Chaotic Genetic Algorithm-Based Forest Harvest Adjustment

Forest harvesting adjustment is a decision-making,large and complex system. In this paper,we analysis the shortcomings of the traditional harvest adjustment problems,and establish the model of multi-target harvest adjustment. As intelligent optimization,chaotic genetic algorithm has the parallel mechanism and the inherent global optimization characteristics which are suitable for multi-objective planning the settlement of the issue,specially in complex occasions where there are many objective functions and optimize variables. In order to solve the problem of forest harvesting adjustment,this paper introduces a genetic algorithm to the Forest Farm of Qiujia Liancheng Longyan for forest harvesting adjustment firstly. And the experimental result shows that the method is feasible and effective,and it can provide satisfactory solution for policy makers.

New Development in Study of the Faustmann Optimal Forest Harvesting

Chinese forest resources have become very scarce in the face of rapid economic growth demand, while the reform of collective forest right system is in full swing across the country. It will directly affect the regeneration level of forest resources and the diverse ecological value functions. In this article, the mainstream model paradigm of forest economics, that is, the basic framework of the Faustmann model and its evolution process are made in a more detailed explanation, especially the extended model including considered silvicultural effort, tax subsidies, risk dynamic management, and forest regeneration factors are made in more detailed explanations. This article concludes with the future further research directions of forest economics, including the design of dynamic models that includes considered uneven-aged forest management, non-timber goods and services, dynamic forest models. The research reflects the general trend of interdisciplinary and cross-border.

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.

Ideal Point Method Applied in Forest Harvest Regulation

Ideal point method is one of the methods to solve multi-objective problem. It is applied to forest harvest regu-lation, and showed very good results by analyzing changes of quantitative indexes of forest resource structure before andafter the regulation. This method can be applied as one of the mathematical tools in forest harvest regulation.

AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO FOREST HARVESTING

This paper deals with the relationships between forest harvesting and forest ccology.Itproposes basing annual cuts and forest operation plans on ecological principles.Harvestable forest re-sources are decreasing and regeneration is slow.The combination of forest harvesting with ccologycan be viewed as a solution to the forest harvesting dilemma in China.This paper also makes sometechnical recommendations for forest operations based on ecological principles.

Rational Harvesting Policy and Sustainable Development of Community in Forest Regions

Forest ecosystem is one of the most important ecosystems in the world that human-beings rely on. Forest harvesting policy is one of the main criteria indicating how and how much the human beings open up and make use offorest. Whether the policy is reasonable or not has high relations with not only the increasing or decreasing of forest system,but also the development speed of human society. In this paper, the author analyzed the development of interaction between human society and forest ecosystem from ancient times to today. Then author stated that the rational harvesting policy should be the harvesting sequences of both harvesting density and harvesting time, which might result in the maximumcomprehensive benefit, including economical profit, social benefit and ecological benefit, of forest to human society. Atlast, according to the analysis of interaction bctween human-beings and her environment, the prediction analysis for humansociety development in forest regions in the future was prescnted using Entropy Growing Analysis.

Effects of single-tree selection harvesting on hymenopteran and saproxylic insect assemblages in the canopy and understory of northern temperate forests

Insects respond to changes in microhabitat caused by canopy disturbance, and thus can be used to examine the ecological impacts of harvesting. Single-tree selection harvesting is the most common silvicultural system used to emulate local small-scale natural disturbance and maintain uneven-aged forest structure in temperate forests. Here, we test for differences in richness, abundance, and composition of hymenopteran and saproxylic insect assemblages at four different taxon levels （selected insect orders; and all hymenopteran families, and braconid subfamilies and morphospecies） between the canopy and understory of unharvested and single-tree selection harvested sites in a northern temperate forest from central Canada. Harvesting had no effect on insect assemblage richness, composition or abundance at the three highest taxon levels （order, family and subfamily）. Similarly, richness and abundance at the lowest-taxon level （braconid morphospecies） were similar, although composition differed slightly between unharvested and harvested stands. Insect assemblages were vertically stratified, with generally higher abundance （for Diptera, Hymenoptera, some hymenopteran families and braconid subfamilies） and richness （for braconid morphospecies） in the understory than the canopy. In particular, composition of the braconid morphospecies assemblage showed relatively low similarity between the understory and canopy. Single-tree selection harvesting appears to influence wood-associated insect taxa only subtly through small changes in community composition at the lowest taxon level, and thus is recommended as a conservative approach for managing these northern temperate forests.

Exploring Factors Influencing Species Natural Regeneration Response Following Harvesting in the Acadian Forests of New Brunswick

In the Acadian Forest Region of northeastern North America, forest managers are under increasing public pressure to restore the forest to a more historic, natural condition by reducing in clearcutting and promoting partial-cut treatments that more closely emulate historic, local natural disturbance regimes. However, although numerous studies on the effects of partial-cutting on forest regeneration response have been conducted in surrounding temperate and boreal forest ecosystems, there are few studies that directly explore responses to various forms of harvesting within the Acadian Forest ecosystem, with its unique mixture of northern hardwoods and boreal forest species. Here, we conducted one of the first retrospective studies on forest regeneration following a variety of harvesting methods in the Acadian Forest using univariate and multivariate regression trees to assess regeneration response in 50 naturally-regenerating, harvested forest sites in New Brunswick, Canada. Our study shows that regeneration was highly influenced by harvest type, overstory composition, and environmental conditions as reflected by ecoregion classification. Canopy opening size (as controlled by harvest method) significantly influenced the dominance of regenerating species. The presence of conspecific overstory trees increased the likelihood of their regeneration following disturbance, supporting the direct-regeneration hypothesis, especially for species with limited seed dispersal (e.g., sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). Despite reported problems elsewhere in eastern North America, neither American beech nor balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) constituted significant competition for the desired species on a broad scale, but the presence of beech was a significant deterrent for yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.).

Effects of Whole-Tree Harvesting on Species Composition of Tree and Understory Communities in a Northern Hardwood Forest

In the northeastern United States, whole-tree harvesting is widely used to supply fuel to biomass energy facilities, but questions remain regarding its long-term sustainability. We have previously reported findings indicating no short-term decrease in forest productivity in whole-tree harvested sites when compared with similar conventionally (stem-only) harvested sites. Here we present additional results of the same study, but focus on the effect harvest treatment has on the species composition of the regenerating forest. Within northern hardwood forests in central New Hampshire and western Maine, regeneration surveys were conducted on four (4) small clearcuts in 2010 and twenty-nine (29) small clearcuts in 2011. The species and diameter of trees > 2 m in height were recorded within 1 m or 2 m-radius plots and used to calculate the biomass fraction of each species. The 2010 study additionally measured the density of trees 2 m in height and the diversity of understory non-tree species. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and multi-response permutation procedures were used to determine the effect of harvest treatment had on community-wide tree species composition. Potential differences were also examined on a species-by-species basis. Both analytic methods indicated no significant differences in species composition of tree species or understory communities. Within the limits of our data, we conclude that no significant effects of residue removal on species composition are observed within our sample of northern hardwood sites at this early stage of stand development.

Operational impacts to residual stands following ground-based skidding in Hyrcanian Forest, northern Iran

Hyrcanian （Caspian） Forest in northern Iran has a richness of biological diversity, with endemic and endangered species. The usage of ground-based skidding is well accepted practice for the extraction of timber from the forest, but this operation has tended to cause the greatest environmental problems. The aims of the study were to evaluate and comparison of operational impacts, residual stand damage, regeneration, and to quantify these effects such as： the extent of the damage, wounding patterns, size and distribution after logging operations that utilized two different methods： short log and long log. A Timbetjack cable skidder was used and the study location was in the Kheyrud Forest. Post harvesting assessment of damage to the residual stand was compared along skid trail by 100% inventory method and also for the assessment of regeneration damage along winching strips. The results show that along winching strips the percentage of damage to the regeneration was 44% and 36%, while the tree damages along skid trails reached 2.3% and 4.1% in the short log and long log methods, respectively. The greatest average amount of damage to a bole occurred along the first 1 m up from the ground （97%） and also within 4 m of the skidder centerline （80%）. These results show that the short log method causes less damage to the residual stand than the longog method. Tree location to skidder trail appears to have a significant effect on the number and height of scars on a tree. Well designed and constructed trails should be wide enough to allow wood extraction from the forest. Damage to the residual stand might be reduced by proper planning and training of logging crews.

Response of saproxylic insect communities to logging history, tree species, stage of decay, and wood posture in the central Nearctic boreal forest

Saproxylic insect assemblages are essential functional components of forest ecosystems that can be affected by forest management.We used a split-plot ANOVA design to analyze differences in selected saproxylic insects（all arthropod orders and dipteran and parasitic hymenopteran families） emerging from dead wood of sites with different logging histories（horse-logged,mechanically-logged and unlogged）,tree species（Populus and Picea）,stage of decay（early-and late-decay stages） and posture（standing and downed logs） in the boreal forest of central Canada.No clear effects of logging history were seen for the studied taxa; however,interaction between logging history and other dead wood features was apparent.Cecidomyiidae consistently emerged more from Populus than from Picea dead wood.Most of the studied saproxylic families were more abundant in late-decay than in early-decay wood.Dipterans of the Cecidomyiidae,Ceratopogonidae,Empididae,Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae families,and hymenopterans of the Diapriidae and Ichneumonidae families were significantly more abundant in downed than in standing dead wood.In contrast,Mymaridae was most abundant in standing dead wood.Our study provides evidence that some insects at high taxonomic levels respond differently to dead wood quality,and this could inform future management strategies in the boreal forest for the conservation of saproxylic fauna and their ecological functions.

Forecasting the development of boreal paludified forests in response to climate change: a case study using Ontario ecosite classification

Background：Successional paludification,a dynamic process that leads to the formation of peatlands,is influenced by climatic factors and site features such as surficial deposits and soil texture.In boreal regions,projected climate change and corresponding modifications in natural fire regimes are expected to influence the paludification process and forest development.The objective of this study was to forecast the development of boreal paludified forests in northeastern North America in relation to climate change and modifications in the natural fire regime for the period 2011–2100.Methods：A paludification index was built using static（e.g.surficial deposits and soil texture）and dynamic（e.g.moisture regime and soil organic layer thickness）stand scale factors available from forest maps.The index considered the effects of three temperature increase scenarios（i.e.＋1°C,＋3°C and＋6°C）and progressively decreasing fire cycle（from 300 years for 2011–2041,to 200 years for 2071–2100）on peat accumulation rate and soil organic layer（SOL）thickness at the stand level,and paludification at the landscape level.Results：Our index show that in the context where in the absence of fire the landscape continues to paludify,the negative effect of climate change on peat accumulation resulted in little modification to SOL thickness at the stand level,and no change in the paludification level of the study area between 2011 and 2100.However,including decreasing fire cycle to the index resulted in declines in paludified area.Overall,the index predicts a slight to moderate decrease in the area covered by paludified forests in 2100,with slower rates of paludification.Conclusions：Slower paludification rates imply greater forest productivity and a greater potential for forest harvest,but also a gradual loss of open paludified stands,which could impact the carbon balance in paludified landscapes.Nonetheless,as the thick Sphagnum layer typical of paludified forests may protect soil organic layer from drought and deep burns,a significant proportion of the territory has high potential to remain a carbon sink.

Impact of Tree Stump Harvesting on Soil Carbon and Nutrients and Second Rotation Tree Growth in Mid-Wales, UK

The drive to develop renewable energy is increasing the interest in energy forestry. Woody biomass from forest residues has the potential to make a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emission reduction through fossil fuel substitution. However, there is a danger of operational practice running ahead of the understanding of the environmental impacts of such activities. Consequently, there is an urgent requirement for scientifically underpinned guidance on the best management practices to ensure soil and water protection, including sustaining forestry’s key role in carbon capture. This study addresses the main issues associated with stump harvesting practices and their impacts on soil carbon and nutrient capital and effects on the second rotation tree growth. It reports results from a clearfell site in the UK where experimental stump harvesting was carried out in 2005 before replanting with Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis (Bon.)Carr. Both stump harvested and conventional harvested areas (Control) were studied in 2009 and 2010, five years after harvesting, on the two distinct soil types at the site: podzolised brown earth and peaty gley soils. Results show impacts of stump harvesting on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks, residual water, base cations (K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) concentrations and stocks and bulk density in both soil types. The organic peaty gley soil showed larger and deeper profile changes after stump harvesting compared with the podzolised brown mineral soil, where some of the negative changes in C, N and base cations in the top soil were compensated by increases at depth. Tree assessment showed positive effect of stump harvesting on K and Ca uptake by young seedlings, but N and P nutrient status was reduced on the peaty gley soils. The overall results support the current UK forestry guidance for stump harvesting which identifies that soil type is the most important site factor determining the sustainability of the practice.

Long-term response of living forest biomass to extensive logging in subtropical China

Forest disturbance and recovery are critical ecosystem processes,but the temporal patterns of disturbance have not been studied in subtropical China.Using a tree-ring analysis approach,we studied post-logging above-ground(ABG)biomass recovery dynamics over a 26-year period in four plots with different degrees of logging disturbance.Before logging,the ABG biomass ranged from 291 to 309 t ha-1.Soon after logging,the plots in primary forest,secondary forest,mixed forest and singlespecies forest had lost 33,91,90 and 100%of their initial ABG biomass,respectively.Twenty-six years after logging,the plots had regained 147,62,80 and 92%of their original ABG biomass,respectively.Over the 26 years following logging,the mean CAI(Current annual increment)were 10.1,5.5,6.4 and 10.8 t ha^-1 a^-1 and the average MAI(Mean annual increment)8.7,2.5,5.6 and 7.8 t ha^-1 a^-1 for the four forest types,respectively.The results indicate that subtropical forests subjected to moderate logging or disturbances do not require intensive management and single-species plantings can rapidly restore the above-ground biomass to levels prior to heavy logging.

Effects of deforestation on microbial diversity in a Siberian larch(Larix sibirica) stand in Mongolia

For evaluating microbial community changes in a Siberian larch stand disturbed by forest fire or clearcutting,357 clones were randomly selected and sequenced using a culture-independent approach and 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the bacterial composition and diversity from the different disturbed Siberian larch stands.Interestingly,the burned larch stand had an increase in the relative amounts of b-proteobacteria and Firmicutes and a decrease in Acidobacteria,while Gemmatimonadetes increased Verrucomicrobia decreased in the harvested larch stand.Microbial diversity and richness were higher in the undisturbed larch stand than the disturbed(burned or clear-cut)larch stands,and the influence of clear-cutting was more negative than that of the forest fire.This study indicates that evaluating the microbial diversity of undisturbed,burned,and clear-cutting Siberian larch stands provides information about the impact of forest disturbances on soil microbial communities,which may be helpful for understanding and evaluating soil health and devising reafforestation strategies for larch.

Effect of performed operations management on the amount of sediment production in natural forests

The present study on the sediment production in natural forests was carried out on an 13,284 ha area,ocated in Guilan Province, in the north of Iran. This area is under intensive management. We first analyzed the physi- sal factors of the area. Then, the amount of road construction, afforestation and harvested wood volume, as well as the harvesting method in the region were determined for the years between 1993 and 2010. The results show that the aver- age annual amount of sediment production in the entire region, over this 18-year period, has increased annually at a rate of 3.54 t.km-2 （R2 = 0.56） at a confidence level of 95%. Operations management and management methods used in ：his forest area has affected the amount of sediment production. Clear cutting and extensive harvesting methods in the region caused an increase in the amount of sediment production, as indicated by a coefficient of determination of 0.71, mplying that forest management may be considered effective and in harmony with the environment.

Positive association between forest management, environmental change, and forest bird abundance

Background: The global decrease in wildlife populations, especially birds, is mainly due to land use change and increasing intensity of land use(Parmesan and Yohe 2003). However, impacts of management tools to mitigate biodiversity loss at regional and global scales are less apparent in forest regions that have a constant forest area,and which did not suffer from habitat degradation, and where forests are sustainably managed, such as in Central Europe or the northeastern USA. A biodiversity assessment for Germany suggested, for example, that bird populations were constant(Bundesamt für Naturschutz 2015).Results: This study shows that changes in the environment and in forest management over the past 45 years have had a significant, positive effect on the abundance of non-migratory forest bird species in Central Europe. Economy(timber prices and GDP), forest management(timber harvest and mixed forest area), and environmental factors(atmospheric CO_2 concentration and nitrogen deposition) were investigated together with changes in abundances of migratory and non-migratory forest birds using partial least squares path modeling. Climate change, resulting in longer seasons and milder winters, and forest management, promoting tree diversity, were significantly positively related to the abundance of non-migratory forest birds and explained 92% of the variation in their abundance in Europe. Regionally-migrating forest birds had stable populations with large variation, while birds migrating across continents declined in recent decades, suggesting significant, contrasting changes in bird populations in Europe. In northeastern North America we also found evidence that non-migratory forests have experienced long-term increases in abundance, and this increase was related to management. The increase of populations of nonmigratory forest birds in Europe and North America is associated with an increase in structural diversity and disturbances at the landscape level.Conclusions: Our results suggest that reports about bird decline in forests should separate between migratory and non-migratory bird species. Efforts to mitigate the general decline in bird abundance should focus on land-use systems other than forests and support sustainable forest management independent of economic conditions.

Coarse woody debris and wood-colonizing fungi differences between a reserve stand and a managed forest in the Taborz region of Poland

The aim of this research was to evaluate the amount of woody debris (m3/ha) on the forest floor and the associated wood-colonizing fungi. The study was performed in the Taborz region, known for its Scots pine provenance experiments, against the background of a recently launched Polish legislation to protect the biodiversity on the forest floor in managed (harvested) stands. We investigated a managed stand (136-years-old) and the reserve stand ‘Sosna Taborska’(261-years-old). In the reserve stand, the mean volume of woody debris was six times higher than in the managed forests, i.e. 65 versus 11 m3/ha. In addition, in the reserve stand, the number of fungi taxa colonizing the dead wood was larger than in the managed stands, with a higher number of fruitbodies. Total fungal richness was higher in the reserve than in the managed stand, i.e. 28 versus 12 species. The dominant taxa at both sites were Fomitopsis pinicola and Fomes The aim of this research was to evaluate the amount of woody debris (m^3/ha) on the forest floor and the associated wood-colonizing fungi. The study was performed in the Taborz region, known for its Scots pine provenance experiments, against the background of a recently launched Polish legislation to protect the biodiversity on the forest floor in managed (harvested) stands. We investigated a managed stand (136-years-old) and the reserve stand ‘Sosna Taborska’(261-years-old). In the reserve stand, the mean volume of woody debris was six times higher than in the managed forests, i.e. 65 versus 11 m^3/ha. In addition, in the reserve stand, the number of fungi taxa colonizing the dead wood was larger than in the managed stands, with a higher number of fruitbodies. Total fungal richness was higher in the reserve than in the managed stand, i.e. 28 versus 12 species. The dominant taxa at both sites were Fomitopsis pinicola and Fomes fomentarius, although some taxa were only found in the reserve (e.g., Stereum hirsutum). The volume of woody debris as well as the diversity of fungi in the managed stand were lower than in the reserve, albeit greater than in other Scots pine stands in Poland. These results testify to the gains in biodiversity yielded by the management conservation management approach at the reserve stand.

竹笋采挖下克隆整合对毛竹林发笋成竹规律的影响

【目的】为研发毛竹林高产高效生态经营技术提供一定参考。【方法】调查浙西南地区采挖毛竹林竹笋后的笋-幼竹生长过程,通过存活曲线分析毛竹林挖笋后的发笋成竹规律,探讨挖笋对竹笋中单宁、粗脂肪、粗蛋白等品质指标的影响。【结果】竹笋采挖提高了毛竹林地的发笋能力,挖笋样地的发笋数比未挖笋样地增加了12.8%(P<0.05),而挖笋后选留竹笋的存活率也显著高于未挖笋样地;与未挖笋样地相比,挖笋样地内毛竹新分株的平均胸径并未发生显著改变(P>0.05),挖笋不会降低新分株胸径而使林分衰退;竹笋间的非对称性竞争有利于竹笋地径的径级为Ⅰ-Ⅲ级竹笋的生长与存活,随着地径的提高竹笋死亡率显著降低,而径级Ⅳ级以上竹笋则有着较高的死亡率。盛笋早期以后,径级相对较小(Ⅳ级以上)的竹笋开始大量萌发,这类竹笋若不及时采挖,大部分会出现退笋,造成资源浪费;挖笋和未挖笋样地竹笋的含水率、蛋白质和粗脂肪含量在各笋期均未见显著差异(P>0.05),尽管挖笋样地竹笋的单宁含量在末笋期显著高于未挖笋样地,但两种样地其他笋期单宁含量均未见显著差异。【结论】毛竹林竹笋的采挖,可缓解竹笋间的非对称性的资源竞争,有效避免大量退笋导致的毛竹母株营养消耗,实现母株资源的克隆整合,增加竹笋产量。因此,合理的竹笋采挖有利于毛竹笋用林的高效生产及可持续性经营。

阔叶红松林林木与林分生长对采伐干扰的响应

提升森林质量、修复生态功能是东北阔叶红松林生态修复的核心,而阐明林木与林分生长对采伐干扰的响应机理是其中的关键。森林对采伐干扰的响应会受到空间尺度、时间尺度以及干扰程度等因素的综合影响。以往的研究侧重于比较不同采伐处理下林木生长的相对大小,而忽视了不同恢复时间下,林木和林分生长随干扰程度的变化。以吉林蛟河阔叶红松林采伐样地为对象,基于连续四次样地调查数据(2011、2013、2015、2018年),分别探讨了林木和林分生长在不同恢复阶段对不同程度采伐干扰的响应,并通过构建分段模型确定采伐干扰阈值。结果显示:林木和林分生长对采伐干扰的响应并不一致,采伐促进了林木生长,并且林木生长量随采伐强度的升高而升高;采伐降低了林分生产力,林分生产力随采伐强度的升高而降低。林木和林分生长对采伐干扰的响应存在时滞效应:林木和林分生长在采伐后两年内并无显著变化,而在采伐三年后才发生明显变化。此外,分段模型的结果显示:当保留木断面积为21.6 m^(2)/hm^(2)时,林分生产力最高,表明通过密度调整使阔叶红松林胸高断面积维持在21.6 m^(2)/hm^(2)附近,可使林分处于较高的生产力水平、促进森林恢复。研究结果能够为制定科学的阔叶红松林生态修复策略提供技术支撑。