Background： Forests are fundamental in maintaining water supplies, providing economic goods, mitigating climate change, and maintaining biodiversity, thus providing many of the world＇s poorest with income, food and ...Background： Forests are fundamental in maintaining water supplies, providing economic goods, mitigating climate change, and maintaining biodiversity, thus providing many of the world＇s poorest with income, food and medicine. Too often, forested lands are treated as ＂wastelands＂ or ＂free＂ and are easily cleared for agricultural and infrastructure expansion. Methods： In this paper, the sustainability of two forest ecosystems （state and community/private owned） was evaluated using SPOT-5 satellite images of 2005 and 2011. This study was conducted in a sub-watershed area covering 468 km2, of which 201 km2 is managed by the state and 267 km2 by community/private ownership in the Murree Galliat region of Punjab Province of Pakistan. A participatory approach was adopted for the delineation and demarcation of forest boundaries. The Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis （GEOBIA） technique was used for identification and mapping of ten Land Cover （LC） features. Results： The results show that between the years 2005 to 2011, a total of 55 km2 （24 km2 in state-owned forest and 31 km2 in community/private forest） was converted from forest to non-forest. The conclusion is that conservation is more effective in state-owned forests than in the community/private forests. Conclusions： These findings may help to mobilize community awareness and identify effective initiatives for improved management of community/private forest land for other regions of Pakistan.展开更多
The AFO （activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply） project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs （private forest owners） in Europe...The AFO （activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply） project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs （private forest owners） in Europe to supply wood fuel, especially to small and medium-sized heating plants. It aimed to increase the utilization of Europe＇s vast forest fuel reserves. This was expected to benefit both the economy of the forest owners and rural areas and increase the use of renewable energy sources. The project was carried out between 2009 and 2012. The project operated in selected target regions that have a high proportion of private forest ownership （France, Slovenia, Latvia and the UK）. It started by analyzing the potential wood fuel supply and use in relation to current regional markets. After assessing through inquiries the potential wood fuel supply and demand and the parties involved, the next step was to initiate and support the formation of wood fuel supply clusters and organize supply chains. This was followed by the dissemination of best practice examples from Austria and Finland--countries with the most expertise and long traditions of forest fuel production. In the last phase of the project, results and approved activation methods were disseminated to all 27 EU （European Union） countries.展开更多
Today 42% (9 000 km2) of the area of Hesse is covered with forests. The total area of forests hasslightly increased since several years. But actually the forests adjacent to the conurbations of NorthernHesse in the vi...Today 42% (9 000 km2) of the area of Hesse is covered with forests. The total area of forests hasslightly increased since several years. But actually the forests adjacent to the conurbations of NorthernHesse in the vicinity of Kassel in particular and in the Rhein-Main Region surrounding Frankfurt are in a verydifficult position. There is big demand for land to be converted into settlements, infrastructure, etc., whilethere is increasing need for the protective and recreational functions of the forests. Therefore maintenance ofexisting forests and establishment of new forests are amongst the most important responsibilities of theforest authorities on regional and district level.展开更多
文摘Background： Forests are fundamental in maintaining water supplies, providing economic goods, mitigating climate change, and maintaining biodiversity, thus providing many of the world＇s poorest with income, food and medicine. Too often, forested lands are treated as ＂wastelands＂ or ＂free＂ and are easily cleared for agricultural and infrastructure expansion. Methods： In this paper, the sustainability of two forest ecosystems （state and community/private owned） was evaluated using SPOT-5 satellite images of 2005 and 2011. This study was conducted in a sub-watershed area covering 468 km2, of which 201 km2 is managed by the state and 267 km2 by community/private ownership in the Murree Galliat region of Punjab Province of Pakistan. A participatory approach was adopted for the delineation and demarcation of forest boundaries. The Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis （GEOBIA） technique was used for identification and mapping of ten Land Cover （LC） features. Results： The results show that between the years 2005 to 2011, a total of 55 km2 （24 km2 in state-owned forest and 31 km2 in community/private forest） was converted from forest to non-forest. The conclusion is that conservation is more effective in state-owned forests than in the community/private forests. Conclusions： These findings may help to mobilize community awareness and identify effective initiatives for improved management of community/private forest land for other regions of Pakistan.
文摘The AFO （activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply） project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs （private forest owners） in Europe to supply wood fuel, especially to small and medium-sized heating plants. It aimed to increase the utilization of Europe＇s vast forest fuel reserves. This was expected to benefit both the economy of the forest owners and rural areas and increase the use of renewable energy sources. The project was carried out between 2009 and 2012. The project operated in selected target regions that have a high proportion of private forest ownership （France, Slovenia, Latvia and the UK）. It started by analyzing the potential wood fuel supply and use in relation to current regional markets. After assessing through inquiries the potential wood fuel supply and demand and the parties involved, the next step was to initiate and support the formation of wood fuel supply clusters and organize supply chains. This was followed by the dissemination of best practice examples from Austria and Finland--countries with the most expertise and long traditions of forest fuel production. In the last phase of the project, results and approved activation methods were disseminated to all 27 EU （European Union） countries.
文摘Today 42% (9 000 km2) of the area of Hesse is covered with forests. The total area of forests hasslightly increased since several years. But actually the forests adjacent to the conurbations of NorthernHesse in the vicinity of Kassel in particular and in the Rhein-Main Region surrounding Frankfurt are in a verydifficult position. There is big demand for land to be converted into settlements, infrastructure, etc., whilethere is increasing need for the protective and recreational functions of the forests. Therefore maintenance ofexisting forests and establishment of new forests are amongst the most important responsibilities of theforest authorities on regional and district level.
