High seedling recruitment of indigenous tree species in forest plantations in Kakamega Forest,western Kenya

Tree plantations are often used to compensate for the destruction and conversion of natural forests in the tropics. An important question is whether these plantations allow for the regeneration of indigenous tree species and are expected to transform into more natural forests in the future. To evaluate the potential of differently managed forest types for seedling recruitment of indigenous tree species we studied structural characteristics as well as tree and seedling communities in stands of natural forest, different types of tree plantations and secondary forest in Kakamega Forest, western Kenya. Forest types differed considerably in structural characteristics and tree composition with stands of natural forest significantly differing from all other forest types in vertical foliage height diversity and number of late-successional tree species. By contrast, total seedling species richness and number did not differ among the forest types. Yet, number of seedlings of late-successional species decreased from natural forest and plantations of a mixture of indigenous tree species towards monocultures and secondary forests while number of seedlings of early-successional species increased in the same order. A joint Principal Component Analysis (PCA) corroborated higher similarity among seedling communities than among tree communities. Our results indicate a convergence of recruiting seedling communities in different forest management types suggesting that tree plantations might buffer forest loss to a certain extent and may have the potential to develop into more natural forest over time.     

Effect of Participation in Commercial Production of Medicinal Plants through Community-Based Conservation Groups on Farm Income at Kakamega Forest,Kenya

ABSTRACT

Forest conservation by peripheral communities is one of the most advocated strategies for ensuring sustainable supply of forest goods and services. In Kenya, although conservation activities generate considerable environmental improvements, studies evaluating the economic benefits are very limited. This study aimed at assessing the impact of participating in the commercialization training program by forest adjacent communities on farm income. Utilizing matching techniques, the analysis is based on the data collected from a randomly selected sample of farm households around Kakamega forest in Kenya. The results show that age, forest distance, forest benefit, market distance, and farming experience are the main factors that influence the participation in the commercialization program. Also, participating in commercial production of medicinal plants has a positive and significant effect on farmers’ income. The average treatment effect on the treated (ATT), based on three estimation algorithms, ranges from KSH. 80,047 to KSH. 176,788 per hectare, per year, implying that policy efforts that focus on the participation in the commercialization program of medicinal plants can enhance incomes among farm-dependent households. The findings from this study suggest that upscaling the participation in the commercialization program to other areas.     

Annual allowable cut for merchantable woody species in a community managed forest in western Kenya

Changes in stand density, basal area, off-take and annual increment were determined from 18 permanent sample plots established in 1997 in Got Ramogi Forest in western Kenya. The plots were assessed in 2003 and 2008. A total of 824 stems ?1.5 m in height were recorded from 43 woody species. Key merchantable woody species comprised 20% of the woody species and 67% of the overall stem density. There was a significant reduction in the overall stand density and in the stem density of key merchantable woody species, but not among other woody species between 1997 and 2008. The basal area decreased significantly among key merchantable woody species, but not for the overall forest. The basal area decreased from 22.6 to 9.7 m² ha⁻¹ for key merchantable woody species. The stand volume of key merchantable woody species decreased from 156 m³ ha⁻¹ in 1997 to 61.7 m³ ha⁻¹ in 2008. The mean annual off-take declined from 10.3 m³ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ between 1997 and 2003 to 9.1 m³ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ between 2003 and 2008, while the mean annual increment increased from 2.9 to 3.3 m³ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. It was predicted that forest recovery would surpass the 1997 stand volume of 156 m³ ha⁻¹ if off-take levels between 10% and 90% of the mean annual increment were adopted. We settled on an annual allowable cut of 80% of the mean annual increment as a compromise between consumptive and conservation interests. We identified over-harvesting as the main cause of the reduction in stem density among key merchantable woody species. A management plan with compartment registers indicating the diversity, abundance and distribution of each woody species was recommended to guide their utilization and monitor their population dynamics.     

Planning timber harvest of residual forest stands without compromising bird and small mammal communities in boreal landscapes

Numerous efforts have been invested in designing and configuring residual forest stands in Canadian boreal forest to preserve their overall biodiversity. Now that several landscapes have been partially logged, the next issue in forest management involves the planning of residual forest stand harvesting without compromising wildlife populations. Residual stands can be cut when adjacent regeneration reaches 3 m in height according to current regulations in several Canadian provinces (e.g., Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British-Columbia). However, little is known on whether such regenerating habitat (RE-3m) can maintain wildlife communities similar to those found in unharvested mature forest (CO). We estimated the relative abundance of small mammals and forest birds in RE-3m and CO habitats and characterized landscape and stand structures. These variables were then compared between the two contrasting successional stages and were used to build habitat use models (HUMs) for 21 species. CO and RE-3m differed with regard to several landscape characteristics and stand structure variables as a result of logging. Snowshoe Hare, Northern Flicker, Alder Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-throated Sparrow and Magnolia Warbler were more abundant in RE-3m than CO, while Red-backed Vole, Brown Creeper and Golden-crowned Kinglet exhibited lower abundances in RE-3m. No significant differences in abundance were observed for the 12 other species. Species HUMs were highly significant and explained between 64.3 and 99.1% of the total variability in abundance. Following variance partitioning, stand structure variables accounted for most of the explained variability (54.2%) while landscape characteristics accounted for only 28.7%. No difference in species richness was observed but community evenness was greater in CO than RE-3m. Our results suggest that current regulations may threaten the maintenance of 3 out of 21 censused species for which abundances were significantly lower in regenerating 3 m tall stands. As stand structure explained a large amount of variability in abundance, it should be considered during timber harvest planning in both mature and regenerating stands. Until we know more on whether the current regulations are suitable for maintaining overall biodiversity, our results suggest that some mature forest stands should be maintained within managed landscapes for a complete logging rotation period.     

Differential effects of vegetation restoration in Mediterranean abandoned cropland by secondary succession and pine plantations on bird assemblages

Two contrasting trajectories for vegetation restoration in agricultural landscapes are secondary succession following cropland abandonment that can regenerate woodlands (passive restoration) and conversion of cropland to tree plantations (active restoration), which have mostly focused on pine species in the Mediterranean Basin. We compared the effects of these two contrasting trajectories of vegetation restoration on bird assemblages in central Spain. Vegetation structure differed in the two restoration trajectories, pine plantations attaining higher tree cover and height (31% and 4.1 m, respectively) but lower strata complexity than secondary shrubland and holm oak woodland (which attained 10% and 1.4 m of tree cover and height, respectively). Bird species richness differed in stands under active or passive restoration trajectories, the former collecting a higher total number of species (4.2 species per 0.78 ha plot) than the latter (3.5 species per plot). The number of forest species increased with vegetation maturity in both restoration trajectories, but especially in stands under active restoration. The occurrence of woodland generalist species increased and of species inhabiting open habitats decreased in actively restored stands, being some of these latter species of high conservation priority in the European context but relatively common at the regional level. Bird species inhabiting pine plantations had broader habitat breadth at the regional level than those inhabiting secondary shrublands and woodlands. Maximum regional density did not differ between both restoration trajectories, but it increased with development of the herbaceous layer only at the secondary succession trajectory. The relative importance of species of European biogeographic origin was higher in mature pine plantations (58.9% of total bird abundance) than in mature holm oak woodlands (34.4%), whereas that of Mediterranean species was considerably higher in the latter (40.1%) than in the former (20%). Bird assemblages of relatively small patches of pine plantations are unable to reflect the regional avifauna, in contrast with the relationships between local and regional assemblage characteristics that can be found in isolated natural forests. We conclude that programs of vegetation restoration should base upon a range of approaches that include passive restoration, active restoration with a variety of tree and shrub species, and mixed models to conciliate agricultural production, vegetation restoration and conservation of target species.     

Industrial forest plantations in Uganda: Local adjacent community perspectives

Industrial forest plantations are both hailed and vilified for their socio-economic effects on local communities. As such, we posed the following questions: (1) what opportunities do industrial forest plantations bring to local communities? and (2) what benefits are lost with the establishment of industrial forest plantations?

Households neighboring industrial forest plantations in five villages of mid-western Uganda were surveyed. A large majority of the respondents (92.6%) stated that they had benefited from forest plantations, while a minority (7.4%) stated they did not. Fuelwood and employment were the most mentioned benefits. Approximately 47.9% of respondents stated that they had lost certain benefits due to the establishment of industrial forest plantations, while 52.1% stated they lost no benefits. Occupation, the number of people in a household and the length of residence in the area influenced responses on whether participants had lost certain benefits.

Access to land was the most mentioned (82.2%) benefit lost due to industrial forest plantations. The study supports the notion that industrial forest plantations can provide certain benefits in the initial years of establishment but may also deny local communities historically established customary access and user land rights. Local livelihoods should be integrated into forest plantations management plans.     

Effects of forest landscape change and management on the range expansion of forest bird species in the Mediterranean region

In the western Mediterranean region of Catalonia (NE Spain), during the last 20 years of the 20th century, the range of many forest bird species has expanded. Our objective was to characterize the roles of (a) spatial population processes (related to dispersal), (b) changes in forest structure (due to forest maturation and management), and (c) landscape composition (resulting from afforestation and fires) in the range expansion of these bird species at the landscape scale (10 × 10 km). After correcting for the differences in sampling effort, colonizations appeared to be more likely near areas in which the species had been present in the 1980s. Patterns of the range expansion were also strongly associated with forest maturation, which seems to affect the spatial arrangement of birds at multiple scales. Changes in forest landscape composition due to afforestation and fires were minor determinants of range changes, and forest management did not seem to prevent range expansion at the spatial scale studied. Colonization events appeared to be driven primarily by landscape changes occurring in nearby localities rather than within the colonized locations themselves, presumably because of source–sink dynamics and connectivity patterns. Our results showed that in Catalonia, at a landscape scale, the impact of forest management on forest bird communities is much smaller than the impact of the widespread maturation of forests following a large-scale decline in traditional uses.     

Understorey condition scoring of Ghanaian lowland tropical moist forest during stock survey: a technique for regulating the allowable cut in ecologically and structurally degraded production forest

Understorey condition scoring is a rapid assessment field technique for appraising and delimiting the various stages of ecological and structural decline in fire-degraded, lowland, tropical moist forest. The scoring system is designed to be incorporated into stock survey. It is simple and consistent, with only minimal time and labour requirements. The degree of degradation is assessed from the vegetation structure contained within the first 2 m of the stand's vertical profile and is assigned to one of six categories. Sample plots of 20 m radius are used to distinguish localised, degraded areas from natural forest chablis and a high sampling intensity is employed to enable accurate mapping of the forest condition. Establishing the spatial extent and degree of degradation facilitates a more appropriate determination of the allowable cut at the sub-compartmental level, thereby affording protection to affected areas of forest against further ecological and structural deterioration. In addition, the system can be used for long-term condition monitoring and targeting dry-season fire-control operations.     

Soil nitrogen status of larch plantations in comparison with secondary broad-leaved forest

IntroductionSoildegradationofsouthernChinesefir(CunnhaamialanceolaIe)pIantationshavebeenCon-tinuaIlyreiorted(ShenWeitongl992;Che11BingI1aol992;FangQil992).lnthenortI1eastforestregionsofChina,larch(LarirohensisandLa)`ixgInelinii)planta-tionsmade7opercentoftheman-madeforests,andthechangesinsoilpropertiesundertI1econiferouspIanta-tionshavealsodrawnmuchattentionofmanyforesters.OurobjectivewastoexaminethedifferenceinsoilnitrogenstatusbetweenLarchp1antatiol1sandsecon-darybroad-Ieavedforests(…     

Forecasting hotspots of forest clearing in Kakamega Forest,Western Kenya

Kakamega Forest is the last remaining rainforest in Kenya and the easternmost remnant of the Guinean-Congolian rainforest belt. As such, it is home to a large number of endemic fauna and flora species. Yet the remaining natural forest is under imminent threat of degradation due to a rapidly growing population in its vicinity and a poverty rate far above the national average. The growing demand for forest resources and ecosystem services will continue to exert great pressure on the remaining forest fragments. In this paper, we predict future hotspots of forest clearing of the remaining natural and old-growth secondary forest in Kakamega Forest. We parameterized an artificial neural network model using resilient backpropagation to simulate the likelihood of forest clearing for each location. Input variables into the network included historic information on forest clearings together with variables capturing the status of forest protection, accessibility to roads and markets, as well as topography and forest density. Simulation results were used to predict future clearings based on observed rates of change. Hotspots of forest clearing were derived by assessing the neighborhood density of predicted clearings.     

Endangered lowland oak forest steppe remnants keep unique bird species richness in Central Hungary

The biodiversity of natural or semi-natural native,old oak woodlands have high conservation impor-tance,especially in landscapes of monocultural forest plan-tations and arable fields.With a wider variety of microhabi-tats and foraging sources,such old oak forests can provide essential habitat for native forest bird communities.We con-ducted a study using bird point counts to compare the forest bird communities of old pedunculate oak (Quercus robur)remnants with native and non-native plantations in central Hungary in a landscape of mostly arable fields,settlements,and monocultural plantations.Avian surveys were carried out in old oak forest remnants,middle-aged oak,white pop-lar (Populus alba),hybrid poplar (Populus × euramericana),black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia),and pine (Pinus spp.)plantations.Fieldwork has been carried out in nine study sites,where all six habitat types were represented (with a few exceptions),to determine total abundance,species rich-ness,Shannon-Wiener diversity,species evenness,domi-nant and indicator species,and guild abundances.We found that old oak forest remnants were the most diverse habitats among the studied forest types,while hybrid poplar and pine plantations exhibited the lowest avian biodiversity.The avian guilds most sensitive to the loss of old oak forest remnants were ground foragers,bark foragers,cavity-nest-ers,residents,and Mediterranean migratory birds.Native habitats were more diverse than non-native plantations.Our results suggest that it is important to conserve all remaining high biodiversity old oak stands and to avoid clear-cutting of monocultural plantations in favour of practices such as mixed-species plantations,longer rotation lengths,or reten-tion forestry.     

森林资源景观功能价值分析

从我国森林资源现状出发，在对森林资源景观内涵进行探讨的基础上，从游憩、审美、生物多样性3个方面分析了森林资源景观功能的价值构成，并对这种价值的评定方法提出了建议。     

Stand and landscape-level factors related to bird assemblages in exotic pine plantations: Implications for forest management

Plantations cover a substantial amount of Earth's terrestrial surface and this area is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. Pinus plantations make up approximately 32% of the global plantation estate. They are primarily managed for wood production, but have some capacity to support native fauna. This capacity likely varies with plantation management. We examined changes in the richness and frequency of occurrence of bird species at 32 plots within a Pinus radiata plantation (a management unit comprising multiple Pinus stands) in south-eastern Australia. Plots were stratified by distance to native forest, stand age class and thinning regime. We also assessed the landscape context of each plot to determine relationships between bird assemblages and stand and landscape-level factors. Bird species richness was significantly higher at plots ≥300 m from native forest and in mature (∼20 years since planting) and old (∼27 years since planting) thinned pine stands. We were able to separate the often confounding effects of stand age and thinning regime by including old stands that had never been thinned. These stands had significantly fewer species than thinned stands suggesting thinning regime, not age is a key factor to improving the capacity of pine plantations to support native species (although an age × thinning interaction may influence this result). At the landscape level, species richness increased in pine stands when they were closer to native riparian vegetation. There were no significant differences in species composition across plots. Our study indicates the importance of stand thinning and retention of native riparian vegetation in improving the value of pine plantations for the conservation of native fauna.     

Estimation of biomass and carbon stocks in plants,soil and forest floor in different tropical forests

An accurate characterization of tree carbon (TC), forest floor carbon (FFC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) in tropical forest plantations is important to estimate their contribution to global carbon stocks. This information, however, is poor and fragmented. Carbon contents were assessed in patula pine (Pinus patula) and teak (Tectona grandis) stands in tropical forest plantations of different development stages in combination with inventory assessments and soil survey information. Growth models were used to associate TOC to tree normal diameter (D) with average basal area and total tree height (H_T), with D and H_T parameters that can be used in 6–26 years old patula pine and teak in commercial tropical forests as indicators of carbon stocks. The information was obtained from individual trees in different development stages in 54 patula pine plots and 42 teak plots. The obtained TC was 99.6 Mg ha⁻¹ in patula pine and 85.7 Mg ha⁻¹ in teak forests. FFC was 2.3 and 1.2 Mg ha⁻¹, SOC in the surface layer (0–25 cm) was 92.6 and 35.8 Mg ha⁻¹, 76.1 and 19 Mg ha⁻¹ in deep layers (25–50 cm) in patula pine and teak, respectively. Carbon storage in trees was similar between patula pine and teak plantations, but patula pine had higher levels of forest floor carbon and soil organic carbon. Carbon storage in trees represents 37 and 60% of the total carbon content in patula pine and teak plantations, respectively. Even so, the remaining percentage corresponds to SOC, whereas FFC content is less than 1%. In summary, differences in carbon stocks between patula pine and teak trees were not significant, but the distribution of carbon differed between the plantation types. The low FFC does not explain the SOC stocks; however, current variability of SOC stocks could be related to variation in land use history.     

Response of bird communities to selection harvesting in a northern tolerant hardwood forest

We investigated the responses of forest birds to habitat changes following timber harvest by selection cutting in three northern tolerant hardwood forest stands using a before–after control-impact (BACI) type of experimental design. We observed only minor effects on the bird community associated with mature forests. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) abundances declined by about 80–90% in two of the three harvested blocks. Black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) declined in abundance by about 70% on a single block 2 and 3 years post-harvest. Mechanical disturbance of the shrub layer [primarily Canada yew (Taxus canadensis)] was coincident to this decline. Several bird species that prefer early successional or shrubby habitats, such as veery (Catharus fuscescens), cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), magnolia warbler (Dendroica magnolia), American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), mourning warbler (Oporornis philadelphia) and white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), benefited from selection cutting, with the timing of individual species’ responses related to changes in habitat structure and composition. Effects in one block were still evident 7 years after harvest. Guidelines that support a residual stocking target of 20 m²/ha should promote the retention of mature forest bird communities, including ovenbird, while still providing habitat for early successional bird species.     

Short-term effects of forest restoration management on non-symbiotic nitrogen-fixation in western Montana

Forest restoration treatments involving selection harvest and prescribed fire have been applied throughout the Rocky Mountain West with only a limited understanding of how these treatments influence plant community composition and soil processes. Forest restoration treatments, especially those involving fire, have the potential to reduce N capital on site. Unfortunately there has been only limited effort to investigate the effects of forest restoration treatments on forest ecosystem N inputs, especially free living N-fixation in soil and woody residues. Recent studies have highlighted the potential for decaying woody roots to serve as hot spots for N-fixation. The fire and fire surrogates (FFS) study site at Lubrecht Experimental Forest in Western Montana provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of restoration treatments on N-fixation. We set out to examine how prescribed fire, selection harvest, and a combination of both influence free living N-fixing bacteria that colonize decomposing woody roots, mineral soil, and soil crusts. Soil, root, and soil crust samples were collected from replicated treatment plots in August 2005 and soil samples were recollected in May 2006 just following snowmelt. Acetylene reduction assays were run on all samples, and extractable inorganic N and potentially mineralizable N (PMN) were measured in mineral soil. While restoration treatments caused an increase in dead roots associated with stumps and fire killed trees, N-fixation rates were nearly non-existent in these root systems. Nitrogen-fixation rates were not significantly influenced by treatments in decomposing woody roots or in mineral soil, but were slightly greater (P < 0.10) in soil crusts when the control stand was compared to treated plots. Nitrogen-fixation rates were also greater in mineral soil than in roots. Soil collected in August exhibited greater rates of N-fixation than soil collected in May which we attributed to higher moisture and an increase in available N following spring thaw. Average rates of free living N-fixation across the treatment plots at Lubrecht were low (0.26 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), but over time we estimate that these sources, along with the sparse population of symbiotic N-fixing plants and wet N deposition, would replenish soil N lost through fire or harvesting in approximately 40–100 years.     

Avian studies and research opportunities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest: A tropical rain forest in Puerto Rico

The Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) located on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico has a rich history of ecological research, including a variety of avian studies, and is one of the most active ecological research sites in the Neotropics. The LEF spans an elevational range from 100 to 1075 m over which five life zones and four forest types are found in a warm, humid subtropical climate. A total of 23 bird species breeds here and another 76 species, mostly migrants, are known to occur. The food web of the forest in the lower elevations is especially well studied, which allows an assessment of the role of birds in the food web. The LEF is noted for its high densities of Eleutherodactylus frogs and Anolis lizards, which may depress insect densities thereby contributing to the low species richness and densities of most insectivorous birds. The signature species of the forest is the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) that has been the focus of intensive long-term research and recovery efforts, which have spawned research on associated species, including long-term studies on the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) and botfly (Philornis spp.) ectoparasitism. Given the frequency of hurricane disturbance to the LEF and studies providing baseline for comparisons, research has made major contributions to an understanding of the effects of hurricanes on forest ecosystems including bird populations and their resources. We summarize these and other studies from the LEF to characterize the avifauna and its environment while noting studies with management implications and identify opportunities for future ornithological studies.     

Effects of young agroforestry trees on soils in on-farm situations in western Kenya

Soil samples were taken at different distances from the trunks of four- to five-year-old trees of six species planted on-farm in western Kenya. The tree species wereCordia africana, Croton megalocarpoides, Grevillea robusta, Acacia tortilis, Prosopis juliflora andSesbania sesban. Samples were also taken inside and outside a fenced plantation ofProsopis juliflora. Soil samples were analysed for total C%, total N%,¹³C abundance,¹⁵N abundance, extractable P and pH.The most sensitive indicator of effects of trees on soils was¹³C abundance, which reflected a shift in inputs of C from C₄ grasses to C from C₃ trees. All species except Prosopis lowered the¹³C abundance by 0.5–1 -units. This was equivalent to an increase of 3–5% of the percentage of C contributed by C₃ species. Prosopis trees did not decrease the¹³C abundance because of the abundant grass-growth around them. Cordia, which had the most pronounced effects, raised the C%, N% and extractable P by 27%, 26% and 55%, respectively. Nitrogen and C were well correlated (r ²=0.97) in the whole material. Effects on soil pH were in both directions, i.e. it was raised under the Prosopis plantation by 0.33 units, while it was lowered under Acacia by 0.21 units.Effects of agroforestry trees were thus seen in as short time as five years in practical onfarm situations.¹³C abundance is recommended as a particularly sensitive indicator of the influence of trees on sites previously dominated by C₄ crops and grasses.     

Regulating industrial forest concessions in Central Africa and South America

Tropical countries face special specific problems in implementing sustainable forest management (SFM). In many countries, questions are raised on whether tropical forests should be publicly, commonly or privately owned and managed in order to enhance sustainability. Other debates also focus on whether small-scale enterprises are better positioned than large-scale industrial concessions to reduce poverty and attain sustainable management. In countries where large tracts of forest are state-owned, concessions are viewed as a means of delivering services of public and collective interest through an association of private investment and public regulation. However, the success of an industrial concession model in countries with large forest resource endowment to achieve multiple goals such as sustainable forest management and local/regional development depends on two critical assumptions. First, forest functions and services should be managed and maintained as public goods. In many cases, additional uses – and corresponding rights – can take place alongside logging activities. Industrial concessions can be more efficient than other tenure models (such as community-based forest management and small-scale enterprises) in achieving SFM, add value to raw material and comply with growing environmental norms. This is especially the case in market-remote areas with low population density and poor infrastructure. Secondly, to achieve these different outcomes, any concession system needs to be monitored and regulated, especially in contexts dominated by asymmetrical information between regulating authorities and concessionaires. New institutional responses have recently been put forward in several countries, providing valuable materials to design a renewed policy mix which associates public and private incentives. This paper provides a survey of the experience of forest concessions in several Central African and South American countries. The concession system is examined in order to clarify the issues involved, the problems encountered, and what can be learned from the shared experience of these countries in the last decade. This paper argues that despite a sometimes patchy record, concessions can help promote SFM so long as they are packaged with a certain number of specific measures.