On Construction of Ecological Economic Forests

To consolidate the results of returning cukivated land into forests and realize sustainable development, it is an important way to develop ecological economic forests at a reasonable scale. At the same time, with the improving quality of people＇s lives, we must pay attention to production of pollution-free green fruits. This paper, from the point of ecological economics, takes the example of date trees for example, presenting the connotation of ecological economic forest and main construction technologies, in order to provide basis for the industrial development after returning cultivated land into forests.

Analysis of the major components of root exudates released from several economic forest tree using GC-MS

In 2000 and 2001, 1-year-old seedlings of 7 economic tree species including chestnut, apricot, persimmon, peach, walnut, pear and apple were cultured in garden pots that had a diameter of 40 cm and were filled with clean sand. The major components of exudates released from their roots were isolated and analysed by GC-MS. Totally 200 kinds of organic chemicals were isolated, of which 3 kinds i.e. naphthalene, dimethylbenzene and dibutyl phthalate were principally controlled pollutants according to 'Blacklist of Principal Environment Pollutants in China' and the standard of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The research result provided theoretical evidence for selecting low-pollution economic forest crops in the water source protection area in Miyun Reservoir.

Construction of Forest and Grass Industry Economic Belt Using Land Resources in Road Side Slope

The construction of expressway and high-speed rail is at the sacrifice of the soil ecological environment. It brings about much damaged land and bare slope. It is necessary to restore vegetation and rebuild landscape. In the design of target plant community and configuration plants,it is required to select as far as possible plants that can blossom and bear fruit or pods. Then seeds of these plants can be harvested,processed and sold,and applied for other projects,so as to develop into a complete forest and grass seed industry chain. This not only reasonably utilizes land resources,but also provides a new approach to the problem of insufficient fine forest seed sources in China. This paper discussed the use of land resources in road side slope and forest and grass seed selection and breeding technology,and elaborated the industrialized development paths for forest and grass seed industries in road side slope. Finally,it arrived at following recommendations.( i) The construction of forest and grass industry economic belt using land resources in road side slope can realize maximum land value. Building a road can help people there get rich,and the type of land and water cultivates its type of forest and grass.( ii) It can make up for the losses incurred from construction of expressway and high-speed rail or destroying forest land,and it can increase farmers' income.( iii) It can increase the supply of domestic seeds,reduce seed import,save foreign exchange,and partly solve the problem of insufficient supply of forest and grass seeds.( iv) It is able to form a complete forest and grass seed industry economic cycle chain,increase employment,and provide new approaches for enriching and benefiting farmers.

Compensation for forest ecological services in China

The paper discusses methods to compensate for the costs incurred in the supply of forest ecological services （FES）, i.e. government dominated and market-based instruments as well as progress made so far in China. Factors which constrain the supply of these services and potential policy improvements are presented.

Evolution of forest cover in Portugal: A review of the 12th–20th centuries

Portugal＇s forests in the 12th century were dominated by the Fagaceae represented by Quercus and Castanea, and several pine species From the 12th century onwards, forests underwent changes in their management starting with protection and ultimately leading to intense exploitation. The massive naval construction during the maritime expansion （mainly in the 15th-16th centuries） involved felling of approximately 5 million trees mainly Quercus suber, Pinus pinea and other Quercus species. Cumulative fuel-wood consumption of 959 Mm3 during 1300-1854 was attributed to demographic expansion while the deforestation rate during 1636-1854 accounted for a minimum of 72.6% and a maximum of 96% of total forest cover. The volume of timber used in railway sleepers from 1856 onwards might have reached 0.5 Mm3. The last quarter of the 20th century increased the forest cover of Portugal through the World Bank program of Eucalyptus globulus reforestation.

Linear programming approach for optimal forest plantation

The aim of this research was to identify species suitable for plantation. We first identified species for potentially suitable for plantation based on ecological capabilities regarding soil properties. We determined the area of plantation for different species based on ecological capabilities. Then, we collected relevant data such as growth patterns of different species, labor requirements for plantation and plantation cost. A linear programming model and two integer linear programming models were used for optimization. The appropriate species based on ecological capabilities were ash, elm, maple, oak and bald cypress. A linear programming model was used based on ecological capabilities classification to determine the land area of different species for plantation. Then, two integer linear programming models were employed to select the species for plantation. We set ecological properties unequal for all of the species in the first run of the integer programming model. Two groups were classified： group one included maple and ash; group two included bald cypress,oak and elm. The second integer programming model assumed equal ecological properties for all the species.Results of linear programming showed that maple and bald cypress were appropriate for plantation at the site and their plantation areas should be 151.3 and 355.3 ha, respectively. Results of the first integer linear programming model showed that maple and bald cypress would be economically profitable for plantation. The results of the second integer linear programming model showed that only bald cypress would be appropriate for plantation.

Spatio-temporal changes in biomass carbon sinks in China's forests from 1977 to 2008

Forests play a leading role in regional and global carbon (C) cycles. Detailed assessment of the temporal and spatial changes in C sinks/sources of China's forests is critical to the estimation of the national C budget and can help to constitute sustainable forest management policies for climate change. In this study, we explored the spatio-temporal changes in forest biomass C stocks in China between 1977 and 2008, using six periods of the national forest inventory data. According to the definition of the forest inventory, China's forest was categorized into three groups: forest stand, economic forest, and bamboo forest. We estimated forest biomass C stocks for each inventory period by using continuous biomass expansion factor (BEF) method for forest stands, and the mean biomass density method for economic and bamboo forests. As a result, China's forests have accumulated biomass C (i.e., biomass C sink) of 1896 Tg (1Tg=1012g) during the study period, with 1710, 108 and 78 Tg C in forest stands, and economic and bamboo forests, respectively. Annual forest biomass C sink was 70.2 Tg Ca-1 , offsetting 7.8% of the contemporary fossil CO2 emissions in the country. The results also showed that planted forests have functioned as a persistent C sink, sequestrating 818 Tg C and accounting for 47.8% of total C sink in forest stands, and that the old-, mid- and young-aged forests have sequestrated 930, 391 and 388 Tg C from 1977 to 2008. Our results suggest that China's forests have a big potential as biomass C sink in the future because of its large area of planted forests with young-aged growth and low C density.

Variable retention harvesting in Victoria’s Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests (southeastern Australia)

Variable retention harvesting is a silvicultural system that focuses on retaining key elements of stand structure at the time of logging and is increasingly being used worldwide.We describe the design and establishment of a variable retention harvesting experiment established in the Mountain Ash(Eucalyptus regnans)forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria,south-eastern Australia.The experiment was instigated in 2003,and the work to date has shown that it has environmental benefits for certain groups of small mammals,birds,and vascular plants.The experiment has been integrated with an ongoing long-term monitoring program as well as other experiments such as those in post-fire salvage-logged areas.Collectively,the results of various studies suggest that the potential value of variable retention harvesting extends beyond green-tree logging to post-fire salvage logging environments.We outline some of the challenges in,and new perspectives derived from,implementing and maintaining our experiment.This included difficulties protecting islands from high-intensity post-harvest regeneration burns and threat of declining funding undermining ongoing project viability.A critically important perspective concerns the ecological and economic context in which variable retention harvesting is implemented.In the particular case of Mountain Ash forests,assessments using formal IUCN criteria classify the ecosystem as being Critically Endangered under the Red Listed Ecosystem approach.As a result,Mountain Ash forests are at a high risk of ecosystem collapse.Further logging will increase that risk,making the basis for continued harvesting questionable.In addition,economic analyses suggest that the value of natural assets,like water production,far outweigh the value of the wood products harvested from the Mountain Ash ecosystem,again leading to questions about the viability of ongoing harvesting.We therefore conclude that whilst variable retention harvesting has the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation in Mountain Ash forests,broader ecological and economic contextual issues(such as the values of competing resources like water yields and the heavily degraded state of the forest)may erode the case for its broader application.

Effect of jasmonate treatments on leaves of Rosa rugosa‘Plena’and detoxification enzymes and feeding of adult Monolepta hieroglyphica

To study the effect of jasmonates(JAs)on the resistance of economic forest plants to insects,R osa rugosa‘Plena'leaves were treated with 1 mmol/L jasmonic acid(JA),methyl jasmonate(MeJA)and Z-jasmone,then the content of tannin and total phenol in leaves and the feeding area of Monolepta hieroglyphica adults on leaves were measured.Changes in the activities of detoxification enzymes in adult M.hieroglyphica that had fed on leaves treated with JAs were also studied.Tannin and total phenol levels in leaves increased significantly after treatment with JAs,and tannin level was 1.36–1.55-fold higher than in the control after treatment with 1 mmol/L MeJA.The total content of phenol in leaves treated with 1.0 mmol/L Z-jasmone increased by 1.33–2.20-fold compared with those of the control.The activities of detoxification enzymes in adults were inhibited to differing degrees:activity of alkaline phosphatase(AKP)first increased,then decreased;the activities of acid phosphatase(ACP),glutathione S-transferases(GSTs)and carboxylesterase(CarE)following treatment with 1 mmol/L MeJA were significantly reduced and were 22%–31%,11%–26%,and 11%–31%lower than those of the control,respectively.Moreover,the feeding area of adult M.hieroglyphica on the leaves treated with JAs was significantly reduced(P<0.05).The feeding area of economic forest R.rugosa‘Plena'leaves treated with 1 mmol/L MeJA decreased by 17%–43%compared with that of the control.Moreover,the decrease in the adult M.hieroglyphica feeding area was highly positively correlated with the content of tannin and positively correlated with the contents of total phenol of economic forest R.rugosa‘Plena'leaves.The reduced feeding area of adult M.hieroglyphica was highly negatively correlated with the activities of AKP and ACP and negatively correlated with those of the GSTs.In conclusion,the use of 1 mmol/L MeJA can noticeably decrease the deleterious effects of adult M.hieroglyphica.

Timberland Investing and Private Property Rights in the United States of America

Investments in rural land for agriculture, timber, and other natural resource purposes occur frequently and globally. Fundamental principles of liberty and property found in the United States of America’s (“US”) legal system, from its origins to recent US Supreme Court decisions, continue to positively benefit holders of real estate in the Southern US, through a deep-rooted public policy of supporting private property rights and rural economic development. This stable rule of law enhances the long-term adaptability and sustainability of timberland as an asset class. This article is a commentary. It combines legal research methodology with the observations and conclusions of the authors. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the existence of alienable, documentable ownership, and related property rights create inherent stability and security. These principles form the basis of a culture that is defined by the rule of law and is “open for business.” This business mindset is particularly prevalent in the Southern US.

An Empirical Estimation of Effects of Priority Forestry Programs on Farmers’ Incomes in China

China has launched six Priority Forestry Programs (PFPs) since 1998, i.e. the Natural Forest Protection Program, the Cropland Conversion to Forest and Grassland Program, Sandification Control Program for the Vicinity of Beijing & Tianjin , Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Development Program, Forest Industrial Base Development Program and Shelterbelt Development Programs for regions such as Three North and the Yangtze River Catchments. The Government of China has made different policies for these PFPs, such as subsidies, low-interest loans and revenue offsets. Using a fixed-effect model and panel data from 2 353 households in 9 counties of Sichuan, Hebei, Shaanxi, and Jiangxi provinces, this paper studies effects of PFPs on farmers’ incomes. The empirical results indicate that the effects of PFPs on farmers’ incomes are mixed. Overall, the impact of Conversion of Cropland to Forestland and Grassland Program is significantly positive, whereas that of the Natural Forest Protection Program and the Sandification Control Program around Beijing & Tianjin is negative. To a lesser extent, the Shelterbelt Development Programs have a positive impact. In the meantime, different effects of PFPs on farmers’ incomes are also mixed for different provinces and different households are also mixed.

The Accounting for Carbon Sequence and Oxygen Release of Forest Resources and the Case Study

The paper reviewed the references of carbon sequence and oxygen release of forest resources. The dynastic physical accounting model is established, and benefit transfer model is adopted to calculate willing to pay for carbon sequence and oxygen. Benghe Forestry Farm of Linyi Prefecture of Shandong Province is selected as the case study area, the accounting result is presented in the paper.