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A recent paper by Karpov et al. (2024) discusses forest disturbances on Kunashir Island due to windstorms and bark beetle outbreaks. The study uses medium-resolution satellite data, which we argue is conceptually flawed for analyzing windthrows and spruce dieback in mixed forests of the study area. The results significantly underestimate disturbed areas by over 50 %. Here we highlight the methodological shortcomings of the Karpov et al. (2024) study and caution against using medium-resolution data for forest disturbance detection in mixed forests. Such underestimations can provide an extremely imprecise baseline for disturbance impacts under climate change, potentially misguiding projections of impacts on forest ecology and management. • Landsat and Sentinel-2 data may underestimate windthrow and forest pest areas • Underestimation rate of disturbances in Kunashir island is about 50 % • Very high-resolution imagery and neural networks provide more accurate assessment • Use medium-resolution data cautiously for local disturbance estimations in mixed forests [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article introduces a bottom-up global model of the pulp and paper sector (PULPSIM) with a focus on energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is an annual recursive simulation behavioural model with a 2030 time horizon incorporating several technological details of the industry for 47 world regions. The long time horizon and the modular structure allow the model users to assess the effects of different environmental, energy and climate policies in a scenario comparison setup. In addition to the business as usual developments of the sector, a climate commitment scenario has been analysed, in which the impacts of changing forest management practices are also included. The climate scenario results reveal that there is a significant carbon reduction potential in the pulp and paper making, showing a number of specific features: the central role of the fibrous resource inputs and the potential impact of increased waste wood and black liquor based heat generation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pinus taeda is a principal conifer tree species and has long been used in forest plantations in Southern Brazil. At the same time, experiments have been carried out in order to determine the wood productivity concerning the economic, social and sustainable forest management practices. In that sense, the organic fertilizers, such as the biosolid residues from pulp and paper industries, are one of the alternatives to achieve this sustainability. Nevertheless, few studies addressing this objective have been reported in Brazil. This study aimed to analyze the growth responses of loblolly pine trees treated with different doses of composted pulp-mill sludge and to propose a management guide based on a wood production simulation. A randomized block design with four replicates for every six treatments - control, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 t ha −1 of composted pulp-mill sludge - were carried out in an experimental plantation located in Arapoti, Paraná state, Brazil. Ten 17 year-old-trees for each treatment were selected, the stem variables were analyzed and the stand wood productivity for the optimal dosage was simulated. The trees were significantly influenced by the application of the composted pulp-mill sludge, increasing up to 24, 37 and 127% in stem diameter, height and volume, respectively, and the rotation of the pine plantation control and treated stands was 33 and 21 years, respectively. The forest management applied for a 21-year harvesting cycle (thinning at 7 and 13 years) with 84 t ha −1 of composted pulp-mill sludge resulted in a wood productivity of 11.9 m 3 ha −1 or 5.04 Mg ha −1 per year. The results confirm the potential application of pulp-mill sludge as a fertilizer to improve the wood productivity of forest plantations established in poor-nutrient sites. Also, the forest management plans, using the guide proposed, could be replicated in loblolly pine and other tree species plantations according to the end use of wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood pulp is one of the main products of forestry worldwide, being a necessary intermediate product for all types of paper produced. In order to understand the market dynamics of this product, this study analyses the global concentration of the wood-pulp production from 1961 to 2021 using data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). To measure the degree of concentration, the following indicators were used: concentration ratio [CR(fc)], the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), the Theil Entropy Index (E), the Hall and Tideman Index (HTI), the Comprehensible Concentration Index (CCI) and the Gini Coefficient (G). A decreasing tendency in the concentration of the world production of wood pulp was verified, but the concentration is still classified as intense. The inequality was also strongly verified by the G, but also with a downward tendency. The participation of major producers is also decreasing. This trend of reduced concentration is explained by the increase in the number of countries producing wood pulp. This study concluded that the environmental and technological conditions of the management of planted forests restrict the participation of many of the countries producing wood pulp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maintaining biodiversity is a key goal of global forest policy which promotes ecosystem health and resilience in the face of changing land use and climate. Sustainable management of forest ecosystems is essential to the social and economic services that forests provide, is an important component of the environmental policies of national governments, and is a specific focus of the Conventional on Biological Diversity. Sustainable forest management supports the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity, and relies on evidence based research to underpin associated policies and practices. Studies that take a focussed approach are particularly helpful in this regard where they identify mechanisms of ecological change in forest habitats, and predictors appropriate to determining the impact of management practices. Observational research can suggest likely mechanisms for ecological change, which can be tested and confirmed through experimental research. Predictors based on long-term research, on the mechanisms underlying ecological relationships, or on modelling approaches can be used to infer information about existing forests and to forecast future trends. This special issue presents a selection of papers which were first presented at the second international IUFRO conference on biodiversity in forest ecosystems and landscapes at University College Cork, Ireland in August 2012. The aim of this conference series is to ‘share knowledge, discuss new trends, reflect on future directions in biodiversity management for sustainable forestry, and provide a stronger scientific basis for biodiversity management in forest landscapes in the light of climate change’. The selected papers exemplify the use of observational and experimental approaches to identify mechanisms of ecological change in forests, and the use of indicators to predict current and future patterns of biodiversity. Trends in forest biodiversity were examined and discussed, drawing on what we know about forests to reconstruct ancient forested landscapes and to identify strategies for the management of forests into the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Whilst forest management certification emerged in the early 1990s as a potential market-based solution to the problem of forest loss and degradation, certified timber has not yet taken a significant share of timber and wood product markets. Although the lack of supply of certified timber is acknowledged as a problem, market barriers to the uptake of certified products are poorly understood. This study sought to identify and compare barriers to the uptake of certified wood and wood products in the UK's paper and construction industries. Findings indicate marked variation in barriers between individual companies and between the industries. Key barriers identified include: organizational constraints – strategic commitment, inadequate systems, staff skills and financial provision; supply constraints – material availability, supply chain complexities, entrenched supplier relationships; and demand constraints – lack of knowledge, weak demand, price sensitivity, traditional expectations and availability of substitutes. Ways to overcome these barriers are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Model Forest approach for sustainable development of landscape. It cites examples of involvement of indigenous peoples in Model Forest activities including sustainable forest management in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Vilhelmina locality of Sweden, creation of protected area on municipal lands in Bolivia, and sustainable forest management in Cameroon. It also describes the Adriatic Model Forest project which aims to create a Model Forest in Dalmatia, Croatia.

The article discusses the need for the printing and publishing industry to commit to sustainable forestry in using paper. It mentions that firms should be proud in using paper as they work with papermaking companies, who are taking their environmental commitment seriously. It states that the papermaking industry is dependent in the maintenance of forests for its their sustainable source of paper.

Abstract: In Australia, a pervasive response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gasses and the exchange of these gasses between the atmosphere and forests has been to focus on storing carbon (C) in forested landscapes. However, the amount of C stored and able to be stored in the landscape, which is often called carbon carrying capacity, is commonly over-estimated and over-emphasised. This occurs, in part, due to a focus on the continent’s most C-rich forests when discussing landscape C storage or carbon carrying capacity, and by failing to account for wildfires that will prevent all forests from becoming old and C-rich. These effects on forest age-class structure and thus C-stocks, in the Australian landscape currently tend to be overlooked at the policy level. Underemphasised is the widely recognised role of wood products in greenhouse gas mitigation, both as a C-stock and by providing society with low emission products. Improving atmospheric outcomes will only be achieved if variation in landscape C stocks is accurately described and the full role of forests in greenhouse gas mitigation including the role of wood products is explored and reflected in policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although native to Australia, Eucalyptus species are found throughout Europe. At present, they are located mainly in the Iberian Peninsula and Eucalyptus globulus is the most commonly planted species. Climate forecasts anticipate an expansion of Eucalyptus to other regions of Europe. The fast growth of E. globulus, together with its resprouting ability and wood properties, has promoted the use of this species in the Iberian Peninsula. The total volume of E. globulus harvested there was close to 14 million m3 in 2019. Eucalyptus species represent the main source of raw material for the pulp and paper industries and provide an important source of income to non-industrial owners. Being exotic fast-growing trees, their expansion has also been associated with negative environmental impacts. The species therefore poses a series of challenges, while also generating opportunities. The objectives of this review paper are: (1) to summarize the importance of Eucalyptus plantations in Europe; (2) to analyse the opportunities and challenges of this genus in present and future plantations in Europe; (3) to assess to what extent forest management, at both stand and landscape levels, can reduce negative impacts; (4) to make policy and management recommendations that may support the use of this genus in other European regions. These aims are accomplished based on a thorough literature review, particularly focused on research developed in the Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews natural capital (NC) valuation approaches in the context of woodland, forest, and riparian ecosystems, emphasising the need for participatory methods to take priority over neoclassical economics approaches. Focusing on research carried out in Scotland, the study analyses findings according to a classification of natural capital initiatives that we have developed, building on ideas proposed by the UK ENCA initiative, a guideline proposed to help researchers and practitioners understand NC and take it into account in valuation, decision-making and policy. We have found that landscape-scale initiatives that address the relationships between people and place to inform value and decision-making beyond the economic (monetary) benefits generated by ecosystem services (ES) are becoming popular. For instance, recent methods employed to capture stakeholders' non-utilitarian preferences include the use of participatory GIS mapping, scenario planning, and other participatory methods to identify, explore and quantify less tangible cultural ecosystem services (CES). The review shows that many studies provide information relevant to the formulation of a place-based NC approach, working towards the integration of contextual and relational values into land management decisions to help formulate management strategies that maximise ES delivery. Conversely, we have not found evidence of the integration of shared values arising from an eco-centric perspective of nature valuation into the more classical, instrumental value lens. Such an approach would help inform broader, overarching aspects of woodland and forest management that may foster more effective conservation and help to manage conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trampling of vegetation and soils by recreational activities is a recurrent concern in many lands where trail use is common. The degree of impact can vary with the myriad types of trail users. The Weaver and Dale article, ''Trampling effects of hikers, motorcycles and horses in meadows and forests'', was the first to provide some insights about how different trampling agents might produce varied impacts. Weaver and Dale showed that horses and motorcycles produced greater impacts to soils and vegetation than hikers. This article appeared early in a relatively young field of study. The direct results of their research are still valuable today, but the greater impact of their paper was that it ushered in a phase of experimental trampling research that is ongoing. Because of their research and continual influence, land managers can now make better decisions about what type of recreation activity to discourage or encourage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]