Forest Management Types Research Articles

The readiness of peninsular Malaysia wood-based industries for achieving sustainability

Forests represent a substantial part of global socio-economy platforms. As the wood-based industry contributes large revenue to Malaysia’s economy, the readiness of Peninsular Malaysia towards sustainable wood-based industry was measured based on the different types of wood processing industries and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practice. Surveys (1,447) from all operating timber mills according to their raw materials type for wood products processing in Peninsular Malaysia were analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Results showed that the sustainable practice in wood industry by SFM practitioners and non-practitioners were similar. All industries are using outdated technologies and consume local raw materials in producing wood products. The furniture industry is largely aware of SFM and consumes the least amount of logs to produce furniture.

Features of the legal regulation of harvesting wild plants as a type of entrepreneurial activity

In addition to timber harvesting, Russian laws also provide for other types of forest management that have a less harmful impact on forest ecosystems. The forests of our country have a high potential for wild forest resources. The demand for this type of product is growing every year. Berries and nuts exported from Russia have gained popularity in foreign markets. This industry is economically and socially significant, and its development will contribute to employment and income growth, regional development, and the creation of an organic market in our country. The legislator considers it necessary to develop and support entrepreneurs engaged in harvesting wild plants. But, to date, this industry is still poorly developed. This is facilitated by an insufficiently developed legislative framework that does not take into account the nuances of this industry, confusion in the powers of state authorities that are responsible for this area of business, the unavailability of state support measures for people engaged in harvesting non-wood forest resources, the complexity of assessing the potential of wild forest food and medicinal resources in the forest area, the complexity of legalizing activities for harvesting and processing wild plants, the lack of funds for deep processing of wild plants, as well as a number of environmental issues, economic and social factors. The article analyzes the problems that are an obstacle to the development of this branch of business in the harvesting of forest food resources and medicinal plants and suggests possible ways to solve them.

Differences in tree growth of Norway spruce under rotation forestry and continuous cover forestry

In Fennoscandia there is still lack of information for comparing the traditional even-aged management approach, or Rotation Forestry (RF), with the alternative uneven-aged management, or Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF), especially at tree level. We compared the basal area growth of more than 9000 individual Norway spruces (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), repeatedly measured in long-term permanent sample plots in both RF and CCF stands (the latter managed with single tree selection). We fitted a descriptive model considering characteristics related to tree growth potential (tree size and crown ratio), stand characteristics, site fertility, and management activities (namely forest management type, intensity and timing of last cutting before growth). Variables related to the individual tree characteristics were the most important predictors for growth. The model included two competition indexes, asymmetric (based on total basal area) and symmetric (based on on the amount of overtopping), which had both a stronger negative effect in CCF than in RF. Stand development stage (expressed by the mean height) had a slightly negative effect only in RF. Variables directly describing the intensity and timing of the cuttings had such a negligible effect in both management systems that they were discarded, likely due to their already indirect effects on modifying the stand-level structure (i.e. in reducing the competition effect). Concluding, we successfully fitted a biologically sound and accurate descriptive model that can be used in the ongoing comparison of the two management approaches. CCF trees had a consistently lower growth due to a stronger effect of the competition variables in the model. Our methods show that there is need to account for the differences in the forest structure when building a model aimed at different management systems.

Forest Management and Climate Change Mitigation: A Review on Carbon Cycle Flow Models for the Sustainability of Resources

With climate change being a certainty, which today is probably the biggest challenge humanity is facing, and also accepting that greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause accelerating climate change, there is an urgent need to find solutions that lead to the mitigation of the already intense, and in some cases, even violent, effects. Forests can most easily work as carbon sinks. However, it is convenient to analyze the residence time of this carbon in forests, as this residence time will depend on the type of forest management used. This paper aims to analyze forest management models from a perspective of carbon residence time in forests, dividing the models into three types: carbon conservation, carbon storage, and carbon substitution. Carbon conservation models are those models in which the amounts of carbon stored only replace the carbon released, mainly by the industrial use of raw materials. Carbon storage models are models that foster the growth of forest areas to ensure that the amount of carbon stored grows, and where the ratio clearly leans towards sequestration and storage. Carbon substitution models are models that move towards the substitution of fossil carbon by renewable carbon, thus contributing to the creation of a neutral flow.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON THE SOIL MACROFAUNA IN THE ARBOREAL CAATINGA

ABSTRACT Forest management can lead to numerous changes of different magnitudes in the composition and diversity of soil organisms, according to the level of interference with the habitat. Within this context, this study aimed to test the influence of different types of forest management on the edaphic macrofauna community in a region of arboreal Caatinga. The study was carried out in Contendas do Sincorá National Forest, Contendas do Sincorá - Bahia. The experimental area consisted of three types of management (clear cutting, selective cutting by diameter at breast height and selective cutting by species), and a condition of unmanaged Caatinga, which was used as control. The macrofauna was sampled twice a year (March and November) using the soil monolith method. Densities, total number of individuals, total richness, average richness, and Shannon and Pielou rates were estimated. The soil macrofauna was shown to be sensitive to different forest management practices, which indicates that selective cutting is a more conservative system to manage the Caatinga. Among these, selective cutting by species proved to be less impacting on the soil macrofauna, providing more expressive diversity and abundance indexes, and the occurrence of more demanding organisms in microclimate conditions, characteristic of preserved areas. The predominant groups of edaphic fauna, both in the unmanaged as in managed Caatinga, were Isoptera, Formicidae, Chilopoda, and Coleoptera Larvae.

Indicators of sustainable forest management to evaluate the socio-economic functions of coppice in Tuscany, Italy

Due to several ecosystem services provided to the community, the multifunctional management of forests has acquired an important role over the years.The current Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) guidelines are based on planning programmes which are able to achieve targets from socio-economic and environmental points of view.In this paper, SFM indicators have been studied and compared to estimate the sustainability of three coppice options, from both an economic and a socio-environmental viewpoint. Each indicator was studied in relationship to the treatment and to the considered areas. The results of the statistical analysis show differences among treatments, and the possible correlations between the indicators. Moreover, by using principal component analysis (PCA), the correlations between the indicators were analysed, while the ways in which they influenced the examined sites were also considered. In particular, specific homogeneous clusters separating the observed sites were observed based on treatment and geographical gradient. Overall, the set of indicators used has proven to be effective when carrying out an evaluation of the existing types of forest management based on the analysis of three fundamental aspects of the SFM.

Ecologically similar saproxylic beetles depend on diversified deadwood resources: From habitat requirements to management implications

Organisms dependent on dead wood (i.e., saproxylic) are some of the most threatened by changes in the forest environment. Aside from anthropogenic disturbances resulting in forest fragmentation and a decrease in dead wood, the expansion of homogenous closed-canopy forests due to successional changes is identified as the main threat for many saproxylic organisms. It is especially important in major conservation areas in Europe. Thus, studies combining knowledge about the habitat requirements of saproxylic species with the impacts of different types of forest management on populations of these organisms are essential to identify effective conservation strategies.In this study, we focused on three threatened saproxylic beetles with similar ecology, i.e., Cucujus cinnaberinus, C. haematodes and Boros schneideri, in a close-to-natural forest. The study was conducted in the stronghold of these species in temperate Europe, the Białowieża Forest in Poland, based on a field survey of more than 11,000 dead wood pieces. We investigated the habitat requirements of these species and their relationships with the environment at the tree and landscape levels. We further analysed the distribution of these beetles in forests under various levels of management intensity. Based on the results of the present study and published data on compositional changes in the forests in the study area, we attempt to formulate implications related to the conservation of the studied beetles.Cucujus cinnaberinus was the most widespread and frequent species, with a preference for high-diameter dead aspens in managed forests with high dead wood amounts. The second most abundant species, C. haematodes, preferred downed ashes and alders with rather fragmented bark. Its distribution was spatially aggregated in unmanaged forests. The rarest beetle in this study, B. schneideri, was associated with forests with large dead pines.Our results confirm the importance of the Białowieża Forest for the three threatened saproxylic beetles. The study also revealed the highly diversified demands of these beetles, which may not be met in the future if the abundance of the preferred habitat tree species is declining. We recommend a conservation strategy that combines non-intervention towards naturally developed deadwood with monitoring of tree recruitment and if necessary, measures to assure recruitment of particular tree species, e.g., pine and aspen. Future studies should investigate the role of natural disturbances for recruitment of these tree species and thus, the long-term persistence of associated saproxylic beetle species.

Effects of forest management on biomass stocks in Romanian beech forests

BackgroundForest management aims at obtaining a sustainable production of wood to be harvested to generate products or energy. However, the quantitative influence of forest management and of removals by harvest on biomass stocks has rarely been analysed on a large scale based on measurements. Two hypotheses prevail: management induces a reduction of wood stocks due to cuttings, versus no impact because of increased growth of the remaining trees.Using data collected for 2840 permanent plots across Romania from the National Forest Inventory representing ~ 2.5 Mha, we have tested to what extent different management types and treatments can influence the biomass stock and productivity of beech forests, and attempt to quantify these effects both on the short and long terms.Three main types of beech forest management are implemented in Romania with specific objectives: intensive wood production in production forests, protection of ecosystem services (e.g. watersheds, avalanche protection) in protection forests, and protection of the forest and its biodiversity in protected forests. Production forests encompass two treatments differing according to the stand regeneration method: the age class rotation management and the group shelterwood management.ResultsWe show that forest management had little influence on the biomass stocks at a given stand age. The highest stocks at stand age 100 were observed in production forests (the most intensively managed forests). Consequences of early cuttings were very short-termed because the increase in tree growth rapidly compensated for tree cuttings. The cumulated biomass of production forests exceeded that of protected and protection forests. Regarding the treatment, the group shelterwood forests had a markedly higher production over a full rotation period.The total amount of deadwood was primarily driven by the amount of standing deadwood, and no management effect was detected.ConclusionsGiven the relatively low-intensity management in Romania, forest management had no negative impact on wood stocks in beech forests biomass stocks at large scale. Stand productivity was very similar among management types or treatments. However cumulated biomass in production forests was higher than in protection or protected forests, and differed markedly according to treatments with a higher cumulated biomass in shelterwood forests.

Зміни лісового вкриття Українських Карпат за період 1984–2016 років

Масштабні зміни лісового вкриття негативно впливають передусім на гідрологічні та ґрунтові умови та загалом на екологічні функції лісів. В Українських Карпатах події, пов'язані з пошкодженнями лісового намету, зумовлені не тільки природними чинниками, такими, як погодні умови чи шкідники й хвороби, але і чинниками антропогенного впливу, такими, як збільшення обсягів вирубування лісу, основними драйверами яких є соціально-економічні потрясіння та зміна способів ведення лісового господарства й ефективність правозастосування в лісовому секторі. Метою цього дослідження було виявити обсяги порушень намету деревостанів у лісах Українських Карпатах протягом 1984–2016 рр. Для дослідження використано часові ряди зображень, отриманих із супутникових знімків проекту "Landsat" із застосуванням засобу візуалізації "TimeSync". Отже, на основі випадкової вибірки, 2000 ділянок було здійснено оцінку щорічного пошкодження намету лісу, які враховували як природні порушення, так і антропогенні. Відповідно до результатів вибірки, середня лісистість для всієї досліджуваної території протягом 1984–2016 рр. становила 65,50 %. Більше половини досліджуваного періоду значення лісових порушень коливались між 0,50–1,00 %, серед них було десять років, коли порушення були між 0,75–1,0 %. Загалом показники порушень лісового вкриття в Українських Карпатах сильно коливаються, причому значні помітні піки з'явилися після 1990 та 2012 рр. Більше того, антропогенні зміни, спричинені лісозаготівлями (зокрема суцільними та вибірковими), становили 92,07 % всіх порушень, тоді як лише 7,93 % порушень лісового намету пов'язані з природними чинниками. Аналіз піків коливань змін порушень лісового вкриття дає підстави вважати, що чинниками коливання щорічних показників, спричинених рубками, можуть бути політичні, пов'язані із зміною законодавства із часом та економічною ситуацією, спровокованою збільшенням і зменшенням попиту на ресурси деревини. Для природних порушень спостережено три різні хвилі на початку 1990-х, 2000-х та 2010-х років, які демонструють синхронізацію динаміки природних порушень з іншими помірними лісами Європи в субконтинентальному просторовому масштабі. Отже, результати здійсненого дослідження можна використати під час планування розвитку лісового господарства в Карпатах. При цьому варто приділяти більше уваги тренду зміни лісового вкриття, звертаючи особливу увагу на вразливість лісів до кліматичних змін, і розглянути вплив поточної нестабільної соціально-економічної ситуації на появу масштабних вирубок лісів в Україні.

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

Sustainably managed forests provide multiple ecosystem services in cultural landscapes, including maintaining biodiversity. Better understanding of the benefits regarding the biodiversity of different silvicultural practices is important for sustainable landscape management. Conservation targets in forested landscapes should be determined by land managers and policy-makers, based on serious ecological research. This study deals with response of bird diversity to three different habitat types of temperate hardwood floodplain forests, which reflect specific forms of forest management. Research was based on long-term field bird census in the years 1998 to 2002 applying the point count method. Data was analysed using regression analysis with dummy variables. The results of the study indicate that hardwood floodplain forest heterogeneity, supported by different types of forest management (old-growth forest protection, group-selection harvesting and forest edge protection), provides large-scale habitat mosaic conditions suitable for many breeding bird species with different ecological niches. This result suggests that comparison of bird diversity response to different forest management types can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable landscape management strategy and local management practices in forested cultural lowland landscapes. Improvements in both regional and local ecological knowledge are generally needed in order to control floodplain land use decisions, which are typically made on the scale of landscape management.

Safe microsites for Symphoricarpos microphyllus (Caprifoliaceae) germination, a shrub species with seed dormancy

Background and Aims: Temperate forests suffer continuous deforestation and other anthropogenic disturbances. Additionally, some types of forest management, such as secondary vegetation removal ("chaponeo"), can be another disturbance that negatively affects the values of some environmental variables important for seed germination. Light, soil temperature and moisture characterize microsites and determine germination percentages. These variables are also affected by slope orientation and vegetation structure. The aim of this study was to characterize microsites for Symphoricarpos microphyllus seed germination in a temperate forest, its response to light qualities in germination cameras, and seed viability during two years.Methods: Twenty-four microsites that differed according to their position in north/south (N/S) facing slopes, and by the presence/absence of secondary vegetation (“chaponeo”) due to forest management (U-undisturbed/P-perturbed) were characterized for light, soil temperature, moisture, pH and nitrogen. We also studied germination under different light qualities (white light, red light, far red light -FRL-, darkness) in germination cameras and seed viability for two years.Key results: All microsites were different in light, temperature and soil moisture. Microsites with the highest germination percentages were those US (undisturbed south) and UN (undisturbed north), where higher soil moisture and lower temperatures were registered, favoring embryo growth of seeds, since they possess morphophysiological dormancy. In cameras, germination percentages were the highest in FRL (32%). Seeds of S. microphyllus can remain viable for two years (60%).Conclusions: We do not recommend secondary vegetation removal because it affects variables of soil moisture (decreasing it) and temperature (increasing it) in microsites. This negatively influences this species germination, which needs a filtering of light and an alternation of high-low temperatures for dormancy breaking. These findings are important if we consider that the populations of this species are reducing due to overexploitation.

Forest-management types similarly influence soil collembolan communities throughout regions in Germany – A data bank analysis

European forest management practices create broad-scale mosaics of tree-species composition and developmental stages, inducing gradients in environmental conditions at landscape scales. However, consistent effects of specific forest-management types on general characteristics of soil microarthropod assemblages could not always be determined. This study aimed to reveal generalizable effects of similar forest-conversion measures using collembolan data extracted from the German soil-zoological data warehouse “Edaphobase”. Data of collembolan assemblages and environmental variables from forest-conversion studies were analyzed from three forest types – deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests – in two German regions (a northern and a southern) with various sites in two areas each. We hypothesized that forest management has a strong effect on soil Collembola and the different forest types induce consistently dissimilar assemblages independent of region. Abundance, diversity and species richness of collembolan assemblages were compared between forest types. Community composition was analysed with cluster analysis and canonical ordinations to reveal similarity patterns and the driving environmental variables. Contrary to our hypothesis, forest conversion caused only small differences in quantitative community variables, most likely due to site-specific influences and high variability. More than a third of the considered species showed preferences for stands with either deciduous or coniferous trees. The collembolan assemblages of the two regions differed from each other, indicating separate species pools. Nonetheless, as opposed to the quantitative metrics, different species compositions did consistently occur between forest types across regions, revealing a gradient from deciduous over mixed to coniferous stands. Collembolan assemblages were primarily associated with dominant tree species (forest stands) and humus forms, while quantitative environmental parameters had low explanatory power. Therefore, forestry measures induce qualitative differences in the soil-habitat, leading to habitat-specific environmental filtering of the regional collembolan species pools and a mosaic of soil microarthropod communities at the landscape level.

Can REDD+ Bring Equitable Benefit to the Marginalized Communities? Insights from Bangladesh

Despite promising win-win outcomes of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program, how and to what extent it can bring real opportunities to forest communities remains debatable. Focusing on inequality and land tenure insecurity in Bangladesh, this study aims to find out whether and to what extent REDD+ can ensure equitable benefits and opportunities for the forest communities in an ethnic conflict area. Based on qualitative case studies on two types of community forest management (CFM) experiences in Bangladesh, the study finds that the distribution of various costs, benefits, and access to forest participation remain highly unequal among different groups within the communities. The existing institutional settings were not able to bring adequate opportunities for the marginal forest people to face the dominant power relation and bring equitable share for them. This study argues that without ensuring the decision-making space for marginalized groups, and without substantial changes towards the tenure complexity, the emerging REDD+ initiatives in Bangladesh can strengthen the dominant power and subsequently intensify the vulnerability of the marginalized people. A careful analysis of how weak institutions are helping to perpetuate inequality can thus help us to understand future risks of CFM–REDD+ relations.

Comparison of AHP and a Utility-Based Theory Method for Selected Vertical and Horizontal Forest Structure Indicators in the Sustainability Assessment of Forest Management in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, Madrid Region

This paper compares two pairwise comparison methods, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and a utility theory based method (UTB method), for sustainability assessment in forest management at the local level. Six alternatives were ranked, corresponding to six different types of forest management in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in the Madrid Region in Spain. The methods were tested by postgraduate students enrolled in a “Decision Support Systems” course at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Three sustainability indicators were considered: structural diversity, timber yield, and amount of biomass. The utility theory based method was the first to be compared, which is implemented in the computer program SILVANET. For each pair of alternatives, the students were asked which one they considered to be more sustainable. In the case of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, the students compared the indicators and the alternatives for each indicator. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient indicated that there was no correlation between the rankings for most of the students. The results revealed that the convergence in opinion in the AHP method was higher than in the utility based method for a low number of participants, and distinguished the differences between the alternatives more accurately. However in the case of the UTB method, the participants considered sustainability as a whole and made a more context-based comparison.

Impacts of forest management type and season on soil carbon fluxes in Eastern Mau Forest, Kenya

AbstractThe value of ecosystems functions performed by forests in the climate change era has prompted increasing attention towards assessment of carbon stocks and fluxes in tropical forests. The aim of this study was to understand how forest management approaches and environmental controls impacted on soil CO2 efflux in a tropical Eastern Mau forest which is one of the blocks of the greater Mau complex in Kenya. Nested experimental design approach was employed where 32 plots were nested into four blocks (disturbed natural, undisturbed natural, plantation and glades). In 10 m2 plots, data were collected on soil CO2 efflux, soil temperature and soil moisture using soda lime methods, direct measurement and proxy techniques, respectively. There was significant forest management type effect (F3,127 = 3.01, p = 0.033) and seasonality effect (t test = 3.31, df = 1, p < 0.05) on mean soil CO2 efflux. The recorded mean soil CO2 efflux levels were as follows: plantation forest (9.219 ± 3.067 g C M−2 day−1), undisturbed natural forest (8.665 ± 4.818 g C M−2 day−1), glades (8.592 ± 3.253 g C M−2 day−1) and disturbed natural forest (7.198 ± 3.457 g C M−2 day−1). The study concludes that managing a forest in plantation form is primarily responsible for forest soil CO2 efflux levels due to aspects such as increased microbial activity and root respiration. However, further studies are required to understand the role and impact of soil CO2 efflux on the greater forest carbon budget.

Effects of forest management on bryophyte species richness in Central European forests

We studied the effect of three major forest management types (unmanaged beech, selection beech, and age class forests) and stand variables (SMId, soil pH, proportion of conifers, litter cover, deadwood cover, rock cover and cumulative cover of woody trees and shrubs) on bryophyte species richness in 1050 forest plots in three regions in Germany. In addition, we analysed the species richness of four ecological guilds of bryophytes according to their colonized substrates (deadwood, rock, soil, bark) and the number of woodland indicator bryophyte species. Beech selection forests turned out to be the most species rich management type, whereas unmanaged beech forests revealed even lower species numbers than age-class forests. Increasing conifer proportion increased bryophyte species richness but not the number of woodland indicator bryophyte species. The richness of the four ecological guilds mainly responded to the abundance of their respective substrate. We conclude that the permanent availability of suitable substrates is most important for bryophyte species richness in forests, which is not stringently linked to management type. Therefore, managed age-class forests and selection forests may even exceed unmanaged forests in bryophyte species richness due to higher substrate supply and therefore represent important habitats for bryophytes. Typical woodland indicator bryophytes and their species richness were negatively affected by SMId (management intensity) and therefore better indicate forest integrity than the species richness of all bryophytes. Nature conservation efforts should focus on the reduction of management intensity. Moreover, maintaining and increasing a variability of substrates and habitats, such as coarse woody debris, increasing structural heterogeneity by retaining patches with groups of old, mature to over-mature trees in managed forests, maintaining forest climate conditions by silvicultural methods that assure stand continuity, e.g. by selection cutting rather than clear cutting and shelterwood logging might promote bryophyte diversity and in particular the one of woodland indicator bryophytes.

Towards better mapping of forest management patterns: A global allocation approach

Forests provide numerous ecosystem services, such as timber yields, biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation. The type of management has an effect on the provision of these services. Often the demands for these services can lead to conflict – wood harvest can negatively impact biodiversity and climate change mitigation capacity. Although forest management differences are important, spatially explicit data is lacking, in particular on a global scale. We present here a first systematic approach which integrates existing data to map forest management globally through downscaling national and subnational forest data. In our forest management classification, we distinguished between two levels of forest management, with three categories each. Level 1 comprised primary, naturally regrown and planted forests. Level 2 distinguished between different forest uses. We gathered documented locations, where these forest categories were observed, from the literature and a database on ecological diversity. We then performed multinomial logit regression and estimated the effect of 21 socio-economic and bio-physical predictor variables on the occurrence of a forest category. Model results on significance and effect direction of predictor variables were in line with findings of previous studies. Soil and environmental properties, forest conditions and accessibility are important determinants of the occurrence of forest management types. Based on the model results, likelihood maps were calculated and used to spatially allocate national extents of level 1 and level 2 forest categories. When compared to previous studies, our maps showed higher agreement than random samples. Deviations between observed and predicted plantation locations were mostly below 10 km. Our map provides an estimation of global forest management patterns, enhancing previous methodologies and making the best use of data available. Next to having multiple applications, for example within global conservation planning or climate change mitigation analyses, it visualizes the currently available data on forest management on a global level.

Nest sites as a key resource for population persistence: A case study modelling nest occupancy under forestry practices.

Natural nest sites are important breeding resource in terms of population dynamics, especially in forest systems where nest trees limit populations or timber harvesting destroys nests. Nest structures usually have a long life and can be reused by breeding pairs across multiple breeding seasons, so studying their dynamics is of relevance for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we develop a dynamic model to evaluate nest site availability and its influence on the breeding settlement of a forest raptor community composed of booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem in southeast Spain. This model approach is also applied to analyse the influence of forestry practices on the dynamics of occupied nests for a simulated period (2010–2050). The simulated scenarios include unmanaged forest and timber harvesting practices of clearcuttings every ten years considering two factors: the age class of trees for clearcutting (40, 50, 60 and 70 years old) and the type of forest management (with or without nest protection). Our simulated results show that the number of breeding pairs is constant during the period without timber harvest, whereas breeding pairs gradually decrease in the scenario of clearcutting trees aged from 70 to 50-years without nest protection, and populations become extinct with the clearcutting of 40-year old trees. Considering the practice of clearcutting and nest protection, nest occupancy can reach the maximum number of occupied nests for the scenarios of cutting 70 and 60-year old trees, and maintain populations without extinction for the scenarios of cutting 40-year old trees. We conclude that nest sites (whether occupied or not) are key resources for increasing the occupancy of the forest raptor community and that nest protection measures buffer the effects of clearcuttings, thus preventing population extinction.

Regional-scale management maps for forested areas of the Southeastern United States and the US Pacific Northwest

Forests in the United States are managed by multiple public and private entities making harmonization of available data and subsequent mapping of management challenging. We mapped four important types of forest management, production, ecological, passive, and preservation, at 250-meter spatial resolution in the Southeastern (SEUS) and Pacific Northwest (PNW) USA. Both ecologically and socio-economically dynamic regions, the SEUS and PNW forests represent, respectively, 22.0% and 10.4% of forests in the coterminous US. We built a random forest classifier using seasonal time-series analysis of 16 years of MODIS 16-day composite Enhanced Vegetation Index, and ancillary data containing forest ownership, roads, US Forest Service wilderness and forestry areas, proportion conifer and proportion riparian. The map accuracies for SEUS are 89% (10-fold cross-validation) and 67% (external validation) and PNW are 91% and 70% respectively with the same validation. The now publicly available forest management maps, probability surfaces for each management class and uncertainty layer for each region can be viewed and analysed in commercial and open-source GIS and remote sensing software.

Смолопродуктивність соснових деревостанів в Україні

Досліджено смолопродуктивність кліматипів сосни звичайної, які ростуть у різних лісорослинних умовах України. Встановлено найвищу смолопродуктивність дерев сосни звичайної черкаського, малополіського та київськополіського кліматипів, що ростуть в умовах Південного Полісся та Лісостепу. Відмінності смолопродуктивності сосни різних кліматипів дають підставу диференціювати сосняки за смолопродуктивністю з урахуванням лісорослинних умов.
 Підвищена біологічна смолопродуктивність черкаського та київського кліматичних екотипів свідчить про перспективність масового відбору (виділення популяцій) для селекції сосни за смолопродуктивністю. До диференціації кліматипів сосни звичайної за смолопродуктивністю призводить комплекс таких чинників: середньорічна та максимальна температура повітря, сума активних температур, тривалість сонячного освітлення, а також середньорічна сума опадів та висота місцезростання над рівнем моря.
 Здійснені дослідження розподілу дерев за смолопродуктивністю в підсочуваних насадженнях Малого та Західного Полісся дають підставу стверджувати, що в деревостанах переважають дерева середньої категорії смолопродуктивності. Другою за величиною є категорія дерев із пониженою, третьою – із високою смолопродуктивністю.