A study on state-owned forest area stakeholders' behavior

The development of state-owned forest area plays a very important role in the development of Chinese forest industry, and even in the construction of national economy. As the backbone of Chinese forestry development, it contributes to Chinese economic development, ecological environment protection and social progress. How to balance all stakeholders' interest and behaviors remains as one of the focuses in the study of sustainable development of forest areas. On this basis, researches were carried out and described in the paper. Firstly, the paper goes through the concept and scope of state-owned forest area in China; Secondly, it defines the stakeholders of state-owned forest area, and discusses over the problems in stakeholders' behaviors from the aspect of responsibility, rights and interests; and Finally, it designs the stakeholders' behaviors on the basis of existing problems and provides constructive suggestions on deeper reform of state-owned forest areas.

Grouping tree species to estimate basal area increment in temperate multispecies forests in Durango,Mexico

Multispecies forests have received increased scientific attention,driven by the hypothesis that biodiversity improves ecological resilience.However,a greater species diversity presents challenges for forest management and research.Our study aims to develop basal area growth models for tree species cohorts.The analysis is based on a dataset of 423 permanent plots(2,500 m^(2))located in temperate forests in Durango,Mexico.First,we define tree species cohorts based on individual and neighborhood-based variables using a combination of principal component and cluster analyses.Then,we estimate the basal area increment of each cohort through the generalized additive model to describe the effect of tree size,competition,stand density and site quality.The principal component and cluster analyses assign a total of 37 tree species to eight cohorts that differed primarily with regard to the distribution of tree size and vertical position within the community.The generalized additive models provide satisfactory estimates of tree growth for the species cohorts,explaining between 19 and 53 percent of the total variation of basal area increment,and highlight the following results:i)most cohorts show a"rise-and-fall"effect of tree size on tree growth;ii)surprisingly,the competition index"basal area of larger trees"had showed a positive effect in four of the eight cohorts;iii)stand density had a negative effect on basal area increment,though the effect was minor in medium-and high-density stands,and iv)basal area growth was positively correlated with site quality except for an oak cohort.The developed species cohorts and growth models provide insight into their particular ecological features and growth patterns that may support the development of sustainable management strategies for temperate multispecies forests.

Distribution Characteristics of Soil Total Nitrogen in Low-efficiency Forest Land in the Northern Windy Desert Area of Jingbian County

[Objectives]The paper was to investigate the distribution characteristics of soil total nitrogen in low-efficiency forest land in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County.[Methods]The distribution of soil total nitrogen in the 0-40 cm soil layer of 5 towns in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County was studied through field sampling and laboratory detection.[Results]The average soil total nitrogen contents of Hongdunjie Town,Haizetan Town,Huanghaojie Town,Ningtiaoliang Town,Dongkeng Town and windy desert area in the 0-20 cm soil layer were 0.259,0.224,0.242,0.248,0.431 and 0.275 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Dongkeng Town was higher than those in other towns,while there was little difference among other regions.The average total nitrogen contents in the 20-40 cm soil layer were 0.239,0.285,0.113,0.262,0.349 and 0.241 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Huanghaojie Town was slightly lower than those in other towns,while that in Dongkeng town was higher.The variation coefficient of soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was greater than 30%,and there was great difference in spatial distribution.With the increase of soil depth,there was little change in soil total nitrogen content,namely the soil total nitrogen contents in 5 towns and windy desert area were not statistically different in the 0-40 cm soil layer.According to the nutrient grading standard of the second national soil survey,the soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was in the deficiency grade.[Conclusions]The research will provide a scientific guidance for the healthy and sustainable development of vegetation in arid regions.

Distribution Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon in Degraded Forest Land in the Sandstorm Area of Jingbian County,Shaanxi Province

[Objectives]To explore the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon in degraded forest land in the sandstorm area of Jingbian County,Shaanxi Province.[Methods]The distribution characteristics and abundance of 0-20 cm shallow soil organic carbon in 5 towns in the sandstorm area in the north of Jingbian County were studied by field sampling and indoor detection.[Results]The average soil organic carbon contents in Hongdunjie Town,Haizetan Town,Huanghaojie Town,Ningtiaoliang Town and Dongkeng Town were 2.93,3.21,2.53,2.54 and 4.08 g/kg,respectively,which were all lower than the national background value(31.00 g/kg).The coefficients of variation of soil organic carbon content in Hongdunjie Town,Huanghaojie Town and Dongkeng Town were 59.04%,35.97%and 47.55%,respectively,with higher coefficients of variation and larger differences in spatial distribution.The organic carbon content of Haizetan Town and Dongkeng Town was above the abundance,accounting for 70%and 50%,which were relatively rich,while the soil organic carbon content of Hongdunjie was relatively scarce.The average content of soil organic carbon in the sandstorm area was 3.03 g/kg,which was also lower than the national background value.The coefficient of variation was 46.53%,showing high coefficient of variation and large difference in spatial distribution.In addition,20.41%of the average content of soil organic carbon in the sandstorm area was in the deficient level,and 79.59%were in the medium or above level.[Conclusions]The study of distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon in degraded forest land in the sandstorm area of Jingbian County will better serve the precise management of soil resources.

Preliminary Study on Forest Fire Prevention and Extinguishing in Townships in the Southern Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province:A Case Study of Lishui

Forest fires seriously threaten forestry resources and the life and property safety of people in mountainous areas of Lishui City. In this paper, a fire prevention concept with refined forecast and early warning of forest fire danger weather ratings in townships as the starting point, satellite real-time observation of fire spots, monitoring of the Internet of Things and other high-tech products as an implementation means, and strengthening forest fire prevention equipment and personnel in townships as a guarantee was established. The command system for rapid emergency response by cities, counties and townships should be improved. During the forest fire prevention period, fire sources should be strictly controlled, and the basic principles of forest fire fighting in townships should be implemented into the actual fire prevention and fire fighting work to eliminate forest fires in time at the initial stage and before the disaster.

Discussion on the relationship between Construction of Forest Towns and Reform & Development of State-owned Forest Farms

In recent years, China's social economy has continued to develop. While paying attention to the pursuit of the economy, people are paying more and more attention to the pursuit of quality of life. China has vast territory and abundant resources, forest resources are particularly rich, in order to make full use of forest resources and regulate the use and protection of forests, China has promoted the development of forestry by deepening the construction and reform of state-owned forest farms, and using forest resources to obtain benefits to meet people's living needs. This paper explores the necessity and advantages of building a forest town by analyzing the reform and development situation of state-owned forest farms.

Seroepidemiological Investigation of Lyme Disease and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis among People Living in Forest Areas of Eight Provinces in China

Objective Lyme disease and Human granulocytic anaplasmosis are tick-borne diseases caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and Anoplasrna phagocytophilum respectively. We have investigated infection and co-infection of the two diseases in the population of forest areas of eight provinces in China by measuring seroprevalence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum. Methods Forest areas in 8 provinces were chosen for investigation using whole sampling and questionnaire survey methods. 3 669 serum samples from people in the forest areas were tested for the presence of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescent assay （IFA）. Results Seroprevalence against B. burgdorferi was 3% to 15% and against A. phagocytophilum was 2% to 18% in the study sites in the 8 provinces in China. We also found co-infection of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum in 7 of the 8 provinces （the exception being the Miyun area in Beijing）. The seroprevalence for both B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum was significantly higher among people exposed to ticks than among people who were not exposed to ticks. Conclusion We conclude that both pathogens are endemic in the forest areas in the eight provinces, but the prevalence of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum differs between the provinces.

Simulation on the dynamics of forest area changes in Northeast China

There is plenty of forests in Northeast China which contributes a lot to the conservation of water and land resources, produces timber products, and provides habitats for a huge number of wild animals and plants. With changes of socio-economic factors as well as the geophysical conditions, there are dramatic changes on the spatial patterns of forest area. In this sense, it is of great significance to shed light on the dynamics of forest area changes to find the underlining reasons for shaping the changing patterns of forest area in Northeast China. To explore the dynamics of forest area change in Northeast China, an econometric model is developed which is composed of three equations identifying forestry production, conversion from open forest to closed forest and conversion from other land uses to closed forest so as to explore the impacts on the forest area changes from demographic, social, economic, location and geophysical factors. On this basis, we employ the Dynamics of Land System （DLS） model to simulate land-use conversions between forest area and non-forest cover and the land-use conversions within the sub-classes of forest area for the period 2000-2020 under business as usual scenario, environmental protection scenario and economic growth scenario. The simulation results show that forest area will expand continuously and there exist various kinds of changing patterns for the sub-classes of forest area, for example, closed forest will expand continuously and open forest and shrub will decrease a little bit, while area of other forest will keep intact. The research results provide meaningful decision-making information for conserving and exploiting the forest resources and makJng out the planning for forestry production Jn the Northeast China region.

Factorial analysis on forest canopy density restoration in the burned area of northern Great Xing＇an Mountains, China

The restoration of forest landscape has drawn much attention since thecatastrophic fire took place on the northern slope of Great Xing'an Mountains in 1987. Forest canopydensity, which has close relation to forest productivity, was selected as a key factor to find howmuch the forest quality was changed 13 years after fire, and how fire severity, regeneration way andterrain factors influenced the restoration of forest canopy density, based on forest inventory datain China, and using Kendall Bivariate Correlation Analysis, and Distances Correlation Analysis. Theresults showed that fire severity which was inversely correlated with forest canopy density gradewas an initial factor among all that selected. Regeneration way which did not remarkably affectforest canopy density restoration in short period, may shorten the cycle of forest succession andpromote the forest productivity of conophorium in the future. Among the three terrain factors, theeffect of slope was the strongest, the position on slope was the second and the aspect was the last.

Spatiotemporal changes in forest loss and its linkage to burned areas in China

Fire-induced forest loss has substantially increased worldwide over the last decade.In China,the connection between forest loss and frequent fi res on a national scale remains largely unexplored.In this study,we used a data set for a time-series of forest loss from the Global Forest Watch and for a MODIS-derived burned area for 2003–2015 to ascertain variations in forest loss and to explore its relationship with forest fi res(represented by burned areas)at the country-and forest-zone levels.We quantifi ed trends in forest loss during 2003–2015 using linear regression analysis and assessed the relation between forest loss and burned areas using Spearman’s correlation.Forest loss increased signifi cantly(264.8 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.54,p<0.01)throughout China,with an average annual increase of 11.4%during 2003–2015.However,the forest loss trend had extensive spatial heterogeneity.Forest loss increased mainly in the subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest zone(315.0 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.69,p<0.01)and tropical rainforest zone(38.8 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.66,p<0.01),but the loss of forest decreased in the cold temperate deciduous coniferous forest zone(−70.8 km 2 year−1;R 2=0.75,p<0.01)and the temperate deciduous mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest zone(−14.4 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.45,p<0.05).We found that 1.0%of China’s area had a signifi cant positive correlation(r≥0.55,p<0.05)with burned areas and 0.3%had a signifi cant negative correlation(r≤−0.55,p<0.05).In particular,forest loss had a signifi cant positive relationship with the burned area in the cold temperate deciduous coniferous forest zone(16.9% of the lands)and the subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest zone(7.8%).These results provide a basis for future predictions of fi re-induced forest loss in China.

Energy of forest systems in the Three Gorge Reservoir area

The energies of three forest ecosystems in the Three Gorge Reservoir area were analyzed. The results showed that the existing energies were 151 2438, 139 2014 and 175 1659 (×10 10 J/hm 2), the annual net fixed energies were 38 8924, 31 2214 and 46 8231 (×10 10 J/hm 2), and the utilization efficiency of light energies were 1 16, 0 99 and 1 40 for the Quercus acutissima forest(Q.A.), the Pinus massoniana forest (P.M.), and the Queresus acutissima and Pinus massoniana mixed forest (Q.P.), respectively. In the Three Gorge Reservoir Area, the energy efficiency of Quercus acutissima and Pinus massoniana mixed forest is the best.

Estimation of a basal area growth model for individual trees in uneven-aged Caspian mixed species forests

The aim of this study was to estimate a basal area growth model for individual trees in uneven-aged Caspian forests.A survey was conducted in order to find a natural forest without any harvesting activities,a so called ＇untouched forest＇ and an area was selected from the Iranian Caspian forest.Three sample plots in the same aspect and of the same forest type were selected.In each plot,total tree height,diameter at breast height,distance of neighbor trees and azimuth were measured.Thirty trees were selected and drilled with increment borer to determine the increment model.Regression analysis was used to estimate the growth model.Results show that,for individual trees,there is a significant nonlinear relationship between the annual basal area increment,as the dependent variable,and the basal area.The results also show that the basal area of competing trees has a positive influence on growth.That the increment is higher with more competing neighboring trees is possibly because plots with higher volume per hectare and more competition,most likely also have higher site index or better soil or better site productivity than the plot with lower volume per hectare.

Evaluation of the forest ecosystem health in Beijing area

The evaluation of ecosystem health has become one of the main research topics of ecosystem science, thus more and more assessment methods and frameworks have been put forward in recent years. However, the attention people pay to ecosystem health is actually more about what the social functions the ecosystem affords, which depend on the integrity and maintenance of the ecosystem structure and function, and the intensity of disturbance from outside. Accordingly, this research commenced from three main aspects, selected the evaluation indices, and then established the Evaluation Index System of Beijing Forest Ecosystem Health （EIS-BFEH）. In the EIS-BFEH, each of the three foundations contained an easily-operated and standard sub-index system, which compounded the specific natural and social conditions of Beijing and was concrete enough to measure and evaluate. Then with the method of the Analytical Hierarchy Process （AHP）, the comprehensive index （CI） could be obtained, which represented the health of the forest ecosystem. As a case study, the forest ecosystems in the Badaling area were sampled, evaluated, compared and ranked by use of the EIS-BFEH. The result show that the health of natural forests is much better than that of plantations in the Badaling forest center： the average comprehensive index of the former is 7.9, while the latter is only 6.6. From the results, it could also be found that there are nine units in the healthy state, two units in the subhealthy state, and only one unit of Robiniapseudoacacia in the morbid state.

Rapid Urbanization Induced Extensive Forest Loss to Urban Land in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China

China has experienced rapid urbanizations with dramatic land cover changes since 1978. Forest loss is one of land cover changes, and it induces various eco-environmental degradation issues. As one of China’s hotspot regions, the Guangdong-Hong KongMacao Greater Bay Area(GBA) has undergone a dramatic urban expansion. To better understand forest dynamics and protect forest ecosystem, revealing the processes, patterns and underlying drivers of forest loss is essential. This study focused on the spatiotemporal evolution and potential driving factors of forest loss in the GBA at regional and city level. The Landsat time-series images from 1987 to2017 were used to derive forest, and landscape metrics and geographic information system(GIS) were applied to implement further spatial analysis. The results showed that: 1) 14.86% of the total urban growth area of the GBA was obtained from the forest loss in1987–2017;meanwhile, the forest loss area of the GBA reached 4040.6 km2, of which 25.60%(1034.42 km2) was converted to urban land;2) the percentages of forest loss to urban land in Dongguan(19.14%), Guangzhou(18.35%) and Shenzhen(15.81%) were higher than those in other cities;3) the forest became increasingly fragmented from 1987–2007, and then the fragmentation decreased from2007 to 2017);4) the landscape responses to forest changes varied with the scale;and 5) some forest loss to urban regions moved from low-elevation and gentle-slope terrains to higher-elevation and steep-slope terrains over time, especially in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.Urbanization and industrialization greatly drove forest loss and fragmentation, and, notably, hillside urban land expansion may have contributed to hillside forest loss. The findings will help policy makers in maintaining the stability of forest ecosystems, and provide some new insights into forest management and conservation.

Recreational potential as an indicator of accessibility control in protected mountain forest areas

The article presents research findings related to recreational use of forests located in protected mountainous areas with forestage of over 80%. The study was designed to identify recreational potential of the Carpathian national parks(Bieszczady National Park, Babia Góra National Park, Gorce National Park and Magura National Park; southern Poland) and to compare these findings with the actual number of visitors. The information received on the recreational potential of parks is important from the point of view of protection of natural resources and the financial situation of the parks. The calculated ratio may be an effective tool of management for park administration, that allows to reconcile statutory social and protective functions of national parks. The study determined the recreational potential of the forests with the use of recreational valorisation method designed for areas with varied terrain, and the evaluated factors included the stands of trees with their habitat and land relief. The permissible number of national park visitors, expressed as manhour/ha/year ranges from 19.31 in Bieszczady National Park(BG: 19o 35' E, 49o 35' N) to 32.06 in in Bieszczady National Park(B: 22o 40' E, 49o 10' N). In 3 out of 4 investigated parks, Magura National Park(M: 21°25' E, 49o 30' N), Gorce National Park(G: 20o10' E, 49o 35' N), B) recreation carrying capacity was not exceeded, whether or not the strictly protected area is taken into account. Only in BG was the recreation carrying capacity exceeded by nearly 24%,or by 85% if the strictly protected area isexcluded from tourism-related exploitation. The presented procedure for monitoring access to mountain forests in national parks, from the viewpoint of natural resources conservation, can be applied in other mountainous areas covered with forests and exposed to tourist and recreational traffic,and in forests facing particular risk of recreational damage, e.g. in urban and suburban forests growing in areas with varied orography.

Characteristics of rock fragments in different forest stony soil and its relationship with macropore characteristics in mountain area, northern China

Rock fragments have major effect on soil macropores and water movement. However, the characteristics of rock fragments and their relationship with macropore characteristics remain elusive in forest stony soils in northern mountainous area of China. The objectives of this study are to(1) use Industrial Computed Tomography(CT) scanning to quantitatively analyze rock fragment characteristics in intact soil columns in different forest lands and(2) identify the relationship between characteristics of rock fragments and that of the macropores. Intact soil columns that were 100 mm in diameter and 300 mm long were randomly taken from six local forest stony soils in Wuzuolou Forest Station in Miyun, Beijing. Industrial CT was used to scan all soil column samples, and then the scanned images were utilized to obtain the three-dimensional(3 D) images of rock fragments and macropore structures. Next, theparameters of the rock fragments and macropore structure were measured, including the volume, diameter, surface area, and number of rock fragments, as well as the volume, diameter, surface area, length, angle, tortuosity and number of macropores. The results showed that no significant difference was found in soil rock fragments content in the 10-30 cm layer between mixed forest and pure forest, but in the 0-10 cm soil layer, the rock fragments in mixed forest were significantly less than in pure forest. The number density of macropores has significant negative correlation with the number of rock fragments in the 0-10 cm soil layer, whereas this correlation is not significant in 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm soil layers. The volume density of macropore was not correlated with the volume density of rock fragments, and there is no correlation between the density of macropore surface area and the density of rock fragment surface area. Industrial CT scanning combined with image processing technology canprovide a better way to explore 3 D distribution of rock fragments in soil. The content of rock fragments in soil is mainly determined by parent rocks. The surface soil(0-10 cm) of forest contains fewer rock fragments and more macropores, which may be caused by bioturbation, root systems, gravitational settling and faunal undermining.

Forest Cover Change Assessment in Conflict-affected Areas of Northwest Pakistan: the Case of Swat and Shangla Districts

This study examines the spatial and temporal forest cover changes in Swat and Shangla districts to understand the deforestation pattern in context of the recent security conflict in these districts. We used multi-resolution satellite images to assess the long term deforestation from 2001 to 2009 and also to identify episodic forest cutting areas appeared during the conflict period of Oct. 2007 - Oct. 2008. There are only 58 ha of deforestation identified during the conflict period while 1268 ha of gross annual deforestation were assessed during last eight years. Most of the deforestation patches persist around the administrative boundaries at sub-district levels (tehsils) which can be attributed to ambiguity in unclear jurisdiction between the forest official. The results highlight that the forest cutting appeared in Swat and Shangla during the conflict period is not as significant when compared with the long term deforestation pattern in the area. On the one side the results of the study are supportive to the picture that emerges from international studies which report high rate of deforestation in the country and on the other side it negates any relation between the security situation and the increasing deforestation in the north western Pakistan. The study concludes that deforestation assessments require verification by independent sources of data, such as satellite imagery to improve our understanding of deforestation processes.

Non-Native Insects in Urban and Forest Areas of Slovenia and the Introduction of Torymus sinensis with Dryocosmus kuriphilus

We survey non-native insects species in whole territory of Slovenia. Data on non-native species were collected in field, and we also used results of projects in which we participated and with overview of literature data in scientific pub-lications. Correspondence Analysis (CA) of data was carried out with the soft-ware Statgraphics Centaurion XVI, U.S.A. Up to 254 non-native insect species are present: around 83% are phytophagous (43% feed on woody plants, 40% on other plants);around 12% are non-phytophagous;and 5% are parasitoids or predators of other insects or mammals. Among the phytophagous species, Hemiptera predominates (with 38.2%), followed by Coleoptera (29.8%) and Lepidoptera (14.5%). Non-native insects that do not feed on plants include Coleoptera (80%), Lepidoptera (6.5%), Hymenoptera (6.5%) and Diptera (6.5%). Most of phytophagous species are associated with introduction of plants on which they are specialists, but some have also shifted from introduced to native plant hosts. 36 non-native phytophagous species (14.17% of all non-native insects) have become harmful plant pests of urban trees and crops. 20 appear on woody plants, but only Dryocosmus kuriphilus, appears in urban forest areas. In the past decades species such as D. kuriphilus, Leptoglossus occidentalis, Xylosandrus germanus, Gnathotrichus materiarius, Dasineura gledichiae, Phyllonorycter issikii, Cinara curvipes, Ophiomyia kwansonis have been recorded in parks and forests. Some non-native species are spreading in Slovenian urban forests and affect economic, ecological and other forest and urban forest functions. The number of harmful insects in forests is extremely small probably due to high diversity of the forest ecosystem, where close-to-nature forest management is practiced, which retains forest’s self-regulatory ability to control pests. Such management enables for example the reduction of D. kuriphilus with expansion of its parasitoid, Torymus sinensis. We attempt to explain this phenomenon: we assume that T. sinensis was introduced in Slovenia as diapaused eggs in its host, D. kuriphilus.

DISCUSSIONS ON FOREST RECOVERY IN THE BURNED AREA IN DAXING'ANLING FOREST REGION

The disastrous fire occurred in northern area of Daxing’anling forest region on May 6, 1987, destroyed a large area of forests. The broad-leaved tree species, such as poplar,birch had regenerated in a great quantity after the fire, but the coniferous species such as larch and scotch pine had difficult to regenerate naturally, This paper put forward that the coniferous forest could be recovered by the planting method of effect strip and effect islet based on the principle of borderline effects and by making full use of the condition of broad-leaved trees.

Study on the Development of Under-forest Economy in Guangdong Mountain Areas

From the origin and connotation of the under-forest economy,this paper analyzed plight of the development of under-forest economy in Guangdong mountain areas. It discussed benefits of under-forest economy,favorable conditions and development path of under-forest economy in Guangdong mountain areas. Results indicate that developing under-forest economy is an essential path for realizing green growth and coordinated development of Guangdong mountain areas. However,due to terrain,market,management and technology reasons,the under-forest economy is still not fully developed in Guangdong mountain areas. The development path of under-forest economy suitable for Guangdong mountain areas should be based on ecological protection and oriented towards maximizing ecological,economic and social benefits. Guangdong mountain areas have in-born natural and resource advantages,economic pull of development mode and market demand change,and favorable condition of policy encouragement for development of under-forest economy. Finally,it came up with recommendations for development of under-forest economy in Guangdong mountain areas from development mode,industrial distribution and development direction.