-year and 1-year-old cladodes had become flaccid but still the daily net CO2 uptake of non-irrigated trees kept the same rate than at the beginning of the experiment, while watered trees had doubled their net CO2 uptake. The highest instantaneous rates and total daily net CO2 uptake for both well-watered and non-irrigated trees occurred 60 days after the onset of the dry period, when maximal instantaneous rates were 11.1 in well-watered trees and 8.4 mol m–2 s–1 in non-irrigated trees. During the drought period, the chlorenchyma fresh weight decreased by 45% and 30%, in 1- and 2-yearold drought cladodes respectively, and marginally increased in currentyear ones (+20%. Net CO2 uptake for 1-year-old and 2-year-old cladodes changed only at highest photosynthetic photon flux density and temperatures, and average seasonal net CO2 uptake of 2-year-old cladodes was 15% lower than for 1-year-old ones. Whole-tree gas exchange measurements applied for the first time to O. ficus-indica indicated that whole cactus pear trees maintain

Effect of harvest methods on yield and quality of Marketable flowers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was carried out to determine the effects of harvest methods (proximal and median harvests) on yield and quality of marketable flowers of greenhouse hybrid tea rose (Rosa hybrida L.) cultivars of different growth habits. The cultivar Grant Galla represented cultivars of vigorous growth habit whereas 'Vivaldi' ...

Effects of timber harvest following wildfire in western North America

Science.gov (United States)

David L. Peterson; James K. Agee; Gregory H. Aplet; Dennis P. Dykstra; Russell T. Graham; John F. Lehmkuhl; David S. Pilliod; Donald F. Potts; Robert F. Powers; John D. Stuart

2009-01-01

Timber harvest following wildfire leads to different outcomes depending on the biophysical setting of the forest, pattern of burn severity, operational aspects of tree removal, and other management activities. Fire effects range from relatively minor, in which fire burns through the understory and may kill a few trees, to severe, in which fire kills most trees and...

Performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in integrated harvesting of sawmill, pulpwood and firewood

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Andrei Ioan Apăfăian

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Fully mechanized timber harvesting systems are generally characterized by a high operational performance being widespread and used across many regions. Such systems are adaptable to different levels of operational integration, enabling also the recovery of energy wood, but given integration configurations affect their performance. A production study was carried out in a Norway spruce clear-cut aiming to investigate the performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in general, and the effect that fuelwood recovery from tree tops may have on its performance. Data was collected in the field during 11 days of observation using state-of-art equipment and software. Harvester’s operations were monitored using a digital camera. Data refined from 27.5 filmed hours that accounted for 1045 felled and fully processed trees was used to model and compute its performance indicators. In addition, fuel consumption data was sampled in the field. The results indicated that a delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by variables characterizing the tree size. The net production rate was estimated to about 26.5 m3 ∙ h-1, being substantially affected by supplementary tree-top processing. Forwarding operations were monitored using a handheld computer and a Global Positioning System unit. The delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by forwarding distance and the amount of loaded wood, resulting in a net production rate of about 19.2 m3 ∙ h-1. Under these circumstances, the forwarding performance matched the harvester’s outputs for an extraction distance of about 100 m, indicating that the supplementary processing of the tree-tops had no effect on the system’s productive performance in the studied conditions. Most likely, it affected the harvester’s fuel consumption given its proportion of 9% in the delay-free harvester’s cycle time. The results also indicated a mean fuel consumption of about 1.7 l ∙ m-3 for the studied harvesting

Bundling of harvesting residues and whole-trees and the treatment of bundles; Hakkuutaehteiden ja kokopuiden niputus ja nippujen kaesittely

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaipainen, H; Seppaenen, V; Rinne, S

1997-12-31

The conditions on which the bundling of the harvesting residues from spruce regeneration fellings would become profitable were studied. The calculations showed that one of the most important features was sufficient compaction of the bundle, so that the portion of the wood in the unit volume of the bundle has to be more than 40 %. The tests showed that the timber grab loader of farm tractor was insufficient for production of dense bundles. The feeding and compression device of the prototype bundler was constructed in the research and with this device the required density was obtained.The rate of compaction of the dry spruce felling residues was about 40 % and that of the fresh residues was more than 50 %. The comparison between the bundles showed that the calorific value of the fresh bundle per unit volume was nearly 30 % higher than that of the dry bundle. This means that the treatment of the bundles should be done of fresh felling residues. Drying of the bundles succeeded well, and the crushing and chipping tests showed that the processing of the bundles at the plant is possible. The treatability of the bundles was also excellent. By using the prototype, developed in the research, it was possible to produce a bundle of the fresh spruce harvesting residues, the diameter of which was about 50 cm and the length about 3 m, and the rate of compaction over 50 %. By these values the reduction target of the costs is obtainable

Bundling of harvesting residues and whole-trees and the treatment of bundles; Hakkuutaehteiden ja kokopuiden niputus ja nippujen kaesittely

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaipainen, H.; Seppaenen, V.; Rinne, S.

1996-12-31

The conditions on which the bundling of the harvesting residues from spruce regeneration fellings would become profitable were studied. The calculations showed that one of the most important features was sufficient compaction of the bundle, so that the portion of the wood in the unit volume of the bundle has to be more than 40 %. The tests showed that the timber grab loader of farm tractor was insufficient for production of dense bundles. The feeding and compression device of the prototype bundler was constructed in the research and with this device the required density was obtained.The rate of compaction of the dry spruce felling residues was about 40 % and that of the fresh residues was more than 50 %. The comparison between the bundles showed that the calorific value of the fresh bundle per unit volume was nearly 30 % higher than that of the dry bundle. This means that the treatment of the bundles should be done of fresh felling residues. Drying of the bundles succeeded well, and the crushing and chipping tests showed that the processing of the bundles at the plant is possible. The treatability of the bundles was also excellent. By using the prototype, developed in the research, it was possible to produce a bundle of the fresh spruce harvesting residues, the diameter of which was about 50 cm and the length about 3 m, and the rate of compaction over 50 %. By these values the reduction target of the costs is obtainable

Decision tree methods: applications for classification and prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yan-Yan; Lu, Ying

2015-04-25

Decision tree methodology is a commonly used data mining method for establishing classification systems based on multiple covariates or for developing prediction algorithms for a target variable. This method classifies a population into branch-like segments that construct an inverted tree with a root node, internal nodes, and leaf nodes. The algorithm is non-parametric and can efficiently deal with large, complicated datasets without imposing a complicated parametric structure. When the sample size is large enough, study data can be divided into training and validation datasets. Using the training dataset to build a decision tree model and a validation dataset to decide on the appropriate tree size needed to achieve the optimal final model. This paper introduces frequently used algorithms used to develop decision trees (including CART, C4.5, CHAID, and QUEST) and describes the SPSS and SAS programs that can be used to visualize tree structure.

Tree manipulation experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Nishina, K.; Takenaka, C.; Ishizuka, S.; Hashimoto, S.; Yagai, Y.

2012-12-01

Some forest operations such as thinning and harvesting management could cause changes in N cycling and N2O emission from soils, since thinning and harvesting managements are accompanied with changes in aboveground environments such as an increase of slash falling and solar radiation on the forest floor. However, a considerable uncertainty exists in effects of thinning and harvesting on N2O fluxes regarding changes in belowground environments by cutting trees. To focus on the effect of changes in belowground environments on the N2O emissions from soils, we conducted a tree manipulation experiment in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) stand without soil compaction and slash falling near the chambers and measured N2O flux at 50 cm and 150 cm distances from the tree trunk (stump) before and after cutting. We targeted 5 trees for the manipulation and established the measurement chambers to the 4 directions around each targeted tree relative to upper slope (upper, left, right, lower positions). We evaluated the effect of logging on the emission by using hierarchical Bayesian model. HB model can evaluate the variability in observed data and their uncertainties in the estimation with various probability distributions. Moreover, the HB model can easily accommodate the non-linear relationship among the N2O emissions and the environmental factors, and explicitly take non-independent data (nested structure of data) for the estimation into account by using random effects in the model. Our results showed tree cutting stimulated N2O emission from soils, and also that the increase of N2O flux depended on the distance from the trunk (stump): the increase of N2O flux at 50 cm from the trunk (stump) was greater than that of 150 cm from the trunk. The posterior simulation of the HB model indicated that the stimulation of N2O emission by tree cut- ting could reach up to 200 cm in our experimental plot. By tree cutting, the estimated N2O emission at 0-40 cm from the trunk doubled

Object-based methods for individual tree identification and tree species classification from high-spatial resolution imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Le

2003-10-01

Modern forest management poses an increasing need for detailed knowledge of forest information at different spatial scales. At the forest level, the information for tree species assemblage is desired whereas at or below the stand level, individual tree related information is preferred. Remote Sensing provides an effective tool to extract the above information at multiple spatial scales in the continuous time domain. To date, the increasing volume and readily availability of high-spatial-resolution data have lead to a much wider application of remotely sensed products. Nevertheless, to make effective use of the improving spatial resolution, conventional pixel-based classification methods are far from satisfactory. Correspondingly, developing object-based methods becomes a central challenge for researchers in the field of Remote Sensing. This thesis focuses on the development of methods for accurate individual tree identification and tree species classification. We develop a method in which individual tree crown boundaries and treetop locations are derived under a unified framework. We apply a two-stage approach with edge detection followed by marker-controlled watershed segmentation. Treetops are modeled from radiometry and geometry aspects. Specifically, treetops are assumed to be represented by local radiation maxima and to be located near the center of the tree-crown. As a result, a marker image was created from the derived treetop to guide a watershed segmentation to further differentiate overlapping trees and to produce a segmented image comprised of individual tree crowns. The image segmentation method developed achieves a promising result for a 256 x 256 CASI image. Then further effort is made to extend our methods to the multiscales which are constructed from a wavelet decomposition. A scale consistency and geometric consistency are designed to examine the gradients along the scale-space for the purpose of separating true crown boundary from unwanted

Seed germination methods for native Caribbean trees and shrubs : with emphasis on species relevant for Bonaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burg, van der W.J.; Freitas, J.; Debrot, A.O.

2014-01-01

This paper is intended as a basis for nature restoration activities using seeds of trees and (larger) shrubs native to Bonaire with the aim of reforestation. It describes the main seed biology issues relevant for species from this region, to facilitate decisions on time and stage of harvesting, safe

Comparing single-tree selection, group selection, and clearcutting for regenerating oaks and pines in the Missouri Ozarks

Science.gov (United States)

Randy G. Jensen; John M. Kabrick

2008-01-01

In the Missouri Ozarks, there is considerable concern about the effectiveness of the uneven-aged methods of single-tree selection and group selection for oak (Quercus L.) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) regeneration. We compared the changes in reproduction density of oaks and pine following harvesting by single-tree...

New weighting methods for phylogenetic tree reconstruction using multiple loci.

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Kazuharu; Tajima, Fumio

2012-08-01

Efficient determination of evolutionary distances is important for the correct reconstruction of phylogenetic trees. The performance of the pooled distance required for reconstructing a phylogenetic tree can be improved by applying large weights to appropriate distances for reconstructing phylogenetic trees and small weights to inappropriate distances. We developed two weighting methods, the modified Tajima-Takezaki method and the modified least-squares method, for reconstructing phylogenetic trees from multiple loci. By computer simulations, we found that both of the new methods were more efficient in reconstructing correct topologies than the no-weight method. Hence, we reconstructed hominoid phylogenetic trees from mitochondrial DNA using our new methods, and found that the levels of bootstrap support were significantly increased by the modified Tajima-Takezaki and by the modified least-squares method.

Extraction of Trees Stem Diameters at Breast Height by Terrestrial Laser Sensor for Selective Cutting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yili ZHENG

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In order to assist the operators of the logging harvester automatically and quickly select the appropriate trees for selective cutting, using two-dimensional laser scanner and inertial measurement system, the two-dimensional cloud points of the trunks at breast-height are obtained for several trees. After projection, clustering, linear transformation and fitting for the point clouds data, the parameters of the breast-height-diameters and center locations of the trees are obtained. The calculation is implemented in MATLAB by Polak-Ribiere-Polyak (PRP conjugate gradient algorithm and the result is shown in VC++ environment. Using this method, absolute errors of the breast-height- diameters and center locations are 2.3 cm and (12.4, 11.4 cm respectively, and meet the requirements on the automatically selective cutting of the logging harvester.

Modern Timber Harvesting Practices Have Little Short-Term Effect on Soil Carbon Stores in Industrial Forests of Western Oregon and Washington, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Holub, S. M.; Hatten, J. A.

2017-12-01

Soil carbon represents a large, but slowly changing pool of carbon in forests and understanding its response to forest management, including harvesting, is critical for determining overall stand/landscape carbon balance. Past studies have observed mixed effects of harvesting on soil carbon possibly due, in part, to imprecise sampling methods and high variability within soils. Weyerhaeuser Company has led a major effort to examine the effect of conventional timber harvesting on long-term soil carbon stores in western Oregon and Washington Douglas-fir forests using a highly-replicated longitudinal study design that enables precise estimation of variability found in these systems. In 2010, we randomly selected nine harvest units from Weyerhaeuser's 2012 harvest plan. At each non-harvested unit, a uniform, non-rocky area of about 3-6 hectares was selected for the study. Pre-harvest soil samples were collected at 300 sample points from each unit on a fixed square grid, targeting an intensity that would allow detection of >5% change in soil carbon stores. We measured soil carbon concentration and soil bulk density in depth increments to 1 m to allow for the calculation of total soil carbon per hectare. Other ecosystem pools of carbon, such as trees and downed wood, also have been measured to complete the whole-site carbon budget. All units were harvested from late 2011 through mid-year 2012. In 2015, 3-3.5 years post-harvest, we resampled the same areas in an identical manner as the pre-harvest collection to evaluate changes in soil carbon following harvest. Across all sites combined, we estimated a +2% change (-2% to +6%, 95% confidence interval) in mineral soil carbon following harvest, which is consistent with small-to-no change. Individual sites varied in direction of response; only one site showed evidence of a slight decrease in soil carbon, while two sites showed slight gains. These early results indicate that Weyerhaeuser's conventional timber harvesting methods

Tree height integrated into pantropical forest biomass estimates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feldpausch, T.R.; Lloyd, J.; Lewis, S.L.; Brienen, R.J.W.; Gloor, M.; Montegudo Mendoza, A.; Arets, E.J.M.M.

2012-01-01

Aboveground tropical tree biomass and carbon storage estimates commonly ignore tree height (H). We estimate the effect of incorporating H on tropics-wide forest biomass estimates in 327 plots across four continents using 42 656 H and diameter measurements and harvested trees from 20 sites to answer

Influence of harvesting and processing methods on organic viability of soybean seed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đukanović Lana

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Organic viability of soybean seed for three soybean varieties - elite (Bosa, ZPS 015 and Nena depending on methods of manipulation with seeds during harvesting and processing phase were determined in this paper. Trial was conducted in Zemun Polje during 1999; manual and mechanized harvesting or processing methods were applied. Seed germination was tested using ISTA methods (Standard method and Cold test. Following parameters were evaluated: germination viability, germination, rate-speed of emergence, length of hypocotile and main root Rate-speed of emergence was based on number of emerged plants per day. Length of hypocotile or root and percent of germination determined vigour index. Based on obtained results it maybe concluded that methods of seed manipulation during harvesting or processing phase were influenced on soybean seed quality parameters evaluated. Ways of seed manipulation - methods evaluated were influenced organic viability of soybean seed by decreasing germination viability, total germination and length of main root.

Analysis of harvesting opportunities for thinning eastern hardwoods on steep terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Chris B. LeDoux; John E. Baumgras

1988-01-01

Harvesting cost and revenue models were used to evaluate yarding costs by yarder type and to compare stump-to-mill harvesting costs to revenues available from multiproduct thinnings in eastern hardwoods. This analysis includes six types of cable yarders and thinnings in stands where the average diameter at breast height of trees harvested ranged from 7 to 12 inches. To...

Maximum likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction from high-resolution whole-genome data and a tree of 68 eukaryotes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yu; Hu, Fei; Tang, Jijun; Moret, Bernard M E

2013-01-01

The rapid accumulation of whole-genome data has renewed interest in the study of the evolution of genomic architecture, under such events as rearrangements, duplications, losses. Comparative genomics, evolutionary biology, and cancer research all require tools to elucidate the mechanisms, history, and consequences of those evolutionary events, while phylogenetics could use whole-genome data to enhance its picture of the Tree of Life. Current approaches in the area of phylogenetic analysis are limited to very small collections of closely related genomes using low-resolution data (typically a few hundred syntenic blocks); moreover, these approaches typically do not include duplication and loss events. We describe a maximum likelihood (ML) approach for phylogenetic analysis that takes into account genome rearrangements as well as duplications, insertions, and losses. Our approach can handle high-resolution genomes (with 40,000 or more markers) and can use in the same analysis genomes with very different numbers of markers. Because our approach uses a standard ML reconstruction program (RAxML), it scales up to large trees. We present the results of extensive testing on both simulated and real data showing that our approach returns very accurate results very quickly. In particular, we analyze a dataset of 68 high-resolution eukaryotic genomes, with from 3,000 to 42,000 genes, from the eGOB database; the analysis, including bootstrapping, takes just 3 hours on a desktop system and returns a tree in agreement with all well supported branches, while also suggesting resolutions for some disputed placements.

Pinus saw timber tree optimisation in South Africa: a comparison of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Both Cut to Length (CTL) and Full Tree/Tree Length (FT/TL) ground-based systems are used to harvest pine in South Africa. The fully mechanised CTL system is the most recently introduced system in South Africa. One of the reasons for the limited use of CTL harvesting systems in South Africa is the perceived inability of the ...

A practical method for accurate quantification of large fault trees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jong Soo; Cho, Nam Zin

2007-01-01

This paper describes a practical method to accurately quantify top event probability and importance measures from incomplete minimal cut sets (MCS) of a large fault tree. The MCS-based fault tree method is extensively used in probabilistic safety assessments. Several sources of uncertainties exist in MCS-based fault tree analysis. The paper is focused on quantification of the following two sources of uncertainties: (1) the truncation neglecting low-probability cut sets and (2) the approximation in quantifying MCSs. The method proposed in this paper is based on a Monte Carlo simulation technique to estimate probability of the discarded MCSs and the sum of disjoint products (SDP) approach complemented by the correction factor approach (CFA). The method provides capability to accurately quantify the two uncertainties and estimate the top event probability and importance measures of large coherent fault trees. The proposed fault tree quantification method has been implemented in the CUTREE code package and is tested on the two example fault trees

Drying of firewood - the effect of harvesting time, tree species and shelter of stacked wood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nord-Larsen, Thomas; Bergstedt, Andreas; Farver, Ole; Heding, Niels

2011-01-01

Firewood represents a renewable source of energy and is the main source of energy for about half the World's population. When burning firewood in domestic stoves, combustion and thus energy efficiency is dependent on the moisture content of the wood. In Denmark, it is generally recommended that moisture content should be no more than 180 g kg -1 total weight. This study aims to assess the effect of species, harvesting time and shelter on the drying of stacked firewood. After felling, the moisture content declined to a relative stable level for all species. The rate of drying depended on the felling time, tree species, and the presence of shelter. The lower asymptotic moisture content depended mainly on the presence of shelter and averaged 188 g kg -1 total weight for frames left in the open and 154 g kg -1 total weight for frames covered by a shelter. It is concluded that Norway spruce felled during the early summer may obtain an acceptable moisture content at the onset of the heating season. Deciduous trees should be felled during the winter or early spring and stored under shelter to be suitable for burning before the heating season. Shelter was found to be of great importance to maintain an acceptable moisture content of firewood in storage during winter. -- Highlights: → Firewood is the main source of energy for about half the World's population. → The moisture content of firewood should be no more than 18% of total weight. → Drying rate depended on the felling time, tree species, and the presence of shelter. → Lower asymptotic moisture content depended mainly on the presence of a shelter. → Sheltered storage is very important to maintain an acceptable moisture content of the firewood.

Incidence of latex harvesting technologies on agronomic and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Incidence of latex harvesting technologies on agronomic and physiological parameters and profitability of some rapid metabolic class clones of rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis ) in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire.

Water-Stressed Loquat Trees Need More Time and Heat to Ripen Their Fruits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julián Cuevas

2018-06-01

Full Text Available To determine if water-stressed trees need more time and heat to mature their fruits, we compared chronological and thermal time from bloom to harvest among control fully-irrigated ‘Algerie’ loquat trees and trees suffering prior-to-bloom deficit irrigation (DI. Heat requirement calculation was performed using the double sine method with a lower threshold temperature of 3 °C. The results show that the greater the blooming advancement achieved by DI, the longer the period to mature the fruits. Such a pattern indicates that the longer duration for bloom-harvest period under DI is due to a displacement of the reproductive phenology to cooler dates. However, some effects of DI on heat requirements for ripening persist, indicating a slower fruit development in some, but not all, DI treatments. The differences in fruit development rate between fully-irrigated and water-stressed trees were established during the phase of rapid fruit growth. The comparison of water stress effects on sink (flower size and seed number and source (leaf number and size, gas exchange and mineral and carbohydrate nutrition of DI treatments seems to indicate that the amount of stored reserves in the leaves to sustain early fruit development is the most plausible reason behind the increase in thermal time between bloom and harvest in water-stressed loquats.

EEG feature selection method based on decision tree.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Lijuan; Ge, Hui; Ma, Wei; Miao, Jun

2015-01-01

This paper aims to solve automated feature selection problem in brain computer interface (BCI). In order to automate feature selection process, we proposed a novel EEG feature selection method based on decision tree (DT). During the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal processing, a feature extraction method based on principle component analysis (PCA) was used, and the selection process based on decision tree was performed by searching the feature space and automatically selecting optimal features. Considering that EEG signals are a series of non-linear signals, a generalized linear classifier named support vector machine (SVM) was chosen. In order to test the validity of the proposed method, we applied the EEG feature selection method based on decision tree to BCI Competition II datasets Ia, and the experiment showed encouraging results.

Harvest of table olives by mechanical harvesting equipment

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Filippo Gambella

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this work, we have evaluated the performance, of an electric comb equipped with five undulated fingers used for mechanized the harvesting of table olives. The first aim of the work was to test three different types of coating materials used for covering the fingers: Silicon (S, Vulcanized rubber (VR and Natural rubber (NR. The diameter of the coating materials tested were 7mm (D1, 14 mm (D2, 19 mm (D3 in order to evaluate the damage of different working conditions on the intact olives. During harvesting, silicon at 7mm and 14mm resulted in the largest percentage of undamaged the fruit (67% and 65%, natural rubber 63% and vulcanized rubber at the 54%. The second aim was to evaluate the combination, in terms of the best performance, of the machines used for mechanized harvesting of table olives. Several factors have been examined: undulating fingers variation thickness, different rotational speeds and different coating materials used to reduce the impact damage on olives. From the tests on olive tree we have determined that while plastic materials (S and (NR appear to have a positive role in harvest quality, the vibration transmitted to the operator’s hand is great from 6.48 m/s2 for S to 6.31 m/ s2 for NR and 2.92 m/s2 for VR, respect to the materials used.

Least Squares Methods for Equidistant Tree Reconstruction

OpenAIRE

Fahey, Conor; Hosten, Serkan; Krieger, Nathan; Timpe, Leslie

2008-01-01

UPGMA is a heuristic method identifying the least squares equidistant phylogenetic tree given empirical distance data among $n$ taxa. We study this classic algorithm using the geometry of the space of all equidistant trees with $n$ leaves, also known as the Bergman complex of the graphical matroid for the complete graph $K_n$. We show that UPGMA performs an orthogonal projection of the data onto a maximal cell of the Bergman complex. We also show that the equidistant tree with the least (Eucl...

Harvesting of energy wood in young stands in connection with pre-commercial thinning; Energiapuun korjuu taimikon harvennuksen yhteydessae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haemaelaeinen, J; Lilleberg, R [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1997-12-31

A forwarder equipped with the `Naarva felling-loading device` was studied in pre-commercial thinning and the costs of the method were compared with young stand treatment with a brush saw. Trials were made in three different pine stands, in which the dominant height varied between 3.7 and 9.3 meters. The mean height of trees to be felled was 3.1 - 4.8 meters, density 6 000 - 10 000 trees/hectare and volume - stemwood and branches - 15 - 61 m{sup 3} (s)/ha. Harvesting production per effective hour varied by sample plot between 0.8 and 2.9 m{sup 3}, with a forest haulage distance of 45 - 150 meters. The production increased clearly with a higher removal per hectare. The feller-forwarder was used for the first time in young stand treatment and the productivity can be increased by equipment development. The calculated harvesting costs at road side were 62 - 305 Fmk/m{sup 3} (34 - 170 FIM/MWh) or 3 770 - 6 600 FIM/ha. In the calculations haulage distance was fixed to 250 m and the state subsidies for young stand treatment and energy wood harvesting were taken into account. The results showed that mechanised harvesting in the first place should be done in stands with a removal of at least 40 - 50 m{sup 3}/ha. The thinning based on gathering energy wood was for the forest owner in most cases more expensive than felling the trees to the ground by brush saw. Critical elements for how competitive the mechanised method is, are the regional coverage of heating plants and their ability to pay for wood fuel. Within the Bioenergy project Metsaeteho has continued with a project, which focuses on development of the machine and also studies the overall economy of the method, from the viewpoint of wood production

Harvesting of energy wood in young stands in connection with pre-commercial thinning; Energiapuun korjuu taimikon harvennuksen yhteydessae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haemaelaeinen, J.; Lilleberg, R. [Metsaeteho, Helsinki (Finland)

1996-12-31

A forwarder equipped with the `Naarva felling-loading device` was studied in pre-commercial thinning and the costs of the method were compared with young stand treatment with a brush saw. Trials were made in three different pine stands, in which the dominant height varied between 3.7 and 9.3 meters. The mean height of trees to be felled was 3.1 - 4.8 meters, density 6 000 - 10 000 trees/hectare and volume - stemwood and branches - 15 - 61 m{sup 3} (s)/ha. Harvesting production per effective hour varied by sample plot between 0.8 and 2.9 m{sup 3}, with a forest haulage distance of 45 - 150 meters. The production increased clearly with a higher removal per hectare. The feller-forwarder was used for the first time in young stand treatment and the productivity can be increased by equipment development. The calculated harvesting costs at road side were 62 - 305 Fmk/m{sup 3} (34 - 170 FIM/MWh) or 3 770 - 6 600 FIM/ha. In the calculations haulage distance was fixed to 250 m and the state subsidies for young stand treatment and energy wood harvesting were taken into account. The results showed that mechanised harvesting in the first place should be done in stands with a removal of at least 40 - 50 m{sup 3}/ha. The thinning based on gathering energy wood was for the forest owner in most cases more expensive than felling the trees to the ground by brush saw. Critical elements for how competitive the mechanised method is, are the regional coverage of heating plants and their ability to pay for wood fuel. Within the Bioenergy project Metsaeteho has continued with a project, which focuses on development of the machine and also studies the overall economy of the method, from the viewpoint of wood production

Classification of methods for annual energy harvesting calculations of photovoltaic generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rus-Casas, C.; Aguilar, J.D.; Rodrigo, P.; Almonacid, F.; Pérez-Higueras, P.J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The paper presents a novel classification of methods for annual energy harvesting calculation of grid-connected PV systems. • The methods are classified in direct and indirect methods. • Direct methods directly calculate the energy. Indirect methods calculate the energy from the power. • The classification can help the PV professionals in order to choose the most suitable method for each application. - Abstract: Estimating the energy provided by the generators of grid-connected photovoltaic systems is important in order to analyze their economic viability and supervise their operation. The energy harvesting calculation of a photovoltaic generator is not trivial; there are a lot of methods for this calculation. The aim of this paper is to develop a novel classification of methods for annual energy harvesting calculation of a generator of a grid-connected photovoltaic system. The methods are classified in two groups: (1) those that indirectly calculate the energy, i.e. they first calculate the power and from this, they calculate the energy, and (2) those that directly calculate the energy. Furthermore, the indirect methods are grouped in two categories: those that first calculate the I–V curve of the generator and from this, they calculate the power, and those that directly calculate the power. The study has shown that the existing methods differ in simplicity and accuracy, so that the proposed classification is useful in order to choose the most suitable method for each specific application

A method for mass harvesting islets (Brockmann bodies) from teleost fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, H; Wright, J R

1995-01-01

In certain species of fish, the insulin-producing tissue is uniquely located in separate structures called Brockmann bodies (BBs). Tilapia BBs have been shown to be a simple and inexpensive source of islet cells for xenotransplantation research. Each donor tilapia contains roughly 12-15 BBs, measuring from 0.3 to 5.0 mm in maximum dimension, in a triangular region of adipose tissue bounded by the liver, stomach, and spleen/gallbladder. At present, the larger BBs (usually 2-4) are harvested by microdissecting these "BB regions" using jeweler's forceps and microvascular scissors while being visualized with the aid of a dissecting microscope. It is a simple but time-consuming task that would not be applicable for harvesting massive amounts of BB tissue for large animal studies. Therefore, we have developed an easier and more efficient method of harvesting BBs based on a standard enzymatic method for isolating human adipocytes. BB regions are harvested from donor fish and pooled into a 50 mL plastic tube containing collagenase Type II (3 mg/mL) in Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS); the tube is then placed in a 37 degrees C waterbath/shaker for roughly 15 min. The exact length of the digestion interval is determined by visual inspection of the tube to determine whether the BBs have been liberated. The digestion is then stopped by adding excess cold HBSS. The adipocytes float while the BBs and residual connective tissue (i.e., a few blood vessels, nerves, and bile ducts) form a pellet. The pellet is washed several times in HBSS and then placed in a culture dish. The BBs are easily handpicked with a siliconized pipette. Based on functional data and DNA content, this new method roughly doubles or triples our yield of BB tissue per donor fish. To determine whether BBs harvested in this manner functioned in a manner similar to those harvested by microdissection, we performed a series of transplants using mass-harvested BBs. Long-term normoglycemia was achieved in

A Maze Game on Android Using Growing Tree Method

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrawan, Y. F.

2018-01-01

A maze is a type of puzzle games where a player moves in complex and branched passages to find a particular target or location. One method to create a maze is the Growing Tree method. The method creates a tree that has branches which are the paths of a maze. This research explored three types of Growing Tree method implementations for maze generation on Android mobile devices. The layouts produced could be played in first and third-person perspectives. The experiment results showed that it took 17.3 seconds on average to generate 20 cells x 20 cells dynamic maze layouts.

Evaluation of phylogenetic reconstruction methods using bacterial whole genomes: a simulation based study [version 1; referees: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John A. Lees

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Phylogenetic reconstruction is a necessary first step in many analyses which use whole genome sequence data from bacterial populations. There are many available methods to infer phylogenies, and these have various advantages and disadvantages, but few unbiased comparisons of the range of approaches have been made. Methods: We simulated data from a defined “true tree” using a realistic evolutionary model. We built phylogenies from this data using a range of methods, and compared reconstructed trees to the true tree using two measures, noting the computational time needed for different phylogenetic reconstructions. We also used real data from Streptococcus pneumoniae alignments to compare individual core gene trees to a core genome tree. Results: We found that, as expected, maximum likelihood trees from good quality alignments were the most accurate, but also the most computationally intensive. Using less accurate phylogenetic reconstruction methods, we were able to obtain results of comparable accuracy; we found that approximate results can rapidly be obtained using genetic distance based methods. In real data we found that highly conserved core genes, such as those involved in translation, gave an inaccurate tree topology, whereas genes involved in recombination events gave inaccurate branch lengths. We also show a tree-of-trees, relating the results of different phylogenetic reconstructions to each other. Conclusions: We recommend three approaches, depending on requirements for accuracy and computational time. Quicker approaches that do not perform full maximum likelihood optimisation may be useful for many analyses requiring a phylogeny, as generating a high quality input alignment is likely to be the major limiting factor of accurate tree topology. We have publicly released our simulated data and code to enable further comparisons.

The Efficacy of Consensus Tree Methods for Summarizing Phylogenetic Relationships from a Posterior Sample of Trees Estimated from Morphological Data.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Reilly, Joseph E; Donoghue, Philip C J

2018-03-01

Consensus trees are required to summarize trees obtained through MCMC sampling of a posterior distribution, providing an overview of the distribution of estimated parameters such as topology, branch lengths, and divergence times. Numerous consensus tree construction methods are available, each presenting a different interpretation of the tree sample. The rise of morphological clock and sampled-ancestor methods of divergence time estimation, in which times and topology are coestimated, has increased the popularity of the maximum clade credibility (MCC) consensus tree method. The MCC method assumes that the sampled, fully resolved topology with the highest clade credibility is an adequate summary of the most probable clades, with parameter estimates from compatible sampled trees used to obtain the marginal distributions of parameters such as clade ages and branch lengths. Using both simulated and empirical data, we demonstrate that MCC trees, and trees constructed using the similar maximum a posteriori (MAP) method, often include poorly supported and incorrect clades when summarizing diffuse posterior samples of trees. We demonstrate that the paucity of information in morphological data sets contributes to the inability of MCC and MAP trees to accurately summarise of the posterior distribution. Conversely, majority-rule consensus (MRC) trees represent a lower proportion of incorrect nodes when summarizing the same posterior samples of trees. Thus, we advocate the use of MRC trees, in place of MCC or MAP trees, in attempts to summarize the results of Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of morphological data.

Evaluation of total aboveground biomass and total merchantable biomass in Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

Michael E. Goerndt; David R. Larsen; Charles D. Keating

2014-01-01

In recent years, the state of Missouri has been converting to biomass weight rather than volume as the standard measurement of wood for buying and selling sawtimber. Therefore, there is a need to identify accurate and precise methods of estimating whole tree biomass and merchantable biomass of harvested trees as well as total standing biomass of live timber for...

Effects of Harvesting Systems and Bole Moisture Loss on Weight Scaling of Douglas-Fir Sawlogs (Pseudotsuga Menziesii var. glauca Franco

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarred D. Saralecos

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Characterizing the moisture loss from felled trees is essential for determining weight-to-volume (W-V relationships in softwood sawlogs. Several factors affect moisture loss, but research to quantify the effects of bole size and harvest method is limited. This study was designed to test whether bole size, harvest method, environmental factors, and the associated changes in stem moisture content of felled Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca Franco affected the weight-to-volume relationship of sawlogs. Thirty trees in three size classes (12.7–25.4 cm, 25.5–38.1 cm, 38.2–50.8 cm were felled and treated with one of two harvesting processing methods. Moisture content was sampled every two days for four weeks. Results showed 6% greater moisture loss in the crowns of stems that retained limbs after felling compared to stems with limbs removed after harvesting. Additionally, moisture loss rate increased as stem size decreased. The smallest size class lost 58% moisture content compared to 34% in the largest size class throughout the study duration. These stem moisture content changes showed a 17% reduction in average sawlog weight within the largest size class, shifting current W-V relationships from 2.33 tons m−3 to 1.94 tons m−3 during the third seasonal quarter for northern Idaho Douglas-fir and potentially altering relationships year-round.

Evaluation of Over-The-Row Harvester Damage in a Super-High-Density Olive Orchard Using On-Board Sensing Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Pérez-Ruiz

2018-04-01

Full Text Available New super-high-density (SHD olive orchards designed for mechanical harvesting using over-the-row harvesters are becoming increasingly common around the world. Some studies regarding olive SHD harvesting have focused on the effective removal of the olive fruits; however, the energy applied to the canopy by the harvesting machine that can result in fruit damage, structural damage or extra stress on the trees has been little studied. Using conventional analyses, this study investigates the effects of different nominal speeds and beating frequencies on the removal efficiency and the potential for fruit damage, and it uses remote sensing to determine changes in the plant structures of two varieties of olive trees (‘Manzanilla Cacereña’ and ‘Manzanilla de Sevilla’ planted in SHD orchards harvested by an over-the-row harvester. ‘Manzanilla de Sevilla’ fruit was the least tolerant to damage, and for this variety, harvesting at the highest nominal speed led to the greatest percentage of fruits with cuts. Different vibration patterns were applied to the olive trees and were evaluated using triaxial accelerometers. The use of two light detection and ranging (LiDAR sensing devices allowed us to evaluate structural changes in the studied olive trees. Before- and after-harvest measurements revealed significant differences in the LiDAR data analysis, particularly at the highest nominal speed. The results of this work show that the operating conditions of the harvester are key to minimising fruit damage and that a rapid estimate of the damage produced by an over-the-row harvester with contactless sensing could provide useful information for automatically adjusting the machine parameters in individual olive groves in the future.

Associations between heat exposure, vigilance, and balance performance in summer tree fruit harvesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Spector, June T; Krenz, Jennifer; Calkins, Miriam; Ryan, Dawn; Carmona, Jose; Pan, Mengjie; Zemke, Anna; Sampson, Paul D

2018-02-01

We sought to evaluate potential mediators of the relationship between heat exposure and traumatic injuries in outdoor agricultural workers. Linear mixed models were used to estimate associations between maximum work-shift Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT max ) and post-shift vigilance (reaction time) and postural sway (total path length) in a cross-sectional sample of 46 Washington State tree fruit harvesters in August-September 2015. The mean (SD) WBGT max was 27.4 (3.2)°C in August and 21.2 (2.0)°C in September. The mean pre-work-shift participant urine specific gravity indicated minimal dehydration. Twenty-four percent of participants exhibited possible excessive sleepiness. There was no association between WBGT max and post-shift reaction time or total path length. Heat exposure was not associated with impaired vigilance or balance in this study, in which the overall mean (SD) WBGT max was 25.9 (4.2)°C. However, the study identified opportunities to ensure adequate pre-work-shift hydration and to optimize sleep and work-shift timing in order to reduce occupational injury and heat-related illness risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the effects of multiple stressors on the recruitment of fruit harvested trees in a tropical dry forest, Western Ghats, India.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Varghese

Full Text Available The harvest of non-timber forest products (NTFPs, together with other sources of anthropogenic disturbance, impact plant populations greatly. Despite this, conservation research on NTFPs typically focuses on harvest alone, ignoring possible confounding effects of other anthropogenic and ecological factors. Disentangling anthropogenic disturbances is critical in regions such as India's Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot with high human density. Identifying strategies that permit both use and conservation of resources is essential to preserving biodiversity while meeting local needs. We assessed the effects of NTFP harvesting (fruit harvest from canopy and lopping of branches for fruit in combination with other common anthropogenic disturbances (cattle grazing, fire frequency and distance from village, in order to identify which stressors have greater effects on recruitment of three tropical dry forest fruit tree species. Specifically, we assessed the structure of 54 populations of Phyllanthus emblica, P. indofischeri and Terminalia chebula spread across the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats to ask: (1 How are populations recruiting? and (2 What anthropogenic disturbance and environmental factors, specifically forest type and elevation, are the most important predictors of recruitment status? We combined participatory research with an information-theoretic model-averaging approach to determine which factors most affect population structure and recruitment status. Our models illustrate that for T. chebula, high fire frequency and high fruit harvest intensity decreased the proportion of saplings, while lopping branches or stems to obtain fruit increased it. For Phyllanthus spp, recruitment was significantly lower in plots with more frequent fire. Indices of recruitment of both species were significantly higher for plots in more open-canopy environments of savanna woodlands than in dry forests. Our research illustrates an approach for

Assessing the effects of multiple stressors on the recruitment of fruit harvested trees in a tropical dry forest, Western Ghats, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Varghese, Anita; Ticktin, Tamara; Mandle, Lisa; Nath, Snehlata

2015-01-01

The harvest of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), together with other sources of anthropogenic disturbance, impact plant populations greatly. Despite this, conservation research on NTFPs typically focuses on harvest alone, ignoring possible confounding effects of other anthropogenic and ecological factors. Disentangling anthropogenic disturbances is critical in regions such as India's Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot with high human density. Identifying strategies that permit both use and conservation of resources is essential to preserving biodiversity while meeting local needs. We assessed the effects of NTFP harvesting (fruit harvest from canopy and lopping of branches for fruit) in combination with other common anthropogenic disturbances (cattle grazing, fire frequency and distance from village), in order to identify which stressors have greater effects on recruitment of three tropical dry forest fruit tree species. Specifically, we assessed the structure of 54 populations of Phyllanthus emblica, P. indofischeri and Terminalia chebula spread across the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats to ask: (1) How are populations recruiting? and (2) What anthropogenic disturbance and environmental factors, specifically forest type and elevation, are the most important predictors of recruitment status? We combined participatory research with an information-theoretic model-averaging approach to determine which factors most affect population structure and recruitment status. Our models illustrate that for T. chebula, high fire frequency and high fruit harvest intensity decreased the proportion of saplings, while lopping branches or stems to obtain fruit increased it. For Phyllanthus spp, recruitment was significantly lower in plots with more frequent fire. Indices of recruitment of both species were significantly higher for plots in more open-canopy environments of savanna woodlands than in dry forests. Our research illustrates an approach for identifying which

A new fast method for inferring multiple consensus trees using k-medoids.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahiri, Nadia; Willems, Matthieu; Makarenkov, Vladimir

2018-04-05

Gene trees carry important information about specific evolutionary patterns which characterize the evolution of the corresponding gene families. However, a reliable species consensus tree cannot be inferred from a multiple sequence alignment of a single gene family or from the concatenation of alignments corresponding to gene families having different evolutionary histories. These evolutionary histories can be quite different due to horizontal transfer events or to ancient gene duplications which cause the emergence of paralogs within a genome. Many methods have been proposed to infer a single consensus tree from a collection of gene trees. Still, the application of these tree merging methods can lead to the loss of specific evolutionary patterns which characterize some gene families or some groups of gene families. Thus, the problem of inferring multiple consensus trees from a given set of gene trees becomes relevant. We describe a new fast method for inferring multiple consensus trees from a given set of phylogenetic trees (i.e. additive trees or X-trees) defined on the same set of species (i.e. objects or taxa). The traditional consensus approach yields a single consensus tree. We use the popular k-medoids partitioning algorithm to divide a given set of trees into several clusters of trees. We propose novel versions of the well-known Silhouette and Caliński-Harabasz cluster validity indices that are adapted for tree clustering with k-medoids. The efficiency of the new method was assessed using both synthetic and real data, such as a well-known phylogenetic dataset consisting of 47 gene trees inferred for 14 archaeal organisms. The method described here allows inference of multiple consensus trees from a given set of gene trees. It can be used to identify groups of gene trees having similar intragroup and different intergroup evolutionary histories. The main advantage of our method is that it is much faster than the existing tree clustering approaches, while

Time-dependent methodology for fault tree evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesely, W.B.

1976-01-01

Any fault tree may be evaluated applying the method called the kinetic theory of fault trees. The basic feature of this method as presented here is in that any information on primary failure, type failure or peak failure is derived from three characteristics: probability of existence, failure intensity and failure density. The determination of the said three characteristics for a given phenomenon yields the remaining probabilistic information on the individual aspects of the failure and on their totality for the whole observed period. The probabilistic characteristics are determined by applying the analysis of phenomenon probability. The total time dependent information on the peak failure is obtained by using the type failures (critical paths) of the fault tree. By applying the said process the total time dependent information is obtained for every primary failure and type failure of the fault tree. In the application of the method of the kinetic theory of fault trees represented by the PREP and KITT programmes, the type failures are first obtained using the deterministic testing method or using the Monte Carlo simulation (PREP programme). The respective characteristics are then determined using the kinetic theory of fault trees (KITT programmes). (Oy)

Influence of trunk or bough shaking on the performance and costs of mechanical harvesting of olives

OpenAIRE

Peça, José; Dias, António; Pinheiro, Anacleto; Santos, Luís S.S. dos; Almeida, Arlindo; Lopes, João; Reynolds, Domingos

2002-01-01

Field trials carried out in Portugal showed the penalty to be paid, both in terms of work rate and costs, whenever, due to tree geometry and size, trees had to be bough shaked rather than the normal trunk shaking. If an olive orchard with trees requiring two bough shakings could be adapted to an entirely trunk shaking orchard, simulation shows an increment between 9% and 33% in the work rate at harvesting and a reduction between 4% and 22% in harvesting cost per kilogram of olive, assuming a ...

Continuing Climate Warming Will Result in Failure of Post-Harvest Natural Regeneration across the Landscape in Interior Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Morimoto, M.; Juday, G. P.; Huettmann, F.

2016-12-01

Following forest disturbance, the stand initiation stage decisively influences future forest structure. Understanding post-harvest regeneration, especially under climate change, is essential to predicting future carbon stores in this extensive forest biome. We apply IPCC B1, A1B, and A2 climate scenarios to generate plausible future forest conditions under different management. We recorded presence of white spruce, birch, and aspen in 726 plots on 30 state forest white spruce harvest units. We built spatially explicit models and scenarios of species presence/absence using TreeNet (Stochastic Gradient Boosting). Post-harvest tree regeneration predictions in calibration data closely matched the validation set, indicating tree regeneration scenarios are reliable. Early stage post-harvest regeneration is similar to post-fire regeneration and matches the pattern of long-term natural vegetation distribution, confirming that site environmental factors are more important than management practices. Post-harvest natural regeneration of tree species increases under moderate warming scenarios, but fails under strong warming scenarios in landscape positions with high temperatures and low precipitation. Under all warming scenarios, the most successful regenerating species following white spruce harvest is white spruce. Birch experiences about 30% regeneration failure under A2 scenario by 2050. White spruce and aspen are projected to regenerate more successfully when site preparation is applied. Although white spruce has been the major managed species, birch may require more intensive management. Sites likely to experience regeneration failure of current tree species apparently will experience biome shift, although adaptive migration of existing or new species might be an option. Our scenario modeling tool allows resource managers to forecast tree regeneration on productive managed sites that have made a disproportionate contribution to carbon flux in a critical region.

77 FR 71825 - Notice of Temporary Restriction of Vehicle Use and Temporary Closure to Tree Cutting and Wood...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-04

... to Tree Cutting and Wood Harvesting on Public Land in Douglas County, NV AGENCY: Bureau of Land... a temporary closure to wood harvesting and/or tree cutting on public land within the Topaz Ranch... temporary restriction of cross-country vehicle travel and a temporary closure to tree cutting and wood...

Comparison of the effect of three autogenous bone harvesting methods on cell viability in rabbits

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi Haghgoo, Janet; Arabi, Seyed Reza; Hosseinipanah, Seyyed Mohammad; Solgi, Ghasem; Rastegarfard, Neda; Farhadian, Maryam

2017-01-01

Background. This study was designed to compare the viability of autogenous bone grafts, harvested using different methods, in order to determine the best harvesting technique with respect to more viable cells. Methods. In this animal experimental study, three harvesting methods, including manual instrument (chisel), rotary device and piezosurgery, were used for harvesting bone grafts from the lateral body of the mandible on the left and right sides of 10 rabbits. In each group, 20 bone samples were collected and their viability was assessed using MTS kit. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests, were used for evaluating significant differences between the groups. Results. One-way ANOVA showed significant differences between all the groups (P=0.000). Data analysis using post hoc Tukey tests indicated that manual instrument and piezosurgery had no significant differences with regard to cell viability (P=0.749) and the cell viability in both groups was higher than that with the use of a rotary instrument (P=0.000). Conclusion. Autogenous bone grafts harvested with a manual instrument and piezosurgery had more viable cells in comparison to the bone chips harvested with a rotary device. PMID:28748046

Traditional and formal ecological knowledge to assess harvesting and conservation of a Mexican Tropical Dry Forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Monroy-Ortiz, Columba; García-Moya, Edmundo; Romero-Manzanares, Angélica; Luna-Cavazos, Mario; Monroy, Rafael

2018-05-15

This research integrates Traditional and Formal Ecological Knowledge (TEK / FEK) of a Tropical Dry Forest in central Mexico, in order to assess harvesting and conservation of the non-timber forest species. We were interested in: knowing the structure and diversity of the forest community; identifying which are the tree resources of common interest to the users through participatory workshops. A further interest was to identify those resources which are important to local people in terms of preservation; explaining the relationship of the species with some environmental factors; and visualizing which management practices endanger or facilitate the conservation of species. Studied areas were defined and labelled on a map drawn by local informants, where they indicated those plant species of common interest for preservation. Ethnobotanical techniques were used to reveal the TEK and assess harvesting and conservation of the species. With the FEK through community and population ecology, we detected the importance of five environmental factors, obtained various ecological indicators of the vegetation, and studied the population structure of the relevant species. The FEK was analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. As a result, low density and small basal area of trees were registered. Species richness and diversity index were similar to other natural protected areas in Mexico. Tree species harvested shown an asymmetric distribution of diameters. Harvesting, elevation, and accessibility were the most influential factors on tree density. FEK demonstrated that TEK is helpful for the assessment of forest harvesting. Ecological analysis complemented the local knowledge detecting that Lysiloma tergemina is a species non-identified for the people as interesting, although we discover that it is a threatened species by over-harvesting. Haematoxylum brasiletto was identified as important for conservation due to its scarcity and medicinal use. Our results advanced

Effects of summer and winter harvesting on element phytoextraction efficiency of Salix and Populus clones planted on contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubátová, Pavla; Száková, Jiřina; Břendová, Kateřina; Kroulíková-Vondráčková, Stanislava; Mercl, Filip; Tlustoš, Pavel

2018-04-16

The clones of fast-growing trees (FGTs) were investigated for phytoextraction of soil contaminated with risk elements (REs), especially Cd, Pb, and Zn. As a main experimental factor, the potential effect of biomass harvesting time was assessed. The field experiment with two Salix clones (S1 - (Salix schwerinii × Salix viminalis) × S. viminalis, S2 - S. × smithiana) and two Populus clones (P1 - Populus maximowiczii × Populus nigra, P2 - P. nigra) was established in April 2009. Shoots of all clones were first harvested in February 2012. After two further growing seasons, the first half of the trees was harvested in September 2013 before leaf fall (summer harvest) and the second half in February 2014 (winter harvest). Remediation factors (RFs) for all clones and all REs (except Pb for clone S1) were higher in the summer harvest. The highest annual RFs for Cd and for Zn (1.34 and 0.67%, respectively) were found for clone S2 and were significantly higher than other clones. Although no increased mortality of trees harvested in the summer was detected in the following season, the effect of summer harvesting on the phytoextraction potential of FGTs clones should be investigated in long-term studies.

Selection harvests in Amazonian rainforests: long-term impacts on soil properties

Science.gov (United States)

K.L. McNabb; M.S. Miller; B.G. Lockaby; B.J. Stokes; R.G. Clawson; John A. Stanturf; J.N.M. Silva

1997-01-01

Surface soil properties were compared among disturbance classes associated with a single-tree selection harvest study installed in 1979 in the Brazilian Amazon. Response variables included pH, total N, total organic C, extractable P, exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, and bulk density. In general, concentrations of all elements displayed residual effects 16 years after harvests...

Which trees should be removed in thinning?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timo Pukkala

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: In economically optimal management, trees that are removed in a thinning treatment should be selected on the basis of their value, relative value increment and the effect of removal on the growth of remaining trees. Large valuable trees with decreased value increment should be removed, especially when they overtop smaller trees. Methods: This study optimized the tree selection rule in the thinning treatments of continuous cover management when the aim is to maximize the profitability of forest management. The weights of three criteria (stem value, relative value increment and effect of removal on the competition of remaining trees were optimized together with thinning intervals. Results and conclusions: The results confirmed the hypothesis that optimal thinning involves removing predominantly large trees. Increasing stumpage value, decreasing relative value increment, and increasing competitive influence increased the likelihood that removal is optimal decision. However, if the spatial distribution of trees is irregular, it is optimal to leave large trees in sparse places and remove somewhat smaller trees from dense places. However, the benefit of optimal thinning, as compared to diameter limit cutting is not usually large in pure one-species stands. On the contrary, removing the smallest trees from the stand may lead to significant (30–40 % reductions in the net present value of harvest incomes. Keywords: Continuous cover forestry, Tree selection, High thinning, Optimal management, Spatial distribution, Spatial growth model

Carbon sequestration in harvested wood products

Science.gov (United States)

K. Skog

2013-01-01

Carbon is continuously cycled among these storage pools and between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere as a result of biological processes in forests (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration, growth, mortality, decomposition, and disturbances such as fires or pest outbreaks) and anthropogenic activities (e.g., harvesting, thinning, clearing, and replanting). As trees...

Productivity and cost of harvesting a stemwood biomass product from integrated cut-to-length harvest operations in Australian Pinus radiata plantations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walsh, D.; Strandgard, M.

2014-01-01

Significant quantities of woody biomass from the tops of trees and larger woody ‘waste’ pieces that fall outside existing sawlog and pulpwood specifications are left on site post final harvest in Australian radiata Pinus radiata (D. Don) (radiata pine) plantations. Woody biomass is a potential product for pulp making or energy generation. Commercial use of woody biomass from radiata pine plantations would add extra value to the Australian plantation estate through improved resource utilisation, and potentially reduced post-harvesting silvicultural costs. This study investigated the productivity and cost impact of the harvest and extraction to roadside of woody biomass in an integrated harvest operation in a typical Australian two machine (harvester/processor and forwarder), cut-to-length, clearfall operation in a mature, thinned radiata pine plantation. The harvest operation yielded 23 GMt/ha (5% of the total yield) of woody biomass (known as ‘fibreplus’), 443 GMt/ha of sawlogs and 28 GMt/ha of pulpwood. The mean quantity of biomass left on site was 128 GMt/ha, mainly consisting of branches and needles, sufficient to minimise nutrient loss and protect the soil from erosion. Woodchips derived from the fibreplus product were suitable for kraft pulp making, (when blended in small amounts with clean de-barked roundwood woodchips), and for energy generation. The method trialed with the fibreplus product being produced did not impact harvesting and processing productivity and costs, but extraction was 14% less productive. Through analysis of the productivities of each phase and development of a cost model the harvest and extraction of the fibreplus product was estimated to increase total unit costs by ∼4.9%. - Highlights: • Study of the productivity and cost impact of producing a woody biomass product. • We compared two scenarios – harvesting with and without the biomass product. • An additional 23 GMt/ha (5% of the total yield) of woody biomass

Technique for compressed bundles for harvest of whole straw willow. Pilot study; Teknik foer komprimerande helskottsskoerd av salix i buntform. Foerstudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, Hans (Vaesteraeng Lantbruk AB (Sweden))

2008-06-15

and demand good and secure weather conditions. Heavy rain or snow is a big problem during harvest season. The proposal from Maelarenergi AB has been carefully analysed and they think this is a solution with high potential. It should mean lower costs than in compare to using a mobile fossil driven cutter. Chipped Salix on farmland is a 'hot' flowchart, with big demand on among other things the logistic in and around the system. The possibility to direct consumption with chipped Salix has a limited storage capability. Chipped Salix is not possible to transport long distance, maximum 30 - 35 km, if it should keep the capacity to pay the procedure. The costs of transport will be too big in comparison to production value. Another advantage is the costs for intermediate storage. For example the area of the intermediate storage station, can be reduced when smaller volumes with higher density are handled. An overall analysis over the project 'Salix Maelardalen' point out very obviously that an alternative to the today direct chipping system is necessary and that development work around harvest with compressing bundle technique is very important. Big positive effects on environment can also be shown. Questions around 'compressed whole straw harvest of Willow' can be answered by a pilot study. There are o lot of aspects to pay attention to and 'smooth the road' to the growing production of Salix and it's rising as fuel raw material. The pilot study is going to penetrate the development of new harvest technique and earlier systems for 'compressed whole shoot harvest' of Salix. Needs and potential of new technique will be analysed and the study will also give suggestions to a new specification of requirements. The study will also suggest future developing projects. One of the purposes with the pilot project is that it could be a platform for future technical and practical research and even to be as a base for coming

[The Application of the Fault Tree Analysis Method in Medical Equipment Maintenance].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hongbin

2015-11-01

In this paper, the traditional fault tree analysis method is presented, detailed instructions for its application characteristics in medical instrument maintenance is made. It is made significant changes when the traditional fault tree analysis method is introduced into the medical instrument maintenance: gave up the logic symbolic, logic analysis and calculation, gave up its complicated programs, and only keep its image and practical fault tree diagram, and the fault tree diagram there are also differences: the fault tree is no longer a logical tree but the thinking tree in troubleshooting, the definition of the fault tree's nodes is different, the composition of the fault tree's branches is also different.

Influence of planting and harvesting dates on sweet potato yield ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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Two experiments were conducted to study the influence of harvesting date on three sweet potato ... determining whole top yields above ground level. .... plant storage organ (which in this case is the root) prior to harvesting and processing for.

Final cutting of shelterwood. Harvesting techniques and effects on the Picea abies regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gloede, Dan

2001-01-01

During the last decade, environmental and biological aspects have grown increasingly important in forestry. At the same time conventional planting after clear-cutting has failed on many sites with a high ground water table, abundant competitive vegetation and frequent frosts. Therefore, on these sites the use of the shelterwood system for regeneration of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) has increased in Sweden. The main objective of the thesis is to study if it is possible to final-cut shelterwoods at acceptable harvesting costs, logging damage and release effects in the regeneration. Final cutting of three shelterwoods (180-200 m 3 /ha) in Sweden were carried out with single- and double-grip harvester systems in 1-1.5 m high regeneration (6 400-26 700 seedlings/ha). In a fourth shelterwood (140-165 m 3 /ha), also situated in Sweden, conventional felling with a single-grip harvester was compared with a more concentrated felling according to a method named 'tossing the caber', where the trees were felled top-end first over the 1.2-1.3 m high regeneration (9 530-11 780 seedlings/ha) and into the striproad. No differences in productivity and cost between single- and double-grip harvesters in final cutting of shelterwood were found. Despite few stems/ha and extensive regeneration the harvesting cost was considered low (33.5 SEK/m 3 ). Approximately one third of the seedlings suffered mortal logging damage, which was considered acceptable. No differences between conventional felling and the tossing the caber method were found regarding productivity, cost and damage to the regeneration. However, tossing the caber may be a more productive alternative in final cutting of pine-dominated shelterwood or seed tree stands. Seedling growth and survival after shelterwood removal was not influenced by the choice of harvester system. Seedling height and vitality were found to be good estimators of post-release survival and growth which, in total, was found to be acceptable

Timber harvest as the predominant disturbance regime in northeastern U.S. forests: Effects of harvest intensification

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Michelle L.; Canham, Charles D.; Murphy, Lora; Donovan, Therese M.

2018-01-01

Harvesting is the leading cause of adult tree mortality in forests of the northeastern United States. While current rates of timber harvest are generally sustainable, there is considerable pressure to increase the contribution of forest biomass to meet renewable energy goals. We estimated current harvest regimes for different forest types and regions across the U.S. states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine using data from the U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis Program. We implemented the harvest regimes in SORTIE‐ND, an individual‐based model of forest dynamics, and simulated the effects of current harvest regimes and five additional harvest scenarios that varied by harvest frequency and intensity over 150 yr. The best statistical model for the harvest regime described the annual probability of harvest as a function of forest type/region, total plot basal area, and distance to the nearest improved road. Forests were predicted to increase in adult aboveground biomass in all harvest scenarios in all forest type and region combinations. The magnitude of the increase, however, varied dramatically—increasing from 3% to 120% above current landscape averages as harvest frequency and intensity decreased. The variation can be largely explained by the disproportionately high harvest rates estimated for Maine as compared with the rest of the region. Despite steady biomass accumulation across the landscape, stands that exhibited old‐growth characteristics (defined as ≥300 metric tons of biomass/hectare) were rare (8% or less of stands). Intensified harvest regimes had little effect on species composition due to widespread partial harvesting in all scenarios, resulting in dominance by late‐successional species over time. Our analyses indicate that forest biomass can represent a sustainable, if small, component of renewable energy portfolios in the region, although there are tradeoffs between carbon sequestration in forest biomass and sustainable

Vibration energy harvesting system for railroad safety based on running vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tianchen, Yuan; Jian, Yang; Ruigang, Song; Xiaowei, Liu

2014-01-01

This research is focused on energy harvesting from track vibration in order to provide power for the wireless sensors which monitor railroad health. Considering that track vibration has vibration energy, a new method is proposed in the paper to harvest energy based on the piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric generator called drum transducer is the key part for track vibration energy harvesting. The model of drum transducer is established and the simulation results show that it can generate 100 mW in real track situation. In addition, an experiment rig is developed and its vibration model is also established. The simulation and experiment results show that peak open-circuit voltage of piezoelectric generator is about 50–70 V at the full load of the train. The whole track vibration energy harvesting system is analytically modeled, numerically simulated, and experimentally realized to demonstrate the feasibility and the reliability of the theoretical model. This paper is the theoretical basis of harvesting, recovering and recycling of the track vibration energy for track safety. (paper)

NDE of logs and standing trees using new acoustic tools : technical application and results

Science.gov (United States)

Peter Carter; Xiping Wang; Robert J. Ross; David Briggs

2005-01-01

The new Director ST300 provides a means to efficiently assess stands for stiffness and related wood properties based on standing tree acoustic velocily measures, and can be easily integrated with pre-harvest and earlier stand assessments. This provides for effective valuation for forest sale, stumpage purchase, harvest planning, and ranking of progeny or clones in tree...

Analysis Method of Combine Harvesters Technical Level by Functional and Structural Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. V. Zhalnin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The analysis of modern methods of evaluation of the grain harvesters technical level revealed a discrepancy in various criteria: comparative parameters, dimensionless series, the names of firms, the power of the motor, the width of the capture of the harvester, the capacity at the location of the manufacturer plant, advertising brands. (Purpose of research This led to a variety in the name of harvester models, which significantly complicates the assessment of their technical level, complicates the choice of agricultural necessary to him fashion, does not give the perception of the continuity of the change of generations of combines, makes it impossible to analyze trends in their development, does not disclose the technological essence of a model, but - most importantly - combines can not be compared with each other. The figures in the name of the harvester model are not related functionally to the main parameters and performance capabilities. (Materials and methods The close correlation in the form of a linear equation between their design parameters and the capacity of combines was revealed. Verification of this equation in the process of operation of the combine showed that it statistically stable and the estimates are always within the confidence interval with an error of 5-8 percent. It was found that four parameters of the variety of factors, that affect the performance of the harvester per hour net time, having most close correlation with it are: the motor power and the square of the separation concave, straw walkers and sieves for cleaning. (Results and discussion On the basis of the revealed correlation dependence we proposed a new method of assessment of the technical level of combines, which is based on the throughput (kg/s of the wetted material and the size series, indicating the nominal productivity of the combine in centners of grain harvested in 1 hour of basic time. The methodological background and mathematical apparatus

Method of osmotic energy harvesting using responsive compounds and molecules

KAUST Repository

Hu, Xiao; Cai, Yufeng; Lai, Zhiping; Zhong, Yujiang

2017-01-01

The present invention discloses and claims a more efficient and economical method and system for osmotic energy production and capture using responsive compounds and molecules. The present invention is an energy harvest system enabled by stimuli

Development and analysis of SRIC harvesting systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stokes, B.J. [Southern Forest Experiment Station, Auburn, AL (United States); Hartsough, B.R. [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

1993-12-31

This paper reviews several machine combinations for harvesting short-rotation, intensive-culture (SRIC) plantations. Productivity and cost information for individual machines was obtained from published sources. Three felling and skidding systems were analyzed for two stands, a 7.6-cm (3-in) average d.b.h. sycamore and a 15.2-cm (6-in) average d.b.h. eucalyptus. The analyses assumed that whole trees were chipped at roadside. Costs and production were summarized for each system. The systems were: (1) Continuous-travel feller-buncher, skidder, and chipper; (2) 3-wheel feller-buncher, skidder, and chipper; (3) chainsaw, skidder, and chipper. In the 7.6-cm stand, system productivities were 9.9, 7.3, and 7.5 BDLT/SMH, and costs were $20.9, $20.8, and $18.0 per BDLT for the three systems, respectively. System production rates for the 15.2-cm stand were 24.3, 10.2, and 12.5 BDLT/SMH, and costs were $8.7, $10.9, and $13.2 for systems 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Dependence of the legume seeds vigour on their maturity and method of harvest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław Grzesiuk

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Several methods were used to study 'the vigour and viability of legume seeds (Pisum sativum L. cv. Hamil, Piston arvense L. cv. Mazurska and Lupinus luteus L. cv. Tomik harvested at three main stages of seed repening (green, wax and full. The seeds were tested immediately after harvest (series A and after two weeks of storage in pods (series B. It was found that: 1 the vigour of ripening legume seeds increases with maturation; 2 post-harvest storage in pods increases the degree of ripeness and. consequently. vigour; 3 seeds attain full vigour later than full viability; 4 seed leachate conductivity method gives erroneous results in assessing the vigour of immature seeds: 5 full vigour of maturing seeds of various degrees of ripeness can be determined by simultaneous application of both biological (eg. seedling growth analysis, VI and biochemical (e.g. total dehydrogenase activity methods.

Harvester Productivity for Row Thinning Loblolly Pine Plantations

Science.gov (United States)

James E. Granskog; Walter C. Anderson

1980-01-01

Tivo tree harvesters currently being used to thin southern pine plantations were evaluated to determine the effects of stand characteristics on machine productivity. Production rates for row thinning loblolly plantations are presented by stand age, site index, and stand density.

A Method to Quantify Plant Availability and Initiating Event Frequency Using a Large Event Tree, Small Fault Tree Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kee, Ernest J.; Sun, Alice; Rodgers, Shawn; Popova, ElmiraV; Nelson, Paul; Moiseytseva, Vera; Wang, Eric

2006-01-01

South Texas Project uses a large fault tree to produce scenarios (minimal cut sets) used in quantification of plant availability and event frequency predictions. On the other hand, the South Texas Project probabilistic risk assessment model uses a large event tree, small fault tree for quantifying core damage and radioactive release frequency predictions. The South Texas Project is converting its availability and event frequency model to use a large event tree, small fault in an effort to streamline application support and to provide additional detail in results. The availability and event frequency model as well as the applications it supports (maintenance and operational risk management, system engineering health assessment, preventive maintenance optimization, and RIAM) are briefly described. A methodology to perform availability modeling in a large event tree, small fault tree framework is described in detail. How the methodology can be used to support South Texas Project maintenance and operations risk management is described in detail. Differences with other fault tree methods and other recently proposed methods are discussed in detail. While the methods described are novel to the South Texas Project Risk Management program and to large event tree, small fault tree models, concepts in the area of application support and availability modeling have wider applicability to the industry. (authors)

Gene-Tree Reconciliation with MUL-Trees to Resolve Polyploidy Events.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregg, W C Thomas; Ather, S Hussain; Hahn, Matthew W

2017-11-01

Polyploidy can have a huge impact on the evolution of species, and it is a common occurrence, especially in plants. The two types of polyploids-autopolyploids and allopolyploids-differ in the level of divergence between the genes that are brought together in the new polyploid lineage. Because allopolyploids are formed via hybridization, the homoeologous copies of genes within them are at least as divergent as orthologs in the parental species that came together to form them. This means that common methods for estimating the parental lineages of allopolyploidy events are not accurate, and can lead to incorrect inferences about the number of gene duplications and losses. Here, we have adapted an algorithm for topology-based gene-tree reconciliation to work with multi-labeled trees (MUL-trees). By definition, MUL-trees have some tips with identical labels, which makes them a natural representation of the genomes of polyploids. Using this new reconciliation algorithm we can: accurately place allopolyploidy events on a phylogeny, identify the parental lineages that hybridized to form allopolyploids, distinguish between allo-, auto-, and (in most cases) no polyploidy, and correctly count the number of duplications and losses in a set of gene trees. We validate our method using gene trees simulated with and without polyploidy, and revisit the history of polyploidy in data from the clades including both baker's yeast and bread wheat. Our re-analysis of the yeast data confirms the allopolyploid origin and parental lineages previously identified for this group. The method presented here should find wide use in the growing number of genomes from species with a history of polyploidy. [Polyploidy; reconciliation; whole-genome duplication.]. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Statistically Consistent k-mer Methods for Phylogenetic Tree Reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Allman, Elizabeth S; Rhodes, John A; Sullivant, Seth

2017-02-01

Frequencies of k-mers in sequences are sometimes used as a basis for inferring phylogenetic trees without first obtaining a multiple sequence alignment. We show that a standard approach of using the squared Euclidean distance between k-mer vectors to approximate a tree metric can be statistically inconsistent. To remedy this, we derive model-based distance corrections for orthologous sequences without gaps, which lead to consistent tree inference. The identifiability of model parameters from k-mer frequencies is also studied. Finally, we report simulations showing that the corrected distance outperforms many other k-mer methods, even when sequences are generated with an insertion and deletion process. These results have implications for multiple sequence alignment as well since k-mer methods are usually the first step in constructing a guide tree for such algorithms.

Wildfire fuel harvesting and resultant biomass utilization using a cut-to-length/small chipper system

Science.gov (United States)

M. Chad Bolding; Bobby L. Lanford

2005-01-01

Currently, there is a lack of information concerning mechanical forest fuel reduction. This study examined and measured the feasibility of ground-based mechanical harvesting to reduce forest fuel buildup and produce energywood. Cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting coupled with a small in-woods chipper provided a low impact way to harvest pre-commercial trees and tops along...

Sprouting of dormant buds on border trees

Science.gov (United States)

G.R., Jr. Trimble; H. Clay Smith; H. Clay Smith

1970-01-01

As part of an evaluation of silvicultura1 systems used in managing Appalachian hardwoods, we are studying degrade of border trees surrounding harvest-cut openings made in the patch cutting and group selection systems. One facet of this research dealt with determining what portion of visually evident dormant buds on border tree boles sprouted when the openings were cut...

Water relations, stomatal response and transpiration of Quercus pubescens trees during summer in a Mediterranean carbon dioxide spring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tognetti, R.; Miglietta, F.; Raschi, A. [Consiglio Nazionale della Ricerche, Firenze (Italy); Longobucco, A. [Centro Studi per l`Informatica applicata all`Agricoltura, Firenze (Italy)

1999-04-01

Variations in water relations and stomatal response of downy oak (Quercus pubescens) were analyzed under Mediterranean field conditions during two consecutive summers at two locations characterized by different atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentrations due to the presence of a CO{sub 2} spring at one of the locations. The heat-pulse velocity technique was used to estimate water use during a five-month period from June to November 1994. At the end of the sap flow measurements, the trees were harvested and foliage and sapwood area measured. The effect of elevated CO{sub 2} concentration on leaf conductance was less at high leaf-to-air water vapour pressure difference than at low leaf-to-air water vapour pressure difference. Mean and diurnal sap fluxes were consistently higher in trees at the control site than in the trees at the CO{sub 2} spring site. Results are discussed in terms of effects of elevated CO{sub 2} concentration on plant water use at the organ and whole-tree level. 76 refs., 9 figs.

Harvested wood products and carbon sink in a young beech high forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pilli R

2008-03-01

Full Text Available According to art. 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol (KP, Italy has elected forest management as additional human-induced activity to attain the goal of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The whole forest area not subjected to afforestation, reforestation or deforestation processes since 1990 will be considered as managed forest. In order to analyse different management strategies, the Carbon-Pro Project, involving 9 partners of the European CADSES area, considered a young beech high forest (ex-coppice, defined as "transitory silvicultural system" as a common case study for the Pre-alps region. Using data collected with forest plans during the period 1983 - 2005, aboveground and belowground forest carbon stock and sink of a specific forest compartment were estimated by the Carbon Stock Method proposed by the IPCC Guidelines. In order to apply this approach 41 trees were cut and a species-specific allometric equation was developed. Considering the aboveground tree biomass, the carbon sink amounts to 1.99 and 1.84 Mg C ha-1 y-1 for the period 1983 - 1994 and 1994 - 2005 respectively. Adding the belowground tree biomass, the estimated sink amounts to 2.59 and 2.39 Mg C ha-1 y-1 for each period. Taking the harvested wood products (firewood, the total carbon sequestration during the second period is 0.16 Mg C ha-1 y-1. The case study highlights the possible rules for the different management strategies. In effect, the utilisation of the entire increase in aboveground biomass as firewood gives an energy substitution effect but, according to the Marrakesh Accords, it cannot be accounted for the KP. On the other hand, an accumulation strategy gives the maximum possible carbon absorption and retention.

Impact of different packaging technologies on post harvest losses of stone fruits in swat pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahzad, M.; Luqman, M.; Jehan, N.

2015-01-01

Soft texture of stone fruits makes them prone to post harvest losses. Effect of different packaging materials on the texture of fruits also varies for their post-harvest losses. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wooden and cardboard box technologies on post-harvest losses of plum through its marketing channel. Primary data was collected through pre tested questionnaires by proportionate random sampling procedure. Quantitative losses were estimated through percentage method while partial losses were estimated at the wholesale and retail level by price differential method. Multiple regression analysis was employed to find relation between post-harvest losses and different factors at three different stages. Findings of the study revealed the channel of cardboard box technology accounted for post-harvest losses of 10.49% while at farm level, losses were 2.90%, at wholesale level 1.45% and retail level the losses were 6.14%. On the other hand post-harvest losses were 14.24% in wooden box channel; in which 6.10% occurred at farm level, 1.43% at the wholesale level and 6.71% at the retail level. Cardboard box technology has reduced post-harvest losses of plum by 27%. Post-harvest losses were moderate and positively correlated at farm level, weakly and positive related at whole sale level and weak and negatively correlated at retail level. Pre-harvest management, careful handling and harvesting in proper maturity can help in reducing post-harvest losses. (author)

Physiological changes in pre-harvest dropped fruits in the pummelo cultivars ‘Thong Dee’ and ‘Khao Nam Phueng’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pongnart Nartvaranant

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This investigation of physiological changes in pummelo pre-harvest dropped fruit, termed “yellow fruit calyx symptoms” in Thailand, aimed to examine in two particular cultivars Thong Dee and Khao Nam Phueng grown in the central regionof Thailand. The results show that the normal pummelo fruits of either variety had statistically more total non-structuralcarbohydrate (TNC in their peel and pulp than did those of the dropped fruits. On the other hand, the leaves of normal fruittrees of both cultivars show less TNC than those found in the leaves of pre-harvest dropped fruit trees. There were significantdifferences in some plant nutrients in the leaves, peel and pulp of the dropped and normal pummelo cultivars. IAA concentration in fruit was determined with the result that normal fruits had a statistically higher IAA concentration than did those inpre-harvest dropped fruits. The PCR technique used for the greening disease test identified infections in leaves taken fromthe pre-harvest dropped fruit trees but none in leaves from the normal fruit trees. There were no differences in soil chemicalproperties between soil samples taken from the normal and pre-harvest dropped fruit trees. It seems likely that greeningdisease is the cause of ‘yellow fruit calyx symptom’ in Thailand and is the resulting from low TNC concentrations, low plantnutrients and low IAA concentrations in the pre-harvest dropped fruits in the pummelo cultivars.

Foraging loads of red wood ants: Formica aquilonia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae in relation to tree characteristics and stand age

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Heloise Gibb

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background. Foraging efficiency is critical in determining the success of organisms and may be affected by a range of factors, including resource distance and quality. For social insects such as ants, outcomes must be considered at the level of both the individual and the colony. It is important to understand whether anthropogenic disturbances, such as forestry, affect foraging loads, independent of effects on the quality and distribution of resources. We asked if ants harvest greater loads from more distant and higher quality resources, how individual efforts scale to the colony level, and whether worker loads are affected by stand age. Methods. First, we performed a fine-scale study examining the effect of distance and resource quality (tree diameter and species on harvesting of honeydew by red wood ants, Formica aquilonia, in terms of crop load per worker ant and numbers of workers walking up and down each tree (ant activity (study 1. Second, we modelled what the combination of load and worker number responses meant for colony-level foraging loads. Third, at a larger scale, we asked whether the relationship between worker load and resource quality and distance depended on stand age (study 2. Results. Study 1 revealed that seventy percent of ants descending trees carried honeydew, and the percentage of workers that were honeydew harvesters was not related to tree species or diameter, but increased weakly with distance. Distance positively affected load mass in both studies 1 and 2, while diameter had weak negative effects on load. Relationships between load and distance and diameter did not differ among stands of different ages. Our model showed that colony-level loads declined much more rapidly with distance for small diameter than large diameter trees. Discussion. We suggest that a negative relationship between diameter and honeydew load detected in study 1 might be a result of crowding on large diameter trees close to nests, while the

Survey: interpolation methods for whole slide image processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Roszkowiak, L; Korzynska, A; Zak, J; Pijanowska, D; Swiderska-Chadaj, Z; Markiewicz, T

2017-02-01

Evaluating whole slide images of histological and cytological samples is used in pathology for diagnostics, grading and prognosis . It is often necessary to rescale whole slide images of a very large size. Image resizing is one of the most common applications of interpolation. We collect the advantages and drawbacks of nine interpolation methods, and as a result of our analysis, we try to select one interpolation method as the preferred solution. To compare the performance of interpolation methods, test images were scaled and then rescaled to the original size using the same algorithm. The modified image was compared to the original image in various aspects. The time needed for calculations and results of quantification performance on modified images were also compared. For evaluation purposes, we used four general test images and 12 specialized biological immunohistochemically stained tissue sample images. The purpose of this survey is to determine which method of interpolation is the best to resize whole slide images, so they can be further processed using quantification methods. As a result, the interpolation method has to be selected depending on the task involving whole slide images. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Renewal of Collaborative Research: Economically Viable Forest Harvesting Practices That Increase Carbon Sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davidson, E.A.; Dail, D.B., Hollinger, D.; Scott, N.; Richardson, A.

2012-08-02

subcanopy trees by opening up the forest canopy to increasing light penetration. Decomposition of onsite harvest slash and of wastes created during timber processing releases CO{sub 2} to the atmosphere, thus offsetting some of the C sequestered in vegetation. Decomposition of soil C and dead roots may also be temporarily stimulated by increased light penetration and warming of the forest floor. Quantification of these processes and their net effect is needed. We began studying C sequestration in a planned shelterwood harvest at the Howland Forest in central Maine in 2000. The harvest took place in 2002 by the International Paper Corporation, who assisted us to track the fates of harvest products (Scott et al., 2004, Environmental Management 33: S9-S22). Here we present the results of intensive on-site studies of the decay of harvest slash, soil respiration, growth of the remaining trees, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO{sub 2} during the first six years following the harvest. These results are combined with calculations of C in persisting off-site harvest products to estimate the net C consequences to date of this commercial shelterwood harvest operation. Tower-based eddy covariance is an ideal method for this study, as it integrates all C fluxes in and out of the forest over a large 'footprint' area and can reveal how the net C flux, as well as gross primary productivity and respiration, change following harvest. Because the size of this experiment precludes large-scale replication, we are use a paired-airshed approach, similar to classic large-scale paired watershed experiments. Measurements of biomass and C fluxes in control and treatment stands were compared during a pre-treatment calibration period, and then divergence from pre-treatment relationships between the two sites measured after the harvest treatment. Forests store carbon (C) as they accumulate biomass. Many forests are also commercial sources of timber and wood fiber. In most C accounting

Root activity patterns of some tree crops. Results of a five-year co-ordinated research programme of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture. [32p; injection into banana trees, orange trees, cacao trees, coffee trees, and oil palms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1975-01-01

A coordinated research program was followed using a soil injection method which employed /sup 32/P-labelled superphosphate solution. The technique was applied for determining the root activity distribution of various crops. Field experiments were carried out in Uganda on bananas, Spain and Taiwan on citrus, Ghana on cocoa, Columbia and Kenya on coffee, and Ivory Coast and Malaysia on oil palms, to study the patterns of root activity as a function of depth and distance from the tree base, soil type, tree age and season. A few weeks after injection, leaf samples of similar age were taken from well-defined morphological positions on the tree and analyzed for /sup 32/P. The activity of the label in the sample reflects the root activity at the various positions in the soil. Some preliminary experiments were also carried out using /sup 32/P-superphosphate to evaluate the efficiency of different methods of fertilizer placement in relation to phosphate uptake by the plantation as a whole.

Preliminary hazard analysis using sequence tree method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Huiwen; Shih Chunkuan; Hung Hungchih; Chen Minghuei; Yih Swu; Lin Jiinming

2007-01-01

A system level PHA using sequence tree method was developed to perform Safety Related digital I and C system SSA. The conventional PHA is a brainstorming session among experts on various portions of the system to identify hazards through discussions. However, this conventional PHA is not a systematic technique, the analysis results strongly depend on the experts' subjective opinions. The analysis quality cannot be appropriately controlled. Thereby, this research developed a system level sequence tree based PHA, which can clarify the relationship among the major digital I and C systems. Two major phases are included in this sequence tree based technique. The first phase uses a table to analyze each event in SAR Chapter 15 for a specific safety related I and C system, such as RPS. The second phase uses sequence tree to recognize what I and C systems are involved in the event, how the safety related systems work, and how the backup systems can be activated to mitigate the consequence if the primary safety systems fail. In the sequence tree, the defense-in-depth echelons, including Control echelon, Reactor trip echelon, ESFAS echelon, and Indication and display echelon, are arranged to construct the sequence tree structure. All the related I and C systems, include digital system and the analog back-up systems are allocated in their specific echelon. By this system centric sequence tree based analysis, not only preliminary hazard can be identified systematically, the vulnerability of the nuclear power plant can also be recognized. Therefore, an effective simplified D3 evaluation can be performed as well. (author)

The Mind of the Copaíba Tree: Notes on Extractivism, Animism, and Ontology from Southern Bahia

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Jonathan DeVore

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes ritualized prescriptions for harvesting oleoresin or “oil” from the copaíba tree in Brazil. These harvesting prescriptions involve increasingly complex attributions of mind to the copaíba tree itself. The copaíba tree is widespread throughout the Americas, and for centuries has been well-known for the medicinal oil that can be extracted from its trunk. In Brazil, contemporary knowledge of the copaíba tree is bound up with colonial history and what were often destructive extractivist economies. Whereas historical accounts of the copaíba tree are often limited to mechanistic descriptions for extracting oil, this article examines attributions of mind that harvesters make to the copaíba tree. These attributions can be read from procedures for extracting oil. Such procedures are concerned with moon cycles, tree marking, sexual activity, and gaze. The article shows that such prescriptions have a wide transregional and interethnic distribution, from the Amazon Basin in northern Brazil to the Atlantic Forest on Bahia’s southern coast. New evidence from southern Bahia also involves prescriptions concerning speech and naming, which presuppose that the copaíba tree is sensitive to intentionality and human language. These mind attributions are inferred through pragmatic analysis of the (ontological presuppositions that are embedded by harvesting prescriptions. The contribution concludes with reflections on the implications of this presuppositional analytic approach for debates concerned with animism and the “ontological turn.”

Plutonium in tree rings from France and Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrec, J.-P.; Suzuki, T.; Mahara, Y.; Santry, D.C.; Miyahara, S.; Sugahara, M.; Zheng, J.; Kudo, A.

1995-01-01

Plutonium, along with other radionuclide concentrations, was measured in evergreen tree rings from two different locations. This was used as an information source for the past two centuries. Tree rings are a product of annual layers and thus chronological information is clearly visible. Three trees were harvested in 1988-1990: a French white fir (137 years old) and a spruce tree (177 years old) from the France-Germany border near Nancy, France and a sugi (78 years old) from Nagasaki, Japan. The highest 239 + 240 Pu concentration of 30.0 mBq/kg of dry wood was obtained from the tree rings from Nagasaki, located at the centre of the local fallout of the Pu A-bomb detonated in 1945. This concentration peak was, however, observed in tree rings of 1965-67. The concentration was only 2.9 mBq/kg for the tree rings of 1944-46. The contribution of the local fallout on the surface soils from the A-bomb was 181 mBq/cm 2 at the harvested area of the tree, while the contribution of global fallout by many weapons testing was 5.9 mBq/cm 2 (or 3.3% total fallout in the region). The reason for the over 20 year time lag of 239 + 240 Pu uptake by the tree rings is unknown because many factors influence the routes of Pu into the tree rings. Also the chemical form of Pu in surface soils may have been changed by the surrounding environment. The highest concentration in the tree rings from France was 9.4 mBq/kg which is about 31% of Nagasaki 239 + 240 Pu concentration. (author)

Historical harvests reduce neighboring old-growth basal area across a forest landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, David M; Spies, Thomas A; Pabst, Robert

2017-07-01

While advances in remote sensing have made stand, landscape, and regional assessments of the direct impacts of disturbance on forests quite common, the edge influence of timber harvesting on the structure of neighboring unharvested forests has not been examined extensively. In this study, we examine the impact of historical timber harvests on basal area patterns of neighboring old-growth forests to assess the magnitude and scale of harvest edge influence in a forest landscape of western Oregon, USA. We used lidar data and forest plot measurements to construct 30-m resolution live tree basal area maps in lower and middle elevation mature and old-growth forests. We assessed how edge influence on total, upper canopy, and lower canopy basal area varied across this forest landscape as a function of harvest characteristics (i.e., harvest size and age) and topographic conditions in the unharvested area. Upper canopy, lower canopy, and total basal area increased with distance from harvest edge and elevation. Forests within 75 m of harvest edges (20% of unharvested forests) had 4% to 6% less live tree basal area compared with forest interiors. An interaction between distance from harvest edge and elevation indicated that elevation altered edge influence in this landscape. We observed a positive edge influence at low elevations (800 m). Surprisingly, we found no or weak effects of harvest age (13-60 yr) and harvest area (0.2-110 ha) on surrounding unharvested forest basal area, implying that edge influence was relatively insensitive to the scale of disturbance and multi-decadal recovery processes. Our study indicates that the edge influence of past clearcutting on the structure of neighboring uncut old-growth forests is widespread and persistent. These indirect and diffuse legacies of historical timber harvests complicate forest management decision-making in old-growth forest landscapes by broadening the traditional view of stand boundaries. Furthermore, the consequences

Comparison of four harvesting systems in a loblolly pine plantation

Science.gov (United States)

J. Klepac; Dana Mitchell

2016-01-01

Felling and skidding operations were monitored while clearcut harvesting a 12-acre area of a 14-year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation. The study area contained 465 trees per acre for trees 2.0 inches Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and larger with a Quadratic Mean Diameter (QMD) of 7.26 inches. Two feller-bunchers (tracked and rubber-tired) and two skidders (...

Comparison of event tree, fault tree and Markov methods for probabilistic safety assessment and application to accident mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, H.; Harris, M.J.; Hall, S.F.

1992-01-01

Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) is used extensively in the nuclear industry. The main stages of PSA and the traditional event tree method are described. Focussing on hydrogen explosions, an event tree model is compared to a novel Markov model and a fault tree, and unexpected implication for accident mitigation is revealed. (author)

Determination of the Optimum Harvest Window for Apples Using the Non-Destructive Biospeckle Method

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Anna Skic

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Determination of the optimum harvest window plays a key role in the agro-food chain as the quality of fruit depends on the right harvesting time and appropriate storage conditions during the postharvest period. Usually, indices based on destructive measurements are used for this purpose, like the De Jager Index (PFW-1, FARS index and the most popular Streif Index. In this study, we proposed a biospeckle method for the evaluation of the optimum harvest window (OHW of the “Ligol” and “Szampion” apple cultivars. The experiment involved eight different maturity stages, of which four were followed by long cold storage and shelf life to assist the determination of the optimum harvest window. The biospeckle activity was studied in relation to standard quality attributes (firmness, acidity, starch, soluble solids content, Streif Index and physiological parameters (respiration and ethylene emission of both apple cultivars. Changes of biospeckle activity (BA over time showed moderate relationships with biochemical changes during apple maturation and ripening. The harvest date suggested by the Streif Index and postharvest quality indicators matched with characteristic decrease in BA. The ability of biospeckle method to characterize the biological state of apples was confirmed by significant correlations of BA with firmness, starch index, total soluble solids and Streif Index, as well as good match with changes in carbon dioxide and ethylene emission. However, it should be noted that correlations between variables changing over time are not as meaningful as independent observations. Also, it is a well-known property of the Pearson’s correlation that its value is highly susceptible to outlier data. Due to its non-selective nature the BA reflected only the current biological state of the fruit and could be affected by many other factors. The investigations showed that the optimum harvest window for apples was indicated by the characteristic drop of

Determination of the Optimum Harvest Window for Apples Using the Non-Destructive Biospeckle Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Skic, Anna; Szymańska-Chargot, Monika; Kruk, Beata; Chylińska, Monika; Pieczywek, Piotr Mariusz; Kurenda, Andrzej; Zdunek, Artur; Rutkowski, Krzysztof P

2016-05-10

Determination of the optimum harvest window plays a key role in the agro-food chain as the quality of fruit depends on the right harvesting time and appropriate storage conditions during the postharvest period. Usually, indices based on destructive measurements are used for this purpose, like the De Jager Index (PFW-1), FARS index and the most popular Streif Index. In this study, we proposed a biospeckle method for the evaluation of the optimum harvest window (OHW) of the "Ligol" and "Szampion" apple cultivars. The experiment involved eight different maturity stages, of which four were followed by long cold storage and shelf life to assist the determination of the optimum harvest window. The biospeckle activity was studied in relation to standard quality attributes (firmness, acidity, starch, soluble solids content, Streif Index) and physiological parameters (respiration and ethylene emission) of both apple cultivars. Changes of biospeckle activity (BA) over time showed moderate relationships with biochemical changes during apple maturation and ripening. The harvest date suggested by the Streif Index and postharvest quality indicators matched with characteristic decrease in BA. The ability of biospeckle method to characterize the biological state of apples was confirmed by significant correlations of BA with firmness, starch index, total soluble solids and Streif Index, as well as good match with changes in carbon dioxide and ethylene emission. However, it should be noted that correlations between variables changing over time are not as meaningful as independent observations. Also, it is a well-known property of the Pearson's correlation that its value is highly susceptible to outlier data. Due to its non-selective nature the BA reflected only the current biological state of the fruit and could be affected by many other factors. The investigations showed that the optimum harvest window for apples was indicated by the characteristic drop of BA during pre-harvest

Modeling the Effects of Harvest Alternatives on Mitigating Oak Decline in a Central Hardwood Forest Landscape.

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Wen J Wang

Full Text Available Oak decline is a process induced by complex interactions of predisposing factors, inciting factors, and contributing factors operating at tree, stand, and landscape scales. It has greatly altered species composition and stand structure in affected areas. Thinning, clearcutting, and group selection are widely adopted harvest alternatives for reducing forest vulnerability to oak decline by removing susceptible species and declining trees. However, the long-term, landscape-scale effects of these different harvest alternatives are not well studied because of the limited availability of experimental data. In this study, we applied a forest landscape model in combination with field studies to evaluate the effects of the three harvest alternatives on mitigating oak decline in a Central Hardwood Forest landscape. Results showed that the potential oak decline in high risk sites decreased strongly in the next five decades irrespective of harvest alternatives. This is because oak decline is a natural process and forest succession (e.g., high tree mortality resulting from intense competition would eventually lead to the decrease in oak decline in this area. However, forest harvesting did play a role in mitigating oak decline and the effectiveness varied among the three harvest alternatives. The group selection and clearcutting alternatives were most effective in mitigating oak decline in the short and medium terms, respectively. The long-term effects of the three harvest alternatives on mitigating oak decline became less discernible as the role of succession increased. The thinning alternative had the highest biomass retention over time, followed by the group selection and clearcutting alternatives. The group selection alternative that balanced treatment effects and retaining biomass was the most viable alternative for managing oak decline. Insights from this study may be useful in developing effective and informed forest harvesting plans for managing oak

Whole-tree and forest floor removal from a loblolly pine plantation have no effect on forest floor CO2 efflux 10 years after harvest

Science.gov (United States)

John R. Butnor; Kurt H. Johnsen; Felipe G. Sanchez

2006-01-01

Intensive management of southern pine plantations has yielded multifold increases in productivity over the last half century. The process of harvesting merchantable material and preparing a site for planting can lead to a considerable loss of organic matter. Intensively managed stands may experience more frequent disturbance as rotations decrease in length, exposing...

Biologically balanced use of the forest as an energy source; Biologisk afbalanceret anvendelse af skovene som energikilde

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heding, N.

1997-12-31

This is a conference paper. The last 20 years forestry has again begun to harvest wood fuel on a large scale, not only for use in wood burning stoves but also as chips for large-scale production of heat and electricity. Because of the deforestation in previous centuries, there has been recent concern about the present programmes in spite of their goal of substituting fossil fuels with wood. Harvesting whole trees has caused concern about possible depletion of nutrients since the larger part of the nutrients in a tree are found in branches and needles. However, this loss can be minimized by letting the trees dry on the felling ground for a few months before transportation. Recirculation of ashes from wood combustion is a way of balancing the nutrient budget. Intensive burning of wood from whole-tree harvesting should be accompanied by research on the impact on wild-life. 5 refs.

Preliminary Valuation of “Y” and “V”-Trellised Canopies for Mechanical Harvesting of Plums, Sweet Cherries and Sour Cherries for the Fresh Market

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Rabcewicz Jacek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Plums, sweet cherry, and sour cherry trees were spaced 4.5 m × 1.5 m to be trained to “Y” and “V”-trellising systems for mechanical harvesting, with a canopy contact harvester, attending to obtain fruits meeting the requirements of the fresh fruit market. The applied trellising systems were compared with the standard central leader system at the same spacing. The most of trellised trees grew less vigorously than the standard trees, and after 3 years of training, the trees were suitable for mechanical harvesting with the harvester designed at the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice. The trellised trees were able to set as many fruitlets as those grown in the form of central leader and gave a comparable yield, but differences between cultivars were significant. Light interception in the third year after planting was lower for trees of sour cherry and plum growing in the “Y”-20° and “V” in comparison to the trees with central leader. Illumination of trellised canopies at the level of 0.7 and 1.5 m was the most favorable in “V” system when compared to control and “Y” training systems. Cost of construction for the trellising systems of stone fruits calculated per 1 ha was two times higher when compared with the standard system.

An improved spatial contour tree constructed method

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Ling; Guilbert, Eric; Long, Yi

2018-05-01

Contours are important data to delineate the landform on a map. A contour tree provides an object-oriented description of landforms and can be used to enrich the topological information. The traditional contour tree is used to store topological relationships between contours in a hierarchical structure and allows for the identification of eminences and depressions as sets of nested contours. This research proposes an improved contour tree so-called spatial contour tree that contains not only the topological but also the geometric information. It can be regarded as a terrain skeleton in 3-dimention, and it is established based on the spatial nodes of contours which have the latitude, longitude and elevation information. The spatial contour tree is built by connecting spatial nodes from low to high elevation for a positive landform, and from high to low elevation for a negative landform to form a hierarchical structure. The connection between two spatial nodes can provide the real distance and direction as a Euclidean vector in 3-dimention. In this paper, the construction method is tested in the experiment, and the results are discussed. The proposed hierarchical structure is in 3-demintion and can show the skeleton inside a terrain. The structure, where all nodes have geo-information, can be used to distinguish different landforms and applied for contour generalization with consideration of geographic characteristics.

Fuelwood quality of promising tree species for alkaline soil sites in relation to tree age

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goel, V.L.; Behl, H.M. [National Botanical Research Inst., Lucknow (India). Biomass Research Center

1996-06-01

The fuelwood quality of five tree species suitable for afforestation of alkaline soil sites was investigated in relation to tree age for establishing harvest rotation cycles. Prosopis juliflora and Acacia nilotica were found to be the most suitable species for short rotation fuel wood forestry programmes because of their high wood density, biomass yield, low ash and moisture content, and good heat of combustion at the juvenile stage. The performance of other species like Acacia auriculiformis, Terminalia arjuna and Sesbania formosa is discussed. (author)

Effect of harvest stage and drying methods on germination and seed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SERVER

Y as affected by stage of harvest and method of drying were studied in the growing seasons of year. 2002 and ... confidence of farmers, because all other inputs will merely assist the ..... maintenance of stored products at safe moisture content.

Traditional usages of ichthyotoxic plant Barringtonia asiatica (L. Kurz. by the Nicobari tribes

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T. Ravikumar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Barringtonia asiatica is a medium size tree commonly found in Car Nicobar Island known for its ichthyotoxic property. It grows on sandy and rocky shore areas and has lantern shaped seeds, locally called Kinyav used during the calm season in shallow and low tide waters for killing fishes, octopus, etc. At every successful operation they harvest about 1–3 kg and on the whole about 10–20 kg of fishes per trip. This method of fish catching was popular among the Car Nicobari tribes until massive tsunami of 26th December, 2004, which caused dislocation of tribes from their erstwhile coastal inhabitations to interior areas, damage of coral reefs, permanent water intrusion in the intertidal area and destruction of Kinyav trees. Hence, now-a-days the popularity of this fishing method among them has diminished. The study not only reveals the usefulness of seeds in harvesting of fishes but also the utilization of other parts of tree such as leaves for therapeutic purpose in fracture, wound, de-worming, pain relieving of human beings; log for construction of canoe, wooden houses, sitting stage, handicraft items, fire wood and whole tree for preventing the coastal erosion.

Modeling the complex impacts of timber harvests to find optimal management regimes for Amazon tidal floodplain forests

Science.gov (United States)

Fortini, Lucas B.; Cropper, Wendell P.; Zarin, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

At the Amazon estuary, the oldest logging frontier in the Amazon, no studies have comprehensively explored the potential long-term population and yield consequences of multiple timber harvests over time. Matrix population modeling is one way to simulate long-term impacts of tree harvests, but this approach has often ignored common impacts of tree harvests including incidental damage, changes in post-harvest demography, shifts in the distribution of merchantable trees, and shifts in stand composition. We designed a matrix-based forest management model that incorporates these harvest-related impacts so resulting simulations reflect forest stand dynamics under repeated timber harvests as well as the realities of local smallholder timber management systems. Using a wide range of values for management criteria (e.g., length of cutting cycle, minimum cut diameter), we projected the long-term population dynamics and yields of hundreds of timber management regimes in the Amazon estuary, where small-scale, unmechanized logging is an important economic activity. These results were then compared to find optimal stand-level and species-specific sustainable timber management (STM) regimes using a set of timber yield and population growth indicators. Prospects for STM in Amazonian tidal floodplain forests are better than for many other tropical forests. However, generally high stock recovery rates between harvests are due to the comparatively high projected mean annualized yields from fast-growing species that effectively counterbalance the projected yield declines from other species. For Amazonian tidal floodplain forests, national management guidelines provide neither the highest yields nor the highest sustained population growth for species under management. Our research shows that management guidelines specific to a region’s ecological settings can be further refined to consider differences in species demographic responses to repeated harvests. In principle, such fine

What happens to living cull trees left after heavy cutting in mixed hardwood stands?

Science.gov (United States)

George R., Jr. Trimble; Henry Clay Smith

1963-01-01

In the Appalachian Mountains, the logging operator usually cuts only those trees that he thinks will yield a profit, and leaves the trees that appear to be unprofitable. Generally these unprofitable trees are either below merchantable size or are culls-trees of merchantable size that contain too little sound material to justify harvesting costs.

MELLIPHEROUS TREES MONITORING FROM ANA LUGOJANA FORESTRY DEPARTMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SILVIA PĂTRUICĂ

2007-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a study made by the purpose of seeing in whatmanner the mellipherous trees belonging to Ana Lugojana Departments ensuremaintenance and production harvesting for bee families from this area. The study wasmade during the period of May 2006 and April 2007, on a 12301 hectares area, inwhich we recorded: forestry mellipherous trees identification, the surface occupied byeach specie and the blooming period, data that we used to calculate the amount ofhoney that can be obtained and the number of bee families that can be kept in thearea, respectively. Analyzing the data, we concluded that forestry mellipherous treesfrom Ana Lugojana Forestry Departments can ensure in normal conditions,maintenance and production harvesting for 3239 bee families.

Selective logging and damage to unharvested trees in a hyrcanian forest of Iran

OpenAIRE

Farshad Keivan Behjou; Omid Ghafarzade Mollabashi

2012-01-01

Selective logging in mature hardwood stands of Caspian forests often causes physical damage to residual trees through felling and skidding operations, resulting in a decline in bole quality and subsequent loss of tree value. This study evaluated the logging damage to residual trees following logging operations. A total density of 5.1 trees/ha and 17.3 m3/ha of wood were harvested. On average, 9.8 trees were damaged for every tree extracted, including 8 trees destroyed or severely damaged. The...

Inhibiting effect of ponderosa pine seed trees on seedling growth

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald

1976-01-01

Ponderosa pine seed trees, numbering 4, 8, and 12 per acre, were left standing for 9 years after harvest cutting on the Challenge Experimental Forest, Calif. Seedling heights were measured at ages 5, 9, and 14, and for all ages were poorest if within 20 feet of a seed tree. Seedlings 20 feet or less from a seed tree at the ages given lost the equivalent in years of...

Tree damage from skyline logging in a western larch/Douglas-fir stand

Science.gov (United States)

Robert E. Benson; Michael J. Gonsior

1981-01-01

Damage to shelterwood leave trees and to understory trees in shelterwood and clearcut logging units logged with skyline yarders was measured, and related to stand conditions, harvesting specifications, and yarding system-terrain interactions. About 23 percent of the marked leave trees in the shelterwood units were killed in logging, and about 10 percent had moderate to...

AVALIAÇÃO DE CUSTOS DE DOIS MODELOS DE HARVESTER NO CORTE DE EUCALIPTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Neire da Silva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to carry through the evaluation of costs of two models of harvester in the wood harvesting of Eucalyptus wood. The research evaluated the 6-year old tree fallen and processing, in the cut-to-length system for two models of harvester, in areas located in the cities of Conceição da Barra,Espírito Santo state and Caravelas, Bahia state. It was evaluated the models of harvester PC-228 SHO and PC-200 LC, of the Komatsu Mark. The information was collected during a period of 6 months, from March to August 2010, by the method of census. It was calculated the operational costs of the two models of harvester , for the countable method, which uses values in ‘Reais’, the Brazilian currency. It was conducted further analysis of cost sensitivity for the elements that contribute most to the final cost. We obtained the operating cost models for PC 200 and PC 228 of R$ 156,95 and R$ 168,84 per effective hour, respectively. In relation with the total operational costs, the most significant costs were: fuel, maintenance, and repairs/ depreciation, with 24.41%, 22.39% and 19.08%, respectively. In the sensitivity analysis, simulating a situation where the company gets a real economy of 10% in each one of these items, the same one will be able to get a reduction in the cost of production in 7%, for the two evaluated machines.

Improving the Power out of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Using Segmented Electrodes

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SAJID RAFIQUE

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Vibration-based EH (Energy Harvesting using piezoelectric materials have been investigated by several research groups with the aim of harvesting maximum energy and providing power to low-powered wireless electronic systems for their entire operational life. The main areas of research includes improvements in mathematical modelling, optimization of harvester geometry, developments in electrical circuitry, advancements in charge storage devices and investigating various piezoelectric materials to achieve maximum power output. This paper investigates and compares the electrical power output with whole length electrodes and with segmentation of electrodes for the same harvester length. It is found that the voltage generated by one electrode of length l/2 of the direction-fixed tip system is significantly greater than that produced by one electrode of length l of the free tip system. This paper also verifies the fact that segmentation of electrodes reduces the effect of strain nodes and charge cancellation particularly at higher mode frequencies. The paper presents the simulation results using DSM (Dynamic Stiffness Matrix which is a compact method of modelling piezoelectric beams

Improving the power out of a piezoelectric energy harvester using segmented electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rafiq, S.; Shah, S.A.

2017-01-01

Vibration-based EH (Energy Harvesting) using piezoelectric materials have been investigated by several research groups with the aim of harvesting maximum energy and providing power to low-powered wireless electronic systems for their entire operational life. The main areas of research includes improvements in mathematical modelling, optimization of harvester geometry, developments in electrical circuitry, advancements in charge storage devices and investigating various piezoelectric materials to achieve maximum power output. This paper investigates and compares the electrical power output with whole length electrodes and with segmentation of electrodes for the same harvester length. It is found that the voltage generated by one electrode of length l/2 of the direction-fixed tip system is significantly greater than that produced by one electrode of length l of the free tip system. This paper also verifies the fact that segmentation of electrodes reduces the effect of strain nodes and charge cancellation particularly at higher mode frequencies. The paper presents the simulation results using DSM (Dynamic Stiffness Matrix) which is a compact method of modelling piezoelectric beams. (author)

Characterizing wood properties of small diameter Northwest trees

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Thomas M. Gorman; David W. Green

2002-01-01

Forest lands of the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. have many timber stands consisting of overgrown, densely stocked trees that create a fire hazard and are prone to disease. These stands need to be thinned, but the cost of harvesting often exceeds the value of the timber produced. However, because of the dense stocking and the resulting slow growth these trees may...

Dormancy release of Norway spruce under climatic warming: testing ecophysiological models of bud burst with a whole-tree chamber experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hänninen, Heikki; Slaney, Michelle; Linder, Sune

2007-02-01

Ecophysiological models predicting timing of bud burst were tested with data gathered from 40-year-old Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees growing in northern Sweden in whole-tree chambers under climatic conditions predicted to prevail in 2100. Norway spruce trees, with heights between 5 and 7 m, were enclosed in individual chambers that provided a factorial combination of ambient (365 micromol mol-1) or elevated (700 micromol mol-1) atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2], and ambient or elevated air temperature. Temperature elevation above ambient ranged from +2.8 degrees C in summer to +5.6 degrees C in winter. Compared with control trees, elevated air temperature hastened bud burst by 2 to 3 weeks, whereas elevated [CO2] had no effect on the timing of bud burst. A simple model based on the assumption that bud rest completion takes place on a fixed calendar day predicted timing of bud burst more accurately than two more complicated models in which bud rest completion is caused by accumulated chilling. Together with some recent studies, the results suggest that, in adult trees, some additional environmental cues besides chilling are required for bud rest completion. Although it appears that these additional factors will protect trees under predicted climatic warming conditions, increased risk of frost damage associated with earlier bud burst cannot be ruled out. Inconsistent and partially anomalous results obtained in the model fitting show that, in addition to phenological data gathered under field conditions, more specific data from growth chamber and greenhouse experiments are needed for further development and testing of the models.

Temporal trends in 137Cs concentrations in the bark, sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood of four tree species in Japanese forests from 2011 to 2016.

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Ohashi, Shinta; Kuroda, Katsushi; Takano, Tsutomu; Suzuki, Youki; Fujiwara, Takeshi; Abe, Hisashi; Kagawa, Akira; Sugiyama, Masaki; Kubojima, Yoshitaka; Zhang, Chunhua; Yamamoto, Koichi

2017-11-01

To understand the changes in radiocesium ( 137 Cs) concentrations in stem woods after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, we investigated 137 Cs concentrations in the bark, sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood of four major tree species at multiple sites with different levels of radiocesium deposition from the FDNPP accident since 2011 (since 2012 at some sites): Japanese cedar at four sites, hinoki cypress and Japanese konara oak at two sites, and Japanese red pine at one site. Our previous report on 137 Cs concentrations in bark and whole wood samples collected from 2011 to 2015 suggested that temporal variations were different among sites even within the same species. In the present study, we provided data on bark and whole wood samples in 2016 and separately measured 137 Cs concentrations in sapwood and heartwood samples from 2011 to 2016; we further discussed temporal trends in 137 Cs concentrations in each part of tree stems, particularly those in 137 Cs distributions between sapwood and heartwood, in relation to their species and site dependencies. Temporal trends in bark and whole wood samples collected from 2011 to 2016 were consistent with those reported in samples collected from 2011 to 2015. Temporal variations in 137 Cs concentrations in barks showed either a decreasing trend or no clear trend, implying that 137 Cs deposition in barks is inhomogeneous and that decontamination is relatively slow in some cases. Temporal trends in 137 Cs concentrations in sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood were different among species and also among sites within the same species. Relatively common trends within the same species, which were increasing, were observed in cedar heartwood, and in oak sapwood and whole wood. On the other hand, the ratio of 137 Cs concentration in heartwood to that in sapwood (fresh weight basis) was commonly increased to more than 2 in cedar, although distinct temporal trends were not found in the other species, for

A method to improve tree water use estimates by distinguishing sapwood from heartwood using Electrical Resistivity Tomography

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Guyot, A.; Ostergaard, K.; Lenkopane, M.; Fan, J.; Lockington, D. A.

2011-12-01

Estimating whole-plant water use in trees requires reliable and accurate methods. Measuring sap velocity and extrapolating to tree water use is seen as the most commonly used. However, deducing the tree water use from sap velocity requires an estimate of the sapwood area. This estimate is the highest cause of uncertainty, and can reach more than 50 % of the uncertainty in the estimate of water use per day. Here, we investigate the possibility of using Electrical Resistivity Tomography to evaluate the sapwood area distribution in a plantation of Pinus elliottii. Electric resistivity tomographs of Pinus elliottii show a very typical pattern of electrical resistivity, which is highly correlated to sapwood and heartwood distribution. To identify the key factors controlling the variation of electrical resistivity, cross sections at breast height for ten trees have been monitored with electrical resistivity tomography. Trees have been cut down after the experiment to identify the heartwood/sapwood boundaries and to extract wood and sap samples. pH, electrolyte concentration and wood moisture content have then been analysed for these samples. Results show that the heartwood/sapwood patterns are highly correlated with electrical resistivity, and that the wood moisture content is the most influencing factor controlling the variability of the patterns. These results show that electric resistivity tomography could be used as a powerful tool to identify the sapwood area, and thus be used in combination with sapflow sensors to map tree water use at stand scale. However, if Pinus elliottii shows typical patterns, further work is needed to identify to see if there are species - specific characterictics as shown in previous works (, electrolyte gradients from the bark to the heartwood). Also, patterns of high resistivity in between needles positions, which are not correlated with either wood moisture content or sapwood, appear to be artifacts. Thus, inversion methods have also to

Laser ablation-combustion-GC-IRMS--a new method for online analysis of intra-annual variation of delta13C in tree rings.

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Schulze, Brigit; Wirth, Christian; Linke, Petra; Brand, Willi A; Kuhlmann, Iris; Horna, Viviana; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef

2004-11-01

We present a new, rapid method for high-resolution online determination of delta13C in tree rings, combining laser ablation (LA), combustion (C), gas chromatography (GC) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) (LA-C-GC-IRMS). Sample material was extracted every 6 min with a UV-laser from a tree core, leaving 40-microm-wide holes. Ablated wood dust was combusted to CO2 at 700 degrees C, separated from other gases on a GC column and injected into an isotope ratio mass spectrometer after removal of water vapor. The measurements were calibrated against an internal and an external standard. The tree core remained intact and could be used for subsequent dendrochronological and dendrochemical analyses. Cores from two Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris spp. sibirica Lebed.) from central Siberia were sampled. Inter- and intra-annual patterns of delta13C in whole-wood and lignin-extracted cores were indistinguishable apart from a constant offset, suggesting that lignin extraction is unnecessary for our method. Comparison with the conventional method (microtome slicing, elemental analysis and IRMS) indicated high accuracy of the LA-C-GC-IRMS measurements. Patterns of delta13C along three parallel ablation lines on the same core showed high congruence. A conservative estimate of the precision was +/- 0.24 per thousand. Isotopic patterns of the two Scots pine trees were broadly similar, indicating a signal related to the forest stand's climate history. The maximum variation in delta13C over 22 years was about 5 per thousand, ranging from -27 to -22.3 per thousand. The most obvious pattern was a sharp decline in delta13C during latewood formation and a rapid increase with spring early growth. We conclude that the LA-C-GC-IRMS method will be useful in elucidating short-term climate effects on the delta13C signal in tree rings.

Analysis of the Almond Harvesting and Hulling Mechanization Process: A Case Study

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Simone Pascuzzi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the analysis of the almond harvesting system with a very high level of mechanization frequently used in Apulia for the almond harvesting and hulling process. Several tests were carried out to assess the technical aspects related to the machinery and to the mechanized harvesting system used itself, highlighting their usefulness, limits, and compatibility within the almond cultivation sector. Almonds were very easily separated from the tree, and this circumstance considerably improved the mechanical harvesting operation efficiency even if the total time was mainly affected by the time required to manoeuvre the machine and by the following manual tree beating. The mechanical pick-up from the ground was not effective, with only 30% of the dropped almond collected, which mainly was caused by both the pick-up reel of the machine being unable to approach the almonds dropped near the base of the trunk and the surface condition of the soil being unsuitably arranged for a mechanized pick-up operation. The work times concerning the hulling and screening processes, carried out at the farm, were heavily affected by several manual operations before, during, and after the executed process; nevertheless, the plant work capability varied from 170 to 200 kg/h with two operators.

Distribution of Cd, Ck, Pb and Zn in Soil and Vegetation Compartments in Stands of Five Boreal Tree Species in N.E. Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alriksson, A.; Eriksson, H. M.

2001-01-01

Concentrations and total quantity of cadmium (Cd), cupper (Cu),lead (Pb) and zink (Zn) were determined in biomass and soil compartments in a replicated tree species experiment with 27-yr-old stands growing on former farmland in N.E. Sweden. Sequential extractions of soil samples were performed in order to estimate the exchangeable and an organically bound fraction of each element. The tree species included were Picea abies (L.)H. Karst., Pinus sylvestris L., Pinus contorta Dougl., Larix sibirica Ledeb., and Betula pendula Roth.Tree species influenced the rate of removal of Cu, Pb and Zn in case of stemwood harvesting, and of Cd, Cu and Zn in the case of whole-tree harvesting. B. pendula and P. abies had higher quantities and average concentrations of Zn in the biomass. For all species, >50% of the Zn in the stems was found in the bark. P. abies and L. sibirica had higher quantities of Cu in the biomass than the other species.P. abies and P. contorta had high quantities of Cd in the biomass in relation to the other species. Branches and stembark contained high concentrations of Cd and Pb in relation to foliage and stemwood. Dead branches had especially high concentrations of Pb. The high accumulation rate of Zn in the biomass of B. pendula was related to a low exchangeable amount of Zn in the A horizon. In the superficial centimeters of the A horizon, a depletion similar to that found for Zn was detected for Cu, whereas for Cd and Pb, no correlations were found between quantities of elements in the trees and element pools in the soil

Study on the scope of fault tree method applicability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Taiju

1980-03-01

In fault tree analysis of the reliability of nuclear safety system, including reliability analysis of nuclear protection system, there seem to be some documents in which application of the fault tree method is unreasonable. In fault tree method, the addition rule and the multiplication rule are usually used. The addition rule and the multiplication rule must hold exactly or at least practically. The addition rule has no problem but the multiplication rule has occasionally some problem. For unreliability, mean unavailability and instantaneous unavailability of the elements, holding or not of the multiplication rule has been studied comprehensively. Between the unreliability of each element without maintenance, the multiplication rule holds. Between the instantaneous unavailability of each element, with maintenance or not, the multiplication rule also holds. Between the unreliability of each subsystem with maintenance, however, the multiplication rule does not hold, because the product value is larger than the value of unreliability for a parallel system consisting of the two subsystems with maintenance. Between the mean unavailability of each element without maintenance, the multiplication rule also does not hold, because the product value is smaller than the value of mean unavailability for a parallel system consisting of the two elements without maintenance. In these cases, therefore, the fault tree method may not be applied by rote for reliability analysis of the system. (author)

Managing the forest for more than the trees: effects of experimental timber harvest on forest Lepidoptera.

Science.gov (United States)

Summerville, Keith S

2011-04-01

Studies of the effects of timber harvest on forest insect communities have rarely considered how disturbance from a range of harvest levels interacts with temporal variation in species diversity to affect community resistance to change. Here I report the results of a landscape-scale, before-and-after, treatment-control experiment designed to test how communities of forest Lepidoptera experience (1) changes in species richness and composition and (2) shifts in species dominance one year after logging. I sampled Lepidoptera from 20 forest stands allocated to three harvest treatments (control, even-aged shelterwood or clearcuts, and uneven-aged group selection cuts) within three watersheds at Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Indiana, USA. Moths were sampled from all forest stands one year prior to harvest in 2007 and immediately post-harvest in 2009. Species composition was most significantly affected by temporal variation between years, although uneven-aged management also caused significant changes in lepidopteran community structure. Furthermore, species richness of Lepidoptera was higher in 2007 compared to 2009 across all watersheds and forest stands. The decrease in species richness between years, however, was much larger in even-aged and uneven-aged management units compared to the control. Furthermore, matrix stands within the even-aged management unit demonstrated the highest resistance to species loss within any management unit. Species dominance was highly resistant to effects of timber harvest, with pre- and post-harvest values for Simpson diversity nearly invariant. Counter to prediction, however, the suite of dominant taxa differed dramatically among the three management units post-harvest. My results suggest that temporal variation may have strong interactions with timber harvest, precipitating loss of nearly 50% species richness from managed stands regardless of harvest level. Even-aged management, however, appeared to leave the smallest "footprint" on moth

Evaluation of four methods for estimating leaf area of isolated trees

Science.gov (United States)

P.J. Peper; E.G. McPherson

2003-01-01

The accurate modeling of the physiological and functional processes of urban forests requires information on the leaf area of urban tree species. Several non-destructive, indirect leaf area sampling methods have shown good performance for homogenous canopies. These methods have not been evaluated for use in urban settings where trees are typically isolated and...

Genomics-assisted breeding in fruit trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwata, Hiroyoshi; Minamikawa, Mai F; Kajiya-Kanegae, Hiromi; Ishimori, Motoyuki; Hayashi, Takeshi

2016-01-01

Recent advancements in genomic analysis technologies have opened up new avenues to promote the efficiency of plant breeding. Novel genomics-based approaches for plant breeding and genetics research, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS), are useful, especially in fruit tree breeding. The breeding of fruit trees is hindered by their long generation time, large plant size, long juvenile phase, and the necessity to wait for the physiological maturity of the plant to assess the marketable product (fruit). In this article, we describe the potential of genomics-assisted breeding, which uses these novel genomics-based approaches, to break through these barriers in conventional fruit tree breeding. We first introduce the molecular marker systems and whole-genome sequence data that are available for fruit tree breeding. Next we introduce the statistical methods for biparental linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping as well as GWAS and GS. We then review QTL mapping, GWAS, and GS studies conducted on fruit trees. We also review novel technologies for rapid generation advancement. Finally, we note the future prospects of genomics-assisted fruit tree breeding and problems that need to be overcome in the breeding.

Influence of gamma rays and some pre and post harvest treatments on behavior of some fruits during cold storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoud, M.M.

2008-01-01

Apricot fruits usually harvested relatively mature but hard enough to withstand-post harvest handling through the marketing chain. These fruits have considerably lower edible quality than tree-ripened fruit. Fruit quality can be improved by delaying harvest least until physiological maturation is completed on the tree (Bonghi et al. 1999) Apricots containing 11% soluble solids concentration, or higher are in high demand by consumers, as fruit have developed considerable taste, aroma and handling for long distance markets. (Kader, 1999). These fruit will be highly perishable, so rapid cold storage to the lowest safe temperature and supplementary treatments (Mc Donald et al, 1999) such as irradiation with the recommend doses (Sillano et al, 1994) or pre-storage heat treatments will be necessary to retard ripening (mainly softening) during 1-2 weeks post harvest life necessary for distribution to distant markets (Mc Donald et al 1999). Therefore, one can conclude that spraying Canino apricot and Dessert Red peach trees with calcium chloride at 5% or Soya bean oil at 2% showed beneficial effects as pre harvest treatments where they increased fruit firmness and improved fruit quality and prolonged storage and marketing periods as well as decreasing weight loss and percentage of discarded fruits. In addition, spaying Manfaloti pomegrates trees with CaCl 2 solution at 7.5% or Soya bean oil at 4% gained the same results.As for the post harvest treatments, results indicated that subjecting Canino apricots and Dessert Red peaches to gamma radiation at 0.5 K.Gy and pomegrates to 1.0 K.Gy proved to be the best treatments where they reduced respiration rate and loss in fruit weight and improved fruit quality and prolonged both storage and marketing periods

Predicting metabolic syndrome using decision tree and support vector machine methods

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Farzaneh Karimi-Alavijeh

2016-06-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome which underlies the increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes is considered as a group of metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, glucose intolerance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Recently, artificial intelligence based health-care systems are highly regarded because of its success in diagnosis, prediction, and choice of treatment. This study employs machine learning technics for predict the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This study aims to employ decision tree and support vector machine (SVM to predict the 7-year incidence of metabolic syndrome. This research is a practical one in which data from 2107 participants of Isfahan Cohort Study has been utilized. The subjects without metabolic syndrome according to the ATPIII criteria were selected. The features that have been used in this data set include: gender, age, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, hip circumference, physical activity, smoking, hypertension, antihypertensive medication use, systolic blood pressure (BP, diastolic BP, fasting blood sugar, 2-hour blood glucose, triglycerides (TGs, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on ATPIII criteria and two methods of decision tree and SVM were selected to predict the metabolic syndrome. The criteria of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were used for validation. RESULTS: SVM and decision tree methods were examined according to the criteria of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.774 (0.758, 0.74 (0.72 and 0.757 (0.739 in SVM (decision tree method. CONCLUSION: The results show that SVM method sensitivity, specificity and accuracy is more efficient than decision tree. The results of decision tree method show that the TG is the most

Trees, chemistry, and prehistory in the American Southwest

Science.gov (United States)

Durand, S.R.; Shelley, P.H.; Antweiler, Ronald C.; Taylor, Howard E.

1999-01-01

At least 200 000 trees were used in the building construction in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, from about (AD) 850-1150. A large portion of these construction timbers were transported 50 km or more and the harvesting location(s) is not known. We argue that a feasible method for determining the wood source areas is to chemically characterize the possible source areas using modern wood and then attempt to match the prehistoric timbers to the modern signatures. This paper establishes the feasibility of this method. ICP-AES was employed to obtain element concentration values for 29 elements, from 62 trees, on three bedrock types. We conclude that it is possible to isolate the variation due to lithology if one controls for wood type (bark, sapwood, heartwood). In addition, ICP-MS was used for the analysis of a small sample of ancient wood. Data from these determinations are presented and the results indicate that the elemental variation is consistent with the most current model of wood use practices in Chaco Canyon. The methods pioneered here should be broadly applicable for determining wood source areas.

Harvest Regulations and Implementation Uncertainty in Small Game Harvest Management

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Pål F. Moa

2017-09-01

Full Text Available A main challenge in harvest management is to set policies that maximize the probability that management goals are met. While the management cycle includes multiple sources of uncertainty, only some of these has received considerable attention. Currently, there is a large gap in our knowledge about implemention of harvest regulations, and to which extent indirect control methods such as harvest regulations are actually able to regulate harvest in accordance with intended management objectives. In this perspective article, we first summarize and discuss hunting regulations currently used in management of grouse species (Tetraonidae in Europe and North America. Management models suggested for grouse are most often based on proportional harvest or threshold harvest principles. These models are all built on theoretical principles for sustainable harvesting, and provide in the end an estimate on a total allowable catch. However, implementation uncertainty is rarely examined in empirical or theoretical harvest studies, and few general findings have been reported. Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence suggest that many of the most popular regulations are acting depensatory so that harvest bag sizes is more limited in years (or areas where game density is high, contrary to general recommendations. A better understanding of the implementation uncertainty related to harvest regulations is crucial in order to establish sustainable management systems. We suggest that scenario tools like Management System Evaluation (MSE should be more frequently used to examine robustness of currently applied harvest regulations to such implementation uncertainty until more empirical evidence is available.

Analysis of single-degree-of-freedom piezoelectric energy harvester with stopper by incremental harmonic balance method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Dan; Wang, Xiaoman; Cheng, Yuan; Liu, Shaogang; Wu, Yanhong; Chai, Liqin; Liu, Yang; Cheng, Qianju

2018-05-01

Piecewise-linear structure can effectively broaden the working frequency band of the piezoelectric energy harvester, and improvement of its research can promote the practical process of energy collection device to meet the requirements for powering microelectronic components. In this paper, the incremental harmonic balance (IHB) method is introduced for the complicated and difficult analysis process of the piezoelectric energy harvester to solve these problems. After obtaining the nonlinear dynamic equation of the single-degree-of-freedom piecewise-linear energy harvester by mathematical modeling and the equation is solved based on the IHB method, the theoretical amplitude-frequency curve of open-circuit voltage is achieved. Under 0.2 g harmonic excitation, a piecewise-linear energy harvester is experimentally tested by unidirectional frequency-increasing scanning. The results demonstrate that the theoretical and experimental amplitudes have the same trend, and the width of the working band with high voltage output are 4.9 Hz and 4.7 Hz, respectively, and the relative error is 4.08%. The open-output peak voltage are 21.53 V and 18.25 V, respectively, and the relative error is 15.23%. Since the theoretical value is consistent with the experimental results, the theoretical model and the incremental harmonic balance method used in this paper are suitable for solving single-degree-of-freedom piecewise-linear piezoelectric energy harvester and can be applied to further parameter optimized design.

PROFIT-PC: a program for estimating maximum net revenue from multiproduct harvests in Appalachian hardwoods

Science.gov (United States)

Chris B. LeDoux; John E. Baumgras; R. Bryan Selbe

1989-01-01

PROFIT-PC is a menu driven, interactive PC (personal computer) program that estimates optimum product mix and maximum net harvesting revenue based on projected product yields and stump-to-mill timber harvesting costs. Required inputs include the number of trees/acre by species and 2 inches diameter at breast-height class, delivered product prices by species and product...

Harvest of woody crops with a bio-baler in eight different environments in Minnesota

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Current, D. [Minnesota Univ., MN (United States); Savoie, P. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec City, PQ (Canada); Hebert, P.L. [Laval Univ., Quebec City, PQ (Canada). Dept. des sols et de genie agroalimentaire; Robert, F.S. [Laval Univ., Quebec City, PQ (Canada). Sols et environnement; Gillitzdr, P.

2010-07-01

The biobaler was originally developed for short-rotation willow plantations, but can currently harvest a wide range of woody crops with a basal diameter up to 150 mm. The biobaler is an alternate approach to harvest woody crops as round bales, generally 1.2 m wide by 1.5 m diameter. In addition to harvesting trees, it can improve management of wild brush, forest understory vegetation and encroaching small trees on abandoned land. It allows easy handling, storage and transportation to sites where the biomass can be used for energy use or other applications. This paper reported on a study that was conducted in the fall of 2009 in which a third generation biobaler was used on 8 different sites across Minnesota, notably Waseca, Madelia, Faribault, Afton, Ogilvie, Hinckley, Aurora and Hibbing. A total of 160 bales were harvested from these sites. The average bale mass was 466 kg and average bale density was 296 kg/m{sup 3}. The moisture content averaged 44.9 per cent and the bale dry matter density averaged 163 kg DM/m{sup 3}. The harvested biomass per unit area ranged from 2.49 t/ha on lightly covered land to 55.24 t/ha on densely covered land. The harvested or recovered biomass was 72.3 per cent of the original cottonwood in Madelia; 75.8 per cent of the original oak and maple shrubs in Afton; and 73.5 per cent of the poplar regeneration in Hibbing. The actual harvest rate averaged 17.40 bales/h.

Investigation of Growth and Survival of Transplanted Plane and Pine Trees According to IBA Application, Tree Age, Transplanting Time and Method

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N. Etemadi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The major problems in transplanting the landscape trees are high level of mortality and low establishment rate of transplanted trees, especially in the first year. In order to achieve the best condition for successful transplanting of pine and plane trees in Isfahan landscape, the present study was carried out based on a completely randomized block design with four replicates and three treatments including transplanting method (balled and burlapped and bare root, tree age (immature and mature and IBA application (0 and 150 mg/L. Trees were transplanted during 2009 and 2010 in three times (dormant season, early and late growing season. Survival rate and Relative Growth Rate index based on tree height (RGRH and trunk diameter (RGRD were measured during the first and second years. Trees transplanted early in the growing season showed the most survival percentage during the two years, as compared to other transplanting dates. Survival of Balled and burlapped and immature transplanted trees was significantly greater than bare root or mature trees. The significant effect of age treatment was continued in the second year. IBA treatment had no effect on survival rate of the studied species. Balled and burlapped and immature transplanted pine trees also had higher RGRH and RGRD compared to bare root or mature trees. According to the results of this study, early growing season is the best time for transplanting pine and plane trees. Also, transplanting of immature trees using balled and burlapped method is recommended to increase the survival and establishment rate.

Improving Land Use/Land Cover Classification by Integrating Pixel Unmixing and Decision Tree Methods

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Chao Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Decision tree classification is one of the most efficient methods for obtaining land use/land cover (LULC information from remotely sensed imageries. However, traditional decision tree classification methods cannot effectively eliminate the influence of mixed pixels. This study aimed to integrate pixel unmixing and decision tree to improve LULC classification by removing mixed pixel influence. The abundance and minimum noise fraction (MNF results that were obtained from mixed pixel decomposition were added to decision tree multi-features using a three-dimensional (3D Terrain model, which was created using an image fusion digital elevation model (DEM, to select training samples (ROIs, and improve ROI separability. A Landsat-8 OLI image of the Yunlong Reservoir Basin in Kunming was used to test this proposed method. Study results showed that the Kappa coefficient and the overall accuracy of integrated pixel unmixing and decision tree method increased by 0.093% and 10%, respectively, as compared with the original decision tree method. This proposed method could effectively eliminate the influence of mixed pixels and improve the accuracy in complex LULC classifications.

Root activity patterns of some tree crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

A coordinated research programme was followed using a soil injection method which employed 32 P-labelled superphosphate solution. The technique was applied for determining the root activity distribution of various crops. Field experiments were carried out in Uganda on bananas, Spain and Taiwan on citrus, Ghana on cocoa, Columbia and Kenya on coffee, and Ivory Coast and Malaysia on oil palms, to study the patterns of root activity as a function of depth and distance from the tree base, soil type, tree age and season. A few weeks after injection, leaf samples of similar age were taken from well-defined morphological positions on the tree and analyzed for 32 P. The activity of the label in the sample reflects the root activity at the various positions in the soil. Some preliminary experiments were also carried out using 32 P-superphosphate to evaluate the efficiency of different methods of fertilizer placement in relation to phosphate uptake by the plantation as a whole

Predicting metabolic syndrome using decision tree and support vector machine methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi-Alavijeh, Farzaneh; Jalili, Saeed; Sadeghi, Masoumeh

2016-05-01

Metabolic syndrome which underlies the increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes is considered as a group of metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, glucose intolerance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Recently, artificial intelligence based health-care systems are highly regarded because of its success in diagnosis, prediction, and choice of treatment. This study employs machine learning technics for predict the metabolic syndrome. This study aims to employ decision tree and support vector machine (SVM) to predict the 7-year incidence of metabolic syndrome. This research is a practical one in which data from 2107 participants of Isfahan Cohort Study has been utilized. The subjects without metabolic syndrome according to the ATPIII criteria were selected. The features that have been used in this data set include: gender, age, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, hip circumference, physical activity, smoking, hypertension, antihypertensive medication use, systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, fasting blood sugar, 2-hour blood glucose, triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on ATPIII criteria and two methods of decision tree and SVM were selected to predict the metabolic syndrome. The criteria of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were used for validation. SVM and decision tree methods were examined according to the criteria of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.774 (0.758), 0.74 (0.72) and 0.757 (0.739) in SVM (decision tree) method. The results show that SVM method sensitivity, specificity and accuracy is more efficient than decision tree. The results of decision tree method show that the TG is the most important feature in predicting metabolic syndrome. According

Dependencies in event trees analyzed by Petri nets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nývlt, Ondřej; Rausand, Marvin

2012-01-01

This paper discusses how non-marked Petri nets can be used to model and analyze event trees where the pivotal (branching) events are dependent and modeled by fault trees. The dependencies may, for example, be caused by shared utilities, shared components, or general common cause failures that are modeled by beta-factor models. These dependencies are cumbersome to take into account when using standard event-/fault tree modeling techniques, and may lead to significant errors in the calculated end-state probabilities of the event tree if they are not properly analyzed. A new approach is proposed in this paper, where the whole event tree is modeled by a non-marked Petri net and where P-invariants, representing the structural properties of the Petri net, are used to obtain the frequency of each end-state of the event tree with dependencies. The new approach is applied to a real example of an event tree analysis of the Strahov highway tunnel in Prague, Czech Republic, including two types of dependencies (shared Programmable Logic Controllers and Common Cause Failures). - Highlights: ► In this paper, we model and analyze event trees (ET) using Petri nets. ► The pivotal events of the modeled event trees are dependent (e.g., shared PLCs, CCF). ► A new method based on P-invariants to obtain probabilities of end states is proposed. ► Method is shown in the case study of the Stahov tunnel in the Czech Republic.

An enhanced component connection method for conversion of fault trees to binary decision diagrams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remenyte-Prescott, R.; Andrews, J.D.

2008-01-01

Fault tree analysis (FTA) is widely applied to assess the failure probability of industrial systems. Many computer packages are available, which are based on conventional kinetic tree theory methods. When dealing with large (possibly non-coherent) fault trees, the limitations of the technique in terms of accuracy of the solutions and the efficiency of the processing time become apparent. Over recent years, the binary decision diagram (BDD) method has been developed that solves fault trees and overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional FTA approach. First of all, a fault tree for a particular system failure mode is constructed and then converted to a BDD for analysis. This paper analyses alternative methods for the fault tree to BDD conversion process. For most fault tree to BDD conversion approaches, the basic events of the fault tree are placed in an ordering. This can dramatically affect the size of the final BDD and the success of qualitative and quantitative analyses of the system. A set of rules is then applied to each gate in the fault tree to generate the BDD. An alternative approach can also be used, where BDD constructs for each of the gate types are first built and then merged to represent a parent gate. A powerful and efficient property, sub-node sharing, is also incorporated in the enhanced method proposed in this paper. Finally, a combined approach is developed taking the best features of the alternative methods. The efficiency of the techniques is analysed and discussed

WASTK: A Weighted Abstract Syntax Tree Kernel Method for Source Code Plagiarism Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deqiang Fu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce a source code plagiarism detection method, named WASTK (Weighted Abstract Syntax Tree Kernel, for computer science education. Different from other plagiarism detection methods, WASTK takes some aspects other than the similarity between programs into account. WASTK firstly transfers the source code of a program to an abstract syntax tree and then gets the similarity by calculating the tree kernel of two abstract syntax trees. To avoid misjudgment caused by trivial code snippets or frameworks given by instructors, an idea similar to TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency in the field of information retrieval is applied. Each node in an abstract syntax tree is assigned a weight by TF-IDF. WASTK is evaluated on different datasets and, as a result, performs much better than other popular methods like Sim and JPlag.

Study on reliability analysis based on multilevel flow models and fault tree method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Qiang; Yang Ming

2014-01-01

Multilevel flow models (MFM) and fault tree method describe the system knowledge in different forms, so the two methods express an equivalent logic of the system reliability under the same boundary conditions and assumptions. Based on this and combined with the characteristics of MFM, a method mapping MFM to fault tree was put forward, thus providing a way to establish fault tree rapidly and realizing qualitative reliability analysis based on MFM. Taking the safety injection system of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant as an example, its MFM was established and its reliability was analyzed qualitatively. The analysis result shows that the logic of mapping MFM to fault tree is correct. The MFM is easily understood, created and modified. Compared with the traditional fault tree analysis, the workload is greatly reduced and the modeling time is saved. (authors)

Structures, systems and methods for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Novack, Steven D [Idaho Falls, ID; Kotter, Dale K [Shelley, ID; Pinhero, Patrick J [Columbia, MO

2011-12-06

Methods, devices and systems for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation are provided including harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and one or more resonance elements disposed in or on the substrate. The resonance elements are configured to have a resonant frequency, for example, in at least one of the infrared, near-infrared and visible light spectra. A layer of conductive material may be disposed over a portion of the substrate to form a ground plane. An optical resonance gap or stand-off layer may be formed between the resonance elements and the ground plane. The optical resonance gap extends a distance between the resonance elements and the layer of conductive material approximately one-quarter wavelength of a wavelength of the at least one resonance element's resonant frequency. At least one energy transfer element may be associated with the at least one resonance element.

Ecology and Conservation of the Critically Endangered Tree Species Gymnocladus assamicus in Arunachal Pradesh, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudhury, B.I.; Khan, M.L.; Arunachalam, A.; Das, A.K.

2007-01-01

Gymnocladus assamicus is a critically endangered leguminous tree species endemic to Northeast India. Mature pods of the trees yield soap material and are collected by local people for domestic purposes and religious activities. G. assamicus grows on hill slopes and along banks of streams. Male and hermaphrodite flowers are borne by separate individual trees. Altogether 28 mature trees were documented from nine populations. Of these, very few regenerating trees were found. This species regenerates only through seeds. The major constraints to natural regeneration are over harvesting of mature fruits, habitat destruction, grazing, predation of seeds by scatter-hoarding animals, poor percentage of seed germination due to their hard-waxy seed coats, and the lack of seed dispersal. Effective conservation initiatives should emphasize sustainable harvesting of mature pods, awareness among local people, and preservation of surviving individuals of the species. Nonetheless, reintroduction of the species to suitable ecological habitats is also recommended.

Effect of abscission zone formation on orange (Citrus sinensis) fruit/juice quality for trees affected by Huanglongbing (HLB)

Science.gov (United States)

Orange trees affected by huanglongbing (HLB) exhibit excessive fruit drop, and fruit loosely attached to the tree may have inferior flavor. Fruit were collected from healthy and HLB-infected (Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus) ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Valencia’ trees. Prior to harvest, the trees were shaken, f...

Effect of harvest stage and drying methods on germination and seed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Germination of seed and infection by seed-borne fungi of two maize varieties DMRLSR-W and DMRLSRY as affected by stage of harvest and method of drying were studied in the growing seasons of year 2002 and 2003 at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria. The experiment ...

Harvesting of Non-timber Forest Products by the Local Communities in Mount Halimun-Salak National Park, West Java, Indonesia

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Yelin Adalina

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Local communities around the forest need to be involved in securing the sustainability of Mount Halimun Salak National Park (MHSNP, for example through the utilization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs such as flora in the utilization zone. This research was aimed to provide data and information about 3 kinds of vegetation producing resin (Pinus merkusii, Agathis dammara, and Hevea brasiliensis and the harvesting NTFPs by the community in the forest vicinity. The research was conducted in MHSNP, and data were analyzed through quantitative-descriptive. The survey method was employed in the study through interviews of respondents using structured questionnaires.   This study revealed that the vegetations at the stage of tree comprised of the following: (1 Agathis dammara (damar with Importance Value Index (IVI of 276.15% and density of 452 trees ha-1, (2 Pinus merkusii (pine trees with IVI of 300.0% and density of 552 trees ha-1, and (3 Hevea brasiliensis (rubber trees with IVI of 217.42%  and density of 85 trees ha-1. Pine, damar, and rubber sap tapping afforded contribution in 59.18, 4.41, and 60.71%, respectively of the total household incomes. Community involvement in the collection of NTFPs in national parks implicated to the increasing of the forest communities revenue and the forests will be maintained since public can get benefits from forest resources. Forest management should be directed as a producer of NTFPs that can increase the economic income of forest communities with attention to ecological factors. Keywords: Harvesting, non-wood forest products, Mount Halimun-Salak National Park, community around the  forests

Comparing different methods to assess weaver ant abundance in plantation trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wargui, Rosine; Offenberg, Joachim; Sinzogan, Antonio

2015-01-01

Weaver ants (Oecophylla spp.) are widely used as effective biological control agents. In order to optimize their use, ant abundance needs to be tracked. As several methods have been used to estimate ant abundance on plantation trees, abundances are not comparable between studies and no guideline...... is available on which method to apply in a particular study. This study compared four existing methods: three methods based on the number of ant trails on the main branches of a tree (called the Peng 1, Peng 2 and Offenberg index) and one method based on the number of ant nests per tree. Branch indices did...... not produce equal scores and cannot be compared directly. The Peng 1 index was the fastest to assess, but showed only limited seasonal fluctuations when ant abundance was high, because it approached its upper limit. The Peng 2 and Offenberg indices were lower and not close to the upper limit and therefore...

Harvesting the free fibular graft: A modified approach

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Amitava Narayan Mukherjee

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The conventional technique of free non-vascularized fibular grafting is attended with some amount of morbidity and a long scar. We report a technique with little interference to the surrounding soft tissues to harvest more than one-third of whole length fibula. Patients and Methods: Thirty four patients of average age 23.5 years (range 8 to 51 years having various pathologies like simple bone cysts (n=9, fibrous dysplasias (n=6, giant cell tumors (n=7, fracture non-union (n=10 and aneurysmal bone cysts (n=2 were taken up for the study. The fibula were harvested by two separate incisions, 1 cm each at proximal and distal extent of proposed donor site for taking out of graft after elevating the periosteum circumferentially using a periosteum stripper. Compression bandage and above knee plaster immobilization was applied to reduce the dead space collection . Results: The mean followup is 34 months. The patients were evaluated clinicoradiology. Thirty three patients showed good results. One patient had fair result due to delayed wound healing from hematoma which was treated surgically. Conclusion: The approach of harvesting fibula suggested by author reduces donor site morbidity and is safer than conventional approach.

Two tree-formation methods for fast pattern search using nearest-neighbour and nearest-centroid matching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schomaker, Lambertus; Mangalagiu, D.; Vuurpijl, Louis; Weinfeld, M.; Schomaker, Lambert; Vuurpijl, Louis

2000-01-01

This paper describes tree­based classification of character images, comparing two methods of tree formation and two methods of matching: nearest neighbor and nearest centroid. The first method, Preprocess Using Relative Distances (PURD) is a tree­based reorganization of a flat list of patterns,

Regolith properties under trees and the biomechanical effects caused by tree root systems as recognized by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)

Science.gov (United States)

Pawlik, Łukasz; Kasprzak, Marek

2018-01-01

Following previous findings regarding the influence of vascular plants (mainly trees) on weathering, soil production and hillslope stability, in this study, we attempted to test a hypothesis regarding significant impacts of tree root systems on soil and regolith properties. Different types of impacts from tree root system (direct and indirect) are commonly gathered under the key term of "biomechanical effects". To add to the discussion of the biomechanical effects of trees, we used a non-invasive geophysical method, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), to investigate the profiles of four different configurations at three study sites within the Polish section of the Outer Western Carpathians. At each site, one long profile (up to 189 m) of a large section of a hillslope and three short profiles (up to 19.5 m), that is, microsites occupied by trees or their remnants, were made. Short profiles included the tree root zone of a healthy large tree, the tree stump of a decaying tree and the pit-and-mound topography formed after a tree uprooting. The resistivity of regolith and bedrock presented on the long profiles and in comparison with the short profiles through the microsites it can be seen how tree roots impact soil and regolith properties and add to the complexity of the whole soil/regolith profile. Trees change soil and regolith properties directly through root channels and moisture migration and indirectly through the uprooting of trees and the formation of pit-and-mound topography. Within tree stump microsites, the impact of tree root systems, evaluated by a resistivity model, was smaller compared to microsites with living trees or those with pit-and-mound topography but was still visible even several decades after the trees were windbroken or cut down. The ERT method is highly useful for quick evaluation of the impact of tree root systems on soils and regolith. This method, in contrast to traditional soil analyses, offers a continuous dataset for the entire

Energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by a piezoelectric harvester device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, X.D.; Wang, Q.; Wang, S.J.

2015-01-01

A novel piezoelectric technology of harvesting energy from high-rise buildings is developed. While being used to harness vibration energy of a building, the technology is also helpful to dissipate vibration of the building by the designed piezoelectric harvester as a tuned mass damper. The piezoelectric harvester device is made of two groups of series piezoelectric generators connected by a shared shaft. The shaft is driven by a linking rod hinged on a proof mass on the tip of a cantilever fixed on the roof of the building. The influences of some practical considerations, such as the mass ratio of the proof mass to the main structure, the ratios of the length and flexural rigidity of the cantilever to those of the main structure, on the root mean square (RMS) of the generated electric power and the energy harvesting efficiency of the piezoelectric harvester device are discussed. The research provides a new method for an efficient and practical energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by piezoelectric harvesters. - Highlights: • A new piezoelectric technology in energy harvesting from high-rise buildings is introduced. • A new mathematics model to calculate the energy harvested by the piezoelectric device is developed. • A novel efficient design of the piezoelectric harvester device in provided. • An electric power up to 432 MW under a seismic excitation at a frequency of 30 rad/s is achieved.

Gene tree rooting methods give distributions that mimic the coalescent process.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yuan; Kubatko, Laura S

2014-01-01

Multi-locus phylogenetic inference is commonly carried out via models that incorporate the coalescent process to model the possibility that incomplete lineage sorting leads to incongruence between gene trees and the species tree. An interesting question that arises in this context is whether data "fit" the coalescent model. Previous work (Rosenfeld et al., 2012) has suggested that rooting of gene trees may account for variation in empirical data that has been previously attributed to the coalescent process. We examine this possibility using simulated data. We show that, in the case of four taxa, the distribution of gene trees observed from rooting estimated gene trees with either the molecular clock or with outgroup rooting can be closely matched by the distribution predicted by the coalescent model with specific choices of species tree branch lengths. We apply commonly-used coalescent-based methods of species tree inference to assess their performance in these situations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer-aided event tree analysis by the impact vector method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, J.E.P.

1984-01-01

In the development of the Probabilistic Risk Analysis of Angra I, the ' large event tree/small fault tree' approach was adopted for the analysis of the plant behavior in an emergency situation. In this work, the event tree methodology is presented along with the adaptations which had to be made in order to attain a correct description of the safety system performances according to the selected analysis method. The problems appearing in the application of the methodology and their respective solutions are presented and discussed, with special emphasis to the impact vector technique. A description of the ETAP code ('Event Tree Analysis Program') developed for constructing and quantifying event trees is also given in this work. A preliminary version of the small-break LOCA analysis for Angra 1 is presented as an example of application of the methodology and of the code. It is shown that the use of the ETAP code sigmnificantly contributes to decreasing the time spent in event tree analyses, making it viable the practical application of the analysis approach referred above. (author) [pt

Nontimber Forest Product Yield and Income from Thaumatococcus daniellii under a Mixed Tree Plantation System in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Boadi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Thaumatococcus daniellii is a wild sourced tropical understorey herb that is harvested for its foliage and fruits from which thaumatin—a proteinous sweetener—is extracted. With increased demand for natural sweeteners, uncontrolled harvesting of T. daniellii from the wild is suggested to be neither sustainable nor match industrial demands. This study determined the implication of controlled foliage harvesting of T. daniellii under a mixed indigenous tree plantation stand. T. daniellii plants within plots of dimension 3 m × 4 m were thinned to uniform foliage population of about 12 leaves/m2 and subsequently harvested at 16 weeks interval for 64 weeks at four different foliage harvesting intensities: (i no harvesting (control, (ii 25% harvest, (iii 50% harvest, and (iv 75% harvest. Data on agronomic characters and total income from the sale of fruit and harvested foliage were collected and analysed. We found that foliage harvest intensity affected (P 6 (25% ≥ 1 (50% and 0 (75%. Foliage harvest intensity also significantly (P=0.036 influenced fruit number and ranged from 11458/ha for the control to 4583/ha for the 75% harvest. Total income from fruit and foliage sales was greatest for the 50% harvest (US $ 17,191.32, followed by 75% harvest (US $ 12, 310.24 and lowest for the no harvest treatment (US $ 107.44. Thus, proper management of T. daniellii through controlled harvesting of the foliage under mixed tree plantation system could promote sustainable yield and income to farmers.

Nitrogen fixation in legume trees: Measurement based on 15N techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sisworo, E.L.; Rasyid, H.; Sisworo, H.W.; Solahuddin, S.; Wemay, J.

2000-01-01

A field experiment has been conducted to measure the N2-fixation in six legume trees, namely Gliricidia sepium(F1), Sesbania sesban(F2), Caliandra tetragona(F3), Flemengia conges-7ta(F4), Acacia mangium(F5), and Leucena leucocephala (F6), using 15N techniques, e.g. the isotope dilution method. For this technique a reference tress, that is a non N2--fixing trees has to be used. In this experiment three reference trees were planted, but only one was used, which above ground growth was equal to the legyme trees. The reference tree chosen was Eucalyptus alba (R1). Data obtained from this experiment show that in general the legume trees have growth then the reference trees expressed, in dray weight of various plant parts and plants and total-N uptake (TN). At harvest some of the legume and reference tree have reached a 2.5 m height. The percentage of N2-fixation(%-fix) ranges from 50-70%. The highest %N-Fix was shown by Leucena leucocephala (F6) (70%N-Fix). High %N-Fix does not necessarily mean hgh N-Fix uptake(gn/tree)too. The N-Fix appears to be determined by the TN (gn/tree). The highest N-Fix was contributed by the leaves, which also has the highest percentage of total -N(%TN) compare to the other plant parts, i.e. roots, stem, and branches

Marbled Murrelets Select Distinctive Nest Trees within Old-Growth Forest Patches

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Michael P. Silvergieter

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The coastal old-growth forests of North America's Pacific Coast are renowned both for their commercial and ecological value. This study adds to growing evidence that selective harvesting of the largest trees may have a disproportionate ecological impact. Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus, a threatened species, nest almost exclusively in these old-growth forests. Detailed knowledge of nesting habitat selection provides guidance for habitat management and conservation. Habitat selection for this species has been studied at a variety of scales using ground and remote methods. However, because Marbled Murrelet nesting activity is limited to a single mossy platform on a single tree, we investigated nest tree selection within old-growth forest patches, using a set of 59 forest patches containing active nests. Nest trees were usually distinctive compared with neighboring trees in the surrounding 25 m radius patch. They averaged 15 to 20% taller than neighboring trees depending on region, had significantly larger stem diameters, more potential nesting platforms, and more moss. They had the most extreme values of height and width about three times as often as expected by chance. An analysis of moss platform use as a function of number of platforms per platform tree suggests that murrelets select individual platforms, rather than platform trees per se. Nonetheless, highly selective logging practices that remove high-value trees from stands may also remove trees most likely to be selected by nesting murrelets.

Estimating Sustainable Live-Coral Harvest at Kamiali Wildlife Management Area, Papua New Guinea.

Science.gov (United States)

Longenecker, Ken; Bolick, Holly; Langston, Ross

2015-01-01

Live coral is harvested throughout the Indo-West Pacific to make lime, used in the consumption of the world's fourth-most consumed drug, betel nut. Coral harvesting is an environmental concern; however, because lime-making is one of the few sources of income in some areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG), the practice is unlikely to stop. To better manage coral harvest, we used standard fishery-yield methods to generate sustainable-harvest guidelines for corymbose Acropora species found on the reef flat and crest at Lababia, PNG. We constructed a yield curve (weight-specific net annual-dry-weight production) by: 1) describing the allometric relationship between colony size and dry weight, and using that relationship to estimate the dry weight of Acropora colonies in situ; 2) estimating annual growth of Acropora colonies by estimating in situ, and describing the relationship between, colony dry weight at the beginning and end of one year; and 3) conducting belt-transect surveys to describe weight-frequencies and ultimately to predict annual weight change per square meter for each weight class. Reef habitat covers a total 2,467,550 m2 at Lababia and produces an estimated 248,397 kg/y (dry weight) of corymbose Acropora, of which 203,897 kg is produced on the reef flat/crest. We conservatively estimate that 30,706.6 kg of whole, dry, corymbose, Acropora can be sustainably harvested from the reef flat/crest habitat each year provided each culled colony weighs at least 1805 g when dry (or is at least 46 cm along its major axis). Artisanal lime-makers convert 24.8% of whole-colony weight into marketable lime, thus we estimate 7615.2 g of lime can be sustainably produced annually from corymbose Acropora. This value incorporates several safety margins, and should lead to proper management of live coral harvest. Importantly, the guideline recognizes village rights to exploit its marine resources, is consistent with village needs for income, and balances an equally strong village

Estimating Sustainable Live-Coral Harvest at Kamiali Wildlife Management Area, Papua New Guinea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ken Longenecker

Full Text Available Live coral is harvested throughout the Indo-West Pacific to make lime, used in the consumption of the world's fourth-most consumed drug, betel nut. Coral harvesting is an environmental concern; however, because lime-making is one of the few sources of income in some areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG, the practice is unlikely to stop. To better manage coral harvest, we used standard fishery-yield methods to generate sustainable-harvest guidelines for corymbose Acropora species found on the reef flat and crest at Lababia, PNG. We constructed a yield curve (weight-specific net annual-dry-weight production by: 1 describing the allometric relationship between colony size and dry weight, and using that relationship to estimate the dry weight of Acropora colonies in situ; 2 estimating annual growth of Acropora colonies by estimating in situ, and describing the relationship between, colony dry weight at the beginning and end of one year; and 3 conducting belt-transect surveys to describe weight-frequencies and ultimately to predict annual weight change per square meter for each weight class. Reef habitat covers a total 2,467,550 m2 at Lababia and produces an estimated 248,397 kg/y (dry weight of corymbose Acropora, of which 203,897 kg is produced on the reef flat/crest. We conservatively estimate that 30,706.6 kg of whole, dry, corymbose, Acropora can be sustainably harvested from the reef flat/crest habitat each year provided each culled colony weighs at least 1805 g when dry (or is at least 46 cm along its major axis. Artisanal lime-makers convert 24.8% of whole-colony weight into marketable lime, thus we estimate 7615.2 g of lime can be sustainably produced annually from corymbose Acropora. This value incorporates several safety margins, and should lead to proper management of live coral harvest. Importantly, the guideline recognizes village rights to exploit its marine resources, is consistent with village needs for income, and balances an equally

Direct chromatographic methods for the rapid determination of homogentisic acid in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) honey.

Science.gov (United States)

Scanu, Roberta; Spano, Nadia; Panzanelli, Angelo; Pilo, Maria I; Piu, Paola C; Sanna, Gavino; Tapparo, Andrea

2005-10-07

Two rapid and direct chromatographic methods based on reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and ion chromatography (IC) were developed for the determination of homogentisic acid (HA) in honey. This is the marker of the botanic origin of strawberry tree honey. The methods were validated and tested using 22 samples from Sardinia, Italy. The IC method is faster than the RP-HPLC one (6 min versus 13 min of total run), but it is slightly less sensitive (the limit of detection (LOD), is 26 mg kg(-1) versus 15 mg kg(-1)) and reproducible (relative standard deviation, RSD, of 10.4 and 4.4%, respectively). The whole dataset of validation parameters allows both the proposed methods to be considered as bias-free (by recovery tests, comparison of analytical results of the two independent methods and analysis of a synthetic sample) and precise (both the techniques show a repeatability better than 2% repeatability in the range between 70 and 600 mg kg(-1)).

Rapid tree carbon stock recovery in managed Amazonian forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutishauser, Ervan; Hérault, Bruno; Baraloto, Christopher; Blanc, Lilian; Descroix, Laurent; Sotta, Eleneide Doff; Ferreira, Joice; Kanashiro, Milton; Mazzei, Lucas; d'Oliveira, Marcus V N; de Oliveira, Luis C; Peña-Claros, Marielos; Putz, Francis E; Ruschel, Ademir R; Rodney, Ken; Roopsind, Anand; Shenkin, Alexander; da Silva, Katia E; de Souza, Cintia R; Toledo, Marisol; Vidal, Edson; West, Thales A P; Wortel, Verginia; Sist, Plinio

2015-09-21

While around 20% of the Amazonian forest has been cleared for pastures and agriculture, one fourth of the remaining forest is dedicated to wood production. Most of these production forests have been or will be selectively harvested for commercial timber, but recent studies show that even soon after logging, harvested stands retain much of their tree-biomass carbon and biodiversity. Comparing species richness of various animal taxa among logged and unlogged forests across the tropics, Burivalova et al. found that despite some variability among taxa, biodiversity loss was generally explained by logging intensity (the number of trees extracted). Here, we use a network of 79 permanent sample plots (376 ha total) located at 10 sites across the Amazon Basin to assess the main drivers of time-to-recovery of post-logging tree carbon (Table S1). Recovery time is of direct relevance to policies governing management practices (i.e., allowable volumes cut and cutting cycle lengths), and indirectly to forest-based climate change mitigation interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Releasing 75- to 80-year-old Appalachian hardwood sawtimber trees--5-year d.b.h. response

Science.gov (United States)

H.C. Smith; G.W. Miller

1991-01-01

Generally, mature trees on good growing sites are seldom thinned or released. Instead, at maturity the trees are harvested. Data were summarized from north-central West Virginia study areas (northern red oak site index 70 feet and above) where mature trees were released on all sides of the crown (full release).

"Whole" Ballet Education: Exploring Direct and Indirect Teaching Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Euichang; Kim, Na-ye

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore teaching methods for whole ballet in Korean ballet education. This study built upon a first phase of research that identified the educational content of "whole" ballet. Four dimensions were identified as the educational content: "physical," "cognitive," "emotional"…

heteroHarvest: Harvesting Information from Heterogeneous Sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qureshi, Pir Abdul Rasool; Memon, Nasrullah; Wiil, Uffe Kock

2011-01-01

The abundance of information regarding any topic makes the Internet a very good resource. Even though searching the Internet is very easy, what remains difficult is to automate the process of information extraction from the available online information due to the lack of structure and the diversity...... in the sharing methods. Most of the times, information is stored in different proprietary formats, complying with different standards and protocols which makes tasks like data mining and information harvesting very difficult. In this paper, an information harvesting tool (heteroHarvest) is presented...... with objectives to address these problems by filtering the useful information and then normalizing the information in a singular non hypertext format. Finally we describe the results of experimental evaluation. The results are found promising with an overall error rate equal to 6.5% across heterogeneous formats....

New Hybrid Algorithms for Estimating Tree Stem Diameters at Breast Height Using a Two Dimensional Terrestrial Laser Scanner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianlei Kong

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a new algorithm to improve the accuracy of estimating diameter at breast height (DBH for tree trunks in forest areas is proposed. First, the information is collected by a two-dimensional terrestrial laser scanner (2DTLS, which emits laser pulses to generate a point cloud. After extraction and filtration, the laser point clusters of the trunks are obtained, which are optimized by an arithmetic means method. Then, an algebraic circle fitting algorithm in polar form is non-linearly optimized by the Levenberg-Marquardt method to form a new hybrid algorithm, which is used to acquire the diameters and positions of the trees. Compared with previous works, this proposed method improves the accuracy of diameter estimation of trees significantly and effectively reduces the calculation time. Moreover, the experimental results indicate that this method is stable and suitable for the most challenging conditions, which has practical significance in improving the operating efficiency of forest harvester and reducing the risk of causing accidents.

Whole vitreous humor dissection for vitreodynamic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Murali, Karthik; Kashani, Amir H; Humayun, Mark S

2015-05-24

The authors propose an effective technique to isolate whole, intact vitreous core and cortex from post mortem enucleated porcine eyes. While previous studies have shown the results of such dissections, the detailed steps have not been described, precluding researchers outside the field from replicating their methods. Other studies harvest vitreous either through aspiration, which does not maintain the vitreous structure anatomy, or through partial dissection, which only isolates the vitreous core. The proposed method isolates the whole vitreous body, with the vitreous core and cortex intact, while maintaining vitreous anatomy and structural integrity. In this method, a full thickness scleral flap in an enucleated porcine eye is first created and through this, the choroid tissue can be separated from the sclera. The scleral flap is then expanded and the choroid is completely separated from the sclera. Finally the choroid-retina tissue is peeled off the vitreous to leave an isolated intact vitreous body. The proposed vitreous dissection technique can be used to study physical properties of the vitreous humor. In particular, this method has significance for experimental studies involving drug delivery, vitreo-retinal oxygen transport, and intraocular convection.

Olive paste oil content on a dry weight basis (OPDW): an indicator for optimal harvesting time in modern olive orchards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zipori, I.; Bustan, A.; Kerem, Z.; Dag, A.

2016-07-01

In modern oil olive orchards, mechanical harvesting technologies have significantly accelerated harvesting outputs, thereby allowing for careful planning of harvest timing. While optimizing harvest time may have profound effects on oil yield and quality, the necessary tools to precisely determine the best date are rather scarce. For instance, the commonly used indicator, the fruit ripening index, does not necessarily correlate with oil accumulation. Oil content per fruit fresh weight is strongly affected by fruit water content, making the ripening index an unreliable indicator. However, oil in the paste, calculated on a dry weight basis (OPDW), provides a reliable indication of oil accumulation in the fruit. In most cultivars tested here, OPDW never exceeded ca. 0.5 g·g–1 dry weight, making this threshold the best indicator for the completion of oil accumulation and its consequent reduction in quality thereafter. The rates of OPDW and changes in quality parameters strongly depend on local conditions, such as climate, tree water status and fruit load. We therefore propose a fast and easy method to determine and monitor the OPDW in a given orchard. The proposed method is a useful tool for the determination of optimal harvest timing, particularly in large plots under intensive cultivation practices, with the aim of increasing orchard revenues. The results of this research can be directly applied in olive orchards, especially in large-scale operations. By following the proposed method, individual plots can be harvested according to sharp thresholds of oil accumulation status and pre-determined oil quality parameters, thus effectively exploiting the potentials of oil yield and quality. The method can become a powerful tool for scheduling the harvest throughout the season, and at the same time forecasting the flow of olives to the olive mill. (Author)

[Feasibility study for whole plant medicinal use of Tribulus terrestris].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Li; Wang, Chunyu; Han, Meiw; Yang, Limin

2009-09-01

The content differences of leaf, plant and fruit of Tribulus terrestris was compared to study the feasibility of whole plant medicinal use. The samples were collected in three typical habitats and six different production areas of T. terrestris. The main medicinal ingredients saponins and flavonoids were determined in root, stem, leaf and fruit during the harvest time. The two ingredients were abounded in leaf and more than 2.61 times as in other parts of the plant. The results showed that there were no differences between the whole plant and the fruit. It should pay more attentions on the collection, preservation and utilization of the leaf of T. terrestris in the harvesting and processing stage. The whole plant for medical use was feasibility based on the content of the ingredients.

Negligible effects of severe organic matter removal and soil compaction on loblolly pine growth over 10 years

Science.gov (United States)

Felipe G. Sanchez; D. Andrew Scott; Kim H. Ludovici

2006-01-01

The long-term soil productivity (LTSP) study was initiated to examine the effect of soil porosity and organic matter (OM) levels on net primary productivity (NPP). The study design calls for three levels of OM removal (bole, whole tree and whole tree plus forest floor) and three levels of compaction (none, moderate and severe) being imposed on harvested sites prior to...

Response of Soil Bulk Density and Mineral Nitrogen to Harvesting and Cultural Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Minyi Zhou; Mason C. Carter; Thomas J. Dean

1998-01-01

The interactive effects of harvest intensity, site preparation, and fertilization on soil compaction and nitrogen mineralization were examined in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stand growing on a sandy, well-drained soil in eastern Texas. The experimental design was 2 by 2 by 2 factorial, consisting of two harvesting treatments (mechanical whole-...

Analysis of factors affecting the mechanical olive harvesting in Guilan province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Abedi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Olive is one of the most valuable worldwide trees that produces useful products having high nutritional values. It is widely grown in many parts of world. The cost of olives hand picking is estimated to be about two-thirds of the total gross return of olive production. Therefore, various types of olive harvesting machineries were developed in the world. Guilan Province of Iran is one of the leading regions for olives production in Iran. At the present time, almost all olives produced in Guilan province of Iran are manually harvested. Review of the reports showed that no research was performed to study the factors affecting the development of mechanized olive picking in Guilan Province, Iran. Due to the complexity of using the olive harvest machineries, identifying the factors affecting of their application is essential. Therefore, a Delphi study were conducted to identify and analysis the drivers and barriers for mechanized olive harvest in Guilan province, Iran. Materials and Methods This research was conducted using the Delphi technique in Guilan Province, Northern Iran. Delphi technique is a structured process to gather and classify the knowledge of a group of experts. Through consultation with professors and researchers in related institutions, 22 experts from the subsidiary offices of agricultural organization of Guilan Province were selected for the study. In the first round of the study, the participants were asked to answer to two open questions about the driving factors and barriers of mechanical olive harvest in Guilan Province. Nineteen items were found as driving factors and seventeen as barriers for developing the mechanical olive harvesting in Guilan Province. In the second phase of the study, the respondents were asked to answer to the all items written in the form of a five-level Likert scale, and finally, experts of panel were asked to answer to the top 10 items of driving factors and barriers in percent form. The

A restricted Steiner tree problem is solved by Geometric Method II

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Dazhi; Zhang, Youlin; Lu, Xiaoxu

2013-03-01

The minimum Steiner tree problem has wide application background, such as transportation system, communication network, pipeline design and VISL, etc. It is unfortunately that the computational complexity of the problem is NP-hard. People are common to find some special problems to consider. In this paper, we first put forward a restricted Steiner tree problem, which the fixed vertices are in the same side of one line L and we find a vertex on L such the length of the tree is minimal. By the definition and the complexity of the Steiner tree problem, we know that the complexity of this problem is also Np-complete. In the part one, we have considered there are two fixed vertices to find the restricted Steiner tree problem. Naturally, we consider there are three fixed vertices to find the restricted Steiner tree problem. And we also use the geometric method to solve such the problem.

Ecosystem Responses to Partial Harvesting in Eastern Boreal Mixedwood Stands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian D. Harvey

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Partial harvesting has been proposed as a key aspect to implementing ecosystem management in the Canadian boreal forest. We report on a replicated experiment located in boreal mixedwoods of Northwestern Quebec. In the winter of 2000–2001, two partial harvesting treatments, one using a dispersed pattern, and a second, which created a (400 m2 gap pattern, were applied to a 90-year-old aspen-dominated mixed stand. The design also included a clear cut and a control. Over the course of the following eight years, live tree, coarse woody debris, regeneration and ground beetles were inventoried at variable intervals. Our results indicate that all harvesting treatments created conditions favorable to balsam fir (Abies balsamea sapling growth and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides sapling recruitment. However, balsam fir and trembling aspen regeneration and ground beetles response to gap cuts were closer to patterns observed in clear cuts than in dispersed harvesting. The underlying reasons for these differing patterns can be linked to factors associated with the contrasting light regimes created by the two partial harvesting treatments. The study confirms that partially harvesting is an ecologically sound approach in boreal mixedwoods and could contribute to maintaining the distribution of stand ages at the landscape level.

Does the amount of trees retained at clearfelling of temperate and boreal forests influence biodiversity response?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fedrowitz Katja

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Clear-felling is one of the main methods used in many parts of the world for the production of pulp, timber and bioenergy, leading to a simplified forest structure and species composition. One of the measures to mitigate the impact of logging on biodiversity is the retention of trees at final harvest. Tree retention approaches in forestry are still rather new, although widely distributed across different continents. Several studies have been performed on the effects of retention trees on biodiversity but to date there is no evidence on the relation between the amounts of trees, i.e. the number, volume or area per ha retained, and the response of biodiversity. The overall aim of our review will be to provide forest practitioners and conservationists in temperate and boreal forests with more detailed recommendations regarding the amount of trees that should be retained in order to achieve positive effects for biodiversity compared to traditional clear-cutting.

Improvement in the competitiveness of an upgrading process of whole-tree chips; Kokopuuhakkeen puhdistusprosessin kilpailukyvyn parantaminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asplund, D [Jyvaeskylaen Teknologiakeskus Oy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland); Seppaenen, V [VTT Energy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

1997-12-01

Development of the upgrading method for whole-tree chips will be continued from the stage achieved in connection with the construction of the Kankaanpaeae demonstration plant in Finland. The aim is to reduce production costs by process-technical modifications and by equipment development and to increase the value of products. The target is to reduce the production costs of the fuel by at least FIM 7/MWh and to assort the pine pulp chips at least to two classes on the basis of fibre length. In preliminary tests with fibre length, principles of assorting were determined. Tests were carried out with a belt conveyor that throws chips to different distances according to mass and volume. The aim is to assort the chips according to dry-fresh density, which correlates with the fibre length. Modifications were designed and realised at the MASSAHAKE plant for the production of pine chips. By changing the chip size the pine chips can be upgraded in accordance with the pricing of saw chips. Process-technical changes can also be made to improve the yield and bark content of pulp chips. The economic effect of these modifications will not be seen until the pricing of products corresponds to the calculations. The changes affecting the yield will be realised according to the production level. It has been verified that it is possible to achieve cost savings and additional income, when the fuel cost is reduced by FIM 4.3 - 34.8/MWh, depending on the method of calculation. The project will be continued in 1997 by further development of assorting, by process and equipment-technical development of the MASSAHAKE method and by applying results to practice. (orig.)

Accumulation and connectivity of coarse woody debris in partial harvest and unmanaged relict forests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert C Morrissey

Full Text Available When a tree dies, it continues to play an important ecological role within forests. Coarse woody debris (CWD, including standing deadwood (SDW and downed deadwood (DDW, is an important functional component of forest ecosystems, particularly for many dispersal-limited saproxylic taxa and for metapopulation dynamics across landscapes. Processes, such as natural disturbance or management, modify forest composition and structure, thereby influencing CWD abundance and distribution. Many studies have compared older forests to forests managed with even-aged silvicultural systems and observed a prolonged period of low CWD occurrence after harvesting. With fine-scale spatial data, our study compares the long-term impacts of light partial harvesting on the CWD structure of eastern deciduous hardwood forests. We mapped and inventoried DDW and SDW using variable radius plots based on a 10 m × 10 m grid throughout an unmanaged, structurally-complex relict forest and two nearby forests that were partially harvested over 46 years ago. The relict stand had significantly larger individual pieces and higher accumulations of DDW and SDW than both of the partially harvested stands. Connectivity of CWD was much higher in the relict stand, which had fewer, larger patches. Larger pieces and higher proportion of decay-resistant species (e.g. Quercus spp. in the relict forest resulted in slower decomposition, greater accumulation and increased connectivity of CWD. Partial harvests, such that occur with selection forestry, are generally considered less disruptive of ecosystem services, but this study highlights the long-term impacts of even light partial harvests on CWD stocks and distribution. When planning harvesting events, forest managers should also consider alternative methods to ensure the sustainability of deadwood resources and function.

Determining Accuracy of Thermal Dissipation Methods-based Sap Flux in Japanese Cedar Trees

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Man-Ping; Shinohara, Yoshinori; Laplace, Sophie; Lin, Song-Jin; Kume, Tomonori

2017-04-01

Thermal dissipation method, one kind of sap flux measurement method that can estimate individual tree transpiration, have been widely used because of its low cost and uncomplicated operation. Although thermal dissipation method is widespread, the accuracy of this method is doubted recently because some tree species materials in previous studies were not suitable for its empirical formula from Granier due to difference of wood characteristics. In Taiwan, Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) is one of the dominant species in mountainous area, quantifying the transpiration of Japanese cedar trees is indispensable to understand water cycling there. However, no one have tested the accuracy of thermal dissipation methods-based sap flux for Japanese cedar trees in Taiwan. Thus, in this study we conducted calibration experiment using twelve Japanese cedar stem segments from six trees to investigate the accuracy of thermal dissipation methods-based sap flux in Japanese cedar trees in Taiwan. By pumping water from segment bottom to top and inserting probes into segments to collect data simultaneously, we compared sap flux densities calculated from real water uptakes (Fd_actual) and empirical formula (Fd_Granier). Exact sapwood area and sapwood depth of each sample were obtained from dying segment with safranin stain solution. Our results showed that Fd_Granier underestimated 39 % of Fd_actual across sap flux densities ranging from 10 to 150 (cm3m-2s-1); while applying sapwood depth corrected formula from Clearwater, Fd_Granier became accurately that only underestimated 0.01 % of Fd_actual. However, when sap flux densities ranging from 10 to 50 (cm3m-2s-1)which is similar with the field data of Japanese cedar trees in a mountainous area of Taiwan, Fd_Granier underestimated 51 % of Fd_actual, and underestimated 26 % with applying Clearwater sapwood depth corrected formula. These results suggested sapwood depth significantly impacted on the accuracy of thermal dissipation

Vitamin A values of wild-caught Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) and marine toads (Rhinella marina) in whole body, liver, and serum.

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Kathleen E; Fleming, Greg; Terrell, Scott; Smith, Dustin; Ridgley, Frank; Valdes, Eduardo V

2014-12-01

Recent issues surrounding captive amphibians are often nutritionally related problems, such as hypovitaminosis A. Although supplementation of frogs with vitamin A is a topic of investigation, the underlying issue is understanding vitamin A metabolism in amphibian species. To develop a range of "normal" vitamin A concentrations for captive amphibians, baseline vitamin A concentrations must be established in wild amphibian species. In this study, two species, Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis; n = 59) and marine toads (Rhinella marina; n = 20) were collected from the wild as part of an invasive species control program at Zoo Miami, Miami, Florida. Serum, liver, and whole body samples were analyzed for vitamin A content. The Cuban tree frogs showed higher concentrations on average of vitamin A in serum (82.8 ppb), liver (248.3 IU/g), and whole body (5474.7 IU/kg) samples compared with marine toads (60.1 ppb; 105.3 IU/g; 940.7 IU/kg, respectively), but differences were not significant (P = 0.22). What can be considered "normal" values of vitamin A concentrations across different amphibian species requires further investigation. Although all amphibians collected in this study appeared healthy, a larger sample size of animals, with known health histories and diets, may provide stronger evidence of normal expectations.

Logging damage using an individual tree selection practice in Appalachian hardwood stands

Science.gov (United States)

Neil I. Lamson; H. Clay Smith; Gary W. Miller

1985-01-01

Four West Virginia hardwood stands, managed using individual-tree selection for the past 30 years, were examined after the third and, in one instance, the fourth periodic harvest to determine the severity of logging damage. On existing skid roads, trees were removed with a rubber-tired skidder or a crawler tractor with a rubber-tired arch. Logging damage reduced...

Phylogenetic Analysis of Shewanella Strains by DNA Relatedness Derived from Whole Genome Microarray DNA-DNA Hybridization and Comparisons with Other Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Liyou; Yi, T.Y.; Van Nostrand, Joy; Zhou, Jizhong

2010-01-01

Phylogenetic analyses were done for the Shewanella strains isolated from Baltic Sea (38 strains), US DOE Hanford Uranium bioremediation site (Hanford Reach of the Columbia River (HRCR), 11 strains), Pacific Ocean and Hawaiian sediments (8 strains), and strains from other resources (16 strains) with three out group strains, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Clostridium cellulolyticum, and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus X514, using DNA relatedness derived from WCGA-based DNA-DNA hybridizations, sequence similarities of 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene, and sequence similarities of 6 loci of Shewanella genome selected from a shared gene list of the Shewanella strains with whole genome sequenced based on the average nucleotide identity of them (ANI). The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences, and DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations of the tested Shewanella strains share exactly the same sub-clusters with very few exceptions, in which the strains were basically grouped by species. However, the phylogenetic analysis based on DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations dramatically increased the differentiation resolution at species and strains level within Shewanella genus. When the tree based on DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations was compared to the tree based on the combined sequences of the selected functional genes (6 loci), we found that the resolutions of both methods are similar, but the clustering of the tree based on DNA relatedness derived from WMGA hybridizations was clearer. These results indicate that WCGA-based DNA-DNA hybridization is an idea alternative of conventional DNA-DNA hybridization methods and it is superior to the phylogenetics methods based on sequence similarities of single genes. Detailed analysis is being performed for the re-classification of the strains examined.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Shewanella Strains by DNA Relatedness Derived from Whole Genome Microarray DNA-DNA Hybridization and Comparison with Other Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Liyou; Yi, T. Y.; Van Nostrand, Joy; Zhou, Jizhong

2010-05-17

Phylogenetic analyses were done for the Shewanella strains isolated from Baltic Sea (38 strains), US DOE Hanford Uranium bioremediation site [Hanford Reach of the Columbia River (HRCR), 11 strains], Pacific Ocean and Hawaiian sediments (8 strains), and strains from other resources (16 strains) with three out group strains, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Clostridium cellulolyticum, and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus X514, using DNA relatedness derived from WCGA-based DNA-DNA hybridizations, sequence similarities of 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene, and sequence similarities of 6 loci of Shewanella genome selected from a shared gene list of the Shewanella strains with whole genome sequenced based on the average nucleotide identity of them (ANI). The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences, and DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations of the tested Shewanella strains share exactly the same sub-clusters with very few exceptions, in which the strains were basically grouped by species. However, the phylogenetic analysis based on DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations dramatically increased the differentiation resolution at species and strains level within Shewanella genus. When the tree based on DNA relatedness derived from WCGA hybridizations was compared to the tree based on the combined sequences of the selected functional genes (6 loci), we found that the resolutions of both methods are similar, but the clustering of the tree based on DNA relatedness derived from WMGA hybridizations was clearer. These results indicate that WCGA-based DNA-DNA hybridization is an idea alternative of conventional DNA-DNA hybridization methods and it is superior to the phylogenetics methods based on sequence similarities of single genes. Detailed analysis is being performed for the re-classification of the strains examined.

Cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester with multiple cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

S Srinivasulu Raju; M Umapathy; G Uma

2015-01-01

Energy harvesting employing piezoelectric materials in mechanical structures such as cantilever beams, plates, diaphragms, etc, has been an emerging area of research in recent years. The research in this area is also focused on structural tailoring to improve the harvested power from the energy harvesters. Towards this aim, this paper presents a method for improving the harvested power from a cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester by introducing multiple rectangular cavities. A generalized model for a piezoelectric energy harvester with multiple rectangular cavities at a single section and two sections is developed. A method is suggested to optimize the thickness of the cavities and the number of cavities required to generate a higher output voltage for a given cantilever beam structure. The performance of the optimized energy harvesters is evaluated analytically and through experimentation. The simulation and experimental results show that the performance of the energy harvester can be increased with multiple cavities compared to the harvester with a single cavity. (paper)

A wideband, frequency up-converting bounded vibration energy harvester for a low-frequency environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraf, K; Md Khir, M H; Baharudin, Z; Dennis, J O

2013-01-01

This paper presents a bounded vibration energy harvester to effectively harvest energy from a wide band of low-frequency environmental vibrations ranging from 10 to 18 Hz. Rigid mechanical stoppers are used to confine the seismic mass movement within the elastic limits of the spring. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed technique in increasing the efficiency of the energy harvester. When excited at a frequency of 10 Hz with a peak acceleration of 1 g, the harvester responds at a higher frequency of 20 Hz and gives a peak power of 2.68 mW and a peak to peak voltage of 2.62 V across a load of 220 Ω. The average power density of 65.74 μW cm −3 obtained at 10 Hz 1 g excitation monotonically increases with frequency up to 341.86 μW cm −3 at 18 Hz. An analytical model describing the nonlinear dynamics of the proposed harvester is also presented. A simple technique to estimate the energy losses during impact and thereof a method to incorporate these losses in the model are suggested. The presented model not only predicts the experimental voltage waveform and frequency response of the device with good similarity but also predicts the RMS voltage from the harvester for the whole range of operating frequencies with an RMS error of 5.2%. (paper)

Effect of Abscission Zone Formation on Orange ( Citrus sinensis) Fruit/Juice Quality for Trees Affected by Huanglongbing (HLB).

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Elizabeth; Plotto, Anne; Bai, Jinhe; Manthey, John; Zhao, Wei; Raithore, Smita; Irey, Mike

2018-03-21

Orange trees affected by huanglongbing (HLB) exhibit excessive fruit drop, and fruit loosely attached to the tree may have inferior flavor. Fruit were collected from healthy and HLB-infected ( Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus) 'Hamlin' and 'Valencia' trees. Prior to harvest, the trees were shaken, fruit that dropped collected, tree-retained fruit harvested, and all fruit juiced. For chemical analyses, sugars and acids were generally lowest in HLB dropped (HLB-D) fruit juice compared to nonshaken healthy (H), healthy retained (H-R), and healthy dropped fruit (H-D) in early season (December) but not for the late season (January) 'Hamlin' or 'Valencia' except for sugar/acid ratio. The bitter limonoids, many flavonoids, and terpenoid volatiles were generally higher in HLB juice, especially HLB-D juice, compared to the other samples. The lower sugars, higher bitter limonoids, flavonoids, and terpenoid volatiles in HLB-D fruit, loosely attached to the tree, contributed to off-flavor, as was confirmed by sensory analyses.

Highly Accurate Tree Models Derived from Terrestrial Laser Scan Data: A Method Description

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Hackenberg

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a method for fitting cylinders into a point cloud, derived from a terrestrial laser-scanned tree. Utilizing high scan quality data as the input, the resulting models describe the branching structure of the tree, capable of detecting branches with a diameter smaller than a centimeter. The cylinders are stored as a hierarchical tree-like data structure encapsulating parent-child neighbor relations and incorporating the tree’s direction of growth. This structure enables the efficient extraction of tree components, such as the stem or a single branch. The method was validated both by applying a comparison of the resulting cylinder models with ground truth data and by an analysis between the input point clouds and the models. Tree models were accomplished representing more than 99% of the input point cloud, with an average distance from the cylinder model to the point cloud within sub-millimeter accuracy. After validation, the method was applied to build two allometric models based on 24 tree point clouds as an example of the application. Computation terminated successfully within less than 30 min. For the model predicting the total above ground volume, the coefficient of determination was 0.965, showing the high potential of terrestrial laser-scanning for forest inventories.

A method of detecting carbonyl compounds in tree leaves in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Juan; Feng, Yanli; Fu, Jiamo; Sheng, Guoying

2010-06-01

Carbonyl compounds have been paid more and more attention because some carbonyl species have been proven to be carcinogenic or a risk for human health. Plant leaves are both an important emission source and an important sink of carbonyl compounds. But the research on carbonyl compounds from plant leaves is very scarce. In order to make an approach to the emission mechanism of plant leaves, a new method was established to extract carbonyl compounds from fresh plant leaves. The procedure combining derivatization with ultrasonication was developed for the fast extraction of carbonyl compounds from tree leaves. Fresh leaves (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), were selected and extracted by this method. Seven carbonyl compounds, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, p-tolualdehyde, m/o-tolualdehyde, and hexaldehyde were determined and quantified. The most common carbonyl species of the four tree leaves were formaldehyde, acrolein, and m/o-tolualdehyde. They accounted for 67.3% in cedar, 50.8% in sweet olive, 45.8% in dawn redwood, and 44.6% in camphor tree, respectively. Camphor tree had the highest leaf level of m/o-tolualdehyde with 15.0 +/- 3.4 microg g(-1)(fresh leaf weight), which indicated that camphor tree may be a bioindicator of the level of tolualdehyde or xylene in the atmosphere. By analyzing carbonyl compounds from different tree leaves, it is not only helpful for further studying the relationship between sink and emission of carbonyls from plants, but also helpful for exploring optimum plant population in urban greening.

BIMLR: a method for constructing rooted phylogenetic networks from rooted phylogenetic trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Juan; Guo, Maozu; Xing, Linlin; Che, Kai; Liu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Chunyu

2013-09-15

Rooted phylogenetic trees constructed from different datasets (e.g. from different genes) are often conflicting with one another, i.e. they cannot be integrated into a single phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic networks have become an important tool in molecular evolution, and rooted phylogenetic networks are able to represent conflicting rooted phylogenetic trees. Hence, the development of appropriate methods to compute rooted phylogenetic networks from rooted phylogenetic trees has attracted considerable research interest of late. The CASS algorithm proposed by van Iersel et al. is able to construct much simpler networks than other available methods, but it is extremely slow, and the networks it constructs are dependent on the order of the input data. Here, we introduce an improved CASS algorithm, BIMLR. We show that BIMLR is faster than CASS and less dependent on the input data order. Moreover, BIMLR is able to construct much simpler networks than almost all other methods. BIMLR is available at http://nclab.hit.edu.cn/wangjuan/BIMLR/. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of raw wood supply system on the wood paying capability of a kraft pulp mill using Scots pine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahl, O. (Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Espoo (Finland), Dept. of Forest Products Technology), Email: olli.dahl@tkk.fi; Jylhae, P. (Finnish Forest Research Inst., Kannus (Finland)), Email: paula.jylha@metla.fi; Laitila, J. (Finnish Forest Research Inst., Joensuu (Finland)), Email: juha.laitila@metla.fi; Kaerhae, K. (Metsaeteho Oy, Helsinki (Finland)), Email: kalle.karha@metsateho.fi

2009-07-01

Integration of energy wood procurement into that of pulpwood is seen as a means for reducing the high procurement costs of small-diameter wood harvested from first thinnings. In the deepest mode of integration, pulp and energy fractions are separated from each other in the debarking drum of the pulp mill. In the present paper, the competitiveness of the conventional supply chain based on cut-to-length harvesting was compared to the supply systems based on the harvesting of loose whole trees and whole-tree bundling, in the cases of three Scots pine-dominated first-thinning stands using wood paying capability (WPC) of a kraft pulp mill as a decisive criterion. Furthermore, the competitiveness of first thinnings as raw material sources for a pulp mill was evaluated by using intermediate thinnings as s reference. (orig.)

Forest soil carbon is threatened by intensive biomass harvesting.

Science.gov (United States)

Achat, David L; Fortin, Mathieu; Landmann, Guy; Ringeval, Bruno; Augusto, Laurent

2015-11-04

Forests play a key role in the carbon cycle as they store huge quantities of organic carbon, most of which is stored in soils, with a smaller part being held in vegetation. While the carbon storage capacity of forests is influenced by forestry, the long-term impacts of forest managers' decisions on soil organic carbon (SOC) remain unclear. Using a meta-analysis approach, we showed that conventional biomass harvests preserved the SOC of forests, unlike intensive harvests where logging residues were harvested to produce fuelwood. Conventional harvests caused a decrease in carbon storage in the forest floor, but when the whole soil profile was taken into account, we found that this loss in the forest floor was compensated by an accumulation of SOC in deeper soil layers. Conversely, we found that intensive harvests led to SOC losses in all layers of forest soils. We assessed the potential impact of intensive harvests on the carbon budget, focusing on managed European forests. Estimated carbon losses from forest soils suggested that intensive biomass harvests could constitute an important source of carbon transfer from forests to the atmosphere (142-497 Tg-C), partly neutralizing the role of a carbon sink played by forest soils.

Automated Mobile System for Accurate Outdoor Tree Crop Enumeration Using an Uncalibrated Camera.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Thuy Tuong; Slaughter, David C; Hanson, Bradley D; Barber, Andrew; Freitas, Amy; Robles, Daniel; Whelan, Erin

2015-07-28

This paper demonstrates an automated computer vision system for outdoor tree crop enumeration in a seedling nursery. The complete system incorporates both hardware components (including an embedded microcontroller, an odometry encoder, and an uncalibrated digital color camera) and software algorithms (including microcontroller algorithms and the proposed algorithm for tree crop enumeration) required to obtain robust performance in a natural outdoor environment. The enumeration system uses a three-step image analysis process based upon: (1) an orthographic plant projection method integrating a perspective transform with automatic parameter estimation; (2) a plant counting method based on projection histograms; and (3) a double-counting avoidance method based on a homography transform. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to count large numbers of plants automatically with no human effort. Results show that, for tree seedlings having a height up to 40 cm and a within-row tree spacing of approximately 10 cm, the algorithms successfully estimated the number of plants with an average accuracy of 95.2% for trees within a single image and 98% for counting of the whole plant population in a large sequence of images.

HARVEST SEASON AND PHYSIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF ENTEROLOBIUM SCHOMBURGKII SEEDS. BENTH.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Mojena

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research was to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds Enterolobium shomburgkii collected in different months of the year 2014. There were made fruit harvests from trees located in the urban area of Sinop-MT, in the months of June, July, August and September. In each crop was rated the number of seeds per fruit, weight of 1,000 seeds, water content of the seeds, dry weight, germination percentage, germination speed index and it was also applied the electrical conductivity test. The results show that the harvest of Enterolobium schomburgkii seeds should be held in August and September

User guide for HCR Estimator 2.0: software to calculate cost and revenue thresholds for harvesting small-diameter ponderosa pine.

Science.gov (United States)

Dennis R. Becker; Debra Larson; Eini C. Lowell; Robert B. Rummer

2008-01-01

The HCR (Harvest Cost-Revenue) Estimator is engineering and financial analysis software used to evaluate stand-level financial thresholds for harvesting small-diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) in the Southwest United States. The Windows-based program helps contractors and planners to identify costs associated with tree...

Implication of Abscisic Acid on Ripening and Quality in Sweet Cherries: Differential Effects during Pre- and Post-harvest

Science.gov (United States)

Tijero, Verónica; Teribia, Natalia; Muñoz, Paula; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

2016-01-01

Sweet cherry, a non-climacteric fruit, is usually cold-stored during post-harvest to prevent over-ripening. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of abscisic acid (ABA) on fruit growth and ripening of this fruit, considering as well its putative implication in over-ripening and effects on quality. We measured the endogenous concentrations of ABA during the ripening of sweet cherries (Prunus avium L. var. Prime Giant) collected from orchard trees and in cherries exposed to 4°C and 23°C during 10 days of post-harvest. Furthermore, we examined to what extent endogenous ABA concentrations were related to quality parameters, such as fruit biomass, anthocyanin accumulation and levels of vitamins C and E. Endogenous concentrations of ABA in fruits increased progressively during fruit growth and ripening on the tree, to decrease later during post-harvest at 23°C. Cold treatment, however, increased ABA levels and led to an inhibition of over-ripening. Furthermore, ABA levels positively correlated with anthocyanin and vitamin E levels during pre-harvest, but not during post-harvest. We conclude that ABA plays a major role in sweet cherry development, stimulating its ripening process and positively influencing quality parameters during pre-harvest. The possible influence of ABA preventing over-ripening in cold-stored sweet cherries is also discussed. PMID:27200070

Preparing investigation of methods for surveying tree seed demands among farmers in Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aabæk, Anders

Insufficient seed supplies is often a major constraint on tree planting activities in developing countries. A central problem is to assess the actual demands for tree seed. This report shall, as a part of a PhD-study, prepare an investigation of different methods for surveying tree seed demands...... and preferences among private farmers in Tanzania. A framework for investigating seed demand and supply is outlined. The role of a national tree seed project in a seed supply sector is discussed and data requirements for strategy on seed procurement and tree improvement are outlined. Earlier surveys on seed...... demand pattern in Tanzania, Uganda and Nicaragua are discussed and a choice of strategy for an extensive survey of seed demand and supply in Tanzania is made. Different data collection methods and tools, e.g. quantitative and qualitative surveys and rapid rural appraisals, are described in detail...

Hide and vanish: data sets where the most parsimonious tree is known but hard to find, and their implications for tree search methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Goloboff, Pablo A

2014-10-01

Three different types of data sets, for which the uniquely most parsimonious tree can be known exactly but is hard to find with heuristic tree search methods, are studied. Tree searches are complicated more by the shape of the tree landscape (i.e. the distribution of homoplasy on different trees) than by the sheer abundance of homoplasy or character conflict. Data sets of Type 1 are those constructed by Radel et al. (2013). Data sets of Type 2 present a very rugged landscape, with narrow peaks and valleys, but relatively low amounts of homoplasy. For such a tree landscape, subjecting the trees to TBR and saving suboptimal trees produces much better results when the sequence of clipping for the tree branches is randomized instead of fixed. An unexpected finding for data sets of Types 1 and 2 is that starting a search from a random tree instead of a random addition sequence Wagner tree may increase the probability that the search finds the most parsimonious tree; a small artificial example where these probabilities can be calculated exactly is presented. Data sets of Type 3, the most difficult data sets studied here, comprise only congruent characters, and a single island with only one most parsimonious tree. Even if there is a single island, missing entries create a very flat landscape which is difficult to traverse with tree search algorithms because the number of equally parsimonious trees that need to be saved and swapped to effectively move around the plateaus is too large. Minor modifications of the parameters of tree drifting, ratchet, and sectorial searches allow travelling around these plateaus much more efficiently than saving and swapping large numbers of equally parsimonious trees with TBR. For these data sets, two new related criteria for selecting taxon addition sequences in Wagner trees (the "selected" and "informative" addition sequences) produce much better results than the standard random or closest addition sequences. These new methods for Wagner

Methods to overcome dormancy in tree tomato (Solanum betaceum seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Kosera Neto

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The tree tomato (Solanum betaceum is a poorly known species that has fruits with great economic potential, as it can be consumed in natura or industrialized. However, for reaching this potential, it is necessary the development of technologies for seedlings production. The propagation of this species is mainly done by seeds, but the seed germination process is usually slow, especially under stress conditions. This study aimed at verifying whether tree tomato seeds have dormancy and which is the best method to obtain fast and uniform germination. A completely randomized design was adopted in a 5 x 2 factorial arrangement (methods to overcome dormancy x light, with four replications of 50 or 60 seeds, depending on the production cycle. The methods tested were cold stratification, hydropriming, priming with GA3 solution and control, with or without light. Seed germination and germination rate index, as well as the beginning and average time of germination, were also evaluated. The use of GA3 at a concentration of 100 mg L-1 or 300 mg L-1 is recommended to the germination of tree tomato seeds.

FITTING AND TESTING ALLOMETRIC EQUATIONS FOR MEXICO’S SINALOAN TROPICAL DRY TREES AND FOREST INVENTORY PLOTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose de Jesus Navar Chaidez

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Aboveground tree biomass (bole, branches and foliage, M, plays a key role in the conventional and sustainable management of forest communities. The standard approach to assess tree or plot M is harvesting trees, developing and fitting allometric equations to trees or forest inventory plot data. In the absence of local tree allometry, it is usually recommended to fit off site allometric equations to evaluate tree or plot M. This research aims: (a to develop an updated on site allometric equation (b to fit available off site allometric equations to destructively harvested trees and (c to fit available allometric equations to plot M of Mexico’s Sinaloan tropical dry forests to understand sources of inherent tree and plot M variability. Results showed that: (a the improved on site allometric equation increases precision in contrast to the conventional biomass equation previously reported as well as to off site tree M equations, (b off site allometry projects tree and plot M deviates by close to one order of magnitude. Two tested and recommended approaches to increase tree and plot M precision when fitting off site equations are: (i to use all available tree allometric functions to come up with a mean equation or (ii to calibrate off site equations by fitting new, local parameters that can be calculated using statistical programs.These options would eventually increase tree and plot M precision in regional evaluations.

TreePM Method for Two-Dimensional Cosmological Simulations ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

We discuss the integration of the equations of motion that we use in the 2d TreePM code in section 7. .... spaced values of r in order to keep interpolation errors in control. .... hence we cannot use the usual leap-frog method. We recast the ...

Effect of corn residue harvest method with ruminally undegradable protein supplementation on performance of growing calves and fiber digestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

King, T M; Bondurant, R G; Jolly-Breithaupt, M L; Gramkow, J L; Klopfenstein, T J; MacDonald, J C

2017-12-01

Two experiments evaluated the effects of corn residue harvest method on animal performance and diet digestibility. Experiment 1 was designed as a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments using 60 individually fed crossbred steers (280 kg [SD 32] initial BW; = 12). Factors were the corn residue harvest method (high-stem and conventional) and supplemental RUP at 2 concentrations (0 and 3.3% diet DM). A third harvest method (low-stem) was also evaluated, but only in diets containing supplemental RUP at 3.3% diet DM because of limitations in the amount of available low-stem residue. Therefore, the 3 harvest methods were compared only in diets containing supplemental RUP. In Exp. 2, 9 crossbred wethers were blocked by BW (42.4 kg [SD 7] initial BW) and randomly assigned to diets containing corn residue harvested 1 of 3 ways (low-stem, high-stem, and conventional). In Exp. 1, steers fed the low-stem residue diet had greater ADG compared with the steers fed conventionally harvested corn residue ( = 0.03; 0.78 vs. 0.63 kg), whereas steers fed high-stem residue were intermediate ( > 0.17; 0.69 kg), not differing from either conventional or low-stem residues. Results from in vitro OM digestibility suggest that low-stem residue had the greatest ( RUP content (40% of CP) and RUP digestibility (60%) among the 3 residues ( ≥ 0.35). No interactions were observed between harvest method and the addition of RUP ( ≥ 0.12). The addition of RUP tended to result in improved ADG (0.66 ± 0.07 vs. 0.58 ± 0.07 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.08) and G:F (0.116 ± 0.006 vs. 0.095 ± 0.020 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.02) compared with similar diets without the additional RUP. In Exp. 2, low-stem residue had greater DM and OM digestibility and DE ( < 0.01) than high-stem and conventional residues, which did not differ ( ≥ 0.63). Low-stem residue also had the greatest NDF digestibility (NDFD; < 0.01), whereas high-stem residue had greater

Structural system reliability calculation using a probabilistic fault tree analysis method

Science.gov (United States)

Torng, T. Y.; Wu, Y.-T.; Millwater, H. R.

1992-01-01

The development of a new probabilistic fault tree analysis (PFTA) method for calculating structural system reliability is summarized. The proposed PFTA procedure includes: developing a fault tree to represent the complex structural system, constructing an approximation function for each bottom event, determining a dominant sampling sequence for all bottom events, and calculating the system reliability using an adaptive importance sampling method. PFTA is suitable for complicated structural problems that require computer-intensive computer calculations. A computer program has been developed to implement the PFTA.

System-level hazard analysis using the sequence-tree method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, H.-W.; Shih Chunkuan; Yih Swu; Chen, M.-H.

2008-01-01

A system-level PHA using the sequence-tree method is presented to perform safety-related digital I and C system SSA. The conventional PHA involves brainstorming among experts on various portions of the system to identify hazards through discussions. However, since the conventional PHA is not a systematic technique, the analysis results depend strongly on the experts' subjective opinions. The quality of analysis cannot be appropriately controlled. Therefore, this study presents a system-level sequence tree based PHA, which can clarify the relationship among the major digital I and C systems. This sequence-tree-based technique has two major phases. The first phase adopts a table to analyze each event in SAR Chapter 15 for a specific safety-related I and C system, such as RPS. The second phase adopts a sequence tree to recognize the I and C systems involved in the event, the working of the safety-related systems and how the backup systems can be activated to mitigate the consequence if the primary safety systems fail. The defense-in-depth echelons, namely the Control echelon, Reactor trip echelon, ESFAS echelon and Monitoring and indicator echelon, are arranged to build the sequence-tree structure. All the related I and C systems, including the digital systems and the analog back-up systems, are allocated in their specific echelons. This system-centric sequence-tree analysis not only systematically identifies preliminary hazards, but also vulnerabilities in a nuclear power plant. Hence, an effective simplified D3 evaluation can also be conducted

Seasonal patterns of carbon allocation to respiratory pools in 60-yr-old deciduous (Fagus sylvatica) and evergreen (Picea abies) trees assessed via whole-tree stable carbon isotope labeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuptz, Daniel; Fleischmann, Frank; Matyssek, Rainer; Grams, Thorsten E E

2011-07-01

• The CO(2) efflux of adult trees is supplied by recent photosynthates and carbon (C) stores. The extent to which these C pools contribute to growth and maintenance respiration (R(G) and R(M), respectively) remains obscure. • Recent photosynthates of adult beech (Fagus sylvatica) and spruce (Picea abies) trees were labeled by exposing whole-tree canopies to (13) C-depleted CO(2). Label was applied three times during the year (in spring, early summer and late summer) and changes in the stable C isotope composition (δ(13) C) of trunk and coarse-root CO(2) efflux were quantified. • Seasonal patterns in C translocation rate (CTR) and fractional contribution of label to CO(2) efflux (F(Label-Max)) were found. CTR was fastest during early summer. In beech, F(Label-Max) was lowest in spring and peaked in trunks during late summer (0.6 ± 0.1, mean ± SE), whereas no trend was observed in coarse roots. No seasonal dynamics in F(Label-Max) were found in spruce. • During spring, the R(G) of beech trunks was largely supplied by C stores. Recent photosynthates supplied growth in early summer and refilled C stores in late summer. In spruce, CO(2) efflux was constantly supplied by a mixture of stored (c. 75%) and recent (c. 25%) C. The hypothesis that R(G) is exclusively supplied by recent photosynthates was rejected for both species. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

Verification of annual growth rings in Egyptian trees by C-14 method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belacy, N.; Abou El-Nour, F.; Jacoby, G.C.

1990-01-01

Annual growth rings in trees were thought to be due to sharp seasonal variations in the precipitation rates during the year. Accordingly temperature zone trees such as Egyptian trees were supposed to be away from this phenomenon. The temperature zones which are meant here are those of no sharp seasonal variations in the precipitation rates. The present study applied carbon-14 dating to prove that the growth rings in some Egyptian trees are annual. The method was based on the tropospheric measurements of C-14 during the period 1954-1981. C-14 exhibited a sharp peak resulting from the ever greater series of nuclear tests during 1963-1965. The presence of this peak for Egyptian trees proved that they form annual growth rings. (orig.) [de

Fruit quality traits of ten California-grown pomegranate cultivars harvested over three months

Science.gov (United States)

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a deciduous tree crop. Its fruit are known to have relatively high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant properties. The USDA-ARS pomegranate germplasm collection maintains over 250 cultivars, but most have not been evaluated for optimal harvest...

Bundling harvester; Nippukorjausharvesteri

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koponen, K [Eko-Log Oy, Kuopio (Finland)

1997-12-31

The staring point of the project was to design and construct, by taking the silvicultural point of view into account, a harvesting and processing system especially for energy-wood, containing manually driven bundling harvester, automatizing of the harvester, and automatized loading. The equipment forms an ideal method for entrepreneur`s-line harvesting. The target is to apply the system also for owner`s-line harvesting. The profitability of the system promotes the utilization of the system in both cases. The objectives of the project were: to construct a test equipment and prototypes for all the project stages, to carry out terrain and strain tests in order to examine the usability and durability, as well as the capacity of the machine, to test the applicability of the Eko-Log system in simultaneous harvesting of energy and pulp woods, and to start the marketing and manufacturing of the products. The basic problems of the construction of the bundling harvester have been solved using terrain-tests. The prototype machine has been shown to be operable. Loading of the bundles to form sufficiently economically transportable loads has been studied, and simultaneously, the branch-biomass has been tried to be utilized without loosing the profitability of transportation. The results have been promising, and will promote the profitable utilization of wood-energy