Japanese Journal of Forest Environment

Past, present and future of Forest Environmental Science

Takeshi Tange

Article type: Preface
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 47-49
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_47

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Download PDF (265K)
Applicability of nutrient cycling and streamwater chemistry in forested ecosystems as an index of forest disturbance

Keitaro Fukushima

Article type: Review
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 51-62
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_51

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

Recently, Japanese forests face various risks of disturbances, such as forest cutting for sustainable forest management, vegetation decline by herbaceous insects or deer, nitrogen saturation caused by increasing nitrogen deposition. These disturbances mostly induce hydrological loss of nitrate, which result in eutrophication in aquatic ecosystem downstream. Therefore forest managements to fulfill highly ecosystem functions should be considered along with watershed managements, and investigations into nutrient cycling and streamwater chemistry in forested ecosystems are necessary, but these are not recognized well in Japan. I reviewed the changes in nutrient cycling and streamwater chemistry caused by some forest disturbances and compared the northern American and European cases with Japanese cases. In Japanese forests, duration of forest cutting effect is longer, and the effect of insect herbivory is greater than overseas forests. Nitrate loss by deer overgrazing of understory vegetation may not be negligible regardless of much smaller biomass rather than that of canopy trees. In addition, nitrogen saturation grows increasingly apparent in some forests, which will make situations more complex. There are differences in climatic conditions, and frequency and magnitude of disturbance between Japan and northern America and Europe. To comprehend complicated disturbance effects on nutrient cycling and streamwater chemistry in Japanese forests, large-scale field experiment elucidating the effects of particular disturbance as well as long-term observations including not only streamwater but also air-plant-soil continuum are necessary. The seasonality and annual means of streamwater nitrate concentration and nitrogen retention rate in the watershed are prime indicators for evaluating forest disturbances and forest ecosystem functions.

View full abstract

Download PDF (742K)
Forest Environmental Science Contributes to Future Greening in Urban Area

Terumasa Takahashi

Article type: Comment
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 63-66
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_63

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Download PDF (385K)
Thought about 'a sense of balance on studies of forest environment' in editing 'Mass balance of elements in the forest ecosystems : interactions between pant and soil'

Tomoaki Morishita

Article type: Record
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 67-68
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_67

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Download PDF (398K)
Symposium 'Toward a new era of study in forest site environment' and the time for the society to born

Satoru Miura, Koji Shichi

Article type: Record
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 69-71
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_69

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Download PDF (293K)
Forest dynamics of a mature beech forest with 2 dominant beech species on the Pacific Ocean side in Mt. Takahara, northern Kanto, over 15years

Kentaro Matsumoto, Mineaki Aizawa, Yoosuke Matsumoto, Tatsuhiro Ohkubo

Article type: Article
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 73-80
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_73

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

We studied the forest dynamics and population structure changes in a long-term ecological research plot of a mature beech forest with 2 dominant beech species (Fagus japonica and F. crenata) on the Pacific Ocean side in Mt. Takahara, northern Kanto, over 15 years (1993-2008). We also tested a previously proposed hypothesis that the species composition of beech forests on the Pacific Ocean side could change from the 2 dominant beeches to a co-occurrence of various deciduous tree species such as F. japonica and maple species. The overall annual rates of mortality (1.57%/yr) and recruitment (1.49%/yr) did not differ to a large extent. Overall, the diameter of the living trees showed an L-shaped distribution and the species composition and basal area proportion of the dominant species did not change drastically for 15 years, suggesting that the mature forest was maintained by successional regeneration. With regard to population structure, Fagus japonica was the most dominant in all layers, with an L-shaped diameter distribution, suggesting the successional regeneration of the species. The number of F. crenata successor stems with a diameter of less than 15 cm decreased by almost half over 15 years. However, the dominance of F. crenata with a diameter of more than 15 cm and F. japonica in the canopy layer would persist for a while. In conclusion, our long-term research suggested that the species composition and proportion of mass of the dominant species did not change to a large extent for at least 15 years in the mature beech forest on the Pacific Ocean side.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1908K)
Sprout regeneration of Japanese beech (Fagus japonica) and its usefulness as a regenerator in unsuccessful conifer plantations after clear-cutting of natural Japanese beech forests

Kentaro Matsumoto, Mineaki Aizawa, Yota Kikuchi, Yoosuke Matsumoto, Ta ...

Article type: Article
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 81-92
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_81

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

We aimed to delineate the regeneration process of Japanese beech (Fagus japonica) by sprouting under strong and frequent human-induced disturbances, such as clear-cutting, weeding, and salvage cutting, and to assess the usefulness of the species as a natural regenerating tree in unsuccessful conifer plantations after clear-cutting of natural Japanese beech forests in Nikko, Tochigi. We investigated the stand structures and analyzed the growth of Japanese beeches and their spatially neighboring trees, focusing on 2 types of unsuccessful conifer plantations, (1) the Hinoki cypress plantations where weeding and several salvage cuttings had been conducted, and which were degraded by the bark stripping by bears; and (2) secondary broad-leaved forests resulting from the poor growth of conifers planted in locations where weeding had been conducted. Japanese beech exhibited stool structures with many stems resulting from sprouting under all the human-induced disturbances mentioned above. In the Hinoki cypress plantations, Japanese beech was the most dominant species under the tree layer of cypresses; in secondary broad-leaved forests early successional species, such as Betula grossa, were dominant in the tree layer, under which Japanese beech was dominant in the shade. Besides Japanese beech, almost no late successional species was observed under the tree layer in all the types of plantations. Therefore, Japanese beech could maintain a strong ability to produce sprouts and survive in unsuccessful conifer plantations under human-induced disturbances, and might become a main tree-layer component in the future. If unsuccessful conifer plantations are converted to broad-leaved forests, Japanese beech would be the most useful natural regenerator among the surviving broad-leaved trees.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1628K)
Effects of nitrogen application to phosphorous forms and acid phosphatase activity (APA) in soils of Acaica mangium plantation and Imperata cylindrica grassland

Naoki Yashiro, Naoyuki Yamashita, Seiichi Ohta

Article type: Article
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 93-100
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_93

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

Nitrogen (N)-rich high quality litter of leguminous tree may enhance the phosphorus (P) availability in a soil via the enhanced activity of microorganisms. We conducted sequential P extraction and incubation experiments with N and carbon (C) application using soils from an Acacia mangium plantation and an Imperata cylindrica grassland. We extracted inorganic P(Pi) and organic P(Po) with water on anion exchange resin (resin-P), NaHCO_3(NaHCO_3-P), NaOH(NaOH-P), and HCl(HCl-P) in this sequence, and total P. Available P (resin-P + NaHCO_3-Pi) and organic P accounted for 4%-6% and 35%-45% of total P, respectively, in both soils. The differences in P fractions between the soils of different vegetations were unclear, and each fraction was significantly affected by the clay content of the soil. In an in vitro incubation experiment, acid phosphatase activity(APA) was higher in acacia soils than in grassland soils and further increased in acacia soil with N application. This suggests the soils in N fixing trees like acacia have higher APA due to continuous input of N rich litter and might have higher potential to acquire P even under P-limited soil condition in the tropics.

View full abstract

Download PDF (964K)
Establishment of native species, Celtis sinensis and Rhus javanica, into Robinia pseudoacacia riparian forest

Hiroyuki Kurokochi

Article type: Report
2012 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 101-106
Published: December 25, 2012
Released on J-STAGE: April 03, 2017

DOIhttps://njjn-jsjc-gov-cn-s-1416.res.gxlib.org.cn:443/rwt/1416/https/MSYXTLUQPJUB/10.18922/jjfe.54.2_101

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

In order to understand when tree species except for Robinia pseudoacacia establish and how they grow in R. pseudoacacia pure forests, three study sites were established in the R. pseudoacacia riparian forests along the Chikumagawa River in central Japan. 265 trees of six woody species except for 728 R. pseudoacacia trees were detected from the study sites. Especially, since number of two native species, Celtis sinensis and Rhus javanica, was large, establishment processes of those two species were investigated. As the results of dendroecological and tree height analyses of C. sinensis, tree age classes of neighbor R. pseudoacacia and C. sinensis trees were similar and initial growth of C. sinensis was as rapid as that of R. pseudoacacia, indicating that C. sinensis trees were able to be established in R. pseudoacacia riparian forests when an open area was formed after a forest clear-cutting and/or fallen trees. As the results of dendroecological analysis and tracing horizontal roots of R. javanica, most R. javanica trees were younger than 5 years with slow growth and each individual was belonging to either three genets connected by roots, suggesting that R. javanica trees were established even under the closed canopy of the R. pseudoacacia riparian forests because of their capacity of asexual reproduction.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1195K)

Register with J-STAGE for free!