Sustainable Forest Development Research Articles

Plant diversity in the understory of Eucalyptus plantations on Hainan Island and its response to environmental factors

Research on understory plant diversity and its response to environmental factors helps in the sustainable development of plantation forests. We investigated the characteristics of understory plant diversity in Eucalyptus plantation forests located in Dongfang, Ding'an, Tunchang, and Lingao on Hainan Island by leveraging the plot survey method, and analyzing how the understory plant diversity in these Eucalyptus plantation forests responds to environmental factors. The results showed that a total of 124 plant species belonging to 62 families and 112 genera were recorded in the sampled plots of the Dongfang, Ding’an, Tunchang, and Lingao regional sites on Hainan Island, among which species of Fabaceae and Poaceae comprised the largest number of plants. The number of species and plant diversity indices of the shrub layer and herb layer in Eucalyptus plantation forests varied at different sites, The richest understory vegetation in Tunchang, located in the center of Hainan Island, and the highest α-diversity whether gauged by species or phylogenetically. The similarity of the understory plant community species was greatest between Ding’an and Tunchang, whereas the difference in composition was largest between Dongfang and the other three sites. Phylogenetically, the understory plant community at Ding’an had the most distant affinities among species, whereas that at Tunchang had the closest affinities among species. The results of the Mantel test and redundancy analysis revealed differing correlations between plant diversity in the shrub layer versus herb layer and various environmental factors. In particular, elevation and annual average temperature are the two main factors influencing plant diversity in the shrub layer, and soil available nitrogen and annual average sunshine duration are the two main factors influencing plant diversity in the herb layer. Variance decomposition showed that the combined effect of soil, climate, and topography factors is the main driver shaping plant diversity in the shrub layer of the understory in Eucalyptus plantation forests, while the combined effect of climate and soil factors is the main one determining plant diversity in their herb layer.

The Ecological Management and Sustainable Development of Forests

Forest ecosystems play a dominant role in regulating climate change and sustainable development [...]

Study on Leaf Morphological and Stoichiometric Traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata Based on Different Provenances

The purpose of this study is to look into the differences in leaf functional traits between Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, as well as to expose the response characteristics of leaf morphological and stoichiometric traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances to diverse the environment of provenances. In this study, we chose 30 Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances as the research object and analyze the differences in leaf morphological and stoichiometric traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, the relationships among leaf functional traits, and the relationships between leaf functional traits and environmental factors of provenances. The results showed that the coefficient of variation of leaf morphological traits was 15.31% to 22.86%，and the coefficient of variation of stoichiometry provenances was 3.19% to 26.05%. The coefficient of variation of leaf carbon content was relatively small，indicating that carbon is the most stable element in the Cunninghamia lanceolata. And significant correlations are observed among different leaf functional traits. Using redundancy analysis to explore the relationship between leaf functional traits and environmental factors of provenances, it was found that the genetic effects of environmental factors explained 43.19% of the heterogeneity in leaf functional traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata. As a result, studying the variation of leaf functional traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, as well as how they correlate with environmental factors in provenances, is critical for understanding and predicting the responses and adaptations of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances in the backdrop of global changes in the environment, and it additionally serves as a scientific basis for the sustainable development of Cunninghamia lanceolata and the selection of excellent Cunninghamia lanceolata provenances. Meanwhile, it makes scientific recommendations for China to do research on the sustainable development and productivity enhancement of cedar plantation forests.

Characteristics of Bacterial Communities under Different Tree Species and Their Response to Soil Physicochemical Properties

This study investigates the structure of soil bacterial communities in the brown mountain soils beneath the deciduous broadleaf forests of Dongling Mountain and their response to soil physicochemical properties. Aiming to provide a scientific basis for soil conservation and sustainable forest development under deciduous broadleaf forests, this research utilized high-throughput sequencing technology to examine the diversity and community structure of bacteria in soil under different tree species, alongside assessing soil physicochemical properties. The results revealed significant differences in nutrient content between the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layers. Additionally, the N:P in the brown mountain soils of Dongling Mountain was found to be below the national average, indicating potential nitrogen limitation. Dominant bacterial phylum included Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria. The study also found that soil bacterial community structure was similar under different tree species at the same depth but varied significantly with soil depth. Furthermore, redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the available potassium (AK), total nitrogen (TN), and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) significantly influenced the structural changes in the soil bacterial community. This research highlights the characteristics of soil bacterial community structure beneath deciduous broadleaf forests and its relationship with soil physicochemical properties, offering valuable insights for regional soil ecosystem conservation and forest management.

Adaptive Silviculture and Climate Change—A Forced Marriage of the 21st Century?

Climatic changes significantly impact forest ecosystems, inevitably affecting forestry and forest-related industry. Considering that most forests are actively managed, there is a need to define the future risks and set a strategy for forestry and silviculture in a changing world. This review provides insight into the new challenges and opportunities forest management and silviculture face in the coming decades. There is sound recognition of risk factors expected from climate change, yet great uncertainty exists in the predictions of the response of forests to new conditions. Additionally, the stakeholders’ interests in the goods and services offered by forests are changing, and this also needs to be taken into account in future forest management. Undoubtedly, the goal of future forestry and silviculture in the 21st century will be primarily to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the forest. Sustainable use of goods and ecosystem services from forests will be directly related to the continuity and sustainability of the forest in the future. Adaptive forest management aims to promote the adaptive capacity of forests to new conditions resulting from climate change. If adaptation efforts are effective, adaptive forest management should be a kind of risk management. There is no one-fits-all strategy for adaptation to uncertain future conditions. Silviculture in the 21st century is expected to be more conducive to adapting forests to changes. Operational silvicultural activities should focus on ensuring the resilience and adaptation of forests to future environmental conditions. Modern silviculture offers activities that fall within the scope of contemporary close-to-nature silviculture practices. However, some of the currently applied practices will require review and modification to be applicable under new conditions. This review also identifies the need to fill knowledge gaps in order to develop more effective and flexible adaptation strategies to foster sustainable forest development and, thus, sustainable forestry.

Sustainable Forest Development in the Digital Era: The Impact of Internet Use on the Happiness of Forest Farmers’ Families in Ecologically Fragile Ethnic Areas of China

In the policy arena of the rapid development of China’s digital village, understanding how internet use enhances the happiness of forest farmers’ families holds theoretical and practical significance for promoting the protection of the ecological environment and the sustainable development of forests. This study utilizes survey data from 2023 on forest farmers in ecologically fragile ethnic areas in China. Based on sustainability, a five-dimensional evaluation index system for the happiness of forest farmers’ families has been constructed. First, the CRITIC-TOPSIS model is employed to calculate the happiness scores of forest farming households. Subsequently, the Tobit model and the mediation effect model are applied to examine and analyze the influencing factors and mechanisms of internet usage on the happiness of forest farmers’ families. The study finds that, first, an increase of one unit in terms of internet use is associated with a 0.031-unit increase in the happiness of forest farmers’ families, and that education, social perception, and policy perception all have a positive effect on the happiness of forest farmers’ families. Second, the mechanism of action suggests that internet use significantly increases forest farmers’ families’ happiness through subjective class identity. Third, further heterogeneity analyses revealed that internet use contributed to the happiness of forest farmers’ families in the male group, the low human capital group, and the group with an ecological forest ranger in the family. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of digital rural infrastructure and develop new models such as digital forestry; cultivate and introduce specialized digital talents in rural areas and enhance the digital literacy of forestry farmers; and assist forestry farmers in establishing class identity concepts and social values conducive to the sustainable development of forests and implement ecological values in production practices, thereby improving the happiness of forest farmers’ families.

Effects of Understory Vegetation Conversion on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Soil C and N Pools in Chinese Hickory Plantation Forests

Forest management, especially understory vegetation conversion, significantly affects soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil C and N pools. However, it remains unclear what effect renovating understory vegetation has on GHG emissions and soil C and N pools in plantations. This study investigates the impact of renovating understory vegetation on these factors in Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis Sarg) plantation forests. Different understory renovation modes were used in a 12-month field experiment: a safflower camellia (SC) (Camellia chekiangoleosa Hu) planting density of 600 plants ha−1 and wild rape (WR) (Brassica napus L.) strip sowing (UM1); SC 600 plants ha−1 and WR scatter sowing (UM2); SC 1200 plants ha−1 and WR strip sowing (UM3); SC 1200 plants ha−1 and WR scatter sowing (UM4); and removal of the understory vegetation layer (CK). The results showed that understory vegetation modification significantly increased soil CO2 and emission fluxes and decreased soil CH4 uptake fluxes (p < 0.01). The understory vegetation transformation significantly improved soil labile carbon and labile nitrogen pools (p < 0.01). This study proposes that understory vegetation conversion can bolster soil carbon sinks, preserve soil fertility, and advance sustainable development of Chinese hickory plantation forests.

Spatiotemporal response of ecosystem services to tourism activities in urban forests

Tourism in urban forests is rapidly becoming an increasing trend; however, rather few studies have used quantitative measurement to describe the relationship between tourism intensity and ecological functions. This study provides a practical framework that integrates ecosystem service value (ESV) assessment, Internet big data mining and spatial regression analysis to identify the spatial response of ESV and land use/land cover change to tourism activities from 2009 to 2019 in the Siming Mountain Region (SMR), a famous tourist resort located in the eastern coastal China. Results showed that between 2009 and 2019 total ESV increased by 7.1%. Nevertheless, there have been drastic transitions in land use types with function adjustments from traditional agricultural production to diversified tourism-oriented services. Significant spatial autocorrelation was identified for the patterns of ESV changes. GWR further highlighted that the relationship between ESV change and rural tourism indicators varied in space. ESV change in the core zone was negatively correlated with changes in catering service spots and recreational venues, whereas it was positively correlated with local lodgings. Ultimately, targeted recommendations and countermeasures for spatial planning and sustainable tourism development of urban forests under new circumstances were discussed.

Application of the strip clear-cutting system in a running bamboo (Phyllostachys glauca McClure) forest: feasibility and sustainability assessments.

As a renewable forest resource, bamboo plays a role in sustainable forest development. However, traditional cutting systems, selection cutting (SeC) and clear-cutting (ClC), result in an unsustainable production of bamboo forests due to labor-consuming or bamboo degradation. Recently, a strip clear-cutting (StC) was theoretically proposed to promote the sustainability of bamboo production, while little is known about its application consequence. Based on a 6-year experiment, we applied the strip clear-cutting system in a typical running bamboo (Phyllostachys glauca McClure) forest to assess its feasibility and sustainability. Using SeC and ClC as controls, we set three treatments with different strip widths (5 m, 10 m, and 20 m) for strip clear-cutting, simplified as StC-5, StC-10, and StC-20, respectively. Then, we investigated leaf physiological traits, bamboo size and productivity, population features, and economic benefits for all treatments. The stands managed by StC had high eco-physiological activities, such as net photosynthetic rate (P n), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), and photosynthetic phosphorus use efficiency (PPUE), and thus grew well, achieved a large diameter at breast height (DBH), and were tall. The stand biomass of StC (8.78 t hm-2 year-1) was 1.19-fold and 1.49-fold greater than that of SeC and ClC, respectively, and StC-10 and StC-20 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). The income and profit increased with the increase in stand density and biomass, and StC-20 and StC-10 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). Using principal components analysis and subordinate function analysis, we constructed a composite index to indicate the sustainability of bamboo forests. For the sustainability assessment, StC-10 had the highest productive sustainability (0.59 ± 0.06) and the second highest economic sustainability (0.59 ± 0.11) in all cutting treatments. StC-10 had the maximum overall sustainability, with a value of 0.53 ± 0.02, which was significantly higher than that of ClC (p< 0.05). The results verified that StC for Phyllostachys glauca forests is feasible and sustainable as its sustainability index outweighs those of traditional cutting systems (SeC and ClC), and 10 m is the optimum distance for the strip width of StC. Our findings provide a new cutting system for managing other running bamboo forests sustainably.

The Application of Geographic Information System in Urban Forest Ecological Compensation and Sustainable Development Evaluation

Urban forests can alleviate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and improve residents’ mental health. By studying urban forests, these resources can be better used and managed to create more livable urban environments. Therefore, the urban forest in the Taishan region is taken as the research object, and the ecological compensation and sustainable development of urban forest in Tai’an City are deeply analyzed by GIS. It divided the area into forest land, water bodies, wetlands, grasslands, and shrubs as the basic ecosystem types. And through secondary interpretation and combination, a complete urban forest information database was established. To evaluate the comprehensive benefits of urban forests, the analytic hierarchy process was utilized to establish a corresponding evaluation index system. Based on the assessment outcomes of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests in the area, a standard accounting method for urban forest ecological compensation was proposed. The results showed that each index of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests and the random consistency ratio were both less than 0.1. This indicated that the matrix calculation results of various indicators of urban forest comprehensive benefits had good consistency. At the target level, the comprehensive evaluation score of urban forests in the study area was 7.69. At the factor level, the weight value of the urban forest landscape structure was 0.675, and the comprehensive score was 7.62. The weight value of urban forest comprehensive benefits was 0.325, and the comprehensive score was 7.82. The quantitative weight value of urban forest greening in the study area was 0.6138, with a comprehensive score of 7.57. Based on the analysis of the issues in urban forests and ecological compensation in the research area of Tai’an City, corresponding ecological compensation strategies have been proposed. It is of great value to study the urban forest of Tai’an city, which can help to formulate more effective urban planning and sustainable development strategies. The research results can also provide a valuable reference and inspiration for the improvement of urban forest ecological environment and biodiversity protection in other areas.

Effects of long-term afforestation on soil water and carbon in the Alxa Plateau.

Plantations in dry and semi-arid areas significantly affect the soil's ability to store carbon and maintain a stable water balance. It is yet unclear, though, how planted trees in these regions might impact the soil's carbon and water levels. As a forest ages, it is unknown how soil water and soil carbon interact with one another. In order to conduct this study, four Saxaul plantations in the Alxa Plateau were chosen, with the neighboring mobile sandy (MS) ground serving as a control. The ages of the plantations ranged from 5 to 46 years. The major topics of the study included the relationship between soil water and soil carbon, changes in the 0-300 cm soil layer's soil water content (SWC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) following afforestation. The findings demonstrated that, in comparison to MS, afforestation considerably increased SOC and SIC stocks. In comparison to MS, the SIC grew by 4.02 kg m-2, 4.12 kg m-2, 5.12 kg m-2, and 6.52 kg m-2 throughout periods of 5 years, 11 years, 22 years, and 46 years, respectively. SOC increased relative to MS by 2.55 kg m-2, 2.91 kg m-2, 3.53 kg m-2, and 4.05 kg m-2. Afforestation, however, also contributed to a considerable decline in deep SWC and an increase in the soil water deficit (SWD). In comparison to MS, the mean SWC values were lower at 5 years, 11 years, 22 years, and 46 years, respectively, by 0.48%, 1.37%, 1.56%, and 4.00%. The increase in soil carbon pool caused by sand afforestation actually came at the expense of a reduction in soil water due to a large negative association between deep SWC, SOC, and SIC. To limit SWC losses and encourage sustainable forest land development, we advocate suitable harvest management practices on forest land.

Understory seedlings of Quercus mongolica survive by phenological escape

Understanding understory seedling regeneration mechanisms is important for the sustainable development of temperate primary forests in the context of increasingly intense climate warming events. The poor regeneration of dominant tree species, however, is one of the biggest challenges it faces at the moment. Especially, the regeneration of the shade-intolerant Quercus mongolica seedling is difficult in primary forests, which contrasts with the extreme abundance of understory seedlings in secondary forests. The mechanism behind the interesting phenomenon is still unknown. This study used in-situ monitoring and nursery-controlled experiment to investigate the survival rate, growth performance, as well as nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations and pools of various organ tissues of seedlings for two consecutive years, further analyze the understory light availability and simulate the foliage carbon (C) gain in the secondary and primary forest. Results suggested that seedlings in the secondary forest had greater biomass allocation aboveground, height and specific leaf area (SLA) in summer, which allowed the seedling to survive longer in the canopy closure period. High light availability and positive C gain in early spring and late autumn are key factors affecting the growth and survival of understory seedlings in the secondary forest, whereas seedlings in the primary forest had annual negative carbon gain. Through the growing season, the total NSC concentrations of seedlings gradually decreased, whereas those of seedlings in the secondary forest increased significantly in autumn, and were mainly stored in roots for winter consumption and the following year's summer shade period, which was verified by the nursery-controlled experiment that simulated autumn enhanced light availability improved seedling survival rate and NSC pools. In conclusion, our results revealed the survival trade-off strategies of Quercus mongolica seedlings and highlighted the necessity of high light availability during the spring and autumn phenological periods for shade-intolerant tree seedling recruitment.

Legal Analysis of the Forestry Sector from the Perspective of Legislation in Indonesia

This research aims to identify government involvement in community activities using legal instruments in the form of permits. However, the permit does not end at the approval stage. Once permission is given, supervision is required, so clear rules are needed regarding who must be supervised. The research method used is normative legal research with a conceptual approach, namely the study of legal concepts such as legal sources, legal functions and legal systems. This research method is used to find conflicting supervisory regulations in the forestry sector. Others, namely Law Number 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry, Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, and Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Government Areas which may have different legal interpretations. In order for legal products to be a means of achieving sustainable forest development, these products must be designed in accordance with the nature of the forest itself. In other words, sustainable forest development must be based on will, awareness and political decisions. Then this will have no effect. This does not only apply to the current generation, but also to future generations.

Morphometric Diversity for Rootstock Characteristics of Turkish Hazel (Corylus colurna L.) Populations in The Western Black Sea Region of Türkiye

The Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna L.) is native to Türkiye, where it is found only in small, scattered, and isolated populations within its natural distribution area. These remaining populations are of critical importance for conservation, for continued use as a natural reservoir, and natural selection. The trees are up to 400 years old and already well-adapted to harsh environmental conditions. In recent years, this species has drawn the attention of agriculture and forest practitioners and scientists in several countries who use this important and valuable tree species in studies of the effects of climate change. The origin and genotype of the reproductive material of this species play a key role in its adaptation to environmental conditions, and possible cultivation. The purpose of this study is to reveal the variation of genotypes selected from 13 different populations in Kastamonu and Bolu provinces in terms of rootstock characteristics. These regions are the locations where the Turkish tree hazel is most abundant. For this aim, the growth habit, vigor, number of suckers, and internode of one-year-old shoots were scored on the parent trees. A Kruskal Wallis-H test was applied to the non-parametric data to determine if there were differences among the populations for each variable and the total number of points. Then the Mann-Whitney-U test was used for differences among the groups. In addition, the phylogenetic relationship among the populations and genotypes was revealed by Cluster analysis. Among the rootstocks scored, KTU3 and KTU64 provided the highest score according to non-suckering and strong growth. It has been observed that individuals in Turkish hazelnut populations generally do not form suckers (%89.4) and show strong growth. C. colurna trees were observed to be individual and scattered in the population. Most of the trees are elderly and need to be protected in situ. Turkish hazel population will play a key role in production and sustainable such as to develop rootstock and variety in agriculture production, sustainable forest development, and for ecological adaptation in climate change scenarios.

Households’ willingness-to-pay for mangrove environmental services: Evidence from Phu Long, Northeast Vietnam

The conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests play a critical role in stabilizing livelihoods, creating employment opportunities for neighboring communities, and preserving valuable ecosystems. This study assesses the willingness-to-pay residents for the environmental services of mangrove forests. The Theory of Planned Behavior, along with demographic factors, is utilized to investigate the willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest services among residents in Phu Long commune, Hai Phong City, a coastal area in northern Vietnam. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 235 households from four villages in Phu Long commune, employing a contingent valuation scenario and the payment card technique. The interval regression model is applied to analyze the influencing factors and the level of willingness-to-pay for five priority mangrove forest environmental services, which include: (i) greenhouse gas absorption and storage (climate change mitigation), (ii) support for biodiversity conservation, (iii) prevention of extreme weather events, (iv) scenic beauty services, and (v) habitat services for species. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) indices are used to select the most appropriate model. The estimated results from the interval regression model indicate that each household, on average, is willing to pay 327,792 Vietnamese dong (VND) per year for the five priority services. The analysis of factors reveals that attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and knowledge about mangrove forests have the most positive and significant impact on residents' willingness-to-pay. Based on these findings, several policy implications are proposed to enhance residents' willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest environmental services and promote the conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests.

Developmental Dynamics and Driving Factors of Understory Vegetation: A Case Study of Three Typical Plantations in the Loess Plateau of China

Understory vegetation is one of the most important links for improving forest biodiversity, and its restoration is conducive to sustainable forest development, energy flow, and nutrient cycling. However, little is known about the developmental dynamics and main driving factors of the long-time series coverage, biomass, diversity, and species composition of plantation understory vegetation. In a case study of three typical plantations, with a natural secondary forest as reference in the Loess Plateau of China, we collected understory vegetation from a Robinia pseudoacacia Linn. deciduous broad-leaved plantation, Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. evergreen coniferous plantation, and mixed plantation with an age span of 10 to 50 years. (1) The understory plantation coverage and biomass results of stands with different ages showed the R. pseudoacacia plantation to be significantly higher than the P. tabulaeformis plantation, and the species diversity of the P. tabulaeformis plantation changed the most with the stand age. However, the growth resource imbalance, and drastic changes in the stands’ environment caused by excessive intraspecific competition in the early stage of the P. tabulaeformis plantation vegetation restoration, are the main reasons that make the species diversity of undergrowth vegetation of P. tabulaeformis plantation lower than that of other stand types. (2) The understory species composition of the plantations revealed their degree of community stability. Compared to the R. pseudoacacia plantation and P. tabulaeformis plantation, the mixed plantation had higher stability, and its species composition closely resembled a natural secondary forest. The community stability of the P. tabulaeformis plantation was the lowest because it had the lowest coverage, biomass, and species diversity of understory vegetation. However, the understory species composition of the three plantation types converged, which was due to atypical species contribution. (3) The dynamic changes of canopy and soil nutrients were the main driving factors affecting the R. pseudoacacia plantation understory vegetation species composition. Stand density and elevation limited the understory vegetation communities of P. tabulaeformis plantation restoration. Soil bulk density is the key factor affecting understory vegetation in mixed plantations, and this effect weakens with the stand age. In future studies, the focus should be on the converged action and further development trend of atypical species, choosing an appropriate recovery strategy (active or passive), and providing more possibilities for the intensive management of vegetation under different plantations.

Mapping Forest Abrupt Disturbance Events in Southeastern China—Comparisons and Tradeoffs of Landsat Time Series Analysis Algorithms

Forest change monitoring is a fundamental and routine task for forest survey and planning departments, and the resulting forest change information acts as an underlying asset for sustainable forest management strategy development, ecological quality assessment, and carbon cycle research. The traditional ground-based manual monitoring of forest change has the disadvantages of high time and labor costs, low accessibility, and poor timeliness over wide regions. Remote sensing technology has become a popular approach for multi-scale forest change monitoring due to its multiple available spatial, spectral, temporal, and radiometric resolutions and wide coverage. Particularly, the free access policy of long time series archive data of Landsat (around 50 years) has triggered many automated analysis algorithms for landscape-scale forest change analysis, such as VCT, LandTrendr, BFAST, and CCDC. These automated algorithms differ in their principles, parameter settings, execution complexity, and disturbance types to be detected. Thus, selecting a suitable algorithm to satisfy the particular forest management demands is an urgent and challenging task for forest managers in a given forested area. In this study, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, a typical plantation forest region in Southern China where forest disturbance widely and frequently exists, was selected as the study area. Based on the GEE platform, the algorithmic adaptability of VCT, LandTrendr, and CCDC in monitoring abrupt forest disturbance events was compared and assessed. The results showed that the kappa coefficients of the abrupt disturbance events detected by the three algorithms were at 0.704 (LandTrendr), 0.660 (VCT), and 0.727 (CCDC), and the corresponding overall accuracies were at 0.852, 0.830, and 0.862, respectively. The validated disturbance occurrence time consistency reached nearly 80% for the three algorithms. In light of the characteristics of forest disturbance occurrence in southeastern China as well as the algorithmic complexity, efficiency, and adaptability, LandTrendr was recommended as the most suitable one in this region or other similar regions. Overall, the forest change monitoring process based on GEE is becoming more simplified and easily implemented, and the comparisons and tradeoffs in this study provide a reference for the choice of long time series forest monitoring algorithms.

The Effect of Clearing Diseased Wood on the Soil’s Physicochemical Properties in Black Pine Forests

Clearing diseased wood is a common measure used to reduce the continued spread of pine wilt disease and prevent infecting other pines. However, the impact of clearing diseased wood on the physicochemical properties of the soil is still unclear. To elucidate this matter, we conducted a series of soil experiments and observations in Changdao, mainly focused on uncut black pine, cut black pine, and the inter-forest zone. The results showed the following. (1) The soil beneath the forest underwent a transition towards the characteristics of forest and grassland after clearing diseased wood, which indicated a potential shift in the ecosystem’s structure and function. (2) Clearing diseased wood led to an increase in the soil pH of 0.15, indicating that it facilitated the recovery of acidic soil. (3) The clearing of diseased wood can coarsen the soil’s texture. Moreover, it effectively reduced the surface soil temperature (0–20 cm) in summer by 1.52 °C, as well as significantly decreasing the surface (0–20 cm) soil moisture in spring and summer by 1.3% and 2.43%, respectively. (4) Clearing diseased wood clearing can effectively modify the content of essential nutrients in the soil. It reduced the available nitrogen by 26.86 mg·kg−1, increased the available phosphorus by 0.57 mg·kg−1, and decreased the available potassium by 1.68 mg·kg−1. Meanwhile, clearing diseased wood exacerbated soil salinization and increased the soil’s salt content by 0.70 g·kg−1. The findings of this study provide scientific solutions for the sustainable ecological development of black pine forests in Changdao.

Site Quality Evaluation Model of Chinese Fir Plantations for Machine Learning and Site Factors

Site quality evaluation is an important foundation for decision-making and planning in forest management and provides scientific decision support and guidance for the sustainable development of forests and commercial plantations. Site index and site form models were constructed and subsequently compared utilizing fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations in Nanping City, Fujian Province, China. This papers aim was to construct a site quality classification model, conduct further analysis on the effects of different site factors on the quality of the site, and achieve an assessment of site quality for Chinese fir plantations. An algebraic difference approach was used to establish a site index model and a site form model for Chinese fir in Fujian Province. The suitability of the two models was compared using model accuracy analysis and partial correlation, and the optimal model was chosen for classifying the site quality of the stands. On this basis, a site quality classification model was established using the random forest algorithm, and the importance of each site factor was determined through importance ranking in terms of their impact on site quality. Within the study area, the R2 of the site index model results was 0.581, and the R2 values of the five site form models based on different reference breast diameters, ranked from high to low, were 0.894, 0.886, 0.884, 0.880, and 0.865. The bias correlation coefficient between site form and stand volume was 0.71, and the bias correlation coefficient between site index and stand volume was 0.52. The results confirmed that the site form model is better suited for evaluating the site quality of Chinese fir plantations. The random forest-based site form classification model had a high classification accuracy with a generalization accuracy of 0.87. The factors that had the greatest impact on site form were altitude, canopy closure, and slope gradient, whereas landform had the smallest impact on site form. These results can provide a reference for the evaluation of the site quality of plantations and natural forests in southern China to ensure the long-term sustainable use of forest resources.

The Role of Local Government in Improving the Economy and Welfare of the Wamesa Great Tribes Society in West Papua, Through A Sustainable Forest Development Program: in the Perspective of Collaborative Governance in Public Service

The purpose of this study is to analyze and describe the role of local government in improving the economy and welfare of the Wamensa great tribal community in West Papua, through a sustainable customary forest development program in the perspective of Collaborative Governance in Public Service. Collaborative governance is an important process in the Indonesian government today. The government implements Collaborative governance by providing space for other actors to participate, such as the national private, foreign, and public. Collaborative management aims to reduce conflict, facilitate learning, and increase consensus among stakeholders. As a legal administrator, the government should work effectively and efficiently in providing good public services to all citizens. Currently, West Papua still has around 81% of sustainable forest remaining, with a wealth of various types of wild animals with ecosystems in it (mega-biodiversity). Local Government as key in making policies has impacts on improving the economy and people's welfare. This research used a qualitative method with a case study in the customary forest of the Wamesa great tribe in West Papua. The study results showed that there are 3 main indicators to support the success of the Government's role in sustainable forest development, such as; economic, social, and ecological. However, there is a governance Pillar in the paradigm of public administration to show the success of collaborative governance. It required collaborative governance management synergically between government and non-government actors. The aim is to consensus on adaptive solutions through forest resource management. They are concerned with economic, social, and ecological complexities, as a concrete form of the vision and mission of the Regional Government in providing public services, as a portfolio documentation of national development.