Forest Change Research Articles

Limited Immediate Effects of Wildfire on Alaska Moose Harvest

Qualitative studies have suggested that forest changes following a wildfire can challenge a hunter's ability to harvest big game, such as moose (<i>Alces alces</i>). Quantitative effects have not been estimated. Given the increasing prevalence of wildfires, the strong linkages between wildfire and moose habitat, and the importance of moose to the people of the boreal region of North America, our goal was to assess if and how moose harvest patterns changed immediately following a wildfire. To address that goal, we used 36 years (1984-2019) of spatially-explicit wildfire and moose harvest data in Alaska to compare moose harvest variables the year before and year after a wildfire occurred. With a few exceptions, the number of hunters, kills, and success rates were similar (p > 0.05, Effect size < 0.3) between pre- and post-wildfire years. We estimated a weak to moderate effect on change in moose hunter numbers, kills, and success rate in only a small percentage (1.5%) of wildfires that burned a very large proportion (>38%) of a moose harvest reporting unit. Our findings suggest that wildfire has not caused a clear and functional quantitative effect on hunters’ ability to harvest moose in Alaska.

Paleoecological History of Maplecrest Fen, Catskill Mountains (NY, USA) From Deglaciation to the Industrial Age

ABSTRACTAimTo develop the palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic history of Maplecrest Fen, Greene County, NY.LocationCatskill Mountains, New York.Time Period13,500 calendar years to present (ybp, present = 1950).TaxonAngiosperms, gymnosperms and bryophytes.MethodsWe used pollen and spore analysis, macrofossil analysis, loss‐on‐ignition (LOI) and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of a 7.8 m sediment core from the Fen along with AMS radiocarbon dates retrieved from the identified terrestrial macrofossils.ResultsLate‐glacial and Holocene vegetational change from ice withdrawal reveals the development of a shallow lake and then fen to the present. The boreal spruce (Picea), fir (Abies) and paper birch ((Betula papyrifera) pollen signature near the base of the core (Zone M2) suggest a Younger Dryas (YD) signal overtopping warmer Allerod aged basal sediments. The early Holocene white pine (Pinus strobus) is followed by increases in hemlock (Tsuga) and beech (Fagus), ushering in a moister climate. About 5200 ybp drought is indicated by the well‐known hemlock biostratigraphic decline in the Northeast. Drepanocladus moss and stonewort (Chara) shift to sedges (Carex) and violets (Viola) locally present. For the next 5000 years, the vegetation will remain relatively stable with lower temperatures suggested by the return of spruce and fir. Ragweed (Ambrosia) rise along with other weedy taxa marks European settlement near the top 50 cm of the core, along with a striking increase in anthropogenic lead, as seen using X‐ray fluorescence.Main ConclusionsDeglaciation began in the Catskills at a high elevation about 13,500 years ago and recession of ice from the Laurentide margin proceeded at about 0.1 km/year. Temperature shifts promoted changes in the boreal forest including warming and cooling, and drought and wetter intervals both appear in the Holocene history but do not appear to be easily forecast as climate continues to warm.

Influence of War on the Forest Plantations of the Left Bank Kherson Region

Mapping burnt areas of forest plantations is needed to understand the scale of the violation and plan the post-fire activities to save the biggest artificially made forest in the world. The military actions due to the ongoing war in Ukraine complicate the monitoring by traditional and standard methods. Given the complexities of military actions, our study during this period is heavily reliant on remote sensing, marking a significant shift from traditional methods. The article is dedicated to the impact of hostilities resulting from Russian armed aggression against Ukraine on the state of forest plantations and shelterbelts of the left bank Kherson region. The research was conducted using images of Sentinel-2 L2A satellite, focusing on the study of forest burnt areas from the beginning of hostilities on the territory of the occupied Kherson region in February 2022 to March 2024. The pre-war year 2021 was used as a benchmark for comparing the state of forest plantations. Satellite images were used to generate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Burn ratio (NBR) index to determine and monitor forest cover changes and burnt areas in forest plantations as a result of hostilities on the research territory using ArcGIS Pro. The area of study is 44 657 hectares, and the burnt area of Oleshky forest in March 2024 was 7 833 hectares (17.5 %). The conducted studies have proved the critical situation with forest plantations on the left bank of the Dnipro River within the Kherson region. This situation necessitates immediate and collaborative intervention to save the ecosystem of Oleshky forest.

Floristic and structural changes in a neotropical urban novel forest over 13 years

The ecological importance of non-native species is the main characteristic of novel ecosystems. Pinus elliottii species is highly invasive in tropical forests and is commonly found in secondary forests in Brazil. We investigated the floristic and structural changes in an urban novel forest dominated by P. elliottii over a 13-year period (2011–2023). Based on the knowledge about novel forests ecology, we hypothesised that the community will remain stable without significant changes in tree structure and composition over the study period. We studied a small urban forest fragment (2 ha) in Juiz de Fora municipality, south-eastern Brazil. We measured all trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 50 mm in a sample of 15 permanent plots (20 × 20 m) in 2011, 2016 and 2023, and calculated the changes in phytosociological and species diversity parameters for each period. As hypothesised, we did not observe significant changes in community structure and composition. Species richness increased from 63 to 80 over the period, but without changes in the phytosociological hierarchy. The non-native species P. elliottii remained as the most important species (importance value, IV) in 2011 (15.1%), 2016 (14.9%) and 2023 (14.2%). The following 12 hyperdominant species in the phytosociological hierarchy, which accounted for more than 70% of IV over the periods, remained dominant with no or small changes in the species hierarchy. The species diversity indices (H’) and multivariate analysis (ANOSIM) did not show significant differences over the periods. We concluded that the community is likely to remain with no significant changes in the coming decades due of the self-regenerating structure of the main populations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dynamic analysis of an urban novel forest in the neotropics, providing valuable insights for a better understanding of its ecology and functioning.

The analysis of climate change and human activities in the Brazilian Amazon forest

In recent years, global warming has significantly altered weather patterns in many countries. Brazil, home to the biggest tropical rainforest on Earth the Amazon Forest, has experienced an uptick in extreme climate events, which has increasingly captured global attention. Human activities may contribute to phenomena such as the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone layer. Additionally, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events has led to issues related to agricultural yield, infectious diseases, and other related problems. This article primarily explores the changes in climatic conditions of the Amazon Forest in Brazil and the measures the government ought to take. Through a review of the literature, this report examined the changes in temperature, precipitation, vegetation coverage, and fire in the Amazon Forest in Brazil in recent years, as well as the interconnections among these factors. Besides, this article also offers recommendations for addressing the more severe drought and frequent fires in the Brazilian Amazon Forest.

Anthromes and forest carbon responses to global change

Societal Impact StatementForest ecosystems absorb and store about 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions annually and are increasingly shaped by human land use and management. Climate change interacts with land use and forest dynamics to influence observed carbon stocks and the strength of the land carbon sink. We show that climate change effects on modeled forest land carbon stocks are strongest in tropical wildlands that have limited human influence. Global forest carbon stocks and carbon sink strength may decline as climate change and anthropogenic influences intensify, with wildland tropical forests, especially in Amazonia, likely being especially vulnerable.Summary Human effects on ecosystems date back thousands of years, and anthropogenic biomes—anthromes—broadly incorporate the effects of human population density and land use on ecosystems. Forests are integral to the global carbon cycle, containing large biomass carbon stocks, yet their responses to land use and climate change are uncertain but critical to informing climate change mitigation strategies, ecosystem management, and Earth system modeling. Using an anthromes perspective and the site locations from the Global Forest Carbon (ForC) Database, we compare intensively used, cultured, and wildland forest lands in tropical and extratropical regions. We summarize recent past (1900‐present) patterns of land use intensification, and we use a feedback analysis of Earth system models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 to estimate the sensitivity of forest carbon stocks to CO2 and temperature change for different anthromes among regions. Modeled global forest carbon stock responses are positive for CO2 increase but neutral to negative for temperature increase. Across anthromes (intensively used, cultured, and wildland forest areas), modeled forest carbon stock responses of temperate and boreal forests are less variable than those of tropical forests. Tropical wildland forest areas appear especially sensitive to CO2 and temperature change, with the negative temperature response highlighting the potential vulnerability of the globally significant carbon stock in tropical forests. The net effect of anthropogenic activities—including land‐use intensification and environmental change and their interactions with natural forest dynamics—will shape future forest carbon stock changes. These interactive effects will likely be strongest in tropical wildlands.

Analyzing the impact of Galamsey in Ghana: A romantic pastoral ecocritical study of Hopkins’s Binsey Poplars

Humanity’s persistent neglect and overexploitation of nature have precipitated a rising concern regarding environmental issues, such as land and forest degradation and climate change. These issues have taken center stage in both literary and non-literary discourse. This study explores how literature serves as a tool to expose human injustices toward nature and the environment. Through ecocriticism and textual analysis, Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem „Binsey Poplars“ is examined to highlight the ecocritical issues raised in the context of illegal mining in Ghana, commonly known as Galamsey. The study discusses the devastation caused by Galamsey activities in Ghana, which mirrors the destruction depicted in the poem. The analysis reveals that Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies are under constant threat, and if these threats are not mitigated, there is a significant risk that nature will suffer irreparable damage. The research adopts a qualitative paradigm, allowing for a detailed textual analysis of the eco-critical issues in the poem and their reflection of the destructive impact on Ghanaian water and forest reserves. By understanding these eco-critical issues in Ghana through literary analysis, we gain insights into how literature can serve as a vehicle for character change, empathy-building, and the dissemination of ideas. Furthermore, this approach illuminates how writers navigate and challenge prevailing societal problems through their works. The study concludes that ecocriticism as a theoretical framework not only offers a refreshing perspective for interpreting poetry but also brings to light critical environmental issues that threaten the safety and sanctity of the environment.

Estimation of Forest Phenology’s Relationship with Age-Class Structure in Northeast China’s Temperate Deciduous Forests

Phenological changes in forests directly influence the spatiotemporal dynamics of carbon fixation and the carbon and water cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Previous studies have shown that variations in biological factors (e.g., canopy height, leaf area, water use efficiency) can increase uncertainty in forest phenology, and these variations are closely linked to tree species and forest age-class structure. However, the interaction mechanisms through which tree species and forest age-class structure influence phenological changes remain insufficiently explored. In this study, phenological changes and their interactions and response mechanisms to different dominant tree species and forest age-class structures were analyzed via Sentinel-2 normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series data from 2020 and 2021 across 480 typical deciduous forest plots in northeastern China. The results were as follows: (1) There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the intra-annual phenological responses of temperate deciduous landscapes to the interaction between tree species and forest age-class structure. (2) The indirect effect of forest age-class structure through tree species on phenology exceeded the indirect effect of tree species through forest age-class structure, with a difference of 30.77%–35.09%. (3) When the dominant tree species and forest age-class structure were not distinguished, phenological differences in temperate forests ranged from 3 to 41 days and 2 to 23 days, respectively. This study highlights the differential impacts of key biological factors and their interactions on regional forest phenology, offering valuable insights into how these factors influence forest landscapes and providing a theoretical basis for improving forest management strategies.

Interactions Between Climate and Species Drive Future Forest Carbon and Water Balances

ABSTRACTGlobal change is altering forest carbon and water balances; however, the extent to which tree species shape ecosystem‐scale responses to climate, particularly in biodiverse forests, remains unclear. To address this, we simulated the effects of an envelope of future climate conditions on watershed carbon and water balances and quantified the contributions of tree species based on their xylem anatomy. We accomplished this by incorporating species‐level transpiration calculations into a landscape‐scale ecosystem process model. Our revised model linked the effects of forest succession, species composition, and climate change on water and carbon. Calibration of forest water fluxes using sap flux measurements and catchment water balances captured variability in species transpiration and interannual ET in biodiverse, humid temperate forest catchments in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, USA. Across wet and dry future climate projections, ET increased, and streamflow and net carbon uptake decreased, particularly under a scenario of increasing drought. Despite accounting for just 30% of current biomass, diffuse‐porous tree species were the main driver of carbon and water flux responses now and in the future, thus intensifying the increase in ET and decline in streamflow. As diffuse‐porous biomass continues to increase, these forests will be increasingly sensitive to drought, amplifying losses of carbon sequestration and freshwater delivery.

Litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a subtropical ecosystem: A comparison of natural and plantation forests (Duabanga grandiflora) in Nagaland, North-East India

Forest litter decomposition is vital for nutrient cycling and carbon turnover. To investigate their decomposition rate, we conducted a litter bag experiment in plantation forests (PF) and natural forests (NF) in a subtropical ecosystem. Our findings showed significant seasonal variation in litter mass loss (p < 0.0001) between the two sites, indicating seasonality as the main driver of decomposition. The decay rate constant (k) expressed in day⁻¹, reflecting the fraction of litter mass lost per day due to decomposition, reveals that NF has higher k value of 0.007 day⁻¹ than PF at 0.005 day⁻¹ , indicating faster decomposition in NF. This constant is essential for predicting litter breakdown duration, highlighting decomposition dynamics between sites, suggesting that even minimal distances between forest types can affect organic matter breakdown. In both sites, litter mass loss varied significantly from the initial to the final year (p < 0.001), with peak rates during the monsoon, followed by pre-monsoon and dry periods. Mixed litter in NF experienced a 99.94 % loss after 730 days, while PF, saw 97.80 % loss. Carbon, lignin, nitrogen, and potassium concentrations were higher during the monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons at both sites. Except for phosphorus in PF, all soil parameters positively correlated with mass loss, along with litter parameters C, N, P, K, and lignin (p < 0.001). Litter decomposition was higher in NF than PF, with significant seasonal effects (p < 0.0001), highlighting seasonality over litter mixture effects. Understanding climate variability and species diversity is essential for sustainable forest management amid ongoing anthropogenic land-use changes.

An Improved Grid-Based Carbon Accounting Model for Forest Disturbances from Remote Sensing and TPO Survey Data

Forest disturbance is one of the main drivers of forest carbon flux change. How to accurately estimate the carbon flux caused by forest disturbance is an important research problem. In a previous study, the authors proposed a Grid-based Carbon Accounting (GCA) model that used remote sensing data to estimate forest carbon fluxes in North Carolina from 1986 to 2010. However, the original model was unable to track legacy emissions from previously harvested wood products and was unable to consider forest growth conditions before and after forest disturbance. This paper made some improvements to the original GCA model to enable it to track fluxes between all major aboveground live carbon pools, including pre-disturbance growth and growth of undisturbed forests, which were not included in the initial model. Based on existing timber product output (TPO) survey data and annual TPO records inversed from remote sensing data, we also worked to clarify the distribution ratios of removed C between slash and different wood product pools. Specifically, the average slash ratio for North Carolina was calculated from the difference between the C removed and the C flowing into the wood product as calculated from TPO survey data. County- and year-specific ratios were then calculated using the annual TPO records obtained from remote sensing and TPO survey data, dividing the removed remaining C into pools P1, P10, and P100, which were then applied to each 30 m pixel based on the county and year to which the pixel belonged. After compensating for these missing legacy emissions and adjusting forest growth rates from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, we estimated a net carbon sink of 218.1 Tg of the flux associated with live aboveground biomass and harvested wood products from North Carolina woodlands over the 25-year study period (1986–2010). This estimate is close to the greenhouse gas emission and sink data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for North Carolina and is comparable to estimates reported by several other studies.

Monitoring forest cover and land use change in the Congo Basin under IPCC climate change scenarios

The Congo Basin tropical forests are home to many endemic and endangered species, and a global hotspot for forest fragmentation and loss. Yet, little has been done to document the region’s rapid deforestation, assess its effects and consequences, or project future forest cover loss to aid in effective planning. Here we applied the Random Forest (RF) supervised classification algorithm in Google Earth Engine (GEE) to map and quantify decadal changes in forest cover and land use (LCLU) in the Congo Basin between 1990 and 2020. We cross-validated our LCLU maps with existing global land cover products, and projected our validated results to 2050 under three climate change scenarios, using the Multiperceptron Artificial Neural Network and Markov chain algorithms of the Idrissi Land Change modeller from TerrSet. We found that, over 5.2% (215,938 km2), 1.2% (50,046 km2), and a 2.1% (86,658 km2) of dense forest cover were lost in the Congo Basin between 1990–2000, 2000–2010, and 2010–2020, totaling approximately 8.5% (352,642 km2) loss estimated between 1990–2020. For the period 2020–2050, we estimated a projected 3.7–4.0% (174,860–204,161 km2) loss in dense forest cover under all three climate change scenarios (i.e., 174,860 km2 loss projected for SSP1-2.6, 199,608 km2 for SSP2-4.5, and 204,161 km2 for SSP5-8.5), suggesting that approximately 12.3–12.6% (527,502 km2–556,803 km2) of dense forest cover could be lost over a 60-year period (1990–2050). Our study represents a novel application of spatial modeling tools and Machine Learning algorithms for assessing long-term deforestation and forest degradation within the Congo Basin, under human population growth and IPCC climate change scenarios. We provide spatial and quantitative results required for supporting long-term deforestation and forest degradation monitoring within Congo Basin countries, especially under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) REDD+ (Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program.

Quantifying forest stocking changes in Sundarbans mangrove using remote sensing data

The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove ecosystem, faces significant challenges from forest stocking changes due to natural and anthropogenic factors. Scientific studies on these changes are not available. This study uses remote sensing techniques to quantify long-term changes in mangrove forest canopy height, aboveground biomass (AGB), and forest carbon stocks. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) LiDAR data sets. We assessed canopy height and forest stocking changes, and changes in AGB carbon fluxes over the last two decades in the Sundarbans mangrove. Calibrated SRTM data provided tree canopy height (TCH) estimates for 2000, while calibrated GEDI LiDAR data facilitated assessments of TCH for 2023. The findings show substantial changes in TCH, AGB, and carbon stock distribution in the Sundarbans mangrove between 2000 and 2023. TCH in the 5-10 m class notably increased from 58.3% in 2000 to 70.8% in 2023, while TCH above 15 m decreased, and those under 5 m regrew. Higher AGB carbon classes (>50 tons ha⁻1) decreased, with only the lowest class (<50 tons ha⁻1) increasing, indicating notable forest carbon stock reduction due to deforestation and forest degradation. Approximately 1571 Kt of AGB carbon were lost over 23 years, around 4% of the total stock. The driving forces of forest stocking changes could be changes in the dynamic energy balance from the estuarine river system and the tidal waves, relative sea-level change, increases of salinity in various zones of Sundarbans mangrove, other anthropogenic factors, etc. This research provides valuable insights into Sundarbans mangrove dynamics, aiding global forest degradation and forest growth in understanding forest stocking change and their role in terrestrial carbon flux and global climate change. The results will be helpful for the forest manager in identifying the locations where there is forest degradation or enhancement of forest growing stock and planning any silvicultural operations that are needed in the forest. This is also useful for climate change scientists to understand probable man-made or natural driving forces of the changes in forest stocking in the Sundarbans mangrove forests. It underscores the urgency of integrating deforestation and forest degradation into climate strategies for effective carbon management and conservation efforts, that align with carbon sequestration goals, contributing to broader climate change mitigation strategies.

The potential of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) as bioindicators at IPB Dramaga Campus

Abstract Insects such as longhorn beetles play a crucial role in the environment as they serve as indicators of ecosystem balance. Longhorn beetles are commonly utilized as bioindicators for assessing ecosystem damage due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. This research aims to analyze the presence of longhorn beetles as potential bioindicators in several stands at IPB Dramaga Campus, namely in the Segitiga Silvikultur (SS), Arboretum FAHUTAN (AF), and Taman Hutan Kampus (THK). The research method employed Artocarpus traps to capture longhorn beetles. The results indicate that the highest abundance of longhorn beetles was found in the THK plot due to the availability of sufficient food sources. The abundance of longhorn beetles was recorded at 27 individuals comprising 5 species, with Acalolepta rusticatrix dominating all research plots. Several factors influencing the presence of longhorn beetles include climatic factors, tree diversity, and human activities. Some longhorn beetle species have the potential to serve as bioindicators of forest ecosystem changes due to their distinctive habitats, such as Sybra fuscotriangularis, Epepeotes luscus, Pterolophia sp., and Ropica marmorata.

Reconstructing forest and grassland cover changes in China over the past millennium

Reconstructing forest and grassland cover changes in China over the past millennium

Mapping forest cover and change as continuous variables is essential to advance consistency across forest monitoring products

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of freely available Earth observation data, combined with advancements in forest monitoring capabilities, has led to the production of a variety of datasets on forest cover and change at the national and global scales. These datasets are essential for informing science and policy. Yet, this surge in available data products comes with the challenge of reconciling differences in the mapping of forest, non-forest, and forest loss across products. Differences in forest cover mapping between products result in divergent estimates of forest area change, potentially constraining the utility of these products to inform science and policy, consistently, across scales. We use the case of Colombia to demonstrate that these inconsistencies can be largely resolved by advancing operational forest monitoring capabilities toward the representation of forest cover and change as continuous rather than discrete variables. The analysis consisted of a comparison between the global forest change product (GFC) and the official national datasets on forest cover change for Colombia (IDEAM) in terms of overall and per-class classification agreement and estimates of forest-area loss. The comparison was performed after harmonizing the GFC dataset (HGFC) to maximize its overall classification agreement with the IDEAM map, based on the adoption of optimum percent tree cover thresholds, applied to GFC for subnational units. Based on these results, we evaluate whether classification agreement and disagreement between mapped forest and non-forest classes by HGFC and IDEAM can be explained by differences in continuous physical forest attributes, represented by forest Canopy Height (CH) and Above-Ground Biomass Density (AGBD). We produced the analysis for the entire country and also for mountainous and non-mountainous areas separately. We show that the optimal threshold in tree cover that maximizes map agreement, varies largely between subnational units, with values ranging between 20% and 100%. Results show a high overall agreement and also high agreement for stable forest and non-forest classes. Agreement between pixels classified as forest loss was much lower, regardless of the map used as reference. Classification agreement was lower for mountainous areas than for non-mountainous areas, particularly for forest loss and stable forest classes. Pixels representing classification disagreement were characterized by intermediate values of CH and AGBD that are significantly different from pixels classified as non-forest and forest for both maps, with significantly lower and higher CH and AGBD values, respectively. Differences were more notable in non-mountainous areas than in mountainous ones. We conclude that solving these large existing discrepancies in forest classification and forest loss estimates between datasets requires advancing operational capabilities toward the representation of forest cover and change as continuous rather than as categorical variables, with particular emphasis on mountainous areas. We illustrate how moving in such a direction can (1) promote consistency between forest cover definitions and map representation, (2) facilitate comparability among products and estimates of forest area loss at different scales of analysis, and (3) promote accountability in forest area loss assessments.

Population growth poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems: A case study from the Hindukush-Himalayas of Pakistan.

Human population growth and the accompanying increase in anthropogenic activities pose a significant threat to forest ecosystems by reducing the natural services these ecosystems provide. Malam Jabba, located in the District Swat of Pakistan's Hindukush-Himalayan temperate zone, is known for its ecotourism, skiing, timber-producing tree species, medicinal plants, and unique biodiversity. However, a large portion of Swat Valley's population depends on the Malam Jabba forests for timber and fuelwood. This study investigates how deforestation rates have increased in response to the growing human population in Malam Jabba, District Swat. To monitor forest cover changes, we used remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) tools. Vegetation analysis was conducted using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based on multi-temporal satellite imagery from 1980, 2000, and 2020. Using a decay model, we calculated the deforestation rate from 1980 to 2020 and projected future rates using MATLAB, based on anticipated population growth. Our results show that over the last two decades, the average annual deforestation rate rose from 0.7% to 1.93%, coinciding with a population increase from 1.2 million to 2.3 million at a growth rate of 9% per year. Projections indicate that the deforestation rate will increase to 2.5% annually over the next 20 years, given the predicted 11.6% yearly population growth. Population growth in District Swat has severely endangered nearby forest ecosystems, and further increases in human activity, such as unsustainable tourism, fuel and timber collection, and urbanization, will likely exacerbate this trend. Based on our findings, we recommend: (i) the implementation of reforestation programs and sustainable forest resource use; (ii) the development of a long-term forest management plan that maintains equilibrium between forest density and population pressure; and (iii) prioritizing areas with extreme human impact for in-situ conservation efforts.

Relationships between charcoal property and post fire productivity in the boreal forest

Fire disturbances are increasing under global climate change and ecological transformations of forests are occurring. Specifically, shifts from productive closed-canopy feather moss forests to low-productivity open-canopy lichen (Cladonia spp.) woodlands have been observed in boreal forests of eastern Canada. It has been hypothesized that high severity of fires would be the cause of this change, but this is difficult to validate a posteriori on mature forest stands. Because charcoal properties are affected by fire severity, we have put forward the hypothesis that the amount and physicochemical properties of charcoal (C, N, H, O, ash, surface area) would be different and indicative of a greater fire severity for open-canopy forests compared to closed canopy ones. Our hypothesis was partly validated in that the amount of charcoal found on the ground of closed-canopy forests was greater than that of open-canopy forests. However, the physicochemical properties were not different, albeit a greater variability of charcoal properties for open canopy stands. These results do not allow us to fully validate or reject our hypothesis on the role of fire severity in the shift between open and closed canopy stands. However, they suggest that the variability in fire conditions as well as the amounts of charcoal produced are different between the two ecosystem types. Furthermore, considering the role that biochar may play in improving soil conditions and promoting vegetation restoration, our results suggest that charcoal may play a role in maintaining these two stable alternative ecosystem states.

Spatiotemporal Pattern of Vegetation Coverage and Its Response to LULC Changes in Coastal Regions in South China from 2000 to 2020

Analyzing vegetation coverage and land-use and land cover (LULC) characteristics helps to understand the interaction between human activities and the natural environment. The coastal regions of the Guangdong Province are economically active areas with frequent human activities, located in the advantageous natural environment of South China. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and LULC from 2000 to 2020, to explore the response of NDVI changes to LULC changes. The results show that (1) the overall NDVI is relatively high, with a proportion of 85.37% to 89.48% of areas with higher coverage and above categories, mainly distributed in the east and west. Vegetation coverage showed an increasing trend. (2) The LULC in this area is mainly composed of forest land (46.5% to 47.5%) and cultivated land (30.7% to 33.4%), with forest land mainly distributed in relatively high-altitude regions and cultivated land mainly distributed in the plains. The changes in LULC from 2015 to 2020 were relatively significant, mainly due to the mutual transfer of cultivated land and forest land. In addition, built-up land continued to expand from 2000 to 2020, mainly in the Pearl River Delta. (3) The NDVI decreases come from the transfer of various types of land to built-up land, mainly in the Pearl River Delta region, while the NDVI increase comes from the stability and mutual transfer of cultivated land. The net contribution rate of forest land change to vegetation cover change is the most significant (−38.903% to 23.144%). This study has reference significance for the spatiotemporal characteristics of vegetation cover changes in coastal areas and their response to land-use changes, as well as coastal management and sustainable development.

Vegetation disturbance and regrowth dynamics in shifting cultivation landscapes

Shifting cultivation, an age-old agricultural practice, is a major factor in forest cover change across Southeast Asia, where repeated cycles of vegetation disturbance and regrowth lead to far-reaching environmental and socio-economic impacts. The present study aims to assess the spatio-temporal patterns of vegetation disturbance and regrowth caused by shifting cultivation in Tripura state of India, over the past three decades, utilizing temporal segmentation of time-series Landsat data. The study analyzed vegetation disturbance and regrowth patterns in a shifting cultivation landscape from 1991 to 2020 using normalized burn ratio trends through LandTrendr, validated by the TimeSync tool. Six land use and land cover classes, viz., forests and trees outside forests, rubber plantation, shifting cultivation, water bodies, agriculture, and settlements, were mapped with an accuracy of 83.08% using a random forest classifier. This classification enabled the identification of the effective study area, which included forest areas with shifting cultivation patches. The analysis revealed that 2533.96 km2 of the study area remained undisturbed, 568.43 km2 experienced low-magnitude disturbance, 1501.11 km2 were moderately disturbed, and 184.82 km2 were highly disturbed. The shifting cultivation cycles in the study area show considerable variation. Low-magnitude disturbance indicates a single slash-and-burn event in the past three decades, moderate-magnitude disturbance involves fallow periods of over 10 years, and high-magnitude disturbance occurs with fallow periods of less than 8 years. The study revealed a shift from traditional shifting cultivation to more permanent agricultural practices in parts of Tripura. In response to incentives for commercial crops, cultivators are increasingly adopting long-term cultivation, including the growing of pineapple, areca nut, and rubber, as well as intercropping with papaya, banana, lemon, tapioca, pepper, and ginger. These plots are, however, abandoned if the yields become economically unviable. The expansion of monoculture cultivation significantly reduces the available area for shifting cultivation, thereby compelling jhum cultivators to revisit their jhum patches more frequently. This study is a first-of-its-kind attempt in the Indian context and sheds light on changing patterns in an age-old agricultural practice.