In: Natural Hazards, 2006, vol. 39, no. 1, p. 51-70
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In: Geomorphology, 2008///doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.05.043
Tree-ring series have been used to reconstruct 50 years of rockfall behavior on a slope near Saas Balen (Swiss Alps). A total of 796 cores and 141 cross sections from 191 severely injured conifer trees (Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus cembra L.), combined with a series of aerial photographs, were used to investigate the evolution of the forest stand so...
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In: Natural Hazards, 2006, vol. 39, no. 1, p. 51-70
Over the last few years, rockfall research has increasingly focused on hazard assessment and risk analysis. Input data on past rockfall activity were gathered from historical archives and lichenometric studies or were obtained through frequency– volume statistics. However, historical records are generally scarce, and lichenometry may only yield data with relatively low resolutions. On...
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In: Geomorphology, 2006, vol. 74(1-4), p. 219-231
Rockfall is a major threat to settlements and transportation routes in large parts of the Alps. While protective forest stands in many locations undoubtedly reduce rockfall risk, little is known about the exact frequency and spatial distribution of rockfall activity in a given place or about how these parameters can be assessed. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to reconstruct...
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In: Forest Ecology and Management, 2006, vol. 225, p. 1-3
We used one of the few rockfall models explicitly taking trees into account and compared the results obtained with the 3D simulation model RockyFor with empirical data on tree impacts at three mountain forests in Switzerland. Even though we used model input data with different resolutions at the study sites, RockyFor accurately predicted the spatial distribution of trajectory frequencies at all...
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In: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 2005, vol. 156, no. 6, p. 195-199
Rockfall generally consists of individual rocks and boulders moving downslope in a falling, bouncing or rolling motion. As a result, impacts on trees may occur almost anywhere between ground level and several meters above. The present paper therefore focuses on the vertical distribution and the visibility of scars on stem surfaces. Three adult trees from the Altdorfer Bannwald (Altdorf UR,...
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In: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 2005, vol. 49, no. 1, p. 89-106
Dendrochronology was used to study 25 years of rockfall activity on a forested slope at Täschgufer, Täsch (Swiss Alps). We introduce a new approach by evaluating the initiation of callous tissue and resin duct formation after rockfall occurrence to determine the seasonal timing of events. Results from 270 stem discs of 18 Larix decidua Mill. trees show distinct seasonal differences in...
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In: Geomorphology, 2005, vol. 68(3-4), p. 224
For the first time, dendrogeomorphology has been used to investigate spatial and temporal variations of rockfall activity in a protection forest. We report results of 564 cores from 135 severely injured Larix decidua Mill. trees on the west-facing Täschgufer slope, Swiss Alps. While trees sampled reached an age of 297 years on average, the oldest one attained breast height in AD 1318. For...
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