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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]