Accurate estimates of seed production are central for understanding mast seeding mechanisms at tree and forest scales, and for designing sustainable management strategies. As trees are long-lived organisms, a long-term perspective is required to understand how reproduction acts during the life cycle of a tree. However, long-term series of seed production are challenging to obtain, as the available seed count procedures strictly rely on field methods, which are cost- and time-consuming, inherently limiting their widespread use at extensive spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we proposed a simple, rapid and flexible field method based on counting the seed in mobile ground quadrats (GQ), which was tested in beech forests. Quadrat measurements were first validated against reference measurements obtained from litter traps (LT) in three permanent plots. Results indicated that GQ provides robust and reliable estimates of seeds, which are not affected by seed predation occurring at the forest floor. Additional quadrat measurements were performed to evaluate the influence of sampling schemes (random, regular, systematic) on the estimation of mean seed production at the plot scale. One hundred quadrats were collected in 0.25 ha beech plots and considered as a reference for evaluating the different sampling schemes and sampling sizes. Measurements were performed in October (three plots), which represented the peak of seed fall, and November (two plots). Results indicate that about 25 randomly located measurements allowed to characterize plot-level mean seed production with an acceptable error below 20%, regardless of the different mean seed production observed between the studied plots and the sampling periods. If the 25 sampling points are arranged in a grid, the obtained mean estimates are within the confidence interval of the reference plot-level values. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

• Key message: Litter trap is considered the most effective method to quantify seed production, but it is expensive and time-consuming. Counting fallen seeds using a quadrat placed on the ground yields comparable estimates to the litter traps. Ground quadrat estimates derived from either visual counting in the field or image counting from quadrat photographs are comparable, with the latter being also robust in terms of user sensitivity. • Context: Accurate estimates of forest seed production are central for a wide range of ecological studies. As reference methods such as litter traps (LT) are cost- and time-consuming, there is a need of fast, reliable, and low-cost tools to quantify this variable in the field. • Aims: To test two indirect methods, which consist of counting the seeds fallen in quadrats. • Methods: The trial was performed in three broadleaved (beech, chestnut, and Turkey oak) tree species. Seeds are either manually counted in quadrats placed at the ground (GQ) or from images acquired in the same quadrats (IQ) and then compared against LT measurements. • Results: GQ and IQ provide fast and reliable estimates of seeds in both oak and chestnut. In particular, IQ is robust in terms of user sensitivity and potentially enables automation in the process of seed monitoring. A null-mast year in beech hindered validation of quadrats in beech. • Conclusion: Quadrat counting is a powerful tool to estimate forest seed production. We recommend using quadrats and LT to cross-calibrate the two methods in case of estimating seed biomass. Quadrats could then be used more routinely on account of their faster and simpler procedure to obtain measurements at more spatially extensive scales. © 2021, The Author(s).

Key message: Climate factors affect seed biomass production which in turn influences autumn wild boar spatial behaviour. Adaptive management strategies require an understanding of both masting and its influence on the behaviour of pulsed resource consumers like wild boar. Context: Pulsed resources ecosystem could be strongly affected by climate. Disantangling the role of climate on mast seeding allow to understand a seed consumer spatial behaviour to design proper wildlife and forest management strategies. Aims: We investigated the relationship between mast seeding and climatic variables and we evaluated the influence of mast seeding on wild boar home range dynamics. Methods: We analysed mast seeding as seed biomass production of three broadleaf tree species (Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus cerris L., Castanea sativa Mill.) in the northern Apennines. Next, we explored which climatic variables affected tree masting patterns and finally we tested the effect of both climate and seed biomass production on wild boar home range size. Results: Seed biomass production is partially regulated by climate; high precipitation in spring of the current year positively affects seed biomass production while summer precipitation of previous year has an opposite effect. Wild boar home range size is negatively correlated to seed biomass production, and the climate only partially contributes to determine wild boar spatial behaviour. Conclusion: Climate factors influence mast seeding, and the negative correlation between wild boar home range and mast seeding should be taken into account for designing integrated, proactive hunting management. © 2018, INRA and Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.