Eine ideale und fehlerfreie Oberfläche ist absolut plan, selbst künstlich ist sie mit modernster Fertigungstechnik nicht herstellbar. Im Vergleich zu dieser theoretischen Idealoberfläche zeichnen sich insbesondere natürliche Stoffe wie Holz oder auch Holzwerkstoffe durch vielfältige Gestaltsabweichungen aus (Rauhigkeit, Welligkeit, Form). Zu den wichtigsten Kenngrößen zur Charakterisierung der Oberflächeneigenschaften von Holzwerkstoffen gehört die Oberflächen-Rauhigkeit. Hohe Oberflächen-Rauhigkeiten von Rohplatten können sich auf die Beschichtungsqualität negativ auswirken. Insbesondere kann sich durch Beschichtung sehr rauher Rohplatten mit dünnen Beschichtungsmaterialien die Oberflächentextur der Rohplatte durch die Folie abzeichnen, was letztendlich zu Reklamationen seitens der Kunden führen würde. Andererseits bietet eine zu glatte Oberfläche womöglich zu wenige Haftungspunkte für eine Beschichtung mit Folien bzw. für die Haftung von Farben und Lacken.Der Grad der Oberflächen-Rauhigkeit von Holzwerkstoffen ist von mehreren Faktoren abhängig. Zu den wichtigsten zählen die Eigenschaften des eingesetzten Rohstoffs (Holzart, Spanfraktion und Spangeometrie bei Spanplatten, Faserfraktion bei mitteldichten Faserplatten (MDF)), die Herstellungsbedingungen beim Pressen der Platten (Feuchtegehalt beim Pressen, Bindemittelart und -menge, Presszeit) sowie die verwendete Körnung beim Schleifen der Platten.Die gebräuchlichste Methode zur Charakterisierung der Rauhigkeit von Oberflächen wie Metallen, Holz und Holzwerkstoffen ist das sog. Tastschnittverfahren (Kontaktverfahren) gemäß DIN 4768. Nachteilig an diesem Verfahren ist der relativ hohe Zeitaufwand zur Durchführung der Messungen, sowie die relativ eingeschränkte Aussagekraft des Verfahrens, da von nur jeweils einer geringen Anzahl kurzer Tastschnittstrecken auf der Werkstoffoberfläche auf das gesamte Oberflächenprofil (Gesamtfläche) des zu prüfenden Werkstoffes geschlossen wird.Es überrascht deshalb nicht, dass in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten viel Forschungsarbeit auf dem Gebiet der Entwicklung alternativer und effizienterer optischer Messverfahren (Bildanalyseverfahren) geleistet wurde. Mit Hilfe optischer Messverfahren kann die Oberflächestruktur von Prüfkörpern bestimmt und charakterisiert werden. Das Messprinzip beruht darauf, dass von einer Lichtquelle aus gebündeltes Licht mit einem definierten Winkel auf eine Werkstoffoberfläche gestrahlt wird. Das Licht wird in Abhängigkeit von der Textur der Oberfläche (Oberflächen-Rauhigkeit) mehr oder weniger stark gestreut bzw. abgelenkt und von einem Lichtdetektor einer analogen Kamera teilweise wieder aufgefangen. Der Grad der Lichtstreuung ist eine Funktion der Oberflächen-Rauhigkeit des zu prüfenden Werkstoffs. Das von der Oberfläche reflektierte Licht wird in Videosignale (Grauwerte) digital konvertiert und statistisch ausgewertet. Optische Messmethoden haben u. a. den Vorteil, dass sie Messzeit ersparen, Material schonend arbeiten, sowie große Datenmengen bezogen auf eine relativ große Untersuchungsfläche liefern.

Die Bedeutung der Materialwahl für den Bau und die Erhaltung von ungebundenen Deckschichten im Waldwegebau ist in den letzten Jahren in den Blickpunkt einer, in Sachfragen des Umwelt- und Naturschutzes sensibilisierten Öffentlichkeit gerückt. Die vorliegende Untersuchung hat das Ziel, die wichtigsten, "kardinalen" Aspekte, nämlich Technik, Ökologie und Ökonomie im Hinblick auf die Auswahl der für ungebundene Deckschichten zu verwendenden Gesteinskörnungen zu untersuchen und in einer synoptischen Betrachtung zusammenfließen zu lassen. Die Untersuchung gliedert sich in die fünf Hauptkapitel:Technischer Teil Im technischen Teil wird die Resistenz verschiedener Deckschichtmaterialien im Hinblick auf Schlagabriebbelastungen und Frosteinwirkungen untersucht. Hierzu werden Prüfverfahren des klassifizierten Straßenbaues an Deckschichtmaterialien für Waldwege angewendet und die Bedeutung der Regelwerke des klassifizierten Straßenbaues für die Materialwahl im Waldwegebau untersucht und erläutert.Ökologischer Teil Stoffe aus dem Wegekörper, insbesondere Feinmaterial aus ungebundenen Deckschichtmaterialien, können das Umfeld des Weges beeinflussen. Die mögliche Veränderung des an die Waldwege angrenzenden Standorts wird mit Hilfe von pflanzensoziologischen Untersuchungen und ökochemischen Analysen des Wegematerials untersucht.Ökonomischer Teil Die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Materialwahl unter der Annahme differierender Instandsetzungszeiträume wird mit Hilfe der dynamischen Investitionsrechnung untersucht.Exkurs zum Thema "Recyclingbaustoffe" Die Frage, inwieweit güteüberwachte Recyclingbaustoffe und industrielle Nebenprodukte eine technische Alternative zur Wahl natürlicher Gesteine für ungebundene Wegedecken im Wald darstellen, wird vor dem Hintergrund der rechtlichen und wasserwirtschaftlichen Regelungen untersucht.Synoptische Diskussion In einer Zusammenschau der vorgenannten Aspekte werden, in Abhängigkeit von der Vielfalt der Waldstandorte, der forstlichen wie auch der naturschützerischen Belange, Empfehlungen zur Materialwahl formuliert.

O bioma da Mata Atlântica foi reduzido a apenas 7,4% de sua cobertura original, sendo o principal motivo a ocupação humana. No estado do Paraná restaram, com exceção da vegetação da Serra do Mar e do Parque Nacional do Iguaçu (PNI), poucos fragmentos pequenos, que necessitam de aumento da conectividade em escala de paisagem, o que requer a ampliação da cobertura florestal nativa. Esta ampliação pode se dar por meio da regeneração espontânea de florestas nativas, fenômeno aqui tratado sob a designação restauração passiva. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o estrato regenerante de uma floresta secundária em restauração passiva, sítio em restauração (pasto abandonado há 25 anos), por meio de comparação com o estrato regenerante da floresta primária do PNI, sítio de referência. Para isso, os atributos considerados foram estruturais: densidade, altura da planta e diâmetro à altura do solo – DAS; de diversidade: riqueza e diversidade de espécies; funcionais: distribuição de frequência de síndromes de dispersão para indivíduos e espécies e proporção de espécies e de indivíduos de espécies não-pioneiras; e a composição florística. Em cada sítio foram demarcadas 30 parcelas circulares de 10 m2 cada e coletados dados dos indivíduos arbustivos e arbóreos com DAP < 5 cm e altura maior do que 50 cm. Foram coletadas amostras botânicas para posterior identificação em laboratório através da comparação com material de herbário. Foram registrados 589 indivíduos no sítio em restauração distribuídos em 43 espécies, e 831 indivíduos no sítio de referência distribuídos em 48 espécies. As espécies mais abundantes no sítio em restauração foram Parapiptadenia rigida (Benth.) Brenan e Pombalia bigibbosa (A.St.- Hil.) Paula-Souza, com 236 e 133 indivíduos, respectivamente, e a mais abundante no sítio de referência foi Sorocea bonplandii (Baill.) W.C.Burger et al., com 182 indivíduos. Foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas na altura da planta, densidade, diversidade, representatividade de indivíduos de espécies zoocóricas, proporção de indivíduos de espécies não-pioneiras e na composição florística. Com exceção da variável altura da planta que foi maior no sítio em restauração, as demais variáveis quantitativas tiveram valores maiores no sítio de referência. As diferenças entre os sítios, pode se dever a alguns filtros restritivos, como mais luminosidade, maior efeito de borda, condições edáficas menos favoráveis e falta de conectividade e de atrativos para dispersores de sementes no sítio em restauração. Conclui-se que, após 25 anos, o processo de restauração passiva resultou em uma floresta cujo estrato regenerante ainda é consideravelmente distinto do verificado em floresta primária, evidenciando a importância da conservação de remanescentes de floresta primária. Contudo, as semelhanças encontradas denotam que a floresta restaurada se encontra numa trajetória sucessional adequada, o que, demonstra um elevado potencial de aplicação da restauração passiva na região das áreas de estudo. / The Atlantic forest biome has been reduced to only 7.4% of its original coverage, being the main reason the human occupation. In the state of Paraná remained, with exception of the vegetation of the Serra do Mar and of the Iguaçu National Park (PNI), few small fragments, which require the increasing of connectivity on a landscape scale, requiring the expansion of native forest cover. This expansion can be through the spontaneous regeneration of native forests, a phenomenon here treated as passive restoration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the regenerative stratum of a secondary forest in passive restoration, site in restoration (pasture abandoned for 25 years), through comparison with the regeneration stratum of primary forest of the PNI, reference site. For this, the attributes considered were structural: density, plant height and diameter at height of soil – DHS; of diversity: species richness and species diversity; functional: frequency distribution of dispersal syndromes for individuals and species and proportion of non pioneer species and of individuals of non pioneer species; and the floristic composition. In each site were demarcated 30 circular plots 10 m2 each and collected data from shrub and tree individuals with DBH < 5 cm and height greater than 50 cm. Botanical samples were collected for later identification in laboratory by comparing with herbarium material. 589 individuals distributed in 43 species were recorded in the restoration site and 831 individuals distributed in 48 species were recorded in the reference site. The most abundant species in the restoration site were Parapiptadenia rigida (Benth.) Brenan and Pombalia bigibbosa (A. St.-Hil.) Paula-Souza, with 236 and 133 individuals, respectively, and the most abundant in the reference site was Sorocea bonplandii (Baill.) W.C. Burger et al. with 182 individuals. Statistically significant differences were found in plant height, density, diversity, representativeness of individuals of zoochoric species, proportion of individuals of non pioneer species and floristic composition. With the exception of the variable plant height which was greater in the restoration site, other quantitative variables had larger values in the reference site. The differences between the sites may be due to some restrictive filters such as more luminosity, greater edge effect, less favorable edaphic conditions and lack of connectivity and of attractive for seed dispersers in the restoration site. We concluded that, after 25 years, the passive restoration process resulted in a forest whose regeneration stratum is still pretty distinct from verified in primary forest, highlighting the importance of the conservation of remnants of primary forest. However, the similarities found denote that the restored forest successional trajectory is appropriate, what, demonstrates a high potential for application of passive restoration in the region of the study areas.

O estudo teve por objetivo analisar alguns aspectos de dinâmica florestal que pudessem ser utilizados no monitoramento de áreas restauradas. O plantio destas áreas foi baseado no mesmo modelo de restauração. Tal modelo está fundamentado em conceitos de sucessão secundária, utilização preferencial de espécies nativas regionais, e parâmetros de densidade dos indivíduos conforme encontrado para os remanescentes florestais da região. A primeira área (área A) está situada a margem esquerda do rio Piracicaba, na área urbana deste município. No plantio desta área foram utilizadas 35 espécies. Esta área foi plantada em 1991, estando com 10 anos na época em que foi realizado o estudo. A segunda área (área B) está situada às margens da represa de abastecimento municipal de Iracemápolis. O plantio desta área, onde foram utilizadas 140 espécies, teve início em 1987 apresentando, aproximadamente, 14 anos na época em que foi realizado o estudo. Em cada uma destas áreas, foram instaladas 10 parcelas de 10 x 10m, dentro das quais foram alocadas, de forma aleatória, 9 subparcelas para avalição dos indicadores selecionados. O banco de sementes foi avaliado mediante 30 amostras de solo em subparcelas de 0,25 x 0,25m realizadas nas estações chuvosa e seca de 2001. A chuva de sementes foi quantificada mensalmente através da amostra do material depositado em 30 coletores de 0,5 x 0,5m. Para a amostragem do estrato de regeneração foi realizado o levantamento de todos os indivíduos entre 0,30 e 2m presentes dentro de 30 subparcelas de 1 x 1m. O banco de sementes da área A apresentou densidade média de 328,53 sementes.m -2 na estação chuvosa e de 245,87 sementes.m -2 na seca. Na área B a densidade encontrada nas amostras do banco de sementes foi 1.131,73 sementes. m -2 na estação chuvosa e 685,30 sementes.m -2 na estação seca. Não foi verificada variação sazonal no banco de sementes para as duas áreas. A maior parte das espécies encontradas no banco foi caracterizada como herbácea. Na análise da chuva de sementes foram verificadas variações sazonais na frutificação e espaciais na dispersão das sementes. A densidade média de sementes depositadas no período de um ano foi de 591,33 sementes.m -2. A maior porcentagem de indivíduos depositado nos coletores apresentou síndrome de dispersão zoocórica. Espécies iniciais foram predominantes na chuva de sementes. O estrato de regeneração da área A apresentou baixa riqueza de espécies, sendo a maior parte dos indivíduos amostrados pertencentes a uma única espécie, Leucaena leucochephala. Nesta área foram encontrada apenas 2 espécies e a densidade obtida foi inferior a um. Na área B foram encontradas 15 espécies de 11 famílias, sendo a densidade média obtida igual 1 indivíduo.m -2. Os resultados indicam que na área B foi possível criar uma ambiente favorável a regeneração natural e que na área A esta regeneração pode estar sendo limitada em função da agressividade e atividade alelopática da Leucaena leucocephala. Também o número inicial das espécies, a idade e o tamanho das áreas, a qualidade do terreno e a intensidade de manejos anteriores podem influenciar este resultado. Dentre os indicadores selecionados, o estrato de regeneração foi o mais confiável para o monitoramento das áreas. / The study was seeking to analyze some aspects of forestry dynamics that could be used in monitoring restored areas. The planting of these areas was based on the same restoration models. Such models are based in concepts of secondary succession, regional native species preferential usage and density parameters of the individuals as it's found for the forestry remains in the region. The first area (A) is located at the left margin of the Piracicaba River, in the urban area of this town. In the planting of this area 35 species were used. The area was planted in 1991, being 10 years old by the time of the study. The second area (B) is located at the margins of the city water supply dam in Iracemápolis. The planting of this area, where 140 species were used, began in 1987, being around 14 years old when the study was performed. In each of these areas, ten 10 x 10m parcels were installed, inside of which nine sub-parcels for evaluating the selected indicators were randomly placed. The seed bank was evaluated by 30 soil samples in 0,25 x 0,25m sub-parcels, performed in the dry and wet seasons in 2001. The seed rain was monthly quantified through samples of the material allocated in thirty 0,50 x 0,50m collectors. For the regeneration stratum sampling, a counting of all the individuals between 0,30 and 2 m was performed, inside thirty 1 x 1m sub-parcels. The seed bank in area A showed average density of 328,53 seeds.m -2 in the rainy season and 245,87 seeds.m -2 in the dry one. In area B, the density was 1.131,73 seeds.m -2 in the rainy season and 685,30 seeds.m -2 in the dry one. Seasonal variation in the seed bank was not verified for both areas. Most of the species found in the bank was classified as herbaceous. In the seed rain analysis, seasonal variations in fruiting were verified, likewise spatial ones in the seeds dispersion. The average seeds density found within a year period was 591,33 seeds.m -2. The highest percentage of individuals found on the collectors showed zoochoric dispersion syndrome. Early species were majority in the seed rain. The regeneration stratum in area A showed low species diversity, being the majority from a unique species, Leucaena leucochephala. In this area, only two species were found and the average density was below one. In area B, 15 species of 11 families were found, being the average density equals one individual.m -2. The results show that in area B it was possible to create a favorable environment to a natural regeneration, and in area A this regeneration can be limited due to the Leucaena leucochephala aggressiveness and alelopathic activity. Also, the initial number of the species, the age and the size of the areas, the quality of the land and the intensity of previous management can influence the results.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research evaluates the floristic, phytogeographic contingent, ecological structure descriptors, spatial phytosociology and composition of ecological guilds of trees in a testimony mountain, also examines the variables of altimetry and morphometry. It was obtained the abiotic and biotic data in 15 sample units (10 x 50m), arranged in continuous transects the top of the mountain to base, totaling 7.500m2 of sampling. Trees data were recorded with the circumference at breast height ≥ 15,7cm (1,30m above at ground level). Environmental variables were derived from altimetry (altitude, slope and level difference) and morphometry (rocky outcrop, vertical curvature, sun exposure and soil depth), besides vegetation density and gaps (canopy openness). This master s dissertation has three chapters. The first chapter characterizes the floristic and phytogeographical contingent of trees. The second chapter evaluates the biological diversity: species richness, diversity (alpha biological diversity indices) and dominance models (ranking of abundance); and examines the exploratory analysis of the relationships between species and environmental variables. The third chapter analyzes the spatial phytosociology and the composition of ecological guilds in different ecological zones in the mountain slope. / A pesquisa avalia a florística, contingente fitogeográfico, descritores de estrutura ecológica, fitossociologia espacial e composição de guildas ecológicas da vegetação arbórea em um morro testemunho, também examina as variáveis de altimetria e morfometria. Obtiveram-se os dados abióticos e bióticos em 15 unidades amostrais (10 x 50m), dispostas em transectos contínuos, do topo a base do morro, perfazendo 7.500 m2 de amostragem. Registraram-se dados de árvores com a circunferência à altura do peito ≥ 15,7cm, (1,30m de altura ao nível do solo). As variáveis ambientais foram oriundas da altimetria (altitude, declividade e diferença de nível) e morfometria (afloramento rochoso, curvatura vertical, exposição solar e profundidade do solo), além da densidade de cobertura vegetal e clareiras (abertura do dossel). A presente dissertação possui três capítulos. O primeiro capítulo caracteriza a florística e o contingente fitogeográfico da vegetação arbórea. O segundo capítulo avalia a diversidade biológica: riqueza de espécies, heterogeneidade (índices de diversidade biológica alfa) e modelos de dominância (ranking de abundância); e examina a análise exploratória das relações entre as espécies e as variáveis ambientais. O terceiro capítulo analisa a fitossociologia espacial e composição de guildas ecológicas em diferentes zonas ecológicas na vertente do morro.

How do newly established species interact with existing assemblage members to alter local biodiversity? This question is especially topical given growing concerns about increased temporal turnover levels relative to background rates. My PhD thesis concerns young, isolated pines Pinus elliottii invading the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) as a study system to test the hypothesis that the impact of newly established individuals varies across habitat layers. I sampled both vegetation layers (shrub and grass) of two distinct habitats, the shrub-dominated campo sujo and the grass-dominated campo úmido. My results show that the pine is changing α diversity in the dominant vegetation layer of each habitat: the shrub layer of campo sujo and the grass layer of campo úmido. The shape of the diversity v. establishment time relationship is habitat dependent; there is a hump shaped relationship between diversity and pine size in the grass layer but a linear one in the shrub layer. β diversity metrics – which take species composition into account - reveal marked differences in species composition between the habitats in the shrub layer, whereas the corresponding pair of invaded and control sites of the same habitat and layer is more similar than expected (in both vegetation layers). The degree of similarity between sites also changes as the invasion proceeds. In the campo sujo habitat, sites become more compositionally distinct, whereas in the grass layer of campo úmido sites get more similar. This suggests that the timing of changes in species composition is habitat-dependent and reinforces the need to remove the invader individuals from the area. My results show that, though complex, the consequences for local biodiversity of non-native species establishment are not haphazard. As such they contribute to the understanding of species coexistence and help explain why species invasion can lead to very different biodiversity outcomes.

Tropical forests, which provide important ecosystem functions and services, are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures. This has resulted in an urgent need to understand tree species diversity of those forests. Where knowledge of that diversity is largely from the botanical surveys and local ecological studies, data must inevitably be up-scaled from point observations to the landscape and regional level if a holistic perspective is required. This thesis explores aspects of the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of canopy reflectance patterns over the forests of French Guiana, in order to assess whether this information could help defining an ecologically consistent forest typology. To gain insight into both the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of French Guiana’s forests, instrumental artefacts affecting the satellite data first had to be addressed. Data used in this study represent the spectral response of forest canopies, and the way in which such data are captured makes them susceptible to the ‘bi-directional reflectance distribution function’ (BRDF). BRDF indicates that objects do not reflect light in equal proportions in all directions (isotropically). Thus, forest canopies will reflect light anisotropically depending on factors including canopy roughness, leaf optical properties and inclination, and the position of the sun relative to the sensor. The second chapter of this thesis examines how BRDF affects the canopy reflectance of forests in French Guiana, and how not correcting for BRDF affects spectral classifications of those forests. When monthly reflectance data corrected for the artefact are examined, these suggest seasonally-occurring changes in forest structure or spectral properties of French Guiana’s forests. The third chapter of this thesis thus examines temporal effects of BRDF, and used cross-regional comparisons and plot-level radiative transfer modelling to seek to understand the drivers of the monthly variation of the forests’ canopy reflectance. For the latter, the Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer (DART) model was used along with aerial laser scanning (ALS) observations over different forest structures, indicating that the observed variation in reflectance (and derivatives known as vegetation indices) could not be explained by monthly variations in solar direction. At the regional scale, it was also demonstrated that forests in the Guiana Shield possess temporal variation distinct from forests in central Africa or northern Borneo, forests also lying just above the Equator. Had the observed temporal variation in vegetation indices been the result of BRDF, it would have been expected that the forests in the three zones would have similar patterns of variation, which they did not. Central African forests appear to have their greening synchronized with rainfall, whereas forests in the Guianas appear synchronized with the availability of solar radiation. Further analysis of the vegetation index time-series of observations also indicated that different types of forests in French Guiana possess distinct patterns of temporal variation, suggesting that tropical forest types can be discriminated on the basis of their respective “temporal signatures.” That was exploited in the fourth chapter of the thesis, which maps forests in French Guiana based on their combined spatio-temporal canopy reflectance patterns and by so doing presents a novel way of addressing forest typology, based on ecologically meaningful information. The thesis presented demonstrates that it is possible to adequately address remote sensing data artefacts to examine patterns of spatial and temporal variation in tropical forests. It has shown that phenological patterns of tropical rainforests can be deduced from remote sensing data, and that forest types can be mapped based on spatio-temporal canopy reflectance patterns. It is thus an important contribution to understand the ecology of tropical forests in French Guiana and to improve the toolbox of scientists dealing with the identification of spatio-temporal patterns observable in forests at the landscape level.

In this thesis, the biogeography of the centipede family Scolopendridae of the Western Ghats (WG)was studied. First, a novel limited sampling approach to identify putative Gondwanan origin wherein sampling of was confined to one of the Gondwanan fragments, i.e. the WG was developed. The results indicated that at least four genera, Scolopendra, Cormocephalus, Rhysida and Digitipes of Scolopendridae, have diversified on the drifting peninsular Indian plate, and thus might have a Gondwanan origin. Three of these genera, Cormocephalus, Scolopendra and Rhysida, might have dispersed out of India and Digitipes has remained a Gondwanan relict. Second, an integrative frame work was used to delimit species boundaries in the genus Digitipes which was characterized as an ancient, endemic and monophyletic group. A new phylogenetic hypothesis was proposed for the genus Digitipes, with eight sampled species of which three were described and five were potentially new species. Among the five potentially un-described species, three were morphologically cryptic, emphasizing the effectiveness of this approach in revealing cryptic diversity. Third, historical biogeography of wet evergreen species of WG was evaluated using the genus Digitipes from the WG. Biogeographic and divergence date estimation suggest that the southern WG was indeed a refuge for Digitipes species of the WG during Cretaceous volcanism. The dated molecular phylogeny of family Scolopendridae as well as of genus Digitipes obtained in the current study will be useful in future comparative biogeography and diversification studies in the WG.

Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir [Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.-Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.] (ESSF) forests occupy large portions of western North America, and of British Columbia (B.C.) in particular. These areas represent a harsh environment for plant growth. The ESSF forests of B.C. have presented serious problems of regeneration following harvesting; several factors stimulated speculation as to whether N supply limitations were involved. This study was intended to highlight the post-harvest N dynamics of an ESSF forest, and the implications of the latter for silvicultural practices. Its general objectives included characterization of the post-harvest assart effect, and investigation of the N status and growth of advance regeneration. These were achieved by means of a comparative study of an age sequence of harvested sites. The assart effect lasted for at least eight years after harvesting, with a peak of change between years three and six. There were no major physical changes in the forest floor. Low C/N ratios between 19 and 32 were believed to have contributed to increased N availability. ESSF forests may have a generally higher level of N availability than previously supposed. The advance regeneration benefited from the assart effect. Nutrient uptake appeared to increase generally from at least three years after harvesting; increases of up to 78% were noted for N. There appeared to be no general macronutrient or micronutrient limitation to growth. However, evidence of S deficiencies was encountered in some trees. Moreover, the critical levels used for N may be in need of revision. A revised critical level of 1.40% for foliar N concentrations is proposed for subalpine fir advance regeneration. If this is accurate, regeneration may have been at least temporarily N-limited from year eight after harvesting. A more rigorous investigation of these possibilities is needed. The cutting method applied to the sites approximated a one-cut shelterwood method. The method as encountered in this study should not be considered a viable silvicultural option for similar ESSF forests. Its successful application would involve some degree of forest floor manipulation to improve seedbed conditions and soil microclimatic regimes. The findings of this study demonstrate that the environmental and biological characteristics of ESSF forests make high levels of planning and care a prerequisite for the success of silvicultural practices. The question of what comprises realistic growth and yield expectations of second-rotation stands in the ESSF zone needs to be addressed urgently. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

I explored the importance of decaying wood to survival and growth of trees in south coastal British Columbia, and the effect of decaying wood on the intensity of podzolization on mesic sites. A field pot study was carried out in both high light and low light conditions using woody and non-woody forest floor materials. After two growing seasons, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, and Abies amabilis seedlings growing in clearcuts had greater survival and growth in the non-woody substrate; however, in the understory, the effect was much less. The proliferation of western hemlock roots was used as an indicator of the value of decaying wood to trees. In both greenhouse trials (using seed sown on a series of planting pots with each half filled with either a woody substrate or a non-woody substrate), and in field sampling of woody and non-woody substrates in mature stands, the non-woody substrate had a larger density of fine and very fine roots compared to the woody substrates or mineral soil. Ten litres of concentrated solutions of non-woody humus substrate and woody substrates were leached through soil columns. Both the non-woody and woody solutions had similar mean pH but significantly different chemical properties. The non-woody solution leachate had greater net average output of dissolved organic C, Fe, and Mn. The mineral soil treated with the nonwoody solution had significantly greater concentrations of total N and pyrophosphate-extractable Fe. In the field, forest floor and soil samples were compared between pedons having large accumulation of decaying wood and pedons with non-woody humus forms. Despite large and significant differences in chemical properties between the two substrates, there were generally no significant differences between the chemical properties of the soils directly under these substrates. In most cases, the results of (3-analyses showed that the means were not pedologically different. Additionally, 18 pairs of zero tension plate lysimeters were installed under the two substrates. The lysimeter solutions showed no significant differences. I concluded that coarse woody debris appears not to have either a positive effect of increased productivity of trees or a negative effect of increased intensity of podzolization. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate