Aspects Of Sustainable Forest Management Research Articles

Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover in Wilpattu National Park Restricted Zone, Sri Lanka


 
 
 The Wilpattu National Park (WNP) is the country's oldest and largest National Park. Aside from the direct destruction of plant and fauna ecosystems that sustain humans with vital resources, removing forest cover throws many crucial natural processes out of balance, which could have several detrimental effects. It is still unknown how the various management alternatives will affect the economic, ecological, and social elements of sustainable forest management and planning. Sustainable development and environmental protection are aided by wise land use and resource management. Many of the farmers reside in these marginal, underproductive forest communities. Through scenario analysis and using a forestry decision support system, this study evaluated the effects of several management approaches on crucial aspects of sustainable forest management. Geographical Information System (GIS), such as participatory online mapping, GPS mapping, and satellite image classification (Remote Sensing Technology), was used. The study employs an evaluation model for land use that considers biophysical and human-related variables as part of an integrated land use assessment. Based on the classification of the images, the environment's impact has been evaluated. Forty-nine Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions are in the influenced zone in the national park. Eight sample GN divisions were selected for detailed assessment based on the area's different landscapes and ecological and cultural settings. The current situation and encroachment were studied in each sample GN division. Also, Current threats, land use, and pressure activities were studied. The land use analysis of the Wilpattu restricted zone revealed the area of encroachment. Analyses conducted in the human village clearly show that the restricted area for human settlement is being encroached upon 2019, permanent building/housing units were found in 2003 satellite image categorization within the 1.6 km restricted zone. By 2021, the number mentioned above will be 3,810 instead. The past 20 years have seen an 89% growth in housing units. Land use analysis indicates nine zones of encroachment. Zones are dominant in encroachment in 19 GN Divisions in total. The Wilpattu forest village's Mullikulam and Eluwankulam GN Divisions are the most crucial and quickly encroaching areas. The highest percentages of restricted zone, land use analysis contain Paddy cultivation, and Chena cultivation shows the second highest value. Minimum land used is utilized for abandoned Chena cultivations. The highest percentage of land use agriculture is Kudawilachiya, Dematamalagama, and Nelumvila. In addition, the lowest agricultural land use was utilized in Horawila, Thalgaswewa, Helabawewa, Mirichchukaadi, and Adiyapualwakkulam.
 
 
 
 Keywords: Sustainable, Deforestation, Forest management, GIS, Restricted zone
 
 
 
 
 

Short-Term Effects of Thinning on Tree Growth and Soil Nutrients in the Middle-Aged Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) Plantations

Knowing the effect of thinning on forest ecosystem services is an important aspect of sustainable forest management. This study analyzed the traditional thinning on tree growth and soil nutrients in the Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) plantations. The Chinese fir plantations were 11 years old with different initial densities in Jinji (4000 tree·ha−1), and Yingde (3000 tree·ha−1), Xiaolong (2000 tree·ha−1) forest farms, and 20 years old in Yangmei (2000 tree·ha−1) forest farm. The thinning intensity was 35% in Yangmei and Xiaolong forest farms, and 43% in Jinji and Yingde forest farms. Tree growth was measured as the increment of diameter at breast height and stand volume; soil nutrients were measured as pH, soil carbon and nitrogen contents at 0–10 cm soil. The thinning led to an increase in the diameter of trees in all study plots, with the fastest growth rate in Jinji (22.02%) forest farm. The stand volume growth rate was higher in thinning plots than in control plots, with the highest volume growth rate in Xiaolong (27.8%), due to its higher leaf area index and lower density. There was an increasing pattern of C and N contents in the higher initial density plots after thinning (Jinji and Yingde forest farms). During the extreme drought year in 2021, the thinning mitigated the changes in soil acidity and soil moisture, which indicated that thinning could also increase drought tolerance in the short term. Thinning response studies frequently focus on the long-term effect; our results demonstrate how thinning promotes tree growth in the short term.

Catchment-to-Intake-Point Economic Valuation of Water Resources Using a Hybrid Method

Catchment-to-intake-point (CTIP) economic valuation of water resources is an important aspect of sustainable forest management. With a total of about 94,851 ha of forest catchment area, the state of Johor has among the largest inland water bodies and, thus, water resources in Malaysia. However, the economic valuation of CTIP water resources is rather undeveloped in this country. This paper introduces a hybrid method of CTIP economic valuation of water resources from forest catchment areas based on state-wide Cobb-Douglas translog production function and residual methods, by taking the state of Johor, Malaysia, as a case study. Data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), labour (L), capital (K), water (W), energy (E), and raw materials (M) were collected for the state of Johor from various secondary sources. Using a pro-rata price in 2014, the total value of CTIP water resources for an assumed lease period of 60 years at 4% per annum is RM 70,272,825.14. This is equivalent to the use-value of water of RM 1,171,213.75 per annum which is an additional source of income to the state government.

Projecting complex interactions between forest harvest and succession in the northern Acadian Forest Region

Preventing declines of native and historically-abundant tree species is an important aspect of sustainable forest management, but predicting future forest composition is challenging when succession does not tend to follow a well-defined path. We evaluated the implications of site-level interactions between timber harvesting and forest succession on the regional landscape dynamics of the complex and species-rich northern Acadian Forest Region. Our expectation was that forest composition would trend away from long-lived and shade-tolerant species, because rates of landscape disturbance from timber harvesting are high relative to historic rates of natural disturbance. We used a novel modeling approach that combined Landsat-derived time series of forest disturbance to inform realistic simulations of timber harvesting across many individual commercial forest landowners using LANDIS-II, and evaluated changes in tree species’ distributions and abundance with and without harvesting. Detailed descriptions of initial forest conditions were derived from maps of relative tree species abundance, developed using Landsat satellite imagery, regional inventory data, and an innovative machine learning algorithm. If recent harvest rates persist, simulations suggest timber harvesting will generally be sustainable in our study area; however, projected rates of site-level species turnover were high, predominantly favoring species that were less abundant under the region's natural disturbance regime. As a result, broad-scale patterns of projected species co-occurrence shifted, destabilizing important regional forest types. Our results highlight both the region's capacity for forest growth and the importance of accurately capturing the local effects of land management when projecting forested regions dominated by commercial ownership.

Causal Analysis of Accuracy Obtained Using High-Resolution Global Forest Change Data to Identify Forest Loss in Small Forest Plots

Identifying areas of forest loss is a fundamental aspect of sustainable forest management. Global Forest Change (GFC) datasets developed by Hansen et al. (in Science 342:850–853, 2013) are publicly available, but the accuracy of these datasets for small forest plots has not been assessed. We used a forest-wide polygon-based approach to assess the accuracy of using GFC data to identify areas of forest loss in an area containing numerous small forest plots. We evaluated the accuracy of detection of individual forest-loss polygons in the GFC dataset in terms of a “recall ratio”, the ratio of the spatial overlap of a forest-loss polygon determined from the GFC dataset to the area of a corresponding reference forest-loss polygon, which we determined by visual interpretation of aerial photographs. We analyzed the structural relationships of recall ratio with area of forest loss, tree species, and slope of the forest terrain by using linear non-Gaussian acyclic modelling. We showed that only 11.1% of forest-loss polygons in the reference dataset were successfully identified in the GFC dataset. The inferred structure indicated that recall ratio had the strongest relationships with area of forest loss, forest tree species, and height of the forest canopy. Our results indicate the need for careful consideration of structural relationships when using GFC datasets to identify areas of forest loss in regions where there are small forest plots. Moreover, further studies are required to examine the structural relationships for accuracy of land-use classification in forested areas in various regions and with different forest characteristics.

Epiphytic lichen diversity and sustainable forest management criteria and indicators: A multivariate and modelling approach in coppice forests of Italy

Epiphytic lichens represent one of the most suitable indicators of forest continuity and management, especially in the context of ancient and old-growth forests. Nevertheless, they have not yet been included among Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) indicators to which Pan-European forest policy and governance refer. In addition, currently adopted SFM indicators are mainly designed for high forests rather than coppice forests, despite the fact that today this management system covers more than 10% of the total European forests. In this study we investigated these two issues by examining epiphytic lichen diversity in three coppice forest stands, located in the two Italian regions of Tuscany and Sardinia. In particular, we addressed: i) the role of lichen diversity as SFM indicator and ii) its relationship with consolidated and new SFM indicators dealing with structural, health, biodiversity, protective and socioeconomic functions. Multivariate Factor Analysis and Generalised Linear Models were adopted for data analysis. We found that lichen diversity and the frequency of single sensitive species were mainly related to the biodiversity of plants and fungi (Criterion 4), the health and vitality of the forests (Criterion 2) and their protective functions (Criterion 5). Furthermore, our results show that the lichen species highlighted by the models may represent suitable indicators in long-term studies, especially in relation to complex and interconnected aspects of sustainable forest management. Although our findings represent a first contribute to this issue, more in-depth researches will be needed to clarify further aspects of the complex interactions among SFM indicators in the context of coppice forests.

Mount Taishan Forest Ecosystem Health Assessment Based on Forest Inventory Data

Forest health is an important aspect of sustainable forest management. The practical significance of health assessments of forest ecosystems is becoming more and more prominent because good knowledge about the health level of forests and the causes of unhealthy forests enables the identification of proper actions for enhancing sustainable development of forest ecosystems. This paper evaluated the health status of the forest ecosystem of Mount Taishan using the spatial analysis technique of GIS (Geographic Information System) and local forest inventory data. A comprehensive indicator system that reflects the health status of forestsin the study areawas established. Based on this indicator system, the health level of each sub-compartment of the forests in the study area was assessed. The results show that the high-quality grade forest (80.4 ha) and healthy grade forest (2671 ha) accounted for only 23.5% of the total forest area of Mount Taishan. About 60.5% of Mount Taishan forest was in a sub-health status. The area of unhealthy forests was 1865 ha (accounting for 16% of the total forest area), of which about 98 ha was inextremely unhealthy conditions.Asmore than two-thirds of the forests in Mount Taishan are in a sub-health or unhealthy state, effective measures for improving forest health are in urgent need in the study area.

Contribution of Forest Stewardship Council Certification to Sustainable Forest Management of State Forests in Selected Southeast European Countries

In recent decades, the concept of forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has been widely adopted in selected Southeast European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia). As sustainability is traditionally recognised as a leading principle in the forest management doctrine in these countries, the aim of this study was to understand whether, and how, FSC forest certification contributes to the sustainable management of state forests. The research was carried out in two phases. First, in order to assess forest management compliance with FSC standard, non-conformities for the period 2014–2018, identified in audit Public Summary Reports, were analysed in all public companies that managed state-owned forests in selected countries. Further, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the professionals responsible for forest certification in these companies were conducted (n = 11) to determine the contribution of forest certification to the economic, ecological, and social aspects of sustainable forest management. In total, 185 non-conformities were analysed. The results showed that FSC certification was successful in addressing certain problems in forest management practices and contributed to sustainable forest management, mainly covering social and ecological issues. The most frequently identified non-conformities were those related to FSC Principle 4 Community relations and worker’s rights (32.3% of all non-conformities) and Principle 6 Environmental impact (30.4% of all non-conformities). The contribution of FSC certification to sustainable forest management is mainly reflected in the following aspects: Worker’s rights; health and safety of employees; availability of appropriate personal protective equipment; consultation with local people and interest groups; awareness of environmental impacts of forestry operations; waste disposal and storage of fuel; improving the image of forest companies and maintenance of high-conservation-value forests. The majority of non-conformities were minor and required procedural changes to be closed. Moreover, there are no statistically significant differences between the countries with regard to the number of non-conformities for all principles. It can be concluded that FSC certification, as a market-driven mechanism, plays an important role by influencing forest management practices and business operations of public forest companies in a positive manner.

Managing conservation values and tree performance: Lessons learned from 10 year experiments in regenerating eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)

Multiple-use land management is an important aspect of sustainable forest management and requires strategies that both promote sustainable fiber production and conserve biodiversity. Studies formally integrating these two aspects of forest management are needed to develop silviculture prescriptions capable of maintaining the delivery of multiple ecosystem goods and services. Techniques used to suppress vegetation that competes with young pine seedlings have become standard practice in the regeneration of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), but they can cause changes in plant community composition. We compared white pine performance to understory development under five vegetation suppression treatments within three experimental white pine plantations. White pine performance was assessed in terms of basal stem diameter and the percentage of trees reaching an age 10 height target. Understory development was characterized in terms of understory plant functional composition using a complementary set of functional and taxonomic diversity metrics. Plantations included one clearcut site and two sites managed under a uniform shelterwood system. Our results show that after 10 years, plots treated with a single, second-season application of herbicide that temporarily suppressed both woody and herbaceous vegetation favoured rapid white pine growth, increased pine canopy cover, and allowed the understory community to recover towards a mature functional and taxonomic composition. Repetitive suppression of either only herbaceous or woody vegetation caused major shifts in community composition that were still evident after 10 years. These shifts were due to the prevalence of competitive species that formed dominant layers in these treatments. Impacts of treatments on tree performance and understory development observed in this study have important implications for forest management. Some treatments might create problems in the long-term by delaying understory maturation, while others appear capable of balancing multiple management objectives.

Forest policy goals in Poland in light of the current forestry aims in Europe Part 2. Forest policy priorities in Europe

Abstract The aim of the paper was to evaluate the priorities set for policy-making in forestry formulated under the Forest Europe process and in programmes, policies, strategies and legal acts of the European Union after 1997, which is also the year when the Polish ‘National Forest Policy’ was adopted by the Council of Ministers. During the last two decades, rapid policy development has been occurring Europe-wide. Forest policy goals defined within the Forest Europe process have also been reflected in EU’s strategic documents and legal acts and both processes are complementary as well as influencing each other. Forest policy priorities after 1997 cover all three major aspects of sustainable forest management (SFM): ecological, economic and social. However, the main emphasis has been put on economic and social aspects of SFM. The key priorities defined in numerous Forest Europe and EU documents are the following: enhancing the role of forests and forest management in mitigating climate change including the promotion of production and wide use of wood; adapting forests to climate change and changing environmental conditions; conserving, protecting and enhancing forest biodiversity; enhancing the role of forests and forest management in rural development; fostering coordination and cross-sectoral cooperation within forestry. The need for enhancing forest research has been pointed out in almost all analysed Forest Europe commitments as well as in numerous EU documents.

Effects of forestry practices on the regeneration and biodiversity of woody plants in the northern forest ecosystems of Iran

Undoubtedly, the regeneration and sustainability of forests are the most important aspects of sustainable forest management. The present study was conducted in Patam district, located in Kheyroud forest, Iran, and the regular regeneration of various plant species was evaluated in the region. The study of the regeneration was randomly regularly carried out by using a grid of 150 × 200 m and the sample plot with the area of 1.0 R (radius 1.8 m), provided by centre for sample plot. The highest rate of regeneration (seedlings) was observed in Carpinus betulus (50%), Acer insigne (23%), Fagus orientalis (10%), afforestation (6.2%), Acer cappadocicum (6%), Parrotia persica (2.8%), and Diospyros lotus (2%), respectively. In addition, 74 and 26% of the seedlings had height less than and more than 50 cm, respectively. Therefore, the studied region has proper conditions for regeneration in terms of the soil and mother trees. However, the number of the seedlings with height more than 50 cm is not above the normal range. In the studied region, regeneration coverage level, herbaceous species coverage level, and coverage level without sample plots were calculated to be 52, 41, and 7%, respectively. Considering the low rate of natural regeneration compared to similar forests and the habitat of the studied forest, the main causes in this regard could be the lack of mother trees, animal grazing, and the density of the forest floor vegetation. Therefore, the elimination of animal grazing and plantation operations are necessary for the improvement of regeneration.

Balancing different forest values: Evaluation of forest management scenarios in a multi-criteria decision analysis framework

Besides traditional timber production, other forest functions, such as biodiversity and recreation, have gained increasing importance during the last few decades. Demands on forests have become more diversified, thus making forest management and planning more complex. To meet these challenges, there is a growing interest in a more diversified silviculture, for which a number of different management options are available. However, it remains unclear how the various management options affect economic, ecological, and social aspects of sustainable forest management. Hence, in this study, we assess the consequences of various management options on different aspects of sustainable forest management through scenario analysis using a forestry decision support system. We evaluate 10 different forest management scenarios for two contrasting municipalities in Sweden, based on expert participation by way of a web-based multi-criteria decision analysis framework. We asked experts in economic, ecological, and social forest values, as well as those in reindeer husbandry, to weigh a number of indicators in their field of expertise against each other, and to create value functions for each indicator. We then determined scenario ranking for different sets of weights for economic, ecological and social forest values. Our results indicate that current management practices are favorable for economic aspects (wood production), while a number of scenarios would be better suited to fulfill the Swedish co-equal forest policy goal of production and consideration of environmental issues, such as scenarios with longer rotation periods, a larger share of set-asides and a higher share of continuous cover forestry. These measures would be beneficial not only for ecological values, but also for social values and for reindeer husbandry. Furthermore, we found that expert participation through the web-tool was a promising alternative to physical meetings that require more commitment in terms of time and resources.

Do forest policy actors learn through forward-thinking? Conflict and cooperation relating to the past, present and futures of sustainable forest management in Germany

Collaborative participatory policy approaches based on foresight methodology have recently been proposed as promising governance tools to achieve sustainability in general, and address and manage challenges of integrating competing demands on forest land use (e.g., timber production, nature protection, recreation) in particular. Their main argument is that participatory processes will bring policy actors together. Based on long- and short-term future-oriented thinking and actions, they will overcome their previous value-laden and interest-based conflicts through informed communication, deliberation, policy learning and mutual cooperation. But do policy actors learn when they are thinking, debating and shaping the ‘forest futures’ they want to achieve or avoid? To what extent are current beliefs, values, worldviews, and conflict structures projected onto the future? What are their impacts on policy learning today?This paper addresses these research questions from a knowledge-based perspective of relevant policy learning theories. We trace changes and stability in beliefs, values (perception) and behavior (cooperation/conflict) among the involved policy actors. We assess to what extent future-oriented thinking and discussions contribute to, or inhibit, policy learning today.Empirically, the paper is informed by three case studies of regional ‘forest futures’ processes in Germany. They include forest landscapes in Upper Palatinate and South of Munich in Bavaria, and the Black Forest National Park in Baden-Württemberg. They represent different cases in terms of levels of stakeholder conflicts, integrative/segregative forest land use approaches, and the rural/urban divide. The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews and documents about past and future forest land use, and observation of participatory scenario-building and back-casting workshops during 2011–2014.In our analysis, we found that forest policy actors adhered to their pre-existing beliefs and remained divided in terms of present and future aspects of sustainable forest management. That is, we observed no substantial or only strategic policy learning among the involved policy actors. We explain these findings in terms of competing actors' belief systems and worldviews that lead to competing understandings and expectations of ‘forest futures’. We discuss our research against the theoretical propositions and in view of the state-of-the art. We draw conclusions relevant for scholars and policymakers interested in collaborative policy learning processes, and suggest possible topics for further research.

Biomass yield and modeling of logging residues of Terminalia superba in Southwestern Nigeria

An important aspect of sustainable forest management is periodical inventory, which coupled with the need for conservation of forest resources, formed the basis for the estimation of logging residues of Terminalia superba in the South-western part of Nigeria. A total of thirty one (31) trees were clear-felled in natural forests by plotless sampling techniques. Replicate wood discs and samples were taken fresh from the stem, branch and foliage residues left on the forest floors after the useful logs have been evacuated. The samples were dried to a constant weight in the laboratory and thereafter, the fresh/dry weight ratio of the samples was used to estimate the biomass of the residues of the felled trees. The mean biomass of the residues of Terminalia superba were 125.99kg, 135.42kg and 18.91kg for stem, branches and foliage respectively. Residues generated were found to be highest in the tree branches, followed by the stem and the foliage. The contribution of the various biomass components in relation to the total residue biomasses were 45.84% stem, 47.85% branch and 6.29% foliage. The use of Dbh as an independent variable in the prediction of models for estimating the biomass residues of the tree species was adjudged best because it performed well. The validation results showed that the selected models satisfied the assumptions of regression analysis. The practical implication of the models is that they could be readily used in the estimation of biomass residues of Terminalia superba.Keywords: Modelling, logging residue, biomass yield, Terminalia ivorensis

Forest thinning impact on carbon stock and soil condition in Southern European populations of P. sylvestris L.

An important aspect of sustainable forest management is to assess the impact of forest operations on ecosystem services. This work analyzed the long-term effect of two standard thinning regimes on carbon stocks both in tree biomass and soil compartments as well as its effect on soil condition. The target population was a 90-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stand in southwestern Europe. Soil condition was measured as dry mass of the forest floor and concentration of carbon, nutrients in the forest floor as well as exchangeable cations, effective cation exchange capacity, pH and bulk density in the mineral soil. Repeated thinnings from below in a southern European population of Scots pine led to a reduction in current on-site carbon stock in tree biomass of 28% in moderately thinned stands (D grade: average residual basal area of 65–79% relative to the control plots) which was consistent with an observed loss of volume production. However, the inclusion of the amount of carbon exported off-site with harvested biomass reduced the decrease in stock to 4.8%. Nutrient concentrations in the forest floor increased in moderate thinned stands (P, K, Mg and Mn) or were unchanged (C, N and Fe). The selected thinning regime did not alter mineral soil condition. A decreasing pattern of Ca and Mn stocks with depth was consistent with a high reduction of nutrient concentration of elements and higher bulk density with depth. However K, Mg and Na showed stable stocks across depths because of a much smaller reduction of nutrient concentrations in deeper layers relative to the surface layer. We hypothesized that this stable pattern with soil depth was due to leaching. The sustainability of forest thinning is a trade-off between loss of standing biomass and increasing stand stability as long as other indicators, like soil condition, do not significantly change.

Community Based Forest Management as a Tool for Sustainable Forest Management in Cross River State, Nigeria

Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) in Cross River State (CRS) was investigated with a view to understanding its efficiency and effectiveness as a tool for sustainable forest management in the State. Four sets of questionnaire were administered to forestry officials; forest edge communities; timber dealers/sawmillers; and relevant Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).Three-stage sampling technique was adopted to sample six communities. The stages of sampling included: senatorial districts, Local Government Areas and communities. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The performance of CBFM was assessed against the ATO/ITTO’s Criteria and Indicators for the Sustainable Management of African Natural Tropical Forests. Results show that the average size of community forests was between 101 and over 1000 ha per community. The level of awareness about community forest management was about 96% while 86% of the respondents participated in CBFM activities. The most significant gain of CBFM has been the meaningful partnership between the Cross River State Forestry Commission (CRSFC) and the forest edge communities in protecting and managing the forest resources. The existing benefit- sharing formula of CBFM proceeds is 1:4 in favour of government for governmentestablished plantations, while communities have 7:3 of proceeds derived from community forests. The current sharing formula for the products obtained from reserved natural forests is 1:1. We suggest that a mutually acceptable formula should be worked out among the stakeholders. Some of the problems and challenges confronting the implementation of CBFM in the state include: inadequate encouragement and cooperation among some members of the communities; inadequate incentives (seedlings, etc) and equipment (farm tools, etc); and capacity building; insufficient monitoring and evaluation by the relevant staff of the Forestry Commission. CBFM has done fairly well in certain aspects of sustainable forest management. However, aspects of maintenance of multiple functions of forests; creation of enabling environment; state economic and fiscal policies, policy to encourage forestry enterprises; effective monitoring and evaluation of forest management policy and adequate mechanisms for law enforcement have to be taken more seriously if CBFM would serve as a veritable tool for sustainable forest management in Cross river State, Nigeria Key words: Stakeholders’ participation, benefit sharing, forest resources, sustainability

From logging frontier towards sustainable forest management: experiences from boreal regions of North-West Russia and North Sweden

This article describes the transformation of old-growth forest to managed forests, in North (N) Sweden and boreal regions of North-West (BNW) Russia, from economic, social and ecological perspectives. Whereas in BNW Russia, the logging frontier could be kept moving into unharvested regions, N Sweden earlier had to develop solutions where large-scale logging had already taken place. In 1950–1990, Swedish strategies included rationing of old forest, effective regeneration and also precommercial and commercial thinning. Supporting means were legislation, government-funded subsidies and collaboration among enterprises, researchers and political leaders. BNW Russia is currently facing similar challenges and N Swedish experiences should be analysed and used where applicable. In N Sweden, a too low proportion of representative productive old forests remains, but in the last decades, N Swedish forests exempted from economic use have been significantly increased. Ongoing discussions of also defining areas with more intensive forest management would lead to a zoning, bearing some resemblance to the Russian system, in use since 1943. Russian experience should, therefore, be of interest to Swedish forest policy-makers. Both countries have problems with rural social issues. Both can benefit from collaboration on these aspects of sustainable forest management.

Forest management strategies for dealing with fire-related uncertainty when managing two forest seral stages

Ecological values are an important aspect of sustainable forest management, but little attention has been paid to maintaining these values when using traditional linear programming (LP) forest management planning models in uncertain planning environments. We embedded an LP planning model that specifies when and how much to harvest in a simulation model of a “managed” flammable forest landscape. The simulation model was used to evaluate two strategies for dealing with fire-related uncertainty when managing mature and old forest areas. The two seral stage areas were constrained in the LP planning model to a minimum of 10% of the total forest area and the strategies were evaluated under four representative fire regimes. We also developed a risk analysis tool that can be used by forest managers that wish to incorporate fire-related uncertainty in their decision-making. We found that use of the LP model would reduce the areas of the mature and old forest to their lower bound and fire would further reduce the seral areas below those levels, particularly when the mean annual burn fraction exceeds 0.45% per annum. Increasing the minimum area required (i.e., the right-hand side of the constraint) would increase the likelihood of satisfying the minimum area requirements.

A quantitative indicator framework for stand level evaluation and monitoring of environmentally sustainable forest management

An indicator framework was designed as an operational science-based tool for the evaluation of the environmental aspects of sustainable forest management at stand level in Flanders (Belgium). The framework aims to assess the effects of forest management on forest composition, structure and functioning. It consists of seven principles and 19 criteria, to which 157 potential indicators, selected from literature, were assigned; 40 of these were considered as suitable by an expert panel, based on 10 operational selection criteria. All indicators were quantitative variables measurable in the field. After elaboration of a measurement protocol, the indicator framework was validated in 115 forest stands, distributed over the three main forest types of Flanders. The new indicator framework exhibited greater sensitivity to forest management practices and demonstrated better discriminating power than the method that is currently used by the Flemish forest administration to estimate the naturalness and environmental quality of a forest stand. Following a detailed cost calculation of each indicator and based on the sensitivity of each indicator to forest management practices, the indicator framework was further reduced to a final set of 29 indicators. This framework can also be applied in other regions, provided that local threshold values are defined to convert indicator values to indicator scores. The selection procedure and the possible contribution of this set to the forest management in Flanders are discussed.

Potentially limited detectability of short-term changes in boreal fire regimes: a simulation study

Climate change is expected to increase area burned in the boreal plains ecozone of Canada in the early 21st century (2001–50). I examined the influence of inter-annual variability in area burned and short observed time series on the probability of detecting if an increase has occurred, using a null model of present and future fire regimes. A wide range of fire cycles are consistent with annual area burned in the late 20th century (1959–99). Fire cycles estimated from the reciprocal of the average annual burn fraction over a 50-year period are not very precise, and overestimate the fire cycle if years with large annual area burned have not recently occurred. Under the default assumptions, the probability of detecting a doubling of annual area burned during 2001–50 is 73% if it occurred instantaneously, but only 31% if it occurred gradually. Imprecise estimates and uncertainty in the ability to detect changes in fire cycles poses challenges for implementing aspects of sustainable forest management. Alternate empirical or model-based statistics, such as return periods for annual areas burned of a given magnitude, may be useful for inferring frequencies and magnitudes of large fire years that have not yet been observed.