Explaining variation in Brazil nut fruit production

Brazil nut is widely recognized as the cornerstone of the Amazonian extractive economy. Tight linkages between Brazil nut production, regional income, and intact mature forests have thrust this species into focus as a key component of Amazonian conservation and income generation strategies. Nonetheless, a comprehensive synthesis of factors explaining Brazil nut fruit production variation is lacking. We aimed to address this knowledge gap, asking: (1) What are the rates and annual variation of Bertholletia excelsa fruit production at individual and population levels? (2) What factors explain B. excelsa production variation, focusing on spatial and temporal variables, diameter at breast height (dbh), crown attributes, liana loads, and soil attributes? and (3) Does liana cutting affect fruit production?     

The power of knowledge: information transfer and açaí intensification in the peri-urban interface of Belém,Brazil

Academic scholarship and development paradigms promote non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as potential options to link environmental conservation with sustainable economic development objectives for rural communities worldwide. The açaí berry (Euterpe oleracea) is a native palm found in forest ecosystems of northern Brazil and historically extracted and sold in regional markets. Recent increases in national and international açaí demand have resulted in dramatic price increases. Management decisions on a local producer level reflect trends not typically associated with traditional NTFPs as future production and income expectations increase. This case study draws on research conducted in peri-urban communities in close proximity to Belém, Brazil. The work draws links between recent açaí intensification trends in upland areas and information pathways that are contributing to this pattern. This paper argues that external information sources regarding land use choices are prioritized over local knowledge and market indicators which previously have been described as drivers for intensification processes of NTFPs. This qualitative analysis highlights the power structures that influence information sharing and in turn, land use choices on a community level. The results of this analysis are important for NTFP intervention initiatives focused on risk management for smallholders. Finally, this study is a useful complement for ecological studies currently being conducted on intensification processes of non-timber forest products.     

Differential overstory leaf flushing contributes to the formation of a patchy understory

Understory individuals were found to form patches in a 100-year-old deciduous broad-leaved forest. The closed forest canopy was uniform, and so the light conditions at various locations across the forest floor differed little after the leaf flush of the overstory. To explain the distribution pattern in the understory, a hypothesis was proposed: in spring, the forest floor is divided into patches according to the timing of leaf flush of the overstory individuals, and the light conditions are more favorable for understory plants under the crowns of trees with later-flushing leaves. In the plot, three groups of early, intermediate, and late, were recognized in the overstory concerning the timing of leaf flush. As for the start of leaf flush, a difference of 31.6 days was recognized among tree species, and for the end of leaf flush, a difference of 40.3 days. In the spring of 1998, the relative photosynthetic-photon-flux density under an intensively studiedCastanea crenata tree (late-flushing species) usually showed higher values than that under a similarly studiedAcer mono tree (early-flushing species). Analysis of the spatial-distribution pattern using Morisita’s1δ index revealed that the understory community had an aggregated distribution. In the overstory, the late- and the intermediate-flushing-species groups showed aggregated distributions, while the early-flushing-species group showed random distribution. Spatial correlation between the understory and the overstory was analyzed by using Morisita’sRδ index. The distribution of whole understory community spatially co-occurred with that of the late-flushing-species group of the overstory. In contrast, the understory community was less developed below the members of the early-flushing-species group of the overstory. We consider that the data presented here support our hypothesis, and we suggest that the growth and survival of understory individuals were promoted in the places receiving light for long periods in spring.     

浅论生态补偿制度建立及原理

生态补偿是为防止生态资源配置扭曲，通过制度设计来修正发展平衡的问题。本文简要介绍了生态补偿的由来，分析了生态补偿的公共产品、外部效应和生态资本三大理论基础，回顾了中国生态补偿工作开展的情况，对建立生态补偿机制进出了一些建议。     

Branch mortality and potential litterfall from Douglas-fir trees in stands of varying density

Forest floor characteristics influence nutrient cycling and energy flow properties of forest ecosystems, and determine quality of habitat for many forest plants and animals. Differential crown recession and crown development among stands of differing density suggest that an opportunity may exist to control the input of fine woody litter into the system by manipulating stand density. The objective was to measure the rate of branch mortality among stands of differing density and to estimate the range in total per hectare necromass inputs. Although litter traps are reliable for estimating per hectare rates of litterfall, branch mortality dating on sectioned stems uniquely allows assessment of several other litterfall components: (1) individual tree contributions to total litterfall; (2) the amount of branch material released by mortality, regardless of whether the branches are shed to the forest floor; (3) the distribution of basal diameters characterizing the litterfall from a given tree and stand. Twenty-four trees were felled and sectioned on permanent plots that were part of a silvicultural study of stand density regimes in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco.). Whorl branches were dissected out of bole sections to determine the dates of mortality, and a branch biomass equation was applied to estimate potential rate of litterfall. Periodic annual rates were expressed in four ways: (1) number of branches per tree; (2) mass of branches per tree; (3) mass of branches per unit of crown projection area; (4) mass of branches per hectare. For the growth periods investigated, larger trees and trees growing on denser plots tended to release a greater necromass through branch mortality. Average branch basal diameter generally decreased with increasing stand density. Annual branch mortality ranged from 33 to 430 g m⁻² crown projection area for individual trees, and from 236 to 1035 kg ha⁻¹ for individual plots. These rates approached the low end of the range of previously published fine litterfall rates for Douglas-fir. Rates on these plots were relatively low owing to the temporary delay in crown recession imposed by artificial thinning. A conceptual model of branch litter dynamics is presented to depict consistencies with crown development among stands managed under different density regimes.     

广东特色林业的发展现状与对策

广东省发展特色林业具有得天独厚的条件,针对广东特色林业的发展现状及发展中存在的主要问题,提出了广东特色林业发展的目标任务,即加快发展工业原料速丰林、壮大竹产业、优化经济林品种结构、大力培育花卉产业,并提出了加快立法步伐、加强规范引导,加大扶持力度、拓宽融资渠道等一整套切实可行、较为全面的对策建议.     

Nontimber forest products and biodiversity management in the Pacific Northwest

Nontimber forest product harvesting in the Pacific Northwest is neither a new activity nor a disappearing relic of the pre-industrial era. Though the emphasis may have shifted from subsistence to commercial and recreational pursuits, harvesting and harvesters of wild species are still widespread throughout the region. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of harvesters earn part or all of their income from the harvests. Every year thousands of pounds and hundreds of nontimber forest products valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars are harvested from regional public and private forests. This harvesting of a large diversity of species represents a considerable subset of the overall terrestrial biodiversity in Pacific Northwest forests. Despite widespread extraction, little investment in research, planning, or basic inventorying and monitoring has been done on nontimber forest products. Without better information, land managers will be increasingly unable to make informed decisions on how to manage nontimber forest product biodiversity sustainably as demand for products increases.     

China's role in the global forest sector: how will the US recovery and a diminished Chinese demand influence global wood markets?

Over the last decade, while the size of China's economy more than doubled, China has simultaneously become a major producer and exporter of forest products. Although China's domestic supply of wood is significantly constrained both by a limited natural supply and by conservation-oriented policies, the country is increasingly regarded as the world's “wood workshop.” Furthermore, China is the largest driver of demand for the trade in tropical logs and is becoming a significant driver of demand for trade in coniferous logs. In this paper, we describe a spatial equilibrium model adapted to study forest sector markets and policies that affect them. We present the model and the result of two alternative future scenarios. The first scenario analyzes the impact on global forest products markets of a US recovery in wood markets. The second scenario examines the effect on global forest products markets of decelerating growth in Chinese demand for wood products. Through these two scenarios, the modeling output sheds light on the role China's wood products markets have on resource supply and trade around the world. The trade model shows substantial potential changes in global prices, production, and trade activity associated with the recovery in domestic demand in the USA.     

Integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into forest biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Northwest

The potential for traditional and local ecological knowledge to contribute to biodiversity conservation has been widely recognized, but the actual application of this knowledge to biodiversity conservation is not easy. This paper synthesizes literature about traditional and local ecological knowledge and forest management in the Pacific Northwest to evaluate what is needed to accomplish this goal. We address three topics: (1) views and values people have relating to biodiversity; (2) the resource use and management practices of local forest users, and their effects on biodiversity; (3) models for integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into biodiversity conservation on public and private lands. We focus on the ecological knowledge of forest users belonging to three groups who inhabit the region: American Indians, family forest owners, and commercial nontimber forest product harvesters.     

不同放牧制度对荒漠草原短花针茅空间异质性的影响

在不同放牧制度下,以荒漠草原短花针茅植物种群为研究对象,采用GS＋软件和地统计学分析方法对其空间异质性分布进行了研究。结果显示：对照区和划区轮牧区或自由放牧区都表现出很强的空间自相关性,且结构是导致短花针茅空间变异的主要因素。对照区、划区轮牧区和自由放牧区,短花针茅空间格局的分形维数相近,都接近于2。不同放牧制度下短花...