Forestry Projects Research Articles

Contribution of Homestead Forests to Rural Economy and Climate Change Mitigation: A Study from the Ecologically Critical Area of Cox’s Bazar—Teknaf Peninsula, Bangladesh

Homestead forests in the Teknaf Peninsula ecologically critical area of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh have not been widely studied. This paper explores floristic diversity of homestead forests together with their contribution to the household economy and climate change mitigation. Data were collected from a survey of 140 households and a vegetation survey of 70 homesteads in three sites. Villagers allocated 70 % of their homestead area for homestead forestry and altogether 73 plant species were recorded from the study sites. The average density was 4,000 plants/ha. The above-ground biomass was estimated 235.45 Mg/ha, equivalent to 117.73 Mg C/ha. Villagers maintain sustainability of homestead forests by planting seedlings every year and thus ensure several diameter and height classes. Homestead forests contribute substantially to household income, provide fuelwood and timber for own consumption and sale, and protect villagers during cyclones. Homestead forests thus meet the conditions to be a clean development mechanism forestry project which would provide a win–win strategy for involving small-scale farmers in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives, and biodiversity conservation.

Forest carbon storage and tree carbon pool dynamics under natural forest protection program in northeastern China

The Natural Forest Protection (NFP) program is one of the Six Key Forestry Projects which were adopted by the Chinese Government since the 1980s to address important natural issues in China. It advanced to protecting and restoring the structures and functions of the natural forests through sustainable forest management. However, the role of forest carbon storage and tree carbon pool dynamics since the adoption of the NFP remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, this study calculated forest carbon storage (tree, understory, forest floor and soil) in the forest region of northeastern (NE) China based on National Forest Inventory databases and field investigated databases. For tree biomass, this study utilized an improved method for biomass estimation that converts timber volume to total forest biomass; while for understory, forest floor and soil carbon storage, this study utilized forest type-specific mean carbon densities multiplied by their areas in the region. Results showed that the tree carbon pool under the NFP in NE China functioned as a carbon sink from 1998 to 2008, with an increase of 6.3 Tg C/yr, which was mainly sequestrated by natural forests (5.1 Tg C/yr). At the same time, plantations also acted as a carbon sink, reflecting an increase of 1.2 Tg C/yr. In 2008, total carbon storage in forests covered by the NFP in NE China was 4603.8 Tg C, of which 4393.3 Tg C was stored in natural forests and 210.5 Tg C in planted forests. Soil was the largest carbon storage component, contributing 69.5%–77.8% of total carbon storage; followed by tree and forest floor, accounting for 16.3%–23.0% and 5.0%–6.5% of total carbon storage, respectively. Understory carbon pool ranged from 1.9 to 42.7 Tg C, accounting for only 0.9% of total carbon storage.

Contingent feasibility for forest carbon credit: Evidence from South Korean firms

Under the Kyoto Protocol, a global governmental response to climate change, protocol signatories make an effort to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. South Korea is not included in the list of Annex I countries; yet, South Korea is the seventh highest emitter of CO2. The South Korean government has enacted various institutional policies to encourage greenhouse gas reductions. While previous studies have focused on the guidance that reflects the stance of suppliers in the carbon market, this study focuses on South Korean firms' actual demand for forest carbon credits. By applying the contingent valuation method, we estimated domestic firms' willingness to pay for forest carbon credits. We then applied a rank-ordered logistic regression to confirm whether the rank of forest carbon credits, as compared to any other carbon credit, is influenced by a firm's characteristics. The results showed that Korean firms are willing to pay 5.45USD/tCO2 and 7.77 USD/tCO2 for forest carbon credits in domestic and overseas forest carbon projects, respectively. Therefore, the introduction of forest carbon credits in the Korean carbon market seems reasonable. Analysis of the priority rankings of forest carbon credits, however, demonstrated that forestry projects were least likely to be ranked by firms as their first priority. Although relative preferences for forest carbon credits were influenced by individual firms' characteristics such as prior experience of environmental CSR related activities and whether the firm established an emissions reduction plan, the impact of perceived behavior control, whether the firm was included in the emissions target management scheme on forest carbon credits was negligible. Therefore, forest carbon credits are not a feasible solution without strong government support or institutional instruments. The results of this study are expected to provide policy makers with realistic approaches to formulate climatic change-related policies.

Small Drones for Community-Based Forest Monitoring: An Assessment of Their Feasibility and Potential in Tropical Areas

Data gathered through community-based forest monitoring (CBFM) programs may be as accurate as those gathered by professional scientists, but acquired at a much lower cost and capable of providing more detailed data about the occurrence, extent and drivers of forest loss, degradation and regrowth at the community scale. In addition, CBFM enables greater survey repeatability. Therefore, CBFM should be a fundamental component of national forest monitoring systems and programs to measure, report and verify (MRV) REDD+ activities. To contribute to the development of more effective approaches to CBFM, in this paper we assess: (1) the feasibility of using small, low-cost drones (i.e., remotely piloted aerial vehicles) in CBFM programs; (2) their potential advantages and disadvantages for communities, partner organizations and forest data end-users; and (3) to what extent their utilization, coupled with ground surveys and local ecological knowledge, would improve tropical forest monitoring. To do so, we reviewed the existing literature regarding environmental applications of drones, including forest monitoring, and drew on our own firsthand experience flying small drones to map and monitor tropical forests and training people to operate them. We believe that the utilization of small drones can enhance CBFM and that this approach is feasible in many locations throughout the tropics if some degree of external assistance and funding is provided to communities. We suggest that the use of small drones can help tropical communities to better manage and conserve their forests whilst benefiting partner organizations, governments and forest data end-users, particularly those engaged in forestry, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation projects such as REDD+.

Rural households' willingness to participate in the Grain for Green program again: A case study of Zhungeer, China

The Grain for Green program (GGP) is one of the most ambitious forestry projects in China. The GGP uses a public payment scheme to propel the participation of rural households in order to make the program acceptable and sustainable. The modification of the GGP for its long-term effectiveness has raised interest from researchers. However, few researchers have realized the role that rural households play in adjusting the GGP. By building an econometric model, we found that the decision making of rural households is optimal when the sum of the marginal benefit from residual farmland and the marginal benefit from agricultural labor time equals the sum of the subsidies for retired farmland, benefits from the increased forest/grassland and the opportunity cost rate of the rural household engaged in agricultural labor divided by agricultural labor efficiency. The results derived by a Logit regression method indicate that the economic benefit and non-monetary values stimulate households' willingness to participate, and households' attitudes have significant effects on their willingness. Our attempt to comprehensively explore the influencing factors concerning households' attitudes, the environment benefits and benefits from the GGP proves to be promising as a reference for future studies and for decision making regarding GGP.

‘No RIGHTS–No REDD’: Some Implications of a Turn Towards Co-Benefits

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) is a new and very ambitious global programme which seeks to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering performance-based payment to reduce CO2 emissions from forested lands. From an initial perception of REDDF+ as a relatively straightforward forestry project, it has turned into one that is increasingly focusing on the rights of the people who live in the forests. This is largely due to pressure from international and national environmental and human rights NGOs. A result of their activities is that several of the original co-benefits to REDD+, such as alleviating poverty, tenure reform, improving local livelihoods and forest governance, and protecting rights have become major concerns. The introduction of REDD+ in Indonesia is used as an example to highlight some challenges encountered in its implementation.

Local institutions, social capital and their role in forest plantation governance: lessons from two case studies of smallholder plantations in Paraguay

Forestry activities are not implemented in a vacuum, but highly interlinked with other domains: social, cultural, institutional, economic, and political. Good governance that builds on effective local institutions and social capital enhancement becomes one of the key issues in studying and implementing forestry projects locally. The paper presents empirical evidence from a social forestry project implemented in the poorest departments of Eastern Paraguay. It provides a descriptive comparison of two neighbouring communities characterized by different institutions. There is a large difference in project performance in both areas in socio-economic terms. One community displayed high levels of social capital and was better prepared to take advantage of extension aid and “store” the acquired know-how. The other community, with low levels of social capital, benefited from the project activities only temporarily. The role of local institutions as project channels and the development of social capital are indicated as key factors for plantation projects to work effectively.

Forest Canopy Interception Loss Across Temporal Scales: Implications for Urban Greening Initiatives

Increasing urban forest canopy coverage due to greening initiatives requires watershed managers to balance societal water practices with forest hydrological processes. One such process, canopy rainfall interception, can remove substantial portions of precipitation from catchments by simply intercepting, storing, and evaporating meteoric water. We performed a field study examining interception losses across temporal scales comparing two landscaping species of contrasting crown structures (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., American beech, and Liriodendron tulipifera L., yellow poplar), native to the highly urbanized northeastern United States, to highlight the effect of landscape design on urban water and storm water management. Results show that landscape designs using the rougher bark texture, lower branch inclination, and thinner canopy of L. tulipifera can increase water losses during rainfall and, therefore, can be used to improve storm water management. On the other hand, the smoother bark, higher branch inclination, and deeper canopy of F. grandifolia decreased water losses, allowing greater water transfer to the surface or subsurface. Thus, interception-related water resource losses during urban forestry projects can be manipulated to benefit urban sustainability efforts if designers consider the multifaceted ramifications of planting different tree species with differing canopy structures.

Smallholder Participation in Large Forestry Programmes

In recent years, many forestry projects have been implemented in developing countries. In China, a variety of large-scale afforestation and reforestation programmes have been carried out with multiple objectives, such as livelihood improvement and carbon sequestration. As in many developing countries, these projects have been implemented in a smallholder context. This paper investigates the determinants of smallholder participation in large forestry projects. Using the case of camellia, it explores the determinants of smallholder participation using a probit regression model. To distinguish between participation in international and government-run projects, a bivariate probit regression model is used. The findings show that only 37% of households in the sample had participated in the Camellia project; a major reason for the low participation rate is perceived tenure insecurity. The results of the bivariate probit model show that the education level of the household head and household size have a positive impact on the likelihood of household participation. The more ‘off-farm’ activities are taken up in a household, the less likely a household is to participate in an international project. For a government project, household size also has a positive impact on the likelihood of participation. Chinese forestry is diversifying since the devolution of forestland use rights, with a majority of households hesitating to invest, while some risk investment and others depend on government subsidies. The main policy implication is that, if the Chinese government wishes to achieve its goal of 1.68 million hectares of camellia, then improving tenure security is crucial.

1990-2011年三峡库区生态系统服务价值演变及驱动力

作为我国西南部重要的生态屏障和生态走廊，三峡库区具有重要的战略意义，其生态问题非常值得关注。研究以覆盖三峡库区的4期Landsat TM遥感影像为数据源，通过人机交互解译分别获得1990、1998、2006、2011年的土地利用/覆盖，参照中国陆地生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量表，采用研究区单位面积产量与全国农田粮食单位面积产量的比值作为地区修订系数，计算库区生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量表，同时利用生物量对林地的生态系统服务价值作进一步的修订。然后结合土地利用结构和生态敏感性指数，定量分析土地利用变化引起的生态服系统务价值变化及其驱动因子。结果显示：1990-2011年间，三峡库区生态系统服务价值主要由林地支撑（占76.75%），其次是水域、耕地（共23.19%），草地的贡献率最小（0.22%），总生态系统服务价值从1990年的479.55 亿元增加到2011年的680.83 亿元；各项服务功能价值中，食物生产功能价值下降，其他各项功能价值上升，以土壤形成与保护功能上升幅度最大，达36.61 亿元，其次是气体调节（33.10 亿元）；驱动力分析表明，库区生态系统服务价值变化的主要原因是人类活动，特别是自1998年实施退耕还林工程以来 ，各自然生态系统的面积发生较大变化，同时，自然生态系统的健康程度和社会政策对生态系统服务价值变化的影响也不忽可视。研究表明，加强林地、草地和水域等生态系统服价值高的土地利用/覆盖类型保护，是维持库区生态系统稳定性的有效措施。;As the most important ecological barrier and ecological corridor in Southwestern China, the Three Gorges Reservoir region was strategically important and significant. Since the 1990s, in company with the accomplishment of the Three Gorges hydro-junction project, a series of key national ecological and forestry projects have been initiated, including the protective forests along the Yangtze River, the natural forests and Resources conservation, the conversion of cropland to forest, the afforestation of the reservoir surrounding area and the afforestation of both banks of the Yangtze River. These have led to significant changes of land use and land cover (LULC) types and their spatial distribution. More than twenty years has been gone. However, it is unknown that how the accomplishment of the ecological projects affected the change of ecosystem service values and what were the effects of these projects on the protection of the Three Gorges Reservoir region. There is a strong need to assess the effectiveness of the projects, including the dynamics of LULC types and the induced changes of ecological service values. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of ecological service changes and investigate the factors that have driven the dynamics in the Three Gorges Reservoir region. In this study, the Landsat Thematic Mapper^TM images that cover the Three Gorges Reservoir region were acquired for years of 1990, 1998, 2006 and 2011, respectively, and visually interpreted for LULC types. The per unit ecosystem service equivalent value of the ecosystems within the region was calculated by using the corresponding value of the terrestrial ecosystems for the whole country as a reference and the ratio of the per unit grain productivity of the study area to the corresponding value of the country as a revised coefficient. The obtained per unit ecosystem service equivalent value was further modified based on the value of biomass from forested land related to ecological service value. The changes of ecological service values induced by LULC dynamics and corresponding driving factors were quantitatively analyzed by combining land use structure index and ecological sensitivity index. The results showed that (1) during the past twenty one years, the ecological service values of the Three Gorges Reservoir region were mainly supported by the forested land with a percentage of 76.75%, followed by the water and cropland land (23.19%), and the contribution of the grassland was the least (0.22%). The total ecological service value increased from 47.96 billion yuan in 1990 to 68.08 billion yuan in 2011; (2) All the ecological service values increased except food production. The value from soil formation and protection had the greatest increase with an increment of 3.66 billion yuan, followed by the gas regulation (3.31 billion yuan); (3) The analysis of driving factors showed that the changes of the ecological service values were mainly due to human activities, especially the great change of the area for each of the natural ecosystems since the conversion of cropland to forest started in 1998. Moreover, the effects of both the health of the nature ecological systems and the social policy on the changes of the ecological service values could not be ignored. The findings implied that enhancing the protection of LULC types that have higher ecosystem service values, including forested land, grassland, water bodies and so on, is an effective way to stabilize the ecosystems of the Three Gorges Reservoir region.

Voluntary carbon market and its contributions to sustainable development: analysis of the Monte Pascoal-Pau Brazil ecological corridor

This paper aims to analyse the co-benefits of reforestation projects developed in the voluntary carbon market based on the analysis of a single case study: the Ecological Corridor Project Monte Pascoal–Pau Brazil, the first forest restoration project in Latin America to receive the seal climate community and biodiversity (CCB). To achieve this purpose, the research combined: i) primary sources, obtained from visits and interviews with key actors and script for semi-structured, with; ii) secondary sources, including reports of institutions on this theme and references. The results presented showed that forestry projects have positive co-benefits beyond those achieved in reducing deforestation and carbon sequestration, whether in environmental and social benefits. The case study had interesting picture of forest governance, growing in transparent structures of popular participation, but has exposed deficiencies in the sector, as the absence of a strong institutional framework – which leads to legal uncertainty and policy.

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF FOREST INVESTMENTS USING REAL OPTION: THE FUZZY PAY-OFF MODEL (FPOM)

This paper introduces a fuzzy forestry investment decision-making tool based. It will be applied to choose optimal levels of investment when three possible scenarios are conceived, a base case and two extreme alternatives: optimistic and pessimistic. Decision-makers can be seen as being either owners of a forest or investors. For each of these roles the possibility degrees of the scenarios may be represented by means of fuzzy numbers, representing ambiguous net present values (NPV). Real option values (ROV) are then computed based on them. The application to a potential forestry project in Argentina shows that, while in the case of an owner of forestry project the expected benefits are both positive under NPV and ROV, an investor would discard the project if she assumes equal weights for the scenarios in a traditional analysis but would accept it under the fuzzy approach.Keywords: fuzzy number, NPV (net present value), ROV (real option value)JEL Classification: G11,C65(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)INTRODUCTIONThe forestry sector exhibits particularities that have recently attracted the interest of institutional investors. The appealing features of this industry are based on the tangibility of its assets, namely the land that sustains the forests, the standing timber as well as the associated milling facilities. In countries like Argentina, forestry is becoming increasingly important, not only in the economic arena but also for its social and environmental impact. That is, the productive side of the industry generates wealth but at certain social and environmental costs. For this reason decision-making in forestry requires solid management tools, to overcome the weaknesses of the established methods. In practice, they usually are very simplistic, to the point to lead to mistaken decisions. This is particularly true of financial tools as Net Present Value (NPV) assessments (Milanesi et al. 2012) and its variants, like Faustmann's formula (Bettinger, et al. 2009). Even their proponents point out the problems associated with their application in forestry contexts under time-varying conditions.As it is typical of highly uncertain and complex activities, the valuation of capital investment in the forestry industry should emphasize on a flexible management of resources (Carmona and Aranda 2003, Milanesi et al. 2012). This goal can be attained by resorting to the method of Real Options Valuation (ROV), which overcomes the weaknesses of conventional models (Milanesi et al. 2012) introducing strategic flexibility in the assessment of investment projects (Smit and Trigeorgis 2004). The method, based on the Black-Merton-Scholes model (Black et al. 1973, Merton 1973) characterizes the values of options as solutions of stochastic differential equations and can be modified and adjusted in different ways. For instance, it allows the selection of particular stochastic processes with a more complex structure of options.In its non-fuzzy version, ROV has been applied to forestry problems by Thomson (1992), Yin and Newman (1997) and Milanesi et al. (2012). The latter, in particular, applied the method to determine an optimal period of harvest. On the other hand, Petrasek and Perez (2010) assessed harvest contracts with American options. While other alternatives are possible, as in other areas, binomial models are a preferred choice for most of these applications (Trigeorgis 1995, Mun 2002). They may be either represented as having a grid or a tree-like structure (Brandao et al., 2005, Smith 2005). Alternatively, it can be captured by the certainty equivalents of implicit probability distributions (Rubinstein 1994).ROV, like all the assessments of risk can be modified introducing fuzzy concepts (Kahraman et al., 2002, Fuller and Majlender 2003). The formal approach replaces probabilities by possibilities (Zadeh 1965, Dubois and Prade 1980, Carlsson and Fuller 2001). There are three main ways in which this fuzzyfication of ROV can be carried out:a. …

Floristic Composition, Diversity and Stand Structure of Tropical Forests in Popa Mountain Park

Safeguarding biodiversity is an important component of the REDD+ scheme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Information on tree species and their distribution is therefore needed for successful implementation of forestry carbon projects. Forest inventory data were collected in four natural forests located in Popa Mountain Park, Myanmar. Based on the data from 4-ha sample plots, average stem density ranges from 1293 trees ha-1 in dry dipterocarp forest to 804 tree ha-1 in dry evergreen forest. According to the Jackknife estimator for species richness (trees with DBH ≥ 5 cm), the highest number of species was recorded in dry mixed deciduous forest—74 species ha-1, and the lowest number of species recorded in dry forest—40 species ha-1. Dry mixed deciduous forest occupied the highest value on the Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson diversity index while the lowest was in dry forest, indicating that dry mixed deciduous forest is the most complex whereas dry forest is the simplest community. Not only does this study provide useful information on the current status of vegetation type but the information is important for designing forestry management systems that could result in biodiversity conservation and carbon emission reductions.

微生物技能試験のzスコア計算方法による結果の差異

平成23年度の生産工程プロ参加試験室に対して技能試験を行い，その回答結果を得た．多くの場合は試験結果のzスコアは満足であったが，疑わしいまたは不満足であった試験室もあった．そのような参加者は，初めて参加する試験者にも多かったが，連続して同一の試験室が外す場合や，前年度は満足な結果が得られたにも拘わらず翌年度の結果のzスコアは疑わしいまたは不満足であるなど，その様子は様々であることが明らかになった．また，細菌数と大腸菌群数では報告値の分布が異なっており，zスコアの算出のもとのσpとして，NIQR法によるロバスト推定量とFEPASが採用している経験則により固定する場合を比較すると，大腸菌群数ではほぼ同様のzスコアになるが，細菌数では大きく異なることが分かった．本技能試験では試料の保存について細かい条件を置かなかったため，安定性を担保している技能試験に比べてσが大きくなっている可能性があるが，その他の技能試験と比べて結果に大きな差異はなかった．技能試験は，研究成果および試験結果の信頼性確保のために有用であったことと共に，その継続が必要であることが確認された．

对广元市油橄榄产业化建设的探讨

广元市依托退耕还林工程建设6666.6 hm2油橄榄基地，以形成油橄榄产业化，这对减少嘉陵江上游水土流失，改善生态环境，促进地方经济发展和农民增收具有重要意义。但是广元市油橄榄产业化建设还处于初始阶段，没有现存的经验，还存在一些群众对发展油橄榄认识不清积极性不高，产业化经营模式单一，基地建设科学技术运用差，栽植后管理粗放不到位等问题。笔者通过深入研究提出了采用社区参与性方法提高农民认识，产业化经营采用联户、个体承包、股份合作等多种模式，基地建设必须充分依靠科学技术，调动各方面积极性将油橄榄产业培育成广元的龙头企业作一些粗浅看法。 Based on the returning land for farming to forestry project, Guangyuan government generates a 6666.6 hm2 Olea europaea Linn base, to form the Olea europaea Linn oil industry. It has an important significance to reduce soil erosion of the upper reaches of Jialing River and improve the ecological environment, which can promote the development of local economy. However, Guangyuan Olea europaea Linn oil industry is in the initial stage, which has no existing experience. The local people know little about the Olea europaea Linn oil and show less enthusiasm. There are some disadvantages in the construction process, such as, single operation mode, inadequate application of science and technology, ineffective management after planting. The author uses in-depth study to solve the problems. Community participation method can be used to raise the farmers’ awareness. Industrialization model uses various modes, such as, household or individual contract, joint- stock cooperation, with science and technology fully applied, which can mobilize the enthusiasm and make the Olea europaea Linn industry become the leading enterprise in Guangyuan.

Management of Forest Related Natural Resources through Participatory Approach

Topographic and climatic conditions of major parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa warrant special measures for management of natural resources to prevent degradation of land resources, conservation of forest related natural resources, optimization of resource use, provision of sustainable livelihood and alleviation of poverty. National rate of deforestation is around 7000 to 9000 hectares per annum in Khyber Paktunkhwa. Destruction of forests is more evident in certain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To reverse this trend and to conserve natural resources, participatory approach has been suggested as an instrument at several national and international forums. The linchpin in the participatory approach is formation and mobilization of Village Development Committees (VDCs). These committees were formulated under Malakand Social Forestry Project. It was assessed through this research how much instrumental have been VDCs to mobilize communities. Results show there is some partial success. Still a lot is needed to improve the working of VDCs.

The complex issues of carbon sink: a critical overview

The aim of the paper is to offer a systemic overview about some critical and interdependent relations among carbon offset, carbon sequestration and carbon stock. Rooting in the complexity perspective, the work discusses some relevant measurement methods and financial issues related to the land use - land use change forestry (LULUCF) applied under Kyoto Protocol rules. There are uncertainties on the estimation on carbon flux owing to the application of various models of estimates. The study also focuses on the credits of forestry projects, which can be sold or purchased on the carbon market. In conclusion, the work sheds light on the complex side of decision processes in framing and selecting models to estimate the carbon balance under the Kyoto Protocol target. The opportunity for investment in forest projects depends on the cost management of the projects themselves, and the price between wood market and unit carbon.

Profiles in History

2012 USDA-NRCS Soil Scientist Bry Schmidt (retired), in blue vest, records a soil profile description of Tulare clay while working on the Rapid Assessment of U.S. Soil Carbon (RaCA) in 2012 in the historic Tulare Lakebed of Kings County, California. Dr. Robin Roberts, historian and USDA-NRCS Earth Team Volunteer, photographs the soil profile. RaCA in Kings County, California. Schmidt retired in 2013 after 25 years of federal service, including service in the United States Navy and a tour in Vietnam. During his career with USDA-SCS/NRCS, Schmidt made valuable contributions while working on several soil surveys in California, including the Soil Surveys of Northeast Kern County, Southwest Kern County, Western Tulare County, Western Fresno County, and Yosemite National Park. He is a co-author of the Soil Survey of Kern County, Southwestern Part. During his career with USDA-NRCS, he was highly regarded for his proficiency in working with the NASIS database. Dr. Robin Roberts has served as a USDA-NRCS Earth Team Volunteer since 2005 and authored the “History and Development” sections for the Soil Surveys of Western Fresno County, Southwest Kern County, and Northeast Kern County. Photo courtesy of Kerry Arroues, USDA-NRCS, Hanford, California. 2013–2014 The steppes of the Central Russian Uplands and the U.S. Great Plains both have extensive histories of the use of tree windbreaks to improve the local climate for crop growth. When V.V. Dokuchaev was sent to southern Russia in 1892, tree windbreaks had been used for more than a century to protect crops from hot, dry winds blowing from deserts to the southeast. Dokuchaev recommended an aggressive tree planting campaign, and today the region has an extensive windbreak network. During the Dust Bowl, a similar scenario played out in the United States. In this case, U.S. Forest Service personnel were charged with planting windbreaks to control wind erosion in six drought-stricken plains states. A key figure in the Prairie States Forestry Project (PSFP) was a Russian-born forester, Raphael Zon, who applied knowledge from his experiences in Russia to the PSFP in the Great Plains. Dr. Chendev (in pit) confers with North Dakota State Soil Scientist Wade Bott in a crop field in southern North Dakota. In 2013 and 2014, Yury Chendev of Belgorod State University (BSU) led expeditions to Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Montana to study soil transformation following windbreak planting. A 1942 PSFP planting near Norfolk, NE was included in this study. Dr. Chendev and colleagues from BSU and Moscow State University were joined by U.S. partner Tom Sauer of the USDA-ARS and colleagues from Iowa State University. This project, funded by the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation found strong similarities in soil organic carbon changes beneath the windbreaks that varied with climate and were consistent with findings from comparable sites in Russia. The results of this study will enable prediction of potential soil carbon sequestration and biomass production with tree planting in semiarid regions of the United States and Russia. Photo courtesy of Yury Chendev. Contributed by Tom Sauer. 2014 Resource Soil Scientist Greg Granger and State Soil Scientist Tony Jenkins analyze depth to bedrock distributions in potato fields of Northern Maine using ground penetrating radar. With the early April snowpack ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 m; snowshoes and a child's sled provide a relatively convenient way to traverse areas normally inaccessible to GPR due to crops and/or mud during warmer weather. The information gathered serves dual purposes: (i) field office assistance with on-site evaluation for planning conservation practices (specifically Subsurface Drainage 606) and (ii) Soil survey map unit evaluation pertinent to MLRA and National Initiative projects. NRCS Maine Soils Staff Use GPR for Bedrock Study. In the photo above, Resource Soil Scientist Greg Granger operates the GPR on a potato field buried under the snowpack. Information and Photo courtesy of Tony Jenkins, State Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS, Maine.

Contribution of the Women’s Forestry Project to Rural Development in Shendi Area (Sudan)

The northern parts of Sudan experienced the desertification problem since the 1980s. The SOS Sahel initiated a women’s forestry programme (WFP) to support integrated rural development endeavors. The main objective of the study was to scrutinize the experience of the WFP through answering the following question: to what extent the project enhanced rural development endeavor in the area? The study was carried out in Shendi area in the River Nile state (Sudan). In addition to reviewing relevant secondary data, primary data was collected from village women using structured interviewing technique. As well, semi-structured interviews were carried out with village extension agents (VEAs), village leaders, and school teachers. Furthermore, focus group discussions were conducted with women in every village, with men in 4 villages, with WFP and FNC staff in Shendi and Elmatamma offices. The study demonstrated that women in rural areas have the potential to work in forestry and other rural development activities since their traditions were respected. The project opted for the Training of Trainers approach (TOT) as a mean to effective women participation. The character of the change brought about was mainly of psychological nature. However, social and to a lesser extent economic impacts were accredited.

Integrating ecological restoration into CDM forestry projects

Abstract The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development. CDM forestry projects should contribute to mitigation of climate change through afforestation and reforestation (A/R) activities on degraded land in developing countries. However, like other types of CDM projects, the forestry projects have encountered a number of concerns and critiques. Appropriate approaches and concrete aims to achieve long-term sustainability have been lacking, and reforms have therefore been called for. The aims of this paper are to examine the published information relevant to these concerns, and frame appropriate approaches for a more sustainable CDM. In this review, as a first step to tackle some of these issues, ecological restoration is suggested for integration into the CDM framework. Essentially, this involves the restoration of ecosystem supporting service (soil restoration), upon which forests regenerate naturally rather than establishing monoculture plantations. In this way, forestry projects would bring cost-effective opportunities for multiple ecosystem services. Potential approaches, necessary additions to the monitoring plans, and social impacts of ecological restoration in CDM projects are discussed.