National Forest Management Research Articles

Impact of natural disturbance, forest management and vegetation cover on topsoil biochemical characteristics of Tatra Mts. (Slovakia)

Perturbations caused by windstorms usually lead to the harvesting and clearcutting of fallen trees and wood debris, especially in the areas of managed forest ecosystems. Induced shifts in soils due to management practices play a crucial role in the restoration and maintaining of key ecosystem services. This paper focuses on topsoil chemical properties in relation to vegetation type (trees, shrubs and herbs) evolving at windstorm damaged (in 2004) areas with former Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests in the Tatra Mts. region (Slovakia). We assessed the content of topsoil organic matter fractions (extractives, holocellulose (HC) and lignin (Lig)), carbon in microbial biomass (Cmic), soil organic matter (SOM) and the content of elements N, C, H and S. The study plots represent different types of post-windthrow disturbance history/regime: wooden debris extraction (EXT), wooden debris not extracted (NEX), wooden debris extraction followed by wildfire (FIR), affected by the windstorm in 2014 with the subsequent wooden debris extraction (REX) and unaffected (REF). Our results revealed significant differences among sites in the content of dichloromethane extractives (EXT vs. REX and FIR), acetone extractives (NEX vs. EXT, FIR and REF), ethanol extractives (FIR vs. EXT, NEX and REF), water extractives (FIR vs. REX, NEX) and Cmic (EXT vs. NEX, FIR and REF). The topsoil of Vaccinium myrtillus and Picea abies showed a higher ratio of C/N, N/Lig, and Lig/HC compared to Rubus idaeus, Avenella flexuosa, Calamagrostis villosa, and Larix decidua. The content of N, C, H and S varied between topsoil with shrubs (Vaccinium myrtillus, Rubus idaeus) and grasses (Avenella flexuosa, Calamagrostis villosa). A positive correlation between soil organic matter (SOM) and polar extractives (r=0.81) and a negative correlation between SOM and HC (r=−0.83) was revealed. The carbon content in microbial biomass (Cmic) is positively correlated with acid soluble lignin (ASL) (r=0.85). We also identified a strong correlation between Klason lignin (KL) and the Lig/HC ratio (r=0.97).

Optimized forest planning: allocation of log storage yards in the Amazonian sustainable forest management area

In Amazonian native forest management, forest road infrastructures, such as log storage yards and skid trails, are the most expensive attributes and are responsible for the significant environmental impacts with selective tree felling. Road optimization is crucial for reducing environmental impacts and production costs and is strongly linked to the optimal location of storage yards, which are essential to forest road planning. Considering the present problem and the current solutions available, this case study aimed to evaluate the efficiency and eventual gains of optimized forest planning (OFP), as compared to traditional forest planning (TFP). The TFP method is currently used most frequently by forest companies in the Amazon region. The study area of 126.41 ha belongs to the National Forest (NAFO) Saracá-Taquera, Forest Management Unit II (FMU-II), Annual Production Unit (APU) 04/2018, and Work Unit (WU) 2. For the analysis, two areas were defined for exploration: the first was explored using the OFP mathematical model (57.75 ha) and the second followed the TFP plan of the company (68.66 ha). Plans and executions for both areas were compared. The OFP model significantly reduced the Euclidean distances between tree and yards, with only 0.23 km difference in the amount of planned forest roads, when compared to TFP. Additionally, OFP demonstrated a higher productivity (trees.h-1 and m3.h-1), a reduction of skid distance (by an average of 17.16%), and reduced the cost of log skidding (m3 by 25.76%). Thus, this study proved that OFP is a viable solution that can be adopted by companies to increase productivity.

Temporal Changes in Community Structure over a 5-Year Successional Stage in a Subtropical Forest

In the context of global warming, the changes of forest structure, diversity, and productivity along with forest succession have always been a topic of interest for many researchers. Studying the changes in community structure, biomass, and diversity of different diameter at breast height (DBH) classes in subtropical mountainous forests during forest succession can provide data in support of future forest succession predictions and forest management. We analyzed the changes of three DBH classes in a 10-ha plot while studying subtropical mountainous forest succession in 2012 and 2017. The results showed that during forest succession, the community abundance and richness significantly decreased while biomass increased slightly. Among the three DBH classes, changes were the greatest in small trees, followed by large trees, and then medium-sized trees. The abundance, biomass, richness, and Shannon–Wiener index of small trees all decreased significantly. In forests with medium-sized trees, biomass decreased significantly and abundance did not change significantly. In large trees, abundance and biomass increased significantly. Changes were observed in environmental driving factors during forest succession. In 2012, driving factors with significant effects included total phosphorus, transmitted direct solar radiation, organic matter, and capillary water capacity. In 2017, two driving factors were total phosphorus and total potassium while the main driving factor was still total phosphorus. The results showed that during forest succession the abundance and diversity of small trees were principal components of community abundance and diversity. A reduction in small-tree abundance and diversity will decrease community abundance and diversity. Large-tree biomass was a principal component of community biomass; accumulation of large-tree biomass will increase community biomass. Schima superba Gardner and Champ. and Castanopsis carlesii (Hemsl.) Hayata are the main dominant species in this area, which can quickly form stable communities. S. superba is also a fire-resistant tree species. Therefore, in natural forest management, planting of S. superba and C. carlesii in the secondary bare land can be considered. In addition, the evergreen broad-leaved forest can be recovered to the forest structure and productivity level before selective cutting, which provides important inspiration for forest management in the region.

After a Century: National Forest Management in the Intermountain Region at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century

After a Century: National Forest Management in the Intermountain Region at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century

Sustainable management of unused eastern redcedar: An integrated spatial and economic analysis approach

The changes in native forest and grassland management regimes following European settlement, particularly fire exclusion, have prompted the growth of fire intolerant woody tree species such as eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). Eastern redcedar is a native species that has encroached into the prairies and forests of the southern Great Plains of the United States. Over the past few decades, the state of Oklahoma has witnessed considerable ecological and economic losses due to the widespread encroachment of eastern redcedar. This study performed an economic impact analysis in conjunction with a spatial analysis to understand the impacts of the introduction of new eastern redcedar-based bioproducts industries on the economy of Oklahoma. The results suggested that the new eastern redcedar industry manufacturing particleboard, mulch, and oil would contribute an additional USD 96 million per year to the economy of Oklahoma, while generating 319 employment opportunities. In addition, the spatial analysis identified two hotspot clusters suggesting that the existing biomass in the northwest and southeast counties of the state could sustain the bioproducts industry for two to ten decades based on the annual feedstock requirement of different operations.

Silviculture and tree breeding for planted forests

One of the main issues facing the forestry sector is balancing the demand for forest products and the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Efficient plantation management and intensive silviculture practices are needed to grow timber in forest tree plantations. Due to the tangible impact on wood production, the plantations area in the world has constantly increased during the last several decades. The annual increase of plantation was 3.3 million ha in the period of 1990-2015. Over the past decades, tree improvement programs have progressed to the second, third, and fourth cycles to provide genetically improved planting stock to plantations. Substantial genetic gain has been realized from major tree improvement programs around the world. The effect of tree breeding on wood and fiber production per unit area has further increased by the modern plantation silvicultural applications, such as soil preparation, fertilization and thinning. Combination of tree breeding and silvicultural applications shortened the rotation ages of plantations, increasing the wood and fiber output per unit time. In this study, the importance of silvicultural treatments and plantation management has been reviewed and how such practices could enhance sustainable management of natural forests.

Patterns and drivers of deadwood volume and composition in different forest types of the Austrian natural forest reserves

Deadwood is an important structural feature in forests providing essential resources for various organisms. Both forest management and conservation are increasingly focusing on the integration of deadwood into forest management. Deadwood volume and composition are driven by forest type, stand age, natural tree mortality, tree species composition and harvesting intensity. Here, we used inventory data from 28 unmanaged natural forest reserves (NFR) in Austria to analyse the patterns and drivers of: (i) the volume of standing and lying deadwood, (ii) the diversity of deadwood in different forest types. Eight forest types are located in the investigated NFRs covering a wide range of vegetation types with altitudes of 140–1825 m asl.The volumes of living wood and deadwood differed markedly between forest types. The average deadwood volume per forest type ranged from 23 m3 ha−1 in larch forests to 109 m3 ha−1 in spruce-fir-beech forests. Likewise, deadwood diversity (species diversity as well as diversity in diameter classes and degree of decomposition) differed significantly among forest types, with the highest deadwood diversity found in beech and spruce forests and the lowest in hardwood floodplain forests, carbonate pine forests and larch forests.Our results show that volume and composition of deadwood vary greatly among different forest types. Regression models revealed that the availability of deadwood was mainly driven by tree- and stand related factors (e.g. forest type, diameter at breast height and volume of living stand), whereas site-related (e.g. altitude) and climatic factors (e.g. mean annual precipitation) had a minor influence. The variables tree species diversity, aspect and slope showed no significance and were therefore not integrated into the final model.This study provides insights into deadwood availability and diversity in NFRs on a national scale, providing reference data for unmanaged temperate forests and aiding decision-making in nature conservation and forest management, since NFRs are reference areas for close-to-nature forestry.

Провальное госуправление лесопользованием в России (на примере Иркутской области)

<span>В статье анализируются современные проблемы национального лесопользования на примере Иркутской области как ведущего региона по запасам и заготовкам древесины. Экстенсивное лесопользование в регионе при низком объёме лесовосстановления сопровождается хищническими незаконными рубками, большими потерями от пожаров и др., что в целом характеризует современное лесопользование как «катастрофически истощительное». Такая ситуация сложилась в том числе в результате неэффективной государственной системы управления лесом, как на законодательном, так и на исполнительном уровнях, которые в нашем случае рассматриваются в рамках политических и административных провалов государства. Причиной провалов государственной системы управления стали действия разнообразных институциональных ловушек, на одной из которых</span><span class="myHorizontalScaleForEmDashSpaceBefore"> </span><span>–</span><span class="myHorizontalScaleForEmDashSpaceAfter"> </span><span>институционально-психологической</span><span class="myHorizontalScaleForEmDashSpaceBefore"> </span><span>–</span><span class="myHorizontalScaleForEmDashSpaceAfter"> </span><span>автор особо заостряет внимание. Последняя, по его мнению, актуализирует роль управленческой рефлексии, нацеленной на кооперацию всех субъектов управленческого процесса. Изменить ситуацию неэффективного управления лесом сможет повышение роли внутренней рефлективности управления посредством реализации национального управленческого проекта.</span>

Using Forest Inventory and Analysis Data to Support National Forest Management: Regional Case Studies

Abstract Although many forestry practitioners have a general understanding of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and the type of data collected, most non-expert users of FIA reports and basic data are unlikely to be familiar with the breadth of information available and the many potential uses of the data. We present case studies from three USDA Forest Service regions to highlight a variety of applications of FIA data, from informing the forest plan revision process to supplying managers with timely information on important forest attributes at the stand and landscape scales. These examples illustrate the utility of FIA data in meeting managers’ information needs, the importance of the linkages between research and management throughout the agency, and the role that the FIA program can play in fostering those collaborations.

How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature.

The potential of forests as a source of health has been addressed by the scientific community and is now being considered in national forest strategies, management plans and policies. Studies identifying the mechanisms by which forest characteristics may induce these effects on human health are nevertheless scarce. This systematic review of literature on forests and human health with real-life human exposure was conducted to assess the extent to which forests have been studied and described in detail and the extent to which relationships between forest variables and health effects have been reported. The analysis underlines the lack of forest descriptions in 19.35% of the 62 studies selected for review as well as the high heterogeneity of forest variables’ description. Patterns among the articles could not be identified correlating the broader forest variable (forest type) and the most studied health variables identified (blood pressure, pulse rate or/and cortisol levels). These findings, together with previous ex situ researches, suggest the need to ameliorate and incorporate more accurate descriptions of forest variables within human health studies to provide data for forest management and the potential use of these habitats for preventive medicine and clinical practice guidelines.

RETRACTED:An assessment of software defined networking approach in surveillance using sparse optimization algorithm

Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can be used as basic elements of the sensor network or an upgrade of existing network that are built with static wireless sensor nodes. Wireless Networks (WN) are utilized across in surveillance in all domains like natural disasters, agriculture, water, forest, military, buildings, health monitoring, disaster relief & emergency management, area and industrial surveillance, due to its wider applicability. Software Defined Networking (SDN) provide a hopeful resolution in bendy supervision WSNs by allowing the separation of the control logic from the sensor nodes/actuators. The advantage with this SDN-based supervision in structure of WSNs is that it enables centralized control of the entire WSN making it simpler to deploy network-wide management protocols and applications on demand. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images are difficult to analyze due to the presence of speckle noise. Speckle noise must be filtered out before applying to other image processing applications. Three Layered Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network (TLFFBPNN) has been proposed to suppress the speckle noise. GLCM properties have been extracted and Back propagation training algorithm is used to train the neural network.

Designing a Citizen Science Project for Forest Landscapes: A Case from Hofmann Forest in Eastern North Carolina

Citizen science is a participatory research design that utilizes both non-professional researchers and professional researchers to collect, analyze, and disperse data. Citizen scientists seek to discover answers and draw solutions to scientific questions. The Hofmann Open Water Laboratory (HOWL) project, established in 2016, focuses its collaborative-based efforts in eastern North Carolina. HOWL citizen scientists monitor water quality, and quantity, that flows on and off the Hofmann Forest. HOWL provides opportunities to citizen scientists and gathers data to meet the project outcomes, which include understanding the importance of Hofmann Forest in the inner coastal plain of North Carolina, building science education skills for citizen science participants, and enhancing community relationships between the forest and citizens. This article outlines several approaches for developing citizen science projects in a forest context, drawing on experiences from HOWL. The paradigm can be used to meet the needs of any forest landscape’s research and management goals, while employing a participatory research approach. The guidelines present suggestions for productive and enduring processes for citizen engagement and project sustainability. Each project will need participants to set goals, build a diverse collaboration, and establish on-going evaluation processes to determine successful and failed components that ensures the project moves forward effectively. The citizen science efforts near the Hofmann Forest in Eastern North Carolina provided an excellent case study of the development of citizen science on the forest and adjacent lands. HOWL attempts to meet participant and socio-ecological outcomes, such as encouraging public action in natural resource and forest management, as well as enhancing scientific knowledge and skills. The project helps synthesize our experiences in this effort and the social science literature, providing reasonable guidelines for those seeking to establish their own citizen science efforts within a forest context.

Impacts of the Public Forest Management Law on traditional communities in Crepori National Forest

Abstract This article focuses on the impacts of the Public Forest Management Law on traditionally occupied territories, by analyzing the case of Crepori National Forest, in the state of Pará. The origins of the modalities of protected areas that focus primarily on high-tech exploitation are the starting point of the exposition, which highlights the elements that show how the management of forests benefits commercial exploration of wood resources over the territorial rights of peoples and communities that traditionally occupy these areas. The text also explains the mechanisms of the law that purportedly protect the territorial integrity of the conservation units. Finally, we present the case of Crepori, in which traditional communities were made invisible by the national forest management plan. The article draws on qualitative research, based on secondary data and ethnographic field work. The findings corroborate studies indicating that the processes of forest concessions negatively impact traditional communities.

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PENGELOLAAN HUTAN PRODUKSI LESTARI DI KALIMANTAN TIMUR

The Natural Production Forest Management (NPFM) policy in East Kalimantan has led to massive deforestation and degradation of East Kalimantan’s natural forests. Until 2012, almost 70% of East Kalimantan,s natural forest production has been damaged, more than that 80% of East Kalimantan,s forestry business has gone bankrupt. While the ecological and social losses are not countless. This is inseparable form the weaknesses in the NPFM policy operating system. In the perspective of administrative science, the effectiveness of NPFM policy implementation is related to the six administrative principles (Max Weber) in NPFM policy. The six neglected administrative principles are : 1) The principle of specialization of organizational functions, resulting in overlapping organizational functions Bureaucracy, Corporations and Operations in NPFM operation; 2) the formal hierarchical structure principle, as result there is no NPFM tiered supervision system; 3) Priciple of formal rules and standard operating prosedures (SOP), as a result, the NPFM deviation since the process of licensing, implementation and distribution of results; 4) Impersonal relationships, as a result bureaucratic decisions tend not to be objective; 5) The principle of special competence (professional), consequently the NPFM operation results are not optimal; 6) The principle of employing is in accordance with competence, consequently the NPFM performance is poor.

Governance of non-wood forest products in Russia and Ukraine: Institutional rules, stakeholder arrangements, and decision-making processes

Aspects of governance of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) include institutional rules, stakeholder arrangements, and decision-making processes that govern production systems from access to resources, their use, and to markets. Compared with other forest products, few studies have investigated the governance of NWFPs in European post-socialistic countries transitioning from a planned to a market economy. This study compares institutional frameworks and stakeholder arrangements related to NWFPs in Russia and Ukraine using a case study approach. Both countries have a legacy of top-down forest government, state-owned forests, and rural communities with a long dependence on plant- and animal-based NWFPs. We analysed legal documents for NWFPs in each country and conducted expert interviews with stakeholders from the public, private, and civil sectors involved in the decision-making process of NWFPs. Institutional frameworks for NWFPs in both countries are complex, unclear, and overlap. Multiple legal documents contain restrictions regarding the extraction and sustainability of NWFPs. However, no special laws or policies are solely for NWFPs; all measures are included in legislation that regulates nature conservation and forest management. The government of both countries tends to overlook non-industrial forest use undertaken by marginal local communities, even if economic, social, and cultural values of NWFPs are relatively high for local and regional development. A misfit is observed between legal frameworks and forest companies’ business policies with customary rights. This phenomenon caused a shift to introduce new stakeholder arrangements related to NWFPs as a special type of resource in areas where NWFPs are heavily used both for subsistence and for generating household income by local communities. Landscape approach initiatives such as model forests and biosphere reserves may empower local communities to find means to protect their rights, needs, interests, and values related to NWFPs.

Incorporating wildlife connectivity into forest plan revision under the United States Forest Service's 2012 planning rule

AbstractThe United States Forest Service promulgated new planning regulations under the National Forest Management Act in 2012 (i.e., the Planning Rule). These new regulations include the first requirements in U.S. public land management history for National Forests to evaluate, protect, and/or restore ecological connectivity as they revise their land management plans. Data and resource limitations make single‐species, functional connectivity analyses for the myriad species that occur within the 78 million ha the Forest Service manages implausible. We describe an approach that relies on freely available data and generic species, virtual species whose profile consists of ecological requirements designed to reflect the needs of a group of real species, to address the new Planning Rule requirements. We present high‐resolution connectivity estimates for 10 different generic species across a 379,000 ha study area centered on the Custer Gallatin National Forest (CGNF) in Montana and South Dakota under two different movement models. We identify locations important for connectivity for multiple species and characterize the role of the CGNF for regional connectivity. Our results informed the Plan Revision process on the CGNF and could be readily exported to other National Forests currently or planning to revise their land management plans under the new Planning Rule.

Software defined network based self-diagnosing faulty node detection scheme for surveillance applications

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can be used as basic elements of the sensor network or an upgrade of existing network that are built with static wireless sensor nodes. Wireless Networks (WN) are utilized across in surveillance in all domains, like natural disasters, agriculture, water, forest, military, buildings, health monitoring, disaster relief & emergency management, area and industrial surveillance, due to its wider applicability. Though the performance of WN is satisfactory, it still suffers from several challenges such as energy efficiency, reliability and security. This work attempts to render reliability to the wireless network as sensor physical node in network by detecting the faulty sensor nodes. The faulty sensor nodes degrade the performance of the complete sensor network and hence, it is necessary to detect the faulty sensor nodes to attain better Quality of Service (QoS) with software defined in network. The proposed method detects the faulty sensor nodes using software defined network approach by means of Reward-and-Punishment Model (RPM) and the hypothetical analysis of Dempster–Shafer (DS) theory protocol approach. The performance of the proposed approach is observed to be satisfactory in terms of Quality of Service parameters of faulty node detection accuracy, energy consumption and network lifetime.

Structuring contrasting forest stakeholders' views with the Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) approach

The study reported here aimed at presenting the structuring of a complex problem that emerges from contrasting perspectives of different stakeholders on the use and conservation of native forests in a context where regulations restrict their management, as occurs in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. The methodology adopted in this work consisted both in the construction of a causal map, based on interviews with stakeholders of Santa Catarina native forests, and in the analysis of the map using techniques of the Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) approach. The analyses carried out indicated that the economic valuation of forest resources as well as the monitoring of forest cover are key issues for the management of Santa Catarina's native forests. In addition, the information generated by the causal map analysis can assist not only the process of designing innovative and all-inclusive policies for the management of native forests, but also the modeling process based on Systems Dynamics in order to evaluate the impacts of policies on the dynamics that govern the conservation and use of the resources of native forests. The adopted SODA approach also proved to be effective in structuring the complex problem situation addressed in this study.

Association between Visual Stem Indicators in Tree Marking Operation for Natural Forest Management Under Selection System:

Association between Visual Stem Indicators in Tree Marking Operation for Natural Forest Management Under Selection System:

Characterizing 40 years of natural Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica carbon stocks in Northeast China using stand age from remote sensing time series

ABSTRACTRemote sensing (RS)-assisted estimates of forest carbon stocks are essential for modelling carbon budgets at large scales. Research on the dynamic variations in forest biomass and carbon stocks is important to improve the sustainable use of forest resources and understand forest carbon budgets in China. The Honghuaerji region of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is where Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. (MP) originated. MP forests contained the most important coniferous silvicultural tree species and were later introduced to the desert regions of northern China. However, there has been very little research on carbon stocks (vegetation and soil carbon) over time in the original MP forests. Our goal was to estimate the changes in the carbon stocks of the natural MP forests in the Honghuaerji region using a 40-year RS time series, forest survey data and laboratory data. First, we mapped MP forests and estimated forest ages based on Key Hole 9 and Landsat time series stacks from 1975 to 2015, and the estimated forest ages were shown to be consistent with the surveyed tree ages with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.96. Second, fifteen vegetation indices were evaluated as indicators of diameter at breast height (DBH). Of these, tasselled cap greenness provided the best relationships, and an RS-based DBH equation was constructed with an R2 of 0.65. Third, the carbon densities in the different ages of MP forests were obtained at regional scales. Finally, the dynamics of the carbon stocks in the natural MP forest ecosystem (including stems, branches, leaves, roots and soils) over 40 years were obtained. The results of this study indicated that the total MP forest ecosystem carbon stocks increased significantly from 7.36 ± 1.92 Tg C in 1975 to 11.52 ± 2.51 Tg C in 2015 at a rate of 1.42% year–1, among which vegetation carbon stocks increased 5.54% year–1 and soil carbon stocks increased 0.45% year–1. The results reveal a notable carbon increase in the MP forests in the Honghuaerji region over the past four decades and provide information on the role of natural forest conservation and management in China in mitigating global climate change.