Plant Litter

SPRINGER

Decomposition, Humus Formation, Carbon Sequestration

Authors: Berg, Bjorn, McClaugherty, Charles

• The book presents new concepts that go far beyond those currently taught about the formation of humus in textbooks on soil science and ecology.

Table of contents (12 chapters)

• Introduction

  Berg, Björn (et al.)

  Pages 1-9

  
  
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• Decomposition as a process

  Berg, Björn (et al.)

  Pages 11-30

  
  
• Decomposer organisms

  Berg, Björn (et al.)

  Pages 31-48

  
  
• Initial litter chemical composition

  Berg, Björn (et al.)

  Pages 49-77

  
  
• Changes in substrate composition during decomposition

  Berg, Björn (et al.)

From the reviews:

"The authors of the volume ‘Plant Litter’ present an up-to-date and interesting contribution … . The book is well arranged, relatively easy to read, contains fantastic graphics … . this fundamental and rather detailed book is an absolutely necessary resource about transformation and decomposition of plant litter ... . In summary, we strongly recommend this book for all scientists concerned with … plant litter … . The authors can be congratulated for their impressive efforts in publishing this highly professional volume." (Oliver Bens, Reinhard F. Hüttl, Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 161, 2004)

"The work of Berg and Mc Claugerthy resumes the state of the art concerning litter decomposition mainly in boreal forests but also in a few temperate situations. … this book is a remarkable synthesis of the current knowledge about the decomposition of plant residues in forest ecosystems. … This book is well structured and gives a comprehensive overview about the process of litter decompositions and it is a well written synthesis of the enormous work done by B.Berg during the last two decades." (Bernd Zeller, Annals of Forest Science, Issue 2, 2004).

The present book gives a modernized and comprehensive overview of the degradation of major litter components as well as the sum of processes when forest plant litter decomposes, releases nutrients and turns into humus. Covering mainly boreal and temperate forests, the book gives a synthesis of the different sub-processes on the basis that decomposition is microbially mediated and develops a system in the decomposition processes leading to chemical changes in litter. Further, it introduces a conceptual model for litter transformations from litter fall until the decomposing litter accumulates as humus. The effects of substrate quality, climate, and their interactions on decomposition are presented as well as examples of litter types that break the basic pattern. A system is suggested for humus accumulation rates among forest systems, a system that may be a starting point for estimates of carbon sequestration in forest systems.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783662053492

Fungal Strategies of Wood Decay in Trees

SPRINGER

Authors: Schwarze, Francis W.M.R., Engels, Julia, Mattheck, Claus.

• Numerous colour illustrations elucidate the most conspicuous features associated with the decay fungi
• The first book that does not only allow to identify the decay fungus, but also describes the specific interactions with the host
• A must for each arboriculturist and tree biologist

Table of contents (5 chapters)

• Introduction

  Schwarze, Francis W. M. R. (et al.)

  Pages 1-3

  
  
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• Fundamental Aspects

  Schwarze, Francis W. M. R. (et al.)

  Pages 5-31

  
  
• Examination, Importance and Mechanical Effects of Wood-Decay Fungi in the Living Tree

  Schwarze, Francis W. M. R. (et al.)

  Pages 33-138

  
  
• Host-Fungus Interactions: Development and Prognosis of Wood Decay in the Sapwood

  Schwarze, Francis W. M. R. (et al.)

  Pages 139-167

  
  
• Postscript

  Schwarze, Francis W. M. R. (et al.)

From the reviews
" ... The illustrations are superb, and combine specially-drawn three dimensional interpretative diagrams of wood cellular anatomy with annotated colour micrographs. The science is up to date, with an excellent select bibliography. ... the authors have produced an excellent and innovative book and I would strongly recommend it for individual purchase by all involved in decisions about urban tree preservation, as well as researchers and teachers in mycology and plant pathology." (Mycological Research, UK)

"... The book is extremely well illustrated with 63 figures, many with multiple images and in color. .... this book is a nice compact compendium of selected fungi that invade living tres that would most benefit the arborist seeking to learn a bit more about the fungit that attack shade trees." (Mycopathologia 2001, Vol. 154)

Wood-destroying fungi play an important role in nature, because they are the only forms of life capable of reducing wood to its initial constituents. However, they can also be dangerous for people and property, as they can impair the stability and fracture-safety of trees.
This book gives detailed information, based on new and original scientfic findings, on the examination and effects of the most important species of fungi associated with failure of infected urban trees. In addition, new ways are presented for predicting the advance of decay in the living tree. The subject is illustrated and made easily accessible by numerous colored photos of fungus fruit bodies, defect symptoms, and macroscopic and microscopic pictures of wood decay. A detailed introduction to the fundamentals of wood pathology provides a way into the subjects of applied mycology and tree care for readers without previous special knowledge. Francis W.M.R. Schwarze, National Diploma of Arboriculture at Merrist Wood College, UK (1991), Master of Science in Pure, Applied Plant and Fungal Taxonomy, University of Reading, UK (1992), doctorate at Freiburg University (1995), since 1996 assistant at the Institute for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology at Freiburg University, concentrating on research into wood-destroying fungi and host-fungus interactions.
Julia Engels, Diploma Forester at Freiburg University (1995), doctorate on root fungi at Freiburg University (1998). Since 1998 active in tree care and mycology in Luxembourg.
Claus Mattheck, born 1947, doctorate in theoretical physics (1973), qualified as lecturer on damage studies at Karlsruhe University (1985), and now teaches there as Professor. Since 1991 he has been an officially appointed and attested expert on tree mechanics and fracture behaviour. Has been awarded numerous prizes for research and publication. Head of the Biomechanics Department at the Karlsruhe Research Centre.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642631337

Wood - The Internal Optimization of Trees

SPRINGER
Springer Series in Wood Science

Authors: Mattheck, Claus, Kubler, Hans

Table of contents (11 chapters)

• Introduction

  Mattheck, Claus (et al.)

  Pages 1-1

  
  
  PreviewBuy Chapter 24,95 €
• Mechanical Fundamentals

  Mattheck, Claus (et al.)

  Pages 2-20

  
  
• The Mechanical Self-Optimization of Trees — Five Theorems

  Mattheck, Claus (et al.)

  Pages 21-21

  
  
• The Principle of Minimum Lever Arms

  Mattheck, Claus (et al.)

  Pages 22-26

  
  
• The Axiom of Uniform Stress

  Mattheck, Claus (et al.)

Here are two physicists looking over the fence of physics, getting thrilled by the life and growth of trees, taking an altogether different, exciting view of wood: trees produce wood for their own benefit. They do not live for the benefit of man who builds his world using wood as a raw material. Timber is revealed in a different light, and the reader is taught to stop thinking of it in terms of defective beams and boards. Wood only fails as a part of the living tree. To us, the tree and wood biologists, this new definition is a real, inspiring challenge, which is just what Kubler and Mattheck intended it to be. Their answers may seem too simple or little logical to some of us; but the authors are not at a loss for sound and solid arguments. Their field studies prove the incredible, their hypotheses makes us want to get to the bottom of the un­ proven unbelievable. The authors' answers and arguments are bold and cour­ ageous. They arouse our curiosity and force us to fathom the facts. It seems as if Kubler and Mattheck wanted to trick us into believing that trees only live and react following mechanical rules and strategies. To tell the truth, that was what I first suspected the authors of: but I was wrong.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783540620198

Growth Stresses and Strains in Trees

SPRINGER
Springer Series in Wood Science

Authors: Archer, Robert R.

• On the Measurement and Interpretation of Surface Growth Strains

  Archer, Robert R.

  Pages 16-49

  
  
• Mechanisms for the Generation of Surface Strains

  Archer, Robert R.

  Pages 50-65

  
  
• Internal Residual Stress Patterns in Tree Stems

  Archer, Robert R.

  Pages 66-113

  
  
• Experimental Verification of Internal Residual Stress Distributions

  Archer, Robert R.

  Pages 114-153

Although over 40 years have passed since Jacobs (1945) convincingly established the basic radial pattern of residual growth stress in growing trees, yet this phenomenon is still not widely appreciated in wood science and technology circles. This is in spite of the fact that the presence of these stresses of sizeable magnitudes has long been recognized as a primary cause of shakes and splits in logs as well as the warping of lumber sawn in the green condition. The presentation of the subject of growth stresses in trees presents some special problems due to the wide range of specialists who potentially might have an interest in the subject. For example, tree physiologists interested in questions such as the relation of mechanical stress to stem taper and the role of reaction wood and gravity forces in determining tree crown form encounter growth stress models. Silvi­ culturists interested in the relation ofthinning practices to wood quality find that wood properties are correlated with growth stress levels which are in turn significantly changed by cutting practices. Wood techno­ logists interested in the relation of residual growth stress gradients in green logs to the dimensional quality of sawn and seasoned lumber are forced to take a more quantitative approach to the effect of growth stresses than might have been the case in the past.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642795169

Genetics of Wood Production

SPRINGER
Springer Series in Wood Science

Authors: Zobel, Bruce J., Jett, Jackson B.



Over the past years, a great deal has been learned about variation in wood prop­ erties. Genetic control is a major source of variation in most wood properties. Wood is controlled genetically both directly in the developmental or internal pro­ cesses of wood formation and indirectly by the control of tree form and growth patterns. Emphasis in this book will be on the internal control of wood production by genetics although there will be two chapters dealing with the indirect genetic control of wood, which was covered in detail in the previous book by Zobel and van Buijtenen (1989). The literature on the genetics of wood is very variable, SO'lle quite superficial, on which little reliance can be placed, and some from well-designed and correctly executed research. When suitable, near the end of each chapter, there will be a summary with the authors' interpretation of the most important information in the chapter. The literature on the genetics of wood can be quite controversial. This is to be expected, since both the environment and its interaction with the genotype of the tree can have a major effect on wood properties, especially when trees of similar genotypes are grown under widely divergent conditions. Adding to the confusion, studies frequently have been designed and analyzed quite differently, resulting in conflicting assessments of results.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642771590

Trees and Wood in Dendrochronology

SPRINGER
Springer Series in Wood Science

Morphological, Anatomical, and Tree-Ring Analytical Characteristics of Trees Frequently Used in Dendrochronology

Authors: Schweingruber, Fritz H.

The science of dendrochronology has grown significantly in the past 20 years. In the 1950s and 1960s, interest in the subject was limited to only a handful of scientists who perceived in dendrochronology a "l'art pour l'art". Today, however, specialists from many different fields recognize and are pursuing the problems of dendrochronology. Tree-ring research has acquired a permanent role in the various sciences of archeology, history, geology, ecology, and climatology. The founders of dendrochronology themselves were of varied scientific backgrounds and interests. For example, A. E. Douglass in the United States was an astronomer, B. Huber in Germany a forest-biologist, and F. N. Shvedov in Russia a climatologist. Today the spectrum is even broader. Many den­ drochronologists are authorities in mathematics, archeology, history, forestry, botany, wood technology, ecology geography, geology, etc. It is, therefore, understandable that it has become almost impossible for one individual to encompass the entire field. Bitvinskas (1974), Fritts (1976), Schweingruber (1983), and Mitsutani (1990) have attempted, each guided by his own interests, to provide at least an overview of the field. Recently, individual aspects have been presented by groups of authors in books edited by Fletscher (1978), Hughes et al. (1982), Jacoby and Hornbeck (1987) and Bradley and Jones (1992). It is very likely that in the future summaries covering each branch of dendrochronology will be published.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642721281

Juvenile Wood in Forest Trees

SPRINGER
Springer Series in Wood Science.

Authors: Zobel, Bruce J., Sprague, Jerry R.

• A summary of knowledge about juvenile wood - both scientific and applied
• A good summary of each chapter is given
• Simply and understandably presented

Preview

The trend in forestry is toward shorter rotations and more complete utiliza­ tion of trees. The reasons are: (1) financial pressures to obtain rapid returns on the forestry investment made possible by an earlier harvest; (2) enforced harvest of young plantations to maintain a continuing supply of cellulose for mills where wood shortages are experienced; (3) thinning young plantations, both because they were planted too densely initially and because thinning is done where long rotation quality trees are the forestry goal; (4) more intensive utilization is being done using tops and small diameter trees; and (5) there is interest in using young (juvenile) wood for special products because of its unique characteristics and the development of new technologies. The largest present-day source of conifer juvenile wood is from thinnings of plantations where millions of hectares of pine were planted too densely. Because of the better growth rate resulting from improved silviculture and good genetic stock, plantations will need to be thinned heavily. As a result of this trend, young wood makes up an increasingly larger proportion of the total conifer wood supply each year. Large amounts of juvenile wood from hard­ woods are also currently available, especially in the tropics and subtropics, because of the fast growth rate of the species used, which results in shorter rotations and ess~ntially all juvenile wood.

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Dielectric Properties of Wood and Wood-Based Materials

SPRINGER

Authors: Torgovnikov, Grigory



Provided here is a comprehensive treatise on all aspects of dielectric properties of wood and wood products. The topics covered include: Interaction between electromagnetic field and wood. - Wood composition and dielectric properties of its components. - Measurement of dielectric parameters of wood.- Dielectric properties of oven-dry wood. - Dielectric properties of moist wood. - Effect of different kinds of treatment on dielectric properties of wood. - Dielectric properties of bark. - Dielectric properties of wood-based materials. - Recommendations for determination of dielectric parameters of wood based materials and for their use in calculations. Several appendices comprise reference data onthe dielectric characteristics of wood and wood-based materials in the wide range of frequencies, temperatures, and moisture content.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642364907

Cellular Aspects of Wood Formation

SPRINGER

Editors: Fromm, Jörg (Ed.)

• Covers basic processes of wood biosynthesis
• Deals with the regulation of wood formation by endogenous and exogenous factors
• Gives an overview of the basic processes of wood formation.

With today’s ever growing economic and ecological problems, wood as a raw material takes on increasing significance as the most important renewable source of energy and as industrial feedstock for numerous products. Its chemical and anatomical structure and the excellent properties that result allow wood to be processed into the most diverse products; from logs to furniture and veneers, and from wood chippings to wooden composites and paper. The aim of this book is to review advances in research on the cellular aspects of cambial growth and wood formation in trees over recent decades. The book is divided into two major parts. The first part covers the basic process of wood biosynthesis, focusing on five major steps that are involved in this process: cell division, cell expansion, secondary cell wall formation, programmed cell death and heartwood formation. The second part of the book deals with the regulation of wood formation by endogenous and exogenous factors.  On the endogenous level the emphasis is placed on two aspects: control of wood formation by phytohormones and by molecular mechanisms. Apart from endogenous factors, various exogenous effects (such as climate factors) are involved in wood formation. Due to modern microscopic as well as molecular techniques, the understanding of wood formation has progressed significantly over the last decade. Emphasizing the cellular aspects, this book first gives an overview of the basic process of wood formation, before it focuses on factors involved in the regulation of this process.

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The Vascular Cambium

SPRINGER

Development and Structure

Authors: Larson, Philip R.

" The book is a major addition to anatomical literature...Larson has done a splendid job of summarizing the pertinent papers of the last 150 years." Plant Science Bulletin.



The cambium has been variously defined as follows: "The actively dividing layer of cells that lies between, and gives rise to, secondary xylem and phloem (vascular cambium)" (IAWA 1964); "A meristem with products of periclinal divisions commonly contributed in two directions and arranged in radial files. Term pre­ ferably applied only to the two lateral meristems, the vascular cambium and cork cambium, or phellogen" (Esau 1977); and, "Lateral meristem in vascular plants which produces secondary xylem, secondary phloem, and parenchyma, usually in radial rows; it consists of one layer of initials and their undifferentiated deriva­ tives" (Little and Jones 1980). Clearly, the cambium is a diverse and extensive meristem, and no one defini­ tion will encompass all manifestations of what anatomists consider cambium. Its diversity and extent are further exemplified by a single plant, such as a temperate­ zone tree, in which procambium is initiated in the embryo and perpetuated throughout every lateral, primary meristem before giving rise to cambium in the secondary body. The cambium thereafter performs its meristematic task of producing daughter cells that differentiate to specialized tissue systems. The cam­ bium, however, does not remain static. Its derivatives vary either in form, or TImc­ tion, or rate of production at different positions on the tree, with age of the tree, and with season of the year. Moreover, the cambium responds both to internal sig­ nals and to external stimuli such as environment or wounding.

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http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642108136