Sustainable Forest Management in Tropical Rain Forests

Abstract

In planning of sustainable forest management, economic, environmental and social demands often conflict. Forest management in Southeast Asian tropical dipterocarp forests has been particularly biased towards maximizing immediate economic return from extensive logging. Overexploitation and other forms of uncontrolled land use within these forests have led to the situation where the remaining natural forests, most of them in Indonesia, will be liquidated within the next 10-15 years at the current rate of deforestation. In this paper we present an approach for sustainable forest management planning in which economic, environmental and social sustainability are considered simultaneously in order to define an optimal management strategy from a set of available alternatives.

We carried out a case study within a rain forest logging concession in Indonesian Borneo by using a participatory planning approach involving interviews of the local people, environmental assessment and economic analyses. We used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for resource allocation and priority setting in order to identify an optimal strategy which yields a sustained economic output from timber production, while at the same time being environmentally and socioculturally sustainable. Despite their relatively high costs, strategies involving selective harvesting combined to complete restoration of original dipterocarp stock in logged-over areas were superior in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Priorities set by local communities for the strategies to meet their socioeconomic and cultural needs coincide well with those ensuring the restoration and biodiversity.     

Criteria and guidance considerations for sustainable tree stump harvesting in British Columbia

Abstract

Stump extraction for forest health has been carried out operationally in British Columbia (BC) for many years. Emerging bioenergy opportunities plus the anticipated need for more fibre because of reductions in timber supply may increase interest in stump harvesting, but there are numerous environmental, economic and policy barriers that must be overcome first before industrial-scale stump harvesting can be seriously considered in BC. The potential for a future change in practice provides an opportunity to learn from the existing literature and identify knowledge gaps. In this article we review the available literature on stump harvesting from the European Union within the context of BC's forests, economy, biodiversity, environment and policies. We provide recommendations on how the government of BC could move forward if they decide to enable stump harvesting for fibre and bioenergy, including assessment of net economic and carbon benefits and environmental effects, improvements in inventory and the scientific knowledge base needed to support policy and guidance, and investigation of operational enhancements.     

Forest Policy Evolution in Poland

Abstract

In Europe, intensive forest management has anteceded a long history of intensive exploitation. The result has been the replacement of natural forests with highly productive albeit more vulnerable forests of simplified structure. Polish forestry has followed this same pattern and the country has seen a substantial increase in forest cover over the last 50 years. The main challenge for Polish forest management comes in trying to meet growing demand for wood products while responding to increased public demand for conservation of environmental values. Poland's new Forest Act for the first time puts environmental social and productive values of the forest on an equal footing. Within the framework of the Act. the Polish Policy of Sustainable Forest Development puts special emphasis on protection of biological diversity and the promotion of environmentally safe technologies and practices. The concept of Forest Promotion Areas is the major element of the Policy. The challenge for Forest Promotion Areas and for Model Forests will be to bring together all the necessary elements: environmental, economic and social that will allow sustainable development in its broadest sense.     

近自然森林经营在德国的应用成效分析

[目的]分析德国推行近自然森林经营20年来的经营效果,总结德国推行近自然森林经营的经验。[方法]在明晰近自然森林经营原则的基础上,基于两期(间隔期10年)资源清查数据对比,对德国大面积推行近自然森林经营20年的经营效果进行分析。[结果]两期资源清查数据表明,德国采用近自然经营20年后,针叶林如挪威云杉和欧洲赤松的面积显著减少,阔叶林和针阔混交林面积持续增加;阔叶树种蓄积平均增长量约为15 m~3·hm~(-2),针叶树种蓄积平均增长4 m~3·hm~(-2),挪威云杉是唯一蓄积下降的树种,下降了5 m~3·hm~(-2);近自然度等级变化表明,人工林面积在减少,而近自然森林的面积在增加,甚至符合原始林等级的森林面积也在增加。[结论]实现近自然森林经营的目标是一个长期的过程,联邦政府促进和保护森林的政策以及林场主所采用的先进的森林经营技术也是德国森林每公顷蓄积达到336 m~3的重要原因;在近自然森林经营的原则下,德国森林中针阔混交林比例显著增加;将近自然程度不高的人工林经营转化为近自然的森林生态系统是德国森林经营所面临的主要问题。     

An Assessment of Forest Policy Changes in Western Washington

Abstract

Changing forest policies in both riparian and upland areas to help protect threatened and endangered species have contributed to the reduction of timber harvests in western Washington. The economic, biodiversity, and environmental impacts of these policy actions have been substantial. Policy simulations across 9.4 million acres of timber-land show that relative to proactive management strategies, current habitat conservation and environmental programs (largely based on a reservation strategy) result in net present value reductions to forestland owners of $9.9 billion. Accompanying these asset value reductions are employment losses (sustained) of 30% and tax receipt losses of 26%. The policy simulations further demonstrate that proactive management will not decrease the long-term percentage of the upland landscape occupied by functionally old forests relative to the reservation strategy. In the riparian area, adoption of a reservation strategy actually decreases (by 29%) the percent of the landscape occupied by functionally old forests relative to a proactive management approach. These results illustrate the importance of proactively managing western Washington forests to provide maximum functionally old forest habitat for endangered upland animals (such as the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet) as well as riparian species.     

Emerging forests on abandoned land: Puerto Rico’s new forests

The species composition of forests change continuously as the earth’s biota evolves and adjusts to environmental change. Humans are accelerating the rate of species turnover by moving species around the planet and dramatically changing environmental conditions. Our focus is on new forests in Puerto Rico that emerge naturally on abandoned lands previously converted to agriculture and degraded. These forest stands have combinations of species that are new to the island’s landscapes. New forests exhibit high species dominance during forest establishment, which includes dominance by alien tree species. These alien tree species establish and maintain forest cover, which may facilitate regeneration of native tree species. Landscape analysis and literature review revealed that these emerging stands are highly fragmented (60% were <1 ha in 1991), function as refugia for native organisms, and at 60–80 years old have similar species richness and structural features as native stands of similar age. However, the island’s new forests exhibit important differences from mature native forests on unconverted forestlands. New forests have fewer endemic species and fewer large trees (≥55 cm dbh) than mature native forests; they have higher soil bulk density and lower soil carbon and litter stocks; and they accumulate aboveground biomass, basal area, and soil carbon more slowly than native forests of similar age. We suggest that new forests will become increasingly prevalent in the biosphere in response to novel environmental conditions introduced to the planet by humans.     

Forest Growth-and-Yield Modelling

Abstract

Examples of effective growth-and-yield model implementation and use are documented throughout the forestry world. However, in the perspective of sustainable forestry, comparing the development of management requirements with growth-and-yield research backgrounds, some doubts arise concerning basic research hypotheses. The conflict between the necessary simplification implied in models development and the essential complex nature of forests plays a key role in the issue. Furthermore, present modelling concepts stem from a traditional framework relying at the fundamental perception level on the enforcement of external regulations on the forest, having some predetermined optimal structure as a goal. If tomorrow's strategic planning places in the forefront of the framework Oldeman's paradox “objectives are best achieved by first forgetting them in favour of forest survival and complexity maintenance,” we will really face quite a sharp concept change. Yet, it is important to clearly focus the role of models as potential adjuncts to the professional judgement and wisdom of foresters given their rational scientific character as learning, communication and screening tools. What is attainable is not the high precision of quantitative predictions, at least as far as complex biological systems such as forests are concerned. Compact representations (e.g., minimal models and “modeles simples”) with few state variables and a biologically-driven content may provide reasonable indications on future states over a wide range of conditions, contributing to operational forest management guidelines within an adaptive framework.     

Structural and Biometric Characterization of Nothofagus betuloides Production Forests in the Magellan Region,Chile

Summary

This study, in die Chilean Magellan Region, undertook the structural and biométrie characterization of Nothofagus betuloides (Mirb.) Blume (coihue de Magallanes) production forests to provide information for sustainable forest management. Six locations were surveyed, five on the continent and one on Tierra del Fuego Island. A total of 6,102 ha were photointerpreted and then checked and described in the field according to their location, environmental characteristic, and vegetation type. The degree of disturbance, stage of development, status of regeneration, and composition and cover of the understory were also described. From the surveyed locations, a total of 3,807 ha were production forests of which a 76% area had Nothofagus pumilio (lenga) and N. betuloides mixed forests. The remaining areas (24%) were pure N. betuloides forests. Nondisturbed, old-growth forests covered 47% of the surveyed area. The remaining area (53%) had some disturbance. In the nondisturbed forests, mean volume stocks were 438 m³ ha^-1, and in disturbed forests, mean volume stocks were 316 m³ ha^-1.     

Community-Based Ecosystem Monitoring

Abstract

Community-based ecosystem monitoring refers to a range of observation and measurement activities involving participation by community members and designed to learn about ecological and social factors affecting a community. This chapter presents observations from community-based ecosystem monitoring activities throughout the United States. It discusses factors leading to the emergence of community-based ecosystem monitoring, multiparty monitoring and its role in building social capital, the monitoring process, the integration of social and ecological factors, and ongoing challenges in community-based monitoring. Sidebars illustrate the chapter's central themes and lessons with examples from particular community monitoring initiatives. Community-based monitoring has been motivated by concern for special places, in response to perceived environmental threats, and as part of an effort to overcome longstanding conflict between diverse stakeholder groups. Multiparty monitoring has the potential to address each of these needs. Significant challenges include achieving effective, diverse community participation, integrating social indicators into ecosystem monitoring and analysis, identifying an appropriate level of rigor for specific monitoring objectives, and effectively integrating monitoring into an adaptive decisionmaking process.     

日本森林资源供求变动趋势和经营管理战略创新

丰富的森林资源促进了第2次世界大战结束后日本经济的恢复和高速发展。此后,林产品市场供求、生产经营和产业政策发生了重大变化。文中分析了日本森林资源和森林经营现状、木材供求和森林功能多样化的趋势,以及林业政策、经营管理和技术创新的动向,以期为理论研究和业务决策提供参考。日本在经济高速增长期过后,木材需求量减少,自给率维持低位。近年来,日本林木进入集中主伐利用期,社会对森林生态环保需求增大,森林经营面临着规模过小、国有林缺乏经营活力、年轻劳动力减少等问题。日本森林经营管理创新的重点包括提高科技贡献率、改革林业特别是国有林的生产经营体制、提升森林在生态与环境和经济减贫等多方面价值。目前,上述创新已经效果初现,也是今后日本林业改革发展的主要方向。     

我国西北主要天然林经营模式设计

[目的]研制森林经营模式属于森林经营研究的核心内容.如何将现有的、已被实践检验而富有成效的经营方法与技术进行组装配套,形成森林经营模式是目前天然林经营研究中亟待解决的科学问题.[方法]将天然林经营的目标设定为保育健康、稳定、优质、高效的森林,根据现有林中大径木的多少确定经营类型,基于众多的试验结果或研究成果进行经营措施安排,期望在百年左右的时段内,通过有序调整小树拥挤度、大树均匀性、林分成层性和幼树开敞度,并进行地力维护以及结构化森林经营等技术措施,使现有天然林演变为恒续林.[结果]设计出了3大类20种经营模式,即9种针叶林(松林、云杉林)复层异龄林模式、4种栎类阔叶林模式以及7种松栎(阔)混交林模式.所设计出的天然林经营模式都包含了林分整体经营和单木经营,而在单木经营中均采用了结构化森林经营技术.[结论]研究设计出的20个经营模式为我国西北地区天然林保育提供了既先进又实用的技术指南,也对我国其它地区天然林经营有非常重要的借鉴作用.     

Contras and Comandantes

Summary

In the 1980s, Nicaragua's Sandinista government faced armed mestizo and indigenous insurgencies in much of the nation's central and eastern regions. After the Sandinistas lost the 1990 elections, the in-coming government signed peace agreements with the insurgents and facilitated their return to civilian life. With the war over, the Nicaraguan army greatly reduced its troop strength, leaving tens of thousands of people unemployed. Within a few years, however, many former insurgents and soldiers took up arms again for multiple and complex reasons. This paper examines how three groups that rearmed influenced forest conservation in the buffer zone of Nicaragua's Bosawas Biosphere Reserve between 1991 and 1999. The three groups were the mestizo Northern Front 3-80 (FN 3-80) and the Andrés Castro United Forces (FUAC), made up of former ‘Nicaraguan Resistance’ and Sandinista soldiers respectively, and the Miskito YATAMA movement. The presence of these armed groups impeded the government from taking coercive action to remove farmers from the reserve's nucleus. It also limited the advance of cattle ranching. At times, the groups favored logging, at times they did not. The armed conflicts have tended to keep out prudent foreign investors and encourage the presence of smaller companies willing to take greater risks.     

Determining the Ecological Compensation Standard Based on Forest Multifunction Evaluation and Financial Net Present Value Analysis: A Case Study in Southwestern Guangxi,China

ABSTRACT

There is growing concern that public benefits from forests are underprovided in current forest management regimes and need to be increased through policy and economic measures that promote conservation. Ecological compensation is a type of institutional arrangement for the sustainable use of ecosystem services achieved by adjusting the distribution of costs and benefits among different stakeholders using economic measures. However, how to accurately and reasonably determine the compensation standard for ecological services has not been guided by scientific methods and theories. This study provides an estimation of the compensation standard for forest ecological services based on the forest multifunction evaluation and financial net present value analysis, and a case study was performed in Southwest China. The results showed that most forest types brought some economic loss to the managers but contributed great ecological benefits to the public when they were managed as ecological forests. It is crucial to incentivize forest managers to participate in voluntary conservation programs through ecological compensation. The results of this analysis can potentially guide sustainable forest management by both accurate quantification of the value of forest ecosystem services and an improved understanding of the costs of voluntary forest conservation schemes currently in use in many countries.     

Monitoring managed forest structure at the compartment-level under different silvicultural heritages: An exploratory data analysis in Italy

ABSTRACT

The more and more diffused multifunctional role addressed nowadays to public forests, calls for targeted analysis aimed at highlighting the overall outcome of different practices implemented on the same forest compartment, according to the locally prevailing function. This study was carried out in four Italian beech forests across a latitudinal gradient representative of multiple management history, stand structure, and dominant stand age. We analyze forest structure at the compartment scale before and after silvicultural practices. We aim to explore relationships and similarities between 10 stand attributes (mensurational and structural variables) to identify relevant indicators for the monitoring and management of forest ecosystems. Results indicate changing patterns of correlation and similarity among mensurational variables following practice implementation. A sensitivity gradient to silvicultural practice was finally identified within the four sites investigated as a result of the diverging stand structure. Our approach suggests a way and provides an insight for the design of adaptive forestry management practices required to meet environmental targets, in addition to the already acknowledged supply of primary goods and services.     

两种经济林下黄芪仿野生种植

以核桃林和油橄榄林两种经济林下复合种植的黄芪为试材,研究不同品种经济林下种植的黄芪有效成分含量差异性和复合种植黄芪前后土壤肥力及其变化情况。结果表明,两种经济林下种植黄芪后土壤肥力呈增长趋势,不会对经济林产量造成影响;两种经济林下种植的黄芪有效成分含量存在差异,落叶经济林核桃林下种植的黄芪品质优于常绿经济林油橄榄林,且均达到中国药典规定的质量要求;黄芪种植对土壤要求不高,适宜的土壤肥力能保证黄芪较高的品质,黄芪种植对有机质、钾需求较高,对磷需求较低。经济林下复合种植黄芪模式具有可行性,且落叶经济林核桃林下种植的黄芪品质优于常绿经济林油橄榄林。以期为经济林下黄芪种植提供理论依据。     

Propensity of farmers to conserve forest within REDD + projects in areas affected by armed-conflict

The implementation of carbon-storage efforts in countries experiencing armed conflicts or confronting illegal activities (such as illicit crop cultivation) will permit additional tropical forests to be protected for climate change mitigation. Yet, despite these potential gains, the appropriate design and application of forest conservation and climate change mitigation approaches such as the mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) in such contexts remain little studied. Unanswered questions relate to the propensity of farmers in conflict affected areas to conserve forests for climate change mitigation. Such questions include, for what reasons and under what circumstances would such farmer participate in climate change mitigation activities? In this paper we address these questions by developing an econometric Logit model to understand factors influencing the propensity to conserve forest of farmers from 14 villages in Colombia. These villages are located in a region recognized as a stronghold of guerrilla insurgencies and as the center for illegal crop cultivation. The region was selected as it is also the proposed target area for piloting Colombian government REDD + activities. A household survey (n = 90) showed that four explanatory variables are significantly related to the ‘propensity to conserve forest’. ‘Harvest of non-timber forest products’ (specifically bush meat) positively influences a farmer's propensity to conserve forest. In contrast, higher ‘percentage of forest area’, ‘deforestation for (the production of) subsistence crops’ and ‘harvest of wood product’, each have a negative influence. Overall, results show an already high propensity to conserve forest among farmers (70% of respondents) and indicate their growing propensity toward the conservation of primary forest and management of degraded lands and secondary forest. These results might be attributable to efforts undertaken to reduce the causes of armed-conflicts and ecosystem deterioration, such as enhancement of land tenure security and farmer associations' rules to reduce deforestation. They might also be linked to communities' positive attitudes toward water resources conservation. We conclude that most farmers will not oppose forest conservation as long as it is compatible with their respective livelihood priorities.     

Environmental Change and the Sustainability of European Forests

Summary

It is some years now since forest decline was a major public concern in Europe and was one of the principal environmental issues around which international research programs were focused. A number of internationally coordinated activities were initiated in the 1980s and 1990s and have continued until now; these contributed significantly to our current understanding of forestry and to the way in which forestry policies have developed. In short, the concept of sustainable development has had an increasing influence and is now of immeasurable value in forest policy, with sustainable forest management well established as its guiding principle. This sequence of events is examined here. The extent to which understanding has advanced is remarkable; much has changed. Arguably this period gave the first indication of the extent to which forests and ecosystems globally are threatened by environmental change. On the basis of the last 20 years, it is tempting to conclude that we now have an effective institutional framework and have made excellent progress. However, some of the recorded ecosystem responses seem anomalous; there are surprises in system responses, e.g., the linkage between sulphur and nitrogen depositions and forest growth. Even more importantly some specific pollutant problems remain and will intensify, and climate change has become an environmental issue of overwhelming importance.     

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.     

北京市3种道路防护林春季滞尘规律研究

[目的]研究不同道路防护林的滞尘能力及滞尘的动态变化和空间分布规律。[方法]在春季对3种道路防护林(油松林、圆柏林、银杏林)距道路不同宽度的滞尘量进行连续观测,对比3种道路防护林滞尘能力,分析降雨、极大风速、相对湿度、PM10等因子对滞尘动态的影响以及3种道路防护林滞尘的空间分布特征。使用单位叶干质量滞尘量(mg·g-1)表征叶面滞尘能力。[结果]表明:(1)3种植物叶面滞尘能力差异显著,圆柏银杏油松,分别为4.79±0.20、2.48±0.07、1.42±0.04 mg·g-1,单株和单位林分面积滞尘量均为圆柏林油松林银杏林;(2)3种道路防护林在外界影响下滞尘量处于动态变化之中,油松林具有比银杏和圆柏林更高的滞尘稳定性;(3)降雨量较低时3种道路防护林滞尘量均增加,降雨量较高时3种道路防护林滞尘量均降低,油松和银杏林的滞尘量更容易受降雨影响而降低;随着风速增大,3种道路防护林滞尘作用不断加强,风速继续增大时,油松和圆柏林滞尘量均有减少,银杏林滞尘量仍有显著增加。(4)3种道路防护林滞尘量在五环路侧(北)均高于香山路侧(南),油松和圆柏林均呈现为道路防护林中间位置为最低点,银杏林中间位置滞尘量最高。(5)油松和圆柏林滞尘量外部比内部变化大,银杏林滞尘量内部比外部变化大。[结论]道路防护林的滞尘效益受树种、林分结构、所处环境、天气条件等多方面因素共同影响,在营建和管理过程中应充分考虑各种因素,充分发挥滞尘作用。     

Public Involvement in Forest Management Planning

Summary

In 1997, the US Forest Service initiated public involvement processes in three national forests in the northeastern United States-the Finger Lakes National Forest in central New York, the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, and the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine. Citizens' perspectives were sought on forest management prior to determining the changes needed for revising the Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans) as well as to exchange information on management of these three forests. These processes represent a pro-active effort by the US Forest Service to engage communities of interest in dialogue about the management of these national forests. The Forest Service has emphasized the principles of ecosystem management and community partnership in developing these plans. The paper describes the policy framework for forest planning and an outline of the Plan Revision process as developed in the Northeast. It further offers a preliminary analysis of this approach, including lessons to date, their implication for subsequent phases of plan revision processes in the Northeast, and possible relevance for agencies embarking on similar public planning initiatives.