Forest management educational needs in South African forestry companies

South Africa is a world leader in the forest products industry and this industry contributes significantly to the country's economy. Challenges to the industry's future include land reform, water use, global competition, regulations, outsourcing and privatisation (the decreased role of government in forest management). These issues impact forestry skills, jobs and education. As part of the Department of Forest and Wood Science's curriculum revision at Stellenbosch University, a survey was sent to forest industry representatives to better understand the transition in forestry and what is expected from upcoming forestry graduates, specifically in business and economic-related studies. Major issues that surfaced included skill shortages, timber supply constraints and land/legal issues. The most important skills lacking in future foresters were people and business management skills. The survey results confirm that, although forest managers still need a core technical toolbox, they are also required to address multiple issues and require a broader 'package' of skills.     

西和县集体林权制度改革后存在的问题和对策

西和县集体林权制度改革后,分散生产的林农和千变万化的大市场之间的矛盾日益突出,林农个体经营和林业规模经营性质之间的矛盾逐渐显现;公益林补偿低,森林资源保护形势严峻;林业生产短期效益有限,导致林农对从事林业生产热情不高;在林业生产中林农经营、管理等技术能力相对较差;资金投入不足;林业科技服务工作滞后;管理机制不健全、制度...     

Effects of presenting forest simulation results on the forest values and attitudes of forestry professionals and other forest users in Central Labrador

This research tested whether demonstration of the long term effect of different forest management scenarios in a large forested area changes people's forest values and attitudes. Forestry professionals and other forest users in Central Labrador were shown simulation results of three alternative forest management scenarios illustrating possible long term effects on various indicators. Forest values and attitudes towards forestry were measured before and after the presentation. Our conception of values and attitudes is based on the cognitive hierarchy model of human behaviour which states that values are more enduring and more difficult to change than attitudes. It was thus hypothesized that attitudes would change but not values and that change in forestry professionals would be less than in other forest users since foresters are trained to think about long-term effects and large-scale processes of forest management scenarios. We also hypothesized that a greater number of people would have an opinion on forest management after the presentation. All three hypotheses were partially supported by the results. The results indicated that some attitude change occurred, but that values also changed somewhat. Most of the significant changes occurred when persons with no clear opinion on several forest-related questions formed an opinion. Long-term, landscape simulation results provide valuable information and enhance understanding of both forestry professionals and other forest users. However, being provided the same information, the two groups learned different things. While forest users gained more confidence in the current forest management plan and were motivated to further participate, professionals learned more specific things. This reflects differences between technical and local knowledge.     

Recreational preferences depending on thinning practice in young even-aged stands of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.): comparing the opinions of forest and landscape experts and the general population of Denmark

The aim of this study was to investigate to which extent forestry professionals, other “green” professionals (mainly landscape architects) and natural resource students in Denmark agree with the general population regarding their recreational preferences for contrasting stem densities in young, even-aged stands of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.). The study was based on five pairs of colour photographs from each of the five recently thinned experimental plots in a 13-year-old stand. The plots represented five different residual stem densities: 7000 (unthinned), 5300 (traditional thinning), 1000, 300 and 100 stems ha^?1. All cut trees were left on the ground. The analysis was carried out as a survey of forest and landscape experts (n=158) and the general public (n=243) based on questionnaires. Interviewees ranked the photographs according to the criterion: “Which forest environment do you prefer as a visitor?” Principal component factor analysis showed that the general public tended to perceptually group photos according to similar overall pattern of openness, presence of row structure and stand accessibility (including presence/absence of slash). As long as a stand appeared accessible, stand density had little influence on their preferences for a wide range of stand densities (5300?300 stems ha^?1). In contrast, foresters, other “green” professionals and students seemed to perceptually group photos according to treatment type, and the presence of slash had little influence on their preferences. This suggests an influence of professional background, making experts visually analyse and evaluate stands according to contemporary management standards and paradigms within their own profession.     

Thriving or Surviving? Forester Responses to Private Forestland Parcelization in New York State

Consulting forester business practices are challenged by significant decreases in the sizes of private forest properties and the changes in landowner values that accompany forestland parcelization. Though researchers have discussed the potential ways entrepreneurial foresters could adapt to these new ownership patterns and landscape dynamics, actual responses by foresters working in parcelizing landscapes are largely undocumented. We conducted twenty in-depth interviews with foresters working in New York State to determine (1) how foresters have experienced parcelization of properties they work with, (2) what challenges are associated with forestry projects on decreasing property sizes, and (3) what kinds of changes foresters are making to adapt to decreasing property sizes. We found that foresters across the state observe decreasing sizes of forest properties and see values of forest owners shifting beyond timber production, although most do not consider these changes to be the most urgent challenges to sustainable forestry and profitable forest consulting. Professional foresters are reacting to parcelization in diverse ways; while some are trying entrepreneurial approaches to reach new clients or offer different services, others are primarily interested in maintaining their traditional practices and roles. These findings indicate that strictly relying on independent entrepreneurial responses by private foresters may not be sufficient to close the gap between the historical role of consulting foresters and the trajectory of modern forest parcels. Additional measures like specialized training and policy changes may also be required to address the management challenges associated with forestland parcelization.     

云南构建林权社会化服务体系的探索与实践

建立以林权流转管理信息平台及林权社会化服务平台为主的林权社会化服务体系,将有效整合业内资源,连接社会各方,创新林业发展模式,实现服务林农目标。云南以普洱为试点,开展林权社会化服务体系建设,规范了林权流转市场,完善了林业行业内部管理和运行机制,推动当地林业产业健康发展。加快在全省范围内推广普洱经验,建设全省林权社会化服务体系是云南林业改革的发展方向。     

集体林权制度改革背景下广西林农认知和参与林业科技服务程度分析

基于广西3县7个村镇334户林农问卷调查的统计结果,对广西林农认知和参与林业科技服务的现状进行分析。结果表明：林权改革后的广西大多数林农拿到了林权证,80%以上的林农关注过乡政府或村委会承办的林业知识宣传栏,但仅有47.6%的林农在分到林地后接受过林业知识或技术培训,43.4%的林农接受过林业专家的林业科学技术指导;另外,通过林农林地拥有量与愿意参与林业科技服务活动的相关性分析后发现,林地较多的林农需要科技服务的意愿要强于林地较少的林农,林地越多的林农进行经营管理的活动就越多。由此可知,广西林农对于林业科技服务的认知和参与程度还不是很高,有待相关管理部门和研究学者进一步研究,找寻其中的主要原因。     

Mexican Forest History

Abstract

Mexican forestry science has been affected by its relationship with the Mexican state, and by the history of state forestry institutions. Conflicts between conservationists and politicians engaged in land reform resulted in loss of power for conservationists in the forest department in the 1940s. More recent political struggles for control of the forests color the interpretations which forest communities and foresters place upon forest management practices, and may lead to present day debates over specific silvicultural practices. If foresters are to apply silvicultural techniques, they need to be aware of the political experience of the landowners they work for, and the political implications of their own technical knowledge.     

Challenging the Traditional Forestry Extension Model: Insights from the Woods Forum Program in Massachusetts

Traditional forestry education and outreach activities tend to focus on transfer-of-knowledge, often through workshops initiated and led by professionals to “teach” landowners about forest management and conservation. Less than 10 percent of family forest owners in the US have a management plan, participated in cost-share programs, certified their forest land, or hold a conservation easement, suggesting flaws in this traditional model. Some researchers and practitioners have suggested the need for a paradigm shift away from transfer-of-knowledge to more facilitative, participatory approaches, among which peer learning has gained growing attention and is supported by a number of behavioral theories. By analyzing data from participant feedback of a peer learning pilot program in Massachusetts and a follow-up mail survey, this paper examines the perceived usefulness of peer-to-peer interactions and the effect of peer learning over time. The results suggest peer learning did not only appeal to landowners with forestry background, but also succeeded in attracting inexperienced landowners. Participants rated their peer-to-peer experience positively. The retention of information obtained through the program was reflected by participants’ ability to correctly identify foresters, land trust organizations, and reasonable sources of forestry or land management advice. Participants also shared a strong willingness to spread information obtained through peer learning. This study contributes to the identification of potential barriers to and opportunities for peer learning, informs forestry extension efforts in the US and beyond, and highlights the importance of integrating peer learning into the broader forestry education, technical assistance, and financial incentive programs to increase participation and promote sustainable forest management and conservation.     

立足竹资源 做好竹文章 江西竹产业发展驶入快车道——解读江西省《关于加快推进竹产业高质量发展的意见》

江西省于2021年9月出台的《关于加快推进竹产业高质量发展的意见》基于江西竹产业发展基础，提出推进竹资源培育精准化、竹加工业发展集群化、竹文化产业化、竹基础设施便利化、竹科技现代化、竹产品品牌化6个方面的重点建设内容，实施竹产业“千亿工程”，争取财政、科技、税收、金融保险及惠农等方面的政策支持，力争在2025年之前实现如下发展目标：竹林面积稳定在106.67万hm²，活立竹株数达到180株/667 m²；攻克一批竹产业核心技术，培育10家竹业国家重点林业龙头企业、35家省级林业龙头企业；建成5个竹产业集群、5个竹产业示范园区；实现全省年产大径级毛竹2.5亿根；创建竹主题森林康养基地5处以上，建设竹科普、文化、教育基地10处以上；新增林区生产经营道路2.7万km，全省林道网密度达到4 m/hm²；全省竹产业公共品牌具备一定知名度，区域性竹产业公共品牌和地理标志达到5个以上；竹业综合产值达1 000亿元。文章结合江西竹产业发展现状，从《意见》出台的意义、主要内容、政策保障等方面对《意见》进行解读，以加大对《意见》的宣传力度，更好地推进《意见》的落实。     

Challenges in the design of performance-based forestry regulations: Lessons from British Columbia

Advocates of regulatory reform have argued for performance-based regulation that focuses on the objectives being pursued rather than the means or process by which they are achieved. The great promise of performance-based approaches is that they are believed to provide a more cost-effective approach to achieving desired objectives. This article examines the challenges in designing performance-based regulatory approaches in forestry by analyzing the case of regulatory reform in British Columbia, Canada, in the 2000s. A key barrier to achieving a more performance-based regime includes the inherent challenge of identifying measurable objectives when the underlying causal mechanisms between forestry and environmental values are so poorly understood. The distinguishing feature of the new framework in British Columbia is not that it is performance-based, but that it provides greater flexibility to foresters in achieving policy goals through management planning. The design challenge is to find performance standards specific enough to be meaningful and enforceable but not so specific that they eliminate the very flexibility in means that performance-based regulation is trying to promote. In forestry in British Columbia, this challenge has proven sufficiently daunting that its new system of forest practices has proven to be far less performance-based than initially envisioned.     

Factors influencing Norwegian small-scale private forest owners’ ability to meet the political goals

Abstract

Norwegian forest policy has high-level, complex objectives for the products and benefits from the forest, including increased contribution to the climate, preservation of biodiversity, and creation of economic values. In Norway, it is first and foremost small-scale private forest owners who have to deliver on these expanded goals. The article reveals owners’ lack of forestry competence, and elaborates on the role of forestry employees (advisers) in owners’ decision-making processes, be it forestry-competent owners or not. There is, however, a decreased number of advisers in the private and public forest services, implying that forest owners are atomised in the meaning of being alone. This type of individualization and an increasing lack of forestry competence among forest owners are a contradiction. The mismatch is serious for the government and the forestry business because it probably hampers the fulfilment of the political objectives. The article presents six options for meeting the obstacles to goal fulfilment. The article is based on two research projects from the counties of Trøndelag and Hedmark. Data were collected between 2002 and 2007 and include survey, focus group interviews, in-depth interviews, fieldwork and document analysis.     

Evaluation of the performance of the community rainforest reforestation program in North Queensland,Australia

The Community Rainforest Reforestation Program (CRRP) in north Queensland, Australia, was a multi-faceted experiment in facilitating farm forestry. It was motivated in part by the World Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics of Queensland rainforests, which removed a large resource from the timber industry. Survey results indicate that some landholders have applied high-quality silvicultural management to their stands with a view to timber production, while others have been more interested in wildlife habitat and other non-wood benefits. Although not necessarily a success in terms of its stated goals, the program can be credited with a number of achievements. It yielded valuable experience in growing native tree species, job training for young unemployed people, and collaboration between Federal, State and local government in forest industry development. The program generated positive environmental outcomes and lessons for future timber and environmental planting programs on private lands. While the area planted and quantity of timber produced will fall far short of initial expectations, and some limitations arose with the job training activities, it nevertheless appears to have been a worthwhile project.     

Social Values of Forests and Production of New Goods and Services: The Views of Swedish Family Forest Owners

Forests are considered crucial assets for sustainable rural development, and contemporary forestry is an industry where production, environmental and social goals can—and should—be handled simultaneously. Swedish family forest owners (FFOs) are expected to both manage and conserve their forests for the benefit of the whole country, but there are contradictions between development and conservation and between traditional and alternative forms of utilization representing dilemmas in rural areas. Tensions between urban and rural areas, between demands on what to produce and protect, are often linked to the FFOs’ views on opportunities for forest management. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the extent to which FFOs perceive that social values have the ability to generate “new” goods and services as a supplement or alternative to traditional forestry, and to suggest how the forests might be managed to render high social values. Fifty-seven interviews were conducted with FFOs (both resident and non-resident). The results indicate that regardless of where they reside, FFOs have a multifunctional view of their forests and forest management, that the social values attached to forests can play an important role in development of local recreation- and forest-based tourism activities, and in this respect they can enhance sustainable rural development. It is, however, not obvious who might start and develop these businesses, since there seems to be a lack of interest among the FFOs themselves.     

Managing city forests for or in spite of recreation? Perspectives of forest managers

This paper provides insights into foresters’ perceptions of forest recreation and its management. It is based on qualitative interviews with foresters in Berlin and the region of Stuttgart, Germany (N = 16). The results highlight the lack of strategic planning concerned with recreation management at both locations. Moreover, recreation management seems to depend mostly on the local forester in charge. Foresters’ perceptions of recreation, in turn, appear to be closely linked with how they perceive their work. Three narratives of the foresters’ self-perception are constructed that address three key items: perception of foresters’ skills and tasks, perception of the societal and political context of the foresters’ work and of their own scope of action in this context, and visions for future recreation management. The first narrative emphasises classical forestry and silvicultural aspects; the second understands foresters as multifunctional service providers for communal clients; and the last criticises the classical orientation of forestry and highlights new challenges for foresters in urban areas. These three views of recreation management in urban forests relate to classical forestry culture in different ways: either embodying this culture; differentiating from it; or adopting a new view which challenges this culture. Further research needs are discussed. The paper lastly argues for increased awareness of the importance of the social dimensions of forest management as one of the crucial future challenges for the forestry profession.     

德国林业概况及其可借鉴的经验

通过对德国林业的考察和培训、交流,对德国林业有了进一步的了解,从森林资源现状、权属、政府对森林的扶持与帮助、林业经济及管理体系等方面介绍了德国林业;通过德国林业与我省林业的比较,总结了近自然林业经营理念、木材的高效综合利用、先进的林业机械化、林区道路和社区林业、高素质的林务官、健全的林业法律和制度体系、扎实的林业教育与培训等可借鉴的林业发展经验,并对近自然林业在未来湖南林业上的应用进行了一些探讨,对挖掘湖南林业发展潜力,实现绿色湖南建设目标具有借鉴意义。     

美国林业科技发展现状及其战略

对当前美国林业管理机构的设置、有关林业政策的制定、经费财政预算等问题进行了述评,这些方面构成了实现美国林业科技未来发展目标的基础.从美国当前林业科学研究关注的主要领域和重要进展,以及林业科学研究的主要特点和优势可以看出,可持续发展和环境保护是美国林业科学研究的重要国家目标,研究范围趋向全球化,研究内容系统化,研究手段现代化;其中,对于高新技术的实际应用的重视程度,科研、教学和生产推广紧密结合等方面的做法更值得我们学习和借鉴.在遥感和信息管理、森林病虫害、森林监测、农林复合经营研究、森林火灾成因及其防止和林业可持续发展等方面,是美国积极寻求同中国林业科技界开展国际合作的重要领域.     

Understanding Loggers' Perceptions

Abstract

Loggers play a critical role in managing forest resources. This study focused on understanding loggers' attitudes-information that we believe would be useful for improving communications and ultimately improving forest practices. Through interviews and a mail survey, four themes emerged, providing insight into loggers' attitudes: (1) Pennsylvania loggers are proud of their industry, (2) Public pressure is affecting the logging industry, (3) Loggers are concerned about the future, and (4) Loggers, foresters, and landowners need to improve their communications. Pennsylvania loggers are a diverse group possessing a wide range of attitudes. Listening to loggers is essential for achieving sustainable forestry.     

荷兰林业印象

荷兰是欧洲的一个小国,林业不是国民经济的重要产业,但却是荷兰外交活动中的重要方面。荷兰林业得到政府的高度重视,资金十分充足。森林游乐和改善环境是荷兰森林的主要功能,提供木材和林产品的功能已降至微不足道的地位。公众的森林环境意识强烈,政府的环境政策受公众的影响很大。     

分类经营:新西兰林业的实践与借鉴

新西兰70年一贯制的多效林业经营模式, 在创造了人工林奇迹的同时亦带来了林业持续发展的政策危机和效益危机。新西兰林业分类经营近10年的实践初步成功, 是建立在人工林集约经营和政府扶持基础上的, 是以新西兰林产工业的市场培育和出口导向为动力的。比较借鉴:建议从集约经营工业人工林入手, 为我国林业的分类经营奠定坚实的基础;建议从提高林产工业产业素质入手, 为分类经营的实现培育市场。