Woodlots Research Articles

Factors Affecting the Decision to Purchase Teak Products for Consumption by Consumers in Luangprabang District, Luang Prabang province

This research aims to investigate the situation of consumers purchasing teak products and decision to buy teak product in LuangPrabang. Using a questionnaire to gather data from a sample group of 380 individuals who have purchased teak products. And using the SPSS program to analyze the percentage of these consumers. The results of the study found that the situation when buying teak wood products is: ceiling edge 98.68%, ceiling wood 92.10%, kitchen cabinet 69.21%, chair 55.26%, table 54.73%, stairs 53.94%,bed 52.89%, plane wood 52.63%, door edge 47.36%, window frame 28.68%, door frame 26.31%, pillar wood 9.21%, air intake 6.57%, and finally sofa 4.73%. Expenses for more than 5 million kip cover 68.80%, 3 to 5 million cover 78.00%, 1 to 3 million cover 70.00%, and lower than 1 million kip cover 54.80%. 95% of buyers choose to buy in front of the store, 59% call to order for the store to pick up and deliver, and 49% order online. The study also found that 95% of the reasons are because rose wood or led wood is hard to find and the price is expensive; 65% of Luang Prabang is still plentiful of teak; there is a lot of teak wood; and teak wood is beautiful and lighter than other wood; and 35% because there is no choice.Result also found that the factors that making consumers decide to buy teak products are quality, appearance, easy to find and purchase, price and detail of the product with a statistical significance level of less than .05.

Impacts of Climate Variability on Agricultural Activities and Availability of Agroforestry Practices in Southeast Nigeria

Climate variability poses a significant challenge for smallholder farmers globally, including those in Southeast Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to explore farmers’ perceptions of the impact of climate variability and agroforestry practices available in the region. Specifically, the study evaluates the availability of agroforestry practices for adoption by farmers and the extent of climate variability effects on agricultural activities in Southeast Nigeria. The study employed primary data, which were collected from 350 registered farmers in the study region using a validated and well-structured questionnaire. The study employed a structured questionnaire to gather data on the availability of agroforestry practices among farmers in Southeast Nigeria as well as utilized a seven-item scale to assess the perceived impacts of climate variability on agricultural activities in Southeast Nigeria. Findings revealed that home gardening emerged as the most prevalent agroforestry practice among respondents, while multipurpose wood lots were the least common. The mean ratings for all thirteen agroforestry practices were below the critical threshold of 3.00, indicating a lack of widespread availability. Thus, there is a limited adoption of these practices among farmers in the region. Irregular rainfall and rising temperatures were identified as the most significant climate variability impacts on farming operations. However, extreme events like storms, hailstorms, and thunderstorms had the least impact according to respondents, indicating that farmers perceive these impacts as significant and pressing concerns. The study concludes that there is a high level of climate variability impacts on agricultural practices in Southeast Nigeria, coupled with a low availability of agroforestry practices for farmers to mitigate these impacts. The study suggests enhancing agricultural extension services, developing tailored extension programs, advocating for governmental support and investment, providing technical support and capacity-building assistance to farmers, investing in research and innovation, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to promote the adoption of agroforestry practices as a climate-resilient agricultural approach

BIBE Chair Space Filling Elements as a Form of Tropical Style Dayak Culture Implementation

In the interior of a room there are filling elements such as floors, walls, and ceilings or forms of space-filling such as furniture and aesthetic elements in it. A design or shape of a room filler describes the concept of what is in a building, if the impression of a room is appropriate it can certainly be accepted from a human point of view, then this can influence the function and emotion in creating a room atmosphere. This design methodology starts from a data collection method containing literature data and typology data, followed by an analysis method in the form of design to the final design. Based on the method described, the design of interior space-filling elements refers to the cultural diversity of the Dayak tribe which is implemented with a modern concept with a tropical theme. The Dayak tribe is of course very closely related to nature based on its geological location, therefore in this design, a lot of wood is used in the material elements to make it suitable. Meanwhile, to add tropical elements, of course, it is necessary to add tropical motifs or patterns to it. The purpose of writing this design is to identify the factors that form the elements of a room that implement Dayak culture in a tropical style. The benefit of this research is to find out what factors influence the design elements of Dayak culture. This design produces structured space-filling elements or refers to concepts analyzed based on literature data and typology.

Deployment of performance indicators toward bridging monitoring gaps in Africa’s Great Green Wall

Background: The health and productivity of the land across the Sahel are in declension due to desertification. This has lowered the quality of ecosystem services and has led to a vicious cycle of drought, famine, poverty, and insecurity in the region. As one of the flagship interventions of the UN’s decade (2020-2030) of ecosystem restoration to tackle desertification and respond to climate change, there are mixed reactions to the successes of the Great Green Wall (GGW) in Nigeria due to the failure of the Sustainability of Policy Instrument. Methods: A two-round Delphi reached consensus on 42 sub-indicators under 14 indicators as indicated by Kendell’s (W=0.509, P=0.001) and high correlation between rounds (rho=0.959, P=0.001). The indicators were then deployed to assess the GGW in a questionnaire (n=401) via a multi-stage sampling, and their performance was weighted using principal component analysis (PCA). Results: "Proportion of land reclaimed" was recorded as the highest-performing indicator due to the multifaceted afforestation program covering fodder and wood lot areas, while "dune fixation" has the least performance due to the lack of employment of ecological engineering tools. The findings showed that the presence of local jobs is not significant in raising the livelihood status above the poverty line. Conclusion: To meet the 2030 timeline, there is a need to scale up the implementation of the GGW and support the desert frontline states (DFS) with alternative energy to reduce the rate of deforestation.

The effect of land-use conversion from agriculture to perennial biomass crops and nitrogen fertilizer on soil organic carbon stock in southern Ontario, Canada

Switchgrass [Panicum virgatum, (SG)] and miscanthus [Miscanthus spp., (Mis)] are perennial biomass crops (PBCs) commonly grown in Ontario, Canada. By the integration of PBCs on marginal/degraded agricultural (Ag) fields, a positive gain in soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration has been reported in the scientific literature. Therefore, using PBCs to enhance SOC sequestration can potentially contribute to Canada's goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, long-term field research (>10 years) to clearly demonstrate this trend in Canada is limited. In the above context, this study compared the current SOC stock (Mg C ha−1) in SG and Mis to that of baseline Ag SOC obtained from three different locations, namely Elora (2008–2019), Guelph (2009–2020) and Burlington (2016–2020), Ontario, Canada. SOC stock at the time of land-use conversion from Ag to SG and Mis was considered as baseline. Woodlots (WLs), undisturbed natural forests, were used as reference SOC (potential maximum SOC stock) to predict the potential SOC sequestration in the future by PBCs at the respective locations. Results showed that SOC stocks in all SG fields, Mis fields and WLs were higher compared to respective baseline Ag fields. SOC stocks (Mg C ha−1) in PBCs were significantly higher in Elora (SG: 96.3 ± 3.44, Mis: 100.0 ± 1.48) and Guelph (SG: 88.5 ± 5.72, Mis: 87.9 ± 6.43) over 11 years, whereas SOC stock in Burlington (SG: 87.5 ± 5.04, Mis: 94.7 ± 4.86), showed no significant difference over 4 years compared to their respective baseline Ag fields (77.6 ± 3.09, 59.3 ± 1.17 and 84.1 ± 3.39). All WLs had significantly higher SOC stock compared to their respective baseline Ag fields, showing the potential for future SOC stock gain by PBCs. SOC stock values in SG, with different nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates (0, 40, 80 and 160 kg N ha−1), were not significantly different. Conversely, SOC stock at all N rates were significantly higher in SG than baseline Ag SOC stock values. For Mis, only N fertilizer rates 40, 80, 160 kg N ha−1 significantly increased SOC stock. However, within the four N fertilizer rates, SOC significantly increased only at 80 kg N ha−1. Increases in SOC stock suggest that converting marginal lands to PBCs over the long-term (>10 years) could create additional terrestrial C sinks. In Canada, there are close to 10 million ha of degraded Ag lands that can potentially be repurposed for PBCs, therefore the conversion of these unproductive Ag lands to PBCs could significantly contribute to Canada's climate mitigation strategies.

Indigenous knowledge in agroforestry promotion: a case from Bandegaun, Indrawati Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchok District, Nepal

This research presents the role of indigenous traditional knowledge on agroforestry promotion in Bandegaun of Sindhupalchok district. Both primary and secondary information was collected through a household survey, key informant discussion, focus group discussion, direct observation, and review of agroforestry-related literature, papers, and reports. Agriculture was the main occupation of the respondents with the majority (62%) of the total respondents having a small landholding of less than 0.75 ha. However, about 91% of the total had practiced both agri-silviculture and home gardening, 55% of the total respondents had a Silvi-pastoral system and 27% of the total respondents had a small wood lot of trees. The main indigenous traditional knowledge used by the respondents for the promotion of these agroforestry practices in their farms were knowledge on the palatability of fodder species, knowledge on timber quality, knowledge on propagation by cutting, knowledge on NTFP value, knowledge on cash earning, and knowledge on religious value of tree species. A total of 39 tree species were included in the agroforestry practices of the study areas. Among them were 10 fodder species, 12 timber and fuelwood species, 6 NTFPs, and 11 fruit trees. Each study household on average have grown 4 fruit trees, 47 fodder tree, 19 fuelwood, and timber trees, and an NTFP in their farmlands, which have provided a great contribution to fodder, fuelwood, and timber supply for household use reported by 91% of the total respondents and some respondents (76%) had also generated income from the sale of timber, fuelwood, and NTFPs. Finally, it is recommended that indigenous knowledge-based agroforestry awareness and training programs along with preferred seedlings of good quality should be provided to promote agroforestry in study areas.

Significance of moss pretreatments in active biomonitoring surveys

The present study examines the impact of pretreatment procedures on the metal concentrations in bags that are to be exposed. We examine Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb amounts in Sphagnum fallax and Dicranum polysetum mosses using atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentration of Hg was also determined using a mercury analyzer. Two sample preparation ways were tested (with and without rinsing) and their influence was evaluated by determining the coefficient of variation (CV). Chlorophyll content was also determined in mosses collected from three habitats (deep woodland, forest road, and wood lot). The results indicate, that the concentration of elements deposited in mosses depends on the species and the habitat where they were collected (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Rinsing of mosses reduces the CV for Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn and uniform the material prior to exposure (CV for the majority of metals <10%). Selected correlations were found for element concentrations with chlorophyll content. Photosynthetic activity of mosses decreased by about 80% during their one-month storage in the laboratory. Due to the varying concentration of metals in the collected samples, proper, and standardized preparation of mosses before exposure, they can be effectively used in active biomonitoring.

Wood lots and horticultural intensification in Prehistoric Tucson, B.C. 2,100-A.D. 500

This study presents the results of a long-term, large-data set paleoethnobotanical study of wood use along the Santa Cruz River floodplain, near Tucson, Arizona. Over the interval from 2,100BCE to A.D.50, local villagers depleted regional saltbush stocks by overharvesting them for fuel. At the same time, they became increasingly reliant on mesquite. We explore the implications of the reduction of saltbush, and the dependence on mesquite. We combine information from ancient wood charcoal assemblages, an ancient pollen assemblage, estimates of likely per capita fuelwood consumption rates, and estimates of mesquite and saltbush productivity. We show that vast amounts of land had to be set aside for sustainable mesquite harvesting. We suggest that the need for mesquite management for fuel emerged coevally with agricultural intensification prior to A.D. 50. Thereafter, additional demands for fuel during the Agua Caliente phase further escalated the need for managing wood lots. This study is germane for scholars of the prehistoric American Southwest, and also for people studying pre-pottery early agricultural societies or prehistoric community resource ownership worldwide.

Digital governance in rural Chengdu, China: Its potential for social-ecological resilience

In this study, we echo the call from the UN to interpret Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their regional context—in this case, the linpan (wooded lot) landscape of the Chengdu Plain, in Sichuan, China, where the shocks and stresses of recent, rapid administrative-economic urbanization are testing the resilience of some of the world's most sustainably productive and long- and densely-settled agrarian environments. In recent years, fine-grained information and communications technology (ICT) governance tools in Chengdu, such as “grid management”, present opportunities to sustain and scale up the collection of data necessary to validate and refine indicators of landscape resilience, and use them to regulate development, in accordance with SDG goal 11 to enhance legislation, governance, and capacity via information gathering and sharing. ICT-based governance in combination with traditional place-based knowledge can play a critical role in ensuring the resilience of urban-rural co-development. To realize this potential, however, ICT-enabled governance needs to incorporate greater transparency and more local feedback loops and enable greater participation from older farmers and women, to inform household and community-level land-use choices and initiatives. It also needs to link regulatory functions with marketing and pricing functions so that farmers may benefit from the sustainable practices they are encouraged to adopt.

Trade Relations Between The Cities of The Phoenician Coast and ancient Egypt

The research aims to shed light on a side of the commercial relations among the cities of the Phoenician coast and ancient Egypt, because of this relationship of great importance in the life of ancient Egypt, which was lacking raw materials which is used in shipbuilding and even in building, as well as in burial uses. Wood is mainly used in it, and the cities of the Phoenician coast were characterized by dense forests with perennial trees and distinguished by high quality, important to the ancient Egyptians, so they established these relationships, whether they were commercial or also to control over this region. The Phoenician trade movement deals with a lot of materials, pine wood, fruits, discarded beaches, fabrics and embroideries, leather, Judah tar, incense, slaves, perfumes, purple-red, precious stones, and glassware. If we look at these materials, most of them are used for luxury purposes and more than a commodity with a necessary utility and often desirable to the pharaohs and higher positions most of these materials are used in planning processes.

Wood Identification: A Tool for Preservation of Indigenous Architecture of Traditional Houses in Ifugao, Philippines

Abstract Traditional wooden houses are an integral part of the identity of the majestic Ifugao rice terrace landscape as the architectural heritage of the indigenous Ifugao people. These traditional houses function as family residences and serve as rice granaries, refuge, and special housing for unmarried people in the community. In as much as the materials used for the construction of the traditional house are sourced from the surrounding wood lots and communal forests, the traditional house serves as an important record of the history and value of indigenous and endemic trees found in the central Cordillera mountain range. This study identified 206 traditional houses in Kiangan town, and from these houses, transverse sections of house parts from the dismantled and standing houses were examined. Thirty-two species of mostly indigenous and endemic trees were used to construct traditional houses across four periods: (1) before 1931, (2) 1931–1960, (3) 1961–1990 and (4) 1991–2020. The Ifugaos consistently utilized the preferred wood species such as Amugawon (Vitex parviflora), Udyo (Pterocarpus indicus), and Itangan (Weinmannia luzoniensis) for traditional house construction. Wood species such as Yakal (Shorea astylosa), Gmelina (Gmelina arborea), and Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) were also identified from recently constructed houses. The disappearance of certain premium hardwoods and a shift to commonly available but less quality wood is noticeable, as the former were over-utilized but never mass-propagated. Finally, a conservation planning workshop on traditional houses was organized among local homeowners, barangay, and municipal officials, agreeing on the following points: (a) creation of an ordinance to protect and conserve existing traditional houses; (b) development of information, education, and communication materials on the importance of traditional houses; and (c) enhanced collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis Woodlot Influences Soil Properties and Teff Yield on the Adjacent Croplands in Guraghe Zone, Central Ethiopia

In Ethiopia five Eucalyptus species were adopt wide area and Eucalyptus camaldulensisi more dominant in low land and middle land area and economically very important. This leads to farmers converted portion of their farmland to Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodlots. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of E. camaldulensis woodlot on the soil properties and teff (Erogrsticteff) yields on an adjacent cropland. A plot of 2m x 1.5m area was laid down inside plantation (assumed zero m), at one, three, six, nine and20 m distances away from the E. camaldulensis woodlot in to the adjacent cropland. This was replicated on three farmlands. Teff was grown on the plots and the yield, height, and biomass of teff were measured and thirty six soil samples were collected from experimental field. The soil bulk density (p&lt;0.01), soil moisture (p&lt;0.001), SOC (p &lt; 0.05), avail P (p &lt; 0.01) and avail K (p &lt; 0.01) were significantly varied with distance. The yield and height of teff were significantly (p&lt; 0.01) affected by distance from the woodlot. Moreover, mean soil total N at three meter, avail P from one meter to six meter, avail K after nine meter, yield and biomass of teff up to six meter were reduced. The yield reduction of teff could be attributed to the soil moisture and soil nutrient competition between the Eucalyptus woodlot and teff. In this study we had concluded that E. Camaldulensis wood lot has effect on teff production up to six- meter distance from the woodlot and adjacent crop were recommended after Six meter.

TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS INDUSTRY AND PROBLEMS OF MODERN DEVELOPMENT OF THE BANKING ECONOMIC REGION OF AZERBAIJAN

Aim. Baku economic region consists in collecting and processing the collected material on the current socio-economic state of the territorial organization of the building materials industry and improvement, assessing the level of potential, identifying opportunities for future development, and preparing appropriate recommendations. Methods. During the study, comparative, statistical, mathematical analysis, the method of a systematic approach and personal observations of the authors were used. Results. As a result of the analysis of the territorial organization of the building materials industry and the problems of modern development, the following conclusions were made: For the first time, in modern conditions, on the basis of statistical data and observation materials, an analysis of the territorial organization of the building materials industry and an assessment of the level of development from an economic geographical point of view. It was revealed that the construction industry uses a lot of wood, fittings, glass, faience, sanitary ware and other products that are imported from foreign countries, and such an important industry should be exempt from customs taxes, and or on preferential terms, their importation should be taken under control and guardianship of the state. - A significant part of the stone and sand quarries located in the vicinity of the city of Baku was distributed or sold to the population. Due to population growth and the expansion of the city's neighborhood, it is necessary to pay special attention to the construction of high-rise residential and government buildings in the suburbs of the city. One of the main factors that create the problem of ecological tension in the city of Baku are stone quarries located in the suburban settlements of Garadagh, Guzdek, Turkan, Zire, Mashtaga, etc., which produce sawstone and sand used at the construction sites of the city. The implementation of recycling measures at these sites is beneficial not only for the sources of building materials, but also for the protection of the coastal resort and tourist area.

Wood Lots and Horticultural Intensification in Prehistoric Tucson, B.C. 2,100-A.D. 500

Wood Lots and Horticultural Intensification in Prehistoric Tucson, B.C. 2,100-A.D. 500

Agroforestry systems and research in Eritrea (East Africa): A review

The paper reviews the potential and significance of agroforestry systems in Eritrea with the objective of improving their adoption. The three basic Agroforestry systems are: agrisilviculture (crops + trees), silvopastoral (pasture/animal + trees), and agrosilvopastoral (crops + pasture/animals + trees). Other agroforestry systems include apiculture (bees + trees), aquaculture (fish + trees) and multipurpose tree lots. In Eritrea, the most important agroforestry practices are multipurpose trees on crop land, wind breaks and shelter belts, trees for soil conservation, living fencing, community wood lots, river banks and water ways and rangelands (protein banks). Agroforestry has been recognized as a land use system capable of yielding both wood and food, while conserving and rehabilitating natural ecosystems. Research reviews on agroforestry in Eritrea showed that the highest grain yield on barley was obtained from fallow land planted with Crotalaria grahamiana (1,165 kg ha−1). Hedge row intercropping studies showed that a 4.5 m alley gave higher barley grain yield (793 kg ha−1) than a 6 m alley. It is necessary to create community awareness on the benefits of agroforestry and to promote different agroforestry practices to preserve indigenous woody species. Furthermore, tree legumes are very important source of protein which provides animal feeds during dry periods. However, it is important that appropriate agroforestry research programs are co-designed with farmers so that relevant technologies and approaches can be adopted in farmers’ real-world context.

Pembuatan Asap Cair Guna Mendukung Pertanian Organik di Desa Bulusari, Kecamatan Kalipuro, Kabupaten Banyuwangi

Bulusari is a village located in Kalipuro District. This area consists of settlements, agricultural land and plantations. The villagers live in 3 hamlets, namely Bulupayung, Kopensere, and Plampang. The typical residential area here is a typical plantation house. The houses of the surrounding residents are planted with coffee and a few cloves. The agricultural land is planted with rice, cassava, coconut and fruit. Bulusari also has a wood serkel business. The wood serkel business leaves a lot of waste wood being wasted. The purpose of this activity is to assist the community in utilizing wood waste and producing superior products. The method of implementing this activity is the introduction of innovations in the form of utilizing wood waste into liquid smoke, designing and manufacturing tools, practice of using tools, application of using liquid smoke. The technology applied is able to produce liquid smoke with grade 3 and grade 2. The use of this liquid smoke is as a vegetable/organic pesticide, and food preservative. The production of liquid smoke is also expected to be able to provide organic pesticides and create new jobs for the people of Bulusari Village.

BIOENERGY BASED ON WOOD CHIPS AS THE DEVELOPMENT DRIVER OF NON-URBAN FORESTED AREAS

One of the most important key factors for the development of non-urban areas is infrastructure, and energy generation is one of the fundamental infrastructure elements. This paper provides a new solution for energy generation based on wood chips which has a multi-sector effect because the offer to combine planning of forest cleaning cutting with bioenergy generation in one complex project, which will have socio-economic and ecological effects. The situation with forest fires makes the authors' idea more attractive because after forest fires the problem of cleaning cutting in forest becomes very important and urgent by ecological and economical points: after cleaning cutting there are a lot of low quality wood which can be recycled into chips for the production bioenergy by the authors' idea. This enriched methodology has successfully been applied into the regional strategical planning in the field of bioenergy and forestry of the Ural region of Russia; however, it is suitable for applications in regional development in any non-urban forested region of the world.

Possibility to Introduce Bamboo as an Energy Crop

Demand for energy is increasing day by day all over the world especially for the short term renewable energy. Biomass energy has great potential to be an alternative for fossil fuel. Bamboo belongs to grass family and biomass can be processed in various ways to produce different energy products. This research focuses on comparison with bamboo and the other bio mass available in Sri Lanka and possibility of vegetative propagation to plant in small to medium scale wood lots. It will work as a substitution for replace tree bio mass on fuel-wood sector in future. Compare to most energy crops, bamboo biomass has better fuel characteristics. It can grow in degraded land so that it requires less care and less compete with food crops for land. However, bamboo takes comparatively lesser time to mature. First part of the results revealed that small to medium scale commercial propagation can be done through vegetative propagation. Medium with river sand and top soil 1:1 ratio showed highest germination percentage for the bamboo seed. Second part of this study reviled the characterize of energy quality attributes of bamboo species (Dendrocalamus strictus, Bamboosa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, Bamboosa bamboos, Bamboosa balcoa, Dendrocalamus hookery) biomass, when compared to other raw materials of residual origin with a high potential for use in thermal energy generation processes. All the evaluated bamboo species in the energy quality characteristics are almost similar range equivalent to those of biomasses saucers traditionally used in thermal energy generation. Bamboosa vulgaris had the highest calorific value among the tested bamboo species.

Physical properties of furfurylated mangium (Acacia mangium Willd.) and pine (Pinus merkusii Jungh et de Vriese) woods

Wood from plantation forest contains a lot of sapwood and juvenile wood which has inferior in physical properties. Furfurylation could improve the properties through a reaction between Furfuryl Alcohol (FA) with a hydroxyl group of wood components. The purpose of the study was to improve the physical properties of mangium (Acacia mangium Willd.) and pine (Pinus merkusii Jungh et de Vriese) woods. The wood specimens for physical properties was prepared according to the ASTM D 143-94. They were vacuumed at 600 mmHg during 30 minutes, when the vacuum has been released, the FA reagent was inserted to the tank and followed with pressure at 10 kg/cm2 during 30 minutes. The specimens were wrapped with aluminium foil and heated in the oven at 100°C for 24 hours. After conditioned for three weeks, the specimens were tested for physical properties including Weight Percent Gain (WPG), density, Moisture Content (MC), water absorption, swelling, shrinkage, and anti-swelling efficiency (ASwE) according to the ASTM D 143-94. Untreated specimens were also prepared for comparison purpose with five replications for each treatment. The results showed that furfurylated mangium and pine woods reached WPG 11.34% and 17.74%, densities were increased 8.95% and 3.75%, MC were decreased 88.41% and 84.74%, water absorption were decreased 41.76% and 46.84%, volume swelling were decreased 55.18% and 61.57%, volume shrinkage were decreased 34.99% and 64.75%, respectively. ASwE of mangium and pine woods was 55.1% and 61.6%. It could be mentioned that the furfurylated wood had better physical properties compared to untreated woods.

The long-term impact of vehicular traffic on winter and spring methane flux under no-till farming in Central Ohio

Mechanized conservation agriculture, mainly no-till (NT) based production systems, is of utmost importance for the conservation of natural resources and restoration of the environmental quality. However, the impact of machine-induced compaction on the methane (CH4) uptake in the absence of the growing crop is not known. Emission of CH4 from soil to the atmosphere through anthropogenic activities plays a significant role in global climate change. Thus, a NT compaction experiment was established at the Waterman Farm of the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, in 1997, to study the long-term impact of the growing season traffic on non-growing season methane emission under NT farming. The levels of traffic included: control (no passages with additional axle loads; VT-0), two (VT-2) and four (VT-4) additional passages of 2.5 Mg water wagon axle load to cover the entire plot. To study the CH4 uptake capacity of soil under NT in relation to natural soils, three locations were also selected from the adjoining woodlot (WL). The CH4 emissions of soil were monitored between November 16, 2016 and May 30, 2017. CH4 emissions ranged from −8.54 to 5.06 mg m−2 day−1 with mean of −0.97, −0.45, −1.31 and −4.46 mg CH4 m−2 day−1 for VT-0, VT-2, VT-4 and WL, respectively. The CH4 uptake was higher in soil under WL -4.85, and −3.07 mg CH4 m−2 day−1 during winter and spring seasons, respectively than under other treatments. The VT-2 treatment recorded the highest CH4 emission (0.55 mg CH4 m−2 day−1) during winter and the lowest soil CH4 uptake (−1.19 mg CH4 m−2 day−1) during the spring season. At end of the study, the cumulative uptake of CH4 was reduced under VT-2 by 911% and 122% as compared to that in soil of WL (5.36 CH4 kg ha−1) and VT-0 (1.18 CH4 kg ha−1), respectively. The radiative forcing (RF) i.e. greatest net CH4 emissions were observed under VT-4. The study concluded that long-term (>20 years) use of 2 or 4 additional passages of traffic 2.5 Mg axle load under NT farming reduced the oxidation and uptake rate of CH4 in comparison to that of soil under NT and WL, which may consequently reduce the CH4 mitigation potential of NT soils.