State Forestry Agencies Research Articles

The Southeastern U.S. Prescribed Fire Permit Database: Hot Spots and Hot Moments in Prescribed Fire across the Southeastern U.S.A.

Prescribed fire is an important land conservation tool to meet ecological, cultural, and public safety objectives across terrestrial ecosystems. While estimates of prescribed burning in the U.S.A. exceed 4.5 million hectares annually, tracking the extent of prescribed fire is problematic for several reasons and prevents an understanding of spatial and temporal trends in landscape patterns of prescribed fires. We developed a regional prescribed fire database from 12 state forestry agencies in the southeastern U.S. using records of burn location, size, and calendar days and evaluated spatial and temporal patterns in burning from 2010 to 2020. Over half of all prescribed fires in the U.S. occur in the Southeast, with five states (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi) comprising over ninety percent of the burned area over a decade. We identified hot spots of concentrated prescribed fire activity on both public and private forestlands across the region, as well as regions of less burning, which often occurred in close proximity to hot spots. Temporally, most prescribed fires occurred in March and February across the region; the least activity was recorded between May and November. Our database reveals that burning is highly concentrated within the region, presumably reflecting local land ownership categories and associated land management objectives. This database and these analyses provide the first region-wide summary of fine-scale patterns of prescribed fire in the U.S. and demonstrate the potential for various analyses beyond this work for air quality modeling and remote sensing, as well as the potential impacts of demographic and land use changes.

Preliminary Use of Convection-allowing Models in Fire Weather

Multiple high-impact wildfire episodes on the southern Great Plains in 2021/22 provided unique opportunities to demonstrate the emerging utility of Convection-allowing Models (CAMs) in fire-weather forecasting. This short contribution article will present preliminary analyses of the deterministic Texas Tech Real Time Weather Prediction System’s Red Flag Threat Index (RFTI) compared to wildfire activity observed via the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 during four southern Great Plains wildfire outbreaks. Visual side-by-side comparisons of model-predicted RFTI and satellite-detected wildfires will be shown in static and animated displays that demonstrate the model’s prognostic signal in depicting fire-outbreak evolution. The data analyses are supplemented with preliminary information from state forestry agencies that provide context to predicted RFTI relative to size-based categorization of observed wildfires and human casualties. In addition, use of the National Severe Storm Laboratory’s Warn-on-Forecast System to provide short-term updates on the evolution of fire-effective atmospheric features that promote new fire ignition, problematic spread, and extreme fire behavior is also demonstrated. The examples presented here suggest that CAMs serve an important role in the mesoscale prediction of dangerous wildfire conditions. With this novel use of CAMs in fire meteorology, the authors advocate for expanded availability of fire weather-specific fields and parameters in high-resolution numerical weather prediction systems that would improve wildfire forecasts and associated impact-based decision support.

The Use and Performance of Sealed Bid versus Oral Timber Auctions by State Forestry Agencies: A Minnesota Case Study

Abstract State governments are responsible for the stewardship and management of more than 28 million ha of forest land in the United States. This study presents the findings of an in-depth examination of the characteristics and performance of sealed bid and oral auctions using records from more than a thousand tracts offered for sale by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which administers one of the nation’s most robust state timber sale programs. The study found that although tracts offered for sale through oral and sealed bid auctions sold at the same rate and are undifferentiated with respect to nearly all characteristics, sealed bid tracts generated significantly higher winning prices and additional revenue per hectare than tracts sold using oral auctions. Logging businesses were more likely to win sealed auctions than oral auctions, and their portfolio of purchased tracts contained a higher proportion acquired through sealed bid auctions than the portfolio of sealed bid tracts purchased by mills. The study adds to the limited body of literature on public agency timber auctions and is the first to provide a detailed analysis of the auction methods used by a state forest management agency. Study Implications: Public agencies use sealed bid and oral auctions to sell timber rights. This study of the nation’s largest state timber sale program found that the auction method used affects winning bid prices, the likelihood certain categories of bidders will win the auction, the allocation of timber to mills and logging businesses, and revenue generated for each hectare of timber sold. State timber sale program administrators may be able to use these findings to better understand how the choice of auction method affects the financial performance of their timber sale program as well as the allocation of timber among the major types of bidders.

ІНСТИТУЦІЙНИЙ МЕХАНІЗМ ПУБЛІЧНОГО АДМІНІСТРУВАННЯ У СФЕРІ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ПРОДОВОЛЬЧОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В УКРАЇНИ: ПРОБЛЕМИ ТА ШЛЯХИ ЇХ РОЗВ’ЯЗАННЯ

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to provide proposals for improving the legal regulation ofthe competence and powers of public administration subjects involved in the implementation ofstate policy in the field of ensuring food security of Ukraine.Methodology. The methodological base of the research consists of general and special methods ofscientific knowledge, and in particular: comparative, systemic-structural, formal-logical methods.Their application made it possible to comprehensively analyze the researched issues, as well assystematically and consistently approach the disclosure of the research tasks.Results. The first section of the article provides a description of the current state of legislativeregulation of the institutional mechanism of public administration in the field of ensuring foodsecurity of the Ukrainian state, and also focuses attention on its shortcomings.The second part of the article is devoted to the study of the institutional mechanism of publicadministration in the field of ensuring food security of the state in some member states of theEuropean Union (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France). The third section of the article is devoted to proposals for strengthening the institutional mechanismof public administration in the field of food security of Ukraine.Conclusions. In the conclusions to the article it is stated that the institutional mechanism of publicadministration in the field of food security of Ukraine needs thorough reformation. A comparativelegal study of the mechanisms of institutional provision of food security in the leading memberstates of the European Union made it possible to conclude that the formation and implementationof state policy in the field of ensuring food security of Ukraine should be carried out by anextensive system of public administration entities that must ensure effective administration in thisfield at: international, national, municipal levels. This system includes: entities that carry outgeneral coordination and determine the goals and objectives of state policy in this area (Presidentof Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine); entities that directly form and implement statepolicy in this area: a) Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine and ministries that carry out publicadministration in related areas; b) central bodies of the executive power (State Agency, StateForestry Agency, State Production and Consumer Service); c) local state administrations; d) localself-government bodies; e) private individuals, subjects with delegated powers. The competenceand authority of the specified system of public administration entities in the field of ensuring foodsecurity of Ukraine should find its proper reflection and regulation at the level of the special lawon food security of Ukraine.

Increased levels of forestry best management practices reduce sediment delivery from Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain clearcut harvests and access features, southeastern states, USA

A land use history of intensive agricultural practices, combined with highly erodible soils, have made erosion control and water quality protection essential for forest management in the Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S. Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs), which include sustainable harvesting guidelines approved by state forestry agencies, are utilized in these regions to mitigate potential impacts to water quality. In this study, the relationship between three levels of BMP implementation ranging from < 80% (BMP–), 80–90% (BMP-standard) and > 90% (BMP+ ), estimated erosion (Mg ha-1 yr-1) based on the USLE-Forest empirical model, and sediment delivery ratios was explored to better understand impacts to forest water quality. Erosion and sediment delivery estimates by BMP level were multiplied by estimates of area occupied by each operational feature (e.g., decks, harvest areas only, haul roads, skid trails, stream crossings) and annual clearcut timberland (ha-1 yr-1) provided by the U.S. Forest Service FIA Program. The overall goal was to estimate total annual masses of erosion and sediment (Mg yr-1) by BMP level for twelve states with timberland located in either the Piedmont or Upper Coastal Plain. Forty-four clearcut harvest sites were assessed in the region. Over 431,000 ha yr−1 are clearcut in the Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain, which represents approximately 2% of total forestland area in the regions. The BMP+ (0.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1) and BMP-standard (0.9 Mg ha−1 yr−1) levels of implementation provide considerably more water quality protection than BMP– (2.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1) based on average sedimentation rates for the overall harvest. Overall sediment removal efficiencies at the BMP-standard (54%) and BMP+ (74%) levels indicate that current BMPs are highly effective at mitigating potential sediment delivery from clearcut operations in the regions. The BMP+ level most efficiently limited potential sediment from skid trails (80%), harvest areas (75%), and haul roads (61%), which were also the primary contributors of sediment. Over 93% of clearcut harvests sampled were classified as either BMP-standard or BMP+. These findings indicate that current BMPs are implemented at high levels across the southeastern Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain, and that BMP effectiveness has improved substantially over time in the regions.

ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF EXPENDITURE OF HUNTING FARMS IN ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION

The purpose of the article is to study the composition and cost structure of hunting farms in the Zaporizhzhia region and consider the economic and environmental aspects of their formation. The method of analysis and synthesis revealed the dynamics of changes in the costs of hunting farms over five years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Using the method of comparison, the main trends in the change of individual loss items are identified. Methodology. The classification of costs, their dynamics and structure on 37 hunting farms of Zaporizhzhia region are given. The studied farms differ in different forms of use of hunting grounds. Thus, as of January 1, 2020, 6 farms were part of the Ukrainian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, 20 - belonged to the enterprises of the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine, the remaining 11 - were part of other private and public hunting organizations. A vertical and horizontal analysis of costs was conducted, which revealed an increase in their volume throughout the structure, without significant changes in the structure itself. There is a tendency to reduce the share of costs for the protection, reproduction and accounting of wild animals and the management of hunting grounds. Instead, the costs of maintaining the current activities of hunting farms are increasing. The results of the study showed that the main part of the costs of hunting farms in Zaporizhzhia region (almost 80%) consists of the cost of wages and a single social contribution, operation and maintenance of vehicles, hunting buildings and structures and costs associated with the purchase of weapons, ammunition and other costs. The costs of environmental activities are decreasing, among which the costs of biotechnical measures play an important role. The share of expenditures on biotechnical measures for the conservation and reproduction of wild animals in total expenditures decreased from 14.5% in 2015 to 11.8% in 2019. Practical consequences. The study found that the current costly model of hunting in the Zaporizhzhia region, and in Ukraine as a whole, does not meet market relations and inhibits the development of effective economic and environmental hunting. Its formation was influenced by the following factors: imperfection of hunting legislation; non-compliance with European standards; excessive number of hunting grounds in use and lack of a clear mechanism for payment for their use; poaching; lack of programs for breeding wild animals, control of predators and clear requirements for the hunting service; low level of hunting culture and ethics. The current hostilities in the Zaporizhzhia region further complicate the environmental situation. Value/originality. Economic evaluation of hunting farms should take into account, in addition to estimating the direct costs and revenues of hunting farms, their total environmental, economic and social role. This is confirmed by foreign experience. For its implementation there is a need to develop a new methodology.

Increased levels of forestry best management practices reduce sediment delivery from Middle and Lower Coastal Plain clearcut harvests and access features, southeastern states, USA

Over 390,000 ha of forestland are clearcut annually (1–2%) across the Coastal Plain region of the southeastern U.S. where forestland occupies approximately 30 million hectares in the region. Extensive periods of high-water tables, wet-weather and harvesting, rutting, erodible soils, and drainage networks typical of the Coastal Plain increase the potential for erosion and stream sedimentation. To mitigate these impacts, water quality forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) were developed for erosion and sediment control and are recommended and approved by all southeastern state forestry agencies for application during and after harvests. The goal of this study was to estimate erosion and sedimentation from silvicultural operations in the Coastal Plain under three different and previously recognized levels of BMP implementation including BMP– (<80%), BMP-standard (80%–90%), and BMP+ (>90%), where 90% represents average implementation. A total of 35 recent clearcut sites were evaluated in the Coastal Plain of 12 southeastern states. Erosion was estimated via the USLE-Forest model at five operational features, including decks, stream crossings, haul roads, skid trails, and harvest areas only, which were classified into one of three BMP levels. Sediment traps were utilized on a subset of Coastal Plain sites in Virginia and North Carolina so that sediment delivery ratios (unitless) could be calculated. Clearcut area estimates were obtained from the United States Forest Service (USFS), Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program. The percent areas comprised within each operational feature were multiplied by total clearcut areas in the Coastal Plain region so that erosion and sedimentation estimates could be expanded to a regional scale. Examination of the different levels of BMP implementation revealed estimated sedimentation rates of 0.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 0.4 Mg ha−1 yr−1 at the BMP-standard and BMP+ levels, respectively. The range of overall estimated sediment masses at the BMP-standard and BMP+ levels most accurately reflects the current state of BMP application in the Coastal Plain. BMPs were most obviously effective at mitigating erosion and potential sediment delivery from Coastal Plain skid trails and haul roads. The highest level of BMP implementation (BMP+) at forest roads and skid trails mitigated approximately 95% of sediment compared to BMP–. Overall sediment removal efficiencies were 77% for BMP-standard and 83% for BMP+ respectively when compared to BMP–. Conclusively, this study demonstrates that forestry BMPs are highly effective at mitigating erosion and stream sedimentation when appropriately applied in the southeastern Coastal Plain.

POWERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS IN THE FOREST- HUNTING SPHERE

The article analyzes the administrative and legal powers and the place of forest protection and hunting service in the system of public administration in the field of forest protection and hunting. The actuality of the research topic is due to the processes of a general reform of the forestry industry of Ukraine; the need to clarify the law enforcement authority of officials in this area. The purpose of the study - is to highlight the problems of law enforcement in the forestry industry; clarification the powers of law enforcement agencies, areas of reform of forestry law enforcement agencies, and prospects for improving their activities. The object of the study is the legal regulation of protection activities aimed at ensuring law and order in the forestry industry. The research is based on the use of general scientific and special methods. Using the dialectical method, internal contradictions in the activities of law enforcement agencies of the forestry industry were revealed. Legislation establishing the powers of these bodies for gaps is analyzed. The formulated conclusions are aimed at their practical use. Thus, the definition of the term “huntsman” is proposed; separation of the function of management and control of forestry enterprises operating for profit by transferring the function of state forest protection and hunt­ing service from state forestry enterprises to the level of territorial bodies of the State Forest Agency. Thus, the State Forestry Agency and permanent forest users will have forest guards and a hunting service without the status of a law enforcement body, but with the right to draw up protocols and a limited right to consider cases of administrative offenses in the forestry sphere.

Audit procedures and implementation rates for forest water quality Best Management Practices in the 13 southeastern states

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) were established to protect water quality by minimizing nonpoint source pollutants associated with forest operations. Research has shown that appropriate application of BMPs provides effective mitigation of erosion and sedimentation. State forestry agencies are primarily responsible for recommending which BMPs to implement and monitoring their use. Few studies have compared BMP programs, audits, and prescriptions among states and physiographic regions. To address these questions, audit questionnaires were obtained from the 13 member states of the Southern Group of State Foresters to evaluate six forest operational categories: stream crossings, decks, skid trails, haul roads, harvest areas, and overall implementation. These audits were used to assess BMP implementation at 116 harvest sites across 12 states (excluding Kentucky) and three physiographic regions (Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain) in the southeastern United States. Overall implementation was highest in the Coastal Plain, followed by the Piedmont, and lastly the Mountains. We found that skid trail implementation in the Mountains (76.1%) was significantly lower than in both the Piedmont (86.0%) (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0028) and Coastal Plain (85.2%) (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0065) regions. Mountain stream crossing implementation (83.9%) was also significantly lower (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0459) than in the Coastal Plain (92.3%). Findings suggest that additional BMP focus in the Mountain region is needed for constructing and closing out skid trails and stream crossings to enhance water quality protection efforts. The mean overall BMP implementation rate was approximately 90.1% for the southeastern region. The regional BMP implementation rates were also calculated for each feature as follows: decks (92.7%), harvest areas (95.6%), haul roads (91.9%), skid trails (82.9%), and stream crossings (88.2%). Mean BMP implementation rates using each of the 13 state audits were compared. Florida (93.5%) and Kentucky (92.9%) audits produced the highest overall scores, while Virginia (88.3%), Alabama (88.3%), and Tennessee (87.8%) audits provided more stringent evaluations. Implementation rates for the 13 state audits were highly variable for both the stream crossings and skid trails, indicating substantial differences in assessments of these categories. Results from this study (1) provide insight into the current state of BMPs, (2) identify areas where BMPs have the most potential to improve, and (3) demonstrate that BMPs are being implemented at relatively high rates in the southeast. A combined audit among individual states with similar physiographic provinces, operating systems and conditions, and topography could be created so that stronger inferences can be made concerning BMP implementation among states.

Правоохоронна діяльність у лісомисливському господарстві України

The article analyzes the administrative and legal powers of forest protection and hunting service within the system of state management bodies in the field of forest protection and hunting. The relevance of the research topic is due to the processes of general reform of the forestry industry of Ukraine and the need to clarify the law enforcement powers of officials in this industry. The purpose of the study is to highlight the problems of law enforcement in the forestry industry; clarifying the powers of law enforcement entities, directions for reforming forestry law enforcement agencies, and prospects for improving their activities. The object of the study is the legal regulation of security activities aimed at ensuring law and order and legality in the forestry industry. The research is based on the use of general scientific and special methods. With the help of the dialectical method, internal contradictions in the activities of law enforcement agencies in the forestry industry were revealed. The analysis method is used to identify gaps in legislation regulating the powers of supervisory bodies, etc. Formulated conclusions are aimed at practical use. Thus, it is proposed: definition of the concept of «huntsman»; separation of the management function and state control in forestry enterprises; transfer of the control function to the level of territorial bodies of the State Forestry Agency. Thus, at the enterprises of the State Forestry Agency system and other permanent forest users, the functioning of forest protection will remain without the status of a law enforcement body, but with the right to draw up protocols and the limited right to consider cases of administrative offenses in the field of forest protection.

On the way to balance of forestry land use of Ukraine: ecological-and-economic aspect

Purpose. The purpose of this work is to investigate the ecological-and-economic aspect of certain factors to ensure the balanced use of forest lands; develop proposals for the formation of the basis for the development of sustainable forestry. &#x0D; Methodology / approach. We used the following methods: dialectical method of cognition for the analysis of scientific works of scientists concerning problems of balanced use of lands of forestry purpose; method of analogies (transfer of patterns of development of one process with certain amendments to another process or territory); statistical (based on quantitative indicators that allow drawing conclusions about the pace of the process); comparative analysis (comparison of indicators of forest resources and their use for Ukraine and Poland); correlation analysis (identification of factors on which the forecast significantly depends; clarification of relationships, their relationship with the predicted phenomenon under the influence of certain factors), graphical, abstract-logical (theoretical generalizations and formulation of conclusions). The information base of the study is the data of the Global Assessment of Forest Resources of FAO 2020, the data of the Monitoring of Land Relations in Ukraine, the reporting of the State Forest Agency of Ukraine, the data of the Forest Stewardship Council®. Based on the annual reports of the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine, some indicators of the report of 288 state forestries for 2018–2020 are consolidated in terms of 24 regional departments of forestry and hunting.&#x0D; Results. In the dynamics for 2018–2020, changes in the volume of forest resources, forest reserves, biomass, and carbon density were studied; the indicators of forest resources and their use for Ukraine and Poland are compared. The volumes of forest certification by regions of Ukraine are estimated. The relationships between capital investments in forestry production and the price of sold wood, the volume of net income of state forestry, the amount of profit, the degree of depreciation of fixed assets; between the tax burden on state forestries and financial stability was studied. Based on the assessment of the relationships and changes in individual indicators, the need to update the fixed assets of forest enterprises through the improvement of the investment instrument is justified. The results of this study are a summary of evidence on the environmental and economic aspects of the impact of certain factors on the sustainable use of forest lands, which in turn forms the scientific basis for achieving the goals of state environmental policy of Ukraine.&#x0D; Originality / scientific novelty. The studied interdependencies between the statistical characteristics of individual indicators of forestry land use made it possible to identify factors to ensure balanced use of forestry lands. It is substantiated that reforestation, forest certification, renewal of fixed assets of forestry enterprises through the improvement of the investment instrument, optimization of the tax burden of forestry activities are favorable factors to ensure the balance of forestry land use. It is proved that the excessive tax burden is a deterrent to the balanced use of forest lands. It is proposed to alleviate the tax burden on forestry activities by reducing the rate of deduction of net income of state forestry enterprises, eliminating the problem of double taxation of the forest fund, which under limited budget funding will allow state forestries to accumulate their own financial resources to ensure sustainable land use.&#x0D; Practical value / implications. The main results of the study can be used to: (I) structure the factors of sustainable use of forest lands; (II) defining the goals of sustainable development when developing the strategy of forestry enterprises; (III) analysis of the achievement of sustainable development goals at the national level, defined by the Basic Principles (strategy) of the state environmental policy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030. The results of the study can be used both at the level of forest management entities, as well as at the regional and national levels, to make management decisions on the implementation of measures that ensure the balanced use of forest land. Also, the causal links between indicators that arise from the response of indicators to certain factors open up new opportunities for forest management planning. These results can provide important information for the protection and use of forest resources in all regions of Ukraine.

Issues of land management and forest management in the field of state forestry in Ukraine: the current state of regulations and directions of their development

Studies of materials and indicators on accounting and coverage of information on land management and forest management of state forestry in Ukraine. Certain inconsistencies of the current normative legal acts and indicators of the state and dynamics of the accounting category of land use «Forestry lands» were revealed. In particular, regarding the assessment of rational use and protection of lands, which are the basis for the implementation of the Land Reform. There are, in particular, in the form 6 — ZEM and in the materials of the state account, not modernized terms and their description. The category of accounting «Forestry lands» in the Land and Forest Codes of Ukraine, in the scientific and practical lexicon did not receive due attention and distribution as an object of labor, an object of identified land use in state forestry. Do not match the description in the Forest and Land Codes of Ukraine. The issue of organizational and economic accounting of land of the accounting category «Forestry lands» remains poorly regulated. The annual report still retains the description — «Forest lands include lands covered with forest vegetation, as well as not covered with forest vegetation and others» for forestry purposes». The category of accounting «Forestry lands» in the Land and Forest Codes of Ukraine, in the scientific and practical lexicon did not receive due attention and distribution as an object of labor, an object of identified land use in state forestry. Do not match the description in the Forest and Land Codes of Ukraine. The category of accounting for «Forestry lands» is placed in Article 19 of the Land Code of Ukraine under item «e», i.e. in 7th place, which does not comply with current principles of European legislation, not to mention the physical aspects of forest distribution in Ukraine. Again, the practice in Ukraine faces deadlines. It turns out that forestry science is increasingly moving away from the identified responsibilities and reporting of public forestry entities. The industry is less and less monitoring the state of forests according to estimates of the use of productive capacity of land by types of forest vegetation conditions. It turns out that forestry science is increasingly moving away from the identified responsibilities and reporting of public forestry entities. The industry is less and less monitoring the state of forests according to estimates of the use of productive capacity of land by types of forest vegetation conditions. In addition, the management in the state forestry in its powers only «ensures the implementation of state policy in the field of forestry and hunting», does not form it. That is, it does not develop relevant regulations, which is a certain flaw in the current forest legislation and needs to be changed. Specific measures are proposed to improve the legislation, accounting and state reporting in forestry, as well as the basic scheme of division of forest lands by accounting categories of division and administrative reporting of forestry and other enterprises of the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine.

U.S. Family Forest Owners' Forest Management for Climate Adaptation: Perspectives From Extension and Outreach Specialists

In the United States (US), family forest owners, a group that includes individuals, families, trusts, and estates, are the largest single landowner category, owning approximately one-third of the nation's forests. These landowners' individualized decision-making on forest management has a profound impact on US forest cover and function at both local and regional scales. We sought to understand perceptions among family forest specialists of: climate impacts and adaptation options across different forested US regions; how family forest owners are taking climate adaptation into consideration in their forest management, if at all; and major barriers to more active management for adaptation among family forest owners. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 48 forest experts across the US who work with family forest owners, including extension specialists, state forestry agency employees, and consulting foresters who focus on family forest engagement. Our interviewees shared details on how both climate change impacts and forest management for climate adaptation vary across the US, and they perceived a lack of active forest management by family forest owners. They explained that western forest landowners confronting the imminent threat of catastrophic wildfires are more likely to see a need for active forest management. By contrast, in the east, where most forestland is privately owned, interviewees said that landowners see relatively fewer climate impacts on their forests and less need for forest management to respond to climate change. Perceived barriers to more active family forest management for climate adaptation include the lack of more robust markets for a wide range of forest products, a higher capacity forestry workforce, education and assistance in planning forest management, and addressing the issue of increased parcelization of family forest lands. We situate these perceptions in conversations on the role of boundary organizations in climate adaptation, how individual adaptation occurs, and how governing methods frame adaptation possibilities.

State Cost-Share Programs for Forest Landowners in the Southern United States: A Review

AbstractThe largest concentration of state-level forest cost-share programs in the United States can be found in the southern states. Since the inception of the first programs in the 1970s, the state-level forest cost-share programs in the US South have acted as models for the rest of the country. Cost-share programs compensate landowners through direct reimbursements to address barriers such as limited owner capital and cash flow in the initial years of investment. Through a review of the literature and progress reports from southern state forestry agencies, we qualitatively assessed state-level cost-share programs and their status in the southern states. We identified the common themes in the literature related to cost-share programs: market, nonmarket, and landowners’ perceptions and knowledge. Many of the programs enacted between the 1970s and 1980s aimed to ensure a sustainable timber supply, a market good, from private forestlands. A few of the programs enacted more recently compensate landowners for nonmarket benefits such as forest health or soil and water conservation. Two of the nine available programs are practically inactive in recent years because of a lack of funding. We discuss current prospects regarding funding, partnerships, and broadening the focus of incentives to cover forest-based ecosystem services.Study ImplicationsRegionally, cost-share programs in the US South differ in eligibility criteria, funding source and status, and resource management objectives. The majority of state-level cost-share programs in the US South were enacted 30 to 50 years ago. The first cost-share programs were designed to support a continued timber supply from private forestlands, but a few recent programs have expanded their objectives to protect forest health and soil and water quality. Forest-based ecosystem service markets, specifically reforestation to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and provide clean air and water, have become more prevalent in recent years. Funding for forest commodity incentive programs is a continual challenge. New funding sources and new programs are crucial to meet demands for incentives for landowners to provide both timber and ecosystem services outputs.

На шляху до збалансованості лісогосподарського землекористування: економіка держлісгоспів Малого Полісся України в умовах пандемії COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, creating massive social and economic challenges, has started additional risks in ensuring balanced forest land use at the national, regional, and global levels. In this regard, the issues of preserving ecosystems and improving the well-being of citizens, avoiding the risk of deforestation and degradation of forests due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy of the forestry sector have become relevant. The article's purpose is a theoretical and methodological substantiation of ensuring a balanced use of forestry lands in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is associated with economic regulation, investments, and the level of financial support. The object of this study is five state forestry enterprises of the Small Polissia region of Ukraine, referred to the jurisdiction of the State Forestry Agency. The main economic problems and financial needs of the studied state forestry enterprises were identified by analyzing the dynamics of their income, the level of depreciation of fixed assets, the volume of capital investments, labor productivity, and workers' wages. Based on the analysis of reporting indicators of state forestry enterprises in the Small Polissia region of Ukraine, conceptual frameworks for coordinating efforts to ensure the balanced use of forestry lands in Ukraine have been prepared. Measures were proposed to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social and economic dimensions of forestry land use. Recommendations for financing forestry activities, accelerating transformational changes in investment support of the forestry industry, revising the tax burden on state forestry enterprises have been substantiated. Balanced forest land use can reduce the risk of future pandemics. Therefore, its financing and incentives based on economic preferences should be a public policy priority on sustainable development.

Land management under protective forest plantations at the local level: decentralization models

The state of field protective afforestation in Ukraine has been studied and it has been found that the indifferent attitude of the state to field protective forest belts for many years has led to a ecological crisis (we have about 15 million hectares of degraded soils and estimated losses of 33-35 billion hryvnia annually), which is also the result of the long absence of the owner of these lands. Characterizing the problems associated with the use of forest plantations in terms of the interests of management and economic entities, it was found that currently the most influential entities are the state, the State Forestry Agency, united territorial communities and people whose interests compete with each other. Based on studies of the evolution of land ownership under protective forest belts, taking into account the decentralization processes taking place in the country and taking into account the provisions of the Laws of Ukraine, models of their management at the local level are proposed. Emphasis is placed on the fact that, regardless of the choice of the owner, preference is given to the creation of a municipal agroforestry reclamation enterprise for the arrangement of protective forest belts.

Timber Security Practices, Vulnerabilities, and Challenges in the Southern United States

A single timber theft incident can cost family forest landowners thousands of dollars. Preventing illegal timber harvesting is also an important component of sustainability. A survey of consulting foresters and interviews with investigators, prosecutors, and forest industry were conducted to document timber theft detections, resolutions, and security measures. Complete questionnaires were received from 430 foresters from 11 southern states (37% response rate). Interviews were conducted with five investigators, two prosecuting attorneys, and 10 forest industry representatives. Almost half (47%) of consulting foresters had encountered at least one timber theft incident in the previous 3 years, but losses represented <1% of timber harvest value. State forestry agencies investigated approximately 100 cases per year, while local law enforcement rarely investigated these cases. Timber theft cases were most often resolved outside of court with very few cases prosecuted. Vigilance by foresters and law enforcement is necessary to prevent timber theft.

Machine Sky: Social and Terrestrial Engineering in a Chinese Weather System

ABSTRACTThis article explores Chinese environmental politics as a complex strategy for engineering weather and climate at national and then planetary scales. It argues that in times of meteorological insecurity, we can explore diverse sites in China's state environmental political apparatus as attempts at coordinating diverse physical, natural, and social processes into components of manipulable weather systems. Through considering two programs of state environmental intervention, the article explores “infrastructure” as a political practice and opportunity. First, in considering aerial seeding and ecological migration programs in the context of anti‐dust storm programs spearheaded by state forestry agencies, I show how environmental engineering involves the continual retooling of wind flows, local ecologies, and ex‐herder precarity into a variegated strategy of atmospheric control for downwind places in the path of dust storms. Then, I explore how the recent ascendance of the Chinese state in international climate accords builds on a decade‐long theorization of “socialist ecological civilization” by Party theorists. In aligning the longevity of state socialism with the sustaining of planetary climate systems, I argue that Chinese international politics increasingly rely on a vision of China as infrastructural to the political and climatic apparatus of the planet as such. [climate change, environment, infrastructure, dust storms, China]

STATE FORESTRY IN UKRAINE: STATE OF DEVELOPMENT AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT OF ITS MANAGEMENT ON THE ROAD TO PROFIT

The issues of forestry development from the founding of the Forest Department to the present time, in particular, with the proposal of amendments to the Forest Code of Ukraine are investigated. It is necessary to update taxation indicators and content of the procedure of land use in state forestry, including by environmental components, with adaptation to the EU legislation. The taxation indicators of accounting and management in the state forestry of Ukraine at the time of Independence have been analyzed. The management aspects of forestry and forestry reform in the second half of the twentieth century are substantiated. The structural dynamics of the distribution of forest land (forests) by land use categories and ecological components of forest ecosystems within the land use of the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine for the period 1988–2011 is analyzed. The basic principles for reforming state forestry NPAs since the declaration of independence have been substantiated and continue to be carried out according to the principles of centralized state forest management — without taking into account expenses, revenues and calculating profitability, — using super complicated mechanisms for calculating rents. Considering the basic imperatives, Ukrainian forest legislation requires a dramatic improvement, beginning with the formulation and definition of terms adapted to UNECE/FAO terms, with sectoral approval in agreement with the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine NAAS of Ukraine.

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

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