Introduction of Action Plan of Forestry Sustainable Development of Qinzhou-Fangchenggang area, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Guanngxi Autonomous Region is an important tropical forestry region in south of China. The main purpose of this research supported by FAO is to generate action plan for sustainable forestry development of this region. Through two-year broad and deep investigation, the programme of the action plant has been made, which includes 12 fields, 38 projects, with duration of 5 years.     

Anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-α-glucosidase, anti-leishmanial and anti-fungal activities of chemical constituents of Beilschmiedia species

Phytochemical investigation of Beilschmiedia alloiophylla has resulted in the isolation of one new alkaloid, 2-hydroxy-9-methoxyaporphine (1), and ten known natural products, laurotetanine (2), liriodenine (3), boldine (4), secoboldine (5), isoboldine (6), asimilobine (7), oreobeiline (8), 6-epioreobeiline (9), β-amyrone (10), and (S)-3-methoxynordomesticine (11). Chemical studies on the bark of B. kunstleri afforded compounds 2 and 4 along with one bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, N-dimethylphyllocryptine (12). Structures of compounds 1-12 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All of these isolates were evaluated for their anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE), anti-α-glucosidase, anti-leishmanial and anti-fungal activities. Compounds 1-12 exhibited strong to moderate bioactivities in aforementioned bioassays.     

Total contents of Volume 6, 2007

Vol. 6 No. 1 WANG Ge JIANG Zhehui HSE Chung Y SHUPE Todd F Physical and Mechanical Properties of Flakeboard Reinforced with Bamboo Strips (1-8) CHANG Liang WANG Zheng GAO Li GUO Wenjing No-formaldehyde Wood-plastic Composite Plywood in China (9-13) YAN Zh…     

Forest vegetation of Xishuangbanna, south China

1 Introduction The tropical area of southern China is climatically and biogeographically located at the northern edge of tropical Asia, including southeastern Xizang (Tibet, lower valleys of the southern Himalayas), southern Yunnan, southwestern Guangxi, southern Taiwan and Hainan Island. The largest tropical area still covered by forests is in southern Yunnan. Tropical forests of southern Yunnan were little known until the late 1950s because of poor access except for some brief descrip-…     

Analysis of developing non-timber forest products of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Introduction of Sanjiang Plain The Sanjiang Plain is a vast area of alluvial floodplains and low hills in northeast Heilongjiang Province, China. It is characterized by the confluence of three major rivers, the Heilong River (Amur in Russia), the Wusuli R…     

Evaluation of Loss of Degraded Farmland Ecosystem Services in Tibet,China

Four environmemtal service functions of wheat, barley and rape ecosystem are evaluated in material production, air adjustment (including carbon dioxide fixation and oxygen release in Tibetan Autonomous Region), water conservation, and nutrient recycling. Based on it the economic loss of environment due to desertification is valued. The results show that the service functions of farmland ecosystem in Tibet are totally valued at 4 436. 2 × 106 yuan, the value of each service function is ordered as: air adjust...     

Response of photosynthesis,growth, and acorn mass of pedunculate oak to diff erent levels of nitrogen in wet and dry growing seasons

The objective was to examine the effects of optimal leaf nitrogen levels> 2.0% and suboptimal levels <2.0%,nitrogen nutrition on net photo synthetic rate,stem diameter increment,height growth increment and acorn mass of pedunculate oak during 2010 in the absence of drought stress and during 2011 under the impact of moderate drought stress.According to the results,moderate drought stress significantly reduced net photo synthetic rate,stem diameter increment and height growth increment,while...     

Evaluation of the sustainability of participatory management of forest plantations: the case study of Wari-Maro Forest Reserve,Republic of Benin§

This study assessed ecological and socio-economic impacts of a participatory forest management project in the Republic of Benin. The study focused on the Wari-Maro Forest Reserve and the ‘Projet d’Aménagement des Massifs Forestiers’ five years after its completion. A forest inventory was carried out using 37 square plots of 729 m² each to characterise the population structure of two types of plantations established: plantations with exotic species and plantations with native species. In addition, individual surveys were conducted with local households, organs of joint forest management and forestry officers to evaluate their perceptions about the participatory management of the plantations. Finally, the sustainability of the participatory management was assessed with an established rating system. Results showed that plantations with exotic species were more successful than plantations with native species. Local communities argued that they have not been involved in the plantations design but only in the implementation step and that their standards of living have decreased after the project completion. The rating system used showed that the participatory management of plantations had a short-term sustainability. The findings suggest that future projects should be designed and implemented with better participation of local communities as full partners.     

Participation of Farmers,Community Organizationsand the Government

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Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in different trees of madhupur forest, Bangladesh

Roots and rhizosphere soils of Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth., A. mangium Wild., Artocarpus heterophyUus Lamk. C., Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex A. P. D., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnn., Hevea brasiliensis （Wild. ex Juss） Muell. Arg., Swietenia macrophylla King. and Tectona grandis L. were collected from different locations of Madhupur forest area to study the biodiversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal （AM） fungal colonization and spore population. All the plants showed AM colonization. Out of eight selected plants, mycelial colonization was lowest in the roots of A. heterophyllus （22%） and the highest was in the roots of H. brasiliensis （78%）. Mycelial intensity was observed poor （25%-77%） and moderate （23%-57%） in all plants species and abundant （11%-40%） was in most of the plant species. Vesicular colonization was observed in five plant species. The lowest was recorded in E. camaldulensis （4%） and the highest was in H. brasiliensis （21%）. Poor （24%-56%）, moderate （16%-100%） and abundant （11%-40%） type of vesicular intensity were observed. Arbuscular colonization was observed in three plants. The highest was in A. mangium （72%） and the lowest was in S. macrophylla （17%）. Arbuscular intensity was recorded as poor （12%-44%）, moderate （22%-100%） and abundant （4%-47%）. The highest AM fungal spore population was in A. auriculiformis （714） and the lowest was in D. sissoo （102）. Five AM fungal genera were recorded. Glomus was found to be dominant. A few spores remained unidentified. Significant correlation was observed between percent coloniza- tion and spore population. The results of the present study indicate the occurrence of AM fungi and the mycotrophism of the plants of Madhupur forest area and the applicability of AM technology in the forest management of Madhupur forest.     

Effects of fuel treatments on fire severity in an area of wildland–urban interface,Angora Fire,Lake Tahoe Basin,California

The Angora Fire burned 1243 ha of Jeffrey pine and mixed conifer forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin between June 24 and July 2, 2007. The Angora Fire burned at unusually high severity due to heavy fuels; strong winds; warm, dry weather; and unseasonably low fuel moistures. The fire destroyed 254 homes, and final loss and suppression cost estimates of $160,000,000 make the Angora Fire one of the ten costliest wildfires in US history. The Angora Fire burned into 194 ha of fuel treatments intended to modify fire behavior and protect private and public assets in the Angora Creek watershed. The fire thus provides a unique opportunity to quantitatively assess the effects of fuel treatments on wildfire severity in an area of wildland–urban interface. We measured fire effects on vegetation in treated and adjacent untreated areas within the Angora Fire perimeter, immediately after and one year after the fire. Our measures of fire severity included tree mortality; height of bole char, crown scorch, and crown torch; and percent crown scorch and torch. Unlike most studies of fuel treatment effectiveness, our study design included replication and implicitly controlled for variation in topography and weather. Our results show that fuel treatments generally performed as designed and substantially changed fire behavior and subsequent fire effects to forest vegetation. Exceptions include two treatment units where slope steepness led to lower levels of fuels removal due to local standards for erosion prevention. Hand-piled fuels in one of these two units had also not yet been burned. Excepting these units, bole char height and fire effects to the forest canopy (measured by crown scorching and torching) were significantly lower, and tree survival significantly higher, within sampled treatments than outside them. In most cases, crown fire behavior changed to surface fire within 50 m of encountering a fuel treatment. The Angora Fire underlines the important role that properly implemented fuel treatments can play in protecting assets, reducing fire severity and increasing forest resilience.     

Species frequency of communities along northern slope of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

IntroductionAs an important index reflecting species spatialpatterns, frequency reflects not only the importanceof species, but also the evenness of spatial distribution in community (Lin 1986, Magurran 1988; Dale1999). Frequency figure could reveal the complexityand diversity of community at some extent. Raunkiaer(1918) divided frequency indices into five classes,namely, Ac 1%-20%, Ba 21%-40%, Cd 41%-60%, Da61%-80%, and Ed 81%-100%, and based on 8 078frequency indices of herbaceous vegetat…     

Effect of citral,eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol on the ultrastructural changes of Trichophyton mentagrophytes

The antifungal effects of citral, eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol on Trichophyton mentagrophytes were investigated. Citral over 0.1 mg/ml strongly inhibited the hyphal growth of T. mentagrophytes, and the antifungal activity of α-terpineol was less effective. The morphological changes of the fungus exposed to the terpenes were observed by electron microscopy. The hyphae were distorted and collapsed at 0.2, 0.4 and 1 mg/ml of eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol respectively, and cell membrane and organelles were irreversibly damaged at 0.2 mg/ml citral.     

Development of heartwood,sapwood,bark,pith and specific gravity of teak(Tectona grandis)in fast-growing plantations in Costa Rica

To elucidate the development of heartwood,bark,sapwood,pith and specific gravity of wood in fastgrowing teak(Tectona grandis)plantations in Costa Rica,we sampled three trees in each of 55 plantations and modelled each variable with age,site and different tree heights.Age and stand density of plantations were significant correlated with stem diameter at breast height and total height of the tree.Formation of heartwood was initiated at the age of 4-year-old and increased in direct proportion with age.The age of plantation had a significant relationship with stem diameter at breast height,heartwood percentage,sapwood thickness,sapwood percentage,percentage of bark,pith diameter and percentage,and specify gravity.The model for these tree parameters was model with these parameters as dependent variable and in relation to age as independent variable.     

Status, Potentials and Constraints of Green Infrastructure of Malaysia： Case Study of Kuala Lumpur City

1 INTRODUCTION1.1 Importance of Green AreasAs countries worldwide move toward developingnations, there is a change in education level, employmentand income pattern of their people, which result in higherpurchasing power, better mobility and more free time.With an increase in urbanization as well as rapiddevelopment of infrastructure throughout the countriesthe people are in the transition of changing their lifestyleto modern society.In this urban modern society recreation is becomingincr…     

Regional Evaluation of Wind Erosion of the Loess Plateau in Pengyang County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China

The loess plateau in China is well-known for its severe water erosion. A nationwide soil erosion survey discovered that wind erosion of the loess land is also greatly concerned. The severity of wind erosion for each land use in Pengyang County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, was evaluated according to the national standard of soil erosion classification. The evaluation system includes a GIS database, an evaluation indicator system and a classification system for land and land use. The erodible nature of soil and annual soil loss of the most erodible land were obtained as follows: (1) Croplands plowed and harrowed in late autumn were the most erodible land,with an erosion intensity of medium grade and an erodible proportion of 46%; (2) The erodible proportion of natural grasslands was between 19.3% and 21.5%, whose erosion intensity was of mostly tolerable grade; (3)When it came to the whole county, there was 21.3% of the total area in tolerable grade in terms of wind erosion intensity, 42.1% slight and 34.8% medium.