Goal programming approach for sustainable forest management(case study in Iranian Caspian forests)

We used a goal programming technique to determine the optimal harvest volume for the Iranian Caspian forest. We collected data including volume, growth, wood price at forest roadside, and variable harvesting costs. The allometric method was used to quantify seques- trated carbon. Regression analysis was used to derive growth models. Expected mean price was estimated using wood price and variable harvesting costs. Questionnaire was used to determine the constraints and the equation coefficients of the goal programming model. The optimal volume was determined using the goal programming method according to multipurpose forest management. LINGO software was used for analysis. Results indicated that the optimum volumes of species were 250.25 m3.ha-1 for beech, 59 m3.ha-1 for hornbeam, 73 m3.ha-1 for oak, 41 m3.ha-1 for alder, and 32 m3.ha-1 for other species. The total optimum volume is 455.25 m3.ha-1.

Integrated environmental education for sustainable forest management: the case of Nandi Hills Forests, Kenya

Environmental education （EE） is a vital dimension of modern day acumen that portends a great promise in solving the myriad environmental resource management challenges at global, regional and local levels. A study was carried out in 18 locations in the Nandi North, Nandi South and Nandi Hills districts of Kenya, which cover the Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests in Nandi County, major water catchments for Lake Victoria. A mixed methodological approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household survey and observations was embraced in data collection and analysis. The study reveals that there are several strategies that have been adopted by the local population and institutions involved in the management of the Nandi Hills Forests （NHFs） and that these strategies have contributed to an improvement in the perceptions of the local population in terms of the importance of environmental management of the forests. This paper highlights EE as a vehicle for ensur- ing a sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forests. As such, it illuminates the great potential that lies in sustainably managing the NHFs by integrating formal and informal EE approaches. It further points out the functional gaps in the management of NHFs and proposes best-practices that could be adopted and/or domesticated in NHFs management regimes.

Comparison of sustainable forest management (SFM) trends at global and country levels: case study in Iran

Sustainable Forest Management （SFM） is an integral component of sustainable development. Iran is a Near East country with low forest cover. Iran uses 7 criteria and 65 indicators for regional and national monitoring of forest management. We evaluated the status of SFM in Iran, and a location imaging in its path towards SFM was provided by existing validation data and library references for the Criteria and Indicators （C＆I） adopted in the Near East, We identify challenges and opportunities associated with SFM in Iran. Although the information to evaluate the trend of SFM in Iran was incomplete, we compiled some information on the basis of C＆I. Comparison of some indicators with the values for the rest of the world revealed that the situation in Iran is very different. Although some indicators revealed a better situation in Iran, Iran lags the rest of the world in the implementation of SFM. Iran, like many countries, is trying hard to find ways to sustainably use its forests. Not all C＆I for assessment of SFM in Iran have been determined or defined. However, a consistent and comprehensive framework of criteria and indicators to monitor progress towards SFM is being applied. Defining some C＆I is still at an early stage.

Approach Analyses to Promote Sustainable Forest Management with Forest Certification in China

The paper was based on the current development status of forest certification to analyze the basic characteristics of forest certification from the development point of view in terms of origin, development, main drivers and impacts, and then conducted the approach analysis to promote sustainable forest management with forest certification in China. The result showed that China shall establish her own forest certification scheme, with the focus on the improvement of forest sustainable management concept through forest certification, the promotion of forest certification through the leadership of large companies and the strengthening of capacity building. It is unrealistically expected to employ forest certification to facilitate China’s forest management immediately on the track of sustainability.

International Processes on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management and their Influences on China

Currently more attention has been paid to sustainable forest management (SFM) all over the world. The paper gives the presentation of criteria and indicators (C & I) for SFM at international, national, regional and management unit levels. Under the international framework, the paper summarizes the developing situation of C & I for SFM in China and gives the suggestion on how to promote its development.

Certification Mechanism for Sustainable Forest Management and Its Progress in China and Abroad

The paper elaborates in details certification mechanism for sustainableforest management, including the definition, contents, objectives, costs, benefits, characteristics, procedures and impacts of certification as well as main certification systems. It also introduces in details the latest progress and development perspectives of certification in China and around the world. Certification is a market-based mechanism, which aims at enhancing and strengthening the reasonable utilization offorests. It usua...

Review on Sino-German Cooperation Projects on Sustainable Forest Management

Sino-German financial cooperation projects began in the 1980s, containing both technique and finance areas. Sino-German cooperation projects not only produced the significant eco-efficiency and economic benefits by raising forest coverage, but also made Chinese forestry workers acquire new idea and technology of forestry. However, forestry infrastructure and technological information sevice are still imperfect, forestry policy is not suitable and follow-up funds are insufficient. The outcome and experience of Sino-German cooperation projects after 20 years were summarized through analysis the activities and social ecological benefits. Advanced forest management technology and improvement of forest management were introduced and capacity building was remarkably improved by implementing Sino-German financial cooperation projects. At last, the gaps appearing in the Sino-German cooperation were pointed out, and factors which constrained smooth implementation were analyzed in this paper.

Balancing the Realization of Ecological,Economic and Social Values of Forests for Sustainable Forest Management

Forests provide multiple ecological,economic and social benefits.A truly sustainable forest management should lead to a balanced realization of these forest values.This paper categorizes the forest resources as appreciating resources and depreciating resources in accordance with the specific form of forest values,and defines them conceptually in regard to the contrasting and competitive nature of these values.Necessary theoretic discussions were then made for the feasibility and operability in terms of t...

Alleviating forest degradation in the Lancang-Mekong Region requires closing management—measurement gaps

Deforestation and forest degradation are having profound negative impacts on social-ecological systems in the emerging economies across the tropics.Consequently,interest in restoring and rehabilitating degraded forests has been growing.This paper explores current issues related to addressing forest degradation in the Lancang-Mekong Region(LMR)of Southeast Asia through a review of the use of criteria and indicators for forest degradation and rehabilitation.Forest degradation must be understood in the context of its underlying drivers,which are numerous and complex.Understanding these underlying drivers of degradation requires diagnosing the entwined political,social,economic,and environmental systems that aff ect forests.Landscapes are the relevant scales to diagnose and intervene for improved forests.Interventions to restore or rehabilitate forests should be process-driven,focused on the underlying social,ecological and political processes that degrade landscapes.Interventions should also include negotiation among all actors infl uencing and competing for natural resource claims in forest landscapes.Criteria and indicators for forest landscape restoration should therefore help to improve the governance of forest landscapes.Criteria and indicators provide measures of the biophysical outcomes of degradation,in addition to processes,but these should be adapted to changing contexts and emerging challenges,and should rectify any pre-existing fl awed change-logic.Restoration activities should synthesize,integrate,and build upon the rich history of pre-existing restoration guidelines,but should be adaptable in order to be applied eff ectively in the contexts of local landscapes.This project is facilitating a dialogue around the use of criteria and indicators to help solve the degradation challenge in the LMR.We will trial the use of the criteria and indicators generated through this research in the LMR to learn what works and what doesn’t.This will provide an opportunity to build consensus around the ways in which restoration investments made by governments,civil society,and the private sector can infl uence sustainability.

Delivering forestry courses online:experiences,lessons learned,and future of forestry online education in the Asia Pacifi c

Innovation in forestry education is needed to address changing contexts of the positionality of forests.This is particularly signifi cant in the Asia–Pacifi c region,where deforestation and degradation are high.However,the accessibility of high-quality forestry education to address changing regional and global contexts is lacking.A series of innovative sustainable forest management(SFM)open education resource(OER)courses were developed and implemented to improve the accessibility of SFM education to enhance teaching quality,curriculum,and research capacity of universities in the Asia-Pacifi c Region.To evaluate the SFM-OER program in terms of student experiences,this study investigated student achievement,perceived success of the pedagogical approach and instructional design,and perceived eff ectiveness of the learning activities in promoting active and transformative learning through the assessment of a 1,191-course feedback survey between 2018 and 2020,including the global pandemic.This study revealed that the program attracted diverse student demographics,including a higher proportion of female students majoring in forestry,ecology,and other environmental studies.Their primary motivation to participate in the courses was to gain international experience,followed by the fl exibility of online learning,mandatory course requirements,and earning course credits.Students were satisfi ed with the Canvas learning management system.Most students spent less than 5 to 10 h of their weekly time in the course and agreed or strongly agreed that the workloads were manageable.Students refl ected positively on various learning activities and assignments,such as watching lecture videos,taking quizzes,reading and summarizing,having discussions,and peer review writing.However,they did not clearly prefer specifi c learning activities,signifying the importance of using diverse learning activities to satisfy diverse individual learning styles in online settings.This analysis contributes to the further development of student-centered pedagogical development for online learning and provides insight into the ways forward for online higher forestry education,while repurposing existing OER courses in a post-Covid-19 era.

Conceptual models of forest dynamics in environmental education and management:keep it as simple as possible,but no simpler

Background：Conceptual models of forest dynamics are powerful cognitive tools,which are indispensable for communicating ecological ideas and knowledge,and in developing strategic approaches and setting targets for forest conservation,restoration and sustainable management.Forest development through time is conventionally described as a directional,or ＂linear＂,and predictable sequence of stages from ＂bare ground＂ to old forest representing the ＂climax-state＂.However,this simple view is incompatible with the current knowledge and understanding of intrinsic variability of forest dynamics.Hypothesis：Overly simple conceptual models of forest dynamics easily become transformed into biased mental models of how forests naturally develop and what kind of structures they display.To be able to communicate the essential features and diversity of forest dynamics,comprehensive conceptual models are needed.For this end,Kuuluvainen（2009） suggested a relatively simple conceptual model of forest dynamics,which separates three major modes of forest dynamics,and incorporates state changes and transitions between the forest dynamics modes depending on changes in disturbance regime.Conclusions：Conceptual models of forest dynamics should be comprehensive enough to incorporate both longterm directional change and short-term cyclic forest dynamics,as well as transitions from one dynamics mode to another depending on changes in the driving disturbance regime type.Models that capture such essential features of forest dynamics are indispensable for educational purposes,in setting reference conditions and in developing methods in forest conservation,restoration and ecosystem management.

A Simple Geospatial Nutrient Budget Model for Assessing Forest Harvest Sustainability across Nova Scotia, Canada

A geospatial GIS-linked spreadsheet model (Nutrient Budget Model—Nova Scotia: NBM-NS) was developed for Nova Scotia to assess the long-term sustainability of forest harvest scenarios as constrained by primary nutrient inputs and outputs due to atmospheric deposition, soil weathering, and leaching. Harvest scenarios refer to user-defined stand-specific removal rates of bole wood, bark, branches, and foliage, based on current or projected forest inventories. These scenarios are evaluated within the context of existing data layers for current climate (mean annual precipitation and air temperatures), atmospheric deposition (N, S, Ca, Mg, K), and soil/substrate types, supplemented by species-specific look-up tables containing expected biomass fractions and nutrient concentrations. This article introduces this model to assess relative site quality and limiting nutrients for red spruce and sugar maple across Nova Scotia. This is followed by an output comparison involving 25 spruce plantations whereby NBM-NS determinations derived using “default” soil survey data are compared with those derived using plantation-specific soil data. Model output shows that (i) Ca and N are the main growth-limiting nutrients across Nova Scotia, (ii) currently projected plantation yields are generally not sustainable on sites underlain by slowly weathering soils, (iii) current soil base cation contents are generally lower than what is reported in historic soil survey reports, and (iv) model results are expected to vary within the context of changing climate, acid deposition levels, and data accuracy.

Biochar Production and Application in Forest Soils-A Critical Review

The increasing deforestation with an alarming rate is the prime cause of upsetting the balance in the natural ecosystem and the livelihood of local communities.Sustainable forest management and reforestation efforts can equilibrium this destruction and maintain the protected areas.In this regard,soil management strategies for reforestation of the degraded forest land can be helpful.In this review,the potential of using biochar,a solid carbon rich product of biomass thermochemical conversion,as a soil amendment in forest soils has been discussed.The production procedures of biochar,availability of feedstocks and the biochar properties are discussed using the existing knowledge.The positive effects of biochar are soil quality depended and change with varying geographical locations.Therefore,long-term field trials examining a range of biochars,soils,and forest types are required for a better understanding of this issue.Careful planning to match biochar with the soil properties is essential to obtain maximum benefits of biochar as a soil amendment.

Enhancing Sustainability in Forestry Using Material Flow Cost Accounting

Forestry is an applied science related to the sustainable management of natural resources. Many scientific disciplines influence forest science including ecology, economics and other social sciences. In this paper, it is proposed to promote the sustainable management of forest resources using a method coming from the Environmental Management Accounting discipline. The method is Material Flow Cost Accounting, which assists managers to recognize material and energy inefficiencies in production processes and create cost savings for the organization. Through a study of the methodology and using forestry examples, it is shown that Material Flow Cost Accounting can be a useful tool for forest managers, either in Public Forest Service, or other forestry organizations.

Assessment of a Public Participation Tool by Experts: A Case Study of Quebec, Canada

In theory, sustainable forest management (SFM) puts public participation at the epicenter of the decision-making process. However, in reality, the situation is different. The growing importance of public participation seems essential for the implementation of sustainable forest management. The aim of this study is to assess the implementation of a theoretical concept closely related to SFM, integrated land and resource management (ILRM). This Canadian concept aims to integrate many forest functions using participatory tools. Using semi-structured interviews with experts, we clarify our theoretical concept and adapt it to reality. Our results show that better communication between stakeholders is necessary. It is also important to increase the flexibility of the timber harvest system and adapted forest zoning should be considered. A new concept, the forest culture, seems to be a key element that needs to be considered upstream of forest management. A new definition of ILRM is proposed in order to better reach social values.

Progress of forest certification in China

The Chinese Government is committed to forest certification as a market-based instrument to promote sustainable forest management. Forest certification includes a number of regulations, rules and policy paradigms related to certification and there are numerous challenges facing the uptake of forest certification in China. In particular, the ban on commercial logging in natural forests implemented by the Natural Forest Protection Program has resulted in little demand for forest certification of natural forest management units. However,there are also certification opportunities, such as the certification of non-timber forest products that benefit local communities who depend on forests for the goods and services they provide. This paper provides an overview of progress in forest certification in China, including its development history, organizational structure, scheme documents, certification scopes and standards, accreditation, certification bodies and auditors, and certification logos. The paper also focuses on government support for the supervision and management of forest certification through policy incentives, including the potential government procurement and subsidy policies for certified forest products. Finally, the paper analyzes certified non-timber forest products as an example of the value of certification to promote sustainable forest management and how the concept of forest certification can be used to add value to forests and ensure they are responsibly and sustainably managed. In general, forest certification in China has a clear role in sustainable forest management, both for timber and non-timber forest products.

The Policy Issues in Lin'an Modei Forest of China

Based on the analysis on policy such as property rights, tax and administration fee, harvesting and circulation of forest products in Lin 'an Modei Forest, some policy issues in the development of Lin 'an Model Forest towards sustainable forest management were raised: (1) The level of timber tax and fee is quite high and there are many kinds of taxes and fees such as fees for forest silviculture, forestry maintenance, forest protection, city construction, town-service, additional fee for education and o...