The AFO (activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply) project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs (private forest owners) in Europe...The AFO (activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply) project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs (private forest owners) in Europe to supply wood fuel, especially to small and medium-sized heating plants. It aimed to increase the utilization of Europe's vast forest fuel reserves. This was expected to benefit both the economy of the forest owners and rural areas and increase the use of renewable energy sources. The project was carried out between 2009 and 2012. The project operated in selected target regions that have a high proportion of private forest ownership (France, Slovenia, Latvia and the UK). It started by analyzing the potential wood fuel supply and use in relation to current regional markets. After assessing through inquiries the potential wood fuel supply and demand and the parties involved, the next step was to initiate and support the formation of wood fuel supply clusters and organize supply chains. This was followed by the dissemination of best practice examples from Austria and Finland--countries with the most expertise and long traditions of forest fuel production. In the last phase of the project, results and approved activation methods were disseminated to all 27 EU (European Union) countries.展开更多
Forest vegetation management has evolved as a recognized component of intensive forest management practice. It involves the management of competing vegetation necessary to obtain the high yields expected in modern for...Forest vegetation management has evolved as a recognized component of intensive forest management practice. It involves the management of competing vegetation necessary to obtain the high yields expected in modern forest plantations via control of interfering plants that influence regeneration outcome, impact timber stand development, and limit native plant and wildlife diversity. It includes cultural control, fire control, mechanical control, biological control, and chemical control. The public perception of forest vegetation management, especially chemical control, is sometimes negative due to health and environmental concerns. It is an important tool in the forest management alternatives available to consulting foresters managing family forest lands (the vast majority of private forest land in the United States). We report on a study that addresses the motivations of family forest owners that implement forest vegetation management practices and the motivation of those who chose not to implement after forester recommendations to do so. For those who do implement forest vegetation management, improvement of wildlife habitat and increased timber growth was the main motivation. For those who did not, cost was the main concern. Size of forest holding plays a major role in determining who will practice intensive forestry.展开更多
文摘The AFO (activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel supply) project was set up to discover the best tools for activating an important fraction of the 12 million PFOs (private forest owners) in Europe to supply wood fuel, especially to small and medium-sized heating plants. It aimed to increase the utilization of Europe's vast forest fuel reserves. This was expected to benefit both the economy of the forest owners and rural areas and increase the use of renewable energy sources. The project was carried out between 2009 and 2012. The project operated in selected target regions that have a high proportion of private forest ownership (France, Slovenia, Latvia and the UK). It started by analyzing the potential wood fuel supply and use in relation to current regional markets. After assessing through inquiries the potential wood fuel supply and demand and the parties involved, the next step was to initiate and support the formation of wood fuel supply clusters and organize supply chains. This was followed by the dissemination of best practice examples from Austria and Finland--countries with the most expertise and long traditions of forest fuel production. In the last phase of the project, results and approved activation methods were disseminated to all 27 EU (European Union) countries.
文摘Forest vegetation management has evolved as a recognized component of intensive forest management practice. It involves the management of competing vegetation necessary to obtain the high yields expected in modern forest plantations via control of interfering plants that influence regeneration outcome, impact timber stand development, and limit native plant and wildlife diversity. It includes cultural control, fire control, mechanical control, biological control, and chemical control. The public perception of forest vegetation management, especially chemical control, is sometimes negative due to health and environmental concerns. It is an important tool in the forest management alternatives available to consulting foresters managing family forest lands (the vast majority of private forest land in the United States). We report on a study that addresses the motivations of family forest owners that implement forest vegetation management practices and the motivation of those who chose not to implement after forester recommendations to do so. For those who do implement forest vegetation management, improvement of wildlife habitat and increased timber growth was the main motivation. For those who did not, cost was the main concern. Size of forest holding plays a major role in determining who will practice intensive forestry.