<h1>       Sammanfattning</h1><p> </p><p>Björk kan ge ett bra virke och med undantag för sämre fukttålighet finns endast formella restriktioner i virkets användning i relation till tall och gran. Trots detta och trots att det finns gott om björkråvara i landet är den sågade och använda björkvolymen påfallande liten. Björken utgör därför en underskattad skoglig och industriell resurs vars utnyttjande skulle kunna öka kraftigt.</p><p> </p><p>Björken har varit ett lågprioriterat virke vilket sannolikt på grund av dålig skötsel påverkat kvalitén på våra nuvarande björkskogar och plantmaterialet. Det har också lett till att vi saknar tradition i vid mening att arbeta med björken. Forskning och utbildning fokuserar på barrvirke varför lövets, och då särskilt björkens möjligheter inte tillvaratas.</p><p> </p><p>Björken kräver andra skötselmetoder än barrträden men utnyttjas dessa finns förutsättningar att skapa bra produktionsskogar både med avseende på volym och kvalitet. Mer forskning behövs dock i frågan om betesskador och hur dessa kan reduceras. Bra björktimmer kan pris- och lönsamhetsmässigt vara intressantare för skogsägaren än motsvarande barrtimmer. Dessa kunskaper måste nå ut till skogsägarna för att de skall förstå att det finns attraktiva alternativ till att slentrianmässigt anlägga nya tall- eller granskogar efter en föryngringsavverkning. Utöver det goda arbetet som Skogsstyrelsen gör med allmänna skötselråd gällande björkskogen borde de mer aktivt arbeta med skogsägarna för att stimulera till ett mer kommersiellt utnyttjande av björken. Denna uppmaning gäller även andra berörda parter vilket inkluderar skogsägarens alla rådgivare.</p><p> </p><p>Den helt dominerande volymen av avverkad björk går i dagsläget till massabruken. Det finns flera skäl till detta. Ett kan vara att kvaliteten inte alltid svarar mot sågverkens krav men andra skäl är hanterings- och logistikproblem med att hantera små volymer sågtimmer och bristande kunskaper både hos skördarföraren och hos skogsägaren. Hade skogsägaren haft de goda förtjänstmöjligheterna på björktimmer klar för sig vid avverkningen hade han kunnat ge noggrannare instruktioner om hur björkvirket skulle hanteras.</p><p> </p><p>Sågverken som hanterar björk är få och relativt små. För en verklig volymproduktion av björktimmer behövs en resurs- och teknikutbyggnad. Vissa satsningar görs men mer behövs. Dessa satsningar måste göras utifrån ett verkligt marknadsmässigt perspektiv. Vem skall svara för nödvändiga investeringar? Var finns industrin, riskkapitalisterna och investerarna som är beredda att satsa på en fabrik för svensk björkplywood eller byggsystem som inkluderar björk? Lönsamheten är inget att skryta med och branschen utövar ingen stor lockelse för nya entreprenörer. Även här kommer marknadsaspekterna in. Det behövs industriell efterfrågan på stora volymer sågad björk för att konstituera en verklig marknad. För att skapa denna räcker det inte med en satsning på snickeriindustrin utan björk måste även i Sverige användas som ett naturligt virke i byggsammanhang. Boverket har här en nyckelroll och måste anpassa svenska normer till motsvarande europeiska så att det blir möjligt att interiört bygga också med björk. Vem driver den frågan? Vem stimulerar arkitekter och byggnadskonstruktörer till att bygga med björk? På samma sätt som det sätts upp priser för bästa trähus kunde det möjligen också skapas ett pris för bästa anläggning byggd i björk. Hur kan man skapa intresse hos en kommun, ett företag eller organisation att genomföra ett profilbygge i björk? Sveriges Träbyggnadskansli är en lämplig mottagare av detta budskap men det borde finnas fler.</p><p> </p><p>I takt med att skogens miljömål accentueras blir lövskogen än viktigare. Lika viktigt är då att alla parter samverkar för att skogsägaren som sköter sin lövskog på ett bra sätt skall få avsättning för sitt virke till acceptabla villkor. Skogsstyrelsen måste också ha en positiv syn på lövavverkningen och inte av miljöskäl i en framtid stoppa denna när den blir aktuell. Blotta misstanken hos skogsägaren att så kan bli fallet kommer att leda till ett minskat intresse för lövskogen.</p><p> </p><p>Lövträ är inget homogent begrepp och egenskaperna skiljer sig märkbart mellan t.ex. al, alm, ask, lönn å ena sidan och björk å den andra. Det finns ingen anledning att i detta sammanhang tala om björk i allmänna ordalag som ett lövträd utan björk är björk och inget annat och skall så behandlas.</p><p> </p><p>Sammanfattningsvis har vi gott om björk vars virke kan användas på mångahanda sätt. Att så inte sker kan inte förklaras av någon enstaka faktor. För att få en ändring till stånd krävs i första hand ett renodlat marknadsmässigt tänkesätt med ökad information och kunskap i alla led. Det talas om att skogsnäringen måste marknadsorientera sig i sin verksamhet. Detta gäller hela kedjan från skogsägaren till slutkonsumenten av skogsprodukten.</p><p> </p><p> </p> / <h1>Summary in English</h1><p> </p><p>Sweden is a forest country with a standing wood balance of more than 3 000 million m³sk. Pine and spruce are dominating species but there is also a wood balance of some 420 million m³sk of birch. Birch is offering excellent timber properties and is well matching both pine and spruce with the exception of its sensitivity to moisture. Despite of this, quite small quantities of birch timber are being used in Sweden. Most birch wood being cut is used for the production of paper and pulp (95%). Although the birch tree is an old species in Sweden it was during the 2000th century until the end of the 1970s treated as a weed and was struggled with by means of herbicides. Subsequently Sweden lost knowledge and experience in how to deal with this wood which in turn leads to a poor quality of now existing clumps of birch trees. Compared to coniferous trees little research has been done of broadleaf trees but it’s anyhow known that the clearing and thinning of birch trees have to be stricter than that of softwood. Birch trees have an interesting potential with a shorter production cycle than pine and spruce. Used for timber the yield for the forest owner could be quite interesting. Broadleaf trees are also playing an important role to improve the overall environment.</p><p> </p><p>To increase the use of birch wood more information about this specific timber has to be spread to all parties concerned. That involves owners of forest land, silviculture, sawmills, industry and distributors. Activities along the chain of actors have to be market oriented and include economic incentives for parties concerned. To be able to increase the volume of birch timber used new areas of deployment have to be found outside the traditional production of furniture etc. An interesting area is then the building industry.</p>

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-03-26T14:22:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 determinantes_variacao.pdf: 908319 bytes, checksum: 62b3232a58e65bb0e1abb6ef44b5c2bc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T14:22:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 determinantes_variacao.pdf: 908319 bytes, checksum: 62b3232a58e65bb0e1abb6ef44b5c2bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-21 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Uma variedade de fatores ambientais e bióticos afeta a produtividade florestal e determina o acúmulo de biomassa. Em ecossistemas florestais, o aumento da produtividade primária propicia o aumento da biomassa vegetal e consequentemente o aumento do carbono orgânico estocado. Dentre os fatores que influenciam a produção de biomassa, podemos citar temperatura, pluviosidade, tipo de solo, composição florística e regime de distúrbios. Nesse sentido, há o consenso entre pesquisadores de que o aumento da temperatura, a homogeneidade do regime de chuvas e solos férteis aumentam a produtividade e possibilitam um maior acúmulo de biomassa. Além disso, diversos autores propõem que riqueza e diversidade de espécies teriam efeito positivo sobre a biomassa, pois aumentariam a eficiência no uso dos recursos. Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar as variáveis que afetam a biomassa florestal viva acima do solo (BAS) na região subtropical do sul do Brasil, além de analisar a distribuição espacial das estimativas de biomassa em escala regional. O estudo foi realizado em Florestas Subtropicais Úmidas do sul do Brasil, classificadas como Florestas Latifoliadas (FL) e Florestas Mistas de Coníferas e Latifoliadas (FM). Um total de 38 parcelas de 1 ha foram selecionadas e todas as árvores com DAP ≥ 9,5 cm foram incluídas para as estimativas de biomassa. Valores de BAS foram obtidos utilizando equações alométricas já publicadas na literatura. As variáveis ambientais (altitude, precipitação, temperatura e tipo de solo) foram obtidas da literatura e as variáveis bióticas (densidade e diversidade) foram calculadas a partir da base de dados. Para o conjunto total de dados, a BAS média foi de 194,3 ± 116,8 Mg ha-1 (média ± DP) e a densidade média de carbono foi de 97,2 ± 58,4 MgC ha-1. As estimativas entre tipos florestais diferiram entre si (t= -4,598; p<0,001): a BAS média foi inferior em FL (AGBFL = 118,0 ± 58,4 Mg ha-1) quando comparada a FM (AGBFM = 249,8 ± 118,1 Mg ha-1). A análise de componentes principais executou de forma satisfatória a redução da base de dados de clima e de solo. A regressão múltipla explanatória explicou 49,8% da variação na BAS (Ylog biomassa = 0,03(0,49)xraiz densidade + 0,11(0,36)x eixo latitudinal - 0,22(-0,85)xeixo altitudinal - 0,03(-0,36)xdiversidade - 0,09(-0,35)xeixo matéria orgânica + 1,66; F5,32=8,34; p<0,001; r2=0,498). A altitude contribuiu mais para o modelo do que qualquer outra variável. Não foi encontrada dependência espacial entre as parcelas. Os resultados do nosso estudo mostram uma relação negativa entre biomassa acima do solo e altitude. Assim, valores elevados de BAS estão localizados em altitudes mais elevadas e sujeitos a temperaturas amenas e frequentes chuvas mensais. Parece haver uma contribuição importante da conífera Araucaria angustifolia nas parcelas de FM, visto que árvores de grande porte da espécie foram encontradas em inúmeras unidades amostrais. Florestas subtropicais parecem ser de grande interesse para o sequestro de carbono, especialmente em áreas de Florestas Mistas. No Brasil, a espécie de conífera ameaçada de extinção A. angustifolia compõe florestas com alta diversidade (Florestas com Araucária), com grande potencial de acúmulo de biomassa e sequestro de carbono, enfocando ainda mais a importância de conservação deste ecossistema. / A variety of environmental and biotic factors affect forest productivity and determines biomass accumulation. In forest ecosystems, the increase in primary productivity results in an increase in plant biomass and consequently elevates storage of organic carbon. Among the factors that influence biomass production, we should mention temperature, rainfall, soil type, floristic composition and disturbance regimes. It is widely accepted among researchers that increasing temperature, rainfall homogeneity and fertile soils increase productivity and enable higher biomass accumulation. Moreover, many authors indicate that species richness and diversity have a positive effect on biomass, because of the higher efficiency on resource use. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the variables affecting live aboveground forest biomass (AGB) in Subtropical Southern Brazil and analyze the spatial distribution of biomass estimates. The study was performed in Subtropical Moist Forests of Southern Brazil, classified as Broadleaf Forests (BF) and Mixed Coniferous-Broadleaf Forests (MF). A total of 38 1-ha plots were selected and all trees with DBH ≥ 9.5 cm were included for biomass estimation. Values for AGB were obtained using published alometric equations. Environmental variables (elevation, rainfall, temperature and soils) were obtained from the literature and biotic variables (density and diversity) were calculated from the data set. For the total number of plots, mean AGB was 194.3 ± 116.8 Mg ha-1 (mean ± SD) and mean carbon density 97.2 ± 58.4 MgC ha-1. Estimates differed between forest types (t= -4.598; p<0.001): mean AGB was lower in BF (AGBBF = 118.0 ± 58.4 Mg ha-1) when compared to MF (AGBMF = 249.8 ± 118.1 Mg ha-1). Principal component analysis performed well in summarizing climate and soil data sets. The explanatory multiple regression explained 49.8% of the variation in AGB (Ylog biomass = 0.03(0.49)xsqroot density + 0.11(0.36)x latitudinal axis - 0.22(-0.85)xelevation axis ? 0.03(-0.36)xdiversity - 0.09(-0.35)xorganic matter axis + 1.66; F5,32=8.34, p<0.001; r2=0.498). Elevation contributed more to the model than any other variable. There was no spatial dependency found between plots. The results from our study showed a negative relationship between aboveground biomass and elevation. Therefore, higher values of AGB are located at higher altitudes and subjected to cooler temperatures and frequent monthly rainfall. There seems to be an important contribution of the coniferous species Araucaria angustifolia in MF plots, since large trees of this species were found in many of the samples. Subtropical forests appear to be of great interest for carbon sequestration, especially in areas of Mixed Coniferous-Broadleaf Forests. In Brazil, the endangered coniferous species A. angustifolia is part of a high diversity forest (Araucaria Forest), with great potential for biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration, emphasizing the importance in conserving this ecosystem.

Despite extensive international acceptance of the critical role of mammalian post-dispersal seed predation in many plant communities, in New Zealand we have limited knowledge of these predators’ influence on plant recruitment in our forests. The principle objective of my thesis was to determine the importance of exotic mammals as post-dispersal seed predators in a New Zealand conifer-broadleaf forest remnant. To address this goal, I used a series of field-based experiments where the actions of different post-dispersal seed predators were separated by wire-mesh exclosures. My study was conducted at Mount Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve, South Canterbury, New Zealand. Being a human modified conifer forest currently dominated by broadleaf species, it is typical of forest remnants in New Zealand. This presented an opportunity to study a wide range of both potential post-dispersal seed predators and broadleaf tree species. My findings indicate that exotic mammals are not only post-dispersal seed predators at Peel Forest, but are responsible for the majority of post-dispersal predation events observed. Ship rats (Rattus rattus) were the dominant post-dispersal seed predators, while brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), house mice (Mus musculus) and native invertebrates were also important post-dispersal seed predators for several tree species. Through use of time-lapse video and cafeteria experiments I found that exotic mammalian seed predators, when compared to native invertebrate seed predators, preyed upon larger-seeded plant species and were responsible for considerable seed losses of several tree species. However, exotic mammalian seed predators do share several foraging characteristics with native invertebrate seed predators, as predators foraged in similar habitats and responded in a similar way to changes in seed density. In investigating if post-dispersal seed predation by mammals had a flow-on effect to plant recruitment, I observed natural seedling densities at Peel Forest were significantly higher in the absence of mammalian seed predators, but I found no evidence that the presence of mammals significantly altered the overall species richness. At the community level, I did not find an interaction between habitat and exotic mammals, however I present evidence that for individual plant species a significant mammal : habitat interaction occurred. Consequently, even though my cafeteria experiment implied there was no significant difference in the overall amount of seed preyed upon within different habitats, the less favourable microsite conditions for germination under an intact continuous canopy allows mammals to exacerbate habitat-related patterns of seed mortality and have a noticeable effect on seedling establishment. In an effort to validate the use of manipulative experiments to predict the long-term effect of post-dispersal seed predation on plant dynamics, I attempted to link results of my cafeteria experiment with observed seedling abundance at Peel Forest. Seven tree species were used in this comparison and a strong correlation was observed. This result shows that the level of post-dispersal seed predation determined in the cafeteria experiment provided a good predictor of the effect of mammalian post-dispersal seed predation on seedling establishment. To fully gauge the impact of mammalian post-dispersal seed predators on seedling establishment, the relationship between these seed predators and the type of recruitment limitation experienced by a plant species was also investigated. By using a combination of seed addition, plot manipulations and seed predator exclusion I was able to investigate this relationship. I found evidence that seed limitation at Peel Forest is positively correlated with seed size, and that while mammalian post-dispersal seed predators can further reduce plant recruitment of plant species experiencing seed limitation, the influence of mammals in determining plant recruitment was limited for plant species experiencing microsite limitation. My study has proven that exotic mammals are now the dominant post-dispersal seed predators at Peel Forest, the amount of seed preyed upon varies among plant species, and post-dispersal seed predation by mammalian species can lead to differences in seedling richness and abundance. I proved that the influence of exotic mammals on seedling establishment is also linked to habitat structure and recruitment limitations. When combined these observations suggest that exotic mammalian post-dispersal seed predators may play an important role in determining landscape abundance and distribution of plants at Peel Forest.

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Les changements environnementaux à l’échelle globale peuvent se traduire par une modification des conditions abiotiques et de la diversité biologique. La fonction de production des écosystèmes forestiers a la particularité d'être à la fois soumise à, et régulatrice de ces changements environnementaux. Il apparaît alors primordial de comprendre la manière dont la diversité en essences et les facteurs abiotiques exercent le contrôle de cette fonction. Au cours de mes travaux j’ai étudié la variation de l'effet du mélange d’essences sur leur productivité dans un contexte climatique et édaphique changeant. Grâce à une double approche, basée sur des données locales et des données de l'Inventaire forestier national, je me suis concentrée sur cinq espèces forestières européennes majeures en peuplements purs et bispécifiques : Quercus petraea, Pinus sylvestris, Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba et Picea abies. En plaine je montre que l'effet du mélange d’essences varie peu avec les facteurs abiotiques. De plus cet effet est déterminé par la tolérance à l'ombrage de l'espèce accompagnatrice. En montagne l’effet du mélange d’essences sur leur productivité est plus fort et positif lorsque les facteurs abiotiques sont les plus limitants pour la croissance. Ces résultats illustrent l’intérêt d'intégrer les facteurs abiotiques et les caractéristiques fonctionnelles des espèces comme déterminants de l'effet de la diversité biologique sur les fonctions de l'écosystème. / Global environmental changes may lead to a modification of abiotic factors and biological diversity. The production function in forest ecosystems has the particularity to be both subjected to, and a regulator of, these environmental changes. Understanding how forest productivity is driven by species diversity and environmental factors is therefore a critical issue. This PhD thesis studies how tree species mixture affects their productivity along edaphic and climatic gradients. Based on an approach using both an original dataset and the national forest inventory dataset, I focused on five major species of European forests in pure and two-species forests: Quercus petraea, Pinus sylvestris, Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba and Picea abies. In lowlands, abiotic factors had little impacts on the outcome of tree species mixture on productivity. In addition, the effect of tree species mixture was determined by the shade tolerance of companion species. In highlands, the positive effects of tree species mixture were strongest when the abiotic factors were the most limiting for growth. These results highlight the importance of considering abiotic factors and the functional characteristics of species as drivers of the effect of biological diversity on ecosystem functions.

Forests affect climate by absorbing CO₂ but also by altering albedo, latent heat flux, and sensible heat flux. In this study we used the Community Earth System Model to assess the biophysical effect of North American temperate forests on climate and how this effect changes with location, tree type, and forest management. We calculated the change in annual temperature and energy balance associated with afforestation with either needle leaf evergreen trees (NET) or broadleaf deciduous trees (BDT) and between forests with high and low leaf-area indices (LAI). Afforestation from crops to forests resulted in lower albedo and higher sensible heat flux but no consistent difference in latent heat flux. Forests were consistently warmer than crops at high latitudes and colder at lower latitudes. In North America, the temperature response from afforestation shifted from warming to cooling between 34° N and 40° N for ground temperature and between 21° N and 25° N for near surface air temperature. NET tended to have lower albedo, higher sensible heat flux and warmer temperatures than BDT. The effect of tree PFT was larger than the effect of afforestation in the south and in the mid-Atlantic. Increasing LAI, a proxy for increased management intensity, caused a cooling effect in both tree types, but NET responded more strongly and albedo decreased while albedo increased for BDT. Our results show that forests' location, tree type, and management intensity can have nearly equal biophysical effects on temperature. A forest will have maximum biophysical cooling effect if it is in the south, composed of broadleaf PFT, and is managed to maximize leaf area index. / Master of Science

L'association mycorhizienne implique nombre de plantes et de champignons, étant sans doute la symbiose mutualiste la plus importante et la plus répandue au sein des écosystèmes terrestres. Étant donné que la plupart des arbres forment des mycorhizes arbusculaires ou des ectomycorhizes qui se distinguent par leur écophysiologie, il est judicieux de caractériser les forêts en fonction de leur dominance mycorhizienne afin d'en mesurer les impacts sur les processus écologiques. Ainsi, l'objectif de cette thèse est de quantifier les influences de la dominance mycorhizienne en forêt sur les propriétés abiotiques et biotiques du sol ayant un impact à l'échelle locale sur deux processus associés : la décomposition de la matière organique et la régulation de la diversité végétale. Les forêts étudiées, de dominance mycorhizienne très contrastée, présentent des propriétés physico-chimiques et des communautés microbiennes distinctes au niveau du sol, mais des patrons de distribution verticale des microorganismes du sol d'une similarité inattendue. Dans ces forêts nordiques décidues, la décomposition de la matière organique est favorisée dans les couches supérieures du sol, notamment grâce à la présence du réseau fongique et d'autant plus lorsque les ectomycorhizes prédominent, ce qui prouve l'aspect déterminant du contexte local. L'établissement d'arbres mycorhiziens arbusculaires peut être limité par la combinaison des conditions abiotiques et biotiques édaphiques de la forêt boréale, qui est dominée par les ectomycorhizes, contrairement aux forêts à dominance partagée entre mycorhize arbusculaire et ectomycorhize, où la diversité est favorisée à l'échelle de la communauté. Cette thèse démontre le rôle déterminant, au niveau local, exercé par la dominance mycorhizienne sur les processus écologiques, et soulève l'importance de l'hétérogénéité biotique et abiotique du sol pour mieux saisir le fonctionnement des écosystèmes terrestres. / Mycorrhizas, which involve plants and fungi, are probably the most important and widespread mutual symbioses in terrestrial ecosystems. Since most trees form arbuscular mycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizas that are ecophysiologically distinct from each other, it is useful to characterize forests according to their mycorrhizal dominance in order to measure their respective impacts on ecological processes. The objective of this thesis is to quantify the impacts of forest mycorrhizal dominance on the abiotic and biotic properties of the soil, which influence at the local scale two associated processes: the decomposition of organic matter and the maintenance of plant diversity. The forests studied have opposite mycorrhizal dominance exhibit distinct soil physico-chemical properties and microbial communities, but more similar vertical distribution patterns of microorganisms than expected. Decomposition is favored by organic matter in the upper soil layers, but also by the presence of the fungal network, especially when ectomycorrhizas predominate, illustrating the importance of the local environmental context. Establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal tree may be limited by the combination of abiotic and biotic edaphic factors of the boreal forest, which is ectomycorrhizal-dominated, in contrast to forests with shared dominance between arbuscular mycorrhizas and ectomycorrhizas, where tree species diversity is favored at the community level. This thesis demonstrates the decisive role, at the local scale, played by mycorrhizal dominance on ecological processes, and raises the importance of soil biotic and abiotic heterogeneity to better understand the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.