Analysis of rural people’s attitude towards the management of tribal forests in South Africa

The management of forests for multiple purposes coupled with a varying socioeconomic profile of forest users can result in attitudinal differences towards forest management. This study examines the attitudes of rural people in South Africa towards the management of tribal forests. Attitude towards forest management was analysed with respect to five forest management objectives: 1, forest management for rural livelihood resilience to climate change; 2, forest management for reduction and management of forest fire risk; 3, forest management for sustainable forest-based livelihood; 4, forest management for household socioeconomic wellbeing; and 5, forest management for community-based climate change adaptation initiative. A household questionnaire survey was used to elicit information from 155 rural households using the proportionate random sampling procedure. Chi-square test was used to analyse data from the household survey. Factorial analysis was used to analyse variance in attitude towards forest management. The results showed that rural people generally have positive attitudes toward the management of tribal forests. Factor analysis isolated 2 major factors that explained 61% variance in attitude. Based on the findings we conclude that centralising forest management around the four management objectives (1, 3, 4 & 5) are likely to promote inclusive forest-based development in the study communities.     

The non‐timber value of northern Swedish forests

For the forests in the county of Västerbotten in northern Sweden, this study attempts to quantify the non‐timber value arisen from on‐site consumptive use (berry‐ and mushroom‐picking), on‐site non‐consumptive use (hiking, camping, etc.), and off‐site visual experience. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was applied in a mail survey for obtaining empirical data. A follow‐up survey was also conducted in order to get knowledge about the representativeness of the respondents to the CVM survey. The results indicated that the non‐timber value accounted for a considerable portion of the total forest value. On‐site consumptive use was more valuable to rural people than to urban, while on‐site non‐consumptive use was more valuable to urban people. Taken together, these on‐site use values—which to a large extent depend on the Right of Common Access—accounted for two‐thirds of the non‐timber value. The value of the off‐site visual experience thus accounted for one‐third of the non‐timber value.     

Landscape pattern and fragmentation of natural secondary forests in the eastern mountainous region, northeast China： A case study of Mao＇ershan forests in Heilongjiang Province

Mao‘ershan region is a representative natural secondary forested region in the eastern mountainous region, northeast of China.Under the support of ARC/INFO and GIS technology, the landscape shape and fragment indices of Mao‘ershan experimental plantation were studied by combining the forest type map (1:10000), which was drawn from the aerial photographs (1999), field investigation (1999) and soil utilized map (1:10000). The results showed that the shape index and shape fragment index of natural landscape were higher than those of artificial landscapes and landscape patch fragment index depended on the number of patches. The natural forest had complex shape,suffering little jamming, and its shape index was higher than that of artificial forest. The manual controlled landscape (e.g. nursery, cropland and cutting blank) had regular shape, and its shape index was smaller. The fragment index of patches in natural forest was higher than that of artificial forest. The soft broad-leaved had the highest fragment index of patch amount.     

Monitoring Victoria’s public forests: implementation of the Victorian Forest Monitoring Program

A new strategic inventory across all publicly managed forests has been installed in Victoria. For the preceding two decades, Victoria’s forest inventory has been compiled from various data sources from across the state, an approach that doesn’t allow information about the nature and rate of changes to the resource to be estimated, or for projections or forecasts to be made. To address these limitations, the Victorian Forest Monitoring Program (VFMP) was established, to monitor Victoria’s progress in meeting a commitment towards sustainable forest management, and to satisfy requirements for state and national reporting. The purpose of the new program is to ‘assess and monitor the extent, state and sustainable development of Victoria’s public forests in a timely and accurate manner.’ The VFMP consists of a plot-based system of permanent observational units located on a state-wide grid. A combination of ground-based and aerial photo plots and remotely sensed data are used to capture a set of basic attributes that are used to derive indicators of sustainability. To meet the monitoring needs a remeasurement framework has been developed to guide the change estimation procedures. The program was designed and implemented between 2009 and 2015 and used to generate data and information for the most recent Victoria’s State of the Forest Report. The first annual change estimate is due to be completed in 2017. A summary of implementation and proposed maintenance is presented and discussed in this paper.     

A phytosociological study onBetula platyphylla forests in Daxing’an Mountains of China

For the first time in this paper the forests ofBetula platyphylla in Daxing’an Mountains are subdivided by phytosociological methods. Three community types ofB. platyphylla forest have been differentiated, e.g.,Rhododendron dahuricum-Betula platyphylla community,Corylus heterophylla-Betula platyphylla community andArtemisia stolonifera-Betula platyphylla community. The distributed elevation, stand height, differential species, major composition species of tree layer, shrub layer and herb layer for each community were detail described Yang Yongfu, male, born in Sept., 1961; Senior engineer of Central Nursery of Xinlin Forestry Bureau, Daxinganling, P. R. China Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai     

Litterfall production in forests located at the Pre-delta area of the Paraná River (Argentina)

? The objectives of this study were to measure litterfall production of the four floodplain forest types and to analyze the relationship between litterfall (forest type, dominant species, and organic fractions) and flood pulses.

? Litterfall production was measured in two mono-specific stands of Salix humboldtiana or Tessaria integrifolia, respectively, and two mixed forests dominated by A. inundata or Nectandra angustifolia, during 1998 and the 2000–2002 periods.

? Mono-specific stands presented similar productivities (6.8 and 6.5 Mg dry matter ha^?1 y^?1, respectively), but differed significantly from the two other. The highest litterfall production was obtained during the large flood that occurred during 1998, decreasing later throughout the study period. Leaves were the dominant fraction of litterfall, followed by branches, flowers, and fruits.

? Only S. humboldtiana, T. integrifolia and A. inundata forests showed distinct patterns of litterfall production, depending on the flooding pulse. N. angustifolia did not show a distinctive litterfall pattern.

? The forests studied here presented patterns of litter production associated with the flood pulse according to its location along a topographic gradient, that controls the litter productivity of these forests.

     

Field sampling of cork value before extraction in Portuguese ‘montados’

The assessment of cork quality and the estimation of cork value are very important to forest landowners, for management purposes and for cork commercialisation. The Forest Producers Associations have been using a sampling scheme with the objective of estimating cork value (price per unit of weight, usually kg) before extraction, based on the sampling of individual trees along a zigzag transect that covers the entire stand. The sampling error is usually too high, but, from a practical standpoint, it is difficult to increase the sampling intensity if it would imply an increase in sampling costs. The aim of this work was to propose, from data collected in six stands representative of the cork oak stands in Portugal, an alternative sampling methodology with a more efficient precision/cost ratio. Precision and costs of alternative sampling designs based on clusters of different sizes, complemented with analysis of the intracluster correlation coefficient, were studied in order to propose the most adequate sampling strategy. Single-stage cluster sampling with clusters of 5–7 trees guarantees a reasonable sampling error (10–15%) and can be conducted without a large increase in cost.     

Length of cuttings in establishment and production of short-rotation plantations of Salix ‘Aquatica’

The effect of length of cuttings, 10 to 50 cm long, on establishment and productivity of short-rotation plantations was investigated in five trials, for periods of 2 to 9 years. The trials were established on abandoned agricultural fields planted with unrooted Salix Aquatica cuttings. The effect of cutting length was very similar in all five trials: the longer the cuttings (up to 30–50 cm), the better the survival and growth. In most trials the greatest difference in survival was between cutting lengths of 10 and 20 cm, especially in unfavorable growing conditions. In an annually harvested trial during the 9-year test period, a cutting length up to 30 cm affected biomass production per stool positively. In two trials grown with 5-year rotation, the longest cuttings produced 7 times the above-ground biomass of the shortest ones. Results of these trials also emphasize the importance of establishment for the future success of willow plantations.     

Evaluation of regeneration potential of Pinus koraiensis in mixed pine-hardwood forests in the Xiao Xing’an Mountains, China

Large scale harvest of Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis) seeds as a food product in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest of northeastern China poses a serious threat to the sustainability and restoration of this endangered regional ecosystem.Seed collection over past decades greatly reduced the seed bank and subsequent seedling and sapling recruitment,and impacting a wide array of granivorous animals that rely on the pine seeds.We surveyed Korean pine seeds,including solid seeds(SS),insect consumed seeds(ICS) and other(animal) consumed(OCS) kernels,of the seed bank(forest floor and the top 10 cm of mineral soil),the seedlings and saplings from 1 m 2 sample plots in five forest types in Liangshui Nature Reserve(LNR) of the southern Xiao Xing’an Mountains in northeastern China to provide accurate information for assessing the Korean pine regeneration potential.The average number of pine seeds in the seed bank were 11.2 seeds/m 2,9.1 seeds/m 2,4.6 seeds/m 2,1.1 seeds/m 2,and 0.2 seeds/m 2 in Korean pine-basswood forest,mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest,mixed conifer-hardwood forest,white birch forests,and oak forests,respectively.In the first three forest types,percentages of SS(potentially viable seeds) were 11.2%,3.5% and 27.8%,respectively.The percentages of ICS(not viable seeds) were consistent at around 35%.The higher but variable percentages of OCS(not viable seeds) indicated high seed predation in these forests.Compared with other studies,we recorded higher percentages of seed damage,probably due to our survey approach and the increased depth of seed bank sampled in our study.Depletion of pine seeds in the seed bank greatly reduced seedling and sapling recruitment.Densities of pine seedlings varied from about 180 trees/ha in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest to about 5,400 trees/ha in the mixed conifer-hardwood forests and showed a high degree of spatial variation.Saplings were rare in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest,but ranged in the thousands in other forests.Large scale pine seed harvest has seriously threatened the sustainability of the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest ecosystem.Scaling down the seed harvest or supplemental planting of pine saplings are urgently needed to maintain the health of the existing Korean pine forests and to restore this endangered ecosystem.     

Stress-wave velocity of trees and dynamic Young’s modulus of logs of 4-year-old Eucalyptus camaldulensis trees selected for pulpwood production in Thailand

Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. is extensively planted in Thailand to produce wood chips used as raw material for pulp and paper. To promote the utilization of the wood from plantation-grown E. camaldulensis for solid lumber, stress-wave velocity of trees and dynamic Young’s modulus of logs were investigated for 4-year-old trees of eight half-sib families selected for pulpwood production on the basis of the growth characteristics in the previous tree breeding program. For the eight families, the mean stem diameter at 1.3 m above ground level and mean tree height were 7.6 cm and 11.9 m, respectively. The mean stress-wave velocity of eight families was 3.45 km/s. Dynamic Young’s modulus of logs ranged from 7.88 to 17.64 GPa, and the mean value for the eight families was 11.72 GPa. Stress-wave velocity of trees was significantly correlated with dynamic Young’s modulus of logs, suggesting that dynamic Young’s modulus of wood can be evaluated nondestructively by stress-wave velocity of trees. Significant differences in stress-wave velocity and dynamic Young’s modulus of logs were obtained among families. Thus, to promote the utilization of E. camaldulensis wood for solid lumber production, selection of trees with high Young’s modulus should be applied to trees already selected for the growth characteristics in the previous tree breeding program.     

Evaluation of nutrient value of seabuckthorn in north China

Five minerals or elements, crude protein, lysine, methionine cystine, calcium and phosphorus, were selected for evaluation of the food value of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. sinensis) using the method of "food analysis". The decision values (δi) of seabuckthorn seeds, leaves and fruit residues rank in the fifth, sixth and ninth position among the 16 types of fodder. Seeds, leaves and fruit residues of seabuckthorn are suitable for livestock and poultry fodder. The weights of livestock and poultry are considerably increased after feeding with seabuckthorn. The development of seabuckthorn should have great potentials as food, pre-food and food additives for livestock and poultry in north China. Processing facilities should pay more attention to seabuckthorn food development methods and strategies and the seabuckthorn fodder industry should be promoted.     

Spatial connectivity and distribution of landscape type in the natural secondary forests of eastern mountainous region,northeast China—a case study of Mao'ershan region in Heilongjiang Province

Mao'ershan region is representative in the natural secondary forested region of the eastern mountainous region, northeast China. The landscape nearest neighbor index and landscape connectivity index were calculated with ARC/INFO software for Mao'ershan region. The spatial distribution of the landscape of the region was analyzed. The results showed that the landscape connectivity index of non-woodland was significantly higher than that of woodland. The landscape connectivity index of natural forest was nearly equal to zero, which means its fragmentation degree is high. The nearest neighbor index of plantation was lower than that of natural forest and non-forestland. Among the man-made forests, the distance index of the coniferous mixed plantation is the lowest, and its pattern is nearly glomeration. The landscape pattern of natural forest presented nearly random distribution. Among non-forest land, the distance index of cut blank was the lowest, and its pattern was also nearly glomeration. Foundation item: This paper was supported by the Key Project of State Department of Science Technology (2002BA515B040). Biography: LI SHu-juan (1977), female. Lecture in Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, P. R. China. Responsible editor: Zhu Hong     

Variation in biomass expansion factors for China’s forests in relation to forest type, climate, and stand development

? Context

Biomass expansion factors (BEFs, defined as the ratios of tree component biomass (branch, leaf, aboveground section, root, and whole) to stem biomass) are important parameters for quantifying forest biomass and carbon stock. However, little information is available about possible causes of the variability in BEFs at large scales.

? Aims

We examined whether and how BEFs vary with forest types, climate (mean annual temperature, MAT; mean annual precipitation, MAP), and stand development (stand age and size) at the national scale for China.

? Method

Using our compiled biomass dataset, we calculated values for BEFs and explored their relationships to forest types, climate, and stand development.

? Results

BEFs varied greatly across forest types and functional groups. They were significantly related to climate and stand development (especially tree height). However, the relationships between BEFs and MAT and MAP were generally different in deciduous forests and evergreen forests, and BEF–climate relationships were weaker in deciduous forests than in evergreen forests and pine forests.

? Conclusion

To reduce uncertainties induced by BEFs in estimates of forest biomass and carbon stock, values for BEFs should be applied for a specified forest, and BEF functions with influencing factors (e.g., tree height and climate) should be developed as predictor variables for the specified forest.     

Landscape pattern and diversity of natural secondary forests in the eastern mountainous region, northeast China： A case study of Mao＇ershan region in HeUongjiang Province

Mao‘ershan region is a representative natural secondary forested region in the eastern mountainous region, northeast of China. Under the support of ARC/INFO, the landscape pattern and landscape diversity of Mao‘erhshan region were sudied by combining the forest type map (1:10 000), which was drawn from the aerial photographs (1999), field investigation and land utilization map (1:10 000). The selected indices included patch number, patch size, patch density index, richness index,dominance index, evenness index and diversity index. The results showed that the landscape dominant forest type in Mao‘ershan region was softwood broad-leaved forest. In all landscape types, the average patch area of natural secondary forests was bigger than that of artificial forest. The patch density index of each landscape formed in artificial forest was higher than that of natural secondary forest. The landscape diversity index and landscape evenness index of natural forest were highest, the landscape heterogeneity was also, but the landscape dominance was lower. In natural forest, the control effects of landscape elements on landscape-structure, function and its change were weakened. The artificial forest was on the contrary.     

Estimation of biomass,net primary production and net ecosystem production of China's forests based on the 1999–2003 National Forest Inventory

Abstract

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) is an important resource for estimating the national carbon (C) balance. Based on the volume, biomass, annual biomass increment and litterfall of different forest types and the 6th NFI in China, the hyperbolic relationships between them were established and net primary production (NPP) and net ecosystem production (NEP) were estimated accordingly. The results showed that the total biomass, NPP and NEP of China's forests were 5.06 Pg C, 0.68 Pg C year^?1 and 0.21 Pg C year^?1, respectively. The area-weighted mean biomass, NPP and NEP were 35.43 Mg C ha^?1, 4.76 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and 1.47 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and varied from 13.36 to 79.89 Mg C ha^?1, from 2.13 to 9.15 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and from ?0.16 to 5.80 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1, respectively. The carbon sequestration was composed mainly of Betula and Populus forest, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest and subtropical mixed evergreen–deciduous broadleaved forest, whereas Pinus massoniana forest and P. tabulaeformis forest were carbon sources. This study provides a method to calculate the biomass, NPP and NEP of forest ecosystems using the NFI, and may be useful for evaluating terrestrial carbon balance at regional and global levels.     

Regional differences of water conservation in Beijing’s forest ecosystem

The water conservation capacities of main forests in Beijing,China were estimated through the quantitative analysis.Various methods developed in published papers on forest hydrology were employed.The forests in Huairou,Yanqing,Miyun,Mentougou and Fangshan districts are the main contributors to water conservation(the cumulative ratio reaches 65%),and the forests in Tongzhou,Chaoyang,Shunyi and Daxing districts have the highest water conservation capacity(3000 m3/ha).Altitude and slope are the key factors to affect the water conservation capacity.The forests located in Plain Area,Hilly Area,Low Mountain,and Middle Mountain contributes 27%,28%,24% and 21% of the conserved water,respectively.The water conservation capacity of forests in Plain Area(2 948 m3/ha),is superior to the forests in other regions.And the forests situated on Flat Slope,Moderate Slope and Gentle Slope constitute the largest proportion(nearly 93%) of water conservation,while the forests on Flat Slope has the highest water conservation capacity(2 797 m3/ha),and the forest on Steep slope has the lowest water conservation capacity(948 m3/ha).     

Hidden in the woods? Meaning,determining, and practicing of ‘common welfare’ in the case of the German public forests

This article addresses the German debate on the issue of the common welfare designation of public forests. In the first part, drawing on two case studies, the political discourse on the issue is introduced. Two major competing ‘story lines’ can be made out that are both based on a long tradition of controversially discussed concepts of regulatory forest policy. While they both emphasise that common welfare services in forestry run counter to profit orientation, they fundamentally differ with regard to the consequences for forest policy, e.g., considering the degree of state intervention. Afterwards, an overview on the scientific debate on common welfare in the German context is given, and different concepts of common welfare determination are distinguished. Existing approaches of common welfare determination in German forest policy are related to these concepts and discussed. It is argued that the common welfare designation of the public forest is only insufficiently implemented by the actual governance arrangements. Based on this consideration, eventually, the implementation of a procedural concept of common welfare operationalisation in Germany’s public forests at the local level is proposed. While such a concept will not solve all complex problems related to the determination of common welfare in public forestry, it would notably contribute to a more operational definition of common welfare in public forestry and a more informed public debate on the issue.     

Changes of plant species composition in the Šumava spruce forests,SW Bohemia,since the 1970s

Vegetation dynamics of three forest communities were studied by resampling of relevés recorded in the 1970s in the Bohemian Forest (Šumava Mountains). Results of multivariate analysis (RDA) confirmed significant time changes in species composition of the climax (Calamagrostio-Piceetum) and waterlogged (Bazzanio-Piceetum) spruce forests. The changes in the sphagnum-rich waterlogged spruce forests (Sphagno-Piceetum) are close to the level of significance. The main vegetation changes are represented by a decrease in cover and/or frequency of hygrophilous or sciophilous species (e.g. Athyrium distentifolium, Oxalis acetosella) in climax spruce forests, and an abundant increase of species, indicating a preference to drier stands or better light conditions (e.g. Calamagrostis villosa, Vaccinium vitis-idaea or Avenella flexuosa), in waterlogged spruce forests. We also found a higher proportion of meadow species (e.g. Anthoxanthum odoratum, Festuca rubra or Luzula multiflora) in the newly recorded relevés from waterlogged forests. Analysis of species number per plot showed a remarkable shift to species-rich communities, especially in waterlogged stands.We tried to find the possible factors responsible for the observed changes. Unfortunately, only indirect measurement of environmental factors using Ellenberg’s indicator values could be used and did not yield sufficient results. Thus, the changes observed in climax spruce forests were ascribed mainly to a decrease in canopy cover, which was directly estimated. In waterlogged forests, a complex of several general factors, which influence the climax spruce forest, had to be taken into account, such as: (i) a decrease in atmospheric acidification during the last 10–15 years and subsequent improvement in soil conditions, especially in waterlogged stands; (ii) fragmentation of forests as a result of bark-beetles attack; (iii) climate warming documented by long-term local meteorological measurements.     

Managing city forests for or in spite of recreation? Perspectives of forest managers

This paper provides insights into foresters’ perceptions of forest recreation and its management. It is based on qualitative interviews with foresters in Berlin and the region of Stuttgart, Germany (N = 16). The results highlight the lack of strategic planning concerned with recreation management at both locations. Moreover, recreation management seems to depend mostly on the local forester in charge. Foresters’ perceptions of recreation, in turn, appear to be closely linked with how they perceive their work. Three narratives of the foresters’ self-perception are constructed that address three key items: perception of foresters’ skills and tasks, perception of the societal and political context of the foresters’ work and of their own scope of action in this context, and visions for future recreation management. The first narrative emphasises classical forestry and silvicultural aspects; the second understands foresters as multifunctional service providers for communal clients; and the last criticises the classical orientation of forestry and highlights new challenges for foresters in urban areas. These three views of recreation management in urban forests relate to classical forestry culture in different ways: either embodying this culture; differentiating from it; or adopting a new view which challenges this culture. Further research needs are discussed. The paper lastly argues for increased awareness of the importance of the social dimensions of forest management as one of the crucial future challenges for the forestry profession.     

Time dependence of Poisson’s effect in wood IV: influence of grain angle

Off-axis tensile creep tests were conducted on woods taken from Japanese cypress and Kalopanax by changing the angle of load to the grain direction in the longitudinal–tangential (LT) plane. The dependence of the Poisson’s ratio and trend of the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio on grain angle were investigated. The Poisson’s ratios were found to reach their extrema when the grain angle was around 30°. Moreover, the Poisson’s ratio in the LT plane was observed to be negative when the grain angle was in the range of 15°–45°. Comparing the experimental results with theoretical values obtained from the theory of orthotropic elasticity, it was revealed that, although the Poisson’s ratio reached an extremum in both cases, the specific values did not match, especially when the angle was between 15° and 45°. Furthermore, the temporal variation of the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio was found to depend on the grain angle and the measurement plane. It also appeared to be affected by the Poisson’s ratio, showing an increasing tendency above a specific Poisson’s ratio (Japanese cypress: 0.196, Kalopanax: 0.102) and a decreasing tendency below it, regardless of the grain angle and measurement plane. Additionally, the increment in the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio after 24 h of creep was observed to reach its extremum when the grain angle was around 30°. Finally, by improving the six-element Frandsen–Muszynski viscoelastic model, which simultaneously considers the longitudinal and transverse strains, an eight-element model was presented, and the trend of the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio was well reproduced by this model.