Young and old forest in the boreal:critical stages of ecosystem dynamics and management under global change

The circumboreal forest encompasses diverse landscape structures, dynamics and forest age distributions determined by their physical setting, and historical and current disturbance regimes. However, due to intensifying forest utilisation, and in certain areas due to increasing natural disturbances, boreal forest age-class structures have changed rapidly, so that the proportion of old forest has substantially declined, while that of young post-harvest and post-natural-disturbance forest proportions have increased. In the future, with a warming climate in certain boreal regions, this trend may further be enhanced due to an increase in natural disturbances and large-scale use of forest biomass to replace fossil-based fuels and products.The major drivers of change of forest age class distributions and structures include the use of clearcut shortrotation harvesting, more frequent and severe natural disturbances due to climate warming in certain regions. The decline in old forest area, and increase in managed young forest lacking natural post-disturbance structural legacies,represent a major transformation in the ecological conditions of the boreal forest beyond historical limits of variability.This may introduce a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and long-term adaptive capacity of the forest ecosystem.To safeguard boreal forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and to maintain the multiple services provided to societies by this forest biome, it is pivotal to maintain an adequate share and the ecological qualities of young postdisturbance stages, along with mature forest stages with old-growth characteristics. This requires management for natural post-disturbance legacy structures, and innovative use of diverse uneven-aged and continuous cover management approaches to maintain critical late-successional forest structures in landscapes.

STUDY OF SETTING UP THE FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED ON WEBGIS

Based on an analysis of the characteristics of the Forest Resources Management Information System of each development phase, and consideration of the technical trend in Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Internet Age, this paper explores the importance and the feasibility of setting up Forest Resources Management Information System based on the WEBGIS. At the same time, based on the experience of our study, the paper explores the function, structure and method of developing the Forest Resources Management Information System based on WEBGIS. With the technology of WEBGIS, the Forest Resources Management Information System with data from Huoditang Farm was set up, which makes a great impact on forest resources management. So setting up the Forest Resources Management Information System based on WEBGIS is a trend of forest resources management. In the course of setting up this system, we must pay attention to following questions: 1) unify data standard and information encoding; 2) change mind.

Development of component geographic information systems applying in forest resources management

The history, current situation, and development trend of GIS (Geographic Information System) applied in the forest resources management were discussed in this paper. On the basis of geographic spatial characteristics of forest resources data, a component geographic information system (ComGIS) was developed for forest resources management. The system embeds a GIS ActiveX control MapObjects (Inc. ESRI) on Visual C++ platform. System design, data organization and achieving way were studied and expatiated by taking Xigangzi Forestry Centre as study object. The system has many useful functions,, such as adding and display of various map layers, zoom of map by wheeling mouse, attribute and spatial data querying, map auto roaming, features rendering based on the spatial trait of data, label controlling through attribute data band with vector graph, as well as output of 'Column chart' for showing the result of statistics. At the same time, parts of source codes are attached.

A system dynamics approach for water resources policy analysis in arid land:a model for Manas River Basin

The Manas River Basin in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, similar to other arid regions, is facing water constraints which challenge decision-makers as to how to rationally allocate the available water resources to meet the demands from industries and natural ecosystems. Policies which integrate the supply and demand are needed to address the water stress issues. An object-oriented system dynamics model was developed to capture the interrelationships between water availability and increasing water demands from the growth of industries, agri- cultural production and the population through modeling the decision-making process of the water exploration ex- plicitly, in which water stress is used as a major indicator. The model is composed of four sectors： 1 ） natural surface and groundwater resources; 2） water demand; 3） the water exploitation process, including the decision to build reservoirs, canals and pumps; 4） water stress to which political and social systems respond through increasing the supply, limiting the growth or improving the water use efficiency. The model was calibrated using data from 1949 to 2009 for population growth, irrigated land area, industry output, perceived water stress, groundwater resources availability and the drying-out process of Manas River; and simulations were carried out from 2010 to 2050 on an annual time step. The comparison of results from calibration and observation showed that the model corresponds to observed behavior, and the simulated values fit the observed data and trends accurately. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model is robust to changes in model parameters related to population growth, land reclamation, pumping capacity and capital contribution to industry development capacity. Six scenarios were designed to inves- tigate the effectiveness of policy options in the area of reservoir relocation, urban water recycling, water demand control and groundwater pumping control. The simulation runs demonstrated that the technical solutions for im- proving water availability and water use efficiency are not sustainable. Acknowledging the carrying capacity of water resources and eliminating a growth-orientated value system are crucial for the sustainability of the Manas River Basin.

Indigenous People’s Contribution to the Mitigation of Climate Variation, Their Perception, and Organizing Strategy for Sustainable Community Based Forest Resources Management in <i>Caraballo</i>Mountain, Philippines

The focus of the study is to measure the level of awareness of Indigenous People on Climate Variation. It inquired into their observations and organizing strategy to cope with the early impacts of climate change on their socio-economic and cultural beliefs. The organization’s adaptation and mitigation practices to protect the environment are also discussed using as basis of analysis the multi-stakeholders framework of forest protection. The study documented and recognized the Indigenous Peoples contributions to the preservation and protection of forest resources in Caraballo mountain and a shift in paradigm to Indigenous People’s centered forest resources management is recommended.

Property Rights, Institutions and Forest Resources Management in Developing Countries

The objective of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework stimulating the sustainable management of natural resources in Central Africa. Based on the forest resources, we show how good identification and allocation of property rights strengthen the joint management of forest resources. Cameroon is selected as an example, since the country represents one of the most forest-intense areas in Africa. In doing so, we first evaluate the performance of institutions in fostering sustainable forest management. Second we show how good elaboration and allocation of property rights may contribute to improving efficiency in forest management. Using the New Institutional Economic (NIE) theory we provide an outline of the potential relationships between forest management and property rights allocated to stakeholders involved in forest exploitation. Finally we provide two forms of institutional structures that could improve forest management efficiency: public-private partnership and multi-stakeholder management approaches. Public-private partnerships are joint project management processes operated by both private businesses and public entities in order to combine public prescriptive mechanisms with private operational roles. Multi-stakeholder management approach is also a co-management initiative combining public entities, private actors and local population to increase the involvement of local dwellers living in forest areas in the decision process.

THE DYNAMIC SIMULATION MODEL OF MANAGEMENT FOREST RESOURCES SYSTEM

The regional forest resource structure was analyzed and a dynamic simulation model of management forest resource system was set up. By this model, different changable results of forest resource in Mudanjiang District of Heilongjiang Province wer simulated and analyzed under different management policies using of computers. Then an optimum managent forest resource plan was selected. In addition, it also provides an effective theoretical basis for decision maker to draw up a precise development forestry strategic plan for some region.

Regeneration Potential of Woody Species at the Side of Secondary Roads Post-Logging of Loundoungou-Toukoulaka Forest Management Unit, Republic of the Congo

Natural regeneration is the basis of a dynamic and demographic balance of plant populations. The objective of this study was to assess the natural regeneration potential of woody species along secondary roads post-logging abandoned since 2008 and 2018. In the two Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC 2008 and AAC 2018), 24 regenerating sub-plots (i.e. 12 sub-plots for AAC 2008 and 12 sub-plots for AAC 2018) with a unit area of 5 m × 5 m were delimited with a total area of 0.06 ha (i.e. 0.03 ha for each AAC). The abundance and diversity of woody species were respectively inventoried and estimated. Two estimators of the specific richness were used to estimate the floristic diversity of each Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC). The results reveal globally 88 woody species in the AAC 2008 and 241 woody species in the AAC 2018, with respective average densities of 2933 stem/ha and 8033 stem/ha. There was a very highly significant difference between the mean densities of the two AAC (Kruskal-Wallis test;H = 2.36, p-value < 0.000). The results also highlight a great diversity and a relatively high abundance of woody species in the 2018 AAC compared to the 2008 AAC. Also, the spatial structuring of the sub-plots on the basis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrates that the floristic composition of the two AAC is globally different. The study suggests silvicultural interventions and the long-term assessment of regenerating woody species along abandoned secondary roads in order to guarantee the sustainable management of their population.

Romanian legal management rules limit wood production in Norway spruce and beech forests

Background： The quantitative impact of forest management on forests＇ wood resource was evaluated for Picea and Fagus mixed forests. The effects on the productivity of tendering operations, thinnings and rotation length have seldom been directly quantified on landscape scale. Methods： Two sites of similar fertility but subject to contrasted forest management were studied with detailed inventories： one in Germany, the other in Romania, and compared with the respective national forest inventories. In Romania, regulations impose very long rotations, low thinnings and a period of no-cut before harvest. In contrast, tending and thinnings are frequent and intense in Germany. Harvests start much earlier and must avoid clear cutting but maintain a permanent forest cover with natural regeneration. While Germany has an average annual wood increment representative for Central Europe, Romania represents the average for Eastern Europe. Results： The lack of tending and thinning in the Romanian site resulted in twice as many trees per hectare as in the German site for the same age. The productivity in Romanian production forests was 20 % lower than in Germany despite a similar fertility. The results were supported by the data from the national forest inventory of each country, which confirmed that the same differential exists at country scale. Furthermore, provided the difference in rotation length, two crops are harvested in Germany when only one is harvested in Romania. The losses of production due to a lower level of management in Romania where estimated to reach 12.8 million m3.y-1 in regular mountain production forests, and to 15 million m3.y-1 if managed protection forest is included. Conclusions： The productivity of Picea and Fagus mountain forests in Romania is severely depressed by the lack of tending and thinning, by overly long rotations and the existence of a 25-years no-cut period prior to harvest. The average standing volume in Germany was 50 % lower than in Romania, but the higher harvesting rate resulted in more than doubling wood production. Considering the mitigation effects of climate change by forests, it emerges that the increase in standing volume of forests in Romania is smaller than the additional harvest in Germany which serves fossil fuel substitution.

Strategies on natural forest protection of collective forest area in minority nationality community in China─A case of the forest resource management in datu village

In the recent 20 years, it is a trend that forest will be distributed to villagers to manage in the world.Also in China, "forestry three determinations" has been carried out since 1980, and many new forestry devolutionshave been put fotward to and come into being. To face the fact of overusing up natural forest to result in the deterioration of ecology environment, the strategy of naturaf forest protection project (NFPP) is raised after the heavyflood in 1998. Now, it i s paid close attention to systematically study to carry Out the strategies of NFPP in collective forest area, especially in the community of minority nationalities. Based on the case of forest resource management in Datu Miao Village, the experience of its forest management in the past is analyzed and the strategies of NFPP in collective forest area are put forward.

Increase of forest carbon biomass due to community forestry management in Nepal

Community forest management helps in mitigating deforestation and forest degradation by addressing the negative aspects of rural livelihoods such as poverty and social exclusion.It is important in regulating global climate by encouraging sequestration of carbon in shoots,roots and soils.We studied the status of community forest management,forest resource harvest and carbon stocks in two community forests of the mid hill region of central and western Nepal.The study was based on primary and secondary data collected through carbon stock measurement from field visits and allometric equations,household surveys,focus group discussions,key informant interviews,and review of past studies.Socioeconomic variables such as gender,age group,livestock and landholding status were related to resource utilization,conservation,and management of community forest.Forest resources such as timber,firewood,fodder and leaf litter were harvested in sustainable ways.People were involved in forest thinning,co-management meetings,guarding and planting trees for forest conservation and management.Density and carbon stock of trees increased gradually in comparison to a previous study.We recommend further research on other community forests for more accurate and better results.

MODELING RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN COGNITIVE RADIO SYSTEM BASED ON OFDMA USING COLORED PETRI NET

Cognitive Radio(CR) system based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access(OFDMA),such as Wireless Regional Area Networks(WRAN) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX),often attempt to improve performance via dynamic radio resource management,which is characterized as concurrent processing of different traffic and nondeterministic system capacity.It is essential to design and evaluate such complex system using proper modeling and analysis tools.In the previous work,most of the communication systems were modeled as Markov Chain(MC) and Stochastic Petri Nets(SPN),which have the explicit limitation in evaluating adaptive OFDMA CR system with wide area traffic.In this paper,we develop an executable top-down hier-archical Colored Petri Net(CPN) model for adaptive OFDMA CR system,and analyze its performance using CPN tools.The results demonstrate that the CPN can model different radio resource manage-ment algorithms in CR Systems,and the CPN tools require less computational effort than Markov model using Matlab,with its flexibility and adaptability to the traffics which arrival interval and processing time are not exponentially distributed.

Utilisation and Management Changes in South Kyrgyzstan's Mountain Forests

Using political ecology as its conceptual framework,this paper focuses on the changes in forest utilisation and management of South Kyrgyzstan’s walnut-fruit forests over the last century. The aim of this study on human-environment interactions is to investigate the relationship between actors on the one side,their interests and demands,and the forests and forested lands on the other. Forest resource utilisation and management — and even the recognition of different forest products as resources — are connected with political and socio-economic conditions that change with time. The walnut-fruit forests of South Kyrgyzstan are unique,characterised by high biodiversity and a multiplicity of usable products;and they have been utilised for a long time. Centralised and formal management of the forests started with the Russian occupation and was strengthened under Soviet rule,when the region became a part of the USSR. During this era,a state forest administration that was structured from Moscow all the way down to the local level drew up detailed plans and developed procedures for utilising the different forest products. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union,the socio-political and economic frame conditions have changed significantly,which has brought not only the sweeping changes in the managing institutions,but also the access rights and interests in the forest resources. At present,the region is suffering from a high unemployment rate,which has resulted in the forests’ gaining considerable importance in the livelihood strategies of the local population. Political and economic liberalization,increased communication and trans-regional exchange relations have opened the door for international companies and agents interested in the valuable forest products. Today,walnut wood and burls,walnuts,wild apples and mushrooms are all exported to various countries in the world. Scientists and members of various international organisations stress the ecological value of the forests and are trying to establish nature conservation areas. Nevertheless,it is to fear that a multiplicity of interrelated factors — the present transformation and globalization processes,the appearance of new actors,the local population’s insecure economic situation and the erosion of managing institutions — are all leading to an intensified and unregulated exploitation of the forests,resulting in their degradation.

Recreational Access Management Planning: Understanding Perceptions Regarding Public Forest Lands in SW Alberta

Management of recreational access on public forest lands is a complex issue of growing global importance. The provision of public recreation opportunities is part of the suite of ecological goods and services that must be considered by many forest managers. Effective access management is predicated on understanding the attitudes and perceptions of recreation users in order to predict and influence visitor behaviour and gauge the acceptance of new management strategies. Potential access management strategies vary given the nature of recreation activities and include: restricting the amount, type, and spatial distribution of use, visitor education, temporal restrictions and enhancing site durability. In this research we examined the views of recreation users on public lands in southwestern Alberta, Canada through implementation of an online survey (n = 945) with a focus on access management options. The results indicate a strong belief that the quality of the recreation experience is declining and that increased management and enforcement are required. More detailed analysis indicates that demographic and user-type variables strongly influence ideas about appropriate management. Forest managers need to engage with, understand, and respond to a wide variety of recreation user needs and preferences.

Management Implications of Aquifer Fractures on Ecosystem and Habitat Suitability for Panthers in Southern Florida

Our case study analyzed the proximity of previously mapped fractures in the aquifer matrix to 93 Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) dens mapped from 2007-2016 in south Florida. Dens occurred in five counties (Collier = 77, Dade = 1, Hendry = 9, Lee = 5, and Monroe = 1) and three sub-basins of the Greater Everglades Basin (Big Cypress Swamp = 83, Caloosahatchee = 3, and Everglades = 7). Fractured aquifers occur worldwide, but are not the focus of habitat suitability studies, despite evidence that fractures influence plant species composition and density. Habitat alterations can occur many kilometers from the surface footprint of groundwater alterations in the regional Floridan aquifer system via preferential flow through fractures. Increased natural discharge from and recharge to the aquifer occur at fracture intersections. Greater induced recharge and habitat changes also may occur at fracture intersections. All dens were within 5 km of a previously mapped fracture;36% and 74% were within 1 km and 2 km, respectively, of those fractures;and 47%, 74%, and 90% of dens were within 2 km, 3.25 km and 5 km, respectively, from the nearest fracture intersection. Results suggest fractures influence the suitability and/or availability of habitat for panther dens, selection of den sites, and availability as well as abundance of high quality prey items essential for the nutritional demands of successfully rearing panther kittens in the wild. We recommend more detailed investigations of: a) vegetation characteristics near dens, b) groundwater alterations and cumulative impacts of those alterations associated with fractures in panther habitat (e.g., altered plant species composition and density), and c) influence of aquifer fractures in all habitats underlain by fractures.

The Enduring Fundamental Framework of Forest Resource Management Planning

Forest resource management planning began in the United States at the turn of the nineteenth century with an emphasis on timber production, sustained yield, and maximum timber growth. A set of well-documented procedures, philosophies, rules, and understandings developed within the forestry profession on the reasons for and requirements of a professionallydeveloped forest resource management plan. For most of the next decade, this framework controlled the development of timber-oriented forest management plans. In the late twentieth century, the forest resource management plans became stewardship- or sustainability-oriented. A broader expansive framework that stressed sustainable forest management developed. However, the framework of both types of plans is fundamentally the same. The natural resource being manipulated is still timber and that is the variable the management plan still focuses on. The set of fundamental underpinnings to the forest management plan has not changed. We describe these underpinnings in terms of both types of forest management plan, as they have remained unchanged over time. Also addressed are the questions of who are the forest owners that plan and what are the differences in the type of forest management plans they prepare.

An Investigation of the Factors Influencing Community Participation in Forest Management: A Case of Balaka District, Malawi

Forests are vital for the environment through the support which they provide to biodiversity. They also provide cultural, social and economic support to human welfare. Forest degradation is attributed to multiple land uses which include agriculture, human settlement, the use of trees as the main source of energy and other infrastructure development. The main objective of the study was to assess factors that influence community participation in forest management in Kangankundi village forest area in Balaka District, Southern Malawi. Simple random sampling was used to select 100 community members who were interviewed in the study. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 22. The results showed positive significant relationship between community awareness and community participation (p = 0.015), and also between economic benefits and community involvement (p = 0.003). Involvement was not affected by income-generating activity which showed that (p = 0.781) and level of education (p = 0.535). Community awareness and economic benefits appear to be the main factors influencing community participation. Firewood and bamboos were noted to be the most resource obtained from the forest and beekeeping was also the income-generating activity in the study which is being promoted. It is concluded that community participation is influenced by many factors. The study recommends that youth must be deliberately involved in forest management as opposed to the current participation which is dominated by elderly people.

Contribution of Sumalindo Company:In Managing Forest Resources with Local Communities:Mahakam Ulu-East Kalimantan

The role of HPH(Forest Logging Concession)in developing rural communities is very significant.SLJ(Sumalindo Lestari Jaya)as HPH company has an important contribution in empowering local communities,especially in opening land transportation in the interior and helping to build agriculture and gardens.The existence of Sumalindo company participates in developing forest resource management with local communities,among others,increasing livelihoods,maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.These efforts are in accordance with the regulations of the KLHK(Ministry of Environment and Forestry),that every HPH holder is required(mandatory)to obtain a certificate of“PHAPL”(Sustainable Production Natural Forest Management)and an“eco label”from the Indonesian Eco Label Institute.Besides,it is recommended that the holders of HPH concessions and HTI(Industrial Timber Plantations)have an FSC(Forest Stewardship Council)certificate from the EU(European Union),and must meet three indicator elements,namely economic,social and ecological in SFM(Sustainable Forest Management).This article examines three critical questions that show the role of Sumalindo Company in economic,ecological and social development and managing forest resources with the community as follows:(1)The role of Sumalindo company contributes to the development of road infrastructure in the interior;(2)The role of Sumalindo in improving livelihoods and economic and social empowerment of local communities;(3)The role of Sumalindo with local communities in managing forest resources,including maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.

Investigation of forest-resources potential of Selenge River Basin on transboundary territory of the Republic of Buryatia and Mongolia

The author studied the issues of the present-day status of forest resources and forest management of the Selenge River Basin on the transboundary territory of the Buryat Republic and Mongolia. It is necessary to establish a good policy for wood cutting of the main and secondary use and reforestation.