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Increasing the proportion of broadleaved trees in stands during regeneration raises questions about how these trees will be reflected in the economics of forest owners and whether these owners can influence certain economic aspects during stand management. In this respect, the paper focuses mainly on the revenue side of forestry and, crucially, analyses the selling prices of assortments of tree species groups as offered in public tenders of state forests under the outsourcing business model. The price level of spruce is used as a benchmark for comparisons in the analyses. It is clear that the cultivation of species-diverse forests entails an increase in the representation of a higher number of tree species and, presumably, increased stand stability. However, a concomitant consequence may be an increase in costs and a reduction in returns for forest owners. Here, the revenue from timber sales can be improved by appropriate adjustment of the species composition through educational interventions. All this is in the context of the economic viability of forestry, as declared in a number of strategic and forest policy documents, which essentially depends on the timber production function of forestry and the subsequent processing of timber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention is drawn to scientifically based theoretical and practical approaches to the implementation of the concept of sustainable forest management and, accordingly, to ensuring the principles of sustainable forestry aimed at the adequate protection, use, and regeneration of forest resources in Ukraine during Russia's war against Ukraine. The main socio-economic and ecological aspects that influence the implementation of the concept of sustainable forest management at the national and regional level in the current conditions of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine are considered. The changes in the forest sector in the conditions of war are reflected, which must be considered from the point of view of understanding the principles of sustainable development, sustainable forestry, and the concept of sustainable forest management. It is proposed to develop and implement a theoretical, methodological, and practical approach to the implementation of the concept of sustainable forest management in Ukraine which would take into account the regional differences regarding the organisation and development of forestry in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical forest plantations play an important role in meeting global wood demand. While research has highlighted the ecological potential of mixed-species plantations, studies on the economic viability and management of such plantations are largely missing in the context of tropical plantation forestry. In this study, we estimated the economic potential and optimized the management of commercial mixed-species plantations of four tree species native to Central America (Dalbergia retusa, Dipteryx oleifera, Hieronyma alchorneoides, and Vochysia guatemalensis) and Teak (Tectona grandis). We combined the forest growth model 3-PGmix and detailed economic data for two plantation sites in Costa Rica to optimize the management of 11 different mixtures using a genetic optimization algorithm. We found that several of the modeled mixed-species stands can be highly profitable with net present values (NPV) up to 4821.2 USD/ha at an 8% discount rate, and internal rates of return up to 17% (under excellent site conditions). This indicates that the most profitable mixtures (e.g. of V. guatemalensis-D. oleifera or T. grandis-D. oleifera on excellent sites) could compete economically with conventional monoculture plantations such as Teak monocultures. Further, mixed stands can be managed based on the same simple even-aged management approaches currently applied in monoculture plantations if the specific management parameters are adapted. The optimized management parameters also lead to improved NPV of the modeled stands under alternative valuation assumptions but are site-specific. In the present study, we only considered financial benefits from timber production. However, establishing mixed-species plantations in the tropics could provide a wide range of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play an essential role in the Amazon region, contributing to the integration between biodiversity conservation and the enhancement of the bioeconomy. This study has examined the scope of NTFP research in the Amazon and pinpointed areas lacking scientific insight. From the 219 publications initially identified, 146 satisfied established inclusion criteria based on the methodology employed and the results achieved. It was found that the inaugural publication indexed by Scopus on Amazonian NTFPs dates to 1992. It was found that the inaugural publication indexed by Scopus on Amazonian NTFPs dates to 1992. Despite the extensive body of research, there is a noticeable deficit in studies addressing legal and regulatory frameworks within the NTFP production chain and public policy development. Research has predominantly concentrated on production, distribution, management, and economic aspects, often neglecting the social, normative, and political dimensions. Advancing the bioeconomy value chains in the Amazon necessitates empowering local communities to derive economic benefits from biodiversity. However, recognizing the complexity of these communities' relationships with the forest is important. Their interaction with the forest extends beyond economic considerations, embracing cultural, subsistence, and spiritual connections. These insights underscore the necessity for a comprehensive and sustainable approach to NTFP management in the Amazon, ensuring that biodiversity conservation and local community empowerment are integrally pursued. This holistic perspective is vital for fostering a resilient bioeconomy in the region. • This review examines 146 articles on NTFPs in the Amazon using the terms 'non-timber forest product', 'NTFP', and 'Amazon'. • The studies predominantly investigate aspects related to silvicultural and productive issues. • Non-timber forest products used as food predominate in research among other potential uses. • Venezuela, Suriname and French Guiana lack published and indexed articles in Scopus. • The main knowledge gaps involve sociocultural, normative, and political aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Forestry Economy is the property of China Forestry Economy Magazine Agency and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This document is a laudatory article from the Acta Facultatis Xylologiae Zvolen journal, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Dr. h. c. prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc. Dr. Šupín has had a distinguished career in academia, serving as the former rector of the university, dean of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, and founder of the Department of Marketing, Trade, and World Forestry. He has made significant contributions to the fields of world forestry, marketing, international management, and trade, and has authored several university textbooks. Dr. Šupín has also played a key role in the reforms and development of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, increasing its popularity and research activities. He has been involved in numerous scientific research projects and has supervised many students. Dr. Šupín has also held important positions in the Slovak government and represented the country in international organizations. The article concludes by wishing Dr. Šupín good health and continued success in his future endeavors. [Extracted from the article]

The study aimed to outline the ecological and economic priority areas of forestry production in Ukraine in the postwar period. Theoretical and informational basis of the study were reports of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, laws and regulations of Ukraine and the European Union, the Global Forest Watch platform, studies of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of environmental protection, environmental economics and forestry management. Economic and statistical (statistical data processing in assessing the numerical relationship of various phenomena and the forest production); correlation-regression (study of the impact of forestry activities); abstractlogical (theoretical generalizations and concluding) research methods have been used. According to the analyzed research, the main problems that will slow the development of new directions of forestry production and forest industry in general in the postwar period are the tenuous relationship between forestry and wood processing industry; low technological level; poor innovation activity; low efficiency of forest resources use; insufficient implementation of the postulates of European environmental policy statements. Criteria for the effectiveness of forestry production environmentalization, taking into account current and retrospective indicators, the current legislative requirements, confirmed theoretical and mathematical models, information on current efficiency, the results of the internal check, etc. have been proposed. Based on statistical data the analysis which allows characterizing prospects of creation and development of new forestry clusters has been carried out. The main characteristics of the cluster in the timber industry for the full functioning of the line and its modernization and ecologization in the postwar period have been outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of a numerous official documents and publications reveals a serious crisis of forest management in Russia. Forest management paradigm, defined by the Forest Code ideologues, will lead inevitably to the Russian forest fund degradation. Meanwhile, forestry is production industry in which laws of the market economy are in force. For this reason, forest management should be reconstructed in Russia. A principle of forestry revival will be impartial ecological and market economic assessment of forest resources, which would be instrumental in transition of the subsidized scheme of forest management financing to a system that would provide rational forestry and a profit. Forestry organization is the key task of forest inventory that is completed in close connection with forest economy and forest management. Specific problems of sustainable forestry organization and forest use should be solved on this basis. When State owns forests in the market economy environments, stumpage sale at prices lower than the cost for reforestation cannot be allowed. In view of this, market transition of forest use is crucial to establish payments for standing timber based on rental income. This will guarantee the financing of reforestation as well as assignments to the budget at the different levels. Chief reorganization objective of forest management in Russia is outlined as follows: ensuring economic efficiency of the forest sector; sustainable use of forest resources and reforestation; forest conservation for the next generations.

In this paper, we provide an overview of achievements in forest research in Ireland carried out by various agencies over the past 60 yr. Many of the outcomes of the research have ensured that policy and practice are well-founded, and many of the research results form the basis of current forest standards and practice. Forest research has, and will continue to have, a significant role in national policy development and international reporting commitments. The achievement of future goals and targets is increasingly dependent on the maintenance of the goods and services that forests provide; these can be enhanced through the establishment of new forests and by appropriate management of the resource (e.g. The EU Green Deal and EU Forest Strategy). We outline the current state of knowledge which can be used to inform afforestation goals and the importance of tree improvement, forest management and forest protection to improve competitiveness and sustainability. Research into forestry and carbon provides a focus on the opportunities and challenges of climate change to Irish forestry. Future efforts will involve longer-term monitoring of environmental change commensurate with the forest rotation to reduce the uncertainties associated with climate change. Research into forestry economics, attitudinal surveys and behavioural studies may help inform the achievement of future policy goals. Reducing the impacts of biotic attack through efficient surveying, disease monitoring and assessing future risk is likely to be the focus of future research effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of non‐commodity ecosystem services provided by forests is widely recognized, but intensive forest management practices are increasing, with uncertain consequences for a multitude of these services. Quantitative relationships among biodiversity conservation, timber production and other ecosystem services remain poorly understood, especially during the early‐successional period of intensively managed forestlands.We manipulated management intensity in regenerating forest plantations to test the prediction that treatments aimed at maximizing timber production decrease biodiversity conservation and non‐timber services. We measured species richness of 3 taxonomic groups and 13 proxies for provisioning, cultural and regulating services within stands randomly assigned to one of the three herbicide application intensities or an untreated control.Herbicides increased allocation of net primary production to crop trees, increasing projected timber volume and revenues at 40‐ and 60‐year harvest ages. Commonly used herbicide prescriptions reduced culturally valued plants by 71%, wild‐ungulate forage by 41%, avian richness by 20% and pollinator floral resources by 42%, the latter being associated with 38% fewer pollinator species. However, agriculturally valued bumblebees, pollination of blueberries, avian‐mediated arthropod control, wild ungulate observations and regulation services tied to forest productivity appeared unaffected by increasing management intensity and timber production.Species richness and flora‐provided services in young forest plantations exhibited strong trade‐offs with projected timber production, whereas post‐treatment vegetation regeneration and site‐level variation likely maintained a range of other services. Although vegetation recovery is important for supporting wildlife and some ecosystem services on industrial forestlands, it is unlikely that any single prescription can optimize both timber and non‐timber benefits to society across managed forest landscapes. Instead, producing different services in discrete portions of the landscape may be necessary.Synthesis and applications. We tested the effects of intensive forest management via herbicides on ecosystem services and found that biodiversity responses and services from early‐successional vegetation trade‐off against timber production. A number of services appeared to be compatible with timber production, although no single prescription optimized the full range of services. Stand‐level biodiversity conservation and a variety of services could potentially be provided by treatment skips and less‐intensive management on productive sites, although it is unlikely that all services can be optimized without landscape‐level planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire for a scientific research on the public perception of an image of the state forest enterprise Lesy SR in the Slovak Republic is presented.

Copyright of Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente is the property of Universidade Federal do Parana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We have pragmatically but accurately evaluated the natural capital of a small northern town, Shimokawa, Hokkaido, Japan. The key industries are forestry, wood manufacturing, and agriculture. From an environmental perspective, Shimokawa was nominated as a Japanese FutureCity. Consequently, the total natural capital value (NCV) of the forest and agricultural lands was calculated to be 1.326 billion USD/year (or 24,161 USD/ha/year) and 44 million USD/year (or 19,692 USD/ha/year), respectively, in 2012. The sum of these NCVs was more than 7 times greater than the yearly gross production of the town, although the forest had a higher NCV because of the larger area (54,862 ha for forest area), compared with 2953 ha for agricultural area. This substantial NCV is mainly generated by sustainable forest management. The timber account showed that the annual tree growth was greater than the annual harvest of trees. The CO2 account derived from a one-year calculation showed that the town served as a CO2 sink at 107,249 t-CO2/year due to the large amount of annual tree growth and CO2 storage in the harvested wood products even if CO2 was emitted from industries and households. The forestry and wood manufacturing industries, as well as agriculture, created socioeconomic effects for the townspeople, ranging from job creation, study tours, and social welfare. This NCV accounting for Shimokawa town ensures the sustainable use of valuable environmental assets and will help other communities recognize their own NCV accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed 302 top papers in the subject category of Forestry from 2010 to 2020, which include 300 highly cited papers and 3 hot papers. All papers were written in English, belonging to 1,567 authors, 694 organizations and 74 countries/territories, published in 35 journals and book series. The top five Journals were Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Forest Ecology and Management, Forests, Tree Physiology and Forest Policy and Economics. Top five countries and regions were USA, Germany, Canada, France and Peoples R China. Top five organizations were US Forest Serv, Chinese Acad Sci, INRA, Swedish Univ Agr Sci and Univ Freiburg. Among the all authors, Bauhus, Juergen from Univ Freiburg of Germany provided the highest number in 6 papers. All keywords were separated into seven clusters for different research topics. Visualizations offered exploratory information on the current state in a scientific field or discipline as well as indicated possible developments in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international community is paying more and more attention to the role of forests in CO2 absorption. This study aims the broad leaved forest carbon sinks in China, on the basis of research on coniferous forest carbon sinks in 1981 and 2014, the paper analyses the changes in broad leaved forest carbon sinks and the relations between the changes and the forest economics and management from 1981 to 2015 using the forest stock volume conversion method. The paper selects the common indexes of forest economics and management such as investment in forestry-fixed assets in silviculture and afforestation, the annual gross domestic product (GDP) values for the forestry sector, and management level improvement. The paper first of all establishes carbon sink estimates, and then analyses recent carbon sink trends of the dominant species of broad leaved forest which is based on six times inventories of China's forest resources. The inventory data cover the four dominant broad-leaved species which are named as Oak, Betula, Populus, and others, such as Eucalyptus, Camphor, and Linden. The paper shows that a significant effect has been made by the forest carbon sinks of these species and investment in forestry-fixed assets in silviculture and afforestation, management level improvement etc. though with a lag of 4–7 years, and there raises a lot of discussions of various problems regarding forest carbon sinks and forest management and economic development. This study has important implications for forest resource management and climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerating forest on land used for non-forest economic activities can be difficult; this introduces some irreversibility in the process of deforestation. We analyze the effect of such irreversibility (reforestation cost) on the efficiency of forest conservation in a general model of optimal forest management where trees are classified in age classes and land has alternative economic use. Irreversibility may lead to a continuum of optimal steady states that differ in the area under forest cover; increase in irreversibility can only add steady states with smaller forest cover. High irreversibility discourages expansion of forests but at the same time, makes it optimal to conserve a minimal forested area in the long run; in particular, it is optimal to maintain a forested area above a critical size if the initial forest cover lies above it, while forests that are initially smaller than the critical level are optimally managed at constant size. We characterize the exact condition under which it is optimal to avoid total deforestation; the extent of irreversibility does not matter for this. Weak irreversibility may be associated with cyclical fluctuations in optimal forest cover; we characterize upper and lower bounds on the forest cover along an optimal path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a ranking of forest economics topics, optimal rotation would probably win the top position. An interest rate represents the opportunity cost of capital, and the fact that the first utilization of the forest temporally postpones the following utilizations expresses the opportunity costs of ground. Optimization of the rotation period in the forest rent model differs from the Faustmann formula by maximization of an eternal and, under the assumption of the fully regulated forest situation, constant income streams. While the Faustmann approach may still claim relevance to investors who have capital market access, it will be difficult to find an investor in this world who has no opportunity cost of capital. [Extracted from the article]

The invasion of a forest by a pathogen is a complex dynamic and spatial problem. The induced disturbances do not only reduce the present availability of the affected tree species but alter its future availability, population structure and distribution as well. These disturbances also have an impact on the prices of wood products via supply shocks, which, in turn, influence forest management choices, thus introducing feedback effects between market and ecological dynamics. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the economic impact of an invasive pathogen at a large scale by integrating the biophysical and economic aspects of the invasion into a dynamic and spatially explicit setting. The analysis is developed using a modified version of the French Forest Sector Model (FFSM), a recursive partial equilibrium model, to which a specifically designed pathogen spread and mortality model have been coupled. We calibrated the model to represent the ash dieback invasion in France. Results showed that impacts are not homogeneous across regions and generally depend on the resource distribution, pathogen spread and market structure. We observed that the behavioural adaptation of forest managers (i.e. regeneration and harvesting choices) is a non-negligible component of the total standing volume loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Faustmann–Hartman setup is widely established for specifying the economics of forest values besides timber, but it is criticized as restrictive for capturing diversity values. We show that extending the model to cover diversity attributes, i.e., mixed species and internal heterogeneity within species, is not enough to overcome these restrictions. Additionally, it is necessary to extend forest harvesting regimes to cover thinning, continuous cover forestry, and the management of commercially useless trees. Restrictions in the Faustmann–Hartman setup are first shown analytically with optimized thinning but without tree size structures. The empirical significance of these findings is shown by a model that includes four tree species, tree size structures, an extended set of forest management activities, a detailed description of harvesting costs, and a measure for stand diversity as a key factor behind ecosystem services. We show how an optimal harvesting regime, net revenues, wood output, and stand diversity depend on model flexibility, economic parameters, and the valuation of ecosystem services. In a setup allowing flexible management regimes, the costs of reaching a specified level of ecosystem services are negligible compared with those of the Faustmann–Hartman specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students Measure Growth Trends in the School Woods Using GPS units Students learn to use GPS units in class and input their school forest plot coordinates This information, students determine the habitat type of the school forest. Forest trends, think-pair-share worksheet, school forest. [Extracted from the article]

People's attitudes towards forest stand characteristics including deadwood are becoming increasingly relevant in sustainable forest management. The aim of this study is to investigate people's attitudes towards deadwood in forest. The study was carried out in the Rakhiv region (Ukraine) characterized by high importance of forest resources for the local community and economy. People's opinions were collected through the face-to-face administration of a questionnaire to 308 respondents. The survey investigated three aspects: importance of deadwood in forest; people's perceptions of positive and negative effects of deadwood in forest; effects of presence and amount of deadwood in different types of forest on people's aesthetical preferences. The results show that the majority of respondents consider deadwood as an important component of the forest, but generally they prefer intensively managed forests without deadwood. According to the respondents' opinions, the most important positive effect of deadwood is a contribution to stand dynamics, while the most important negative effect is an increasing risk of insects and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Likelihood determinants for forest categories differ in different world regions. • Forest conditions, accessibility and environmental properties are important drivers. • Our final maps represent global patterns of forest classes and forest uses. • The maps visualize the current issues with available data. Abstract Forests provide numerous ecosystem services, such as timber yields, biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation. The type of management has an effect on the provision of these services. Often the demands for these services can lead to conflict – wood harvest can negatively impact biodiversity and climate change mitigation capacity. Although forest management differences are important, spatially explicit data is lacking, in particular on a global scale. We present here a first systematic approach which integrates existing data to map forest management globally through downscaling national and subnational forest data. In our forest management classification, we distinguished between two levels of forest management, with three categories each. Level 1 comprised primary, naturally regrown and planted forests. Level 2 distinguished between different forest uses. We gathered documented locations, where these forest categories were observed, from the literature and a database on ecological diversity. We then performed multinomial logit regression and estimated the effect of 21 socio-economic and bio-physical predictor variables on the occurrence of a forest category. Model results on significance and effect direction of predictor variables were in line with findings of previous studies. Soil and environmental properties, forest conditions and accessibility are important determinants of the occurrence of forest management types. Based on the model results, likelihood maps were calculated and used to spatially allocate national extents of level 1 and level 2 forest categories. When compared to previous studies, our maps showed higher agreement than random samples. Deviations between observed and predicted plantation locations were mostly below 10 km. Our map provides an estimation of global forest management patterns, enhancing previous methodologies and making the best use of data available. Next to having multiple applications, for example within global conservation planning or climate change mitigation analyses, it visualizes the currently available data on forest management on a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the growth of tree species to future environmental changes requires a better understanding of its determinants. Tree growth is known to respond to global‐change drivers such as climate change or atmospheric deposition, as well as to local land‐use drivers such as forest management. Yet, large geographical scale studies examining interactive growth responses to multiple global‐change drivers are relatively scarce and rarely consider management effects. Here, we assessed the interactive effects of three global‐change drivers (temperature, precipitation and nitrogen deposition) on individual tree growth of three study species (Quercus robur/petraea, Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus excelsior). We sampled trees along spatial environmental gradients across Europe and accounted for the effects of management for Quercus. We collected increment cores from 267 trees distributed over 151 plots in 19 forest regions and characterized their neighbouring environment to take into account potentially confounding factors such as tree size, competition, soil conditions and elevation. We demonstrate that growth responds interactively to global‐change drivers, with species‐specific sensitivities to the combined factors. Simultaneously high levels of precipitation and deposition benefited Fraxinus, but negatively affected Quercus' growth, highlighting species‐specific interactive tree growth responses to combined drivers. For Fagus, a stronger growth response to higher temperatures was found when precipitation was also higher, illustrating the potential negative effects of drought stress under warming for this species. Furthermore, we show that past forest management can modulate the effects of changing temperatures on Quercus' growth; individuals in plots with a coppicing history showed stronger growth responses to higher temperatures. Overall, our findings highlight how tree growth can be interactively determined by global‐change drivers, and how these growth responses might be modulated by past forest management. By showing future growth changes for scenarios of environmental change, we stress the importance of considering multiple drivers, including past management and their interactions, when predicting tree growth. Tree growth responds to global‐change drivers such as climate change or atmospheric deposition and to local land‐use drivers such as forest management. Yet, large geographical‐scale studies examining interactive growth responses to multiple global‐change drivers are relatively scarce and rarely consider management effects. We assessed interactive effects of three global‐change drivers (temperature, precipitation and nitrogen deposition) on tree growth of three study species across Europe (Quercus robur/petraea, Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior) and accounted for management effects for Quercus. We demonstrate that growth responds interactively to these drivers, with species‐specific sensitivities. Furthermore, past management modulated the effects of changing temperatures on Quercus' growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, the most common non-wood forest products (NWFPs) consist mainly in forest fruits, edible mushrooms, medicinal plants, forest seeds and fauna of hunting interests. According to a recent proposal of a ministerial order aimed at providing the instructions regarding the harvesting and marketing of the non-wood forest products, it is estimated that more than 170 herbaceous, shrub and tree species and approximately 120 species of edible mushrooms are the most common across the country. The aim of this study was to highlight the trends in the evolution of harvesting of the most common non-wood forest products in Romania. The data and information available within the annual reports provided by the National Forest Administration - ROMSILVA, the public authority responsible for forest management (i.e. Ministry of Waters and Forests) and the National Institute of Statistics in the timeframe 2012-2017 were taken into account. In general, the quantities harvested in the case of the forest fruits, edible mushrooms and forest seeds decreased in the considered timeframe, the trend being more pronounced in the case of the forest fruits and forest seeds, due to several reasons, climatic factors being among the ones with the highest impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics (SSFE) as of December 2018. Topics discussed include the anniversary of the organization, the involvement of SSFE in forest economics research, and the SSFE conference that was held in Helsingør, Denmark in May 2018.

In addition to black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and hybrid poplars, northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) can be considered the third most important exotic stand-forming tree species in Hungary. Due to its advantageous silvicultural and growth characteristics, as well as its wood utilization possibilities, the present area northern red oak stands occupy in the country amount to 15 thousand hectares. This study presents a new, simplified tending cutting table for northern red oak stands as well as an age-target diameter table suitable for quality log production within a rotation period of generally 80–85 years. The simplicity of the practice-oriented tables based on a relevant yield table may further the qualitative development of northern red oak management and wood utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest valuation is an extremely difficult task. Due to the fact that forest is a product of nature, dynamically changing in time and space, there is neither economic nor empirical nor theoretic model of it. Since there is no calculation pattern, all existing calculations of forest value are only estimates. Changes which are taking place in the entire economy mainly concern economics, management and the financing of forest economic units. However, in accordance with the principle of sustainable development of all forest functions, services such as social and ecological are available to the public for free. There is, therefore, a need to develop a new multi-aspect approach to the issue of the value of silviculture systems and their property components such as productive and non-productive forest lands as well as stands. The aim of this paper is to review the methods for estimating the value of forests and to indicate problems of using them in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to highlight the possible way of quantification of the impact of forest enterprise and forest management on the economic and social development of the territory by using the methodology of the local multiplier calculation and identifying potential cash flows associated with the implementation of socioeconomic functions of forest ecosystems. The economic indicators to be analysed are the local expenditures of Písek City Forests Ltd. on suppliers and employees in 2015. The local multiplier is a specific microeconomic indicator which enables quantification and evaluation of socioeconomic benefits of the selected operator for the local people and entrepreneurs. The results of the specific university research project of Mendel University in Brno with the title: Quantification of the Influence of the Selected Forestry Enterprise on the Local Economy of the Region will allow us to evaluate the effect of the special-purpose forest enterprise and forest management on the economic and social development as well as to identify the potential cash flows related to the fulfilment of socioeconomic functions of the forest ecosystems in the area of interest of Písek City Forests Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantation forestry is the ultimate alternative in reforesting degraded tropical ecosystems and in provisioning multiple ecosystem services beyond timber production. Therefore, we studied the management of Tectona grandis L.f. (teak) plantations in Costa Rica and simulated alternative management strategies incorporating simultaneously the values of carbon storage, biodiversity and timber production. Alternative management strategies included (1) extension of rotations, (2) reduced thinning and (3) conversion of even-aged to uneven-aged systems. Evaluation criteria were carbon storage in biomass, stand structural diversity as a proxy of biodiversity, and economic return from timber harvests. For growth predictions under future climatic conditions, we calibrated the hybrid forest growth model 3PG. We found that carbon storage could be increased by increasing rotation periods (e.g. +29.7% of carbon for a 50% increase in rotation length) and a no thinning management (+9.5% of carbon). For rotation extension associated economic losses were high (e.g. at 5% discount rate, the Land Expectation Value (LEV) decreased by 25.1% for a 50% extension of rotations). For thinning LEV increased with a low-thinning regime, but decreased with a no-thinning management (+9.5% and −23.6%, respectively). Payments for ecosystem services (PES) increased economic return by about 3–4%. Structural diversity increased by conversion to uneven-aged forest stands (Gini coefficients for basal area increased from 0.21 to 0.52). Economic returns from timber harvests were almost equal for even-aged and uneven-aged systems at 1% discount rate (max. −2% of LEV). At 5% discount rate, we observed economic losses of 11.1–20.1% compared to the even-aged scenario. At 10% discount rate, economic losses ranged between 43.6 and 104%. We concluded that extension of rotations and reduction of thinning intensity can be used as management strategies to increase the carbon storage of teak plantations. However, to compensate the associated economic losses through a PES scheme, payments for carbon sequestration need to be increased and special incentives for longer rotation periods and low thinning management need to be developed. The transformation into uneven-aged forest stands requires active investment at discount rates higher than 1%. Whether this investment can be offset by benefits from biodiversity and increased forest resilience is unknown and requires further investigations. Other measures of biodiversity conservation, such as the use of native and mixed tree species and the retention of old trees and deadwood are moreover necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total forest area in Europe accounts for 215 million hectares. In Europe, forest management is done both by private-owned and state-owned enterprises, companies, agencies or other structures. The European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR) represents a forum of 33 national forest administrators (NFAs) originating from 22 countries, that are managing 30 million hectares of state-owned forests. The main aim of this study was to compare the data provided by EUSTAFOR for the NFAs regarding the managed forest areas. Secondly, the share of managed forest area per employee was assessed for each of the 23 members for which the information was available on the official website. The NFA that is managing the highest forest area is Metsähallitus (Finland), with more than 9 million hectares. As regards the average annual harvested wood quantity, the NFA from Poland, namely LASY PAŃSTWOWE, is the leader, with more than 37 million cubic meters. Based on these results, it seems that the highest share of managed forests per one employee was recorded in the countries situated in the northern part of Europe, namely Norway, Finland and Sweden. ROMSILVA, together with the NFAs from Germany and England ranked on the last positions as regards the share of the managed forest area by one employee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Great Union of 1918 brought into one country the Romanian populations of all the provinces where they lived for hundreds of years. In newly created Great Romania, the groups of specialists from all fields of activity are enriched by new members coming from the provinces joining the Old Kingdom, which impulse the development of these domains. Neither forestry is an exception, the forestry sciences taking an unprecedented momentum in our country. Along with colleagues from other Romanian provinces, Bassarabian foresters make a significant contribution to the development of forestry sciences, including through the initiation of new research directions. In the paper are presented the contributions of 14 personalities from Basarabia - B. Alexa, A. Alexe, R. Bereziuc, F. Carcea, I. Ceianu, Gh. Ciumac, E. Costin, N. Doniță, R. Gaşpar, V. Leandru, V. Nesterov, S. Paşcovschi, Z. Przemeţchi, Şt. Rubţov - to the creation and development of some research directions or forestry activity fields. Among the fields of forestry sciences in which the Bassarabian foresters have made remarkable contributions are: forest typology, forest mapping, forest ecology, forest management planning, forest inventory, afforestation and natural regeneration of forests, improvement of degraded lands, watershed management, avalanches, forest entomology, forest roads, forest economics and diseases of hunting species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many areas, picking wild berries constitutes an important forest commodity offering food, recreational services, and revenues. Intensified forest management has negatively affected bilberry yields. In this study, regional-level scenario analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of four approaches to the inclusion of bilberry yields on the economics, management, and resulting forest structures in North Karelia. The current approach ignoring bilberries resulted in decreasing bilberry yields and increasing younger forests. When bilberries were valued at market price (1.72 € kg−1), bilberry yields still decreased despite the fact that forest management were slightly modified to favour bilberry. Adding non-declining sustainability constraints to bilberry yields resulted in a slightly lower total net present value of timber and bilberry since forest management favoured longer rotation lengths, which increased bilberry yields. Similar effects occurred when the bilberry price was tripled to include the implicit ecosystem benefits of bilberries. When forests were managed only for bilberries (timber zero-priced), bilberry yields started to increase immediately resulting in 1.5-fold difference in 50 years as compared to timber only scenario. In conclusion, managing forests for both timber and bilberry production has rather minor effects on economics, but it can have clear positive effect on bilberry yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial incentives offered by state property tax programs are a means of promoting goods and services from private forestland. Identified by a 50-state review in 2014-2015, these incentives often require adherence to several conditions including valid ownership and use of forestland, correct size of parcel and suitable forest conditions, implementation of professionally prepared forest management plan, notifying authorities of intent to harvest timber, willingness to participate in reviews and inspections, and an understanding of potential financial or procedural penalties. Implementation of these administrative conditions may require the involvement of several agencies at many levels of government, most frequently being offices of local governments plus supporting roles of citizen advisory committees and boards, tax review appeals and equalization boards, forestry boards and commissions, forestry divisions within state natural resource departments, and state departments of finance and revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landowners and foresters often complain about the impact of taxes on the profitability of growing trees. This study examines the effect on forest profitability of the multiple taxes levied on non-industrial private forestland in the Southeastern United States. We look at the percent reduction in land expectation value as property, severance, state and federal income taxes are levied on a representative acre of forestland. Results for the 10 Southeastern states included in the study reveal reductions in land expectation value ranging from 32% to 63% once the various taxes are levied on a site index 70 site. This demonstrates that the effect of taxes does vary widely within the states, evaluated both when individual and combined taxes are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Faustmann forest rotation model is a celebrated contribution in economics. The model provides a forest value expression and allows a solution to the optimal rotation problem valid for perpetual rotations of even-aged forest stands. However, continuous forest cover forest management systems imply uneven-aged dynamics, and while a number of numerical studies have analysed specific continuous cover forest ecosystems in search of optimal management regimes, no one has tried to capture key dynamics of continuous cover forestry in simple mathematical models. In this paper we develop a simple, but rigorous mathematical model of the continuous cover forest, which strictly focuses on the area use dynamics that such an uneven-aged forest must have in equilibrium. This implies explicitly accounting for area reallocation and for weighting the productivity of each age class by the area occupied. We present results for unrestricted as well as area-restricted versions of the models. We find that land values are unambiguously higher in the continuous cover forest models compared with the even-aged models. Under area restrictions, the optimal rotation age in a continuous cover forest model is unambiguously lower than the corresponding area restricted Faustmann solution, while the result for the area unrestricted model is ambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale forest enterprises have been recognized as a potential instrument for sustainable development. In particular, the production of handicrafts is a major form of cultural expression and a significant source of income in several developing countries. In this study, we characterize the local handicraft sector in Puerto Rico to identify essential elements for fostering small-scale forest enterprises. Artisans and sawyers were home-based microenterprises that harvested, processed, and traded a wide variety of local forest products, including 125 types of wood and several non-wood forest products. Nonetheless, severe competition from cheaper imported crafts, low demand, and high product variability hamper the development of the local handicraft sector. Despite globalization, sawyers and artisans in Puerto Rico, as part of the U.S., have access to the largest markets of tropical woods and home accessories in the world. But, to participate in these markets, they must increase competitiveness. Lack of institutional effectiveness is a major constraint for the success of the artisan development program in Puerto Rico. Therefore, cooperation and linkages between all support organizations, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and associations of artisans, need to be enhanced to provide effective technical assistance, marketing, and financial services to artisans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]