Forest Programs Research Articles

Relationship between community capitals and governance: The perspective of local actors in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

Internationally, the decentralization of forest management from central government control to collaborative stewardship by local communities is gaining popularity. Forest decentralization is seen as a means of promoting both conservation and community economic development while decreasing government agencies’ management burdens. However, not all community forest programs have been able to successfully achieve both forest conservation and socio-economic development. A growing body of literature identifies under what circumstances local groups can collective action dilemmas in resource management. While a wealth of literature focuses on institutional influence in common-pool resource management, recent research emphasizes the need to understand both how the local context and local governance structures influence community forestry outcomes. The goal of this study is to understand how governance and community resources interact to facilitate or impede the establishment and management of community-based forest enterprises. This paper addresses this question through a cross-case analysis of community forest enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Results highlight the importance of social capital reflecting a growing body of research that has found that local-level network-based relationships are an important factor that either facilitates or impedes community governance processes. In addition, for many attributes of good governance, the resources that are typically seen as the most difficult to measure such as cultural capital, human capital and social relationships were also seen as having the greatest impact on governance.

China’s Key Forestry Ecological Development Programs: Implementation, Environmental Impact and Challenges

Forest ecosystems are in serious trouble globally, largely due to the over-exploitation. To alleviate environmental problems caused by deforestation, China has undertaken a series of key forestry ecological development programs, including the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP), the Conversion of Cropland into Forests Program (CCFP), the Desertification Combating Program around Beijing and Tianjing (DCBT), the Key Shelterbelt Development Programs in the Three-North Region and in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River (KSDP) and the Nature Reserve Development Program in Forestry Sector (WCNR). This article aims to make a documentation of the specific contents (duration, major aims, geographic coverage and investment), and environmental impacts of these programs from peer-reviewed literature, official reports and journals. Environmental impact is measured with land area afforested (except the WCNR) and the consequent changes in ecosystem function. Overall, with the huge investment and long-term efforts, these programs have made tremendous progress in increasing vegetative coverage, enhancing carbon sequestration, controlling soil erosion, conservation of biodiversity, etc. For proper implementation and remarkable achievement, a more balanced approach with flexible planning, suitable measures and proper management should be adopted. Meanwhile, the scientific communities need to be more actively involved in execution and assessment of these programs. The environmental impact of the DCBT, the KSDP, and the WCNR deserve more research concern.

Some Great Moments in the Practice of Forestry in Québec (1910–2020)

In 1910, the Forestry School at Laval University was founded at the instigation of the Government of Quebec so that research provides the knowledge needed to intelligently manage the Crown lands. The two and sole teachers at this school were Gustave-Clodomir Piché and Avila Bédard. These first two Quebec forest engineers would develop many forest programs and organizations in Quebec at a time when everything had to be built. It has therefore been a little over 110 years that we have been teaching and practising scientific forestry in Quebec. Scientific knowledge, cultural values, social context, various forest regimes not to mention the many forestry crises have contributed to the evolution of forestry practices.

Productive Potential of Precious Wood Species in the State of Chiapas, Mexico

In order to promote forest plantations in Mexico, the federal government has implemented, since 1977, programs such as the Commercial Forest Plantations Development Program (PRODEPLAN) and in 2000 launched the Strategic Forest Program for Mexico 2025. In spite of these initiatives, nowadays there are new programs (The Sembrando Vida Program) recording a critical deforestation rate of 115 thousand hectares per year and a population decrease of forest species which are endemics for Mexico and Central America. The main focus of the Sembrando Vida Program is the rescue of four timber species, although red cedar (Cedrela odorata L) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) are the two main ones. Both species are being produced under nurseries conditions, for future commercial plantations, in the state of Chiapas Mexico but there is a lack of information about the best agroecological conditions to be planted. The objective of this work was to determine the productive potential areas for cedar and mahogany under rainfed conditions in the state of Chiapas. The Arc/View version 3.3 software, which is a Geographic Information System developed by the American company ESRI was used to process and analyze the information. The results indicate that under rainfed conditions there are 81,116 hectares of high potential for cedar and 91,939 for mahogany, and 428,465 hectares of medium potential for cedar and 629,000 for mahogany.

Key factors influencing forest tree planting decisions of households: A case study in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam

ABSTRACT In coping with significant deforestation, forest degradation, and a lack of raw materials for the wood processing industry, currently in Hoa Binh province, massive reforestation projects have been implemented. However, when remarkable attempts and investments have been made in reforestation, interaction of household characteristics, socio-economic and institutional factors with small-scale forest tree planting decision are still little understood in Vietnam in general and in the study area in particular. In this study, 250 households of 2 districts, namely Cao Phong and Kim Boi, in Hoa Binh province were surveyed on factors influencing forest tree planting decision by households. We found that five main factors – including attitude to forest tree planting, knowledge of household head on silviculture, investment capital, participation in forest programs, and age of household head – significantly influenced forest tree planting decision by households in the study area.

Influences of Topographic Factors on Outcomes of Forest Programs and Policies in a Mountain Region of China: A Case Study

In China, the successive government has implemented ambitious programs and policies to reverse the decline in forest cover. As an essential source of freshwater and an ecological barrier for Beijing, Zhangjiakou City has implemented several forest expansion strategies. Topographic conditions in this mountainous area have generated spatially heterogeneous afforestation outcomes. Quantifying the impact of these conditions on implemented forest programs could improve ecological restoration strategies of Chinese mountain areas. Using remotely sensed data from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, we generated land cover data to identify forest cover changes in Zhangjiakou City in 1989, 2000, and 2015. Forest cover data, topographic information (elevation, slope, aspect, land relief, and terrain niches), and spatial statistical models (geographically weighted regression [GWR]) were used to analyze re- and afforestation over 2 periods (1989–2000 and 2000–2015). The results show that forest cover in Zhangjiakou City increased by one third from 1989 to 2015. The rate of afforestation from 2000 to 2015 was 4 times the rate observed between 1989 and 2000. A trend toward gradual afforestation of higher-elevation and gentler-slope areas and land relief and terrain niche zones was observed between the 2 periods. Expansion mostly occurred in grasslands, arable lands, and unused lands. Elevation, slope, and land relief were the dominant topographic factors influencing forest cover change. Such factors influenced afforestation directly through their effect on microclimates and local biophysical conditions and indirectly by limiting the geographic area where forest programs could be implemented. Terrain niche was also an important predictor of forest cover change under complex topographic conditions. The GWR results indicate heterogeneous forest cover change processes across the study area. Our analysis could guide the implementation of effective forest expansion programs and policies, particularly for degraded mountain ecosystems.

숲체험교육 프로그램 참여가 청소년의 공격성 완화와 긍정/부정 정서에 미치는 영향

숲체험교육 프로그램 참여가 청소년의 공격성 완화와 긍정/부정 정서에 미치는 영향

Evaluating British Columbia's Municipally Owned Community Forest Corporations as Governance Structures.

The province of British Columbia, Canada, began its community forests (CF) program by permitting a range of governance structures, both to allow flexibility and to discover the most appropriate structures for this new forestry tenure. The majority of municipalities participating in this program elected to hold their CF tenure through a separate corporation or limited-liability partnership arrangement, sometimes jointly with Indigenous communities or other parties. We consider the strengths and vulnerabilities of the most common ownership and governance structure adopted by municipalities, the municipally owned corporation (MOC), by reviewing the performance of three different MOCs against standards of democratic and effective decision-making, and the record of each of these three CFs in achieving its stated objectives. We hypothesize that ten key conditions increase the probability of success in meeting these standards and achieving goals. Our findings are also especially relevant to other governance of small-scale common pool resources situations with high-cost reporting requirements, poor regulatory oversight, and weak economies of scale. They add substance, nuance, and complexity to conditions previously identified in the co-management literature.

A Preliminary Study of the Impacts of Shelter Forest on Soil Erosion in Cultivated Land: Evidence from integrated 137Cs and 210Pbex Measurements

The Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP) has played an important role in increasing the forest coverage and decreasing the wind erosion rate. Fallout radionuclides (FRNs), such as caesium-137 (137Cs) and excess lead-210 (210Pbex), have extensively been used as fast and economical tools to estimate erosion rates over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. However, the 137Cs and 210Pbex conversion models used to estimate annual soil erosion rates under steady state conditions have not been used to predict corresponding rates following reforestation due to the land-use changes that have occurred since 1963 in China. This study investigated the influence of shelter forest on soil erosion of cultivated land (CL) by using 137Cs and 210Pbex in northern China. Opposing trends in the spatial variation were found between the 137Cs and 210Pbex inventories, which were due to their differing sources and mass balances within the soil profile. Exploiting this finding, we propose a conceptual 137Cs and 210Pbex variation model to detect depth variations between before and after reforestation. Wind erosion rate was 29.11 ± 14.42 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in the CL when estimated with 137Cs. However, estimation by the revised 210Pbex mass balance model showed that wind erosion rates were 68.55 ± 22.11 and -8.52 ± 47.32 Mg ha-1 yr-1 before and after the surrounding forest matured, respectively. The spatial variation in the 137Cs inventories mainly reflects the soil erosion patterns before the surrounding shelter forest matured, while the spatial variation in the 210Pbex inventories mainly reflects the soil erosion patterns after the surrounding shelter forest matured. Furthermore, the soil erosion rates that were deduced from the 210Pbex conversion model confirmed that the TNSFP played an important role in decreasing the soil erosion rates and intercepting sandstorms in northern China. Thus, the advantages and limitations associated with the use of FRNs for assessing wind erosion in the study area were also proposed. More attention should also be paid to the limitation of estimating soil erosion rates by using FRNs measurements in the TNSFP region of China.

Exploring Environmental Attitudes and Forest Program Uptake with Nonindustrial Private Forest Owners in Michigan

Government programs in the United States offer benefits and opportunities to help private landowners manage their forests; however, participation is very low. Currently, little is known about the barriers landowners may face in accessing information about these programs. Using a landowner survey across four counties in Michigan, we investigate this by (1) exploring current participation in forest programs and (2) analyzing if landowners experience barriers to learning more about the programs available. We find that landowners who are older, perceive themselves as active managers, and are members of a land management organization are more likely to participate in forest programs. Our results also indicate that those wanting to learn more about the programs available have more dominant environmental viewpoints (e.g. humans have the right to modify and rule over nature). We argue that targeted approaches, for example, partnering with private landowner organizations, may increase landowner participation in government forest programs.

HARVESTING AND PROCESSING OF NATIVE WOOD FROM UPLAND TROPICAL FORESTS IN AMAPÁ, EASTERN AMAZONIA

Knowledge about the activity of the timber sector and local industries assists in the management of a forest economy based on sustainable use in the Amazon. In this study, the situation of the timber sector of the municipality of Porto Grande-AP was examined to detail the extraction and processing of native wood from the Amazon and the sustainable use of this resource by the local sector. Forms were applied in all sawmills of the municipality, which collected information on factors of production and commercialization of native wood for the year 2017. In addition, interviews with local merchants were done and secondary data collection from several institutions related to the sector was conducted. All sawmills in the municipality exercise licensed activity and processed 69,300 m3 of wood in the period, with an average extraction of 21 m3/ha. The sawmills productive income was 55%, above of the 35%, maximum recently established by CONAMA. There is no destination for productive of residual waste generated by most sawmills and lumber is marketed mainly to the Northeast of Brazil for use in civil construction. Thus, in order to guarantee better economic and environmental performance of the sector, it is recommended that sawmills search for new forest areas as sources of raw material, participate in forest certification programs, and seek ways to use residual waste for bioenergy generation. The government recommends that new forests be managed through actions that solve land tenure problems and increase the supply of public forests, and for certified management units the recommendation is to reduce licensing costs, and simplify the bureaucratic processes of environmental agencies.

Policy change and National Forest Programs: a Swiss experience of coalitions, external and internal events

ABSTRACT This article aims to understand policy change by analyzing the external and internal events as well as actor resources, actor beliefs and coalitions. Empirically, we have selected the Swiss forest policy system and analyze two consecutive Swiss National Forest Programs and the related revision process of the forest law between 2004 and 2016. Exploring pathways of change according to the Advocacy Coalition Framework, we find that increased actor resources in the form of expertise, finances and political recognition alongside external and internal events – made the forest issue more salient – contribute to a successful policy change. These factors led to an altered actor coalition structure with less clear-cut positions and the shared recognition that change was necessary. The results show how Forest Policy Programs may increase their chances of producing policy change over time, as the first program failed to lead to policy change, while the second was successful.

LAI-indicated vegetation dynamic in ecologically fragile region: A case study in the Three-North Shelter Forest program region of China

The Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP) region of China is an important ecological region covering more than 42.4% of China’s land area. Several ecological restoration projects have been implemented in this region, but evaluation work is relatively limited partly due to the selection of suitable remote sensing products. In this study, leaf area index is proposed as a suitable indicator to evaluate the ecological restoration situation as it is an indicator reflects the growth of green vegetations. The Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) LAI dataset and land cover dataset from 2000 to 2015 were adopted and analyzed in this study. The forest cover area slightly increased, while the grassland area decreased. Although large-scale forestation movements were carried out across the entire TNSFP region, the forest growth conditions mainly improved in regions with an annual precipitation greater than 400 mm. Furthermore, LAI-precipitation correlations were very high (r greater than 0.6) in the regions across 400 mm isohyets, but lower (r < 0.4) far away from 400 mm isohyets. In relatively arid regions, forest growth did not show an obvious increase trend and sometimes a decrease trend. The increase in the LAI of these regions was mainly due to the restoration of grassland. Therefore, although LAI in most of the TNSFP region showed increasing trends, it is still not sufficient to state that these trends were caused by forestation projects in China.

Effects of payments for ecosystem services programs in China on rural household labor allocation and land use: Identifying complex pathways

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is increasingly used in developing countries to secure the sustainable provision of vital ecosystem services. The largest PES programs in the world are embedded in China’s new forest policies, which aim to expand forest cover for soil and water conservation and improve livelihoods of rural people. The objective of this study is to identify the complex pathways of the impacts of two PES programs , the Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP) and the Ecological Welfare Forest Program (EWFP), on household livelihood decisions, and to quantify the direct and indirect impacts along the identified pathways. We fulfill this objective by developing an integrated conceptual framework and applying a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM), based on household survey data from Anhui, China. Labor allocation (for on-farm work, local paid work, local business, or out-migration) and land use decisions (i.e., rent in, maintain, rent out, or abandon cropland) for participating households are key to understand PES program effects on livelihoods. Results show that the PES programs have only small direct effects but significant indirect effects via the mediating factor of capital assets. Moreover, group heterogeneity analysis shows that lower-income households do not benefit more than the better-off households from the PES programs, while households with medium wealth increase dependence on agriculture. In addition, household demographics, individual attributes, and geographic settings differ in their impacts on labor allocation and land use decisions. We conclude that CCFP and EWFP would be more efficient in conserving the environment while improving the economic welfare of lower-income households if capital assets were taken into account in the design of compensation schemes.

Sustaining and changing sport and physical activity behaviours in the forest: An evaluated pilot intervention on five public forest sites in England

Encouraging physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours are key issues in contemporary society. The Active Forest Programme was set up through a partnership between Sport England and Forestry England. A pilot programme ran for three years on five public forest sites in England. A mixed methodology explored what types of sport and physical activities were undertaken, what if any were the benefits of undertaking physical activity in a forest environment and was there any evidence of changes in sporting activity. We provide insights into key elements of how the forest-based programme aimed to sustain and change physical activity.

Linking functional traits to multiscale statistics of leaf venation networks.

Leaf venation networks evolved along several functional axes, including resource transport, damage resistance, mechanical strength, and construction cost. Because functions may depend on architectural features at different scales, network architecture may vary across spatial scales to satisfy functional tradeoffs. We develop a framework for quantifying network architecture with multiscale statistics describing elongation ratios, circularity ratios, vein density, and minimum spanning tree ratios. We quantify vein networks for leaves of 260 southeast Asian tree species in samples of up to 2cm2 , pairing multiscale statistics with traits representing axes of resource transport, damage resistance, mechanical strength, and cost. We show that these multiscale statistics clearly differentiate species' architecture and delineate a phenotype space that shifts at larger scales; functional linkages vary with scale and are weak, with vein density, minimum spanning tree ratio, and circularity ratio linked to mechanical strength (measured by force to punch) and elongation ratio and circularity ratio linked to damage resistance (measured by tannins); and phylogenetic conservatism of network architecture is low but scale-dependent. This work provides tools to quantify the function and evolution of venation networks. Future studies including primary and secondary veins may uncover additional insights.

Enhancing the Role of the District Government in Decentralized Forest Management

Following the enactment of Law Number 23 of 2014 on the Regional Government, which superseded Law Number 22 of 1999 and Law Number 32 of 2004, now the local government has no longer holds an authority to manage state forest areas, except “grand forest park” (Taman Hutan Raya) located in their respective administrative areas. The management of production forests and protected forests (located at state forest areas) is the authority and responsibility of the provincial government, while the management of conservation forests is the authority of the central government. The success of forest management and management program activities is determined, among others, by government and local government policies and their implementation at the site level. By considering ntthe complexity of forest management, the context of decentralization, and available resources as well as constrained authority, this study aims to identify the level of importance, priorities, and main roles of district governments in forest management by applying the analytic network process (ANP) method. This study suggests that the district government could play a significant role in building social capital, which serves as a first step in developing collaborative forest management by promoting the optimization of multipurpose forests to preserve forests.

Divergent socioeconomic-ecological outcomes of China’s conversion of cropland to forest program in the subtropical mountainous area and the semi-arid Loess Plateau

China’s Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP) is one of the world’s largest Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs. Its socioeconomic-ecological effects are of great interest to both scholars and policy-makers. However, little is known about how the socioeconomic-ecological outcomes of CCFP differ across geographic regions. This study integrates household survey data, satellite imagery, and statistical models to examine labor migration and forest dynamics under CCFP. The investigation is carried out at two mountainous sites with distinct biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, one in a subtropical mountainous region (Anhui) and the other in the semi-arid Loess Plateau (Shanxi). We found divergent CCFP outcomes on migration behavior, stimulating both local- and distant-migration in the Anhui site while discouraging distant-migration in the Shanxi site, after controlling for factors at the individual, household, community and regional levels. Forest recovery is positively associated with distant-migration in Anhui but with local-migration in Shanxi. Contextual factors interact with demographic-socioeconomic factors to influence household livelihoods in both areas, leading to various socio-ecological pathways from CCFP participation to enhanced forest sustainability. Regional differences should therefore be taken into account in the design of future large-scale PES programs.

Land change syndromes identification in temperate forests of Hindukush Himalaya Karakorum (HHK) mountain ranges

ABSTRACT In this study, we analyzed time series of a vegetation index to identify land-cover/land-use changes in HHK mountain regions administered by Pakistan. Monthly MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) series were decomposed to retrieve changes in long-term mean, peaking magnitude and seasonal characteristics. Resulting linear trend patterns were used as a baseline to map syndromes over the study area. To address non-linear changes, inter-annual variation (IAV) and short-term variation (STV) was also computed. Distributed lag-models (DLM) were used to determine significant correlation between GIMMS (Global Inventory Monitoring and Mapping) NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and rainfall as an additional syndrome to highlight climate sensitive regions. Our results indicate that land use is mainly controlled by two factors: elevation and river network. Based on that, there is a particular spatial distribution of agricultural intensification because of deforestation, forest degradation from unsustainable use, forest regeneration and human settlements near rivers. Most of the trends observed showed a persistent greening pattern compared to small groups of pixels with negative trends. Outcomes of DLM do not provide plausible links between rain and forest biomass. It does however suggest a positive response of crops to rainfall events in the arid zones of the study area. High short-term fluctuation in EVI residuals occurred in areas that experienced considerable land modification and where land-use patterns are not stable. IAV was high in regions around rivers and water works and its impact on forest dynamics could not be substantiated. Land change patterns described here can be used by decision makers for forest restoration programmes.

Why is the Private Forest Program Stunted in Nepal?

Private forest (PF) program has the potential to be one of the most efficient forest management programs in Nepal but it has not gained the momentum compared to the other forest management regimes. Considering this, this paper aims to portray policy provisions, existing institutional arrangements as well as landholder experiences and perceptions over the existing mechanisms of PF registration, management, and forest product harvesting. Using the Sudoorpashchim province of Nepal as a case study, we conducted policy and literature reviews, key informant interviews, household surveys, and field observations. We found only 300 PFs registered in the Sudoorpashchim province, with lowland districts having the highest proportion (87%). Institutional arrangements and procedures for timber harvesting and selling were found to be lengthy and complex, with this being a major issue for PF owners with small forest areas. Government initiatives are inadequate to facilitate PF development due to poor implementation of policy provisions, as well as the lack of appropriate incentives and program packages. Despite a very small government investment in PF development, we found the return from PFs in terms of timber supply to be substantially higher than other forest management regimes. Among others, PF owners perceive the cumbersome regulatory procedures and lack of technical support to be the most pertinent factors responsible for the limited growth of PFs. Based on our results, we have discussed and recommended a number of policy and institutional measures to mainstream PF development programs, in order to support economic prosperity of the nation.