Public Forests Research Articles

Assessing Willingness to Accept Compensation and Willingness to Pay for Kipkunur Forest Ecosystem Conservation in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

Public forests provide a variety of goods and services to communities whose opportunity cost is related to the value of alternative goods and services. This study sought to assess expressed conservation value of Kipkunur forests stock flow among economic units using expressed willingness to accept compensation and to pay. In order to account for forest goods and ecosystem services, information sought on forest resources was obtained from households living near the forest. Structured questionnaires were designed for the upstream and downstream households. In administering questionnaires, a systematic random sampling technique was employed and total samples of 224 and 231 for upstream and downstream households were selected, respectively. Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version-20) was used in analysis. From the results, there were more females than males in upstream than downstream and more males in downstream than females with the mean age of respondents being 44.47 and 43.42 years, respectively. Again, both study areas depicted mean households’ size of 6 persons. Major economic activity for upstream was agriculture, while for downstream were depended on formal jobs and entrepreneurial ventures owed to high education level among households heads. Further, study results showed upstream households expressed high conservation value for the selected forest attributes of fuelwood, water supply, food supply and biodiversity than downstream forests resources, which was seen to be influenced by satiation effect. In conclusion, existences of variation on expressed willingness to conserve for specific forest attributes was influenced by satiation effect. It is recommended for the formulation of policy incentives that corrects redistribution imbalance in resources conservation among economic units in order to reflect Kaldor-Hicks compensation tests.

Model of economic organization of the Russian forestry

The article presents socioeconomic transformations taking place in the Russian economy that had a direct impact on the economic relations in forestry. Russian forestry is the single branch of the material sector of the economy where market relations are still absent. Long-term budgetary financing of forestry has caused negative consequences. The paper describes an approach to forest management on market principles. Forest leasing system and organization of forest use by tenants of forest areas are considered. As a result practice of forest leasing gives the idea to establish special fund to finance forest reforestation. A model of the economic organization of forestry on non-leased forest lands must be different and based on the public owned forest enterprises. It is proposed that public forest enterprises are to be established as public managers but not owners of forest resources. The long-term practice of forest management by public enterprises in European countries demonstrates its high efficiency, whereas in Russia autonomous and budgetary institutions managing forest are not able to implement in forestry market principles compared to public enterprises. The public forest enterprises have the opportunities to combine capital, labor and forest resources in proper way.

Timber stock inventory in Amazon: simulations of cross-malt conglomerates sampling intensities

A high diversity of tree species and a fact that only a few they have commercial value makes it difficult to establish appropriate sampling to characterize the timber stocks of tropical forests. In contrast, large inventories are needed to subsidize the identification, description, and bidding of public forests for concession. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the cross-malt conglomerate in different sampling intensities to estimate the commercial volume of tree species and their susceptible to exploitation in an Amazon forest under concession. For this, a sampling process in cross-malt conglomerates was simulated with intensities of 20 (0.5%), 40 (1%), 60 (1.5%), 80 (2%), and 100 (2,5%) sampling units from a forest census. The intensity of 100 sampling units was adequate to sampling the timber stock in natural forests, since it generated sampling errors close to or less than 10% established by law. The detection of species susceptible for exploration and the characterization of floristic composition of the tree stratum were other advantages observed. Thus, sampling by cross-malt conglomerates with first random stage is recommended for inventories of production forests in Amazon.

Gestión del paisaje en los montes públicos de la región de Murcia, España

La Región de Murcia, en el Sureste de España, cuenta con una gran diversidad paisajística y los montes públicos contribuyen de forma importante a esa diversidad. El Convenio Europeo del Paisaje obliga y compromete a la gestión del mismo, siendo desarrollado mediante normas y estrategias por parte de las administraciones locales y Regionales. En este trabajo, se estudia la gestión del paisaje en los montes públicos de la Región de Murcia, según diferentes documentos normativos, tanto de carácter general como específico referidos a los espacios naturales protegidos. Se han analizado y valorado los documentos, internacionales, naciones y regionales, con incidencia en la gestión del paisaje de los montes públicos. Se pudo comprobar que el mayor número de medidas recaen sobre los incluidos dentro de los espacios protegidos.

Illegal logging as a disincentive to the establishment of a sustainable forest sector in the Amazon.

Brazil recently began granting timber concessions in public forests to promote sustainable forest use. The effectiveness of this strategy hinges on the design and implementation of the concessions themselves as well as their competitive position within the logging sector as a whole. There is, however, a lack of information on the competitive interaction between legal and illegal logging and its effects on concessions profits. We address this knowledge gap by using a spatially explicit simulation model of the Amazon timber industry to examine the potential impact of illegal logging on timber concessions allocation and profits in a 30-year harvest cycle. In a scenario in which illegal logging takes place outside concessions, including private and public “undesignated” lands, concession harvested area would decrease by 59% due to competition with illegal logging. Moreover, 29 out of 39 National Forests (≈74%) would experience a decrease in harvested area. This “leakage” effect could reduce concession net rents by up to USD 1.3 Billion after 30 years. Federal and State “undesignated” lands, if not adequately protected, could have 40% of their total volume illegally harvested in 30 years. Our results reinforce the need to invest in tackling illegal logging, if the government wants the forest concessions program to be successful.

Resource selection by GPS-tagged California spotted owls in mixed-ownership forests

The relative contribution of private and public forest to the conservation of species in mixed-ownership landscapes has often been contentious because management goals vary among owners. This tension can be exacerbated by a lack of understanding about how wildlife use habitats managed by different landowners and the relative value of habitats in having different structures, configurations, and management histories. To address this knowledge gap and enhance science-based conservation planning among different ownerships, we analyzed habitat selection by 53 GPS-tagged California spotted owls across multiple temporal scales within mixed-ownership landscapes in the Sierra Nevada. At a fine temporal scale, step-selection function analysis of hourly locations collected by GPS tags suggested that foraging spotted owls selected closed-canopy, larger-tree forest (Quadratic Mean Diameter [QMD] ≥ 33 cm, canopy cover ≥ 60%). Point selection function (PSF) analysis based on single nightly locations suggested that spotted owls selected a broader range of forest conditions including selection of forests having intermediate sized trees and intermediate canopy cover (QMD 28–33 cm, canopy cover ≥ 50%), and the strength of selection for these forest conditions increased in the less frequently used areas of home ranges. The PSF also suggested that spotted owls selected areas with relatively high cover type heterogeneity that included a mix of seral stages, except in the core of their home range where they selected relatively spatially homogenous forests characterized by large trees and closed canopy. Spotted owl home ranges increased in size with increasing elevation and cover type heterogeneity, and decreased in size with forest characterized by intermediate-sized trees. Collectively, these results indicate that landscapes having forest patches characterized by either intermediate or large-sized trees, both with high canopy cover, likely constitute the important foraging habitat for California spotted owls in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests. However, selection for any one particular cover type was not sufficiently strong for us to infer selection of individual landownership types, in spite of differences in forest conditions among ownerships. Collectively, our findings suggest that privately-owned lands used in our study may harbor more suitable spotted owl foraging habitat than previously recognized. Finally, given the importance of understanding the relationship between landowner management priorities and the resultant pattern of vegetation on lands with different ownerships, the development of forest management strategies relevant for broad-scale conservation of the Sierra Nevada forest will benefit from effective collaboration between forest managers, landowners, and research organizations.

Spatiotemporal variability of fire regimes in adjacent Native American and public forests, New Mexico, USA

AbstractStatistical descriptions of reconstructed fire regimes are often extrapolated from a composite of small forest stands to represent extensive geographical areas. However, statistical properties of fire regimes are scale‐dependent, thus causing some extrapolations from fine scale to coarse scale and comparisons between fire‐scar‐based reconstructions to be inappropriate. We assessed landscape fire regimes of the Sacramento Mountains, in southern New Mexico, using dendrochronological methods and a variety of fire statistics and analysis filters. We reconstructed historical and recent fire regimes for the Mescalero Apache Tribal Lands (MATL) at tree and site scale (25 ha). We then estimated the Sacramento Mountains historical and recent fire regimes by combining paleo fire data from this study with published data from the adjacent Lincoln National Forest (LNF). We applied filters to provide fire statistics that are relatively unbiased to the different spatial measurement extent of the studies. This is the first study to assess fire regime in the MATL over multiple spatial and temporal scales. The results show that frequent surface fires occurred at all scales in the Sacramento Mountains until fire was excluded from the landscape in the early 1900s. Historical fires were found to be synchronous with drought years, typically La Niña events, and often preceded by wet years. We did not find evidence supporting differences in fire regimes between the MATL and the LNF, suggesting that fire cessation following intensive Euro‐American settlement was widespread. The interruption of frequent surface fires, together with other changes in forest structure and climate, pose a significant threat to sustainability of forest ecosystems on Native American tribal lands.

Estimation of leaf chlorophyll content and density in Populus euphratica based on hyperspectral characteristic variables

Chlorophylls are the most important pigments for photosynthesis and are related to the phenology and health status of plants. Monitoring the chlorophyll content and density of Populus euphratica leaves via remote sensing technology has great significance for restoring and reconstructing damaged desert ecosystems. In this study, Populus euphratica leaves were collected in the public welfare forest reserve of Awati county, Xinjiang, China. Spectral variables and the chlorophyll content and density of leaves were obtained, simple linear regression and multiple linear regression models were built to predict leaf chlorophyll content and density. The results showed that partial least-squares regression models are the most appropriate for chlorophyll content estimation and its determination coefficient and root mean square error were 0.630 ∼ 0.745 and 0.031 ∼ 0.240, respectively. The standard deviation to root mean square error ratio was greater than 1.8 and the ratio of the standard error of the laboratory to the standard error of prediction was close to 1 for the partial least-squares regression models. These results confirmed that chlorophyll content can be accurately predicted and the proposed partial least-squares regression models were adequate for estimating Populus euphratica chlorophyll content rapidly and nondestructively, representing an alternative to conventional measurement methods. The rapid monitoring of chlorophyll content can reflect the health condition of Populus euphratica in a timely manner and provide technical support for ecological reconstruction in arid areas.

Institutional bricolage of Sustainable Forest Management implementation in rural settlements in Caatinga biome, Brazil

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) implementation strategies articulate different aims, goals, and interests across different scales of governance and social-ecological contexts. When SFM is implemented in common pool or public forests, governmental initiatives play a central role in defining formal institutions that will interact with the local social-ecological context. At the same time, local actors’ practices on governing common pools forests are also a key-factor in SFM implementation. This paper analyses, through a critical institutionalism lens, how interactions between a new set of formal institutions with pre-existing local institutions result in (un) expected governance outcomes when implementing SFM on the ground. Using the Caatinga biome in Northeast Brazil as a case study, it shows how local actors (bricoleurs) perform institutional bricolage processes by rejecting, adapting, or integrating institutions linked to SFM implementation strategies to their social-ecological contexts. The paper is based on a qualitative data analysis from twenty interviews with local and governmental actors, and nine site visits to rural settlements and industries. The analysis leads us to conclude that formal SFM institutions in Caatinga do not dialogue with all the different roles that forests resources have in the livelihood of local actors, but rather have a dominant focus on the production of forest biomass for energy supply. Moreover, we found that the success of SFM implementation is highly dependent on the interactions amongst local actors within the social-ecological context. Accordingly, positive results are only achieved when these interactions help to face challenges, specifically those linked to bureaucracy and to technical capacity.

Brazilian State Forest Institutions: Implementation of forestry goals evaluated by the 3L Model

More than half of Brazilian territory (54%), or approx. 463 million ha, is covered by forests. Public forest ownership dominates with up to 80%, private forests cover cca. 20% and cca. 8% is unclaimed. In public forests the practice of concessions is growing, with the expectation of reducing the problem of Amazonian illegal loggings. Private forests are mainly under plantation management, which generates 5.5% of the country’s industrial gross domestic product. Relevance of both is accordingly high, although not dominant in forest share. A key question for forest policy is how successfully the state regulates both issues in practice. Our paper accordingly focuses on the Brazilian Forest Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, which are state forest institutions in charge of forest concessions and planted forests. We look at their performance against legally based forestry goals and rely on primary (participatory observation, semi-structured personal interviews and questionnaire) and secondary sources (documents) for empirical evidence. The 3 L Model serves as a theoretical basis. It was selected while applying criteria and indicators for evaluation of public institutions´ comprehensive performance with respect to sustainable forest management. The results show that Brazilian forest policy strives toward sustainable forest management, as an overall goal. In more particular, the performance of both examined state forest institutions is more market (than public demand) oriented and moves towards strengthening market competences. At the same time, there are constrains in sustaining forest stands. Due to permanent and strong conflicts related to land use changes in Brazil, the relevance of a mediator, aiming to harmonize all different interests related to forest protection and use, is high, but this role is still not taken, at least not by the evaluated state forest institutions. This represents new task for the forestry practice, while facilitating diverse interests in Brazilian forests could not only be a contribution toward conflict management between environmental, forestry and agribusiness actors but could also grant stronger political role to respective state forest institution(s). For attending this role, the performance evaluation of the whole and rather complex forest-related institutional setting in Brazil could provide relevant science-based policy arguments. This paper shows that the 3 L Model could be applied for such evaluation, as it was possible to adapt it to a non-European country and get a comprehensive overview of Brazilian plantation and concession forestry in practice.

The world(s) we live in – Inter-agency collaboration in forest management

Academics and politicians alike have argued for greater inter-agency collaboration to address sector-crossing policy issues, such as health care, policing, or natural resource management. Nevertheless, in reality, it remains a rare occurrence. We examine local-level (street-level) collaboration in the context of public forest management in Germany where, historically, public forests were solely under the forest management agency's authority. With the establishment of a nature conservation agency and subsequent legislative changes, responsibilities and authorities were increasingly distributed among both agencies. Today, the two agencies are connected through a system of approval procedures and expected to collaborate to further nature conservation objectives. We aim to understand how the mandate to collaborate is put into practice, and find a diversity of local level agency relationships. While the literature suggests the benefits of inter-agency collaboration stems from including a diversity of disciplines and compensating for limited resources, we find these aspects to pose significant challenges in local level practices. Aside from actor-related factors, we also found systemic and societal actors to be a strong influence on inter-agency exchange.

Практическая деятельность ведомства государственных имуществ в Нижегородской губернии по поддержке кустарной промышленности во второй половине XIX в.

One of the important directions in the development of the economy of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century was the support of small handicraft industry. It was during this period that the handicraft industry reached a new stage of its development, on the one hand, exerting an ever greater influence on the economies of counties and provinces, and on the other, demanding more close attention. The period until 1864 is characterized by the absence of any systematic information about artisanal trades that are widespread in the territory of a province. In fact, only the department of state property periodically collected information about the artisan rural industry for solving narrow departmental tasks. In fact, from 1864 onwards, the functions of the state property agency in terms of supporting the fisheries remained. They consist of providing exhibitions, providing public forest on preferential terms, assisting in the development of peat extraction, collecting publications of local zemstvos for agricultural statistics, etc.

Timber selling policies using bundle-based auction: The case of public forests in Québec

In the province of Québec, the government provides 25% of the volume of timber that is annually cut in crown forests through sealed-bid one-winner auctions. It was noted that many offers are made for some areas but few or none are made for many other areas. As such, a significant number of the timber volumes remains unsold. However, the combination of areas to form bundles can provide economy of scale that is not seen otherwise. We highlight some issues regarding the current allocation system and we analyse the effectiveness of different bundling systems in maximizing government revenues and enhancing bidders' competitiveness. We use actual forest data to evaluate different rules and strategies for the creation and allocation of partial and full bundles. Our results suggest that the use of the option of bundling forests areas makes the auction process more beneficial to the majority of stakeholders: Government revenues are increased; the bidding companies are more likely to obtain the desired volumes and pay less for harvesting and equipment relocation; and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

The (new) role of public forest administration in Western Balkans: examples from Serbia, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Republika Srpska

Public forest administrations in the Western Balkans were challenged when facing novel forest policies following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. To answer (i) what (formal) goals lead public forest administrations nowadays and (ii) how do public forest administrations fulfil these goals, we evaluated the implementation of forest policy goals in Serbia, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Republika Srpska by using existing criteria and indicators and the 3L model as a theoretical basis. Survey and document analyses focused on the effects observable in state and private forests. In state forests, all public or state forest enterprises were able to reach goals of multifunctionality and profitablity by prioritizing marketable goods. Sustaining forest stands is important, but it is met differently in practice. Performance in private forests is much weaker and the influence of ministry departments or sectors is weak. In conclusion, the potential for a new, stronger role of public forest administration exists: (i) the supply of marketable and nonmarketable goods could be increased, whereas securing sustained forest stands remains a permanent challenge; (ii) efficiency and profits could be improved if internal and external pressures grow; and (iii) joining forces of forestry actors could strengthen the currently weak political role and enable a strong forestry representative to emerge in the future.

Orchestrating Forest Policy in Italy: Mission Impossible?

In the Italian political and economic agenda the forest sector occupies a marginal role. The forest sector in Italy is characterized by a high institutional fragmentation and centralized decision-making processes dominated by Public Forest Administrations. Public participation in forest policy processes has been implemented since the 1990s at national, regional and local levels in several cases. However, today no significant changes have been observed in the overall governance of the forest sector and stakeholders’ involvement in Italian forest policy decision-making is still rather limited. The aims of this paper are to describe the state of forest-related participatory processes in Italy at various levels (national, regional and local) and identify which factors and actors hinder or support the establishment and implementation of participatory forest-related processes in the country. The forest-related participatory processes are analyzed adopting a qualitative-based approach and interpreting interactive, complex and non-linear participatory processes through the lens of panarchy theory.

Nilai Ekonomi Langsung Berbagai Sistem Pengelolaan Hutan Rakyat di Desa Mirring, Kab. Polewali, Sulawesi Barat

Public forests are land ownership whose management is oriented to timber productivity, but in addition to timber under stands can also be cultivated food crops and environmental services all of which have economic value. Community forest management can provide direct and indirect economic benefits as an alternative source of economic income for the people of Mirring Village, Binuang District, Polman , West Sulawesi. This research aims to find out how much the direct economic value of community forest based on its management system which can then be used as a reference for future forest management plan. The research was conducted from March to December 2017. Data were collected using survey and interview methods, where the observed variables included descriptions of community forests, community forest productivity including timber and non-timber forest products, and local market prices. The analysis is done descriptively quantitative. The result of the research shows the highest economic value is in agroforestry forest management system of Rp.127.962.157, followed by mixed stands and monoculture system of Rp.97.894.958 and Rp.71.728.608, respectively. Products produced by community forests consist of timber and non-timber forest products.Keywords: economic value, forest community, Polman.

Payment for Targeted Grazing: Integrating Local Shepherds into Wildfire Prevention

Wildfires are one of the most prominent risks for Mediterranean forests, reducing the flow of ecosystem services and representing a hazard for infrastructure and human lives. Several wildfire prevention programs in southern Europe are currently incorporating extensive livestock grazers in fire prevention activities to reduce the high costs of mechanical clearance. Among these the Andalusian network of grazed fuel breaks, the so-called RAPCA program, stands out for its dimension and stability over time. RAPCA currently works with 220 local shepherds who, with their guided flocks maintain low biomass levels in almost 6000 ha of fuel breaks in public forests to meet fire prevention standards. This work analyses the institutional design and performance of the RAPCA payment scheme under a payment for environmental services (PES) framework. Results show effectiveness of the payment scheme while efficiency is achieved through savings relative to the mainstream mechanized biomass removal, as well as through reduced information asymmetry. High-level and stable political commitment has been crucial for the emergence and consolidation of RAPCA. Moreover, key intermediaries and sound monitoring practices increased levels of trust amongst involved actors. Beneficial side-effects include social recognition of shepherds’ activities and reduction of their friction with forest managers.

Core values underpin the attributes of forests that matter to people

Managers of public forests are required to balance multiple values of forests. Developing policies to represent these can be impeded by uncertainty regarding how to understand and describe values relevant to forests. This paper addresses one source of ambiguity by examining forest values at two levels of abstraction: Core values of people (principles that guide in life), and valued attributes of forests (qualities of forests important to people). We used in-depth interviews with 36 members of the public in Victoria, Australia to describe the values relevant to forests at both levels.We then examined relationships between values based on a survey of members of the Victorian public (n = 915). Our study revealed valued attributes encompassing natural, production, cultural and experiential categories.We demonstrated a broader range of core values relevant to forest management than previously recognized: Security (safety and stability of society) and hedonism (pleasure and sensory gratification) were expressed in addition to biospheric, altruistic and egoistic values. Associations between core values and valued attributes revealed biospheric values underpin variation in the importance given to production and natural attributes of forests. The core value of security also underpinned multiple valued attributes. By revealing a comprehensive yet succinct range of values associated with forests, this research supports development of forest policy congruent with expectations of society.

La Desamortización civil de Madoz. Resultados para los montes públicos en la provincia de Granada 1855-1924

The Civil Disentailment of Madoz had important consequences for the forests. The Granada province was affected by this political decision that had its origin in the Act of 1 st of May, 1855. The consequences of this Law were disastrous in general for our country, and in particular for the Granada province. However, it was from this initiative aiming to get rid of the forests owned by the State, Municipalities and other public bodies, that the first Catalog of Public Utility Forests was born in the year 1901 these forests that were set-aside of the Disentailment by their condition of public utility. In the Granada province, the first classification contained 66 forests, with a total surface area of 114,393.32 ha, excluded from the disentailment whereas 32 public properties with a surface area of 36,244.25ha, were considered alienable. Finally, the Catalog of Forests excluded from the disentailment by their condition of Public Utility in 1901, began with a total of 60 forests, with a surface area of 118.707 h a . It would be the origin of the current Catalog of Public Forests after a process occurring between 1855 and 1924. In this paper the whole process and the outcomes of disentailment of public forests are analyzed for the Granada province.

Current Perspectives on Sustainable Forest Management: North America

Increased availability of current forest resource information provides an opportunity to evaluate the continued concerns about forest sustainability in North America. The purpose of this study is to assess and discuss the current state and trends of North American forest resources, sustainable forest management, and their implications for forest sustainability. Recent information indicates that forest sustainability in North America is not under threat. Forest area, inventory, and carbon stocks have been increasing while wood harvest has been declining. Large expanses of forest resources are covered by management plans, and many forests are certified. The areas of concern include forest fires and bark beetle infestations in primarily public forests in the western USA and Canada, and continued loss of forest cover in Mexico. Despite progress made in gathering information on forest resources, evaluating forest sustainability remains challenging. Practicing sustainable forest management is made difficult by unfavorable market conditions and the ensuing lack of funding, challenges in developing and implementing forest management plans, and uncertainties including potential impacts of climate change, population growth, and changing markets.