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Fire suppression and past selective logging of large trees have fundamentally changed frequent-fire-adapted forests in California. The culmination of these changes produced forests that are vulnerable to catastrophic change by wildfire, drought, and bark beetles, with climate change exacerbating this vulnerability. Management options available to address this problem include mechanical treatments (Mech), prescribed fire (Fire), or combinations of these treatments (Mech + Fire). We quantify changes in forest structure and composition, fuel accumulation, modeled fire behavior, intertree competition, and economics from a 20-year forest restoration study in the northern Sierra Nevada. All three active treatments (Fire, Mech, Mech + Fire) produced forest conditions that were much more resistant to wildfire than the untreated control. The treatments that included prescribed fire (Fire, Mech + Fire) produced the lowest surface and duff fuel loads and the lowest modeled wildfire hazards. Mech produced low fire hazards beginning 7 years after the initial treatment and Mech + Fire had lower tree growth than controls. The only treatment that produced intertree competition somewhat similar to historical California mixed-conifer forests was Mech + Fire, indicating that stands under this treatment would likely be more resilient to enhanced forest stressors. While Fire reduced modeled wildfire hazard and reintroduced a fundamental ecosystem process, it was done at a net cost to the landowner. Using Mech that included mastication and restoration thinning resulted in positive revenues and was also relatively strong as an investment in reducing modeled wildfire hazard. The Mech + Fire treatment represents a compromise between the desire to sustain financial feasibility and the desire to reintroduce fire. One key component to long-term forest conservation will be continued treatments to maintain or improve the conditions from forest restoration. Many Indigenous people speak of "active stewardship" as one of the key principles in land management and this aligns well with the need for increased restoration in western US forests. If we do not use the knowledge from 20+ years of forest research and the much longer tradition of Indigenous cultural practices and knowledge, frequent-fire forests will continue to be degraded and lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As a leading cause of forest health degradation, non‐native invasive plant species are a key focus for many forest management and conservation efforts. These efforts come at a high price for resource‐limited agencies and organizations making cost‐effectiveness an important objective of invasion response plans. In this paper, we present an approach to guide the prioritization of locations for invasion management using species distribution models that account for the non‐equilibrium of invasive species distributions and use readily available land use data as the primary explanatory variables. This approach takes advantage of the relatively high spatial resolution, as well as the broad, continuous geographic coverage, of land use data to provide results at a landscape scale relevant to practitioners responsible for invasive species management. In our example from northern Virginia, we simultaneously modeled a suite of invasive plant species to identify common indicators of invasion. We found that the proportions of surrounding non‐forested land use types (grasses, crops, and development) were the most common and strongest indicators of invasion risk. These outcomes can guide managers of large protected areas to focus on major divides between forest and non‐forest land over linear disturbances. We also found useful species‐specific traits that can inform specific management actions. Additionally, we demonstrate through a case study how organizations that manage multiple smaller properties can take advantage of the projected distribution maps when considering acquiring or administering properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mature forests provide important wildlife habitat and support critical ecosystem functions globally. Within the dry conifer forests of the western United States, past management and fire exclusion have contributed to forest conditions that are susceptible to increasingly severe wildfire and drought. We evaluated declines in conifer forest cover in the southern Sierra Nevada of California during a decade of record disturbance by using spatially comprehensive forest structure estimates, wildfire perimeter data, and the eDaRT forest disturbance tracking algorithm. Primarily due to the combination of wildfires, drought, and drought‐associated beetle epidemics, 30% of the region's conifer forest extent transitioned to nonforest vegetation during 2011–2020. In total, 50% of mature forest habitat and 85% of high density mature forests either transitioned to lower density forest or nonforest vegetation types. California spotted owl protected activity centers (PAC) experienced greater canopy cover decline (49% of 2011 cover) than non‐PAC areas (42% decline). Areas with high initial canopy cover and without tall trees were most vulnerable to canopy cover declines, likely explaining the disproportionate declines of mature forest habitat and within PACs. Drought and beetle attack caused greater cumulative declines than areas where drought and wildfire mortality overlapped, and both types of natural disturbance far outpaced declines attributable to mechanical activities. Drought mortality that disproportionately affects large conifers is particularly problematic to mature forest specialist species reliant on large trees. However, patches of degraded forests within wildfire perimeters were larger with greater core area than those outside burned areas, and remnant forest habitats were more fragmented within burned perimeters than those affected by drought and beetle mortality alone. The percentage of mature forest that survived and potentially benefited from lower severity wildfire increased over time as the total extent of mature forest declined. These areas provide some opportunity for improved resilience to future disturbances, but strategic management interventions are likely also necessary to mitigate worsening mega‐disturbances. Remaining dry mature forest habitat in California may be susceptible to complete loss in the coming decades without a rapid transition from a conservation paradigm that attempts to maintain static conditions to one that manages for sustainable disturbance dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managers designing infrastructure in fire‐prone wildland areas require assessments of wildfire threat to quantify uncertainty due to future vegetation and climatic conditions. In this study, we combine wildfire simulation and forest landscape composition modeling to identify areas that would be highly susceptible to wildfire around a proposed conservation corridor in Québec, Canada. In this measure, managers have proposed raising the conductors of a new 735‐kV hydroelectric powerline above the forest canopy within a wildlife connectivity corridor to mitigate the impacts to threatened boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus). Retention of coniferous vegetation, however, can increase the likelihood of an intense wildfire damaging powerline infrastructure. To assess the likelihood of high‐intensity wildfires for the next 100 years, we evaluated three time periods (2020, 2070, 2120), three climate scenarios (observed, RCP 4.5, RCP 8.5), and four vegetation projections (static, no harvest, extensive harvesting, harvesting excluded in protected areas). Under present‐day conditions, we found a lower probability of high‐intensity wildfire within the corridor than in other parts of the study area, due to the protective influence of a nearby, poorly regenerated burned area. Wildfire probability will increase into the future, with strong, weather‐induced inflation in the number of annual ignitions and wildfire spread potential. However, a conversion to less‐flammable vegetation triggered by interactions between climate change and disturbance may attenuate this trend. By addressing the range of uncertainty of future conditions, we present a robust strategy to assist in decision‐making about long‐term risk management for both the proposed conservation measure and the powerline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest biodiversity conservation and species distribution modeling greatly benefit from broad‐scale forest maps depicting tree species or forest types rather than just presence and absence of forest, or coarse classifications. Ideally, such maps would stem from satellite image classification based on abundant field data for both model training and accuracy assessments, but such field data do not exist in many parts of the globe. However, different forest types and tree species differ in their vegetation phenology, offering an opportunity to map and characterize forests based on the seasonal dynamic of vegetation indices and auxiliary data. Our goal was to map and characterize forests based on both land surface phenology and climate patterns, defined here as forest phenoclusters. We applied our methodology in Argentina (2.8 million km2), which has a wide variety of forests, from rainforests to cold‐temperate forests. We calculated phenology measures after fitting a harmonic curve of the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) time series derived from 30‐m Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 data from 2018–2019. For climate, we calculated land surface temperature (LST) from Band 10 of the thermal infrared sensor (TIRS) of Landsat 8, and precipitation from Worldclim (BIO12). We performed stratified X‐means cluster classifications followed by hierarchical clustering. The resulting clusters separated well into 54 forest phenoclusters with unique combinations of vegetation phenology and climate characteristics. The EVI 90th percentile was more important than our climate and other phenology measures in providing separability among different forest phenoclusters. Our results highlight the potential of combining remotely sensed phenology measures and climate data to improve broad‐scale forest mapping for different management and conservation goals, capturing functional rather than structural or compositional characteristics between and within tree species. Our approach results in classifications that go beyond simple forest–nonforest in areas where the lack of detailed ecological field data precludes tree species–level classifications, yet conservation needs are high. Our map of forest phenoclusters is a valuable tool for the assessment of natural resources, and the management of the environment at scales relevant for conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of indicator species in forest conservation and management planning can facilitate enhanced preservation of biodiversity from the negative effects of forestry and other uses of land. However, this requires detailed and spatially comprehensive knowledge of the habitat preferences and distributions of selected focal indicator species. Unfortunately, due to limited resources for field surveys, only a small proportion of the occurrences of focal species is usually known. This shortcoming can be circumvented by using modeling techniques to predict the spatial distribution of suitable sites for the target species. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) and other remote sensing (RS) techniques have the potential to provide useful environmental data covering systematically large areas for these purposes. Here, we focused on six bird of prey and woodpecker species known to be good indicators of boreal forest biodiversity values. We used known nest sites of the six indicator species based on nestling ringing records. Thus, the most suitable nesting sites of these species provide important information for biodiversity‐friendly forest management and conservation planning. We developed fine‐grained, that is, 96 × 96 m grid cell resolution, predictive maps across the whole of Finland of the suitable nesting habitats based on ALS and other RS data and spatial information on the distribution of important forest stands for the six studied biodiversity indicator bird species based on nesting‐habitat suitability modeling, that is, the MaxEnt model. Habitat preferences of the study species, as determined by MaxEnt, were in line with the previous knowledge of species‐habitat relations. The proportion of suitable habitats of these species in protected areas (PAs) was considerable, but our analysis also revealed many potentially high‐quality forest stands outside PAs. However, many of these sites are increasingly threatened by logging because of increased pressures for using forests for bioeconomy and forest industry based on National Forest Strategy. Predicting habitat suitability based on information on the nest sites of indicator species provides a new tool for systematic conservation planning over large areas in boreal forests in Europe, and a corresponding approach would also be feasible and recommendable elsewhere where similar data are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high biodiversity of the Mexican montane forests is concentrated on the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt, where several Protected Natural Areas exist. Our study examines the projected changes in suitable climatic habitat for five conifer species that dominate these forests. The species are distributed sequentially in overlapping altitudinal bands: Pinus hartwegii at the upper timberline, followed by Abies religiosa, the overwintering host of the Monarch butterfly at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, P. pseudostrobus, the most important in economic terms, and P. devoniana and P. oocarpa, which are important for resin production and occupy low altitudes where montane conifers merge with tropical dry forests. We fit a bioclimatic model to presence–absence observations for each species using the Random Forests classification tree with ground plot data. The models are driven by normal climatic variables from 1961 to 1990, which represents the reference period for climate‐induced vegetation changes. Climate data from an ensemble of 17 general circulation models were run through the classification tree to project current distributions under climates described by the RCP 6.0 watts/m2 scenario for the decades centered on years 2030, 2060 and 2090. The results suggest that, by 2060, the climate niche of each species will occur at elevations that are between 300 to 500 m higher than at present. By 2060, habitat loss could amount to 46–77%, mostly affecting the lower limits of distribution. The two species at the highest elevation, P. hartwegii and A. religiosa, would suffer the greatest losses while, at the lower elevations, P. oocarpa would gain the most niche space. Our results suggest that conifers will require human assistance to migrate altitudinally upward in order to recouple populations with the climates to which they are adapted. Traditional in situ conservation measures are likely to be equivalent to inaction and will therefore be incapable of maintaining current forest compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In many managed landscapes, low‐productivity land comprises most of the remaining relatively untouched areas, and is often over‐represented within protected areas. The relationship between the productivity and conservational value of a site is poorly known; however, it has been hypothesized that biodiversity increases with productivity due to higher resource abundance or heterogeneity, and that the species communities of low‐productivity land are a nested subset of communities from more productive land. We tested these hypotheses for dead‐wood‐dependent beetles by comparing their species richness and composition, as well as the amount and diversity of dead wood, between low‐productivity (potential forest growth <1 m3·ha−1·yr−1) and high‐productivity Scots pine‐dominated stands in Sweden. We included four stand types: stands situated on (1) thin soils and (2) mires (both low‐productivity), (3) managed stands, and (4) unmanaged stands set aside for conservation purposes (both high‐productivity). Beetle species richness and number of red‐listed species were highest in the high‐productivity set‐asides. Species richness was positively correlated with the volume and diversity of dead wood, but volume appeared to be a better predictor than diversity for the higher species richness in set‐asides. Beetle species composition was similar among stand types, and the assemblages in low‐productivity stands were largely subsets of those in high‐productivity set‐asides. However, 11% of all species and 40% of red‐listed species only occurred in high‐productivity stands, while no species were unique to low‐productivity stands. We conclude that low‐productivity forests are less valuable for conservation than high‐productivity forest land. Given the generally similar species composition among stand types, a comparable conservational effect could be obtained by setting aside a larger area of low‐productivity forest in comparison to the high‐productivity. In terms of dead wood volumes, 1.8–3.6 ha of low‐productivity forest has the same value as 1 ha of unmanaged high‐productivity forest. This figure can be used to estimate the conservation value of low‐productivity forests; however, as high‐productivity forests harbored some unique species, they are not completely exchangeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To successfully respond to changing habitat, climate or harvest, managers need to identify the most effective strategies to reverse population trends of declining species and/or manage harvest of game species. A classic approach in conservation biology for the last two decades has been the use of matrix population models to determine the most important vital rates affecting population growth rate (λ), that is, sensitivity. Ecologists quickly realized the critical role of environmental variability in vital rates affecting λ by developing approaches such as life-stage simulation analysis ( LSA) that account for both sensitivity and variability of a vital rate. These LSA methods used matrix-population modeling and Monte Carlo simulation methods, but faced challenges in integrating data from different sources, disentangling process and sampling variation, and in their flexibility. Here, we developed a Bayesian integrated population model ( IPM) for two populations of a large herbivore, elk ( Cervus canadensis) in Montana, USA. We then extended the IPM to evaluate sensitivity in a Bayesian framework. We integrated known-fate survival data from radio-marked adults and juveniles, fecundity data, and population counts in a hierarchical population model that explicitly accounted for process and sampling variance. Next, we tested the prevailing paradigm in large herbivore population ecology that juvenile survival of neonates <90 d old drives λ using our Bayesian LSA approach. In contrast to the prevailing paradigm in large herbivore ecology, we found that adult female survival explained more of the variation in λ than elk calf survival, and that summer and winter elk calf survival periods were nearly equivalent in importance for λ. Our Bayesian IPM improved precision of our vital rate estimates and highlighted discrepancies between count and vital rate data that could refine population monitoring, demonstrating that combining sensitivity analysis with population modeling in a Bayesian framework can provide multiple advantages. Our Bayesian LSA framework will provide a useful approach to addressing conservation challenges across a variety of species and data types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is an important tool in tropical forest management, as it alters forest composition, structure, and the carbon budget. The United Nations program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation ( REDD+) aims to sustainably manage forests, as well as to conserve and enhance their carbon stocks. Despite the crucial role of fire management, decision-making on REDD+ interventions fails to systematically include fires. Here, we address this critical knowledge gap in two ways. First, we review REDD+ projects and programs to assess the inclusion of fires in monitoring, reporting, and verification ( MRV) systems. Second, we model the relationship between fire and forest for a pilot site in Colombia using near-real-time ( NRT) fire monitoring data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ( MODIS). The literature review revealed fire remains to be incorporated as a key component of MRV systems. Spatially explicit modeling of land use change showed the probability of deforestation declined sharply with increasing distance to the nearest fire the preceding year (multi-year model area under the curve [ AUC] 0.82). Deforestation predictions based on the model performed better than the official REDD early-warning system. The model AUC for 2013 and 2014 was 0.81, compared to 0.52 for the early-warning system in 2013 and 0.68 in 2014. This demonstrates NRT fire monitoring is a powerful tool to predict sites of forest deforestation. Applying new, publicly available, and open-access NRT fire data should be an essential element of early-warning systems to detect and prevent deforestation. Our results provide tools for improving both the current MRV systems, and the deforestation early-warning system in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially explicit models of animal abundance are a critical tool to inform conservation planning and management. However, they require the availability of spatially diffuse environmental predictors of abundance, which may be challenging, especially in complex and heterogeneous habitats. This is particularly the case for tropical mammals, such as nonhuman primates, that depend on multi-layered and species-rich tree canopy coverage, which is usually measured through a limited sample of ground plots. We developed an approach that calibrates remote-sensing imagery to ground measurements of tree density to derive basal area, in turn used as a predictor of primate density based on published models. We applied generalized linear models ( GLM) to relate 9.8-ha ground samples of tree basal area to various metrics extracted from Landsat 8 imagery. We tested the potential of this approach for spatial inference of animal density by comparing the density predictions for an endangered colobus monkey, to previous estimates from field transect counts, measured basal area, and other predictors of abundance. The best GLM had high accuracy and showed no significant difference between predicted and observed values of basal area. Our species distribution model yielded predicted primate densities that matched those based on field measurements. Results show the potential of using open-access and global remote-sensing data to derive an important predictor of animal abundance in tropical forests and in turn to make spatially explicit inference on animal density. This approach has important, inherent applications as it greatly magnifies the relevance of abundance modeling for informing conservation. This is especially true for threatened species living in heterogeneous habitats where spatial patterns of abundance, in relation to habitat and/or human disturbance factors, are often complex and, management decisions, such as improving forest protection, may need to be focused on priority areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity responses to land-use change are poorly understood at local scales, hindering our ability to make forecasts and management recommendations at scales which are of practical relevance. A key barrier in this has been the underappreciation of grain-dependent diversity responses and the role that β-diversity (variation in community composition across space) plays in this. Decisions about the most effective spatial arrangement of conservation set-aside, for example high conservation value areas, have also neglected β-diversity, despite its role in determining the complementarity of sites. We examined local-scale mammalian species richness and β-diversity across old-growth forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantations in Borneo, using intensive camera- and live-trapping. For the first time, we were able to investigate diversity responses, as well as β-diversity, at multiple spatial grains, and across the whole terrestrial mammal community (large and small mammals); β-diversity was quantified by comparing observed β-diversity with that obtained under a null model, in order to control for sampling effects, and we refer to this as the β-diversity signal. Community responses to land use were grain dependent, with large mammals showing reduced richness in logged forest compared to old-growth forest at the grain of individual sampling points, but no change at the overall land-use level. Responses varied with species group, however, with small mammals increasing in richness at all grains in logged forest compared to old-growth forest. Both species groups were significantly depauperate in oil palm. Large mammal communities in old-growth forest became more heterogeneous at coarser spatial grains and small mammal communities became more homogeneous, while this pattern was reversed in logged forest. Both groups, however, showed a significant β-diversity signal at the finest grain in logged forest, likely due to logging-induced environmental heterogeneity. The β-diversity signal in oil palm was weak, but heterogeneity at the coarsest spatial grain was still evident, likely due to variation in landscape forest cover. Our findings suggest that the most effective spatial arrangement of set-aside will involve trade-offs between conserving large and small mammals. Greater consideration in the conservation and management of tropical landscapes needs to be given to β-diversity at a range of spatial grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, mangrove forests represents only 0.7% of world's tropical forested area but are highly threatened due to susceptibility to climate change, sea level rise, and increasing pressures from human population growth in coastal regions. Our study was carried out in the Bhitarkanika Conservation Area ( BCA), the second-largest mangrove area in eastern India. We assessed total ecosystem carbon (C) stocks at four land use types representing varying degree of disturbances. Ranked in order of increasing impacts, these sites included dense mangrove forests, scrub mangroves, restored/planted mangroves, and abandoned aquaculture ponds. These impacts include both natural and/or anthropogenic disturbances causing stress, degradation, and destruction of mangroves. Mean vegetation C stocks (including both above- and belowground pools; mean ± standard error) in aquaculture, planted, scrub, and dense mangroves were 0, 7 ± 4, 65 ± 11 and 100 ± 11 Mg C/ha, respectively. Average soil C pools for aquaculture, planted, scrub, and dense mangroves were 61 ± 8, 92 ± 20, 177 ± 14, and 134 ± 17 Mg C/ha, respectively. Mangrove soils constituted largest fraction of total ecosystem C stocks at all sampled sites (aquaculture [100%], planted [90%], scrub [72%], and dense mangrove [57%]). Within BCA, the four studied land use types covered an area of ~167 km2 and the total ecosystem C stocks were 0.07 Tg C for aquaculture (~12 km2), 0.25 Tg C for planted/ restored mangrove (~24 km2), 2.29 teragrams (Tg) Tg C for scrub (~93 km2), and 0.89 Tg C for dense mangroves (~38 km2). Although BCA is protected under Indian wildlife protection and conservation laws, ~150 000 people inhabit this area and are directly or indirectly dependent on mangrove resources for sustenance. Estimates of C stocks of Bhitarkanika mangroves and recognition of their role as a C repository could provide an additional reason to support conservation and restoration of Bhitarkanika mangroves. Harvesting or destructive exploitation of mangroves by local communities for economic gains can potentially be minimized by enabling these communities to avail themselves of carbon offset/conservation payments under approved climate change mitigation strategies and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing climate and a legacy of fire-exclusion have increased the probability of high-severity wildfire, leading to an increased risk of forest carbon loss in ponderosa pine forests in the southwestern USA. Efforts to reduce high-severity fire risk through forest thinning and prescribed burning require both the removal and emission of carbon from these forests, and any potential carbon benefits from treatment may depend on the occurrence of wildfire. We sought to determine how forest treatments alter the effects of stochastic wildfire events on the forest carbon balance. We modeled three treatments (control, thin-only, and thin and burn) with and without the occurrence of wildfire. We evaluated how two different probabilities of wildfire occurrence, 1% and 2% per year, might alter the carbon balance of treatments. In the absence of wildfire, we found that thinning and burning treatments initially reduced total ecosystem carbon (TEC) and increased net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB). In the presence of wildfire, the thin and burn treatment TEC surpassed that of the control in year 40 at 2%/yr wildfire probability, and in year 51 at 1%/yr wildfire probability. NECB in the presence of wildfire showed a similar response to the no-wildfire scenarios: both thin-only and thin and burn treatments increased the C sink. Treatments increased TEC by reducing both mean wildfire severity and its variability. While the carbon balance of treatments may differ in more productive forest types, the carbon balance benefits from restoring forest structure and fire in southwestern ponderosa pine forests are clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In increasingly fragmented landscapes, it is important to understand how mature forest affects adjacent secondary forest (forest influence). Forest influence on ecological succession of beetle communities is largely unknown. We investigated succession and forest influence using 235 m long transects across boundaries between mature and secondary forest at 15 sites, sampling a chronosequence of three forest age classes (5-10, 23-29, and 42-46 years since clear-cutting) in tall eucalypt forest in Tasmania, Australia. Our results showed that ground-dwelling beetle communities showed strong successional changes, and in the oldest secondary forests, species considered indicators of mature forest had recolonized to abundance levels similar to those observed within adjacent mature forest stands. However, species composition also showed forest influence gradients in all age classes. Forest influence was estimated to extend 13 m and 20 m in the youngest and intermediate-aged secondary forests, respectively. However, the estimated effect extended to at least 176 m in the oldest secondary forest. our environmental modeling suggests that leaf litter, microclimate, and soil variables were all important in explaining the spatial variation in beetle assemblages, and the relative importance of factors varied between secondary forest age classes. Mature-forest beetle communities can recolonize successfully from the edge, and our results provide a basis for land managers to build mature habitat connectivity into forest mosaics typical of production forests. our results also indicate the importance of forest influence in determining potential conservation value of older secondary forest for beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates on the significance of forest conservation in delivering great return in coral reef conservation investments. The study estimated the relative condition of coral reefs in consideration to the influenced of watershed-based pollution and fishing to determine the benefits of coral reef conservation. The results of the study supported the decisions made by the Fiji Protected Area Committee on establishing a national protected area network.

The article presents a study that investigates the shifting cultivation and forest conservation in southeastern Mexico. It examines the land use and land cover change(LUCC) in relation to accessibility and to search evidence of agricultural expansion and/or intensification after a community forest program in 1986 was initiated. It indicates that the resulting landscape provides a poorer resource base for sustaining agricultural livelihoods and discusses the ways to address agricultural change.

The article presents a study that investigates the effect of implementing assisted migration to address climate change in reforestation programs in western Canada. The study conducted a monitoring of natural aspen population using MODIS enhanced vegetation index. It notes that the study exemplifies a safe and realistic adaptation of climate change strategy based on multiple sources of information associated with recommendations for assisted migration.

The article presents a study which determines the effects of experimental timber harvest on the forest Lepidopteria in Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Indiana. It outlines the method of the study which uses a variety of Lepidoptera from 20 different forest stands to examine reactions in the changes of species richness and composition. The study indicates that temporal variation promote strong interaction with timber harvest and creates greater heterogeneity in species dominance.

The article presents a study which which assesses the long-term effects of Maya forest gardens for the development of forest conservation models and tree composition in northwest Belize. The study surveyed 31 high density and 32 low density plots in El Pilar Archaeological Reserve in northwestern Belize. Results indicate that examination of tree density and basal area has no difference in forest plots, whether it is in high density or low density.

The article presents the study of reforestation by planting native tree seedlings in degraded lands of Costa Rica. It shows the comparative importance of local restoration approach and landscape-level factors in the process of restoration. Researchers use three approaches on restoration which realize the importance of planting design in seed deposition rather than the amount of forest cover within the specified area.

The article offers a conceptual framework for forest management under an assumption that future environments will be different from present but uncertain about the specifics of change. The authors boost flexible approaches that promote reversible and incremental steps, and that favor ongoing learning and capacity to modify direction as situations change. They opine that no single solution fits all future challenges, especially in the context of changing climates. They suggest that the best strategy is to mix different approaches for different situations. Resource managers will be challenged to incorporate adaptation strategies and mitigation strategies into overall plans.

The article presents a study that evaluates the importance of protected areas (PA) in preserving bird diversity, especially the endemic and forest species in the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The study stated that the island has one of the highest numbers of native bird species and the most important endemic bird areas in the world. The study suggested the importance of buffer areas for increasing small reserves to improve its conservation value. The study showed that the uniqueness in bird species composition among PA emphasizes the significance of establishing a reserve network in major altitudinal zones. The study used birds as ecological indicators since birds are easy to sample, vital in key ecosystem processes and high species richness than other group of animals.

The article discusses on the relationship of hydroelectricity production and economic growth between ecosystem or biodiversity conservation in watershed. Evidence shows that a large number of hydroelectricity productions happens in countries with biodiversity hotspots or locations that has rich in species diversity threatened habitats. Yangtze River basin of China, in which most of the "Mountains of Southwest China" hotspot, 63 dams were constructed to meet the increasing demand for electric power. The Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Plant (TGHPP) the largest dam has been used to meet the changes demand for electric power. The good relationship between hydroelectricity production and forest conservation in watersheds integrates ecosystem conservation with the economic development.

The article presents a study which examines the impact of dogwood anthracnose and vegetation change on foliar calcium cycling in Southern Appalachian Mountains in the U.S. It has used data from long-term vegetation monitoring plots to examine the ecological role Cornus florida (C. florida) in calcium cycling and to identify changes in annual foliar calcium cycling over two sampling intervals, 1977-1979 and 1995-2000. It has observed that between the two intervals, the annual calcium contribution of understory woody vegetation has declined across all forest types. Loss of C. florida was responsible for only 13% decline but accounted for 96% decline in typic coves.

The article presents a study which examines the changes in plant species composition and aboveground biomass accumulation during long-term patterns in tropical reforestation in Puerto Rico. It has utilized a well-replicated chronosequence approach where it has taken samples from primary forests and secondary forests from abandoned pastures. It has investigated that the secondary forests has the structural characteristics of primary forests within 20 years of abandonment. It has also find out that the successional stage affected the species composition due to biomass differences between secondary and primary forests. It has showed that the new secondary forests may provide an opportunity for the conservation of biodiversity in a human influenced landscape.

The article focuses on a study related to examining the modes of decay and temporal patterns in the availability of Picea abies logs in an old-growth forest affected by internal disturbance. The study was conducted in Norra Gardfjäallet State Forest Reserve in Västerbotten County, Sweden. Almost 90 percent of the logs took about 60 years to decay beyond a deformed trunk with soft wood. Heart-rot fungi were found to be important factors behind the dynamics of dead wood. The impact of log size on wood decay rates was also examined.

The article presents the study on the effects of competition on tree growth along environmental gradients for the 14 most abundant tree species in the forests of New England. The analysis estimates each individual tree's actual growth as a function of average potential diameter growth modified by three sets of scalars that quantify the effects on growth of initial target tree size, local environmental conditions and crowding by neighboring trees. Moreover, the analysis provides empirical estimates of the strength of intraspecific and interspecific competitive effects of neighbors. The results indicated that there was a clear competitive hierarchy among the four most shade-tolerant species and a separate competitive hierarchy among the shade-intolerant species.

The article discusses the study on the spatial heterogeneity of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) following restoration treatments in a ponderosa pine forest in western Montana. It evaluates the relationships between understory species richness and TIN heterogeneity following mechanical thinning and prescribed burning to discern the ecological and management implications of these restoration approaches. The study authors measured TIN from a grid consisting of 112 soil samples in each plot, and as a measure of heterogeneity, they computed standard deviations. Additionally, they employed a randomized block design with three 9 hectare replicates of each treatment and an untreated control.

The article discusses the study on the ability of tree islands to serve as recruitment focus in a two-year study at three sites in northern Honduras. Three islands, with 64, 16 and 4 square meters in sizes, respectively, and at two distances to secondary forest were created by planting 2 meter tall vegetative stakes of two native species. The open-pasture islands of equal sizes served as controls. There were 160 visits of seed-dispersing birds being recorded to islands compared with one visit to open pasture. All in all, there were 144,140 seeds belonging to 186 species were collected in islands. Eighty percent of them were grasses. The study indicated that planting vegetative stakes to create tree islands in pastures accelerates forest recovery by overcoming a number of impediments.

The article discusses the study on the effects of natural and human disturbances on ecosystems. The study authors developed an integrated spatiotemporally explicit model of household activities, natural vegetation dynamics and their impacts on panda habitat. It aims to analyze the complex interactions of humans and landscapes. They also examined the direct consequences of local fuelwood collection and household creation on areas of critical giant panda habitat. The results revealed the importance of the spatial distribution of direct household impacts on habitat. Moreover, it proves the effects of the indirect interactions between humans and the landscapes they are modifying.

The article discusses the study on the role of fragmented forest habitat in generating ecosystem services in a human-dominated agricultural landscape and the loss of forest habitats on the ecosystem services in southern Madagascar. The authors addressed two ecosystem services dependent on the forest habitats such as the crop pollination services by wild and semi-domesticated bees and the seed dispersal services based on the presence of ring-tailed lemurs. The results of the study showed that, the fraction of the landscape presently the taboo system contributes to supporting the generation of these services by protecting the forest patches.

The article features the study that population and demography dynamics of the understory harvested palm, Chamaedorea radicalis, in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. The topics discussed include the effectiveness of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) on tropical forest conservation, the effects of leaf harvesting treatment in reducing marketable leaves availability, and importance and numerous uses of palm leaves to millions of individuals.

The article presents a study that determines the effects of reforestation strategies to 20 native tree species in abandoned farmland in Panama. It offers details of the method of the study that uses four mowing and shading treatments of the exotic grass, Saccharum spontaneum. The findings of the study indicate that large-seed, moderately to highly shade-tolerant species have performed well in the Saccharum and reforestation strategy is recommended.

The article presents a study that investigates the response of Cinerous Vulture species on two divergent forestry practices in two colonies. It offers details of the method of the study which determines the distribution patterns of the species through forestry and human-related activities. The findings of the study suggest the need to protect suitable habitat from human activity near nests to effective conserve breeding areas.

The article presents a study to examine the impacts of selective logging on herbaceous plants of tropical forests. It analyzes the effects of logging intensity, time after logging, and skidder tracks, on the composition and diversity of the ground-level herb community of a terra-firme forest in central Amazonia.

The article discusses the study on understanding the character of the stakeholder agencies in Nova Scotia in operating to further or frustrate the efforts to introduce ecological management systems. It highlights the workings of the Forest Improvement Act and the forest conservation initiatives. It mentions the need of ecosystem management to be reconceptualized from an approach that is driven by scientific understanding.

The article focuses on a study on the human or natural disturbance in landscape-scale dynamics of the tropical forest Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. Topics discussed include documenting historical changes in extent, cover, and type of forest vegetation and distribution of land use and hurricane impacts; ecological, conservation, and natural resource discussions.; and human land use, intense at low elevations and decreasing on steep for explaining vegetation dynamics.

Modern forest management seeks to balance multiple social, economic, and ecological goals. Different management approaches create different types of disturbances in a forest ecosystem and thus also differ in their impacts on plants, animals, and insects. Understanding these impacts is important for conservation of forest ecosystem function, but challenging due to the large spatial and temporal scale over which management occurs. Most past research has focused on relatively small areas, short time scales, and/or a small number of species. To address this, we examined the effects of two common silvicultural systems (even and uneven aged) on abundance and richness of three vertebrate taxa (birds, small mammals, and herpetofauna) over a two‐decade period in a temperate hardwood forest in Missouri, USA. The two systems removed a similar amount of biomass overall, but differed in the intensity, number, and configuration of harvests applied. We found that vertebrate population responses varied by taxa, occurred at multiple spatial scales, and were concentrated in the period following the first harvest entry. Birds generally had the largest changes in relative abundance, both positive and negative, following management. Small mammals and reptiles had smaller, but generally positive, responses; amphibians were mixed. Bird species tended to respond in the same way to both silvicultural systems, while small mammals and herpetofauna did not respond consistently. Thus, for birds, the total amount of harvest disturbance across the landscape drives population responses, while for others the size and configuration of individual harvests is likely more important. Synthesizing results across the vertebrate community at large spatial and temporal scales allows managers to better understand trade‐offs when making decisions that will affect wildlife in contrasting ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]