Erosion caused by human activities is one of the reasons for forest soil degradation worldwide, with a direct impact on forest stands development, including reduced forest productivity. Therefore, in order to establish sustainable stand management practices, it is essential to assess soil losses in various forestry activities. Moreover, this phenomenon is studied little in stands, especially those established on degraded land. In Romanian geographical conditions, where sloping land is up to 67% of the territory and is influenced by natural factors as well as intense human activities, the soil and vegetation suffer serious ecological imbalances. In order to achieve the proposed objectives regarding the evaluation of stands in terms of anti-erosion effectiveness, we analyzed the consistency and the number of trees on the surface, the weight of the seedlings, and the surface runoff from the perspectives of rainfall and soil retention. In the two stands included in this study, the influence of rain intensity was 39% in compartment 49 and 38% in compartment 73, directly influencing surface runoff. The ground retention’s influence on surface runoff was 28% in both compartments. The indirect surface runoff was influenced by the consistency of the stands and by the degree of proximity of the crowns, which directly influenced the intensity of rain. In addition to analyzing these two parameters (rain intensity and ground retention), it was also observed that the degree of proximity to the crowns directly influenced the intensity of the rainfall within the forest, which, in turn, indirectly affected the runoff.

The production of oak seedlings in intensive crops involves the modification of natural conditions, namely the degree of humidity, through artificial irrigation, which favors the appearance of the pathogen Erysiphe alphitoides, responsible for the Oak Powdery Mildew (OPM) disease. Thus, it is necessary to identify new substances and technologies to control OPM. In this sense, new products approved by the European Union (EU) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) were identified, both synthetic and, a great novelty, biological (based on chito-oligosaccharides-oligogalacturonans: COS-OGA). In order to quantify the results, a correlation was made with climatic factors, by sampling data related to temperature and relative humidity with Data Logger devices. The obtained results suggest that OPM has a high virulence in the temperature range of 20 to 30 °C; at a relative humidity above 75%. The data obtained from the field experiments show that the synthetic products controlled OPM with an effectiveness between 70% and 95%, and the biological product behaved almost similarly, between 60% and 90%, which creates high opportunities for environmentally friendly control of forest pathogens.

Oak forests provide critical ecosystem services, but are being increasingly exposed to climate variability, drought, and insect outbreaks that threaten their long-term resilience. This study aims to integrate structural canopy indicators with climate-derived indices to detect early-warning signals of decline in temperate oak stands. We monitored eight Forest Management Units in western Romania between 2017 and 2021, combining field-based assessments of crown morphology, vitality traits, defoliation, and epicormic shoot frequency with hydroclimatic indices such as the Forest Aridity Index. Results revealed strong spatial and temporal variability: several stands showed advanced canopy deterioration characterized by increased defoliation, dead branches, and epicormic resprouting, while others maintained stable conditions, suggesting resilience and suitability as reference sites. Insect defoliators, particularly Geometridae, contributed additional stress, but generally at subcritical levels. By synthesizing these metrics into conceptual models and a risk scorecard, we identified the causal pathways linking climatic anomalies and biotic stressors to structural decline. The findings demonstrate that combining structural and climatic indicators offers a transferable framework for forest health monitoring, providing robust early-warning tools to guide adaptive silviculture and resilience-based management. Beyond the Romanian context, this integrative approach supports sustainability goals by strengthening conservation strategies for temperate forests under global change.

Understanding the pathways through which heavy metals accumulate in medicinal plants and enter herbal infusions is essential for linking environmental quality with human exposure. This study investigated multi-matrix metal transfer in Tilia spp. along an urban–forest gradient by quantifying twelve elements (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, As, Hg, Al, and V) in soil, bark, leaves, flowers, and corresponding infusions using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and by estimating daily intake for different age groups based on EFSA default body weights and two consumption scenarios (150 and 400 mL day⁻¹). The results revealed clear spatial patterns, with significantly higher metal loads in urban sites and a consistent transfer from environmental compartments to plant tissues and infusions. Mn, Al, Pb, and Cd exhibited the highest extractability, leading to elevated estimated daily intakes in young children, identified as the most vulnerable group due to their lower body mass. However, all exposure values remained below EFSA and JECFA toxicological reference limits, while As and Hg were undetectable in all infusions. These findings indicate that Tilia infusions contribute minimally to overall dietary metal exposure and confirm Tilia spp. as reliable bioindicators of soil- and airborne metal deposition, supporting the safe consumption of linden tea under realistic intake conditions.

Estimating the efficiency of the investments that generate public benefits is not an easy task, as there are various methods proposed for evaluating the value of public goods and services. The novelty of the study consists of the proposed cost–benefit methodology adapted to a real-value cost concept for estimating the efficiency of the investment in the hydrographic Fâncel watershed, in the center of Romania, using a set of five indicators. The results prove that an investment of RON 1,323,226.29, at the value of 2018, would be paid in 5 years, 0 months, and 15 days. The estimated income is RON 505,327.8/year, so at a 5% financial-discount rate and an estimated period of use of 30 years, the net present value is RON 5,612,730.67. The internal rate of return was calculated as 22%, whereas the value of the savings-to-investment ratio is 3.6%. The main findings of the analysis of the economic-efficiency indicators offer a synthetic and relevant image of the fact that the investment has proven to be effective under the analyzed conditions. The results offer arguments to assume that the decision to consider that particular investment a good practice is fulfilled.

Soil is a complex and dynamic factor that, needs to be studied, analyzed, known and understood. The spreading of soils in the territory is conditioned by the microrelief, lithology characteristics and the hydrographic network. This paper aims to establish the soil survey characteristics and soil evaluation of an agricultural land to be introduced into the national forest fund for afforestation.In order to achieve the proposed goals, in addition to the classical works, orthophotomaps were used. To establish an afforestation solution, the main site characteristics were determined on the field: altitude, exposure, slope, functional category. These characteristics have been associated with laboratory analyzes to determine soil type, with orthophotomaps measurements and weather data. Analyzing the collected data, the land was enclosed in the bioclimatic hilly region of Turkey oak stand (FD2), where the main species best suited is the Turkey oak, mixed with flowering ash, field maple and pear-tree.