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Healthy forests, healthy society, healthy sector
Full text linkBoreal forests are important locally, nationally, and globally through the multiple benefits they provide to societies. The leading research organizations in the boreal forest zone suggest essential research themes focusing on the forests and their management, renewal of our forest sector as well as ambitious development of new products and services that benefit climate and societies towards circular bioeconomy.
The following themes need to be addressed in solution-oriented research for the future:
1. For healthy forests, we need long-sighted, multifunctional forest management
2. For healthy society, we need in-depth knowledge on forests’ role in sustainability transition
3. For healthy sector, we need a vision for a renewed forest secto
Changes in satellite‐derived spectral variables and their linkages with vegetation changes after peatland restoration
Full text linkRemote sensing (RS) can be an efficient monitoring method to assess the ecological impacts of restoration. Yet, it has been used relatively little to monitor post-restoration changes in boreal forestry-drained peatlands, and particularly the linkages between changes in RS and plant species remain vague. To understand this gap, we utilize data from the Finnish peatland restoration monitoring network spanning 150 sites and a 10-year post-restoration monitoring period. We employ Bayesian joint species distribution models (Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities) to study (1) the changes in optical Sentinel-2 and Landsat satellite spectral signatures, (2) whether the RS variables improve predictions of vascular plant and moss species and functional type occurrence and cover, and (3) what kinds of associations exist between RS variables and plant species or functional types. Our results show that peatland restoration increases the reflectance of red and near-infrared (NIR) bands in sparsely treed pine mire forests and open mires but not in densely treed spruce mire forests. Impacts on other tested RS variables consisting of moisture and greenness indices are less clear. Additionally, RS variables increase species- or functional type-specific predictive power only modestly, and there are few clear links between the changes in RS variables and species or functional-type occurrence and cover. We suggest that red and NIR reflectance can be used as satellite-based indicators for peatland restoration success and further studies are required to develop usable methods for detecting species-specific changes with RS.202
Advancing methods for comparative nutritional LCA of milk and plant-based milk substitutes
Full text linkPurpose: The contribution of milk on the environmental and nutritional impacts of diets is substantial especially in countries with high consumption rates of dairy products, such as in the Nordic countries. Due to environmental and health reasons, plant-based drinks (PBDs) are gaining popularity among consumers, but the nutritional composition of PBDs varies depending on their base ingredients and possible fortification. This study develops product group-specific nutrient indices to be used as functional units (nFU) in life cycle assessments (LCA) of milks and PBDs.
Methods: Here, we formed three product group–specific nutrient indices for milk and PBDs: (i) based on our previous development of product group–specific indices considering the current dietary role of milk in Finnish diets, (ii) based on the potential nutritional benefits of PBDs compared to milk, and (iii) as combination of the two abovementioned indices. The new indices were then applied as a nFUs in a case study comparing selection of 46 drinks from the Finnish food composition database including milks and fortified and unfortified PBDs. The environmental impacts were assessed in five different impact categories utilizing data from LCA databases.
Results and discussion: The index based on current consumption led to the highest nutrient index scores for cow’s milks and consequently lower environmental impacts when used as a nFU, whereas the index based on nutrients obtained from PBDs as nFU led to higher environmental impacts for milk and lower for PBDs. Cow’s milk had the highest climate impact when the impacts were allocated per unit of mass, but in nFU-based comparison, some PBDs had higher impacts than cow’s milk. The results showed notable difference between fortified and unfortified PBDs, as the environmental impacts of unfortified PBDs were higher than impacts of milk when the comparison was based on nutrient content, while the environmental impacts of fortified drinks were lower than those of milk.
Conclusions: The index based on nutrients currently obtained from milk is the most suitable one for capturing the nutritional consequences of substituting milk with PBDs in the current diets. However, the other indices can bring additional information on the possible nutritional benefits in another decision-making situation. As nutrient fortification has substantial impact on the results, the role of fortification in sustainable foods should be further evaluated and the methodological approaches to consider fortification in nLCA advanced.202
Microplastic effects on soil nitrogen cycling enzymes: A global meta-analysis of environmental and edaphic factors
Full text linkMicroplastic accumulation in soil ecosystems poses significant environmental concerns, potentially impacting nitrogen cycling processes and ecosystem health. This meta-analysis of 147 studies (1138 data points) assessed the impact of microplastics (MPs) on soil nitrogen-acquisition enzymes. We found that MPs exposure significantly increased soil urease (UE) and leucine aminopeptidase activities by 7.6 % and 8.0 %, respectively, while N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity was not significantly affected. Biodegradable MPs showed more pronounced effects compared to conventional MPs. Enzyme activities were influenced by MPs properties (e.g., polymer type, size, concentration), experimental conditions (e.g., field or laboratory setting, temperature, nitrogen fertilization), and soil properties (e.g., clay content, pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen). For instance, acidic soils enhanced UE activity, while neutral soils reduced it. These findings emphasize the complex interactions between MPs and soil ecosystems, highlighting the need for context-specific environmental management strategies and policy-making approaches to mitigate the impacts of MPs pollution on soil health
Harvesting of Continuous Cover Forests
Full text linkOverall forest management objectives and stand properties set the requirements and possibilities for harvesting in continuous cover forestry (CCF).
Harvester and forwarder operators play a key role in successful CCF harvesting, as both productivity and quality of work are essential factors in harvesting operations.
Optimal stand conditions improve work productivity on selection harvesting sites; harvested stem volume correlates well with work productivity in cutting, and density of remaining trees does not significantly reduce work productivity in forwarding.
Carefully executed group cutting and shelterwood harvesting can reduce the number of damaged remaining trees, which is beneficial for future tree generations.
Research-based information is needed about work productivity in harvesting, damage caused by harvesting, and optimisation of strip road and forest road networks for CCF
Optimizing Exome Captures in Species with Large Genomes Using Species-specific Repetitive DNA Blocker
Full text linkLarge and highly repetitive genomes are common. However, research interests usually lie within the non-repetitive parts of the genome, as they are more likely functional, and can be used to answer questions related to adaptation, selection and evolutionary history. Exome capture is a cost-effective method for providing sequencing data from protein-coding parts of the genes. C0t-1 DNA blockers consist of repetitive DNA and are used in exome captures to prevent the hybridisation of repetitive DNA sequences to capture baits or bait-bound genomic DNA. Universal blockers target repetitive regions shared by many species, while species-specific c0t-1 DNA is prepared from the DNA of the studied species, thus perfectly matching the repetitive DNA contents of the species. So far, the use of species-specific c0t-1 DNA has been limited to a few model species. Here, we evaluated the performance of blocker treatments in exome captures of Pinus sylvestris, a widely distributed conifer species with a large (> 20 Gbp) and highly repetitive genome. We compared treatment with a commercial universal blocker to treatments with species-specific c0t-1 (30,000 and 60,000 ng). Species-specific c0t-1 captured more unique exons than the initial set of targets leading to increased SNP discovery and reduced sequencing of tandem repeats compared to the universal blocker. Based on our results, we recommend optimising exome captures using at least 60,000 ng of species-specific c0t-1 DNA. It is relatively easy and fast to prepare and can also be used with existing bait set designs.202
Demands and possibilities for field-scale estimation of agricultural greenhouse gas balances
Full text linkSoil organic carbon (SOC) changes and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural soils contribute considerably to anthropogenic climate change. This draws attention to the management of agricultural fields and creates the need to assess and understand the resulting SOC changes and GHG balances and their drivers. Currently, GHG reporting systems such as national GHG inventories, carbon footprinting, and reporting practices in voluntary carbon markets largely apply rough estimation methods for these emissions. These methods do not relevantly cover the impacts of management or environmental factors on SOC changes or GHG emissions and their large spatial variability. At the same time, the rapid development of sensor techniques and data analysis methods creates opportunities for creating field-scale monitoring and reporting systems based on various data streams, including remote sensing. In this paper, we reviewed the existing GHG reporting systems, and how SOC changes and GHG emissions of agricultural soils are currently reported in them. We also reviewed the most important factors affecting field-scale GHG balances and SOC changes, and the current measurement techniques and modeling approaches applied, as well as novel integrated systems combining various data streams. Finally, we identified the key developments towards a credible, operational, and cost-efficient field-scale reporting system. We used Finland, which has already made considerable efforts to report and calculate agricultural emissions, as an example to highlight practical challenges
Alternative Powertrains and Fuels in Heavy Non-Road Mobile Machinery and Their Future Expectations - A Review
Full text linkPurpose of the Review
This literature review focused on studies on alternative powertrains and fuels of non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) during the last 15 years and investigated their future potential and expectations. The goal was to evaluate different alternative powertrains based on previous research and highlight the possibilities and challenges of each technology. Additionally, the aim was to conduct a comprehensive overview about the technology development phase of alternative powertrains.
Recent Findings
This review covered a total of 115 studies consisting of hybrid, full-electric, biofuels, biogas, and hydrogen solutions. The results highlighted that hybrid and full-electric technologies have the greatest potential to replace conventional diesel engines in the future. The main challenges identified were battery reliability and high technology costs. Regarding biofuel, biogas, and hydrogen, the benefits were mainly lower emissions while the challenges were high costs and low production. Full-electric and hydrogen powertrains were found to reach zero local emissions during operations, while compared to diesel, repair and maintenance caused less emissions of 36–46% during the life cycle with full-electric and hydrogen solutions. With hybrid, biofuels, and biogas powertrains, the emission reduction potential ranged from 37 to 81% during operations and 36–66% during the entire life cycle. The highest Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) were identified for hybrid and full-electric technologies in industrial machinery (6.9–7.4). The lowest measurable TRL (2.5) was with biogas powered construction machinery. The TRLs of biogas and hydrogen of forest machinery were excluded from this review due to the lack of research.
Summary
Alternative powertrains can eventually replace diesel engines, if the challenges with implementation, production, and reliability are solved. Furthermore, the benefits of electric and renewable technologies/fuels are unambiguous from the emission reduction and energy efficiency perspectives. Consequently, we recommend that future research focus especially on the implementation of alternative technologies as well as the improvement of the manufacturing infrastructure
