Forest Management Issues Research Articles

A New Individual Tree Species Classification Method Based on the ResU-Net Model

Individual tree species (ITS) classification is one of the key issues in forest resource management. Compared with traditional classification methods, deep learning networks may yield ITS classification results with higher accuracy. In this research, the U-Net and ResNet networks were combined to form a Res-UNet network by changing the structure of the convolutional layer to the residual structure in ResNet based on the framework of the U-Net model. In addition, a second Res-UNet network named Res-UNet2 was further constructed to explore the effect of the stacking of residual structures on network performance. The Res-UNet2 model structure is similar to that of the Res-UNet model, but the convolutional layer in the U-Net model is created with a double-layer residual structure. The two networks proposed in this work were used to classify ITSs in WorldView-3 images of the Huangshan Mountains, Anhui Province, China, acquired in March 2019. The resulting ITS map was compared with the classification results obtained with U-Net and ResNet. The total classification accuracy of the ResU-Net network reached 94.29% and was higher than that generated by the U-Net and ResNet models, verifying that the ResU-Net model can more accurately classify ITSs. The Res-UNet2 model performed poorly compared to Res-UNet, indicating that stacking the residual modules in ResNet does not achieve an accuracy improvement.

Developing the Assessment and Indicators for Local Institutions in Dealing with Forest Fire Dilemmas

This study is an analysis of the main criteria and indicators utilised in strengthening local institutions in charge of forest management towards dealing with forest fire incidents in Riau Province, Indonesia. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and observation. Out of the 120 questionnaires distributed to stakeholders, 81 responses were received and analysed using Microsoft Excel and with structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques using SPSS and SmartPLS. Four dimensions, including organization, capacity, authority, and governance, were respectively measured using ten indicators. The results showed a significant correlation between local institutions and these dimension variables in highlighting forest management issues. The results suggest a need to strengthen local institutions’ institutional arrangements and their capacities in order to ensure the effective management of natural resources, which may be achievable through the support and co-operation of government institutions and communities.

Forest Policies and Management Issues for Economic Prosperity: Non-Timber Forest Products in Nepal

Non-timber forest products are of great importance to large numbers of people whose livelihood depends for forest resources. With recognition of NTFPs contribution in livelihood and economy, many countries’ forest policies have been revised with inclusion of NTFPs development provision to certain extent. Still, most of policies including Nepal have failed to address the role NTFPs in poverty reduction. The study aims in analyzing the existing forest policies regarding non-timber forest products and the conservation and management practices being carried underlying the livelihood development of rural dwellers. Along with literature review, interview with user groups and elite persons was carried out to understand the development plan from government and community level. Herbs and NTFPs Development policy is responsible in sustainable conservation of NTFPs promoting their commercialization, still the policy reserves space for implementation. The study urges the effective role of government in NTFPs sustainable conservation and management process to promote livelihood of forest dependents.

Developing the Assessment and Indicators for Local Institutions in Dealing with Forest Fire Dilemma

This study analyzes the main criteria and indicators in strengthening local institutions in charge of forest management towards dealing with forest fire incidence in Riau Province, Indonesia. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, observation, and questionnaires and analyzed with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and other Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques such as SPSS and Smart PLS. Moreover, only 87 out of the 120 questionnaires administered to related stakeholders were retrieved. Four variables, including Organization, Capacity, Authority, and Governance, were measured using ten indicators for each. The results showed a significant correlation between local institutions and these variables in solving forest management issues. It means there is a need to strengthen the institutions' structural plans to ensure the effective management of natural resources, and this is achievable through the support and help of the government and communities. Keywords: forest fire, local institutions, forest management.

Half a century of Scots pine forest ecosystem monitoring reveals long-term effects of atmospheric deposition and climate change.

At two forest sites in Germany (Pfaffenwinkel, Pustert) stocked with mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), we investigated changes of topsoil chemistry during the recent 40years by soil inventories conducted on replicated control plots of fertilization experiments, allowing a statistical analysis. Additionally, we monitored the nutritional status of both stands from 1964 until 2019 and quantified stand growth during the monitoring period by repeated stand inventories. Moreover, we monitored climate variables (air temperature and precipitation) and calculated annual climatic water balances from 1991 to 2019. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition between 1964 and 2019 was estimated for the period 1969-2019 by combining annual deposition measurements conducted in 1985-1987 and 2004 with long-term deposition records from long-term forest monitoring stations. We investigated interrelations between topsoil chemistry, stand nutrition, stand growth, deposition, and climate trends. At both sites, the onset of the new millennium was a turning point of important biogeochemical processes. Topsoil acidification turned into re-alkalinization, soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation stopped, and likely turned into SOM depletion. In the new millennium, topsoil stocks of S and plant-available phosphorus (P) as well as S and P concentrations in Scots pine foliage decreased substantially; yet, age-referenced stand growth remained at levels far above those expected from yield table data. Tree P and S nutrition as well as climate change (increased temperature and drought stress) have replaced soil acidification as major future challenges for both forests. Understanding of P and S cycling and water fluxes in forest ecosystems, and consideration of these issues in forest management is important for successfully tackling the new challenges. Our study illustrates the importance of long-term forest monitoring to identify slow, but substantial changes of forest biogeochemistry driven by natural and anthropogenic global change.

Applications of GIS-Based Software to Improve the Sustainability of a Forwarding Operation in Central Italy

Reducing potential soil damage due to the passing of forest machinery is a key issue in sustainable forest management. Limiting soil compaction has a significant positive impact on forest soil. With this in mind, the aim of this work was the application of precision forestry tools, namely the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), to improve forwarding operations in hilly areas, thereby reducing the soil surface impacted. Three different forest study areas located on the slopes of Mount Amiata (Tuscany, Italy) were analyzed. Extraction operations were carried out using a John Deere 1410D forwarder. The study was conducted in chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) coppice, and two coniferous stands: black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata D. Don). The first stage of this work consisted of field surveys collecting data concerning new strip roads prepared by the forwarder operator to extract all the wood material from the forest areas. These new strip roads were detected using a GNSS system: specifically, a Trimble Juno Sb handheld data collector. The accumulated field data were recorded in GIS Software Quantum GIS 2.18, allowing the creation of strip road shapefiles followed by a calculation of the soil surface impacted during the extraction operation. In the second phase, various GIS tools were used to define a preliminary strip road network, developed to minimize impact on the surface, and, therefore, environmental disturbance. The results obtained showed the efficiency of precision forestry tools to improve forwarding operations. This electronic component, integrated with the on-board GNSS and GIS systems of the forwarder, could assure that the machine only followed the previously-planned strip roads, leading to a considerable reduction of the soil compaction and topsoil disturbances. The use of such tool can also minimize the risks of accidents in hilly areas operations, thus allowing more sustainable forest operations under all the three pillars of sustainability (economy, environment and society).

Assessment of UAV photogrammetric DTM-independent variables for modelling and mapping forest structural indices in mixed temperate forests

Abstract In the EU 2020 biodiversity strategy, maintaining and enhancing forest biodiversity is essential. Forest managers and technicians should include biodiversity monitoring as support for sustainible forest management and conservation issues, through the adoption of forest biodiversity indices. The present study investigates the potential of a new type of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry derived variables for modelling forest structure indicies, which do not require the availability of a digital terrain model (DTM) such as those obtainable from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) surveys. The DTM-independent variables were calculated using raw 3D UAV photogrammetric data for modeling eight forest structure indices which are commonly used for forest biodiversity monitoring, namely: basal area (G); quadratic mean diameter (DBHmean); the standard deviation of Diameter at Breast Height (DBHσ); DBH Gini coefficient (Gini); the standard deviation of tree heights (Hσ); dominant tree height (Hdom); Lorey’s height (Hl); and growing stock volume (V). The study included two mixed temperate forests areas with a different type of management, with one area, left unmanaged for the past 50 years while the other being actively managed. A total of 30 field sample plots were measured in the unmanaged forest, and 50 field plots were measured in the actively managed forest. The accuracy of UAV DTM-independent predictions was compared with a benchmark approach based on traditional explanatory variables calculated from ALS data. Finally, DTM-independent variables were used to produce wall-to-wall maps of the forest structure indices in the two test areas and to estimate the mean value and its uncertainty according to a model-assisted regression estimators. DTM-independent variables led to similar predictive accuracy in terms of root mean square error compared to ALS in both study areas for the eight structure indices (DTM-independent average RMSE% = 20.5 and ALS average RMSE% = 19.8). Moreover, we found that the model-assisted estimation, with both DTM-independet and ALS, obtained lower standar errors (SE) compared to the one obtained by model-based estimation using only field plots. Relative efficiency coefficient (RE) revealed that ALS-based estimates were, on average, more efficient (average RE ALS = 3.7) than DTM-independent, (average RE DTM-independent = 3.3). However, the RE for the DTM-independent models was consistently larger than the one from the ALS models for the DBH-related variables (i.e. G, DBHmean, and DBHσ) and for V. This highlights the potential of DTM-independent variables, which not only can be used virtually on any forests (i.e., no need of a DTM), but also can produce as precise estimates as those from ALS data for key forest structural variables and substantially improve the efficiency of forest inventories.

Fuel Consumption Test Results for a Self-Adaptive, Maintenance-Free Wood Chipper Drive Control System

Both energy consumption and the ecology of mobile wood-chipping machines are important issues in forest management. One way of improving the efficiency of wood-chippers is to use innovative design solutions in drive unit control systems. This can result in a reduction in fuel consumption and quantitative exhaust gas emissions. This article presented the results of research conducted on the fuel consumption of a cylindrical wood chipper driven by a small engine. We carried out testing of the unmodified chipper (A), made two different chipper modifications (B) and (C), and tested the modified versions to achieve the indicated results. The process allowed analysis and comparison of recorded data. For this purpose, the engine was supplied with fuel in three different ways: carburetor (factory-made) (A), the injector (B), and injector with an adaptative drive control system (designed by the authors) (C). The construction of a maintenance-free and adaptive drive control system where its functioning depended on operating conditions was done following patent application P.423369. All three fuel supply systems: A, B, and C were tested experimentally in terms of fuel consumption. The research was conducted in both set exploitation conditions (idle work with high (1) and low (2) rotational speed, with a continuous chipping process (3)) and transient exploitation conditions (4) (resulting from the delivery time of wood waste). Thus, the first stage of research involved two constructions (A, B) for three different working conditions (1-3). The second stage consisted of three constructions (A-C) tested in the fourth working conditions (4). The tests showed that the injection system reduced fuel consumption by around 61% during the continuous chipping process in comparison with the carburetor system. The adaptive drive control system (C) reduced fuel consumption by 55–74% in comparison with the carburetor system (A), and by 24–60% in comparison with the injection system (B) without an adaptive drive control system. The level of energy consumption in these systems depended directly on the ratio of idle work time during the chipping process.

Non-state forest governance and ‘Responsibilization’: The prospects for FPIC under FSC certification in Northwest Russia

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-state forest certification system. FSC has been developed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private business in order to mitigate forest conflicts. As a result, NGOs and the private sector have taken responsibility for sustainable forest management and forest conservation in many regions of the world. Incorporating Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into the FSC standards could involve expansion of such responsibilities to local communities. FPIC provides local communities with a tool for granting or refusing consent to forestry operations conducted by timber companies. In Russia, such FSC-driven multi-level forest governance is developing against the background of exclusive state ownership of forests and the domination of state-led top-down governance approaches. FSC can encourage the development of a responsive dialogue between local communities and timber companies. However, our study in Northwest Russia, on the basis of interviews and literature analysis, shows that one of the main risks of the application of FPIC within the framework of FSC is ‘responsibilization’ - the transfer of the responsibility of state governance structures to private companies and communities without adequate attention to the latter's capabilities. FPIC can lead to situations where communities acquire new forest governance duties that they are unable to bear. This is especially so in cases where community representation remains unresolved. We argue that FPIC under FSC should not be understood as a transfer of decision-making by formal governance structures to community representatives. Rather, FPIC could be considered as a way to achieve mutual consent around forest management issues and mitigate conflicts between communities and timber companies.

Discourses of FLEGT and REDD + Regimes in Cameroon: A Nongovernmental Organization and International Development Agency Perspectives

This paper applies the international environmental negotiations framework (IENF) and the multiple streams framework (MSF) to analyze the influence of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and International Development Agencies (IDAs) in the development and implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade agreement (FLEGT) and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) regimes in Cameroon. Deforestation, forest degradation, and illegal logging are critical issues in forest management in many forest-rich countries around the world. In attempt to curtail illegal logging, global forest governance in the past few years has witnessed the development of a number of timber legality regimes including FLEGT. In the same light, the international community has recently seen the emergence of the REDD+ regime to fight against global warming and climate change. Based on sixty-eight interviews in Cameroon with representatives of NGOs and IDAs, government officials, the timber industry, and members of forest communities, as well as eleven informal conversations, and more than sixty documents, the paper finds that NGO and IDA influence on the FLEGT and REDD+ regimes in Cameroon has been growing in three areas: stakeholder participation, project development, and institutional development. Thus, the increasing influence of NGOs and IDAs will pave the way for future interventions on social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues, including land tenure, carbon rights, benefit distribution, equity, Free, Prior and Informed consent, legality, and stakeholder process, related to the FLEGT and REDD+ regimes in Cameroon.

Addressing Forest Governance and Sustainable Forest Management in Preferential Trade Agreements

The inclusion of environmental clauses in Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) enables to incorporate specific rules on forest governance and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and to promote the implementation of forests-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). This tendency might be interpreted as a potential way to improve the protection of forests since it would contribute to strengthening the international forest regime, particularly through the definition of new commitments linked to bilateral cooperation, and the possibility of applying trade sanctions for non-compliance. Some recent requests to the Peruvian Government in the frame of the US – Peru PTA indicate that further developments might be expected in terms of sustainable development and environmental protection. Since the European Union and the United States are the parties with the highest number of these types of rules in PTAs, this paper analyses how they have addressed Sustainable Forest Management and forest governance issues in their PTAs.

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

While much emphasis has been placed on scientific and policy issues in forest management, there is a lack of clarity on users’ perspectives concerning the implementation of scientific forest manage...

Application of fuzzy and classical Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods in assessing the forest area preservation level of Romania’s counties

With over a quarter of its territory covered by forest, Romania stands out as a European country with a medium forest area extension. Despite the fact that the forest area has increased since 2008, there are counties that are affected by forest loss caused by outlawed forest cutting and other factors. This calls for improved knowledge and critical spatial planning of the forest area at county level. The aim of this study is to assess the forest area preservation level of Romania’s 41 counties using fuzzy and classical Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods. The paper includes inferences regarding the distribution of the illegal forest cutting cases at county level, that link forest management issues with the forest area preservation level. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is applied to weigh factors related to the changes of forest provisions, forest loss and forest regeneration processes, dimensions of forest exploitation and illegal forest cutting cases using forest data referring to 1990-2017. The alternatives are represented by the 41 counties of Romania and are evaluated by the use of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The results are integrated with GIS and the choropleth map may serve as a powerful visual and practical tool for identifying the counties with pressing forest loss issues. Results show the counties with the lowest levels of forest area preservation were Argeș, Prahova and Gorj. Harghita, Brăila and Suceava counties recorded the highest levels of forest area preservation. While some of the counties that rank among the least in terms of forest area preservation are also altered by massive illegal forest cutting, there are others that serve as counter-examples. The discrepancies are explained by the provisional character of the illegal forest cutting data. Our study shows significant practical importance, pointing out the administrative units of Romania that need to take urgent action in order to mitigate the problem of forest loss and to better their forest management.
 
 Keywords: forest area preservation, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, forest management, illegal forest cutting, Romania.

The Forest Policies of ASEAN and Montréal Process: Comparing Highly and Weakly Formalized Regional Regimes

Forests are governed by a combination of sub-national and national as well as global and regional regimes. Comparing the institutional variation of regional regimes, including their degrees of formalization, is gaining attention of studies on regionalism in International Relations. This study attempts to analyse the ways in which the selected cases of the forest-related Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and forest-focused Montréal Process (MP) regional regimes may have synergetic overlaps or disparity in their institutional design and forest policy development. For this, we combined IR’s ‘rational institutional design’ theory and a policy analysis approach. Using a qualitative data approach, we analyzed key structure-related historical regime documents (e.g., charters) issued since the inception of both regimes, and their latest forest policy initiatives for the periods 2016–2025 (Strategic Plan of Action for ASEAN Cooperation on Forestry) and 2009–2015 (Conceptual Framework for the Montréal Process Strategic Action Plan) with all relevant policy documents since the adoption of current policies. Based on that, we pose the empirical questions of how both regimes illustrate governance structure (i.e., institutional design), and on the other hand how to explain regime forest policies coherently and consistently in terms of their high versus low degree of formality. The results show that institutional design is highly explanatory based on treaty and non-treaty regime formation as well as forest-related/focused regime formation with the synergistic sustainable forest management (SFM) issue that embraces deforestation and forest degradation, biodiversity, timber certification, and greenhouse gas emission. Additionally, the results suggest that the policy goals adopted by both regimes are coherent and consistent based on the full set of policy elements. Concerning the remedy for fragmented global forest governance arrangements, both regimes would be an example of practicing SFM-focused policies with the incorporation of forest-related policy elements into a larger governance assemblage dealing with issues such as biodiversity conservation or climate change mitigation.

Key Issues Affecting Oregon Family Forest Owners: A Scoping Review of the Literature and Survey Analysis of Educational Service Providers

Given the significance of family owned forests and woodlands to the economic and environmental condition of Oregon, the provision of appropriate educational programs and services is of utmost importance. The priority forest management issues affecting family owned forests, identified for the state of Oregon by the Oregon Department of Forestry (the primary state forestry agency), help to inform educational programs. In addition, these issues often inform the content for landowner support through cost-share and technical assistance programs, which may or may not address landowner needs. We prioritized the following five priorities for family forests in Oregon: climate change, wildfire, ecosystem services, legacy (generational succession of land), and forest health (insects and diseases). We undertook a scoping review of the recent literature (2000–2018) to determine the degree to which researchers were focusing on these issues in the state as well as a web-based survey of family forest and woodland owner educational service providers to determine if outreach programs were targeting these priorities. From a total of 52 papers identified, 19 met the search criteria for inclusion. Two papers focused on climate change, one on forest health, ten on ecosystem services, eight on wildfire, and none on legacy. Scoping review results indicate that the priority issues explored in this study are addressed in literature focusing on family forestland owners in Oregon, albeit some issues more in depth than others, with forest legacy not being addressed at all. Our survey results indicate that the five priority issues seem to align among the state, educators, and landowners, and that educational opportunities are being provided for all issues to some extent. However, there is a need for a more focused allocation of resources to address some of the knowledge gaps and discrepancies identified here.

Branch Occlusion and Discoloration under the Natural Pruning of Mytilaria laosensis

The production of knot-free and high-quality wood can be a vital issue in silviculture and forest management. In this study, knot properties, branch occlusion, and wood discoloration were investigated in an 11-year-old Mytilaria laosensis plantation in Guangxi, China, to examine the effectiveness of natural pruning in reducing knot-related defects. A total of 1513 occluded branches from 20 trees were sampled and dissected. Occluded branches were most common at heights of 2–6 m, and the mean diameter of the occluded branches gradually increased with height from the base to 6 m. Linear and generalized linear mixed-effect models were developed to reveal the relationship between branch occlusion and discoloration. The mortality of branches was highest in the third and fourth year and it took roughly three to six years to occlude. The mixed-models indicated that the branch occlusion time was positively correlated with the occluded branch diameter and dead branch stub length, and negatively correlated with the stem radial increment during branch occlusion. Branch discoloration was positively correlated with the occluded branch diameter and branch occlusion time, and was negatively correlated with the branch angle. The probability of wood discoloration also increased with the branch occlusion time. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the spatiotemporal allocation and internal characteristics of occluded branches, and provide a reference for growing high-quality M. laosensis wood.

Adapting the available water capacity indicator to forest soils: An example from the Haut-Languedoc (France)

Soil available water capacity (SAWC) is becoming a crucial issue for forest management in the context of climate change. However, the SAWC indicator, which was created for agricultural soils, needs specific adaptations when it is estimated for forest soils. This study aims to determine the best way to apply the SAWC indicator with regard to its significance for explaining variation in tree fertility across a given region. An extensive investigation with spatial sampling of 100 Douglas fir stand plots was conducted in the Haut Languedoc Regional Nature Parc (Southern France). It involved stand fertility assessments, morphological observations of deep soil pits including the saprolite, quantitative estimations of coarse fragments, texture and organic matter laboratory analysis and water retention and density measurements on a limited sample of horizons (35). Different approaches were used to compute SAWC from the collected data. These approaches differed in the methods i) for estimating the fine earth water retention – national vs local pedotransfer function -, ii) for incorporating coarse fragments – assumed to contribute or not to the water retention of soils- and iii) for estimating soil volumes – variable thicknesses and considerations of rooting. The results showed that the estimate of SAWC that explained the greatest variation in tree fertility over the study area (23% of the variance) was obtained by estimating fine earth water retention from a local pedotransfer function, by considering the water retention of the coarse fraction and by exploring the thickest soil volumes (thicknesses of 200 cm, 300 cm and equal to the depth to bedrock) without explicit consideration of rooting observations. The ranking of SAWC component impact on SAWC values was i) soil volume, ii) coarse fraction water retention and iii) fine earth retention. These results indicate that improvements in estimating coarse fraction water retention and soil volume and, to a lesser extent, fine-earth water retention estimated by a forestsoil-adapted pedotransfer function would greatly benefit the application of the SAWC indicator to forest soils.

Seed origin drives differences in survival and growth traits of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) populations

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) has a high ecological and social value and supplies raw materials for the cork industry, a relevant contributor to the economies of Mediterranean countries. Understanding the adaptation potential of cork oak populations to cope with different environmental conditions is a key issue of forest management, particularly for selecting the most adapted genetic material for (re)forestation and assuring the long-term sustainability of the cork industry. Intraspecific variation in fitness surrogate traits (survival, height and stem diameter) was investigated in thirty-five cork oak populations sampled from the entire range of the natural distribution of the species. The study was conducted in two provenance field trials, established in Portugal under different edaphoclimatic conditions. Each trial was surveyed at four tree ages (two ages, 11 and 14 years, were sampled simultaneously in both trials). The trial located at a lower altitude, which had higher mean winter and annual temperatures, exhibited higher growth and survival rates. In both trials, significant genetic variation among cork oak populations was observed for the analyzed traits and evaluated ages. Moroccan populations displayed a higher probability of survival and higher growth rates, while local populations exhibited an intermediate performance. Low to moderate correlations were found between the analyzed traits and the environmental variables of seed origin, suggesting that factors other than climate are likely to be relevant for cork oak adaptation. Moderate to high values of population mean-basis broad-sense heritability (H2 ≥ 0.44) and high genetic correlations between traits (0.88–0.95) were found for growth traits. This information is crucial for the establishment of a breeding program for the species. With this study, we have improved the knowledge regarding how cork oak performs for fitness surrogate traits in different environments.

Role of fallen logs in maintaining the species diversity of understory vascular plants in a mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest in Hokkaido, northern Japan

One long-standing, unresolved issue in forest management is how to achieve high levels of biodiversity conservation and commercial forestry for timber production. Retaining fallen logs on the forest floor is effective in preserving the habitats essential for many wood-dwelling organisms. However, the contributions of fallen logs toward the plant species diversity of forest understories are less clear, even though the importance of fallen logs on the emergence and survival of coniferous seedlings and saplings is well known, especially in boreal forests. This study aimed to clarify the roles of fallen logs in the maintenance of species diversity of understory vascular plants in forests. We investigated species richness and the composition of vascular plants on 319 fallen logs and in 128 forest-floor quadrats (2 × 2 m) in a 4-ha plot in a mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest in Hokkaido, northern Japan. We also measured canopy openness in summer, surface area, wood resistance, and moss cover of fallen logs, and soil thickness in forest-floor quadrats. Additive partitioning and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) were used to examine differences in composition between quadrats and fallen logs. Generalized linear model (GLM) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were also applied to test the determinants of species richness and composition in quadrats and fallen logs. In total, 83 vascular plant species were identified. For woody and herbaceous plants, several species occurred predominantly on fallen logs in comparison with quadrats. Species richness of woody plants on fallen logs was positively affected by surface area and moss cover, and negatively by wood resistance; although in quadrats it was not significantly associated with any environmental factors. Herbaceous species richness on fallen logs was also negatively influenced by wood resistance. In contrast, herbaceous species richness in quadrats was positively associated with canopy openness. These results suggest that fallen logs promote plant species diversity, including herbaceous plants, by creating habitat conditions favored in forest understory environments. This study implies that leaving fallen logs on the forest floor at logging sites contributes toward plant diversity conservation.

The Impact of Community-Based Forest Management on Local People around the Forest: Case Study in Forest Management Unit Bogor, Indonesia

The issue of sustainable forest management (SFM) continues to emerge as part of the REDD+ mechanism mitigation efforts. Especially for some developing countries, such as Indonesia, forest management is required to provide benefits to the welfare of local communities in addition to forest conservation efforts. This study aims to identify the economic, social, and environmental impacts of community-based forest management (CBFM) implementation activities, which is one of the implementations of SFM at field level. The primary objectives were to find out the impacts of CBFM activities based on local people’s perceptions and to identify what factors need to be considered to increase local people’s satisfaction on CBFM activities. The data from 6 sub-villages was derived through surveys with local people involved in CBFM activities, interviews with a key informant, and supported by secondary data. The results of the study state that CBFM activities have increased the local people’s income as well as their welfare, strengthening the local institution, and help to resolve conflicts in the study area. CBFM has also been successful in protecting forests by rehabilitating unproductive lands and increase forest cover area. By using binary logistic regression analysis, it found that income, business development opportunities, access to forests, conflict resolution, institutional strengthening, and forest rehabilitation variable significantly affected the local people’s satisfaction of CBFM activities.