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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on forest product markets and the forest product industry, and has also seriously affected the sales of forest products. This research aimed to analyze people’s preference for wood furniture and make policy recommendations. We examined the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ preferences for wood furniture from the perspective of accounting. Taking the accounting data of wood furniture enterprises as the research object, through the translog revenue function, and using the relationship between revenue and consumption in economics, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced consumers’ preferences for wood furniture, but the decline in preference is smaller for wood furniture produced by extra-large furniture manufacturers. This study contributes to the literature and in view of our research results and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we provide policy suggestions for the related governmental agencies and wood furniture manufacturers, in this special environment, that can reduce the negative impact of a pandemic on the wood furniture industry.

The emerging risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on forest ecosystems present significant threats to forest-based livelihoods. Understanding climate change and its consequences on forests and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities could support forest-based strategies for responding to climate change. Using perception-based assessment principles, we assessed the effects of climate change and extreme weather events on forests and forest-based livelihood among the forest-dependent communities around the Mchinji and Phirilongwe Forest Reserves in the Mchinji and Mangochi districts in Malawi. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The impact of erratic rainfall, high temperatures, strong winds, flooding, and droughts was investigated using logistic regression models. The respondents perceived increasing erratic rainfall, high temperatures, strong winds, flooding, and droughts as key extreme climate events in their locality. These results varied significantly between the study sites (p &lt, 0.05). Erratic rainfall was perceived to pose extended effects on access to the forest in both Phirilongwe in Mangochi (43%) and Mchinji (61%). Climate change was found to be associated with reduced availability of firewood, thatch grasses, fruits and food, vegetables, mushrooms, and medicinal plants (p &lt, 0.05). Erratic rainfall and high temperatures were more likely perceived to cause reduced availability of essential forest products, and increased flooding and strong winds were less likely attributed to any effect on forest product availability. The study concludes that climate change and extreme weather events can affect the access and availability of forest products for livelihoods. Locally based approaches such as forest products domestication are recommended to address threats to climate-sensitive forest-based livelihoods.

The phenology of trees in agroforestry systems is important for predicting the management and collection of timber and nontimber resources. This study describes the phenological stages of Dipteryx odorata and Dipteryx punctata in agroforestry systems, assessing climatic factors that may affect the phenophases of the species. The study was conducted in plantations in Mojuí dos Campos city, Pará State, Brazil. In each area, 45 trees were monitored, totaling 90 individuals. Observations lasted 25 months (Oct/2015 to Dec/2017). The phenophases evaluated monthly were flowering, fruiting, new leaves, and leaf fall. Data were collected for dendrometric characterization of the trees, as well as climatic variables including rainfall, temperature, humidity, and insolation for the period. For the analysis of phenological data, the intensity, frequency, synchrony, and duration of phenophases were described for each species. The influence of climatic factors on the phenophases was analyzed through multivariate principal component analysis aiming to select the essential variables for phenological studies in the species plantations, as well as to identify correlations. The results indicate phenological seasonality for the two species under study. Species Dipteryx odorata has low synchrony for phenological events. For Dipteryx punctata, the phenophases are synchronous. High correlations between phenological and climatic variables must be evaluated individually for each species, as they have different periods of phenophase manifestation. A fenologia de árvores em sistemas agroflorestais é importante para previsão de manejo e coleta de recursos madeireiros e não-madeireiros. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os padrões fenológicos de Dipteryx odorata e Dipteryx punctata em sistemas agroflorestais e avaliar as variáveis meteorológicas que afetam as fenofases das espécies. O estudo foi desenvolvido em dois plantios situados no município de Mojuí dos Campos, Pará. Em cada área, foram monitoradas 45 árvores, totalizando 90 indivíduos, observados durante 25 meses (out/2015 a dez/2017). As fenofases mensalmente avaliadas foram: floração, frutificação, folhas novas e queda foliar. Foram coletados dados para caracterização dendrométrica do porte das árvores, e variáveis meteorológicas de precipitação, temperatura média, umidade do ar e insolação do período. Para análise dos dados fenológicos foi descrito para cada espécie a intensidade, frequência, sincronia e duração. A influência dos fatores climáticos nas fenofases foi analisada por meio de análises multivariadas de componentes principais para selecionar as variáveis essenciais para estudos fenológicos nos plantios, e identificar correlações. Os resultados indicam que há sazonalidade fenológica para as duas espécies analisadas. Para Dipteryx odorata há baixa sincronia para os eventos fenológicos. Para Dipteryx punctata as fenofases são sincrônicas. Altas correlações entre variáveis fenológicas e meteorológicas devem ser avaliadas individualmente para cada espécie pois possuem épocas distintas de manifestação de fenofases.

Growth response of Dendrocalamus asper on elevational variation and intra-clump spacing management. 2021. Title. Biodiversitas 22: 3801-3810. Dendrocalamus asper (Schult. Schult. F.) Backer Ex. K. Heyne is a well-known commodity classified as a non-timber forest product (NTFP) to substitute wood-based products in the future. While bamboo is widely distributed in various habitats, and it could impact growth performance and quality. Nevertheless, the development of bamboo research on the upstream level is quite rare, specifically for clumping bamboo species. Therefore, our study aimed to reveal the performance in elevational variation and to discover the intra-clump spacing and diameter relationship. The elevational variation was divided into three levels, which were lower, middle, and higher levels. Each elevation was established in 9 plots with parameters observed were culm diameter at breast height (DBH), culm height (H), and culm volume (V) of D. asper. The intra-clump spacing was used to assess the relationship between the clump density and diameter growth. The research is complemented with in-depth interviews to explore the traditional silvicultural practices of Dendrocalamus asper and spatial analysis to generate land surface temperature and soil moisture index. The result showed that there is no effect (P > 0.05) of elevational variation to D. asper growth and development, while the availability of intra-clump spacing showed a significant result (P < 0.05) on the culm DBH of D, asper. Furthermore, our result suggests a wider intra-clump spacing (0.4-0.6 m2) is more recommended than a narrow intra-clump spacing for optimal culm diameter growth. Additionally, bamboo plantation was still less managed and utilized. Therefore, improving the productivity of D. asper by maintaining plantation, i.e., fertilizing, managing spacing among clump bamboo, and harvesting to achieve sustainable development of the bamboo plantation is useful.

A typical case of multiple-use forest management (MFM) in Southwestern Amazon is the commercial harvesting of Amazon or Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) seeds and of timber of other tree species. Although the Amazon nut is the most important non-timber forest product (NTFP) in the Amazon basin, the species is under serious threat due to deforestation and may also be affected by overharvesting. However, selective logging of other tree species coexisting with Bertholletia may positively affect Bertholletia populations, thus enabling a special case for MFM. For this research, we investigated the impact of the intensity of Amazon nut harvesting and timber logging on Bertholletia populations in the Bolivian Amazon. We used demographic data from 72 two-hectare transects located within 24 community-based household forests varying in the intensity of nut collection (0–100%) and timber logging (0–15% of logging-disturbed forest area). Simulated Bertholletia population size increased with logging intensity but decreased with Amazon nut harvesting intensity. Bertholletia populations were projected to grow at the average MFM harvesting scenario tested: 57.4% of nut harvesting, 5.3% of logging-disturbed area (λ100 = 1.011). Our simulations also revealed that up to 89% of Amazon nut seeds can be harvested while sustaining Bertholletia populations, under 15% of logging-disturbed area, and applying liana cutting. Modest levels of timber logging and application of liana cutting may compensate for the negative effect of Amazon nut collection on Bertholletia populations for the next century. Our study demonstrates that Amazon nut and timber production could be combined in a sustainable MFM scheme, thus increasing the economic value of managed tropical forests and its promotion to reduce the increasing pressure by deforestation.

The position of Ukraine and the EU regarding the moratorium which is introduced on the export of rough wood was considered in the paper. The preconditions for introducing a ban of the exports of timber are analyzed. The analysis and generalization of domestic normative legal acts and international commitments of the WTO and Ukraine, including the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), in the field of forestry regulation, is conducted. The actual problems in the forest product industry of Ukraine are found out. The main objective of the article is to propose recommendations for the development of the export policy of timber trade in conditions of European integration that will not contradict the international obligations of Ukraine. Investigations have shown that in the provisions of the GATT and the Association Agreement there are exceptions, which allow non-compliance of commitments in certain extreme cases. However, in adopted bills there is no ample evidence regarding the necessity of applying or restricting exports. Based on international experience, the impact of the export ban on the timber industry as a whole has been determined. It has been established that the wood-based industry receives positive effects only in the short-term period. However, all sectors of forest product industry will be negatively affected in the long-term period. Recommendations on the development of export policy for timber trade by abolishing import duties and value added tax for equipment for forest-based processing enterprises, the analogues of which are not made in Ukraine, for the purpose of modernization of equipment and further development of the forest-based industry, have been given. Based on the experience of European countries, it is proposed to export timber using the “residual method”, that is, primarily to provide raw materials to domestic producers, and to introduce export duties on roundwood production. After analyzing alternative ways of developing Ukraine’s export policy regarding timber trade in conditions of European integration, based on the escalation of tariff and tariff barriers, optimal rates of ad valorem and specific export duties have been proposed. With the justified introduction of export duties, the restriction of domestic consumption of timber, the abolition of import duties on the necessary equipment for wood processing, which are not analogous to those produced in Ukraine, all prerequisites for the development of domestic forestry are created.

Forest products are materials gotten from forest, for the direct consumption or commercial use such as timber and non-timber forest products. The destruction of forest in Andoni due to the exploration and consumption of forest products are done without determining the values of these products that could have been lost. This study attempts to determine the value of identified forest products information gathered through the use of questionnaire focus group discussion, field survey and other related materials. The simple percentage analysis shows that forest products have a lot of value to the people; hence community dwellers involved in it. Conclusively, forest product were identified and categorized into wildlife species (wild animal) and plant species which usefulness were been influenced by socio-external factor, economical factor and livelihood security factor. The economic value of forest product in a study area is N532,351,300.00 while the expected value is N865,648,300.00. Therefore, the government at all levels should provide indiscriminate exploitation of premature forest product policy on forest management that are appropriate. These should be made to effectively reflect and enhance forest protection and improvement of livelihood of the people.

Quassia amara L. is a semi-sciophyte species that can be found growing as a large shrub or a small tree in Neotropical rainforests. It is traditionally harvested as a non-wood forest product for culinary, medicinal and insecticidal uses. Lack of knowledge on the ecological conditions that support tree growth limits the development of sustainable forest management plans of natural forests and the development of new agroecological cultivation models. The overall objectives of the present work are to (1) compare the Quassia amara L. growth in different forest structures; (2) evaluate the impact of light conditions on Quassia amara L. diameter growth, total height growth and height–diameter relationship and (3) discuss implications for the sustainable management of the species in agroecosystems. Light conditions are characterized at the tree level by the crown illumination index (cii), which is a visual and ordinal index. Results show that tree growth varies between plots with different forest structures and light conditions. The cii was able to characterize light conditions. Best light conditions were different for diameter and total height growth: cii value of 5.0 (tree crown completely exposed to overhead and lateral direct light) and cii value of 3.5 (tree crown exposed to some vertical/overhead direct light and low direct light), respectively. The cii did not affect the height–diameter relationship. A value of cii equal to 4 was found as an intermediate condition and recommended for the establishment of new agroecosystems including the Quassia amara L.

Forested landscapes around the world are owned, governed, and managed by many small owners and collectives. The management decisions that these owners and collectives make aggregate into measurable impacts on forest cover, fragmentation, carbon storage, biodiversity, and on the ecosystem services these forests provide to owners and broader society. Conversely, large scale processes such as climate change, globalization of markets, changes to laws regarding land tenure and access, and labor migration and remittances dramatically affect individual forest owners and the activities they are able to do on their land. Using NVivo 11.0, I coded and analyzed 456 papers describing research in the intersection of private or communal owners, forests, and landscape-scale impacts or influences. This analysis identified several prominent themes. Forested landscapes are increasingly split into smaller managed segments among more owners, in some cases facilitating deforestation. Global-scale processes such as labor migration and globalized forest product systems influence management decisions of family forest owners in most countries, particularly the choice of growing exotic species plantations and converting forests to cash crops. Programs and policies aimed at family and communal forest owners can be better targeted to incentivize these owners to protect and enhance forest benefits for broader society, and to better support owners’ adaptations to climate change, invasive species, biodiversity loss, and population demographics. Forest-based tourism and non-timber forest products are important but undervalued incentives for forest conservation. Given the large proportion of forests owned and managed by smallholders, landscape-scale planning and conservation goals cannot be met without engaging these forest owners.

The ecological impact of forest product harvesting is poorly understood despite the reliance of millions of impoverished households on forest resources. As birds are indicators of environmental change and essential for the function and regeneration of forest ecosystems, this study aimed to assess the response of bird species richness and functional diversity to unregulated forest product harvesting, to illuminate the impact of harvest disturbances on forest biodiversity. Five forest ecotypes in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa were sampled by means of circular plots in which bird communities, habitat structure and harvest intensities of sub-canopy trees harvested for poles, canopy trees harvested for timber, and bark harvested for medicinal use, were recorded. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to assess the response of bird diversity to harvesting activities measured on a continuous scale, and forest ecotype. Correlations between feeding traits and environmental variables relating to habitat structure and harvest disturbances were investigated using RLQ and fourth-corner analysis to better understand which traits were sensitive to harvest disturbances. Results indicated that forest ecotype was an important driver of variation in species richness and functional diversity. Additionally, harvesting disturbances negatively affected two measures of functional diversity, while species richness and functional richness were unaffected by harvesting. Specifically, functional evenness was negatively affected by timber harvesting, while functional dispersion declined in response to pole and bark harvesting. Bird traits relating to feeding ecology (i.e. primary diet and foraging strategy) were associated with habitat structure and harvest disturbances, indicating that harvest activities affected community structure. Specifically, frugivores and granivores were negatively affected by pole and bark harvesting respectively, while omnivorous species were positively affected by these harvest activities. Conversely, timber harvesting negatively affected omnivores, and positively affected nectarivores. Bark and timber harvesting, which resulted in canopy gaps, negatively affected species which forage in the understory or on the forest floor, while pole harvesting, which reduced tree abundance but not canopy cover, negatively affected canopy-foraging species. These results suggest that current unregulated forest product harvesting in the Eastern Cape may negatively affect forest productivity and ecosystem functioning. Specifically, this is the first study to measure the effects of harvesting of poles and medicinal bark on the functional diversity of avian forest communities.

Due to globally uneven distribution of forest resources and timely difference of supply and demand, forest products are difficult to achieve market equilibrium among neighboring countries. The global forest product trade not only alleviates the contradiction of supply and demand, but also ensures the sustainable development of the economic construction for each country. Previous literature analyzed the structure and evolution mechanism of forest product trade from different perspectives, but ignored the competitive relationships among forest product importers. Based on complex network theory, this paper selected global wood forest product trade data from 2004 to 2016. Then we constructed global unweighted and weighted wood-forest-product competitive network from import perspective, and three indicators (density, average path length, and clustering coefficient), core–periphery model and two indicators of competitive intensity were introduced to study the spatial competitive evolution of global wood forest product trade among countries. The results showed that there was wide competition in global wood forest product trade among continents, and the tightness of competitive relationships gradually decreased with time. Secondly, core countries and periphery countries were clearly identified in the competitive network, and China, Japan, the U.S., were the main core countries influencing the evolution of core–periphery structure. Finally, the U.S. played an important role in the global competition system. But with the increment of demand for Asian market, China and other Asian countries gradually became the center of wood-forest-product competition. The research tried to provide some references for importers to follow the laws of global wood forest product trade, and formulate the corresponding policy under constructing sustainable society and facing climate change.

Purpose: This study was carried out to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic effects of timber harvesting as well as to identify the drivers increasing the rate of timber exploitation in Imo River Estuary, Eastern Obolo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Methodology: It was conducted in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. A random sampling technique was employed to select a total of 300 respondents composed of 60 randomly selected respondents from each of the five LGAs. A structured questionnaire was used in collecting information from the respondents. Data acquired from the field was subjected to statistical and econometric analysis which included percentages, frequencies, Likert scale rating, exploratory factor analysis, and Chi-square, Main Findings:The major finding of this study was that the major cause of timber exploitation in the study area was unemployment, absence of forest regulations, unstable government policies, lack of trained officials, and high cost of timber products. The application of the Factor Analysis Model in this study showed that loss of biodiversity, the disappearance of forest cover, damaging of immature trees and non-wood forest products are the highest environmental effects of timber exploitation in the study area, loading far higher than the stated 0.3 decision score value. Among the social effects, high cost of farm labor is the most severe of social effects in the study area, while the increased cost of wood and forest product and high cost of living ranked highest among the economic effects. Applications:The study will be of great importance to environmental policy makers, conservationists, researchers, and Geographers in Nigeria. It will contribute significantly to knowledge build-up in relation to restoring the sanctity of threatened forests in Southern Nigeria. Novelty/Originality:The Niger Delta region of Nigeria where this study was carried out is often synonymous with militancy and the problems of environmental pollution. However, this study veers from these already known challenges to peculiar drivers of the depleting forests in this area. The study, therefore, will contribute to the scanty literature related to the subject matter within the study area.

Planted forests are a rising share of total forests globally and an increasingly important source of timber product output, affecting national and global markets. We estimated econometric models of planted forest area by OECD and non-OECD country groups that control for economic, institutional and environmental policies likely to influence future changes in planted forest area. The models are then used to project planted forest area over next 55 years for 180 countries under five alternative scenarios of global socio-economic changes, represented in shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), adjunct products emerging from the Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). By embedding key features of the SSP projections into a global forest sector model, we evaluate how planted forests lead to different global forest product market outcomes for each SSP, compared to corresponding outcomes where planted forests are not considered separately. Projected global planted forest area in 2070 ranges from 379 million ha (Mha) for SSP3 (a relatively poor and unequal world) to 475 Mha under SSP5 (a relatively wealthier and more equal world), representing respective increases of 46% and 66% compared to 2015. SSPs with the highest planted forest area increases have the lowest product prices (down by 12% by 2070, compared to SSP5 without planted forests) and higher global forest products production and consumption quantities (by as much as 3.3% by 2070, compared to SSP5 without planted forests). However, production does not increase in all countries by similar amounts, due to changes in relative advantages in production brought about by reduced product prices.

With the advent of the European bioeconomy and a shift in lifestyle among European citizens, non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are given more attention in the public debate. Their potential to strengthen the economic viability of rural economies appears to be high, particularly in regions where wood is not the most profitable forest product. However, information on NWFP production potentials are scarce and tools to support forest owners in decision making about NWFP management are rarely available. Considering the complex relationships between a sustained production of NWFPs, the use of the available ecological resources, as well as the organizational and the market potential of forest management regimes, we introduce a knowledge-based expert model for supporting NWFP management. In a mixed-method approach qualitative and quantitative techniques are combined to depict regional production and business potentials of NWFPs, explicitly addressing different environmental and socio-economic contexts. For the model building multi-criteria analysis methods were used for preference elicitations in an iterative form, including stakeholders and experts. Within two distinct case study settings (i.e. Austria and Finland) the expert model is tested for applicability and to depict the most suitable option from a suite of selected NWFPs. Results for both case studies well reflect current NWFP business potentials and provide insights to the opportunities of mixing more resilient and more risky NWFPs to a solid regional business portfolio, fostering the co-production of wood and non-wood resources. The approach presented has a potential to steer the mindset of different forest owner types to critically revise their interests in forest management. It could act as an eye-opener for forestry-oriented stakeholders who have not yet considered NWFPs as potential assets in forest management systems. With its ability to include various NWFPs and to consider different forest owner preferences, future applications can be tailored towards the needs of both small-scale (non-industrial) forest owners and bigger forest holdings.

Local Knowledge and Economical Significance of Commercialized Wild Edible Mushrooms in the Markets of Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico. Wild edible mushrooms are a non-timber forest product of great importance because of their edibility, their cultural and ecological roles, and particularly their economic relevance as merchandise. This study presents a method for the identification of the most economically significant species through a compound index. Fieldwork was carried out in seven markets in the city of Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico. We recorded the sale of 16 species that constitute 10 local ethnotaxa. Aspects of traditional mycological knowledge regarding systematics, ethnoecology, uses, and collection practices were also obtained. The most significant taxa were Hypomyces lactifluorum, Amanita complex. caesarea, Ramaria spp., and Lyophyllum decastes. We can suggest that the most economically significant species of mushrooms sold in this region are those with the highest supply in markets and correspondingly high profit for collectors. The compound index proved to be a useful tool not only to discover which species are the most relevant, but also to provide explanations for the reasons behind their significance.

Since the origin of the protected area network, authorities have resettled people in the interest of wildlife conservation. However, the impacts of resettlement on wildlife corridors connecting increasingly insular protected areas and the interaction of resettlement with existing human-wildlife conflict (HWC) outside of protected areas remain unclear. Using Kanha National Park (KNP) in central India as a case study, we quantified impacts of 450 households (that were resettled from 2009 to 2013, surveyed in 2016) on non-protected forests at their new settlement locations. We measured forest use for cattle grazing, tendu leaf extraction (a commercial non-timber forest product) and consumption of forest foods. We also quantified HWC risks that resettled households face at their new settlement locations. We use published spatial analyses on designation of the corridor and risks of human wildlife conflict in conjunction with our data to assess post-resettlement impacts at the new settlement locations. Overall, most resettled households (330) have moved to existing villages that lie outside of wildlife corridors around KNP. They comprise

Although a large number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the success of farmer groups, a comprehensive evaluations starting from group formation process has not been carried out much. This research rates the success of farmer groups as a vehicle to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the area of Management Unit of Production Forest (KPHP) of Puncak Ngengas-Batu Lanteh, Sumbawa. The success was measured by evaluating three roles of farmer groups namely, a) class for learning, b) forum for collaboration, and c) unit for production. This research was conducted in two periods, i.e. on April 2016 and April 2017. The sample consisted of 20 forest farmers selected purposively, the data were collected through interviews and focus group discussion techniques and analysed descriptively. This study revealed that the roles scale of farmer groups as class for learning and as a forum for collaboration were categorized as low level, while as a unit for production was categorized as moderate level. These categories show that in general the farmer group had not succeeded in carrying out its function as a class for learning, and as a vehicle for collaboration, except as a unit for production. This weak condition was utilized by middlemen to take advantages from marketing activity by controlling forest product prices. The Kanada farmer group was categorized in the beginner group which needs 75 % intervention from outsider such as continual mentoring by counsellors to grow the attitude from working alone to working together in a group.

To date, the role of borderlands in global production networks is an under-researched topic. In this study, we take the production network of the highly valuable non-timber forest product ophiocordyceps sinensis (yarsagumba) as a case to study the trans-border connectivities of state and non-state actors in the borderland of India, Nepal and China located within the rural Kailash Landscape. We present the results of an in-depth qualitative study on the informal trade networks through which non-state actors transport yarsagumba from India to Nepali markets, and on the related governmental marketing mechanisms for non-timber forest products in India and Nepal. By looking through the lens of borderland studies we focus our analysis on the power and embeddedness of state authorities and non-state actors on both sides of the border within these legal and illegal trade networks and relate the findings to the function of borders as both material and institutional demarcation lines. Our case study shows that state authorities and non-state actors are closely enmeshed with each other, using or bypassing state regulations for their own benefits. This reproduces a ‘licit’ but illegal cross-border trade system. Besides economic interdependencies, social relations between actors are crucial for building trust between business partners who deal with high product values and cash flows outside formal regulatory spaces or between different regulatory spaces across state borders. We conclude that the power and embeddedness of actors in the production networks enable a network dynamic that undermines the function of the border as a line of separation.

Mexican oregano is a non-timber forest product harvested in natural vegetation and represents an important source of income for rural families. Recent reports have highlighted decreases in natural populations caused by increased harvest intensity. Oregano leaf harvesting is a complex problem, involving different components and views, and has a clear spatial dimension. We proposed an analytical framework based on multi-criteria-multi-objective analyses. GIS tools were used as the platform for managing, displaying and analyzing ecological and socioeconomic information from different sources in order to evaluate land suitability of three different management strategies for two competing land objectives: oregano Harvest and oregano Regeneration. The incorporation of environmental evaluation criteria in the analysis allowed the identification of new potential oregano harvesting areas which were neither reported by harvesters, nor registered during harvesting trips. Socio-economic criteria, such as land tenure, highlighted the fact that a substantial proportion of current oregano harvesting areas are located outside ejido limits resulting in potential conflicts for resource access. The proposed Balanced oregano management strategy, in which the same proportion of suitable area (50%) was assigned to both objectives, represents the most favorable management strategy. This option allows harvesters to continue earning an income from oregano leaf harvest; and at the same time helps in the selection of the best areas for oregano regeneration. It also represents a management strategy with a smaller impact on oregano populations and on the harvesters´ income, as well as lower monitoring costs. The proposed analytical framework may contribute to advance the application of systematic approaches for solving decision-making problems in areas where oregano leaves and other NTFP are harvested.

The conversion of forested areas to non-forest land was a series problem in study area of Goba district. The objectives of this study were to assess the trends, causes and effects of deforestation in Goba district, Bale zone, Ethiopia. Descriptive research method was employed to achieve these stated objectives. Satellite image of the three times and socio-economic survey were the main data sources for this study. ERDAS imagine 9.2 and ArcGIS 10 tools were applied for land use and land cover type classification, and analysis and mapping. These land use land and over change data were obtained from USGS. Socio-economic data collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews on the causes and impacts of land use and land cover change were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS software and content analysis for qualitative data. These analyzed data were expressed in percent and in words. The result shows that there was variation in the extent of land use and land cover change among different categories/classes at different study periods. Open area and Bush land showed decreasing change during first period of comparison and increasing change in the second period of comparison. In contrast, agricultural area, Bale temperate vegetation and built up area showed increasing. Built up area, agricultural area and Bale temperate vegetation increased by 80.05, 15.84, and 7.40 percent respectively, however, open area, grassland, forest land and bush land decreased by 1.58, 1.21, 0.97, and 0.28 percent per year for the last 29 years respectively. In general, in study district forest cover was 50.87% of the total area in 1986 and decreased to 36.57% in 2015 whereas agricultural area was increased from 3.45% to 19.28% respectively. This implies an increasing agricultural area at the expense of other land use cover categories, particularly natural forest. The study indicated that increasing population, forest fire and fuel wood consumption, overgrazing, and agriculture and settlement expansion and road construction caused forest cover change in the district. A decrease in livelihood incomes, volume of the surface water and in contrary increase in rain fall and temperature variability and forest product costs were among the major observed effects of deforestation in study area. Based on these findings, the study recommends the need to introduce and develop agricultural extension services, alternative energy sources and awareness raising services to the study area.

Repong Damar is a plot of land planted with various types of productive plants from various types of timber with economic value. The term repong damar is because the plant that is dominated by this plot of land is damar eye cat (Shorea javanica). The cat's eye resin tree (Shorea javanica) produces a type of non-wood forest product in the form of resin. Resin damar is one of the mainstay commodities which is a source of income for the community because it can produce in a short period and has sustainable management compared to other types of plants found in Repong Damar. Pesisir Barat Regency, Lampung Province. The research objective was to determine the relationship between the harvesting period and the quantity and quality of resin damar which affects the income of resin farmers in Labuhan Mandi, Pesisir Barat Regency, Lampung Province. Data collection was carried out in June-August 2020. The sampling used in this study was purposive. This method was chosen to obtain uniformity in terms of the same growing area, a form of management, and plant genetic factors. The data were taken in the form of resin/tree quantity in 3 harvesting periods, namely a) 2 weeks; b) 3 weeks; c) 4 weeks, the percentage of resin quality based on market quality, namely 1) AB; 2) C; 3) D; 4) E; 5) ash; and the selling price of resin at the farmer level for each quality. Data analysis was performed using quantitative methods to calculate the amount of resin production, percentage of resin quality, and farmer income. The results showed that a harvest period of 4 weeks produced the highest resin quantity/month compared to a harvesting period of 3 weeks and a harvesting period of 2 weeks. The 4 week harvesting period also provides a higher percentage of AB resin quality than the 3 week harvesting period and the 2 week harvesting period, therefore the 4 week harvesting period provides higher farmer income than the 3 week harvesting period and 2 week harvesting period. Keywords: income, quality, quantity, resin damar AbstrakRepong Damar merupakan sebidang lahan yang ditanami oleh berbagai jenis tanaman produktif dari berbagai jenis kayu yang bernilai ekonomis. Penyebutan repong damar karena tanaman yang didominasi pada sebidang lahan tersebut yaitu damar mata kucing (Shorea javanica). Pohon damar mata kucing (Shorea javanica) menghasilkan salah satu jenis hasil hutan bukan kayu berupa resin. Resin damar merupakan salah satu komoditi andalan yang menjadi sumber pendapatan masyarakat karena dapat menghasilkan dalam jangka waktu yang singkat dan pengelolaan berkelanjutan dibandingkan jenis tanaman lain yang terdapat di Repong Damar. Kabupaten Pesisir Barat, Provinsi Lampung. Tujuan penelitian adalah mengetahui hubungan antara periode pemanenan dengan kuantitas dan kualitas resin damar yang berpengaruh terhadap pendapatan petani damar Labuhan Mandi, Kabupaten Pesisir barat, Provinsi Lampung. Pengumpulan data dilakukan pada bulan Juni-Agustus 2020. Sampling yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah purposive sampling. Metode ini dipilih untuk mendapatkan keseragaman dalam hal tempat tumbuh yang sama, bentuk pengelolaan, dan faktor genetik tanaman. Data yang diambil berupa kuantitas resin/pohon pada 3 periode pemanenan yaitu a) 2 minggu; b) 3 minggu; c) 4 minggu, persentase kualitas resin berdasarkan kualitas dipasaran yaitu 1) AB; 2) C; 3) D; 4) E; 5) abu; dan harga jual resin ditingkat petani untuk masing-masing kualitas. Analisis data dilakukan dengan metode kuantitatif untuk menghitung jumlah produksi resin, persentase kualitas resin, dan pendapatan petani. Hasil menunjukan bahwa periode pemanenan 4 minggu menghasilkan kuantitas resin/bulan tertinggi dibandingkan periode pemanenan 3 minggu dan periode pemanenan 2 minggu. Periode pemanenan 4 minggu ternyata juga memberikan persentase kualitas resin AB lebih tinggi dibandingkan periode pemanenan 3 minggu dan periode pemanenan 2 minggu, oleh karena itu periode pemanenan 4 minggu memberikan pendapatan petani yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan periode pemanenan 3 minggu dan periode pemanenan 2 minggu.Kata kunci : kualitas, kuantitas, pendapatan, resin damar

To encourage the environmental responsibility of consumers and manufacturers for forest management, it is necessary to evaluate the environmental influences of forest products. Ecological footprint (EF) is an internationally recognized indicator for estimating the natural capital consumption and environmental influences of various forest products. In this study, we developed an accounting model for the EF evaluation of wood flooring, which is a tertiary forest product, by the method of transformation. Next, we used that model to evaluate the EF of three types of wood flooring in China according to their production data from 2000 to 2018. We collected the necessary data by visiting typical enterprises in China and referring to the relevant literature. According to our results, the average EFs of solid wood flooring, engineered solid wood flooring and laminate flooring between 2000 to 2018 were 3.13×106, 1.05×107 and 5.07×106 gha, respectively. The total EFs of solid wood flooring, engineered solid wood flooring and laminate flooring from 2000 to 2018 were 5.95×107, 1.99×108 and 9.64×107 gha, respectively. The coefficients of variation (CV) of the EFs for these three types of wood flooring were 0.45, 0.87 and 0.76, respectively. The average and total EFs of the engineered solid wood flooring were the largest among the three types of wood flooring. The per capita EF and unit EF for the engineered solid wood flooring were also the highest among the three types of wood flooring. The EFs showed an upward trend with irregular fluctuations from 2000 to 2018 for all three types of wood flooring. It is necessary to reduce the EF of the engineered solid wood flooring and use more environmentally friendly products, such as solid wood flooring, for environmental protection.

This manuscript confirms the feasibility of using a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) to forecast lumber stock prices during the great and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic recessions in the USA. The database was composed of 5012 data entries divided into recession periods. We applied a timeseries cross-validation that divided the dataset into an 80:20 training/validation ratio. The network contained five LSTM layers with 50 units each followed by a dense output layer. We evaluated the performance of the network via mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) for 30, 60, and 120 timesteps and the recession periods. The metrics results indicated that the network was able to capture the trend for both recession periods with a remarkably low degree of error. Timeseries forecasting may help the forest and forest product industries to manage their inventory, transportation costs, and response readiness to critical economic events.

Forests and the forest products industry contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass, and by fabricating products that substitute other, more greenhouse-gas-emission-intensive materials and energy. This study investigates primary wood-working industries (panel, furniture, pulp and paper) in order to determine the development of carbon emissions in China during the last two decades. The input–output approach is used and the factors driving the changes in CO2 emissions are analyzed by Index Decomposition Analysis–Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). The results show that carbon emissions in forest product industries have been declining during the last twenty years and that the driving factor of this change is the energy intensity of production and economic input, which have changed dramatically.

Forests are biological natural resources that have provided development benefits in Indonesia during their specific “Orde Baru” government of the timber forest product sector, but the impact of high exploitation has had considerable damage. Therefore it is necessary to find alternative efforts in forest utilization. One such effort is to utilize plants that can be used as medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are an alternative use of forest products from the non-timber sector. One of the places that need to know the existence of medicinal plants is Taman Wisata Alam Gunung Tampomas. Lack of data from the types of medicinal plants in this area feared damaged and extinction.The results of this research found 21 species of medicinal plants consisting of 19 types of non-tree vegetation and 2 types of tree vegetation. Non-tree vegetation is dominated by the type of Eupatorium riparium with Relative Frequency of 8.60%. While the tree vegetation was dominated by Melia azedarach species with INP value in each strata of seedlings, piles, poles, and trees respectively 9.02%, 11.97%, 18.14% and 20.43%. Most of the medicinal plants have the benefit of fever, abdominal pain, urine, malaria, bleeding such as Imperata cyindrica, Melia azedarach, Ageratum conyzoides, Quassia amara, Angioptris evecta and Eupatorium ripariumBenefit from this research about existence of medicinal plants in the area of Blok Paseban and Blok Pasir Sabeulah TWA Gunung Tampomas, the community can make this area as a source of germplasm so that the existence of medicinal plants can be preserved sustainability. In addition, people around the area can cultivate medicinal plants outside the area of TWA Gunung Tampomas

Ever since man realized the benefits of mangroves, the habitat has been impacted, but peaked in the twentieth century. Approximately 35% of the world’s mangrove area was lost between 1980s and 1990s with deforestation rates ranging from 1% to 8%. The major drivers of mangrove deforestation in recent times include aquaculture, agriculture, urban expansion, forest product extraction, salt pond conversion, and the oil and gas industry. The boom in the aquaculture industry from 1970s onwards resulted in almost 28% of the habitat being lost in Asia (Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia) and South America (Ecuador, Brazil, Peru) but by country, wise losses ranged from 7% to 63%. In South East Asia alone mangrove loss to aquaculture amounted to approximately 30% (1.66 million hectares). The total global economic value of mangrove loss to aquaculture is amounted at US$3.78–17.01billion/year. Three types of organisms are generally cultured in mangroves, namely fish, shrimp/prawns, and crabs. Mangrove conversion to aquaculture is a response to food security which is mainly to an increase in demand for protein and a decrease in marine capture fisheries. This is however is not without costs, such as habitat destruction, loss of ecosystem services, water quality reduction, exotic species introduction, and disease.

Orman ürünlerinden faydalanma denildiğinde geleneksel ormancılık anlayışında endüstriyel odun üretimi, ormanın ekolojik fonksiyonları, toprak ve su koruma, rekreasyonel ihtiyaçları karşılama başlıca akla gelen faydalanma şekilleridir. Endüstriyel odun üretimi ormanların sürdürülebilirliği ilkesi ve silvikültürel ihtiyaçlar dikkate alınarak Orman Genel Müdürlüğü'nün taşra teşkilatlarınca ekosistem tabanlı fonksiyonel orman amenajman planları kullanılarak yürütülmektedir. Üretilen emvaller tomruk, teldirek, maden direği, sanayi odunu, kağıtlık odun, kabuklu kağıtlık odun, lif yonga odunu, ince ve yarma sanayi odunu, yakacak odun, sırık, çubuk ve talaş odunu olarak sınıflandırılıp değerlendirilmektedir. Bu emvaller çoğunlukla yuvarlak odun formunda satış istif yerlerinde satışa çıkarılarak piyasaya arz edilmektedir. İşletme ormanlarında kaliteli tomruk elde edilmesi amaçlandığından ormanın idare süresi sonuna kadar yapılan orman bakımlarında anormal oluşumlar elimine edilmektedir. Dolayısıyla, ormanlarda çokça rastlanan, çeşitli sebeplerle ağaçlarda meydana gelen anormal büyümeler sonucu oluşan farklı görünümlerdeki bazı oluşumlar ise doğal formlarıyla sanayiye ulaşamamaktadır. Oysa günümüzde mobilya sanayisinde aranan ve estetik tasarımlarla evlerimizde, işyerlerimizde yer alan, ekonomik değeri ise oldukça yüksek olan birçok mobilya ve dekoratif eşya, orman üretimine konu olan anormal büyümeler gösteren ağaçlardan elde edilebilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı çoğu zaman kağıtlık odun ve yakacak odun olarak değerlendirilen, sahalarda üretim artığı olarak bırakılan farklı oluşumların doğal formlarına müdahele edilmeden değerlendirilerek ekonomiye sağlayacağı katkı konusunda farkındalık oluşturmaktır. Bursa Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü Bursa ve İnegöl Orman İşletme Müdürlükleri ve Uludağ Milli Parkı sınırları içerisindeki anormal büyüme gösteren ağaç popülasyonları çalışmanın materyalini oluşturmaktadır. Bursa Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü'ne bağlı Arasdere ve Soğukpınar Orman İşletme Şeflikleri, İnegöl Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü'ne bağlı Tahtaköprü Orman İşletme Şefliği ve Uludağ Milli Parkı sınırlarında kalan ormanlardan alınan deneme alanlarında yapılan tespitlerde büyüme anormalileri gösteren ağaçlar türler bazında örneklenmiştir. Bunun yanında, Bursa ve İnegöl Orman İşletme Müdürlüklerinde satışa sunulan emval türleri örneklenmiştir. Masif ağacın işlenmesi sonucu meydana gelen tasarım ürünler araştırılarak maliyet ve satış ortalamaları mukayese edilmiştir. Ayrıca masif ağaç işleyen işletmelerle yapılan anket çalışmaları ile sektörün durumu değerlendirilmiştir. In traditional forestry, industrial wood production, ecological functions of the forest, soil and water conservation, meeting recreational needs are the main forms of use that come to mind. Industrial wood production is carried out using ecosystem-based functional forest management plans by provincial organizations of the General Directorate of Forestry, taking into account the principle of forest sustainability and silvicultural needs. The emvals produced are classified and evaluated as log, teldirek, mine pole, industrial wood, paper wood, shell paper wood, fiber chip wood, fine and splitting industrial wood, firewood, pole, rod and sawdust wood. These emvals are mostly sold in the form of round wood and placed on the market. Abnormal formations are eliminated in forest maintenance until the end of the forest management period, as it is aimed to obtain quality timber in the business forests. Some formations of different appearance, which are very common in forests and occur as a result of abnormal growth in trees for various reasons, cannot reach industry with their natural forms. However, today, many furniture and decorative items that are sought after in the furniture industry and are located in our homes, workplaces with aesthetic designs , and their economic value is quite high, are obtained from trees that show abnormal growth that are the subject of forest production. The aim of this study is to raise awareness of the contribution it will make to the economy by evaluating the natural forms of different formations, which are often evaluated as paper wood and firewood, left as production residues in the fields, without interference. Bursa Forest Regional Directorate Bursa and Inegöl Forest Management directorates and Uludag National Park within the boundaries of abnormal growth tree populations constitute the material of the study. Arasdere and Soğukpınar Forest Management Chiefs affiliated to Bursa Forest Management Directorate, Tahtaköprü Forest Management Chiefs affiliated to Inegöl Forest Management Directorate and Uludag National Park borders of forests taken from the test areas showed growth abnormalities trees were sampled on the basis of species. Emval types offered for sale in Bursa and Inegöl forest management offices are exemplified. Design products resulting from processing of massive tree were investigated and cost and sales averages were compared.

The development of economic forestry industry is an important support in the process of rural revitalization strategy and precise poverty alleviation, as well as enrichment of the people. As the market of economic forestry products is close to a perfectly competitive market, brand effect is crucial under homogeneous competition, and economic forestry product enterprises and other business entities need to win and maintain sustainable competitive advantages through brand management. Currently, in the field of economic forest, products such as Chinese wolfberry, jujube, blueberry, fungus, walnut, tephrosia, hazelnut, and chestnut and forest foods and product brands with certain market recognition have emerged, but for most small- and medium-sized economic forest product enterprises, forest product brand cultivation and construction are still in the initial stage. Under the rapid development of the Internet, different types of Internet platforms, which provide new tools and possibilities for branding, the way of corporate brand marketing, and customer management services, have also undergone significant changes. In the market with serious homogenization and increasingly fierce competition, how to establish brand-consumer connection through the Internet platform, strengthen the intensity of consumer participation and connection to the brand, give play to the brand effect, and enhance the brand value in the long term, so as to obtain a new way to win a sustainable competitive advantage, has become an important proposition for all kinds of enterprises, including economic forest product enterprises. Combining the competitive characteristics of economic forestry products and the development of the Internet, the model of brand value enhancement of economic forestry products based on virtual brand communities is constructed. The model takes the experience value obtained by consumers in the virtual brand community as the antecedent and studies the path relationship from experience value, community identity, brand fit, and consumer brand value creation to brand value in four dimensions, utilitarian experience value, emotional experience value, social experience value, and learning experience value, and takes community integration and community support feeling as the moderating variables.

1. Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has gained momentum globally and guidance is needed to identify those species, sites and planting methods that increase restoration success. Incorporating native Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) species in FLR approaches provides an opportunity to simultaneously deliver ecological and economic benefits. The Brazil nut tree is one of the most valuable Amazonian NTFP species and could fulfil a cornerstone role in Amazon FLR. However, the factors defining establishment success within Brazil nut restoration activities remain unknown. 2. Here, we evaluate the effect of management practices, restoration site (pastures, agroforestry, secondary forest and canopy gaps in old growth forest) and environmental conditions on the establishment success (tree growth, survival and fruit production) of Brazil nut restoration projects implemented by smallholders in the Peruvian Amazon. We performed a field study at 25 restoration sites of 1–38 years in age, where we conducted measurements on 481 trees and interviewed 21 smallholders. We used mixed effect models to identify drivers of performance. 3. Twenty years after planting, diameter growth in secondary forests was 38%, 34%, and 24% higher than in canopy gaps, pastures, and agroforestry sites, respectively. Survival rate was similar for trees planted in pastures and secondary forests, but 15–20% higher there than trees planted in agroforestry sites, and 7–12% higher than in canopy gaps. Fruit production was 262% higher for reproductive trees in secondary forest sites compared to pastures, but production probability did not differ between restoration sites. These results show that secondary forests are the most suitable sites for planting Brazil nut trees. 4. In addition to restoration site effects, we also found significant effects of management practices. Survival rate increased with application of fire for clearing and weeding and economic investments and decreased with potentially inefficient herbivore protection. Fruit production was lower for trees planted further away from smallholders’ homes. These results show that smallholders’ management has a substantial effect on establishment success. 5. Our findings suggest a significant importance of post-planting maintenance of trees to increase success of FLR projects. Further, our study shows that evaluation of past restoration activities can guide future forest restoration in tropical landscapes., Forest Ecology and Management, 498, ISSN:0378-1127, ISSN:1872-7042

Pine oleoresin is an important nontimber forest product. It can be used to produce rosin and turpentine, which are important industrial chemicals. The production and industrial uses of oleoresin have received much attention, and chemical taxonomy based on the components of essential oil from needles has been a popular research topic. The molecular and biosynthesized basis of the composition of the resin has been more comprehensively studied in relation to traditional genetics, such as heritability and correlation. Here, the characteristics of the chemical compositions of oleoresins from 43 pine species using GC and GC–MS methods were reviewed. Then, the chemical taxonomy of oleoresin was compared with Little and Critchfield's classification and Gernandt's classification, and the traditional genetics of the chemical components of oleoresin using two pine species (Pinus elliottii and P. massoniana) were compiled. NIR spectroscopy methods for oleoresin composition analysis were first reported, and the potential of the oleoresin for renewable and sustainable energy was addressed with reference to recent publications. Oleoresin is not only an important nontimber forest product currently but also, an important resource for renewable and sustainable energy in the future.

This chapter identifies the key paludiculture (swamp cultivation) plant species from various commodity categories, including food (fruit, nuts, vegetables, beverages, spices, oils, and fats), medicines, other non-timber forest products (utensils, dyes, weaving, latex, resins, and so on), as well as a range of wood products such as species producing timber and pulp. 512 useful peat swamp plant species are recognized, including 81 species with a major economic use and 379 non-timber forest product species, representing a cornucopia of paludiculture options. However, although 380,000 ha of degraded peatland has been rewetted by mid-2018, less than 2000 ha has been converted for true paludiculture, i.e. with full rewetting and using peat swamp adapted species for economic benefit. While a range of technical challenges exist, the main reasons for not carrying out true paludiculture are a lack of examples to follow and a lack of information about paludiculture species (their performance, markets, growth, and so on).

In tropical rainforests, access to and availability of natural resources are vital for the dietary diversity and food security of forest-dwelling societies. In the Congo Basin, these are challenged by the increasing exploitation of forests for bushmeat, commercial hardwood, mining, and large-scale agriculture. In this context, a balanced approach is needed between the pressures from forest exploitation, non-timber forest product trade and the livelihood and dietary behavior of rural communities. While there is a general positive association between tree cover and dietary diversity, the complex biocultural interactions between tropical forest food resources and the communities they sustain are still understudied. This research focuses on the knowledge and use of wild food plants by the forest-dwelling Baka people in southeast Cameroon. By using two different sets of methods, namely ex-situ interviews and in-situ surveys, we collected ethnographic and ethnobotanical data in two Baka settlements and explored the diversity of wild edible plants known, the frequency of their consumption, and potential conflicts between local diet and commercial trade in forest resources. Within a single Baka population, we showed that the in-situ walk-in-the-woods method resulted in more detailed information on wild food plant knowledge and use frequency than the ex-situ methods of freelisting and dietary recalls. Our in-situ method yielded 91 wild edible species, much more than the ex-situ freelisting interviews (38 spp.) and dietary recalls (12 spp.). Our results suggest that studies that are based only on ex-situ interviews may underestimate the importance of wild food plants for local communities. We discuss the limitations and strengths of these different methods for investigating the diversity of wild food plant knowledge and uses. Our analysis shows that future studies on wild food plants would profit from a mixed approach that combines in-situ and ex-situ methods.

The forest-based sector plays diverse roles among the emerging bio-based industries. The goal of this study is to examine how forest product markets could develop in the face of a growing bioeconomy and which interdependencies occur between traditional and emerging forest-based sectors. Therefore, we analyze the development of dissolving pulp together with lignocellulose-based textile fibres and chemical derivatives in a partial equilibrium model. For this purpose, we extend the product structure of the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) and analyze three different bioeconomy scenarios from 2015 to 2050. The simulation results show that, in a scenario where the world is changing toward a sustainable bio-economy, wood consumption patterns shift away from fuelwood (&minus, 30% by 2050) and classical paper products (&minus, 32% by 2050) towards emerging wood-based products. In this context, the dissolving pulp subsector could outpace the continuously shrinking paper pulp subsector by 2050. To develop in this way, the dissolving pulp subsector mainly uses released resources from the decreasing paper pulp production. Simultaneously, wood-based panels are finding increasing application (+196% by 2050) and thus are taking over potential markets for sawn wood, for which production growth remains limited. Our results also show that, until 2050, the production of many wood-based products will take place mainly in Asia instead of North America and Europe.

Fast-growing Eucalyptus spp. forest plantations and their resultant wood products are economically important and may provide a low-cost means to sequester carbon for greenhouse gas reduction. The development of advanced and optimized frameworks for estimating forest plantation attributes from lidar remote sensing data combined with statistical modeling approaches is a step towards forest inventory operationalization and might improve industry e ciency in monitoring and managing forest resources. In this study, we first developed and tested a framework for modeling individual tree attributes in fast-growing Eucalyptus forest plantation using airborne lidar data and linear mixed-e ect models (LME) and assessed the gain in accuracy compared to a conventional linear fixed-e ects model (LFE). Second, we evaluated the potential of using the tree-level estimates for determining tree attribute uniformity across di erent stand ages. In the field, tree measurements, such as tree geolocation, species, genotype, age, height (Ht), and diameter at breast height (dbh) were collected through conventional forest inventory practices, and tree-level aboveground carbon (AGC) was estimated using allometric equations. Individual trees were detected and delineated from lidar-derived canopy height models (CHM), and crown-level metrics (e.g., crown volume and crown projected area) were computed from the lidar 3-D point cloud. Field and lidar-derived crown metrics were combined for ht, dbh, and AGC modeling using an LME. We fitted a varying intercept and slope model, setting species, genotype, and stand (alone and nested) as random e ects. For comparison, we also modeled the same attributes using a conventional LFE model. The tree attribute estimates derived from the best LME model were used for assessing forest uniformity at the tree level using the Lorenz curves and Gini coe cient (GC).We successfully detected 96.6% of the trees from the lidar-derived CHM. The best LME model for estimating the tree attributes was composed of the stand as a random e ect variable, and canopy height, crown volume, and crown projected area as fixed e ects. The %RMSE values for tree-level height, dbh, and AGC were 8.9%, 12.1%, and 23.7% for the LFE model and improved to 7.3%, 7.1%, and 13.6%, respectively, for the LME model. Tree attributes uniformity was assessed with the Lorenz curves and tree-level estimations, especially for the older stands. All stands showed a high level of tree uniformity with GC values approximately 0.2. This study demonstrates that accurate detection of individual trees and their associated crown metrics can be used to estimate Ht, dbh, and AGC stocks as well as forest uniformity in fast-growing Eucalyptus plantations forests using lidar data as inputs to LME models. This further underscores the high potential of our proposed approach to monitor standing stock and growth in Eucalyptus—and similar forest plantations for carbon dynamics and forest product planning info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.), blackberries (Rubus fruticosus L.) and cowberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are the most important forest berries collected in the Czech Republic (CZ). The average annual value of these collected berry species is estimated to be worth more than EUR 86 million at 2018 prices. The data concerning the collection and use of forest fruits have been systematically collected in a highly detailed structure since 2008, which enables the application of the advanced statistical methods used in this paper. The results of the analyses inter alia demonstrate that collecting forest berries is not only an important recreational activity, but it has an important economic effect. Therefore, this article also deals with the collection of forest fruits, especially bilberries, as a potentially important non-wood forest product (NWFP) for sustainable forest management and also analyses the external factors influencing the total annual amount of collected forest berries. A deeper knowledge of the customer and his or her behaviour&mdash, customer insight&mdash, are prerequisites for the proactive management of forest ecosystems. The first step to &ldquo, berry picker insight&rdquo, is to learn more about the demand, its structure and factors which influence this demand. Thus, one of the research questions concentrates on the analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics of the berry picker that are relevant for explaining the amount of collected forest berries in the Czech Republic. Knowledge of these factors can contribute to a more effective application of marketing methods for shaping and influencing the demand so that, in terms of time and place, it is more in line with the supply, which is limited by the natural conditions, growing season and production potential of forest ecosystems.

The Eastern Cape Province harbours 46% of South Africa’s remaining indigenous forest cover, and is one of the country’s poorest and least developed provinces. Forest resources thus represent a vital component of rural livelihoods in this region. Consequently, forest management policies aim to balance the needs of resource users with the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems. In a recent study, forest bird ranges were shown to have declined in the Eastern Cape over the past 20 years, despite increases in forest cover over the same time period, indicating that habitat degradation may be driving forest bird losses. Given that harvesting of forest products represents the primary human disturbance in forests in the Eastern Cape today, insight is needed regarding the link between resource use and habitat modification. We report on effects of harvesting of three key forest products – poles, timber and medicinal bark – on habitat structure at the ground, understorey and canopy layers in indigenous forests in the province. Harvest activities had considerable impacts on habitat structure, depending on the nature and extent of harvesting. Bark and timber harvesting resulted in canopy gaps, whereas pole harvesting reduced tree density, resulting in understorey gaps. Overall, harvest activities increased the frequency of canopy disturbance, and density of understorey layer foliage. Unsustainable bark harvesting practices increased the mortality rate of canopy trees, thereby increasing dead wood availability. By providing insight into human-mediated habitat modification in forests of the Eastern Cape, this study contributes to the development of ecologically informed sustainable resource management policies. Significance: Unregulated harvesting of forest products in state-managed indigenous forests of the Eastern Cape results in habitat modification. The nature and extent of habitat modification is dependent on the type and intensity of resource use, indicating that resource use may be sustainably managed. Timber and medicinal bark harvesting activities result in canopy disturbances, thereby altering natural canopy gap dynamics, with concomitant impacts on understorey habitat structure. Changes in forest habitat structure associated with high levels of resource use are likely to have ramifying effects on forest biodiversity.

Pine straw, the uppermost forest floor layer of undecayed, reddish-brown pine needles, is raked, baled, and sold as a landscaping mulch throughout the southeastern United States. Loblolly (Pinus taeda, L.), longleaf (P. palustris, Mill.), and slash (P. elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) pine are the three southern pine species commonly raked for pine straw. The value of pine straw as a forest product is large. Private landowner pine straw revenues have steadily increased throughout the southeastern United States over the past two decades and now total more than USD 200 million. Information is limited on the short- or long-term effects of pine straw removal on foliage production or stand growth in southern pine stands. Results from most published studies suggest that annual pine straw raking without fertilization on non-old-field sites reduces straw yields compared to no raking. Old-field sites often do not benefit from fertilization with increased pine straw or wood volume yields. Though fertilization may be beneficial for pine straw production on some sites, understory vegetation presence and disease prevalence may increase following fertilization. This review addresses pine straw removal effects on pine straw production and stand growth parameters based on recent studies and provides fertilization recommendations to maintain or improve pine straw production and stand growth and yield.

This paper sheds light on the state of our knowledge of relationships between plant diversity and tropical forests ecosystem services. We systematically reviewed the empirical evidence of relationships between three ecosystem services: carbon stock and sequestration, timber provisioning and non-timber forest product (NTFP) provisioning, and three dimensions of plant diversity: taxonomic, functional and structural. We carried out meta-analyses to assess their validity across spatial scales and plot sizes. We found that indicators of all three dimensions of plant diversity have reported relationships with at least two of the studied ecosystem services, but there has been limited and inconsistent use of plant diversity indicators and little attention for relationships with timber and NTFP services. Nevertheless, we found that tree species richness showed robust significant positive correlations with carbon stock across the tropics, and that the geographical extent of the study area had a significant negative effect on the strength of this relationship, where the strength of the relationship decreased with increasing geographical extent. This paper reveals a knowledge gap for services other than carbon stock and shows that at local to regional spatial scales, synergies can be achieved between policies focused on biodiversity conservation and maintenance of carbon stocks.

The increasing rate of land use intensification and the rising evidence of climate change impacts raise concerns about the viability of valued non-timber forest product (NTFP)-providing trees. This calls for the assessment of the current status and future trajectories of their populations. Using population data collected from three land-use types (e.g., grazing lands, riverine areas and natural forest) in western Tigray, we evaluated the vulnerability of the multipurpose baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) to human disturbances and climate change. The study was based on the premises that integrating ecological science with modeling tools and local knowledge would enhance the overall effectiveness of conservation strategies and community support. Therefore, based on field-based inventory, ecological niche modeling and a socioeconomic study, we characterized and mapped baobab current and future population distribution and documented local knowledge on the uses and management of the species. The characterization of the population structure showed that baobab stands were denser with larger-sized and taller trees in riverine areas and natural forest compared to grazing lands, suggesting adverse effects of human disturbances on its populations. Moreover, positively skewed size-class distributions with negative slopes in all land-use types indicated a low recruitment of juvenile trees to the adult stage. Climate change simulations using Maximum Entropy Algorithm (Maxent) revealed that future temperature increases would lead to significant reductions (41–100%) in baobab suitable habitats due to range contraction. The intensive harvesting of baobab leaves, branches and bark and lack of conversation practices as indicated by local communities, in combination with the risk of local extinction under future climate warming constitute serious threats for the viability of the species in western Tigray. The results suggest immediate interventions, such as planting baobab at up to 65 m higher in altitude, designing appropriate leaf and bark harvest strategies and protecting seedlings from livestock, will help guarantee the persistence of the species populations.