Forest Land Management Research Articles

Prawne aspekty włączenia w zakres polityki klimatyczno-energetycznej emisji i pochłaniania gazów cieplarnianych w wyniku działalności związanej z użytkowaniem gruntów, zmianą użytkowania gruntów i leśnictwem

The aim of the article is to assess whether the binding legal regulations, including the national ones, may be assessed as conducive to the achievement of the objectives of the EU’s Energy Union in the scope of forest land management. In particular, whether the solutions adopted by Poland with regard to forest management may be considered as supporting the achievement of the objectives of the LULUCF regulation. The mechanisms of accounting for CO2 emissions and removals are based on historical data in the initial assumptions, and are intended to serve the implementation of the effects projected for the future. It is impossible to determine a priori whether the regulation in question will bring specific economic benefits or losses in terms of timber harvesting in state-owned forests. After all, it will depend on the result of accounting for emissions and removals from LULUCF.

Two Case Studies on the Financing of Forest Conservation

A variety of factors is leading to fresh approaches to the ownership and management of forestland, with an emphasis on the combination of conservation goals and private investments. But the barriers to successfully achieving attractive financial returns and desirable social outcomes can be daunting. This working paper, which features two short case studies that examine the challenges and opportunities associated with forest conservation finance, explores these important issues.

Environmental Law and the Reality of the Conservation and Management of Forests in Nigeria

Degradation of Forest lands and resources in Nigeria by anthropogenic factors has continued unabated in Nigeria with severe implications for environmental protection and sustainable development. Forest lands serve as the habitat for wide variety of fauna and flora which provide support for lives on the earth planet. Forests in Nigeria require adequate protection to enable people benefit maximally from the gifts of nature. This paper examined the extent and effectiveness of measures for the conservation and management of forest lands and resources in Nigeria. The data for this study were obtained primarily from both international and international legal frameworks. Journal articles, text books, newspapers and the internet provide the secondary source of information. Conservation and management of forest lands and resources in Nigeria pre-date the colonial era in some of the southern states with forests. Traditional means of protection by the designation of forests as sacred proved more potent than the use of legal instruments. In effect today, conservation and management of forests are in the actual practice limited to government owned parks, thus leaving natural forests open to assault. Keywords: Forests, conservation, deforestation, waterfowl, ecosystem etc. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/96-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2020

Farmers’ Intentions to Lease Forestland: Evidence from Rural China

In the last decade, despite considerable research developed for the forestland leasing market, little has been published in terms of econometric results on determinants of intentions and behaviors of Chinese farmers. With respect to leasing forestland, this study uses a Bayesian logit model to examine the factors that influence farmers’ intentions, using household data collected in one county in 2017. The results show that farmers’ past experience of leasing forestlands have significant impacts on their leasing intentions. Once farmers participated in leasing in or leasing out forestland in the last five years, it was shown that they will have stronger intentions of doing so in the future. Farmers will neither lease in or out forestland if the leasing profits are less than the profits originated from forestland management. As such, household head age, household population, proportion of income from nonfarm sources to total income, and security of rights to forestland use are significant factors in influencing farmers’ decisions on leasing in forestland. On the other hand, household head age and educational level, proportion of income from nonfarm sources to total income, and importance of forestland in terms of inheritance are significant factors in influencing farmers’ decisions on leasing it out. Results imply that institutional and market factors, which have impacts on transaction costs, are important for farmers in making decisions on forestland leases. Policy implications to reduce institutional intervention are discussed.

発展するタイの農村における林地管理の課題（論文） 住民の森林離れと農地需要の拡大

発展するタイの農村における林地管理の課題（論文） 住民の森林離れと農地需要の拡大

Hak Tenurial Masyarakat Adat Dalam Pengelolaan Hutan

The certainty of tenure rights has been a problem related to the use of forests by indigenous peoples. This study aims to identify indigenous peoples' existence and find out the forms of customary tenure rights in forest land management. The method used in this study is a qualitative method with a descriptive analysis to provide a true and accurate picture of the tenure rights of indigenous peoples. Research results show that indigenous peoples are still healthy with traditional institutions, and universal values ​​are always maintained. The tenure system in Wakal is controlled by the State, control by the clan, and control by the individual family. There are forms of tenure rights in the three tenure systems that include ownership rights, tenure rights, exclusive voting rights, and proprietary use rights that are still actively applied in forest management.

Relationships between absenteeism, conservation group membership, and land management among family forest owners

Absentee landowners, or those who do not live on their forestland, own approximately 117 million acres of private forestland in the U.S. Thus, their land management decisions and activities influence the flow of forest-based goods and services. We explore the question of whether absentee family forest owners are less active land managers than resident landowners and whether membership in conservation organizations is associated with higher levels of land management activity by absentee owners. To examine these questions, we administered a mail survey to randomly-selected family forest landowners in Indiana. While we found some support for the contention that absentee owners are less active forestland managers than resident owners, we also found they are not necessarily inactive landowners. We found absentee owners were less likely to have: inspected their forestland for invasive plants, pulled or cut invasive plants, used herbicides to kill invasive plants, reduced fire hazard, or grazed livestock than resident owners. Absentee owners were more likely to be enrolled in the Indiana Classified Forest and Wildlands Program, a preferential forest property tax program. Absentee owners who are members of a conservation organization were more likely than absentee non-member owners to have undertaken a variety of land management activities, including: undertaking wildlife habitat improvement projects, inspecting their forestland for invasive plants, pulling or cutting invasive plants, enrolling in the Indiana Classified Forest and Wildlands program, and obtaining a management plan.

Exploring the impact of resident proximity to wildfires in the northern Rocky Mountains: Perceptions of climate change risks, drought, and policy

Wildfire disaster risks are being heighted globally due to climate change. Here, we present a United States-based wildfire case study of the northern Rocky Mountains to investigate links between wildfire experience, knowledge, and perceived risk due to climate change and potential policy support for two internationally relevant strategies: land management and private/public collaboration. The 2017 fire season was one of the worst on record in the northern Rocky Mountains resulting in billions of dollars in damage and multiple casualties warranting exploration. In order to inform wildfire policy pertaining to forest land management and private/public collaboration, a survey (N = 1154) was conducted in August of 2017 among residents of 34 counties in the northern Rocky Mountains who had either experienced a close proximate large wildfire (n = 611) or had not (n = 543). Consistent with construal level theory, residents who perceived climate change is occurring had a clearer understanding of the link between climate change and local conditions (e.g., drought). Those who experienced a wildfire were more likely to support adaptive policies (i.e., land management changes, increased private/public collaboration). Residents who experienced a wildfire but did not perceive climate change risks (experienced/no risk) were less likely to attribute wildfires to drought conditions and more likely to support land management initiatives. Residents who experienced a wildfire and perceived climate change risks (experienced/risk) were more supportive of collaboration, but not land management initiatives. Theory application and implications are discussed.

A model for big spatial rural data infrastructure in Turkey: Sensor-driven and integrative approach

A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) enables the effective spatial data flow between providers and users for their prospective land use analyses. The need for an SDI providing soil and land use inventories is crucial in order to optimize sustainable management of agricultural, meadow and forest lands. In an SDI where datasets are static, it is not possible to make quick decisions about land use. Therefore, SDIs must be enhanced with online data flow and the capabilities to store big volumes of data. This necessity brings the concepts of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data (BD) into the discussion.Turkey needs to establish an SDI to monitor and manage its rural lands. Even though Turkish decision-makers and scientists have constructed a solid national SDI standardization, a conceptual model for rural areas has not been developed yet. In accordance with the international agreements, this model should adopt the INSPIRE Directive and Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) standards. In order to manage rural lands in Turkey, there are several legislations which characterize the land use planning, land classification and restrictions. Especially, the Soil Protection and Land Use Law (SPLUL) enforces to use a lot and a variety of land use parameters that should be available in a big rural SDI. Moreover, this model should be enhanced with IoT, which enables to use of smart sensors to collect data for monitoring natural occurrences and other parameters that may help to classify lands.This study focuses on a conceptual model of a Turkish big rural SDI design that combines the sensor usage and attribute datasets for all sorts of rural lands. The article initially reviews Turkish rural reforms, current enterprises to a national SDI and sensor-driven agricultural monitoring. The suggested model integrates rural land use types, such as agricultural lands, meadowlands and forest lands. During the design process, available data sets and current legislation for Turkish rural lands are taken into consideration. This schema is associated with food security databases (organic and good farming practices), non-agricultural land use applications and local/European subsidies in order to monitor the agricultural parcels on which these practices are implemented. To provide a standard visualization of this conceptual schema, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams are used and a supplementary data dictionary is prepared to make clear definitions of the attributes, data types and code lists used in the model.This conceptual model supports the LPIS, ISO 19156 International Standard (Geographic Information: Observations and Measurements) catalogue and INSPIRE data theme specifications due to the fact that Turkey is negotiating the accession to EU; however, it also provides a local understanding that enables to manage rural lands holistically for sustainable development goals. It suggests an expansion for the sensor variety of Turkish agricultural monitoring project (TARBIL) and it specifies a rural theme for Turkish National SDI (TUCBS).

Evaluating Model Predictions of Fire Induced Tree Mortality Using Wildfire-Affected Forest Inventory Measurements

Forest land managers rely on predictions of tree mortality generated from fire behavior models to identify stands for post-fire salvage and to design fuel reduction treatments that reduce mortality. A key challenge in improving the accuracy of these predictions is selecting appropriate wind and fuel moisture inputs. Our objective was to evaluate postfire mortality predictions using the Forest Vegetation Simulator Fire and Fuels Extension (FVS-FFE) to determine if using representative fire-weather data would improve prediction accuracy over two default weather scenarios. We used pre- and post-fire measurements from 342 stands on forest inventory plots, representing a wide range of vegetation types affected by wildfire in California, Oregon, and Washington. Our representative weather scenarios were created by using data from local weather stations for the time each stand was believed to have burned. The accuracy of predicted mortality (percent basal area) with different weather scenarios was evaluated for all stands, by forest type group, and by major tree species using mean error, mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE). One of the representative weather scenarios, Mean Wind, had the lowest mean error (4%) in predicted mortality, but performed poorly in some forest types, which contributed to a relatively high RMSE of 48% across all stands. Driven in large part by over-prediction of modelled flame length on steeper slopes, the greatest over-prediction mortality errors arose in the scenarios with higher winds and lower fuel moisture. Our results also indicated that fuel moisture was a stronger influence on post-fire mortality than wind speed. Our results suggest that using representative weather can improve accuracy of mortality predictions when attempting to model over a wide range of forest types. Focusing simulations exclusively on extreme conditions, especially with regard to wind speed, may lead to over-prediction of tree mortality from fire.

Public Attitudes about Private Forest Management and Government Involvement in the Southeastern United States

In the southern United States the country’s top wood-producing region, factors such as intergenerational land transfer and population spillover from urban areas have resulted in forestland conversion and reduced production of critical ecosystem services associated with forest systems (e.g., timber, clean water supply, wildlife habitat). Public attitudes, which drive forestland policy prescriptions, may also be evolving due to the way people experience and perceive forests (e.g., recreation), and think about the role of government in private forest decisions. These changes have significant implications for forestland management and the forest-based economy, both locally and globally. We present the results of a regional survey (n = 1669) of residents in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, which assessed attitudes toward timber harvesting and government involvement on private lands. We found significant public support for timber harvesting with a somewhat stronger focus on ecosystem maintenance compared to timber production, and strong support for policies that empower landowners (e.g., assistance programs) over regulatory strategies. We conclude that existing government policies and programs are failing to help landowners meet public demand for ecosystem service provision on private forest lands in the southeastern US. Public attitudes appear conducive to innovative policy strategies such as market-based solutions and nudges. Perceptions of forest health will likely be the metric the public and landowners will use in assessing the value of policy alternatives, in addition to economic impact. Public ignorance and indifference towards forest management also appear to be growing.

Do ownership structures effect forest management? An analysis of African American family forest landowners

Complex ownership structures like absentee ownership and heirs' property could affect management of forestlands owned by African American family landowners in the southern United States. The Theory of Planned Behavior offers a framework for understanding the role of ownership structures, along with other landowner characteristics on forest management intentions and behaviors. We used data from surveys of African American forest landowners in Georgia to inform logit models of legacy goals, management goals, management activity and management planning. Older landowners, male landowners, and landowners who had received professional advice were significantly more likely to have legacy goals, while landowners who did not report obstacles to management were more likely to have management goals. Ownership structures did not have a significant effect on landowners' goals, nor did they have a significant effect on management activities. However, absentee ownership, along with technical advice, significantly affected management planning. Results suggest that rather than the ownership structure, the most important factor in determining forest management is professional advice. The trust and personal relationship between landowners and forest professionals ultimately determine the engagement level of African American forest landowners in sustainable forest management.

Can Traditional Authority Improve the Governance of Forestland and Sustainability? Case Study from the Congo (DRC)

With about 107 million hectares of moist forest, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a perfect paradox of a natural resources endowed country caught in repeated economic and socio-political crises. Democratic Republic of Congo possesses about 60% of the Congo basin’s forest on which the majority of its people rely for their survival. Even if the national forest land in the countryside is mainly exploited by local populations based on customary rights, they usually do not have land titles due to the fact that the state claims an exclusive ownership of all forest lands in the Congo basin including in DRC. The tragedy of “bad governance” of natural resources is often highlighted in the literature as one of the major drivers of poverty and conflicts in DRC. In the forest domain, several studies have demonstrated that state bureaucracies cannot convincingly improve the governance of forestland because of cronyism, institutional weaknesses, corruption and other vested interests that govern forest and land tenure systems in the country. There are however very few rigorous studies on the role of traditional leaders or chiefdoms in the governance of forests and land issues in the Congo basin. This research aimed at addressing this lack of knowledge by providing empirical evidence through the case study of Yawalo village, located around the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From a methodological perspective, it used a mixed approach combining both qualitative (field observations, participatory mapping, interviews, focal group discussions, and desk research,) and quantitative (remote sensing and statistics) methods. The main findings of our research reveal that: (i) vested interests of traditional rulers in the DRC countryside are not always compatible with a sustainable management of forestland; and (ii) influential users of forestland resources at the local level take advantage of traditional leaders’ weaknesses—lack of autonomy and coercive means, erratic recognition of customary rights, and poor legitimacy—to impose illegal hunting and uncontrolled forest exploitation.

Property rights integrity, tenure security and forestland rental market participation: Evidence from Jiangxi Province, China

The decentralization of property rights is the focus of the forest tenure reforms in several developing countries. In China, it was achieved by the launch of a new round of collective forest tenure reform beginning in 2003, which provided farmers with more integrated and secure forestland rights. Drawing on household data collected in Jiangxi province in 2011 and 2013, this paper examines the impacts of households’ recognition of property rights and improved tenure security on forestland rental activities. Our empirical results show that households with higher perceptions of more complete use rights and mortgage rights have a lower probability and intensity of renting‐in land, while households with lower expectations of future forestland redistribution or expropriation are more likely to rent in forestland and more of it. These results imply that the development of a forestland rental market leading to better forest management requires an integrated forestland management approach consisting of decentralization of property rights and village governance. In particular, the central government may further clarify the rights and obligations affiliated to forestland ownership, contractual rights, and management rights; while the village collective may shift from direct intervention in the integrity and security of forestland rights to the supervision and protection of decentralized forestland rights to increase efficiency from the decentralization of property rights.

Multi-scale assessment of post-fire tree mortality models

Post-fire tree mortality models are vital tools used by forest land managers to predict fire effects, estimate delayed mortality and develop management prescriptions. We evaluated the performance of mortality models within the First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) software, and compared their performance to locally-parameterised models based on five different forms. We evaluated all models at the individual tree and stand levels with a dataset comprising 34174 trees from a mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada, California that burned in the 2013 Rim Fire. We compared stand-level accuracy across a range of spatial scales, and we used point pattern analysis to test the accuracy with which mortality models predict post-fire tree spatial pattern. FOFEM under-predicted mortality for the three conifers, possibly because of the timing of the Rim Fire during a severe multi-year drought. Locally-parameterised models based on crown scorch were most accurate in predicting individual tree mortality, but tree diameter-based models were more accurate at the stand level for Abies concolor and large-diameter Pinus lambertiana, the most abundant trees in this forest. Stand-level accuracy was reduced by spatially correlated error at small spatial scales, but stabilised at scales ≥1ha. The predictive error of FOFEM generated inaccurate predictions of post-fire spatial pattern at small scales, and this error could be reduced by improving FOFEM model accuracy for small trees.

The 2007 crisis and Greek wildfires: a multivariate analysis of suppression times.

Shifts in government priorities in response to the 2007 global recession have affected wildfire management and natural disaster funding arrangements, leading to a reduced effectiveness of fire suppression actions and increasing fire vulnerability. Our study investigates the role of local socioeconomic contexts on fire suppression effectiveness under economic expansion and recession in a Mediterranean region (Attica, Greece) strongly affected by 2007 crisis and displaying a persistently high density of peri-urban wildfires. Basic characteristics of wildfires (spatial distribution, intensity, and land use preferences) were investigated in the study area over two consecutive 8-year time intervals characterized by economic expansion (2000-2007) and recession (2008-2015). An integrated approach based on multivariate statistics and artificial neural networks was implemented to evaluate latent relationships between fire suppression time, wildfire characteristics, and socioeconomic dynamics. Controlling for wildfires' characteristics over the two time intervals, fire time length increased under crisis-mainly for small and medium-sized fires-possibly as an indirect response to reduced effectiveness of forest land management. Local contexts and political decisions influenced by economic downturns are relevant factors shaping wildfires' severity in the Mediterranean region. With recession, local contexts vulnerable to wildfires require more effective fire prevention measures, sustainable forest management, and regional planning.

Characterizing Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners' Forest Management Engagement and Advice Sources

Non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) owners have options for engagement by following management strategies that reduce wildfire risk on their forestlands. Forest management engagement is a broad term with underlying categories and management implications. To better understand these categories, we examine interview data on the engagement of forest landowners from a case study of private forestland owner perspectives in northeast Oregon, USA. NIPF landowners outline two types of forest management engagement, one for property and one for community-focused forestland management. NIPF owners describe actions for engagement in public forestland management and how these actions differ from engagement in private management. Additionally, NIPF owners establish barriers to engagement in both public and private forestland management. Our findings can be used to better identify unengaged private forestland owners in the U.S. West, informing the design and implementation of extension and outreach for NIPF owners.

Influence of Spatiotemporal Dynamics on the Fine-Scale Spatial Genetic Structure of Differently Managed Picea abies Stands

The tandem analysis of dendrochronological and genetic data is piquing forest ecologists’ interest and represents a promising approach for studying the temporal development of genetic structure in forest tree populations. Such multidisciplinary approach can help elucidate to what extent different management practices have impacted the fine-scale spatial genetic structure of forest stands through time. In this study, we jointly analysed spatial, age and genetic data from three differently managed Norway spruce permanent plots to assess: (1) possible differences among plots in the spatial distribution of individuals and their genetic structure due to different management practices, and (2) whether modifications in the age structure influenced the fine-scale spatial genetic structure within each permanent plot. With these aims, we genetically characterized at five nuclear microsatellite markers a large subset (328) of all the trees for which spatial and age data were collected (1472). We found that different management practices determined a similar spatial structure in terms of trees’ ages (r < 25 m in all plots) and neutral genetic diversity (Sp ranging from 0.002 to 0.004). Hot spots and cold spots of trees’ age were not statistically different in terms of genetic diversity, and trees’ age was not statistically different among the genetic clusters detected. On the other hand, the spatial distribution of individuals was significantly clustered up to 22 m only in the wooded pasture plot. Our main findings show that forest land use and management can indeed determine markedly different spatial layouts of Norway spruce individuals but do not produce strong distortions in the spatial structure of age and genetic parameters.

The Economic Values of Utilizing Water Services Way Betung Watershed

Way Betung watershed is a source of raw water supply utilized by the Talang Mulya community for various purposes, such as for household needs, irrigation of paddy farming and micro hydro power plant. Water availability is closely related to the existing forest presence in the area, the forest land management should be in balance on be half of maintaing water availability. This study aimed to determine the perception of the community and to analyze the economic value of water for household needs, irrigation of paddy farming and micro hydro power plant. This research also calculated the Willingness to Pay of forest and land rehabilitation costs by community. Primary data collection were conducted by interviewing 106 respondents. The results showed that the community appraisal of water resources in Way Betung watershed were good since 88% of respondents are willing to pay for forest rehabilitation. The total economic value of water utilization in Talang Mulya Village was Rp.2.963.540.390/year and the value of willingness to pay for forest rehabilitation costs was Rp.5.833.608/year with average willingness to pay was Rp.22.948/year. Keywords: watershed , total economic value, the economic value of water, willingness to pay.

Forest condition change, tenure reform, and government-funded eco-environmental programs in Northeast China

Northeast China has one of the largest forested areas in China, which provides an important production base for timber and forestry by-products and is significant for maintenance of regional ecological security. This study examined the effects of forest tenure reform and government eco-environmental protection programs on forest condition change using two measures—forest area and stocking volume. Generalized spatial panel autoregressive models were developed using data on 72 forest farms in Northeast China in 2005 and 2009. The results showed that forest condition change in the region was driven by socio-economic characteristics, geographical conditions, and forest land management policy. In particular, the forest tenure reform and government eco-environmental protection program were found to affect forest condition change. There were also strong spatial effects between neighboring forest farms, suggesting that the forest management policy of one forest farm was correlated with that of neighboring farms. When formulating and implementing forest policy, decision-makers should therefore take account of spatial effects.