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The end of the wild
\"Eleven-year-old Fern helps to take care of her impoverished family by foraging for food in the forest, but when a fracking company rolls into town, she realizes that her peaceful woods and her family's livelihood could be threatened\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Forests sourcebook : practical guidance for sustaining forests in development cooperation
The 'Forests Sourcebook' provides practical operations-oriented guidance for forest sector engagement toward the goals of poverty reduction, conservation and economic development. Intended to guide World Bank lending activities and projects, the 'Forests Sourcebook' offers information useful to a broad audience of practitioners, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The 'Sourcebook was developed in partnership with members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, including the Food and Agriculture Organization. The 'Sourcebook' provides background on key issues, lessons learned, and recommendations for practitioners on a number of topics including private sector engagement, forest governance, sustainable plantation and commercial harvesting, and forest information management systems. Giving insight into the complex interplay between different realms of development work that effect or are affected by forests, the 'Forests Sourcebook' is a valuable tool for any stakeholder involved in development or business projects that could have impact on forests.
eBook
Local knowledge in a forestry development project of 1980s Burma
As worldwide interest in sustainable forest management continues, this paper aims to contribute to the debate about the direction of the flow of science and knowledge by adding information that hybridity of knowledge occurred in international projects. As a case study, I selected a forestry development project of Burma called Forestry Project II East Pegu Yoma Project, funded mainly by the World Bank in the 1980s. By analysing the reports of this project, I attempted to find what kind of local knowledge was adopted, and to explain why that happened. The reports showed that they focused on logging teak (Tectona grandis) for export and establishing tree plantations, and they used techniques that came from the past, such as elephants and floating for logging, and the taungya method for planting, alongside modern techniques. The reasons why the project selected local species, activities and methods were considered to be because: (1) the then government intended to earn foreign exchange from exporting teak logs; (2) teak forestry had a long history in Burma, and the organisations, institutions and techniques aiming for sustainable yield already existed; (3) the project considered that local methods were suitable for particular ecological and socioeconomic conditions.
Journal Article
Quantifying the biodiversity value of tropical primary, secondary, and plantation forests
Biodiversity loss from deforestation may be partly offset by the expansion of secondary forests and plantation forestry in the tropics. However, our current knowledge of the value of these habitats for biodiversity conservation is limited to very few taxa, and many studies are severely confounded by methodological shortcomings. We examined the conservation value of tropical primary, secondary, and plantation forests for 15 taxonomic groups using a robust and replicated sample design that minimized edge effects. Different taxa varied markedly in their response to patterns of land use in terms of species richness and the percentage of species restricted to primary forest (varying from 5% to 57%), yet almost all between-forest comparisons showed marked differences in community structure and composition. Cross-taxon congruence in response patterns was very weak when evaluated using abundance or species richness data, but much stronger when using metrics based upon community similarity. Our results show that, whereas the biodiversity indicator group concept may hold some validity for several taxa that are frequently sampled (such as birds and fruit-feeding butterflies), it fails for those exhibiting highly idiosyncratic responses to tropical land-use change (including highly vagile species groups such as bats and orchid bees), highlighting the problems associated with quantifying the biodiversity value of anthropogenic habitats. Finally, although we show that areas of native regeneration and exotic tree plantations can provide complementary conservation services, we also provide clear empirical evidence demonstrating the irreplaceable value of primary forests.
Journal Article
Dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation and their stoichiometry along a chronosequence of forest primary succession in the Hailuogou Glacier retreat area, eastern Tibetan Plateau
As the two limiting nutrients for plants in most terrestrial ecosystems, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential for the development of succession forests. Vegetation N:P stoichiometry is a useful tool for detecting nutrient limitation. In the present work, chronosequence analysis was employed to research N and P accumulation dynamics and their stoichiometry during forest primary succession in a glacier retreat area on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results showed that: (1) total ecosystem N and P pools increased from 97 kg hm −2 to 7186 kg hm −2 and 25 kg hm −2 to 487 kg hm −2 , respectively, with increasing glacier retreat year; (2) the proportion of the organic soil N pool to total ecosystem N sharply increased with increasing glacier retreat year, but the proportion of the organic soil and the vegetation P pools to the total ecosystem P was equivalent after 125 y of recession; (3) the N:P ratio for tree leaves ranged from 10.1 to 14.3, whereas the N:P ratio for total vegetation decreased form 13.3 to 8.4 and remained constant after 35 y of recession, and the N:P ratio for organic soil increased from 0.2 to 23.1 with increasing glacier retreat. These results suggested that organic soil N increased with increasing years of glacier retreat, which may be the main sink for atmospheric N, whereas increased P accumulation in vegetation after 125 y of recession suggested that much of the soil P was transformed into the biomass P pool. As the N:P ratio for vegetation maintained a low level for 35–125 y of recession, we suggested that N might be the main limiting element for plant growth in the development of this ecosystem.
Journal Article
Forestry and climate change
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face - both in terms of its potential impact on our societies and the earth, and the scale of international co-operation that is needed to confront it. Emerging as a component of the international dialogue on the environment and climate, the role of forests in influencing earth systems will need to be assessed. Drawing together perspectives from researchers and policy makers, this book explores how forests will interact with the physical and natural world, and with human society as the climate changes. Also considered is how the world's forests can be managed to contribute to the mitigation of climate change and to maximize the full range of economic and non-market benefits. Providing an examination of the science, a detailed consideration of the science–policy interface and the international frameworks and conventions, this book is valuable reading for all those interested in sustainable forest management, climate change and the associated environmental sciences.
eBook
Converting Cropland to Forest Improves Soil Water Retention Capacity by Changing Soil Aggregate Stability and Pore-Size Distribution
The semi-arid region of North China has undergone extensive afforestation to prevent land degradation. Although afforestation was considered an effective way to improve soil water retention, the mechanism by which it affects soil hydraulic properties remained uncertain. In this study, soil water retention curve (SWRC), soil water-stable aggregates, and other soil physicochemical properties were determined in short-term abandoned cropland (AC), shrubland (SL), and woodland (WL) that had been converted from cropland for 1, 8, and 24 years, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis and partial least-squares structural equation modeling methods were used to identify the main factors affecting soil hydraulic properties. Results showed that the SWRCs of all three land uses were well-fitted by a double-exponential model. The WL and SL land uses exhibited higher soil field capacity (0.33–0.37 cm3 cm−3), wilting point (0.20–0.23 cm3 cm−3), and available water content (0.13–0.15 cm3 cm−3). Surface soil exhibits a more pronounced trend in water retention capacity changes compared to subsoil under vegetation restoration. The WL and SL land uses showed more soil macroaggregates and intra-aggregate pores at surface layers, which mainly explained the variations in hydraulic properties. The main factors influencing soil hydraulic properties were soil aggregates, matrix and structural porosity, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil bulk density (BD). Overall, afforestation can improve soil hydraulic properties and could be an effective practice for soil and water conservation in the semi-arid region of North China.
Journal Article
Study on Sustainability of Shelter Forest Construction and Protection Behavior of Farmers in the Sandstorm Area of Hexi Corridor, China
An accurate assessment of farmers’ participation in shelter forest construction and protection behavior is of great practical significance for the renewal and restoration of degraded shelter forests, improvements in the ecological environment, and the sustainable development of agroforestry. This study was based on the theory of planned behavior and structural equation modeling. The cognition and behavior of farmers in typical wind and sand areas of the Hexi Corridor were constructed to measure their participation in the construction and protection of shelter forests from the “cognition-behavior” dimension. The results showed that all three dimensions of farmers’ perceptions had a significant positive effect on farmers’ participation in the construction and protection of shelter forests. The combined path coefficients of the three dimensions were behavioral attitudes (0.337), subjective norms (0.216), and perceived behavioral control (0.170), with farmers’ behavioral attitudes having a more pronounced effect on forest construction and protection behaviors. In the behavioral response to the construction and protection of shelter forests, farmers have a positive attitude toward compensation, management, and pest control, while the response to adjustment pattern, willingness to pay, and tree species replacement is relatively insignificant. It is suggested that the government should increase the publicity of shelter forest protection, improve the ecological compensation and reward and punishment mechanism, improve the management system, and strengthen the training of farmers’ professional knowledge and skills. These measures could increase farmers’ awareness of forest construction and protection to ensure that farmers actively participate in the construction and management of shelter forests.
Journal Article
Exploring Texture Diversity of Beech-Spruce-Fir Stands through Development Phase Analysis in the Frakto Virgin Forest of Greece
The structural diversity of old-growth forests is a fundamental element as regards ecosystem stability and functionality. The current study aims at exploring the texture diversity in the unique virgin Frakto forest of Greece through the determination of the forest development phases and their related stages. Eight sample plots of 0.25 hectares each were randomly distributed to serve the field research needs. During the single phases, a significant number of variables at the stand level, such as the total dead and living timber volume and the density expressed as the number of stems per hectare and basal area, were calculated, and their values were merged into three main stages. The Frakto virgin forest was found to be dominated by the optimal stage (61.7%), followed by the decay stage (22.7%), and the initial stage (15.6%), in alignment with relevant distributions reported for other European virgin forests. Statistically significant differences in terms of stem density and woody volume between the stages demonstrated increased structural diversity and heterogeneity, a typical characteristic of primeval forests. The results offer an insight into forest growth dynamics under natural processes, thus providing a knowledge base for the promotion of sustainable forest management.
Journal Article
Spatial Distribution of Development Types of Forestry-Ecological-Culture Industries in Chinese Provinces
It is vital to promote the sustainable economic and social development and ecological culture prosperity of forest areas in various regions to scientifically and objectively understand the development status of forestry-ecological-culture industries in all provinces (districts and cities) of China. It is also important to clarify the advantages of industrial development in various regions. Based on the comprehensive consideration of economic, social, and political factors, the evaluation index system of forestry-ecological-culture industry, which includes industrial productivity, industrial influence, industrial and driving force, is constructed in this study. Furthermore, the development of forestry-ecological-culture industry in 31 provinces and regions of China from 2014 to 2019 is analyzed by cluster analysis. The analysis categorized the industries into four development types: very high level developed, high level developed, medium level developed, and low level developed according to the principal component score, which sums up the characteristics of various types of industrial development. The results show that the forestry-ecological-culture industry in China presents the spatial distribution of “east high and west low”, which is related to the difference in regional economic development level. Furthermore, the advantage of resource endowment is not clear, the gap between provinces and regions is large, and the overall development level of industry is relatively low. The findings of this study provide theory-based guidance and policy suggestions for improving the efficiency of industrial development and optimizing spatial distribution of diversified industrial development.
Journal Article