Ha Of Forest Area Research Articles

Agent-based modeling of “cleaner” cookstove adoption and woodfuel use: An integrative empirical approach

Heavy reliance on biomass for cooking and heating raises concerns of deforestation and forest degradation in rural India. We developed an agent-based model to spatially and temporally understand woodfuel consumption from local forests, and the role of adoption of cleaner cookstoves in alleviating woodfuel pressure from nearby forests. First, we calculated the aboveground woody biomass present in forests accessed for woodfuel using randomized forest sampling. Second, we quantified household woodfuel consumption for cooking and heating from the household surveys. Third, we developed four different scenarios over 20 years varying the adoption of "cleaner" cookstoves (LPG and Induction). Finally, we synthesized information in an agent-based model to estimate the spatial patterns and temporal trends of woodfuel collection from nearby forests in a watershed located in Himachal Pradesh, India. The total annual woodfuel consumption was 2200 t across eight villages located in the selected watershed. Households with at least one non-biomass-based cookstove consumed on average 0.38 t less woodfuel than households with only biomass-based cookstoves. The total aboveground woody biomass for 235.8 ha of forest area accessed for woodfuel collection was 95,505 t. From the model, we found that the total aboveground woody biomass increased from 95,505.2 to 110,352.5 t over 20 years. The aboveground woody biomass increased in larger forest areas at the end of 20 years, whereas in smaller forest areas it decreased considerably. We postulate that instead of focusing on measures to reduce consumption at the household level, policies may be more effective by focusing on supply side reforms such as promoting alternative sources for woodfuel, along with alternatives to not just “cleaner” cooking but heating as well.

Use of forest land for national-priority infrastructures in Nepal

Forest conversion has been identified as one of the several bottlenecks affecting upon the major infrastructure projects in Nepal, especially in the energy and transport sectors. Nepal’s policy requires at least 40% of its land cover under forest. This means if any forest land is converted to non-forest land, it must be compensated with an equivalent area, preferably in the similar ecotype in the nation. In addition, a specified number of trees must be planted for the number of trees felled in the project site, and the site must be managed and protected for five years by the developers. These provisions have led to growing resentment between the developers and the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MFSC), leading to delay in providing forest lands for infrastructure projects. With a view to develop mechanisms for the government to rapidly provide forest land for nationally important infrastructure projects, the Government databases were examined to analyze the forests handed over to the developers for non-forestry uses. The data showed that a total of 14,028.4 ha of forest area were handed over to the developers for non-forestry uses until the end of 2015. On an average, 263.8 ha forest area was found to be handed over to the developers between the period of 2010–2013. However, there is a declining trend of forest handed over for non-forestry purposes in the recent years. The decline could be due to the strict enforcement of the legal provision which limits the conversion of forest areas to non-forest areas except in the case of the “national priority projects”. It has been recommended that the conversion of forest for infrastructure development should be examined with a holistic perspective by taking all the related components of forest conversion into consideration, from providing forest land for replacement planting. It is recommended that the Forest Product Development Board (FPDB), a parastatal organization under the MFSC, should be entrusted with the work of plantation related to forest conversion. The fund for this work should flow directly from the developers to the FPDB. The possibility of forming a land bank to facilitate the work of the FPDB is also recommended.Banko Janakari, Vol. 27, No. 1, Page: 60-64

Carrying capacity using emergy and a new calculation of the ecological footprint

Carrying capacity was evaluated using emergy assessment to improve the diagnosis of problems and to make understanding sustainability easier, thereby supporting the formulation of public policies. Ibiúna County has an area of 105,800hectare (ha) and it is located 72km west of São Paulo, the largest Brazilian city. It has 72,029 inhabitants or 0.68 people per ha, but 2.16 people per ha of forest area. The city is only 157 years old and about 67% of its population lives in the rural area and the other 33% in the urban space. In our assessment, the percent renewability of this municipality was high (47.20%). To determine the renewable support area, the carrying capacity methodology suggested by Brown and Ulgiati (2001) was applied and the support area calculated was 306,679ha or 0.23 people per ha. This result reveals a value for the equivalent natural area needed to absorb the impacts of the fossil fuel consumed in the production of industrial inputs used in the region. A recently proposed ecological footprint methodology was used, where the calculus of support area is based on the consumption profile of the population. This methodology was adapted to obtain an alternate carrying capacity for the county. The result was 249,650ha or 0.29 individuals per ha.This study showed the importance of preserving natural areas and it introduced the need for changes in the configuration of the county economy and in its population's lifestyle, which are needed to turn Ibiúna County into a truly sustainable region.

Opportunity costs of establishing nature reserves in selected forest districts of the Mazowieckie Province

Abstract The article presents the results of research on the opportunity costs related to establishing nature reserves in four randomly-selected forest districts located in the Mazowieckie Province: Celestynów, Grójec, Płońsk and Zwoleń. Our analysis included calculation of profits forgone by forest districts due to the cessation of timber harvesting in nature reserves and an estimation of work places lost as a result of introduction of new limitations, as well as the expenses incurred by municipalities related to their establishment of forest tax concessions in nature reserves. The establishment of nature reserves incurred losses related to timber harvest of about 246 thousand m3 during the period of 10 years, which is equivalent to between 4.1% and 19.8% of the planned timber harvest stated in the forest management plans of the studied forest districts. Total opportunity costs were equal to 25.5-27.2 million PLN during these 10 years or 1502-1605 PLN/ha of nature reserve annually. Annual opportunity costs calculated per unit of forest area were equal to 56-60 PLN/ha. The estimated loss in work places was 98.8 working days annually per 1000 ha of forest area in forest districts. Total expenses incurred by municipalities related to establishment of forest tax concessions in nature reserves reached about 18.1 thousand PLN in 2011. The research results show that the economic and social costs of nature protection activities are concentrated in their places of their origin. Those costs are felt the most by the owners of the affected forests and local communities. We recommend that possibilities are explored for the introduction of instruments to allow the mitigation of negative effects resulting from restrictions in forest use. Restructuring of forest and nature protection policy, to take into account the interests of all stakeholders would provide an improved model for the use of these forests

Use of multi-temporal Landsat images for analyzing forest transition in relation to socioeconomic factors and the environment

Recently there have been reports of forest regrowth occurring in different regions across the world. There is also a growing recognition of the potential beneficial impact that secondary forests may have on the global environment: providing crucial ecosystem services such as soil conservation, stabilization of hydrological cycles, carbon sequestration, and support for forest dependent communities. Consequently, there is a growing awareness of the need to recognize that landscapes are complex shifting mosaics wherein forest clearing and reforestation take place. In this study, the rates of reforestation, deforestation, forest regrowth and degradation were measured using multi-temporal Landsat images of Danjiangkou, China. Landsat data from 1990, 1999 and 2007 were (1) classified as dense forest, open forest and non-forest areas and (2) compared between years to identify forest cutting, regeneration and degradation. The results showed that there was a net gain of 29,315ha of forest area (including dense and open forest) from 1990 to 2007, showing a clear trend of reforestation in the study area. Forest modification (degradation and regrowth) and change categories (deforestation and reforestation) occurred simultaneously during the observation time period. Socioeconomic data from public statistics and environmental attributes allowed the assessment of the socioeconomic factors and the environmental conditions that caused these changes using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The research showed that the socioeconomic factors due to different policies were major driving forces of forest transition, whereas environmental attributes of the underlying landscape constrained forest cover changes. These findings have led to a better understanding of forest transition at a local scale in our study region. Comprehensive knowledge of these relationships may be useful to reconstruct past forest transitions and predict future changes, and may help to enhance sustainable management practices aimed at preserving essential ecological functions.

Trace forest conversions in Northeast China with a 1-km area percentage data model

The purpose of this study is to examine the conversions of forests in Northeast China during 1988-2005 by using a 1-km area percentage data model (1-km APDM) with remote sensing data and to find the spatiotemporal characteristics of land conversions between forests and other land uses/covers and internal conversions between forest cover types. Data were derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) images of bands 3, 5, and 4 acquired in 1988, 1995, 2000, and 2005. Research results show that in the period between 1988 and 2005, the forest area in Northeast China underwent dramatic changes, and 4.11 million ha of forest area was aggregately lost because of the conversions of forests to other land uses/covers; at the same time, the forest area also gained 2.00 million ha because of the conversions from other land uses/covers to forests. The results also demonstrate the forest degradation resulting from the conversions between different forest cover types. This research demonstrates the feasibility and importance of using the 1-km APDM at a finer resolution to trace the spatiotemporal patterns of the forest conversions.

The role of non-timber forest products in the rural economy and their quantitative assessment in the Aravali mountain range of India

Rajasthan, the largest state in India, has about 5% of the Indian population, but supports the highest cattle and livestock population. The pressure on the state's forests for the collection of fuel wood, fodder and other Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) is, therefore, very severe. A study was undertaken during 2006?2008 to assess the quantum of availability of NTFPs in the three largest forest divisions of the state, located in the Aravalis. Significant quantities of such NTFPs are collected in this region, with the estimated annual financial value of the NTFPs realised per household varying between Rs. 5965 to Rs. 3678 and the financial value realised per ha of forest area varying between Rs. 2800 to Rs. 3100. The results of the current research would be useful in preparing an ecologically viable policy for the subsistence of forest dwellers and better management of the forest resources in the Aravalis. One of the aims of this study was to contribute to the growing body of research cases which can inform a green economics perspective.

Economic analysis of the functioning of the forest fire protection system in Poland

This paper presents the results of analysis of fire protection costs in the State Forests National Forest Holding and indicates the directions of possible changes in the principles of financing. The analysis was performed on the basis of reports of the General Directorate on the state of fire protection in the State Forests in 2000-2004 and detailed data from forest districts in 2003-2004. The fire protection outlays in the State Forests should largely be regarded as justified. There may be objections to large differences (even by a multiple factor) among the types of expenditures making up the total costs of forest fire protection, both in forest districts and the Regional Directorates of the State Forests, although they belong to the same categories of forestfire risk and, therefore, have the same range of duties. In 2000-2004, the expenditures on the protection of forests against fires amounted to € 75 million, representing about 3% of the operating costs of forest districts. The Regional Directorates of the State Forests in Szczecin (€ 11.3 million) and Katowice (€ 7.5 million) incurred the distinctly highest expenses. The Regional Directorates of the State Forests in Cracow (€ 0.26 million) and Krosno (€ 0.99 million) spent the least resources. The outlays of the Regional Directorates of the State Forests evaluated as Class I of Fire Danger represented 65%; those of Class II amounted to 33%, whereas those of Class III were only 2% of the total costs of forest fire protection. The mean annual cost of protecting forests against fires per 1 ha of forest area in SF was € 2.16. It is not well-advised to strongly and immediately reduce the costs of fire protection, since this would diminish the level of fire safety and increase the related damage. Nevertheless, it is possible to reduce the expenditures through rationalising the use of aircraft, resigning from unjustified operations and mobilising financial resources from EU assistance funds.

06/00424 Electrical conductivity of carbon blacks undercompression: Sánchez-González, J. et al. Carbon, 2005, 43, (4), 741–747

Carrying capacity was evaluated using emergy assessment to improve the diagnosis of problems and to make understanding sustainability easier, thereby supporting the formulation of public policies. Ibiúna County has an area of 105,800 hectare (ha) and it is located 72 km west of São Paulo, the largest Brazilian city. It has 72,029 inhabitants or 0.68 people per ha, but 2.16 people per ha of forest area. The city is only 157 years old and about 67% of its population lives in the rural area and the other 33% in the urban space. In our assessment, the percent renewability of this municipality was high (47.20%). To determine the renewable support area, the carrying capacity methodology suggested by Brown and Ulgiati (2001) was applied and the support area calculated was 306,679 ha or 0.23 people per ha. This result reveals a value for the equivalent natural area needed to absorb the impacts of the fossil fuel consumed in the production of industrial inputs used in the region. A recently proposed ecological footprint methodology was used, where the calculus of support area is based on the consumption profile of the population. This methodology was adapted to obtain an alternate carrying capacity for the county. The result was 249,650 ha or 0.29 individuals per ha.This study showed the importance of preserving natural areas and it introduced the need for changes in the configuration of the county economy and in its population's lifestyle, which are needed to turn Ibiúna County into a truly sustainable region.

Tree species composition, dispersion and diversity along a disturbance gradient in a dry tropical forest region of India

Forest inventory data were collected in 1998–2000 from fifteen 1 ha permanent plots along a disturbance gradient in a dry tropical forest region of India. A total of 4033 stems, 49 species, 44 genera and 24 families of adult trees (≥30 cm CBH), occurred in the 15 ha of forest area. The study indicated that the dry tropical forest is characterised by a patchy distribution of species and individuals with mixed species composition, and the sites are represented by different combinations of the dominants and co-dominant species. A PCA ordination indicated that the variation in species composition of the sites is explained by the variation in soil nitrogen as well as the degree of disturbance. About half the analysed species showed changing nature in dispersion along the disturbance gradient. The distribution of Boswellia serrata, Holarrhena antidysenterica and Lannea coromandelica changed from clumped to uniform and the distribution of Butea monosperma, Cassia fistula and Elaeodendron glaucum changed from uniform to clumped as the degree of disturbance increased. The mean stem density was highest (419 stems ha −1) at the least disturbed site and lowest (35 stems ha −1) at the highly disturbed site, and for basal area, the highest value (13.78 m 2 ha −1) was for the second least disturbed forest site and the lowest value (1.30 m 2 ha −1) was for the most disturbed site. The total number of stems, indices of species richness, evenness and α-diversity decreased with disturbance. A strong influence of number of species per individual on β-diversity suggests that for resisting change in floristics due to disturbance, a site must have low species-individual ratio.

The Cervid (Cervidae) Monitoring in Lithuania (1993-1998): Abundance, Dynamics and Distribution

In 1993-1998, the monitoring of roe deer, red deer and elk was carried out to evaluate the state and dynamics of cervid (Cervidae) populations in Lithuania. Investigations were performed in 7 forest stationaries (37 thou ha) representing dominant landscapes. The cervid abundance and distribution was estimated by recording the animals. excrement pellet groups of non-vegetation period in registration routes. The roe deer population, which suffered the greatest loss from the severe winter 1995/96, was the most unsteady in the stationaries. During the investigation period, the average density of the roe-deer population decreased by 10.1 to 8.3, red deer – 4.3 to 4.0, elk – 4.5 to 3.4 individuals per 1000 ha of forest area. The highest density of roe deer was observed in hilly morainic upland forests, and that of elk — in sandy plain forests. In 1998, the average excrement aggregation degree (Id) in roe deer was 3.3, red deer – 12.8, and elk – 5.7 in the investigated areas. Besides, the indicator was inversely...

Physical condition of red deer in a high density population

Physical condition in a living at high density (120 individuals/100 ha of forest area) red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 population was studied by determining: dressed body weight, kidney fat index (KFI) and amount of visceral fat in 628 animals. Antler weights were also considered as condition index of stags.