This thesis focuses on reconstructing past temperatures using Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) tree-ring chronologies developed from Scotland. The research aims to fill a spatial and temporal gap in understanding northwest European climate dynamics, thus providing the context for assessing future climate changes in this region. Development of both a spatially complete reconstruction from an extensive network of 44 'living' Scottish tree-ring chronologies for the last few centuries, but also a near-millennium length chronology from central Scotland using mainly lake-derived 'subfossil' wood material was undertaken. Before reconstruction development, a combination of treegrowth modelling and disturbance removal methodologies was utilised in order to understand the drivers of pine growth in the Scottish Highlands, and to assess and remove anthropogenic disturbance and other non-climatic influences on growth. The advantages and limitations of utilising the relatively new 'Blue Intensity' (BI) parameter was also explored and assessed, particularly in relation to its possible utilization as a more affordable surrogate for maximum latewood density in the development of temperature reconstructions and for crossdating validation of undated samples. Although BI showed much promise for dendroclimatology, elimination of low frequency biases resulting from sample discolouration still requires further attention. Chronologies from the Cairngorms in central Scotland were identified as most suitable for reconstruction development, while reconstructions based on chronologies from other areas in the west were found to be weaker due to a range of factors including disturbance. In order to maximise reconstruction strength, BI and ring width (RW) data were combined to produce composite high-frequency BI / low-frequency RW chronologies. Although it was possible to develop an ~800 year reconstruction of temperature from central Scotland, there is substantial potential to further extend this reconstruction back in time.

For several decades, Moose population (Alces alces) in Sweden has been growing considerably. This increase has resulted in a greater impact and damage in trees, especially in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) which is the basis of Swedish forestry and, therefore the economical losses are considerable. For this reason, for several years, to know Moose feeding behaviour and to look for measures to reduce it is impact on forestry have marked the guidelines of research. The Moose damages the pine mainly in winter, when there are no herbaceous plants and deciduous trees to eat. This project has focused on reducing the moose damage from a biodiversity point of view, following a line similar to the "Optimal forage theory". According to this theory, a moose selects the food according to the composition and the richness of the species. Results have conducted to relation plant-richness with Moose Browsing Damage on Scots pine and with more abundance of trees around a Scots pine, Moose Browsing Damage decreases considerably. In this project I also study the association between Moose activity and the plant-richness. Both (Moose Browsing damage on Scots pine and Moose activity) were tested with Shannon´s and Simpson´s index, two biodiversity indexes. The amount of different plants species nearby a Scots pine were measured and studied, as well. Also, I did the Pearson´s coefficient as an initial relationship between the variables (and observed if it is negative or positive) and ANOVA analysis. Although the conclusions weren´t as clear as I expected, in my opinion this study offered another tool to reduce the before mentioned impact.

Abstract Natural selection, mutation, recombination, demographic history and chance all have a role in evolution. In natural populations, the outcome of these forces is seen as adaptations, differences between geographic varieties, and as genetic diversity in populations—both at the phenotypic and molecular levels. In this thesis I wanted to examine the roles of the evolutionary forces shaping molecular genetic diversity in trees, with emphasis on a boreal conifer, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Phylogeographic history and past population size changes have a dominant role in molecular diversity of P. sylvestris. The effect of the Last Glacial Maximum (37 000–16 000) was observed in the distribution of mitochondrial DNA variation. In contrast, nuclear DNA was not much affected by the last glacial period. Instead, more ancient demographic events that took place millions of years ago can still be observed in the variation of P. sylvestris nuclear DNA. Not much evidence of positive natural selection was found in pines or trees in general. This is in contrast to strong natural selection that is observed at the phenotypic level. Positive selection is difficult to prove, especially when the genome is still affected by demographic history. Mutation–drift equilibrium may rarely be reached in tree populations.

For twenty years after 1888, the British Government conducted an experiment in colonisation on the Canadian prairies. Hoping to avoid a radical redistribution of land to alleviate distress and disorder in Scotland's Western Islands, the Salisbury Government attempted an emigrationist policy. In 1888 it authorised the expenditure of public funds to establish colonies of Highlanders in Manitoba and Assiniboia. Adverse economic and climatic conditions combined with inadequate planning to severely hamper the progress of the settlements. Problems associated with administration from London compounded existing difficulties. By 1893, a Liberal administration less inclined to favour state-aided emigration abandoned all commitments to such schemes on the basis of the experience of the struggling Highland settlements. The Canadian Government was unable to adopt a consistent policy toward the British scheme. The Department of the Interior was frequently at variance with the Office of the Canadian High Commissioner in London. The settlements received much publicity and required much administrative attention before the British Government, with financial integrity, was able to conclude the settlement scheme in 1908. It is argued that the experience of the Canadian settlements played a far larger role in determining British policy toward state-aided colonisation than has previously been acknowledged. It is maintained that the publicised difficulties of the settlements contributed to the Canadian perception that British agriculturalists made unsatisfactory settlers and to the subsequent policy preference for continental European emigrants. It is suggested that the episode stands in sharp contrast to the orthodox view of the Scottish experience in Canadian historical writing / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

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Betesskador kostar Sveriges skogsbruk stora summor varje år orsakade av älgbland annat. Vargens återkomst och mänsklig jakt har stor påverkan på älgpopulationen och trots en minskad älgstam så visade studier på att betesskadorna var oförändrade och till och med ökade. Studiens syfte var att utreda om man med hjälp av befintlig statistik från älgbetesinventeringar, avskjutningsstatistik för älg samt varginventering bekräfta att betesskadorna borde minskat i områden med vargrevir. Någon statistisk signifikans kunde inte bekräfta att betesskadorna minskade inom vargrevir och en trolig förklaring var stora mellanårsvariationer i älgbetesinventeringen samt för få variabler.Största anledningen till betesskador verkade mera bero på skogsbruket och skogens sammansättning och inte på hur mycket älg det fanns, trots stor predation och jakt så minskade inte betesskadorna.

Acetylation of wood is a modification technique that chemically alters the wood substance and enhances several properties of wood. The basic principle is to impregnate wood with acetic anhydride to react and replace OH-groups with acetyl groups in the wood cell wall. In this way, the hygroscopicity of the modified wood is significantly reduced resulting in increased dimensional stability and durability compared with unmodified wood.The objective of this work was to study finger-jointing of acetylated Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) using a conventional melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) adhesive. Two different types of acetylated pine specimens were investigated, acetylated pine sapwood (APS) and acetylated juvenile pine (AJP), the latter originating from young forest thinning trees (ca 20-30 years). The goal was to evaluate the bending strength, i.e. modulus of rupture (MOR), of such finger-jointed samples, in particular when the acetylated wood was combined with unmodified wood, in this case, Norway spruce (Picea Abies L. Karst) (US). The finger-jointing were performed at Moelven Töreboda by applying their existing industrial procedures. In total, five different of finger jointed sample groups were prepared combining the different specimens: APS-APS, AJP-AJP, US-US, APS-US, and AJP-US. Standardized procedures were used to determine the MOR of the finger-jointed samples, both unexposed at the factory condition state and after a water-soaking-drying cycle. In addition, the experiments also included determination of the moisture content (MC), density, and modulus of elasticity (MOE) (in bending along the grain) of the individual specimens.At the unexposed state, the APS-APS samples showed the highest MOR of 63,1 MPa, while those of the AJP-AJP showed the lowest value of 42,4 MPa. The corresponding values for the US-US, AJP-US and APS-US samples was 56,7, 47,5 and 46,9 MPa, respectively. In contrast to a typical wood failure for the US-US samples, a low amount of wood failure was observed in all cases involving the acetylated wood, indicating a low adhesive anchoring in the wood substrate at the finger-joint, although a surprisingly high strength was obtained for the APS-APS samples. A significantly lower MC content of 4,9 % and a remarkably low value of 1,7 %, was found for the APS and AJP, respectively, compared with 9,2% for the US. The significantly lower MC combined with an assumed increased hydrophobicity of the acetylated wood possible causes a less effective MUF-wood bonding, or adhesion, compared with that of the unmodified wood. Possible, so-called over penetration of the MUF resin in the acetylated wood could also be an explanation for the poor wood-adhesive anchoring. The MOE of the individual APS, AJP and US specimens was 12,6, 8,3 and 11,4 GPa, respectively, indicating a significantly lower mechanical performance of AJP, and hence also of finger-joints of AJP, despite its very low MC, possible due to a higher microfibril angle in the cell walls in juvenile wood compared with mature wood. No clear correlation was found between the MOR and density of the acetylated samples.For the samples exposed to a water-soak-drying cycle, the highest MOR, and lowest reduction of 14 % compared with the unexposed state, was obtained for the US-US samples, whereas all samples involving the acetylated wood showed a distinctly higher reduction. The MOR of the AJP-AJP and AJP-US samples were reduced with 47 % and 50 %, respectively, while the MOR of the APS-APS and APS-US samples were reduced with 43 % and 23 %, respectively. It should be emphasized, however, that after the standard drying-time, which was the same for all samples, the acetylated samples, compared with the untreated ones, did not dry out to the same level as for the dry unexposed state, i.e. the acetylated samples had a high MC of ca 30-40% in these MOR tests. This high MC level could be the main reason for the dramatic strength losses. Furthermore, a less efficient wood-MUF adhesion as well as the drying under acidic conditions may also be possible causes for the reduced bending strength of the finger-jointed samples with acetylated wood.

Linguistic identities and ideologies of Irish and Ulster-Scots speakers in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) are examined through a focus on rampant sectarianism during the violent 30 years known as “The Troubles”. Seven historical events are reviewed such as the 1798 Ulster Rebellion, the Great Irish Famine, the failed Easter Rising of 1916 and the political ideology of Orangeism in the geopolitical landscape of NI. John Hewitt’s The Rhyming Weavers (1974) and Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh’s work, Language, Resistance, and Revival: Republican Prisoners and the Irish Language in the North of Ireland (2013) represent the development of resistant and covert identities through Irish and Ulster-Scots language “code” and the creation of prison Gaeltachts with fáinnes as symbols of pride and connectivity. The Ulster Weaver Poets affirmed that “death would be welcome” opposed to a life on the weaving loom under British imperialistic rule while the Republican Irish prisoners “preferred to face death rather than be classed as criminals'' by the British hierarchy (Coogan 1980, 159; Mac Ionnrachtaigh 2013, 134). Brian Friel’s Translations (1980), Hugo Hamilton’s The Speckled People (2003), and Ciarán Collins’ The Gamal (2013) highlight unexpected and disheartening consequences of identity loss and entrapment for characters in ROI as Irish discourse usage is a barrier to fulfillment as well as viewed as violent and dangerous. Commonality in narrative expression is the preoccupation with self-sacrifice, martyrship, and death to reinforce the “authentic” citizen true to Ireland’s future. Newspaper articles, editorial comments, and personal opinion narratives from seven news publications from NI and the ROI are discussed. Whom the languages actually “belong” to— political parties such as Sinn Féin or community members is difficult because roles are intricately interwoven. The Troubles and Brexit have emphasized the hybridity of identities of Britishness and Irishness and subsequent linguistic choices and realities for all citizens of Ireland. All narratives firmly establish that understanding the languages as a form of linguistic resistance to a silencing of a traumatic past, regardless of political positioning or linguistic ideology, are foundational in solutions for the future survival and maintenance of these languages, not to mention social, cultural, and personal healing.