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Abstract: How do stewardship groups contribute to the management of urban ecosystem services? In this paper, we integrate the research on environmental stewardship with the social–ecological systems literature to explain how stewardship groups serve as bridge organizations between public agencies and civic organizations, working across scales and sectors to build the flexible and multi-scaled capacity needed to manage complex urban ecosystems. Analyzing data collected from a survey of stewardship groups in New York City, combined with open-ended semi-structured interviews with representatives from the most connected civic “hub” organizations, we use a mixed-method approach to understand the specific activities of bridge organizations in the process of preserving local ecosystem services. This paper concludes that the role of bridge organizations in the management of urban ecosystem services in New York City is increasing, that these groups have a specific bi-modal role in the network, and that an initial presence of heterarchic organizational relations was crucial in their development. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of these results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The research described in this paper attempted to identify approaches likely to be most effective for encouraging owners of small pine plantations to engage in conversion management. We started from the recognition of the evolving heterogeneity of forest ownership and the subsequent need to tailor policies and communications to the various types of forest owners. The focus was on small forest owners in secondary pine plantations in Flanders (northern part of Belgium). Using cluster analysis of survey data (n =276) a typology was developed based on the motivations of ownership. In addition, an intuitive owner typology was developed based on qualitative data (interviews with key informants and focus groups with forest owners), which proved to be a useful refinement and extension of the cluster analysis. The identification of motivational categories of forest owners is an important first step in understanding this diverse audience, but typology building alone is not a sufficient base enough for targeting recommendations for practice. The focus groups enabled to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding about factors that encourage or constrain owners’ engagement in active forest management, and forest conversion in particular. The paper concludes with demonstrating how typology building can help identify and discuss owner-specific policies and communications to advance forest conversion on private land. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Environmental stewardship in urban areas often involves multiple organizations and actors. Yet very little data exists that takes into account the work of multiple stewardship organizations. And while recent work has presented various drivers of uneven canopy cover, the contribution of local stewardship organizations to those inequalities remains under-explored. Worcester, MA, however, offers an interesting opportunity to look at how unequitable canopies can be reproduced. In 2008, after the Asian Longhorned beetle was discovered in Worcester, Worcester County began a sustained eradication effort and destroyed over 34,000 trees in just six years. Multiple organizations took on the responsibility for restoring the canopy. In this paper, we analyze where the stewardship organizations planted new trees and the main drivers of planting in those locations. Specifically, we explore (1) if the restoration of the canopy was done in an equitable manner, and (2) what were the main predictors of where stewardship organizations worked. Our findings indicate that the inequity in the canopy was reproduced after the Longhorned beetle epidemic. More surprising is that in the spatial error regression model traditional drivers of inequities in the canopy become insignificant. The most significant predictor of where stewardship agencies worked is the presence of other agencies. We end with some recommendations for a more efficient, holistic stewardship environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper evaluates the role of a web based interface – Scenario Chooser – that was developed to present a range of hypothetical future forested landscapes to the public with the aim of eliciting the most/least preferred forest management scenarios. The scenarios were represented by description of the applied management techniques, quantifiable landscape outputs and 3D panoramas from fixed viewpoints. This research had two goals: the first was to develop an interactive interface to present multiple scenarios for comparison and selection, the second was to evaluate the effectiveness of the interface by analysing the participant interaction logs and the evaluation questionnaire. The ability to compare the landscape scenarios using a variety of information and to see the effects of the underlying harvest systems through multiple panoramic views was considered particularly informative. Written and verbal responses indicated that this tool was easy to use, presented information in an easily understandable manner and enabled people''s landscape preferences to be ascertained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There have been many different approaches to the delineation and measurement of viewsheds using GIS. However, the quantification of visibility for each element within the viewshed is estimated by imprecise procedures. This paper proposes a GIS tool which analyzes the visual exposure of a terrain from single or multiple observation points, starting from a digital elevation model (DEM). The proposed procedure yields higher precision values than the existing methods, because it directly obtains the solid angle of each visible cell within the DEM. The procedure is based on building a triangle network from a DEM in a regular square grid (RSG), thereby eliminating the need to calculate the slope and aspect, which are necessary steps of other procedures. The visual exposure values for each cell can be added in order to estimate the visual impact of landscape elements represented by a set of cells in the RSG. The development of the tool was oriented towards mitigating the landscape impact caused by forestry activities, in order to comply with certification schemes for Sustainable Forest Management. The tool proved to be useful in assessing alternatives for distributing clear-cutting areas so as to minimize visual impact, and can be applied to any other landscape impact assessment, such as road construction, quarrying, farming or any other land use change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the course of urban development, natural areas are often extensively eradicated. Some remnants of natural ecosystems in the form of woodlands are occasionally left by design or by default. They denote the most complex type of urban vegetation with notably high ecological value. Due to their high scenic and landscape quality, derived largely from their rich nature content and associated ecosystem services, these urban woodlands are often heavily used by urban residents for informal outdoor recreation. The same qualities also attract property development. Their ecological worth in the face of conflicting and deleterious demands calls for effective conservation and protection from undue human impacts. Based on current knowledge base from a multidisciplinary perspective, this paper attempts to identify the key knowledge gaps and critical concerns, and justify the strategic research directions to improve our understanding and hence conservation of a threatened urban ecological resource. A total of 100 research questions has been proposed to facilitate a concerted international research effort to achieve a holistic understanding of the urban ecological heritage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The analysis of land-use and land-cover change has long been a key topic in Landscape Ecology. In particular, forest fragmentation is known to affect species composition and diversity, thus threatening the integrity of forest habitats. This paper examines the forest cover dynamics in a Mediterranean area (the Province of Siena, central Italy), by comparing historical (1933) and recent forest maps (2000). The historical map has been geo-referenced, digitised in a GIS environment, and classified in three forest classes: broad-leaved, conifer and mixed forests. The same classification was used for the recent forest map. Image processing techniques and landscape pattern metrics were applied to quantify the changes in forest cover patterns, while appropriate statistical descriptors were adopted to investigate the relationship between land-cover changes and topographical factors. A general afforestation process was detected in the investigated area over the period 1933–2000, resulting in a high landscape transformation overall considering zones with higher elevation and slope. The forest landscape structure changed in terms of decreased fragmentation and patchiness. The general trend observed in this area was in line with previous results achieved in similar ecological situations, thus reinforcing the need to link landscape change patterns with appropriate management decisions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Increasing pressure to harvest in scenic vistas as a result of increased timber demand has caused significant changes to many natural scenes. Visual resource management aims to reduce the impact of harvests and improve their scenic design while trying to minimize the effect on timber availability. This paper presents a new method for simplifying the inclusion of visual quality concerns in the forest planning process by developing and testing a prototype model that is capable of automatically modifying harvest designs to be more visually sensitive. This was accomplished by combining geographic information systems with a genetic algorithm and was tested across an array of different landscape terrain types, including mountains, hills and valleys, to demonstrate its ability to deal with complex three-dimensional situations. Results suggest a capacity for increased levels of aesthetic design while also increasing timber availability. This decision support tool allows planners to manipulate “what-if” scenarios to ascertain the effects of varying timber extraction levels and visible alteration percentages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Given the growing importance of forest-management strategies which seek to emulate natural disturbance patterns, and the increased incidence of pest epidemics in some parts of North America, there is surprisingly little published research on perceived visual quality of pest infestations, especially, at the landscape level (middleground viewing distance). Much of the literature that does exist focuses on the visual impact of beetles (Dendroctonus spp.) or gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). This paper reviews the work published to date and distills key points and research priorities emerging from it. Visual-quality ratings generally decrease significantly as pest damage increases in the middleground landscape. Some studies have identified quite low thresholds (in terms of the area of the visible landscape affected by pest activity), below which perceived visual quality drops significantly with increasing visible pest damage, and beyond which, additional negative visual impacts of increasing damage appear to be modest. However, reductions in visual quality due to pest attack may be outweighed by high visual quality of the overall scene. Low levels of beetle damage may even enhance the visual quality of a landscape temporarily. Results are not clear on the effect of information about pest infestations on respondents’ visual-quality ratings. Some studies show that informed respondents consider visual quality of affected scenes to be lower than do uninformed respondents, but this may reflect the way in which the information was delivered. A conceptual framework is suggested which relates the existing research to knowledge gaps and future research priorities, not only on visual-quality effects of pest infestations but also on related public perceptual responses and other disturbance types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This is a review of research findings from silvicultural studies that addressed information needs identified during the revision of the Tongass National Forest land management plan. A central concern of resource managers is balancing tradeoffs among habitat concerns, wood production, wood-product quality, and operability on the Tongass. This paper provides a historical overview of forest management in southeast Alaska and examines issues—and recent discoveries—related to the management of old- and young-growth forests for multiple-resource values. The studies reviewed here include a study of variable-retention harvesting in old-growth stands, an evaluation of the productivity of forested wetlands following clearcutting, an evaluation of the performance of a regional stand-growth model in predicting the growth of even-aged stands, and an assessment of the effects of silvicultural treatments on wood quality in young stands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS)-based multi-criteria decision making approach for forest conservation planning at a landscape scale. This approach enables decision makers to evaluate the relative priorities of conserving forest areas based on a set of preferences, criteria and indicators for the area. Compromise programming techniques are used to integrate the forest conservation priority maps of decision groups where a separation distance is calculated. A clustering analysis was applied to identify potential conservation areas as the basis of delineating potential new protected areas. The study was conducted in the Kinabalu area, Sabah, Malaysia where two polygons neighboring the Kinabalu Park were delineated. A group of 11 polygons totaling 2050 ha has also been detected in the western part of Kinabalu Park. The study recommends the inclusion of a forest polygon (359 ha) neighboring Kinabalu Park and another (4361 ha) to the west of the park as new protected areas. A green corridor linking the potential new protected areas and Kinabalu Park should also be constructed to facilitate animal movement and interaction. This study reveals that riparian vegetation is an important aspect to forest conservation and the legislation to protect riparian zones should be strengthened. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Generic criteria and indicator (C&I) frameworks have been the focus of recent work on sustainable forest management. These templates, however, may not be an appropriate approach for directing landscape-level forest management strategies. Instead, many argue that sustainable management should be determined using “bottom–up” approaches rather than standardized frameworks. This requires engaging local expertise in defining sustainability. Having a culturally distinct form of local knowledge, Aboriginal communities have an important role to play in decision-making processes. However, conventional participatory approaches, such as generic C&I frameworks and multi-stakeholder planning processes, are often inappropriate for engaging Aboriginal involvement. We suggest that landscape-level forest planning should highlight rather than assimilate cultural perspectives on sustainable forest management. Using the co-managed John Prince Research Forest in central interior British Columbia as a case study, this paper presents the results of using C&I and a scenario planning approach to describe an Aboriginal perspective of good forest stewardship. These results demonstrate that, in contrast with existing C&I frameworks, locally-based sustainability criteria provide better guidance for developing and adapting landscape-level forest plans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Neighbourhood age, SES, density, and building footprints predict urban forest cover. • Residential private land is positively correlated with neighbourhood forest cover. • Higher building footprint ratio reduces urban forest cover. • Random Forests model explained 74.26% in neighbourhood forest cover variation. Trees provide myriad ecosystem services of benefit to urban populations; however, urban development is pressuring existing urban tree coverage. Thus, a pertinent challenge for planners is identifying development scenarios that find synergies between urban growth and the preservation or enhancement of tree canopy coverage. This paper presents the training and validation of a model that predicts changes in neighbourhood-level urban tree canopy cover associated with different socio-economic and physical urban form variables. Neighbourhoods across Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, were used as a case study. A Random Forests model was trained using a suite of socio-economic and urban form variables and neighbourhood percentage tree canopy cover derived from very high resolution multispectral remote sensing images and digital surface models. This model was validated using independent test data with a mean absolute error of 1.78% and a root mean square error of 2.42%. An application of this model was demonstrated using the City of Nedlands, Perth, where a new planning scheme allowing denser urban development has been approved by the State Government. The magnitude and spatial variation in the change of neighbourhood tree canopy cover in the City of Nedlands in 2050 associated with three urban development scenarios was predicted using the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of computer tools for creating and representing virtual worlds has dramatically increased our abilities to capture salient aspects of the environment and communicate them to audiences remotefrom the landscape under study. The speed and quality of generation of visual imagery, as well as the editing power computers offer, has already dramatically extended the capabilities of practitioners and researchers in representing scenic views. The immersion, motion, and sound offered by virtual worlds may greatly extend the ecological validity of environmental representations and allow for deeper and more meaningful study of the effects of the real world on human experience.However, while the tools are being widely and increasingly adopted, there has been little discussion of the nature of the advantages being gained, nor the cautions that may be necessary. This paper examinesthe suitability of Virtual Reality (VR) technology for supporting environmental decision-making. We discuss and categorize different aspects of human-computer interfaces and then discuss to what extent the attributes of VR correspond to the needs of landscape representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]