Part Of Sustainable Forest Management Research Articles

Analysis of NDVI and Plant Vegetation Diversity in the Traditional Zone, Mount Halimun Salak National Park, Bogor

Mount Halimun Salak National Park (MHSNP) traditional zone is a zone which is highly utilized by the local community to fulfill their daily needs by utilizing non-timber forest resources and implementing an agroforestry system with the main commodity is poh-pohan (Pilea melastomoides). Forest monitoring in the MHSNP traditional zone is very important to do as part of sustainable forest management and the realization of supporting Indonesia's Forestry And Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 program. This study aims to analyze the density of vegetation based on NDVI values; besides, analyze the level of plant species diversity and stand structure in the traditional zone of MHSNP. Furthermore, the data collection of plant species diversity at the area based on NDVI value of vegetation density. NDVI values ​​are obtained into three classes that have different land conditions. The class 1 value range from 0.147 to 0.273 has a low vegetation density. Class 2 from 0.273 to 0.319 has medium vegetation density. Meanwhile, class 3 has high vegetation density with a value of 0.319 to 0.433. Diversity of plant species has 60 different species from a total of three classes. The density of seedlings is lower than saplings and at the level of poles, trees is decreasing that is indicates a balanced stand structure. The low seedling level is caused by inhibition of seedling growth due to cleaning by the local community in preparation for planting understory since the community prefers to plant understory which harvest faster woody plant seedling.

Ulcerative tumour-like disease of white fir in the Pokuttia Carpathians

The current state of dark coniferous forests on Earth is a bio-indicator of global environmental change, in particular, the process of gradual degradation of tree species of the genera Pine, Spruce and Fir, due to the negative impact of anthropogenic activities, abiotic and biotic factors. The purpose of the study is to establish the symptoms, prevalence and harmfulness of the causative agent of ulcerative tumour-like disease on the shoots and trunks of white fir. The research was conducted on the territory of the forest fund of the Pokuttia Carpathians, in particular, within the branch Kutske forestry of the State Specialised Economic Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” in the Kosivske forest enterprise. The study uses classical phytopathological and mycological methods, which are used to investigate the aetiology of the disease, analyse typical symptoms (starting from the early stages), and perform microscopy of the affected parts of fir. The symptoms, aetiology, and pathogenesis of white fir ulcer-like disease, which tends to spread, were investigated. A new name for the disease is substantiated, in particular, it is proposed to use the name “ulcerative tumour-like disease” of fir instead of the current name “cancer”. It is shown that a typical sign of infection is the development of tumours, which eventually transform into ulcers. It was found that the tumour-like type of lesion prevails on the undergrowth of fir, and on plants of the upper tiers – ulcerative. It is noted that a typical sign of ulcerative tumour-like disease of white fir is also the presence of pathologies such as “witches’ broom”. It is proposed to remove affected trees with typical signs of infection with ulcerative tumour-like disease to reduce the infectious background, especially during lighting and cleaning, since affected trees are not released from infection. Therefore, assessing the risk of infection of white fir trees with ulcerative tumour-like disease at the level of specific stands and ensuring an appropriate response to potential infection risks is an important part of sustainable forest management

Moving towards the ecological intensification of tree plantations

The growing demand for timber and the boom in massive tree-planting programs could mean the spreading of mismanaged tree plantations worldwide. Here, we apply the concept of ecological intensification to forestry systems as a viable biodiversity-focused strategy that could be critical to develop productive, yet sustainable, tree plantations. Tree plantations can be highly productive if tree species are properly combined to complement their ecological functions. Simultaneously considering soil biodiversity and animal-mediated biocontrol will be critical to minimize the reliance on external inputs. Integrating genetic, functional, and demographic diversity across heterogeneous landscapes should improve resilience under climate change. Designing ecologically intensified plantations will mean breaking the timber productivity versus conservation dichotomy and assuring the maintenance of key ecosystem services at safe levels.

“Mushrooms (and a cow) are A Means of Survival for Us”: Dissimilar Ethnomycological Perspectives among Hutsuls and Romanians Living Across The Ukrainian-Romanian Border

Sustainable forest management highlights the multipurpose use of all forest resources, including the use of wild mushrooms, by a variety of forest users and especially for rural livelihoods. To achieve sustainable forest management, among others, decision-makers and forest managers need to identify the important elements for the livelihoods of local communities dependent on forests. Therefore, our aim is to analyse the importance of contemporary use of wild mushrooms for daily livelihoods in rural areas of the Carpathian Mountains by comparing two ethnic groups, Hutsuls and Romanians, living in a similar ecological environment and formerly belonging to the historical region of Bukovina, but currently split by the border between Ukraine and Romania which have different governments and economic situations. One hundred and twenty-one face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted in the summers of 2018 and 2019. We compared the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of Romanians and Hutsuls living, respectively, in lowlands and mountain areas on both sides of the border. Our results demonstrated the homogenous use of mushroom species for cultural purposes (e.g. ritual foods). Yet, we detected a remarkable difference in the role mushrooms play in providing income: Hutsuls in Ukraine use forest products as a main (rarely additional) source of income, while Romanian Hutsuls use them solely as additional income. Romanians on both sides considered mushrooms mainly as food and did not sell them (probably due in part to less abundance in the area). We also documented the fear of local residents that forest management and protected areas could suppress the right to collect wild mushrooms. The use of mushrooms is an important aspect of local TEK and needs to be considered as a part of sustainable forest management and as a means of poverty reduction in the region.

Conservation Strategy of Native Seedlings in Kalimantan to Achieve Sustainable Forests in Indonesia

Recently, the attention of the global community is increasing to the phenomenon of climate change. Climate change could influence the imbalance of the forest ecosystem. Likely floods, forest fires, pests, and disease outbreaks are the important factors that can decrease forest productivity as a reciprocal relationship between forest disturbance and deforestation. The development of plantation forests and natural forest nurseries is one solution to maintain forest resources by reducing deforestation rates and conserving biodiversity. In this study, to conserve native trees of Kalimantan, we explored natural seedlings in their habitats as part of sustainable forest management. The study was conducted at IUPHHK-HTI PT Korintiga Hutani (PT KTH) from 2019 to date. Seedling explorations were carried out in Bukit Panjang and Sungai Inaf Besar. The collection method used wild seedlings (soil aggregate was still compacted in the roots). Furthermore, wild seedlings were grown in a polybag (23 × 15 cm) and stored in shading areas. Then, for acclimatization, it was transplanted to a natural forest nursery. These results suggest that the nursery has collected 9 families, 10 genus, 13 species, and 9791 individuals with 2680 individuals, represent the majority of dominance. As much of 600 seedlings of Dipterocarpaceae were planted at the river border in PT KTH.

Reducing ecological risk from the impacts of introduced exotic species in forestry industry: Limiting the invasiveness through a management and biological practices in Acacias plantation in Indonesia

Balance benefit of ecological, economic, and social is a part of sustainable forest management. Industrial forest plantation is one of the ecological practices through increasing land cover to provide a good impact for economic and social. Introducing suitable species for industry from out of regions is commonly practiced in the plantation. In Indonesia, some Acacias species have been recognized as major plantation species to meet industrial requirements that are economically feasible, suited to major end-product, high productivity, and fast growth. However, some studies have classified the Acacias as exotic species which potentially show an invasive. Taking into account such invasiveness and anticipating ecological risk, this paper presents some considerations on plantation management and biological practices of the Acacias. Compromises among the reproductive system, growth, and rotation in the plantation management could limit the invasiveness. Besides high stand productivity, results from genetic and breeding could also provide a positive impact to diminish the reproductive process of trees that consequently reduce seeds in the Acacias plantation and limit its invasiveness. It concludes that some considerations and a good understanding of biological factors in plantation management practices could reduce ecological risk from the invasiveness of Acacias, and even it could be used for increasing plantation productivity.

Integration of Sentinel-2 Derived Spectral Indices and In-situ Forest Inventory to Predict Forest Biomass

 
 Forest biomass estimation is the central part of sustainable forest management to assess carbon stocks and carbon emissions from forest ecosystem. Sentinel-2 is state-of-art sensor with refined spatial and recurrent temporal resolution data. The present study explored the potential of Sentinel-2 derived vegetation indices for above ground biomass prediction using four regression models (linear, exponential, power and logarithmic). Sentinel-2 indices includes Global environmental monitoring index, transformed normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference water index, normalized difference infrared index and red-edge normalized difference vegetation index. The performances of Sentinel-2 indices were assessed by simple single variable (index) based regression for GEMI, TNDVI, NDII, NDWI and RENDVI versus AGB values. Further, stepwise linear regression was also developed in which used all indices entered into stepwise selection and the best index was selected in the final model. Results showed that linear model of all indices performance best compared to the rest three models and R2 values 0.12, 0.39, 0.46, 0.44 and 0.37 for Global environmental monitoring index, transformed normalized. Vegetation index, normalized difference water index, infrared index and red-edge vegetation index, respectively. Normalized difference water index was considered the best index among five computed indices in simple linear as well as in stepwise linear regression, whereas rest of the indices were removed because they were not significant under the stepwise criteria. Further, the accuracy of normalized difference water index model was determined by root mean square error and final prediction model has 28.27 t/ha error for both simple linear and stepwise linear regression. Therefore, normalized difference water index was selected for biomass mapping and resultant biomass showed up to 339 t/ha in the study area. The resultant biomass map also showed consistency with global datasets which include global forest canopy height and global forest tree cover change maps. The study suggest that Sentinel-2 product has great potential to estimate above ground  biomass with accuracy and can be used for large scale mapping in combination with national forest inventory for carbon emission accounting.
  
  

Modeling realized gains in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) using laser scanning data from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

Tree breeding programs form an integral part of sustainable forest management by providing genetically improved stock for reforestation. These programs rely on accurate phenotyping of forest trials, which become increasingly difficult to assess as trees grow larger and canopy closure occurs. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) provides three-dimensional point cloud information on forest structure which can be used to characterize phenotypes of forest trees. We analyzed 22-year-old realized gain trials of coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco var. menziesii) at three sites in coastal British Columbia, Canada, using dense point clouds produced from ALS acquired by unmanned aircraft system (UAS). We assessed the accuracy of ALS data against ground estimates of stand maximum height (r2 = 0.90, p < 0.001) and leaf area (r2 = 0.82, p < 0.001). We characterized phenotypes in blocks of differing levels of predicted genetic gain by generating a suite of quantitative point cloud metrics to describe four categories of stand attributes: Height, Density, Heterogeneity, and Volume. By normalizing all metrics to percent change from the means of unimproved control blocks, we analyzed point cloud metrics in terms of realized gains comparable across sites. Variable importance scores derived from conditional Random Forests indicated that descriptors of canopy height were the most important predictors of genetic gain for volume-per-ha. We selected a simple bivariate regression model using gains in mean canopy height and effective leaf area index to predict realized genetic gain for total stand volume (R2 = 0.82 – 0.94, p < 0.01, RMSE = 9.12 – 10.8%). Based on the consistent performance of this model across sites, we suggest that characterizing genetic trials in terms of increases in tree height and leaf area is a robust approach to predicting volume gains in this system. Additionally, we discuss the application of ALS as part of a phenotyping platform to inform operational decision making and forestry policy in British Columbia.

The abundance of epiphytic liverworts on the bark of Cryptomeria japonica in relation to different physical and biochemical attributes, found in Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary, Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya

BackgroundMaintenance of biodiversity is an integral part of sustainable forest management. Epiphytic bryophytes are an important element of biodiversity. Thus, this work aims to study the role of different physical and biochemical factors in affecting the growth and proliferation of epiphytic liverworts. Fifty trees in three different plots, distributed in Senchal wildlife sanctuary, Darjeeling, were surveyed. Factors such as light intensity, moisture, and diameter at breast height (DBH) of the tree were studied to evaluate their possible role in affecting epiphytic liverworts. The effect of bark biochemical characteristics on the abundance of epiphytic liverworts was also studied by undertaking a quantitative test of pH, phenol, flavonoid, ortho-dihydric phenol, terpene, total sugar, and tannin. Multiple regression analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were carried out to test the effects of these parameters.ResultsLight intensity, moisture, and DBH highly influenced the abundance of liverworts. Old trees had higher epiphytic liverwort cover than younger ones. Bark biochemical properties like pH, phenol, flavonoid, ortho-dihydric phenol, tannin and sugar did not have a significant effect on the epiphytic liverwort cover, while the terpenoid content of the bark reduced liverworts cover.ConclusionTo sustain the occurrence of epiphytic liverworts in ecosystems, forest management should ensure the presence of old trees. Light intensity and moisture had a large effect on the distribution and abundance of liverworts, so it is important to maintain tree cover, shrub layer, and tree density.

Effects of land use change and Quercus rubra introduction on Vaccinium myrtillus performance in Pinus sylvestris forests

Tree species diversity can positively affect numerous forest functions. This is why Scots pine monocultures, widely promoted in Central Europe since the 18th Century, are converted into mixed stands, also with broadleaved species of alien origin. Here we studied the impacts of Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) introduction and forest continuity (ancient vs. recent forests) on bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) – a dominant component of the forest understory and very important ecosystem services provider in temperate coniferous (Pinus sylvestris) forests. We measured bilberry cover, density and height of shoots, fruit productivity (number and biomass of berries) as well as biomass of stems and leaves. 2000 bilberry shoots (ramets) were collected in 200 plots located in four types of Scots pine forest in central Poland: recent and ancient forests, with and without Q. rubra. At the individual (ramet) level we found decreased aboveground biomass and fruiting leaf mass fraction of bilberry in recent pine monoculture and in both types of forest with Q. rubra. Presence of Q. rubra also modified the trajectory of the allometric relationship between biomass and height: plants with the same height had lower biomass. At the population level we found a decrease of shoot density, biomass and fruiting, which resulted from effects at the individual shoot level and from lower density. At the ecosystem level these relationships were modified by decreased cover of bilberry in the understory layer and bilberry fruit biomass in recent forests (with and without Q. rubra) and in ancient forest with Q. rubra. Results clearly indicated that V. myrtillus benefited from the continuity of Scots pine forests and declined after Q. rubra introduction. As V. myrtillus serves as shelter and provides food for numerous animal species, decreases in bilberry cover and biomass can have far-reaching consequences for biodiversity and population dynamics of numerous species which occur naturally in Scots pine forests. Results show that it can also result in a decrease in availability of non-wood forest products. Therefore, as part of sustainable forest management, we suggest limiting admixture of invasive Q. rubra (as well as other broadleaved species) into pine monocultures in areas with abundant V. myrtillus cover.

Is Mechanized Harvesting of Shrubs Grown for Energy Purposes Environmentally Sustainable?

Mechanized harvesting of shrub formations as part of sustainable forest management not only helps reduce the risk of forest fires in Mediterranean environments but also provides economic benefit from the extracted biomass, contributing to the development of the bioeconomy. However, these mechanized operations require an environmental impact assessment to identify the short-term impacts, both positive and negative. This is especially important in the Mediterranean basin given the specific climatic conditions which exist. In this study, the environmental impact of mechanized shrub harvesting is analyzed in relation to (i) changes in biodiversity and in the presence and growth of species; (ii) physical and chemical properties of the soil; and (iii) changes in forest fire risk. For this purpose, a pre-harvest inventory was conducted and post-harvest monitoring schedules of 1- and 2-year durations were established in three characteristic Mediterranean shrubland formations located in the northern&ndash;central area of the Iberian Peninsula. Our results reveal that the recovery rates in biodiversity indices after harvesting were very high, with values ranging from 30 to 70% depending on the site. Two years after harvesting, the species coverage was similar to the pre-harvest scenario in some locations, although not with regards to height, the ericaceous species being those with the greatest sprouting capacity. Significant changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils were also observed. In this regard, negative impacts such as soil compaction or slight acidification were identified at some sites. However, positive effects were also found such as an increment in carbon and nitrogen content after harvesting, along with increased litter quantity a year from the clearing operation due to biomass residue left on the ground after harvesting. Furthermore, mechanical harvesting effectively modified fire behavior in all the shrub formations 2 years after clearing, with a notable reduction in fire risk at all the studied sites.

IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTI-SYSTEM SILVICULTURE (MSS) TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF PRODUCTION FOREST MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF PT. SARPATIM, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN

To date, performance of the management of Indonesian production forests are discouraging. The concession areas, timber production and employment have been decreasing over time. concern on these matter and to improve management, a research was conducted for six years (2008-2013) and resulted in recommendations to implement the Multi-System of Silviculture (MSS) systems. Two products were generated in MSS; criteria and indicator to guide the selection of appropriate silvicultural system and supersilvik, a model to develop the best business plans. This paper evaluates and strengthens the recommendations through the simulation of MSS products in PT. Sarmiento Parakantja Timber (Sarpatim), Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Various data variables were used, such as thematic maps of forest areas, data of stand, materials, equipments, labors, finances and incomes. Data were processed in a variety of formulations which were connected to each other in model systems to produce a variety of outcomes, such as production, finance, employment and tax contributions. Results offer four options to improve PT. Sarpatim performance, one of which is the best choice. Compared to the former business model under limited silvicultural systems, MSS projected an increase in the use of land, timber production and employment by 151-753%. Implementing MSS will provide a better and healthier finance for company with an increase of NPV up to 193%; as well as for government tax revenues with an increase up to 308%. This MSS case study strongly suggests using the new theory that the management of production forests is a land and plant-based enterprises, which should put the land as the major capital and silvicultural aspects as the driving engine for production. The policy makers should be able to use these results as a reference in implementing MSS widely as part of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practices.

Monitoring changes in forest resource advisory groups’ composition and evaluations of perceptions of public participation effectiveness: a case of Ontario’s Local Citizens Committees

Effective public participation is a key part of sustainable forest management on publicly owned lands. However, long-term monitoring data that seek to measure effectiveness of public participation in forest management planning is lacking. Here, measures based on attitudes and satisfaction ratings associated with suspected criteria of public participation effectiveness were developed and applied to forest resource advisory group members from Ontario, Canada. Using data from four social surveys (2001, 2004, 2010, and 2014), advisory group members were, on average, satisfied and held positive attitudes towards the advisory group, their participation in the group, and forest management planning. In many instances, these positive evaluations increased from 2001 to 2014, especially for statements related to fairness. One concern about Local Citizens Committees (LCCs) related to their composition. Advisory group members were male dominated (about 88%) and were increasingly overrepresented by individuals between 50 and 69 years old in 2014 (67%). Given that male and female LCC members held different perceptions of the effectiveness of some public participation criteria, these concerns suggest that composition of LCCs might impair the ability of the groups to consider all viewpoints related to forest management planning. Finally, the research illustrates the importance of designing and collecting long-term monitoring data to understand how evaluations of public participation and composition of participants changes over time.

Use of forest resources, traditional forest-related knowledge and livelihood of forest dependent communities: Cases in South Korea

The patterns of forest resource use in South Korea have been overviewed along with the forest resource availability to the forest users and in relation to the socio-economic conditions of local people. In South Korea, forest income arises more from non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and forest ecosystems services than from timber. The relationship between availability of forest resources and income of residents in mountainous villages was addressed with statistical analysis of results of household surveys conducted in Gangwon-do Province. The result indicates that the mere existence of forest resources and related cultural heritages is not enough for local communities to obtain income from forest land. Proper arrangements for local communities in accessing the forest resources and knowledge of making use of the resources is required to make the relationship constructive for people's livelihood. Joint management agreement between forest communities and the forest owner serves both parties for sustainable forest management in Korea as seen in the case of maple sap collection within Seoul National University Forests. The traditional knowledge held by local residents is of value for income generation for forest dependent communities and is considered as an integral part of sustainable forest management as seen in the case of native honey bee keeping near protected forest areas managed by the national forest authority. However, traditional cultural values may be positive or negative for ecologically sound forest management as seen in the pest management policy of the Korean government formulated based on cultural value rather than considerations of ecosystem health.

Indigenous influence on forest management on the Menominee Indian Reservation

Until the era of self-determination from 1972 to the present, few Indian tribes in the United States were able to influence forest management on their reservations. The Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin is a major exception; based upon legislation in 1908, they were able to force the federal government to implement many ideas that are now popular as part of sustainable forest management: long rotation ages, selection harvest practices, and long-term monitoring. They also have maintained a mill throughout to support tribal employment. Other tribes have been able to implement their own ideas as their control of reservations has increased; the Intertribal Timber Council has an annual symposium at which tribes exchange ideas about forest management.

Social choice theory and its applications in sustainable forest management—a review

Important decisions of mankind have for centuries been made using voting techniques, both in small groups and in nationwide elections. Currently, involvement of public in forestry decision making is seen as an important part of sustainable forest management, both as a means to an end and as an end in itself. In public participatory processes, issues such as fairness, representativity, and transparency are important, as well as in any election. Therefore, it is natural to utilise the achievements of voting theory also in decision support for sustainable forest management. In this article, first a review of basic voting techniques is given, along with some new techniques involving elements of fuzziness or randomness. Second, modifications of voting for multicriteria decision aid are presented and, finally, applications of voting to natural resources management are described. The applicability of voting approaches to the group decision support and participatory planning of forestry are discussed. The most significant advantages of voting methods for this kind of decision support processes were found to be their ability to deal with ordinal preferences of decision makers and ordinal evaluation data on alternatives. In addition, voting methods are comprehensive and easy to interpret. This makes the decision support process transparent and quick and convenient to implement even with large groups of people, and via information networks.

Should sustained yield be part of sustainable forest management?

This paper considers the question of whether sustainable forest management (SFM) should continue to incorporate sustained yield (SY) requirements, as it currently does in many jurisdictions. We evaluate the extent to which SY and SFM are consistent with notions of weak and (or) strong sustainability. Strong sustainability implies placing constraints on the reduction of stocks of natural capital to prevent irreversibility and (or) protect flows of services that have public good characteristics. In contrast, weak sustainability may allow market forces to draw down stocks of natural capital so long as levels of total capital (including human-made and natural capital) are maintained. We argue that with SY policies, we have probably chosen to attach strong sustainability policies to the only forest resource that does not need such protection (i.e., timber), while we have excluded other resources that could well need such protection (e.g., biodiversity) for pursuing SFM. Thus, the concept of allowable annual cuts could be dropped from SFM to be replaced by safe minimum standards on components of forest capital that are subject to irreversibility and (or) that have public good features. In other words, if we truly wish to pursue SFM, it may be necessary to leave SY behind.

Wood-ash recycling affects forest soil and tree fine-root chemistry and reverses soil acidification

Wood ash was applied to a forest ecosystem with the aim to recycle nutrients taken from the forest and to mitigate the negative effects of intensive harvesting. After two years, the application of 8,000 kg ha−1 of wood ash increased soil exchangeable Ca and Mg. Similarly, an increase in Ca and Mg in the Norway spruce fine roots was recorded, leading to significant linear correlations between soil and root Ca and soil and root Mg. In contrast to these macronutrients, the micronutrients Fe and Zn and the toxic element Al decreased in the soil exchangeable fraction with the addition of wood ash, but not in the fine roots. Only Mn decreased in soil and in fine roots leading to a significant linear correlation between soil and root Mn. In soil, as well as in fine roots, strong positive correlations were found between the elements Ca and Mg and between Fe and Al. This indicates that the uptake of Mg resembles that of Ca and that of Al that of Fe. With the wood ash application, the pH increased from 3.2 to 4.8, the base saturation from 30% to 86%, the molar basic cations/Al ratio (BC/Al) of the soil solution from 1.5 to 5.5, and the molar Ca/Al ratio of the fine roots from 1.3 to 3.7. Overall, all below-ground indicators of soil acidification responded positively to the wood ash application within two years. Nitrate concentrations increased only slightly in the soil solution at a soil depth of 75–80 cm, and no signs of increased heavy metal concentrations in the soils or in the fine roots were apparent. This suggests that the recycling of wood ash could be an integral part of sustainable forest management because it closes the nutrient cycle and reverses soil acidification.

Landscape pattern, perception and visualisation in the visual management of forests

Forest planners, designers and managers have to incorporate visual landscape management into their plans as part of sustainable forest management (SFM). Over the last 20 years since the first “Our Visual Landscape” conference there have been numerous developments in visual management and design processes and techniques. Other developments, as part of SFM, such as ecosystem management and the need for more public participation in forestry planning, have also influenced the directions of forest management. The design of forest harvest units based on emulation of landscape patterns and processes means that landscape change can be driven by non-visual issues and principles and the earlier models developed for visual landscape management are no longer necessarily valid. However, the need for public participation means that landscape perception, in a broad sense, has become very important. Communication tools, such as computer visualisations of proposed landscape change have also been developed and present valuable possibilities. In order to help managers deal with both the changing forest landscape and the changing nature of perception, an approach is suggested that links landscape patterns and their manipulation with perceptions of them in order to help the development of positive design. In order for this to progress more effectively, several lines of research and development are suggested.

Risks associated with measures to enhance biodiversity in European Scots pine forests

The conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in European forests is an integral part of sustainable forest management, making it necessary to incorporate into forest operations measures specifically designed to meet the needs of wildlife. Scots pine forests make up a considerable proportion of the total forest area of western Europe and so could make an important contribution to forest biodiversity within the European Union. Pine silviculture is often based on clearfelling and replanting regimes, which produce relatively simple stand structures and landscapes. However, the growing appreciation of the importance of biodiversity has led to modifications being made to forestry methods, including changes to silvicultural systems, the retention of broadleaved trees, provision of deadwood as wildlife habitat, sensitive open ground and edge zone management, prescribed burning, and encouragement of natural regeneration. In many instances, these measures have been adopted with only limited attention given to their potential ecological and economic risks, such as pests and pathogens, habitat loss and fragmentation for some species, and future operational problems. This paper reviews the range of measures which have been proposed and, in some instances, adopted; and assesses the risks associated with them.