Causes of illegal logging in Central and Eastern Europe

A study has been undertaken to investigate the extent to which poverty is a determinant (final cause) of illegal logging, and to identify valid short-term policy variables for the control of illegal logging in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The study identifies the main features of illegal logging and forest-related and rural-related conditions in the CEE region, and uses principal components analysis and cluster analysis to obtain a typology of the CEE region according to the above conditions. Regional differences within Lithuania and Romania are specifically examined. The analysis reveals that the occurrence of illegal logging is explained by poverty, but also by the reform on land ownership and by weak law enforcement. Implications of these results for policies to cope with the illegal logging phenomenon are discussed.     

Analysing the Development of Small-Scale Forestry in Central and Eastern Europe

The current state and future prospects and challenges of small-scale forestry in Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine are examined, and Q-methodology for stakeholder evaluation of forest sustainability and pro-market reforms is applied to an example from Ukraine. Small-scale forestry already provides multiple benefits to the countries in transition. However, these countries differ according to the maturity of the reforms, and the continuing process of transition is being delayed in some of them due to institutional weaknesses, e.g. the authority of government with insufficient involvement of rural communities in decision-making. The necessity of linking international and national sustainable forestry policy to management practices at a local level is especially evident in the countries where bottom-up small-scale adaptive forestry is only starting to catch up with the top-down sustainable forest management principles. The paper highlights the necessity of reconciliation of scientific and conventional knowledge for delivering sustainability objectives to small-scale forestry at a local level. It demonstrates that the social and economic pillars of sustainable forestry reform are of a particular importance for successful performance of small-scale forestry in the countries in transition, as is active involvement of stakeholders and local communities in decision-making and policy implementation.     

A review of studies on the occurrence of Melampsora pinitorqua in Central and Eastern Europe

The Occurrence of Melampsora pinitorqua (Braun) Rostr. in Central and Eastern Europe, its biology and methods of control are described on the basis of a literature review. The incidence of the disease in young Scots pine plantations is dependent on the presence of the alternate host, Populus tremula, in the region. A comparison of the incidence with climatic conditions during several years in Poland, using “Walter Climate-diagrams” demonstrated that spring drought reduces the disease.     

轮式与三角履带式集材机的爬坡性能比较

我国东北林区经过多年采伐后,现森林资源主要分布在坡度15°以上地区,这对集材机的爬坡性能要求大幅增加.通过对集材机爬坡过程进行受力分析,得到集材机牵引力、最大爬坡度、爬坡速度和能耗的表达式.对三角履带式集材机ZLY-930E和轮式集材机ZLY-925D的参数进行爬坡度、爬坡速度和能耗的计算和分析,结果表明:在多种集材路面上,三角履带式集材机都能保证空载最大爬坡度达到20°以上,而爬坡速度较低,一般不超过19km/h.轮式集材机不能保证在不同集材路面上空载最大爬坡度都能达到15°以上,但最大爬坡速度都在20 km/h以上.在冬季坡度过大不允许集材机满载通过的路面上,为适当提高集材机爬坡度,三角履带式集材机集材质量可降至2000 kg,轮式集材机集材质量可降至1 400 kg.     

中东欧前社会主义国家森林私有化概况与发展趋势

概括介绍了中东欧前社会主义国家林权私有化的现状、面临的种种挑战和发展趋势。     

THE VIBRATION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEAT OF HOMEMADE J80 SKIDDER

INTRoDUCTIoNSkiddersoftentravelinnoroodorbadroadcircumstances,thusleadthedriv-ertofatigueandreducetheworkefflciency.Ifadriverworksundertheseconditionsforalongtime,hewillsufferfromoccupationaldisease.Asergonomicsdeveloping,itprovidesabasicmethodfordesigningasafeandridingcomfortab1eseatwhichisapplicableforskidder.Thein-fluenceofthevibrationuponthehumanbodyisanimportantaspectofergonomics.ThispaperdealsmainlywiththevibrationcharacteristicsofthechairofhomemadeJ8oskidder.THEVIBRATIoNCHARA…     

2009年欧洲EPLF成员强化木地板销售态势

全球经济危机使强化木地板市场的境况仍然困难。2009年下半年个别欧洲国家出现略显上升的趋势。EPLP（European Producers of Laminate Flooring,欧洲强化木地板生产商协会）2009年年终销量统计显示,各成员国的销售情况总的来看还是不如上年。2009年,21个常任成员公司生产的强化木地板全球销量总计4．43亿m^2比上年的4．62亿m^2下降了4．4％．     

北欧和中欧的原木价格

据《木材资源季刊》了解,由于制材部门对原木的需求量下降,2012年欧洲原木价格总体低于2011年。欧洲大陆的许多制材厂由于木材市场渐弱而被迫减产。北欧国家的原木价格下跌最严重,而东欧的价格却非常稳定,甚至在2012年底有小幅上涨的趋势。以美元计算,西欧大多主要原木市场的原木价格在过去2年里呈走低趋势,但是由于美     

Genetic variation of Heterobasidion abietinum in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin

Heterobasidion abietinum causes root and butt rot on Abies species occurring in central Europe and the Mediterranean Basin in a distribution extending from Spain in the west to Turkey and Caucasia in the east. To investigate the genetic diversity within H. abietinum, 95 isolates from different regions were analysed with 61 polymorphic molecular markers. The markers showed genetic differentiation amongst the H. abietinum populations. The most diversified population is that on A. pinsapo in southern Spain, which is isolated from gene flow with other populations. Lower but still significant differences were found amongst other European populations. Isolates from Turkey showed little diversification compared with the south European isolates from east of the Alps. The genetic structure of the H. abietinum populations in relation to postglacial recolonization of Abies is discussed.     

A computer model to differentiate skidder and cable-yarder based road network concepts on steep slopes

Road spacing on slpes depends on the underlying off-road transportation technology. One major decision in road network planning is to determine under what terrain conditions ground- or cable based extraction systems should be applied. The present investigation aims to develop a road spacing model for steep slope conditions and to implement a total cost model for skidder and cableyarder based road network concepts. The study analyzes transportation and road geometry to specify the relationship between road density, slope gradient, and road spacing. Production functions for skidder and yarder-systems make it possible to derive transportation cost as a function of road density and slope gradient. A total cost function integrates road building cost, harvesting strategy, and production economics to derive optimal road density for the two network concepts. The difference between the cost levels at optimum road density is an indicator for differentiating cable and skidder-based extraction systems. The model was implemented as a Visual Basic add-in for Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software. This flexible approach makes future adaptations and changes very easy due to the modular concept. The validity of the model is limited to the production functions of the underlying off-road transportation technologies. Future work needs to develop production functions for the state-of-the-art technologies and to improve the road building cost model.     

中欧地区阔叶木需求强劲，但周边地区需求疲软

在对5月底参加在科隆举办的家具展的阔叶木贸易商的采访表明,欧洲阔叶木市场的情况反映整体经济状况。西班牙的代理商和进口商表示目前低贸易量的状况仍将持续。意大利代理商也表示目前的贸易情况不容乐观,由于国内市场消费量及在国外市场竞争力的下降,重要家具销售面临较大压力。相反,德国进口商对市场的前景表示乐观,而担心产品的供应量低于需求量。英国进口商表示年初市场状况比较合理,但市场的前景面临严     

Characterization of Phytophthora cinnamomi from common walnut in Southern Europe environment

Forty‐eight isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi obtained from common walnut were analysed according to their variability in growth at different temperatures, virulence, sensitivity to metalaxyl and in genomic DNA. Isolates were obtained from commercial common walnut orchards located in northern Italy and in southern France. Inter‐simple sequence repeat (ISSR) were analysed for the 49 isolates, 43 of which were Italian, 6 French; an isolate of the same species obtained from Viburnum spp. was used as an outgroup. ANOVA on phenotypic characters showed a significant impact of the geographic location of the orchard on isolate variability in terms of reaction to temperatures and aggressiveness. In turn, clustering obtained with UPGMA analysis on genetic data was almost exclusively dependant on isolate variability, nevertheless the 48 isolates seem to share a common variability that differentiates the group from the isolate from Viburnum spp. Correlation between phenotypic and genetic traits was not statistically significant. In conclusion, phenotypic variability like virulence seemed to be conditioned from geographic origin while the genetic variability of P. cinnamomi isolates from walnut was associated to the single genotype.     

安徽省中南部几种主要森林类型水文特性研究

通过对安徽省中南部主要森林类型林下枯落物蓄积量、持水量、吸水速率等的研究,结果表明：①针叶林中杉木（CK）枯落物的厚度最大,达到95mm,针阔混交林的蓄积量最大,为21．94t／hm2,马尾松枯落物的厚度较低,苦槠蓄积量最低。②马尾松×枫香的最大持水量为12．62t／hm2,其他林分的最大持水量均在10t／hm2以下,其中苦槠最低,为2．04t／hm2。③针阔混交林的有效拦蓄能力明显高于阔叶林和针叶林,有效拦蓄量最高的是马尾松×枫香,为17．69t／hm2．苦槠的有效拦蓄量最低,仅为2．47t／hmz。两种不同杉木林分有效拦蓄量均达到10t／hm2左右。可见针阔混交林的水文生态效益优于阔叶纯林和针叶纯林。     

Influence of skidder traffic and canopy removal intensities on the ground flora in a clearcut-with-reserves northern hardwood stand in Minnesota,USA

We investigated the effects of skidder traffic intensity, soil disturbance intensity, and canopy removal intensity on the richness, diversity, composition, and cover of the entire ground flora (woody and herbaceous vegetation ≤2 m tall), various individual life forms, invasive/noxious species, and species with different requirements with respect to moisture, nutrients, heat, and light (synecological coordinates) in a mesic northern hardwood stand 6 years after a clearcut-with-reserves regeneration harvest removed 50–100% of the canopy. Skidder traffic was restricted to a network of trails and a global positioning system (GPS) tracked skidder movement to quantify the number of passes at pre-established sampling points along the anticipated soil disturbance gradient on and off skid trails. Soil disturbance intensity within the top 15 cm of soil was quantified by relativized resistance to penetration (RRP) compared to untrafficked plots; post-harvest increases in RRP ranged from 81 to 272%. Regression analysis and ordination revealed a pattern of increasing difference from pre-disturbance composition with increasing skidder traffic (i.e., forest floor disturbance), with increased RRP (i.e., soil compaction) and (less so) canopy removal intensity. The ground flora shifted from interior forest species such as Anemone quiquefolia, Aralia nudicaulis, Clintonia borealis, Maianthemum canadense, and Oryzopsis asperifolia to more ruderal, invasive/noxious, and disturbed-forest species such as Aster lateriflorus, Cirsium spp., Phleum pretense, Rubus idaeus, and Trifolium spp. The relative resistance of the initial ground flora to change (inverse of the distances between pre- and post-harvest samples in ordination space) was nonlinearly related to skidder traffic intensity and linearly related to RRP, indicating that the largest compositional changes occurred with the first few passes of the skidder. Mean plot scores for the synecological coordinates revealed that the post-harvest species were on average less demanding of water and nutrients; the opposite was true for light. Plots exposed to less skidder traffic and RRP had higher herb cover and higher nutrient scores; those with more skidder traffic and higher RRP levels had higher shrub cover and higher light scores. We conclude that protection of the ground flora from forest floor and soil disturbance requires careful planning of skid trail networks. Concentrating skidder traffic to a designated skid trail system can result in less area disturbed and spatially connected networks of larger, untrafficked remnant forest patches that may maintain species that are sensitive to forest floor and soil disturbance.     

Sustainable management of planted forests: some comparisons between Central Europe and the United States

Following the introduction of planned forestry and the regular high forest system more than 250 years ago, forests in Central Europe became increasingly shaped by plantation silviculture. Many natural woodlands were replaced by planted forests, and forest plantations are still being established through afforestation of extensive land areas. Nowadays, forests are managed for many different purposes, including wood production, recreation, ecological, cultural, and amenity values, biodiversity, and soil and groundwater protection. This brings new challenges to forest management and silviculture. To reach a sustainable forestry, in the sense of Brundtland (WCED 1987), we are now reshaping European forestry toward a more nature oriented silviculture. Maybe forestry in the United States and elsewhere can benefit from the mistakes made in Europe during the last two centuries and take a shortcut toward sustainable forestry.     

Trade in forest products between European Union and the Central and Eastern European access candidates

Patterns in forest products trade between European Union and Central and Eastern European access candidates were studied. The results indicated that both production and trade of forest products in Central and Eastern European countries in transition have considerably increased during the 1990s. The European Union has been the most important trading partner for CEE countries, even though the EU share from the external trade has been quite stable. The gravity models estimated explained approximately 66% of the variation in volume of bilateral trade flows in EU and CEE countries in 1997. Results indicated that trade between EU and CEE countries was below the level that would be expected on the basis of income and distance. A model separating the trade flows according to direction suggested that this is due to the low intensity of West–East trade, which probably originates in low levels of consumption of higher value-added products in CEE countries. East–West trade did not significantly differ from the average pattern.