Forest Communities Research Articles

Expanding Protected Areas Globally Post-2020: A Critical Perspective from Thailand, with Implications for Community Forestry

ABSTRACT The Convention on Biological Diversity’s post-2020 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) includes targets to formally protect thirty percent of Earth by 2030 and stimulate financialization of biodiversity conservation. This paper foregrounds potential risks and limitations of the GBF in Thailand. It examines the historical context of state-run protected areas, including their role in facilitating state territorialization and dispossession, political and cultural persecution, and deleterious economic agendas. It then shows that implementation in Thailand could displace residents of more than 200 villages and supplant roughly forty percent (3,951 square kilometers) of all state-registered community forest lands, which provide various livelihood, cultural, and conservation benefits. The paper challenges three assumptions: that parties to the Convention will recognize the rights and agency of Indigenous Peoples and local communities; that state-run protected areas are managed for biodiversity conservation and not for economic growth; and that perpetual economic growth and modernization are compatible with conservation. Effective and equitable conservation in Thailand and elsewhere requires more socially and ecologically responsive community rights-based approaches that empower (rather than supersede) customary institutions and transcend unsustainable political-economic imperatives for privatization and perpetual economic growth.

Forest floor environment overrules global change treatment effects on understorey communities in a mesocosm experiment.

Light availability profoundly influences plant communities, especially below dense tree canopies in forests. Canopy disturbances, altering forest floor light conditions, together with other environmental changes such as climate change, nitrogen deposition and legacy effects from previous land-use will simultaneously impact forest understorey communities. Yet, knowledge on the individual effects of these drivers and their potential interactions remains scarce. Here we performed a forest mesocosm experiment to assess the influence of warming, illumination (simulating canopy opening), nitrogen deposition and soil land-use history (comparing ancient and post-agricultural forest soil) on understorey community composition trajectories over a 7-year period. Strikingly, understorey communities primarily evolved in response to the deeply shaded ambient forest conditions, with experimental treatments exerting only secondary influences. The overruling trajectory steered all mesocosms towards slow-colonizing forest specialist communities dominated by spring geophytes with lower nutrient-demand. The illumination treatment and, to a lesser extent, warming and agricultural land-use legacy slowed down this trend by advancing fast-growing resource-acquisitive generalist species. Warm ambient temperatures induced thermophilization of plant communities in all treatments, including control plots, towards higher dominance of warm-adapted species. Nitrogen addition accelerated this thermophilization process and increased the community light-demand signature. Land-use legacy effects were limited in our study. Our findings underscore the essential role of limited light availability in preserving forest specialists in understorey communities and highlight the importance of maintaining a dense canopy cover to attenuate global change impacts. It is crucial to integrate this knowledge in forest management adaptation to global change, particularly in the face of increasing demands for wood and wood products and intensified natural canopy disturbances.

Warming enhanced the interaction effects of fungi and fungivores and soil potassium mineralization in tropical forest

Potassium (K) cycling in forest systems has received less attention than nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles, despite its critical role in maintaining primary production and regulating water economy and use under climate warming. This study conducted a 10-year study in which we translocated dominant tropical forest tree seedlings and underlying soil (i.e., in situ soil) from high-altitude sites (600 m a.s.l.) to lower altitude sites at 300 m a.s.l. (+1.0 °C) and 30 m a.s.l. (+2.1 °C) to simulate climate warming in southern China. We investigated soil microbial and nematode communities, soil and foliar K concentrations at the aggregate level, and tree growth under different altitude sites. Microbial community was characterized by high-throughput sequencing, nematodes were identified to the genus level using microscope. The findings revealed that warming treatments significantly (p < 0.01) increased soil fungal gene abundance (+78 % at 300 m and +62 % at 30 m), fungal/bacterial abundance ratio (+121 % at 300 m and +101 % at 30 m), and soil fungivore abundance (+274 % at 300 m and +233 % at 30 m). These results indicate a shift in the soil decomposition pathway from bacterial to fungal-based channels. In addition, warming amplifies the interactions between fungi and fungivores. Aggregates had few effects on microbial biomass, but had significant effect on nematode abundance. Soil microcosm experiments consistently demonstrated that addition of the dominant fungivore Aphelenchoides significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced soil-exchangeable K by stimulating fungal gene abundance and activity. Furthermore, warming-induced changes in forest communities were observed. At the species-specific tree level, Syzygium rehderianum demonstrated the ability to take advantage of this scenario, exhibiting increased K uptake (−4% at 300 m and +32 % at 30 m). This may be attributed to the species being ectomycorrhizal-forming, where colonizing root surfaces can mobilize interlayer and structural K from the minerals. In contrast, Machilus breviflora exhibited lower foliar K concentrations (−42 % at 300 m and −41 % at 30 m) and reduced growth. However, warming had little effect on Schima superba, Myrsine seguinii, Itea chinensis, and Ardisia lindleyana growth. Warming-induced changes in the plant–soil system K cycle highlight the emergence of a new ecosystem structure with different soil web structures and distinct plant community species composition. Our results prompt further research to understand the microbiome-mediated complexities of understudied nutrient cycles, which are likely to be further altered in the future owing to climate change.

Soil flooding filters evolutionary lineages of tree communities in Amazonian riparian forests.

Inundations in Amazonian black-water river floodplain result in the selection of different tree lineages, thus promoting coexistence between species. We investigated whether Amazonian tree communities are phylogenetically structured and distributed along a flooding gradient from irregularly flooded forests along streams embedded within upland (terra-firme) forest to seasonally flooded floodplains of large rivers (igapós). Floristic inventories and hydrological monitoring were performed along the Falsino River, a black-water river in the eastern Amazon within the Amapá National Forest. We constructed a presence-and-absence matrix and generated a phylogeny using the vascular plant database available in GenBank. We calculated the standardized values of the metrics of phylogenetic diversity (ses.PD), average phylogenetic distance (ses.MPD), and average nearest-neighbor distance (ses.MNTD) to test whether the history of relationships between species in the community is influenced by inundation. We used the phylogenetic endemism (PE) metric to verify the existence of taxa with restricted distribution. Linear regressions were used to test whether phylogenetic metrics have a significant relationship with the variables: maximum flood height, maximum water table depth, and maximum flood amplitude. The results show that forests subject to prolonged seasonal flooding have reduced taxon richness, low phylogenetic diversity, and random distribution of lineages within communities. On the other hand, terra-firme riparian forests showed higher rates of taxon richness, diversity, and phylogenetic dispersion, in addition to greater phylogenetic endemism. These results indicate that seasonal and predictable soil flooding filters tree lineages along the hydrographic gradient. Different adaptations to root waterlogging are likely requirements for colonization in these environments and may represent an important factor in the diversification of tree lineages in the Amazon biome.

Evolution of Life Cycles of Nematodes Parasitizing Woody Plants As a Result of Ecological and Phylogenetic Co-Adaptations with Hosts and Vectors.

Fundamental aspects in the evolution of nematodes parasitizing woody plants are reviewed. (1)Nematode faunal lists of natural refugia are useful to predict the risks of opportunistic pathogens becoming true pathogens in the forest and park communities. (2) Nematode composition in natural refugia gives a chance to identify nematode antagonists of insect vectors of dangerous fungal and nematode infections, which can be potentially used as the biological agents for woody plants' protection. (3) Dauers in the ancestors of wood-inhabiting nematodes played a role as a survival stage in the detritus decomposition succession, and they later acquired the functions of dispersal and adaptations for transmission using insect vectors. (4)When inspecting wilted trees, it is necessary to use dauers for diagnostics, as sexually mature nematodes may be absent in tree tissues. (5) Plant parasitic nematodes originated from members of the detritus food web and retained a detritivorous phase in the life cycle as a part of the propagative generation. (6) Vectors in the life cycles of plant parasitic nematodes are inherited from the ancestral detritivorous nematode associations, rather than inserted in the dixenic life cycle of the 'nematode-fungus-plant' association. (7) Despite the significant difference in the duration of the nematode-tree and nematode-vector phases of the life cycle, the actual parasitic nematode specificity is dual: firstly to the vector and secondly to the natural host plant (as demonstrated in phytotests excluding a vector).

Elevational shifts in tree community composition in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest related to climate change

AbstractQuestionClimate change induces shifts in species distributions, ultimately changing community composition. Mountains are especially sensitive to climate change, and tree species are predicted to move towards higher elevations, but observed changes are not always unidirectional. The diversity and complexity of tropical and subtropical systems limits our understanding of climate‐induced responses of subtropical mountain forests. Here, we investigated migration trends in tree community composition along an elevational gradient, and between the transition from lowland to montane forests in subtropical forests.LocationBrazilian Atlantic Forest.MethodsWe used thermal affiliations of 627 tree species to calculate community temperature scores (CTS) for different life‐history stages of trees in 96 permanent plots. We compared CTS of different life‐history stages across space and time.ResultsMost tree communities (58%) did not show a significant difference of CTS between life‐history stages, indicating a non‐migration trend. On the other hand, 27% of tree communities showed upward migration and 15% downward migration. Upward migration was more common in montane forests, and downward migration in lowland forests. Our temporal analysis shows significant changes in CTS values for juvenile communities with 0.36°C decrease in lowland forests and 0.34°C increase in montane forests.ConclusionsContrasting results between lowland and montane forest communities indicate that the transition zone influences migration patterns and may reflect differences in species’ thermal limitations, as well as by non‐thermal factors such as biotic interactions. Our findings provide the first evidence of climate change‐induced community shifts in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We demonstrated that upward migration trends were predominantly observed in montane–upper mountain forests, while downward migrations were noted in lowland–submontane forests. The thermophilization of montane forests may suggest an increased risk of reduction for cold‐demanding species under climate change scenarios.

Discriminating woody species assemblages from National Forest Inventory data based on phylogeny in Georgia.

Classifications of forest vegetation types and characterization of related species assemblages are important analytical tools for mapping and diversity monitoring of forest communities. The discrimination of forest communities is often based on β-diversity, which can be quantified via numerous indices to derive compositional dissimilarity between samples. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of unsupervised classification for National Forest Inventory data from Georgia by comparing two cluster hierarchies. We calculated the mean basal area per hectare for each woody species across 1059 plot observations and quantified interspecies distances for all 87 species. Following an unspuervised cluster analysis, we compared the results derived from the species-neutral dissimilarity (Bray-Curtis) with those based on the Discriminating Avalanche dissimilarity, which incorporates interspecies phylogenetic variation. Incorporating genetic variation in the dissimilarity quantification resulted in a more nuanced discrimination of woody species assemblages and increased cluster coherence. Favorable statistics include the total number of clusters (23 vs. 20), mean distance within clusters (0.773 vs. 0.343), and within sum of squares (344.13 vs. 112.92). Clusters derived from dissimilarities that account for genetic variation showed a more robust alignment with biogeographical units, such as elevation and known habitats. We demonstrate that the applicability of unsupervised classification of species assemblages to large-scale forest inventory data strongly depends on the underlying quantification of dissimilarity. Our results indicate that by incorporating phylogenetic variation, a more precise classification aligned with biogeographic units is attained. This supports the concept that the genetic signal of species assemblages reflects biogeographical patterns and facilitates more precise analyses for mapping, monitoring, and management of forest diversity.

Soil Fungal Community Differences in Manual Plantation Larch Forest and Natural Larch Forest in Northeast China.

Soil fungal communities are pivotal components in ecosystems and play an essential role in global biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we determined the fungal communities of a natural larch forest and a manual plantation larch forest in Heilongjiang Zhongyangzhan Black-billed Capercaillie Nature Reserve and Gala Mountain Forest using high-throughput sequencing. The interactions between soil fungal communities were analysed utilising a co-occurrence network. The relationship between soil nutrients and soil fungal communities was determined with the help of Mantel analysis and a correlation heatmap. The Kruskal-Wallis test indicated that different genera of fungi differed in the two forest types. The results show that there was a significant change in the alpha diversity of soil fungal communities in both forests. In contrast, nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis showed significant differences in the soil fungal community structures between the manual plantation larch forest and the natural larch forest. The soil fungal co-occurrence network showed that the complexity of the soil fungal communities in the manual plantation larch forest decreased significantly compared to those in the natural larch forest. A Mantel analysis revealed a correlation between the soil fungal co-occurrence network, the composition of soil fungi, and soil nutrients. The RDA analysis also showed that AN, TK, and pH mainly influenced the soil fungal community. The null model test results showed the importance of stochastic processes in soil fungal community assembly in manual plantation larch forests. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of the differences in soil fungal communities in manual plantation larch forests and natural larch forests, providing insights into their sustainable management. It also serves as a reminder that the ecological balance of natural ecosystems is difficult to restore through human intervention, so we need to protect natural ecosystems.

Dynamics of species diversity of the small mammal community in slope larch forests of Northern Coast of the Sea of Okhotsk

Dynamics of species diversity of the small mammal community in slope larch forests of Northern Coast of the Sea of Okhotsk

Differential Responses of Bacterial and Fungal Community Structure in Soil to Nitrogen Deposition in Two Planted Forests in Southwest China in Relation to pH

Increased nitrogen deposition profoundly impacts ecosystem nutrient cycling and poses a significant ecological challenge. Soil microorganisms are vital for carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems; however, the response of soil microbial communities in subtropical planted coniferous forests to nitrogen deposition remains poorly understood. This study carried out a four-year nitrogen addition experiment in the subtropical montane forests of central Yunnan to explore the microbial community dynamics and the primary regulatory factors in two coniferous forests (P. yunnanensis Franch. and P. armandii Franch.) under prolonged nitrogen addition. We observed that nitrogen addition elicited different responses in soil bacterial and fungal communities between the two forest types. In P. yunnanensis Franch. plantations, nitrogen supplementation notably reduced soil bacterial α-diversity but increased fungal diversity. In contrast, P. armandii Franch. forests showed the opposite trends, indicating stand-specific differences. Nitrogen addition also led to significant changes in soil nutrient dynamics, increasing soil pH in P. yunnanensis Franch. forests and decreasing it in P. armandii Franch. forests. These changes in soil nutrients significantly affected the diversity, community structure, and network interactions of soil microbial communities, with distinct responses noted between stands. Specifically, nitrogen addition significantly influenced the β-diversity of fungal communities more than that of bacterial communities. It also reduced the complexity of bacterial interspecies interactions in P. yunnanensis Franch. forests while enhancing it in P. armandii Franch. forests. Conversely, low levels of nitrogen addition improved the stability of fungal networks in both forest types. Using random forest and structural equation modeling, soil pH, NH4+-N, and total nitrogen (TN) were identified as key factors regulating bacterial and fungal communities after nitrogen addition. The varied soil nutrient conditions led to different responses in microbial diversity to nitrogen deposition, with nitrogen treatments primarily shaping microbial communities through changes in soil pH and nitrogen availability. This study provides essential insights into the scientific and sustainable management of subtropical plantation forest ecosystems.

Seasonal variation of bird diversity in Chokchisapani Community Forest, Tanahu District, Nepal

Seasonal variation of bird diversity in Chokchisapani Community Forest, Tanahu District, Nepal

EFISIENSI SALURAN PEMASARAN KEMIRI (ALEURITES MOLUCCANA) PADA KELOMPOK TANI HUTAN WAHANA KAWASAN DI HUTAN KEMASYARAKATAN GUNUNG SASAK, KABUPATEN LOMBOK BARAT

Mount Sasak Community Forest (HKm) has the potential that can be utilized by the surrounding community through the utilization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). The Wahana Kawasan Forest Farmer Group (KTH) is one of the groups that utilizes and manages NTFPs in the form of candlenuts in the Mount Sasak HKm. In the production and utilization activities of candlenut, it will focus on marketing channels as a form of effort made by a person or marketing institution to achieve a level of marketing success. The method used in this research is descriptive with a total of 32 respondents. The sampling technique was carried out by purposive sampling method. Determination of the number of respondents for intermediary traders is determined by the snowball sampling method. The results showed that there were 2 marketing channels. The marketing margin of marketing channels 1 and 2 has the same value of Rp. 2,000/kg. Meanwhile, the farmer's share obtained by marketing channel 1 amounted to 67% and marketing channel 2 amounted to 83%. The level of marketing efficiency in channel 1 of 7.8% indicates a less efficient marketing channel and marketing channel 2 of 3.7% indicates an efficient marketing channel.

Understory plants evade shading in a temperate deciduous forest amid climate variability by shifting phenology in synchrony with canopy trees.

Global warming is leading understory and canopy plant communities of temperate deciduous forests to grow leaves earlier in spring and drop them later in autumn. If understory species extend their leafy seasons less than canopy trees, they will intercept less light. We look for mismatched phenological shifts between canopy and understory in 28 years (1995-2022) of weekly data from Trelease Woods, Urbana, IL, USA. The observations cover 31 herb species of contrasting seasonality (for 1995-2017), three sapling species, and the 15 most dominant canopy tree species for all years, combined with solar radiation, temperature and canopy light transmittance data. We estimate how understory phenology, cold temperatures, canopy phenology, and solar radiation have individually limited understory plants' potential light interception over >2 decades. Understory and canopy phenology were the two factors most limiting to understory light availability, but which was more limiting varied greatly among species and among/within seasonality groups; solar radiation ranked third and cold fourth. Understory and canopy phenology shifts usually occurred in the same direction; either both strata were early or both were late, offsetting each other's effects. The four light-limiting factors combined showed significant temporal trends for six understory species, five toward less light interception. Warmer springs were significantly associated with shifts toward more light interception in three sapling species and 19 herb species. Canopy phenology became more limiting in warmer years for all three saplings species and 31 herb species. However, in aggregate, these variables mostly offset one another; only one sapling and seven herb species showed overall significant (and negative) relationships between light interception and spring temperature. The few understory species mismatched with canopy phenology due to changing climate are likely to intercept less light in future warmer years. The few species with data for carbon assimilation show broadly similar patterns to light interception.

Examining socio‐ecological transitions and new human–wildlife relations in farming landscapes of the Nepal Himalaya

AbstractWildlife invasion into farmlands is emerging as an acute problem in the Himalayas, threatening farm‐based livelihood systems of smallholder rural communities. The problem is severe in the areas where successful forest restoration has been achieved by community forestry programmes alongside massive outmigration. Such evolving dynamics have created new conceptual and empirical discourses on conservation, nature‐society relations and human‐wildlife interactions, as some wild animals have become pests for farming communities. Consequently, the historical co‐existence and relationships between subsistence communities and local ecosystems have been destabilized. By mobilizing the concepts of forest transition and agrarian transition, we explore these new and emerging relationships between the growing wildlife problem and deteriorating people's livelihood by examining the nature, extent and drivers of the new human‐wildlife interactions and provide critical insights towards effectiveness of current policies and practical responses.

10-year progress on Forest Carbon Research in Canada

In 2012 &lt;i&gt;A Blueprint for Forest Carbon Science in Canada:2012–2020&lt;/i&gt; was published to guide policy and research and to support Canada’s obligations for climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable forest management, and international reporting. Over the past decade, the body of scientific research focused on forest carbon dynamics in Canada has significantly evolved, providing crucial insights into the intricate interplay between various forest ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. This comprehensive review synthesizes key findings from this period, highlighting improvements to Canada’s estimates of current forest greenhouse gas emissions and removals, the effects of global changes on Canada’s future forest carbon, and forest contributions to mitigate climate change. Collaborating with the forest carbon science community, we identified 426 peer-reviewed published articles on landscape-scale forest carbon research for Canada from 2012 to 2021. The review emphasizes anthropogenic influences and natural disturbances in contemporary GHG emissions and removals for managed forests in the national GHG inventory, highlights the existing dichotomy between management and research models, and stresses the need for integrating disturbance and climate effects for comprehensive GHG estimates. Despite significant progress in estimating and tracking forest carbon using modelled, remotely sensed and ground-based observations, challenges remain in reducing uncertainties, particularly regarding climate impacts on forest growth, decay, and disturbances. Furthermore, the review showcases recent advancements in climate change mitigation strategies and the use of a systems approach that includes forest ecosystem emissions and removals, wood product emissions and substitution benefits of avoided fossil emissions. Through comprehensive scenario analyses, the review underscores regional variations in assessing GHG reductions and notes a shift towards a more holistic approach that considers environmental, economic, and social values. By providing a nuanced understanding of the complexities underlying forest carbon dynamics in Canada, this review sets the stage for future research and policy initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable forest management practices and mitigating the impact of climate change on these vital ecosystems.

Assessment of forest cover change, key drivers of change and perception of locals in Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet District, Nepal

Land use and land cover change has an immense impact on the global environment and ecosystem and is mostly connected with human activities such as conversion of forest into agricultural land and settlements. Forests are changing globally in quantity and quality, and in both increasing and decreasing trends. For the Birendra Nagar Municipality, this study evaluated LULC dynamics, the conversion of forest cover from 2000 to 2020, as well as community perceptions on forest cover change, its drivers. Landsat images of 2000 and 2020 were used for LULC dynamics and for forest cover change detection Using software GIS 10.8. Questionnaire survey, key informant survey, field observation and secondary data were acquired from journal articles, reports, District Forest office, books, and various other sources to find out drivers of forest cover change and perception of locals. It was found that 1146 ha of forest area, 280.53 ha of water bodies, 752.62 ha of barren land were lost between 2000 and 2020. However, 1147.74 ha of settlement area and 1032.40 ha of agricultural land was gained.Net forest cover decreased overall by 4.67%, however, some areas within the municipality experienced an increase in forest cover namely Ward 11 and ward 16 of Municipality shows Highest positive and Negative Forest cover change in terms of Area. Expansion of agriculture land and settlements with the encroachment of forest area, haphazard infrastructure development, illegal timber harvesting and low regeneration capacity of land responsible for the reduction of forest, along with Community forestry approach, plantations programs, promotion of agroforestry practices, fuel transition were responsible drivers for improvements of forest cover. Water cycle disruption, Increases Natural hazard, Temperature rises, shortage of wood for fuel, extinction of indigenous species were the most perceived negative impacts of the forest cover reduction whereas income generation Activities, support biodiversity, easy to collect fuel wool and fodder and others including purifying air quality, increasing aesthetic beauty were the most perceived positive impacts of the forest cover improvement in the study area. Most of the locals have a holistic understanding of forest cover change. Strengthening forest protection, improving soil and water conservation structures, awareness creation, enrichment planting, Promote Alternate Energy Resources and Equitable benefit-sharing mechanism are possible solutions perceived by locals.

Barley farmland harbors a highly homogeneous soil bacterial community compared to wild ecosystems in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Understanding patterns and processes of microbial biogeography in soils is important for monitoring ecological responses to human activities, particularly in ecologically vulnerable areas such as the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Highland barley is the staple food of local people and has mainly been cultivated along the Yarlung Zangbo River valley in Xizang. Here we investigated soil bacterial communities from 33 sampling sites of highland barley farmland in this region and compared them to those from wild ecosystems including alpine tundra, meadow, forest, and swamp. Additionally, the effects of environmental factors on bacterial communities, as well as the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping the beta diversity of soil bacterial communities in alpine ecosystems were assessed. In contrast to soils of wild ecosystems, these farmland samples harbored a highly homogeneous bacterial community without significant correlations with geographic, elevation, and edaphic distances. Discriminant bacterial taxa identified for farmland samples belong to Acidobacteria, with Acidobacteria Gp4 as the dominant clade. Although Acidobacteria were the most abundant members in all ecosystems, characterized bacterial taxa of meadow and forest were members of other phyla such as Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. pH and organic matter were major edaphic attributes shaping these observed patterns across ecosystems. Null model analyses revealed that the deterministic assembly was dominant in bacterial communities in highland barley farmland and tundra soils, whereas stochastic assembly also contributed a large fraction to the assembly of bacterial communities in forest, meadow and swamp soils. These findings provide an insight into the consequences of human activities and agricultural intensification on taxonomic homogenization of soil bacterial communities in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

A multinomial logit model analysis of determinants of community forest management approaches: evidence from northern Ethiopia.

Abstract For efficient and sustainable forest management, community engagement and participation are crucial. Sustainable forest management requires decision-making, plantation, and management approaches, in addition to the importance of indigenous knowledge and community opinions. The study examined the determinants of community-based forest management practices in Ethiopian Raya-Alamata Woreda. A semi-structured questionnaire was given to 195 randomly chosen sample respondents as part of the survey in order to gather primary data. Additionally, key informants, development agents, woreda forest supervisors, and local administrators were interviewed. Secondary data were gathered from books, woreda agriculture office, and scientific publications. The data was analyzed using a multinomial logit model and descriptive statistics. The results showed that distance to the forest negatively influenced participation in decision-making, while sex, education, and TLU positively influenced it. Age, home proximity to the forest, market distance, and tropical livestock unit negatively influenced participation in plantation. Age, family size, forest location, and association membership positively influenced decision-making and management approaches. To promote all-inclusive forest management, the study recommends the distribution of forestry-related educational materials, legal action against illegal users, switching to alternative energy sources, and encouraging female-headed households.

Hoping the best, expecting the worst: Forecasting forest fire risk in Algeria using fuzzy logic and GIS

Forest fires pose severe threats to ecosystems and communities globally, especially in vulnerable semi-arid regions like North Africa. Understanding the key factors influencing forest fire dynamics is essential for effective management and mitigation. This study aims to comprehensively analyze forest fire risk patterns in Djebel El Ouahch's massif (Algeria), focusing on integrating bioclimatic, fuel, geomorphological, and human factors through advanced fuzzy logic and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Climatic station data, satellite imagery, and GIS were employed to map bioclimatic parameters, land cover, and geomorphological features. Fuzzy logic systems were applied to integrate these factors, assigning appropriate weights based on their significance. The resulting forest fire prediction model was defuzzified to generate predictive maps indicating varying vulnerability levels within the study area. Predictive maps delineated areas of low to high forest fire risk. Low-risk zones were characterized by sparse vegetation, while high-risk regions featured densely vegetated slopes near human settlements. The study identified critical factors influencing vulnerability, emphasizing the impact of climate, terrain, and human activities. Urgent attention was directed toward high-risk areas, necessitating tailored fire prevention measures and strategic urban planning to minimize human-induced risks. The results underscored the complex interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors in shaping forest fire susceptibility. Understanding these dynamics facilitates evidence-based policymaking, enhancing forest fire preparedness, biodiversity preservation, and community safety. Additionally, the study emphasized the need for continuous research incorporating real-time climate data and socio-economic factors to refine predictive models. This research provided valuable insights into forest fire risk patterns in Djebel El Ouahch, serving as a foundation for targeted fire management strategies. By bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, this study contributes significantly to sustainable forest management and disaster mitigation efforts globally, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures in safeguarding vulnerable ecosystems and communities.

Immediate Impacts of Wildfires on Ground-dwelling macroinvertebrate Communities under Stones in Mediterranean Oak Forests

Wildfires are considered a major disturbance to forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe. Although ground-dwelling macroinvertebrates are crucial to many soil functions, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of how wildfires impact this community in the immediate term and of the role of stones in their survival. Hence, in the present study we assessed the immediate effects of wildfires in the ground-dwelling macroinvertebrate community found under stones by comparing communities in burnt and non-burnt Mediterranean oak forests. Our results revealed that stones allowed the survival of many taxa in the burnt area. However, abundance, richness, diversity, and equitability per stone were significantly lower at the burnt than unburnt sites. Furthermore, the results also showed that richness and abundance increased significantly with increasing stone depth and area, both at the burnt and unburnt sites. Significant changes at the trophic level were observed in the burnt area comparing to the unburnt, particularly a decline in predators. No significant differences were identified concerning habitat associations among taxa. Overall, this study stressed the role of stones as microhabitats and refuge for the ground-dwelling macroinvertebrate community during wildfires.