Balancing timber production and habitat conservation of Okinawa Rails(Gallirallus okinawae): Application of a harvest scheduling optimization model in subtropical forest in Okinawa, Japan

Finding the right balance between timber production and the management of forest-dependent wildlife species,present a difficult challenge for forest resource managers and policy makers in Okinawa,Japan.A possible explanation of this can be found in the unique nature of the forest management area which is populated with various kinds of rare and endangered species.This issue has been brought to light as a result of the nomination of northern Okinawa Island in 2018 as a candidate for World Natural Heritage site.The nomination has raised public awareness to the possibility of conflicting management objectives between timber extraction and the conservation of habitat for forest-dependent wildlife species.Managing exclusively for one objective over the other may fail to meet the demand for both forest products and wildlife habitat,ultimately jeopardizing the stability of human and wildlife communities.It is therefore important to achieve a better balance between the objective of timber production and conservation of wildlife habitat.Despite the significance of this subject area,current ongoing discussions on how to effectively manage for forest resources,often lack scientific basis to make sound judgement or evaluate tradeoffs between conflicting objectives.Quantifying the effect of these forest management activities on wildlife habitat provides useful and important information needed to make forest management and policy decisions.In this study we develop a spatial timber harvest scheduling model that incorporates habitat suitability index(HSI)models for the Okinawa Rail(Gallirallus okinawae),an endangered avian species found on Okinawa,Japan.To illustrate how the proposed coupling model assembles spatial information,which ultimately aids the study of forest management effects on wildlife habitat,we apply these models to a forest area in Okinawa and conduct a simple simulation analysis.

North Carolina’s forest disturbance and timber production assessed using time series Landsat observations

Wood products provide a relatively long-term carbon storage mechanism.Due to lack of consistent datasets on these products,however,it is difficult to determine their carbon contents.The main purpose of this study was to quantify forest disturbance and timber product output(TPO)using time series Landsat observations for North Carolina.The results revealed that North Carolina had an average forest disturbance rate of 178,000 ha per year from 1985 to 2010.The derived disturbance products were found to be highly correlated with TPO survey data,explaining up to 87%of the total variance of county level industrial roundwood production.State level TPO estimates derived using the Landsat-based disturbance products tracked those derived from ground-based survey data closely.The TPO modeling approach developed in this study complements the ground-based TPO surveys conducted by the US Forest Service.It allows derivation of TPO estimates for the years that did not have TPO survey data,and may be applicable in other regions or countries where at least some ground-based survey data on timber production are available for model development and dense time series Landsat observations exist for developing annual forest disturbance products.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of subsidy schemes for industrial timber development and carbon sequestration in Japanese forest plantations

This study uses simulations to investigate the effects of implementing two different Japanese forestry subsidy systems on timber production and carbon stock, and examines the consequences for harvesting strategies. An existing Local Yield Table Construction System （LYCS）, a wood conversion algorithm, and a harvesting cost model were used in the simulations to test the applicability of different subsidies to the thinning of stands. Using forest inventory data collected by local government staff, simulation output was used to calculate forestry profits, carbon stocks, subsidies, the amount of labor required, and the cost effectiveness of investing in subsidies. By comparing the output of simulations based on two scenarios, we found that both the clear-cutting area and the amount of harvested timber were larger under Scenario 2, in which the rules governing subsidy allocations are more relaxed, than under Scenario 1, in which the rules are more restrictive. Because the harvested timber under Scenario 1 was mainly produced by clear-cutting, the forestry profits and the subsidy predicted in the early period of the simulation, were larger under Scenario 1 than under Scenario 2. In contrast, the carbon stock was larger under Scenario 2 than under Scenario 1. The simulation model is likely to be useful for improving Plan-Do-Check-Act cyclesimplemented in Japanese forest management systems.

Floristic composition and management of cropland agroforest in southwestern Bangladesh

Cropland agroforest is an important production system in the southwest region of Bangladesh. This study focused on the floristic composition and management of existing cropland agroforests. A total of 313 cropland agroforests were surveyed and 83%respondents practiced pure agroforestry while the remaining 17% practiced agroforestry with fisheries. A total of 18 forest trees and 2 shrubs were recorded from 11 families and 59 species of agricultural crops were from 28 families. A higher proportion （79%） of cropland agroforests were occupied small land areas （0.12-0.80 ha）. About 63% of respondents planted trees for fruit production and 47%for timber production, and 35%of respondents engaged in commercial production （35%）. Swietenia macrophylla was the most prevalent species （relative prevalence 20.83） followed by Man-gifera indica （relative prevalence 15.57） and Cocos nucifera （relative prevalence 7.08）. Shorter spacing was used for timber and fuel wood species and wider spacing for fruit trees. A wide range of rotation periods, from 5 to 25 years, was observed for both cases. The use of chemical fertilizer was highest followed by cow dung and compost in cropland agroforests. Overall management practices of cropland agroforest in southwest Bangladesh were determined by the end product and local demand.

Modeling height growth for teak plantations in Colombia using the reducible stochastic differential equation approach

Teak(Tectona grandis L.f.)plantations are increasingly being established in tropical regions to meet a rising demand for its highly valued timber.Teak plantations have been established in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region of Colombia,a region climatically suitable for teak growth by having a monsoon climate with a unimodal precipitation pattern.Tree diameter at breast height(DBH,1.3 m above ground)and mean top height,periodically measured over a 17-year period in 44 permanent sampling plots of size 0.06 and 0.10 ha,were used in this study.A stochastic differential equation(SDE),along with a Bertalanffy–Richards-type height growth model,was used to model and estimate top height growth of teak plantations in Colombia.Environmental noise and height measurement errors were explicitly considered as the main uncertainty sources of mean top height growth.The best model for estimating mean top height,based on statistical performance and biological rationale,had the asymptote defined as a local parameter and the growth rate and shape specified as global parameters.This model outperformed its counterpart that had the growth rate specified as a local parameter and asymptote and shape as global parameters.The selected model also outperformed alternative approaches such as the mixed-effects model,generalized algebraic difference approach,and the dummy variable method.Estimated trajectories for the mean top height of teak in Colombia are biologically sound based on the measured height series and previous studies in Latin America.Results suggest that most of the uncertainty associated with the mean top height growth of teak plantations in Colombia was largely explained by environmental noise.The best estimated model using the SDE approach can be useful for predicting height growth and evaluating site productivity of teak plantations in Colombia and in neighbouring countries with biophysical characteristics similar to those where teak has been planted in Colombia.

Advances in eucalypt research in China

Eucalypt plantations in China currently exceed4.5 Mhm^2, and this country has the third largest area of such plantations after India and Brazil. China's eucalypt industry now comprises a complex, multifaceted industry including seedling propagation, fertilizer production and supply, plantation silviculture, harvesting and transport,wood processing for products including lumber, pulp and paper, and wood-based panels, as well as bioenergy production and various forest byproducts and non-wood forest products. In 2015, the combined value of output of this whole industry was around 300 billion CNY. Chinese research and development(R&D) has been instrumental in supporting growth and development across the whole breadth of the country's eucalypt industry. In this report,recent advances in this R&D are reviewed under six key topics:(1) advanced propagation technology;(2) genetic resources and breeding;(3) targeted silviculture;(4) eucalypt disease and pest management;(5) enhancing plantation ecology and sustainability; and(6) wood processing and byproduct technology. R&D has greatly facilitated expansion and proliferation of all parts of China's eucalypt industry. This industry is now of major importance to China's economy; it involves tens of thousands of growers and companies that provide livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people.

Ecological perspectives on variable retention forestry

Forest management globally affects the ecosystem services,especially those related to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation,by altering forest structure and composition.The degree of alteration was related to the intensity and type of harvesting;therefore,the major silvicultural challenge is to develop alternatives to mitigate climate change and maintain forest functions and biodiversity while also providing acceptable levels of timber production.Variable retention forestry(VRF)is a highly flexible concept,with continuity of forest cover,structure,function,and species composition,thereby supporting multiple economic,environmental,and cultural goals.This special issue provides an overview of the concepts and applications related to VRF implementation around the world.It shows that VRF has been applied globally for several decades,with varying levels and retention types,depending on local conditions and the economic importance of forestry.The challenges of VRF seem to differ to some extent on different continents,yet the general aims have been accepted in most of the continents.VRF has been successful in mitigating many effects of intensive harvesting,though in some forests of the world,the retention levels are too low to maintain acceptable levels of biodiversity and ecosystem functions.We conclude that an active collaboration between scientists and forest practitioners is needed to realize all of the opportunities provided by VRF in solving global forestry-related issues.

Knowledge arising from long-term research of variable retention harvesting in Tierra del Fuego: where do we go from here?

Nothofagus pumilio forests in Tierra del Fuego are the southernmost forests in the world,where extreme climate conditions represent a challenge to attain sustainable forest management.Retention forestry was proposed as an alternative to increase the species conservation in managed stands.Here,we synthetized results related to the implementation of a variable retention harvesting based on a combination of aggregate patches and dispersed retention during the last 18 years comparing with other silviculture proposals(e.g.,shelterwood cuts)and control treatments(primary unmanaged forests).We summarized the results for(i)sawmill operations,(ii)timber yield,(iii)overstory stability,(iv)forest structure,(v)microclimate and natural cycles,(vi)natural regeneration dynamics(flowering,seeding,foraging,recruitment,growth,and mortality),and(vii)biodiversity(mammals,understory plants,mistletoes,birds,arthropods,mosses,lichens,and fungi).In general,aggregate patches maintained forest structure and micro-environmental variables,and slightly increased biodiversity and forest reproduction variables compared to unmanaged primary forests.On the contrary,dispersed retention decreased forest structure variables and greatly increased biodiversity(richness and abundance)when it was compared to unmanaged primary forests.Ecological conditions are influenced by variable retention harvesting,but direction and magnitude of the effect depend and differ according to retention types.Besides this,biodiversity taxa greatly differed among groups depending on retention types.In general,the species assemblages in aggregate patches were similar to those found in primary unmanaged forests,while they were significantly modified in the dispersed retention.This occurred due to(i)local extinction of some original species,(ii)the introduction of native species from the surrounding environments,or(iii)the invasion of exotic species.This silvicultural method has been a useful tool to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions,approaching to the balance between economy,ecology,and social requirements in the managed areas.