Values of Forestry Professionals and their Implications for the Applicability of Policy Instruments

In the last few years, the European countries have created a whole arsenal of regulatory, financial and informational instruments with the objective of enhancing sustainable forest management (SFM). In the course of this policy development effort, so far, the targets of governance have been more or less neglected. This article argues that a forest manager's values have a major influence on the perception of and the reaction to different types of public policy instruments. The results of a mail survey carried out among Austrian forestry professionals show that the persons in charge of putting SFM into practical action can be characterized by specific value patterns. By means of cluster analysis, forestry professionals were classified into six value types. Each of the six types identified is expected to respond to policy instruments in a specific way. Based on these findings, I finally discuss if and how policy instruments can be designed and implemented in a more target-group oriented way.     

海林林业局天然幼中龄林经营技术的研究

海林林业局是黑龙江省森工林区的一部分,有林地面积14万多hm2,总蓄积1340万m3,其中天然中幼龄林面积为93386.4hm2,占全林业局林地面积的65.22%。对于这部分面积大、情况复杂的林分,应本着科学精神因地制宜,认真规划,贯彻封山育林、调整林分结构、全面改造和扶育等不同措施进行经营管理,促进该局中幼龄林向着良性、健康和可持续方向发展。     

对穆棱林业局林地保护利用管理办法的讨论

通过走访调查,针对黑龙江省穆棱林业局林地保护利用提出了相关的管理办法和保护利用措施。     

柴河林业局森林资源经营管理建议

为掌握森林资源发展动向,文章以柴河林业局2006年森林资源二类调查资料为依据,对柴河林业局的森林资源经营管理成效和森林资源动态变化进行了分析,并根据其森林资源特点对今后的森林资源经营管理工作如何发展提出了建议。     

森防工作如何应对林业发展新形势

面对我国启动实施的六大林业重点工程和林业五大转变，就森防工作如何应对林业发展的新形势，作了较为详尽的阐述。     

Typology of Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners and Forestry Behavior: Implications for Forest Carbon Sequestration in the Southern US

To implement effective climate change mitigation and carbon sequestration activities in the southern US, nonindustrial private forest landowner (NIPF) participation is necessary because of the significant area of forest land under their ownership. For policy implementation to involve this major ownership group in climate change mitigation activities in this region, it is important to understand their forest management motivations and understanding toward carbon sequestration. This study develops a regional typology of NIPF landowners based on reasons for owning forest land in the southern US. The specific goals were to: (1) segment NIPF landowners into smaller homogeneous groups based on reasons for owning forest land; (2) identify landownership characteristics and forest management behavior by ownership groups; and (3) assess their climate change beliefs and understanding of forest carbon sequestration by ownership groups. A principal component-cluster analysis of 735 responses to a mail questionnaire distributed to NIPF landowners in the southern US revealed three groups, which were named amenity, multi-objective, and timber-oriented landowners. The amenity group included 21% of the landowners, while the timber and multi-objective groups included 40% and 39% of the landowners, respectively. These landowner groups varied in terms of owner characteristics, forest species type and management behavior, climate change beliefs and understanding of carbon sequestration. The amenity and multi-objective owners tend to have more positive belief toward climate change than the timber group, but more landowners in each group indicated having poor understanding of forest carbon sequestration. The study fills a knowledge gap in research efforts by developing a regional typology of NIPF landowners and linking it with their forestry resources and management strategies along with their climate change beliefs and understanding of forest carbon sequestration.     

游客对游憩利用影响的感知及其对游客总体满意度的影响——以张家界国家森林公园为例

文章对张家界国家森林公园游客的游憩利用影响感知进行了调查,并研究了其对游客总体满意度的影响。结果表明:①大部分游客可感知游憩利用影响;②在社会人口特征中,除性别与年龄外,其他因子对3种游憩利用影响感知均无显著影响;③游客对“社会性影响”与“管理性影响”的感知显著降低总体满意度,而对“资源影响”的感知对总体满意度无显著影响。     

税费变化对马尾松资产经营决策的影响分析——以福建南平市为例

以马尾松中径材经营类型的各生长指标为基础,结合所收集的福建南平市有关技术经济指标以及林业不同时期的税费情况,利用不同方法测算不同税费水平下马尾松经营的净现值与内部收益率,进而定量分析其影响趋势,为马尾松资产经营决策及林业税费的进一步改革提供参考。     

要素投入、资源经营与林业生态工程建设的过程绩效——基于我国天保工程灰色投入产出系统的实证研究

林业生态工程有别于一般工程项目,其要素投入、资源经营与工程绩效之间呈现灰色系统“信息不完全”的典型关系特征,对优化工程决策、强化工程管理和过程控制、改进工程绩效等形成严峻挑战。文中以我国天保工程为例,基于对投入产出体系灰色特征的理论解析,利用灰色系统的方法学工具分别构建天保工程投入产出模型、中介效应模型及效益互动模型,得到了要素投入、资源经营与工程绩效之间的作用关系,验证资源经营变量在投入产出体系里的中介效应,探明了生态、社会、经济三大效益之间的内在关联机制,总体实现了对林业生态工程灰色投入产出系统的白化目标;基于实证研究结果,进一步分别从理论和实践层面提出促进我国林业生态工程建设的启发性建议。     

The Brazil Eucalyptus Potential Productivity Project: Influence of water,nutrients and stand uniformity on wood production

We examined the potential growth of clonal Eucalyptus plantations at eight locations across a 1000+ km gradient in Brazil by manipulating the supplies of nutrients and water, and altering the uniformity of tree sizes within plots. With no fertilization or irrigation, mean annual increments of stem wood were about 28% lower (16.2 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, about 33 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) than yields achieved with current operational rates of fertilization (22.6 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, about 46 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Fertilization beyond current operational rates did not increase growth, whereas irrigation raised growth by about 30% (to 30.6 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, about 62 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The potential biological productivity (current annual increment) of the plantations was about one-third greater than these values, if based only on the period after achieving full canopies. The biological potential productivity was even greater if based only on the full-canopy period during the wet season, indicating that the maximum biological productivity across the sites (with irrigation, during the wet season) would be about 42 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (83 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Stands with uniform structure (trees in plots planted in a single day) showed 13% greater growth than stands with higher heterogeneity of tree sizes (owing to a staggered planting time of up to 80 days). Higher water supply increased growth and also delayed by about 1 year the point where current annual increment and mean annual increment intersected, indicating opportunities for lengthening rotations for more productive treatments as well as the influence of year-to-year climate variations on optimal rotations periods. The growth response to treatments after canopy closure (mid-rotation) related well with full-rotation responses, offering an early opportunity for estimating whole-rotation yields. These results underscore the importance of resource supply, the efficiency of resource use, and stand uniformity in setting the bounds for productivity, and provide a baseline for evaluating the productivity achieved in operational plantations. The BEPP Project showed that water supply is the key resource determining levels of plantation productivity in Brazil. Future collaboration between scientists working on silviculture and genetics should lead to new insights on the mechanisms connecting water and growth, leading to improved matching of sites, clones, and silviculture.     

The effects of topography on forest soil characteristics in the Oregon Cascade Mountains (USA): Implications for the effects of climate change on soil properties

Forest soil measurements were made at over 180 sites distributed throughout the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. The influences of both elevation and aspect on soil variables were measured in the early (1998) and late summer (1994). Increased elevation significantly increased soil moisture, mean annual precipitation, soil organic matter, labile C and mineralizable N, microbial activities, extractable ammonium, and denitrification potentials. In contrast, bulk density, pH and soil temperature (1998 only) were significantly lower at the higher elevations. Relative to labile C, mineralizable N was preferentially sequestered at higher elevations. Aspect significantly affected annual mean temperature and precipitation, soil moisture and temperature, soil organic matter, mineralizable N, extractable ammonium, denitrification, and microbial activities. There were no significant higher statistical interactions between elevation and aspect on climatic or soil factors. Soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation at higher elevations is likely driven by a reduction in decomposition rates rather that an increase in primary productivity, however, SOM accumulation on north facing slopes is probably due to both a decrease in decomposition and an increase in primary production. Models of climate change effects on temperate forest soils based on elevational studies may not apply to aspect gradients since plant productivity may not respond to temperature–moisture gradients in the same way across all topographical features.     

Direct seeding of Quercus robur L. for reforestation: The influence of mechanical site preparation and sowing date on early growth of seedlings

Compared with conventional planting, direct seeding of Quercus spp. is a method that can reduce the costs of reforestation considerably. However, interference from natural vegetation and predation on acorns contribute to regeneration failures. Mechanical site preparation has the potential to reduce both these problems. To study the influence of sowing date and of different mechanical site preparation treatments on early seedling growth, an experiment was carried out in storm-felled areas, formerly Norway spruce forests, in southern Sweden from May 2006 to September 2008. Five treatments were applied and acorns were planted in May and July 2006. The treatments were: disc trenching, patch scarification, topsoil removal, mounding and an undisturbed control. A delay of less than two months in seeding resulted in the equivalent of one year's growth reduction with respect to oak seedling's height and biomass. This could be explained by delayed emergence of seedlings, and by the dry conditions during summer seeding. The seedlings only exhibited a weak positive biomass growth response following disc trenching, patch scarification and top soil removal. In the latter case this might be explained by increased soil compaction and extensive removal of the humus layer. Site preparation by mounding resulted in good vegetation control, an increased biomass growth response and deeper seedling roots. In this treatment, we found high relative light levels near seedlings, reduced soil moisture and dry bulk density of the soil and higher soil temperatures. One or more of these environmental factors could have influenced the growth response. Whether this increased early growth rate persists throughout young stand development is, however, uncertain.     

The ecological sustainability of tropical forest management: evaluation of the national forest management standards of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, with emphasis on the need for adaptive management

From a conceptual point of view, national forest management standards in Latin American countries have progressed significantly in recent years. Examples include the Costa Rican Standards and Procedures for Sustainable Forest Management and Certification, developed by the National Commission for Forest Certification and in Nicaragua, the National Institute of Forestry proposal of principles, criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. In line with general approaches worldwide, these national standards primarily focus on the fulfillment of sound forest practice. There is comparatively little emphasis on the assessment of management outcomes or changes in key components of the eco- and social-systems that result from management impacts. Essentially, there is little emphasis on adaptive management, though arguments that management cannot be sustainable if it is not adaptive are persuasive. This study sought to contribute to the development of standards that include elements for adaptive management that define, communicate and evaluate sustainable forest management in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Elements from the national standards and the CIFOR generic C&I template (predominantly focused on forest management outcomes) were used as a starting point. The basic research process consisted of three phases of evaluation (in-office, desk and field). The evaluations were carried out by multidisciplinary, international groups of experts in forest ecology, management and policy. This study demonstrated the value of forums and workshops that facilitate exchange between forest scientists and policymakers; the innovation and application of a practical, applicable and scientifically based methodology for developing national level C&I; and acceptance of this methodology by key players in the fields of forest management and policy. These experiences and the resulting proposals of C&I for the evaluation of ecologically sustainable forest management are expected to be used as points of reference for future development of forest policy in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and to contribute to the overall understanding of C&I development processes in the region.