State Forest Policy Research Articles

By the Book: Examining California’s Private Forest Regulations from the Perspectives of Family Forest Landowners

Private forest land policies in the U.S. differ by state and range from regulatory to non-regulatory. The state of California has a highly regulatory policy system to ensure sustainable forest management, and the state’s family forest landowners, who hold 20% of the state’s forests, navigate this regulatory system to achieve their management objectives. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 33 family forest landowners to better understand their perceptions of state forest policies, including the policies’ efficacy and how they impact landowner behavior. We found that participants voiced general acceptance of California’s forest policies, though they described significant concerns because of financial burdens and regulatory uncertainty. They had nuanced views regarding how the policies protect public trust resources and private property rights, suggesting that landowners’ public responsibilities and private rights are not always at odds.

Transition to Mastering of Intensive Model of Forest Use and Reproduction

The article is devoted to the directions of the implementation of the modern state forest policy of preserving and improving the quality of the country's forest fund, increasing economic efficiency in the use and reproduction of forests, including through reasonable adaptation to regional conditions while preserving biodiversity and other social and environmentally significant functions of forests. The analysis of the modern extensive model of use and reproduction of forests in Russia, the Irkutsk region and a number of forestries was carried out. The main conditions hindering the intensive development of forestry are identified. The choice of the Irkutsk region as a region for the implementation of a pilot project for testing an intensive model for the use and reproduction of forests is substantiated. It has been proved that, in the initial state, the tasks of approbation of the intensive model of the group of forestries of the Bratsk and Sayan zones, Irkutsk region most adequately respond to the tasks. An assessment of the conditions for the practical development of the intensification model in forests is given, as well as of the project role in improving the normative acts regulating forest management, the possibility of expanding the transition to an intensive model of forest development in other zones.

Contested forests: The Van Gujjars' struggle to settle

The paper explores how the nomadic community of Van Gujjars are engaged in reproductions of forest-based settlement forms and construction of the Himalayan landscape through contestation and adaptation of State Forest policies. The paper first elaborates on the traditional settlement system of khols in the Shivalik forests, to better understand the Van Gujjars’ relationship with the landscape. Secondly, the paper examines resettlement of the community from the Rajaji National Park (RNP). Two case studies, of the Kunau Chaud and Gaindikhata resettlement sites, demonstrate the adaptive capacities of site-based systems against the sociocultural inadequacies of top-down planning. The paper attempts to foreground the case as an archetype of forest urbanism. Forest urbanism, which iterates between landscape urbanism and urban forestry, focuses on settlement and nature entanglements and the role of forests in structuring the environment. Instead of stereotyping traditional settling systems as backwards, and in line with David Graeber and David Wengrow’s perspective on humanity,1 the forest urbanism of the Van Guijars’ mode of settling is seen as an intriguing gaze into an inspirational world of possibilities.

СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЕ СИСТЕМЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ЛЕСНЫМ ХОЗЯЙСТВОМ В ЦЕЛЯХ РАЗВИТИЯ ЭКОНОМИКИ ЛЕСОЗАГОТОВИТЕЛЬНОЙ ПРОМЫШЛЕННОСТИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ИРКУТСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ)

The author suggests improving the management of the regional forest sector to meet the needs of industry and society. Rational use and control of forests on the lands of the forest fund is of great importance for the country and requires improvement on the part of state bodies within the powers granted to them. The study attempts to consider this aspect and show it within the framework of the region’s economy. The state forest policy of the country is not used systematically, its role in the life of Russians is minimal. Therefore, it is very important and relevant to consider the role of forest policy in the accelerated improvement of the institution of public administration in the context of reforestation and rational use of forest resources. The forest complex of the Irkutsk region has faced many problems due to Western sanctions. The economy of the forest industry of the region by itself, without the timber industry complex (hereinafter referred to as the LPC), cannot count on development in the region, where the use of wood resources by industry is one of the leading projects in forest policy. The study was conducted on the basis of materials from the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Forestry and publications in the periodical press. The state of the forest industry is studied, possible ways of solving problems in the forest industry of the Irkutsk region are considered.

Landscape plasticity and its erasure

For centuries, people who call themselves Akha had formed village landscapes of rotating shifting cultivation fields amid regenerating trees together with enduring wooded sites, all under the purview of their ancestors. In Mengsong, an Akha settlement on the ridge separating China and Burma, farmers had managed complex, biodiverse and flexible landscapes for 250 years. In 1996–1997, my extended research there identified cultivation patterns that I called landscape plasticity, referring to farming practices that were highly mutable over space and time, often transgressing state-allocated property lines and the international border with Burma. From 1997 to 2011, a combination of exclusionary state forest policies, the racialization of upland minorities, and a state poverty alleviation project brought landscape plasticity and the ancestors to an end. Using concepts from sentient landscapes, resource access, environmentalism, racialization, and capitalist markets, this paper seeks to explain how landscape plasticity and the ancestors were erased. At the same time, I explore the puzzle of why Akha farmers saw these contingent outcomes as positive

Лесоводственно-хозяйственная оценка объектов биологического разнообразия в таежной зоне

The need to preserve biodiversity has been recognized for decades, even centuries in North America, Europe and some other regions of the world. importance of preserving species and wildlife areas is emphasized in many cultures. Preservation of biodiversity in forest management, and especially in industrial logging, is one of the most important tasks of modern forestry. In many countries with the developed forest complex (Finland, Sweden, etc.), the task of preserving natural biodiversity has the same priority in the state forest policy as providing the forest industry with wood raw materials. The main requirements for the biodiversity preservation in Russia are enshrined in the National Standard (Forest Code of the Russian Federation, article 1) governing Voluntary Forest Certification. Organization of forest management in the Vologda region is carried out with consideration of significant aspects of biodiversity preservation. The research purpose is the forestry and economic assessment of biodiversity at the local level in the taiga zone (case study of the Vologda region). The assessment was carried out based on the inventory characteristic obtained in the field studies. The methodological provisions of E.A. Rai and S.I. Slastnikov were used to perform economic assessment of the preservation of key objects. A comparison of the costs of timber logging in biotopes and the income from its sale (in the case of logging stands in key biotopes with the subsequent sale of the resulting timber) showed significant differences between the objects under consideration. It is shown that according to the assortment structure, a significant part of the studied biotopes accrue to firewood. The cost of timber varies from 9.6 to 529.5 ths rubles. The amount of costs at different sites will vary significantly from 9.0 to 340.5 ths rubles due to the possible cutting of key biotopes. At the same time, a negative financial result is observed only at one site (a forest site with a habitat of Neckera pennata, which is included in the Red Data Book of the Vologda Region). The results demonstrate that the allocation of key sites and their further preservation is environmentally sound, but in some cases (when compared with the income from their cutting) is not commercially justified. For citation: Korchagov S.A., Khamitov R.S., Gribov S.E., Ivanova M.G., Belyakov D.V. Forest Management Assessment of Biodiversity in the Taiga Zone. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2021, no. 6, pp. 110–120. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2021-6-110-120

РИСКОВЫЕ ФАКТОРЫ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ И ИХ ОЦЕНКА В ЛЕСНОМ ХОЗЯЙСТВЕ РОССИИ

The article deals with the complex groups of risks of state forest management: strategic; managerial; operational (natural and climatic), legal (legal), property (related to property, forest resources and land), financial, commercial, technological; informational; security risks; design (software); reputational. Macro-level risk factors determine the state forest policy, transformed into strategies, development programs and implemented at the level of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Risk factors at the meso-level of forest management determine the effectiveness of the interaction of the Federal Forestry Agency with participants in forestry relations in order to ensure rational, continuous and sustainable forest management, reproduction, protection and protection of forests. Micro-level factors are implemented in regional forestry systems. For the purpose of assessing their significance and probability of occurrence, an expert method was used, implemented at the meso and micro levels of state forest management. The most priority for the state forest management at the meso-level are strategic (programmatic), financial, commercial risk factors, as well as security risks, while for the micro-level, natural-climatic and personnel risk factors are also among the priorities. To create a unified state risk management system in forest management, it is necessary to develop a unified approach that takes into account complex risk groups differentiated in the context of regional systems.

Journal "Lesa Respubliki" as a Source on the History of Forest Policy of the RSFSR in 1918-1919

The article provides a source analysis of the journal "Lesa Respubliki", published in the RSFSR in 1918-1919 and which was the official press organ of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture. Issues of forest policy gained particular relevance after the revolutionary events of 1917, the abolition of all types of forest ownership, a radical restructuring of the entire state apparatus and the rejection of forest legislation of pre-revolutionary Russia. The journal discussed various directions of development of the forestry sector of the national economy of Soviet Russia. Special attention was paid to the issues of forestry legislation, the system of local and central government, forest protection, the development of forest trade and industry, staffing of forestry, and the organization of specialized education. Under the influence of the civil war and the deepest socioeconomic crisis associated with it, the issue of providing fuel to industrial enterprises, transport, Soviet institutions and individual citizens acquired the most acute sound. The journal "Lesa Respubliki" is a valuable source in the study of the genesis of the national state forest policy.

Историография проблемы правового регулирования лесопользования в русском праве ХIХ – начала ХХ века

Relevance. Several major reforms were carried out in the forestry law of Russia in a short period of time. None of them gave a positive result. At the moment, the state has set itself the goal of developing a new concept of forest management and use of forest resources. The use of the relevant experience accumulated by domestic jurisprudence seems appropriate and even necessary. The Purpose. To study the dominant theoretical concepts in the works of Russian legal scholars of the historical period under consideration, as well as their views on the formation and development of legislation regulating forest management in Russia. Objectives: analysis of research in the field of forest law, published in the 19th - early 20th centuries; assessment of the degree of study of the problem of legal regulation of forest use. Methodology. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. The method-ological basis of the study is a systematic approach. The comparative-historical method is used, makes it possible to investigate the available sources in close connection with the and the method of logical analysis. Results. The first scientific works in the field of Russian forest law research appeared in the first half of the 19th century. Since that time, the development of legal concepts for the use of forest resources on the basis of the principle of continuity continued until 1917, when new approaches to the state structure radically changed the direction of development of forestry law. Conclusion. During the XIX - early XX centuries. Russian science has gone from a simple description of the facts of the formation and development of legislation in the field of forest resources use to a theoretical substantiation of the state forest policy. Research of foresters and jurists of the XIX - early XX centuries. have not lost their relevance to this day and can be used to improve the legal mechanism for the rational use of forests in modern Russia.

Amazon forest on the edge of collapse in the Maranhão State, Brazil

The year 2019 in Brazil was marked by environmental setbacks, which catalyzed the increase of illegal deforestation and fire rates in the Brazilian Amazon. In the Amazon region of Maranhão state, original forest cover diminished from 25 % (24,700 km2) in 2016 to 24 % (23,967 km2) in 2019, and 6,038 km2 of remaining forests were degraded by fires and/or illegal logging – processes related to high levels of violence against indigenous and rural communities. Almost half of all deforested areas in the region (36,060 km2) are considered a global restoration hotspot, however secondary vegetation remains unprotected and 8,294 km2 were cleared between 2014 and 2018. Due to uncontrolled deforestation and fragmentation, Maranhão has no more forest core areas (outside protected areas) with the minimum size to ensure sustainable forest management practices for timber production. New policies at the state level must promote old-growth and secondary forest conservation and restoration. However, the trends point to the opposite direction: the Ecological-Economic Zoning (ZEE) allows the reduction of forest protection and the State Forest Policy reinforces federal legislation setbacks. The Amazon region of Maranhão state has forest aptitude, and forest and agroforestry product chains would bring social and environmental benefits, making them the best opportunity for sustainable economic development in the region. Therefore, the forest must be re-planted for the benefit of people and nature.

History of Forestry of the Mari Region in Written Sources of the Second Half of XIX—Early XX Centuries

The article analyzes the information potential and source value of various types of written sources on forestry of the Mari region in the second half of XIX—early XX centuries. These include legislative acts, office records of public institutions, statistical materials, periodical printing, testimonies and memories of contemporaries of the period under review. These historical sources contain valuable information on the state and development of forestry in the Mari region, changes in the natural environment, state forest policy, timber industry, timber trade and the functioning of the Kozmodemyansk forest fair, which was of all-Russian importance.

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ НАПРЯМИ РОЗВИТКУ ІНТЕГРАЦІЙНИХ СТРУКТУР У ЛІСОПРОМИСЛОВОМУ КОМПЛЕКСІ В УМОВАХ ЄВРОІНТЕГРАЦІЇ

The article deals with the problem of strategic directions of the development of integration structures in the timber industry complex in the context of European integration.It has been established that the association with the European Union offers certain advantages for the timber industry complex (opening of European markets for domestic forest products, an opportunity to use modern technologies, etc.) but also defines the risks of functioning of integration structures (strict criteria for product quality, high level of competition).There is proposed the system approach to the development of integration processes in the timber industry complex on the basis of the state forest policy and the corresponding regional programs aimed at harmonizing the interests of two inhomogeneous sub-sectors of the forest complex – forestry and timber processing. Regional programs should include certain measures to stimulate the creation of integration structures (by introducing a preferential tax regime, creating programs of state and regional procurement of products of integration structures), to support the functioning of integration structures (creation of the conditions for increasing the investment climate; the introduction of employee training programs, etc.), to monitor the activities of integration structures to develop measures to ensure their development and sustainability in the long-term.The strategic directions of development of integration structures in the regional timber industry complex are determined in the context of certain types of activities: in the sphere of wood logging – introduction and expansion of sorting technology of timber harvesting while cutting for main and secondary use, the usage of advanced technologies, the introduction of non-waste technologies with full utilization of resources; in the sawmill sector – the development of processing industries directly in the logging areas; expansion of the range of production; the combination of production based on the full use of wood waste; the application of technology of computerized and optimized cutting of wood resources; in the sector of production of final products – the use of flexible technologies that allow to react quickly to the changes in the market conditions; the need to expand the range of products.

Екологічні засади ведення лісового господарства в Україні в контексті євроінтеграції

Збереження екосистемного різноманіття лісів і ведення лісового господарства на засадах, наближених до природи, має бути основним пріоритетом лісової політики сьогодення. Для виконання цих завдань потрібні чіткі уявлення про те, що ми маємо зберігати і які ліси формувати. Першим кроком у цьому напрямі в Україні повинна бути класифікація усіх лісових екосистем за єдиним принципом і встановлено всі типи лісів, які потребують збереження. Для цього необхідно врахувати існуючі в лісівництві підходи, наявність науковців і фахівців лісового господарства, які здатні здійснити таку роботу. Наступним кроком має бути критичний аналіз отриманого масиву даних для всієї території України для встановлення типів лісу, які вже перебувають під певними формами заповідання, а яким ще варто надати природоохоронного статусу. Важливим є повна інвентаризація природоохоронного фонду в межах держави і встановлення лісів, які потребують активних форм охорони з метою відновлення їх первинної структурно-функціональної організації, а також лісових ділянок, що мають бути вилучені із заповідних територій як вторинні екосистеми, які не мають цінності для збереження екосистемного різноманіття, а подекуди є потужним джерелом розмноження та розселення фітопатологічних організмів.

Legal Problems and Directions of Public Administration Improvement in the Field of Forest Relations

The modern system of public administration in the field of forest relations requires reviewing the existing and developing new theoretical and legal provisions and conceptual approaches that facilitate the balance between economic and social benchmarks for the use of forests along with the preservation of ecological potential of forests. In the context of intensification of the forest use, management activities cover a complex set of social relations, including not only forest management, reproduction, protection and rehabilitation of forests, but also a forestry complex that includes forestry and timber processing industries. Accordingly, state management in the field of forest relations should be seen in connection with the management of the forest complex. In the same way we should deal with the understanding and legal substantiation of the state forest policy constituting the foundation of the state forest management. The sphere of the state forest policy should include, along with the use, respect, protection and reproduction of forests, the forest complex. This approach requires improved strategic planning documents and other legal and political documents that will provide representation of the state policy in the sphere of forest relations and the forest complex, interrelation and harmonization of the provisions contained therein. An institutional framework of the state forest policy requires a comprehensive approach for improving the management system in these areas. It is necessary to clarify the competence and powers of special authorized bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the field of forest relations and forest complex. Forest areas and forest parks that are the basic territorial units of management in the field of use, protection, and reproduction of forests are included into the key problems of the regional forest management. In the absence of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, the concepts of "forest area" and "forest park" are assigned different legal statuses by the participants of legal relationships, including their legal form, structure, competence and authority. Along with defining the legal status of forest areas and forest parks, and determining the legal status of forest warderns, it is necessary to improve the implementation of the Federal State Forest Supervision Service (forest protection). Also, it is necessary to resolve the problems with regard to implementation of the functions of state management in the sphere of forest relations, such as forest management, development, approval and implementation of forest plans, information support of forest management, forest certification, etc. In order to increase investment attractiveness of the use of forest plots, it is necessary to improve the legal support of the multipurpose forest management. The state management efficiency in the field of forest relations and forest complex requires improving the forest and related (natural resources, environmental, tax, etc.) laws.

Implementation of the state forest protection policy in the Altai Territory in the period of the revolutions and Civil war (1917-1919)

Forest conservation is an essential element of sustainable forestry. The main directions of the state forest conservation policy in Russia were the fight against unauthorized felling and fires. These two problems caused enormous damage to forest areas. The Altai District had rich forest resources, but they were unevenly distributed over its territory. There was tension about the use of forest resources between the administration and the population, which from time to time turned into confrontation. The February revolution in1917 resulted in a revision of the management system of the Altai District and the transfer of its forests from the ownership of the Emperor to state. Conversion of forests to public property caused a surge of violence against the representatives of the forest administration who tried to defend the interests of forestry. There was a large number of unauthorized fellings, the destruction of forestry offices, the dismissal of forest rangers and forest guards in the period of 1917-1919. Fighting fires was extremely difficult, since the forest guards couldn’t cope and the population refused to take part in extinguishing the fire. The political regimes on the territory of the Altai District in 1917 –1919 considered protection of forests as the most important task and paid much attention to it. After the October Revolution of 1917 and the division of the country into two opposing camps, a new state forest policy was launched in Siberia and the Altai territory. Its main task was increase in the rates of forest exploitation. There were strict measures to protect the forests such as the organization of special mobile units for the prosecution of unauthorized cutters (forest militia), the imposition of capital punishment for the perpetrators of deliberate forest fires, etc. In the conditions of a deep political crisis, the effectiveness of measures to protect forests was low. After the end of the Civil war, the forestry was in decline. Urgent measures were required to restore it and form a new system of forest protection.

Содержание и генезис государственной лесной политики России

Содержание и генезис государственной лесной политики России

An overview of maritime pine private non-industrial forest in the centre of Portugal: A 19-year case study

Abstract Portuguese national policies for forests were developed considering related themes such as climate change, forest health, fire and the protective functions of forests. In Portugal, maritime pine forest is mainly private non-industrial and its area is in decline. Therefore, the aim of this study was two-fold: first, to assess maritime pine forest characteristics over a 19-year period; second, to analyse forest cover change over that period. In the end, the implementation of state policies was explored. A study area highly forested by continuous areas of naturally regenerated maritime pine in the centre of Portugal was used. To assess maritime pine forest characteristics, two sets of inventory data collected in previous studies (1991-1996 and 2007-2010) were used. To analyse forest cover change, the official land cover maps for 1990 and 2007 were used. This study findings highlighted that study area’s trends over the past years were the following: first, the decrease of maritime pine forest areas and its management decline (stands less stable, under-stocked, with large amounts of small-diameter poles and enlarged tree size variability); second, the increase of scrubland areas; third, the increase of eucalyptus afforestation with no regard for protection areas; and fourth, the absence of native oaks or introduction of other broadleaves as recommended by the state policies. Therefore, it is argued that there is a need for effective field monitoring actions with regard to the implementation of state policies. Additionally, selective incentives are key to mobilise private non-industrial forest to achieve the goals of state forest policies.

Processes Underlying 50 Years of Local Forest-Cover Change in Yunnan, China

Recognition of the importance of forests for local livelihoods, biodiversity and the climate system has spurred a growing interest in understanding the factors that drive forest-cover change. Forest transitions, the change from net deforestation to net reforestation, may follow different pathways depending on a complex interplay of driving forces. However, most studies on forest transitions focus on the national level rather than the local level. Here, case studies from 10 villages in Yunnan, China, are used to clarify the complex interactions among various pathways of forest transitions, derive insights on the underlying drivers that shaped the forest transitions, and determine the importance of changes in drivers over time. The results demonstrate that China’s recent forest transition was caused by a range of interrelated pathways that were mediated by local circumstances. The degradation of forest ecosystem services caused by rampant deforestation and forest degradation created a scarcity of forest products and triggered state-initiated afforestation efforts, particularly in the 1990s, which continue to be important. More recently, economic development concomitant with smallholder intensification spurred reforestation, while the importance of state forest policy declined. The complexity of local land-use changes demonstrates the difficulty of identifying distinct transition pathways and calls for a more diverse approach that recognizes the interdependence of local processes.

Forest Transitions and Rural Livelihoods: Multiple Pathways of Smallholder Teak Expansion in Northern Laos

Smallholder teak (Tectona grandis) plantations have been identified as a potentially valuable component of upland farming systems in northern Laos that can contribute to a “livelihood transition” from subsistence-oriented swidden agriculture to a more commercially-oriented farming system, thereby bringing about a “forest transition” at the landscape scale. In recent years, teak smallholdings have become increasingly prominent in the province of Luang Prabang, especially in villages close to Luang Prabang City. In this paper, we draw on a household survey conducted in five teak-growing villages and case studies of different household types to explore the role that small-scale forestry has played in both livelihood and land-use transitions. Drawing on a classification of forest transitions, we identify three transition pathways that apply in the study villages—the “economic development” pathway, the “smallholder, tree-based, land-use intensification” pathway, and the “state forest policy” pathway. The ability of households to integrate teak into their farming system, manage the woodlots effectively, and maintain ownership until the plantation reaches maturity varies significantly between these pathways. Households with adequate land resources but scarce labor due to the effects of local economic development are better able to establish and hold onto teak woodlots, but less able to adopt beneficial management techniques. Households that are land-constrained are motivated to follow a path of land-used intensification, but need more productive agroforestry systems to sustain incomes over time. Households that are induced to plant teak mainly by land-use policies that threaten to deprive them of their land, struggle to efficiently manage or hold on to their woodlots in the long term. Thus, even when it is smallholders driving the process of forest transition via piecemeal land-use changes, there is potential for resource-poor households to be excluded from the potential livelihood benefits or to be further impoverished by the transition. We argue that interventions to increase smallholder involvement in the forestry sector need to take explicit account of the initial variation in livelihood platforms and in alternative transition pathways at the household scale in order to pursue more inclusive “forest-and-livelihood” transitions in rural areas.

Analyzing the drivers of tree planting in Yunnan, China, with Bayesian networks

Strict enforcement of forest protection and massive afforestation campaigns have contributed to a significant increase in China's forest cover during the last 20 years. At the same time, demographic changes in rural areas due to changes in reproduction patterns and the emigration of younger population segments have affected land-use strategies. We identified proximate causes and underlying drivers that influence the decisions of farm households to plant trees on former cropland with Bayesian networks (BNs). BNs allow the incorporation of causal relationships in data analysis and can combine qualitative stakeholder knowledge with quantitative data. We defined the structure of the network with expert knowledge and in-depth discussions with land users. The network was calibrated and validated with data from a survey of 509 rural households in two upland areas of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. The results substantiate the influence of land endowments, labor availability and forest policies for switching from cropland to tree planting. State forest policies have constituted the main underlying driver to the forest transition in the past, but private afforestation activities increasingly dominate the expansion of tree cover. Farmers plant trees on private incentives mainly to cash in on the improved economic opportunities provided by tree crops, but tree planting also constitutes an important strategy to adjust to growing labor scarcities.