Investment,reinvestment, and the social discount rate for forestry

The nature of relationships between private rates of return and social rates of discount prevents the latter being derived from the former. Past government investments indicate only an upper bound to social discount rate (sdr), while rules to derive the sdr from the rates of return on acceptable and unacceptable potential projects need very careful formulation. These rules assume the rationality of governments, which can only be justified if constraints on funding are also assumed. But where such constraints exist, sdr will not be implied by rates of return anyway. It may be necessary, and it is always desirable, to derive an sdr independently on the basis of expected economic growth. Under constrained funding, similar methods should be applied in valuing public and private investment funds. Explicit account should be taken of the nature and extent of reinvestment.     

State Failure,Corruption, and Warfare: Challenges for Forest Policy

ABSTRACT

Forest policies are failing in large areas of the world. In too many nations, forest area is declining, timber revenues are not capturing actual economic values, management plans—where they exist at all—are ignored, and ecologically significant areas are being degraded. In many places, public lands and even national parks cannot be protected against encroachment. Bitter local controversies over forest tenure and use rights persist. In many places, the underlying preconditions for sustainability do not exist in the face of state weakness and failure, corruption, and war. States generally recognized as failed or fragile encompass 15% of the world's forest. A cross tab of forest area (2005) against the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index shows that nearly half of the world's forest is in nations with what TI calls “rampant” corruption. This includes several major nations with extensive forests and important biodiversity hotspots. An encouraging upsurge of willingness to face this issue has occurred in the development community. But uprooting corruption and fixing state failure is easier said than done. Considering this fact, the outlook for more than half of the world's forest area—important to indigenous and forest-dependent people, and containing critical reserves of biodiversity—is grim.     

Advantages,disadvantages and desirable characteristics of shade trees for coffee,cacao and tea

A review is made of the ecological interactions that occur between shade trees and the perennial crops: coffee (Coffee spp. L.), cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) and tea (Camellia sinensis L. Kuntze). These interactions are classified firstly as advantages or disadvantages, and secondly as: effects on crop management; effects on the hydrological cycle; effects on pathogens, insects and climatic conditions; and effects on soils. References are given for the 20 advantageous and 16 disadvantageous consequences of using shade trees, emphasizing publications that provide original data and useful methodologies. Finally a check list of desirable characteristics for perennial crop shade trees is presented.

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Resumen Se hace revisión de las interacciones ecológicas que ocurren entre árboles de sombra y los cultivos perennes: café (Coffee spp. L.), cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) y té (Camellia sinensis L. Kuntze). Estas interacciones fueron clasificadas en primer nivel como ventajas o desventajas, y en segundo nivel como: efectos sobre manejo de los cultivos; efectos sobre el ciclo hidrológico; efectos sobre patógenos, insectos y condiciones climáticas; y afectos sobre los suelos. Se dan referencias para 20 consecuencias ventajosas y 16 consecuencias desventajosas al utilizar árboles de sombra, dando énfasis a publicaciones que proveen datos originales y metodologias útiles. Finalmente se presenta una lista de las características deseables para árboles de sombra para cultivos perennes.

     

世界松籽资源生产利用现状及我国松籽发展对策探讨

松籽是一种美味的非木质林产品, 全球有30多个松属物种可以生产可食用松籽, 但目前只有5个物种的松籽被用于商业生产。近年来, 国际松籽市场规模在不断扩大, 产品供不应求, 价格居高不下。我国是松籽生产及进出口大国, 年产量在2万t左右, 出口量占世界松籽贸易量的40%以上, 居首位, 但出口的松籽多数原产于俄罗斯。近几年俄罗斯国内消费量在不断增长, 加之俄罗斯远东及西伯利亚生产松籽的森林被大面积地砍伐破坏, 我国不可能长期依赖进口满足国内消费及出口需求。因此, 建议对我国果用松林的经济与生态重要性进行再评估, 并考虑起动相关研究, 挖掘潜力, 对生产松籽的松林实施园艺式高效经营或作为专门产业来管理。     

Lessons for research,capacity development and policy in agroforestry for development

Since its foundation in the 1970’s, agroforestry science has evolved from setting its concepts, research approaches and flagship technologies towards its increasing contribution to ecologically sound land use, food security and income generation in the global North and South. The Third World Congress on Agroforestry held in Delhi in April 2014 continued contributed to this evolution by focusing, beyond the scientific realm, on the implementation of findings by convening ad-hoc stakeholders and subjects. Accordingly, some of the congress sessions dealt with key aspects of how agroforestry can foster and contribute to development. The special issue “Lessons for research, capacity development and policy in agroforestry for development” compiles approaches, experiences and overall lessons from (i) research, (ii) capacity development, and (iii) policy-making, capable to promote and generate developmental change through agroforestry. This introductory paper outlines the rationale for the three areas and the contributing articles.     

长春净月潭园区绿化规划设计与赏析

结合退耕还林和林相改造工程，对净月潭园区内绿化设计提出以旅游景观为宗旨、以植物造景为主，走可持续发展道路的构思，合理利用和保护净月潭自然生态环境，形成富有诗情画意和具有净月潭特色的森林风光园。     

提高施工组织设计编制工作质量的对策

施工组织设计是施工技术和施工管理的有机结合体,是指导施工的重要技术经济文件,其本身的质量对工程建设的成败和经济效益具有决定性的影响。因此,提高施工组织设计编制工作的质量具有重大意义。现对施工阶段施工组织设计编制工作的改进提出一些粗浅的见解。1施工组织设计编     

美国俄亥俄州中部大德尔比支流上游的水文、水质和恢复潜力研究(摘要)

~~美国俄亥俄州中部大德尔比支流上游的水文、水质和恢复潜力研究(摘要)(英文)@张立$Olentangy River Wetland Research Park,School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science Graduate Program,352 W.Dodridge Street,The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH 43202 @威廉.杰.米奇$Olentangy River Wetland Research Park,School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science Graduate Program,352 W.Dodridge Street,The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH 43202 @丹尼尔.弗.芬克$Olentangy River Wet…     

Secondary and ternary emulsions from vinyl acetate,N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide,and urea for wood bonding

In this study, N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide (NMA) and vinyl acetate (VAc) were used in order to prepare secondary emulsions; additionally urea was then introduced into the polymerization to form ternary emulsions, adjusting different proportions of the three components. Compared to pure polyvinyl acetate, these two emulsion types presented shorter curing time, improved water resistance, and higher bond strength; this is based on the crosslinking ability introduced by the NMA, enabling such a partial crosslinking already during the polymerization process and during storage. The viscosity, solid content, storage stability, curing and drying behavior, water resistance, delamination time, and bond strength were influenced by the proportions of NMA and urea in the two systems. Urea had a positive effect on the wet bond strength, but a negative effect on the dry bond strength. The proportion of NMA and of urea during the polymerization preferably was 1–2 % based on VAc.     

Past,present and future land-use in Xishuangbanna,China and the implications for carbon dynamics

Land use/land cover change is an important driver of global change and changes in carbon stocks. Estimating the changes in carbon stocks due to tropical deforestation has been difficult, mainly because of uncertainties in estimating deforestation rates and the biomass in the forest that have been cut. In this study, we combined detailed land-use change over a 27-year period based on satellite images and forest inventory data to estimate changes in biomass carbon stocks in the Xishuangbanna prefecture (1.9 million ha) of China. Xishuangbanna is located in southwestern China in the upper watershed of the Mekong River, and the major forest types are tropical seasonal rain forest, mountain rain forest, and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest. In the past when the region was completely forested the total biomass carbon would have been approximately 212.65 ± 8.75 Tg C. By 1976 forest cover had been reduced to 70%, and in addition many forests had been degraded resulting in a large decrease in the total biomass carbon stocks (86.97 ± 3.70 Tg C). From 1976 to 2003, the mean deforestation rate was 13 722 ha year⁻¹ (1.12%), and this resulted in the loss of 370,494 ha of forest, and by 2003 total biomass carbon stocks had been reduced to 80.85 ± 2.64 Tg C. The annual carbon emissions due to land-use change, mainly forest conversion to agriculture and rubber plantations, were 0.37 ± 0.03 Tg C year⁻¹ between 1976 and 1988 and 0.13 ± 0.04 Tg C year⁻¹ between 1988 and 2003. During the next 20 years, if rubber plantations expand into forests outside of reserves, shrublands, grasslands, and shifting cultivation below 1500 m the total biomass carbon stocks of Xishuangbanna will decrease to 76.45 ± 1.49 Tg C in 2023. This would reflect a loss of 4.13 ± 1.14 Tg C between 2003 and 2023, or an annual loss of 0.21 ± 0.06 Tg C year⁻¹. Alternatively, if rubber plantations only expand into areas of shifting cultivation below 1500 m, and all areas presently in shrublands and grasslands are allowed to recover into secondary forests, total biomass carbon stock of the region would increase to 92.65 ± 3.80 Tg C in 2023. Under this scenario, the growth of existing forests and the expansion of new forests would result in a net sequestration of 0.60 ± 0.06 Tg C year⁻¹. This study demonstrates that the uncertainty of biomass estimates can be greatly reduced if detailed land-use analyses are combined with forest inventory data, and that slight changes in future land-use practices can have large implications for carbon fluxes.     

竹栽培品种的发表、建立与国际登录

《国际栽培植物命名法规》(ICNCP)对栽培植物的发表、建立与国际登录均有明确规定,竹栽培品种的发表、建立与国际登录亦应遵循该规则,这关系到该竹栽培品种存在及交流的科学性、有效性与合法性。文章根据ICNCP的相关规定,结合竹类植物的具体特点,对竹栽培品种的发表、建立与国际登录、尤其是三者之间的相互关系进行了专题阐述,目的在于为相关从业者提供专业指导和帮助。     

Ecosystem services: Foundations,opportunities, and challenges for the forest products sector

The ecosystem service concept has been proposed as a meaningful framework for natural resource management. In theory it holds concomitant benefit and consequence for the forest product sector. However, numerous barriers impede practitioners from developing concrete and enduring responses to emerging ecosystem service markets, policies, and initiatives. Principle among these barriers is that the ecosystem service concept has a complex history, numerous definitions in use, and an astounding diversity in rationale and application. This article provides a conceptual review of ecosystem services and its economic foundations, distinguishes among several current definitions of the term and their relatedness to strategies in practical application, discusses diverse approaches to valuation, and explores potential for future relevance in forest product and other sectors.     

The agroforestry center for sustainable development,Chapingo, Mexico: strategy and programs

The Agroforestry Center for Sustainable Development was established by the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Mexico, in 1991 with the expectation of developing itself into a Center of Excellence in Agroforestry education, training, and research in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The Center's program for the initial five-year period includes development of a graduate program at Masters level, establishment of a field research station, and setting up a library and documentation unit with a well-stocked library of agroforestry literature. Environmental protection, sustainability issues, social equity, participatory research (involving resource-poor farmers), and interdisciplinary emphasis are some of the key guiding principles of all Center-sponsored activities. Active collaboration will be sought between the Center and various national and international agencies that have programmatic emphasis in the region. The proposed graduate (MS) program will consist of one-year of course-work followed by a second year of thesis research. Structure and curriculum of several supporting courses have been drafted.     

Biodiversity management approaches for stream–riparian areas: Perspectives for Pacific Northwest headwater forests,microclimates, and amphibians

Stream–riparian areas represent a nexus of biodiversity, with disproportionate numbers of species tied to and interacting within this key habitat. New research in Pacific Northwest headwater forests, especially the characterization of microclimates and amphibian distributions, is expanding our perspective of riparian zones, and suggests the need for alternative designs to manage stream–riparian zones and their adjacent uplands. High biodiversity in riparian areas can be attributed to cool moist conditions, high productivity and complex habitat. All 47 northwestern amphibian species have stream–riparian associations, with a third being obligate forms to general stream–riparian areas, and a quarter with life histories reliant on headwater landscapes in particular. Recent recognition that stream-breeding amphibians can disperse hundreds of meters into uplands implies that connectivity among neighboring drainages may be important to their population structures and dynamics. Microclimate studies substantiate a “stream effect” of cool moist conditions permeating upslope into warmer, drier forests. We review forest management approaches relative to headwater riparian areas in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and we propose scenarios designed to retain all habitats used by amphibians with complex life histories. These include a mix of riparian and upslope management approaches to address the breeding, foraging, overwintering, and dispersal functions of these animals. We speculate that the stream microclimate effect can partly counterbalance edge effects imposed by upslope forest disturbances, hence appropriately sized and managed riparian buffers can protect suitable microclimates at streams and within riparian forests. We propose one approach that focuses habitat conservation in headwater areas – where present management allows extensive logging – on sensitive target species, such as tailed frogs and torrent salamanders that often occur patchily. Assuming both high patchiness and some concordance among the distribution of sensitive species, protecting areas with higher abundances of these animals could justify less protection of currently unoccupied or low-density habitats, where more intensive forest management for timber production could occur. Also, we outline an approach that protects juxtaposed headwater patches, retaining connectivity among sub-drainages using a 6th-field watershed spatial scale for assuring well-distributed protected areas across forested landscapes. However, research is needed to test this approach and to determine whether it is sufficient to buffer downstream water quality and habitat from impacts of headwater management. Offering too-sparse protection everywhere is likely insufficient to conserve headwater habitats and biodiversity, while our alternative targeted protection of selected headwaters does not bind the entire forest landscape into a biodiversity reserve.     

The Summerwood: Springwood Ratio in Conifers: How it arises, varies, and affects end use for timber, board, and paper

A theoretical discussion of variation in summerwood and springwoodcontents among conifers. Three methods of measuring these, bycross-sectional area of logs, by dryweight fibre percentage,and by nominal specific gravity, are compared. High-summerwood tissues have a nominal specific gravity of 0?45or over; low-summerwood tissues have a specific gravity below0?45. All conifers have a low summerwood content in their juvenilewood or core wood formed towards their stem-tips. In Pinus,Larix, and Pseudotsuga the summerwood percentage increases markedlywith age, but only in the outer layers towards the butt; inPicea, Abies, and Tsuga similar increases occur, but high-summerwoodtissues are seldom found. Within any species, and for any particulargrowth rate, low-summerwood tissues are characteristic of regionsof high relative humidity where summer water deficits rarelyoccur, such as high altitudes, far northern latitudes, and themaritime climate of western Britain. High-summerwood tissuesdevelop where summer temperatures are high, with associatedstrong sunshine, low relative humidity, and frequent summerwater deficits. High-summerwood tissues have greater strength in compressionand bending, relative to volume; but low-summerwood tissueshave greater strength relative to their weight. Low-summerwoodmaterial has proved satisfactory for most structural purposes,and for the manufacture of several kinds of artificial board.Its technical properties for the making of many types of paperare excellent, provided high resistance to tearing is not required.Likely summerwood content should guide planting programmes andmarketing policies.     

各种生物燃料、木材产品、森林经营对碳排放和能源利用影响的比较

可持续经营的森林在生长周期中,从大气吸收碳,经采伐和加工,碳转化为木材产品中的碳储存或者制成生物燃料替代矿物燃料或矿物燃料高耗产品,如钢铁制品,直接减少矿物燃料中的碳向大气的排放.产品中的碳储存将森林中的碳储存延伸到森林以外.生产多种不同利用方式的副产品获得不同的价值,而许多情况下所获效益没有明确的市场价值,因此投资于生物燃料的风险增加,使政策制定者和投资决策者受到困扰.     

在全国林业建设项目管理暨林业勘察设计咨询培训班上的讲话

这次培训班主要任务是深入学习"三个代表"重要思想,贯彻党的十六大和十六届六中全会精神,落实科学发展观,围绕国家林业局党组提出的由传统林业向现代林业的转变,积极推动林业增长方式的转变,按照新时期林业发展的指导思想,总结经验,审时度势,求真务实,积极探索,开拓创新,全面提升林业建设项目管理和勘察设计咨询工作水平,努力开创林业勘察设计咨询工作的新局面,保障林业又好又快发展.