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Given the importance of forests and the role of public environmental policies, using an interdisciplinary methodology, this study explained the various levels of effectiveness of Complementary Law No. 233/2005, which aims to ensure the flora and allows sustainable exploitation, implanted in the state of Mato Grosso. Eight municipalities were selected, located in the Amazon biome, with significant indicators of deforestation and illegal logging. The analysis considered the potential in areas of standing forest, from which seven municipalities had areas suitable for legal exploitation, the forest managements implemented, environmental assessments against flora and the discharge of these fines, of which only 4% were paid. To analyze the behavior of deforestation in relation to the independent variables, a multiple linear regression model was used. The estimation resulted in a positive relationship between management and deforestation, demonstrating the feeling of false legality. Logging establishments did not show a statistical relationship with deforestation, unlike the employment link variable, which was positive. The assessments against flora showed a negative relationship with deforestation, which is attributed to deficits related to the application of sanctions and the payment of fines in the municipalities studied. Thus, it was understood that the complementary law alone is not able to act efficiently in relation to the protection of flora and the promotion of sustainable activities, requiring an alignment between the agents, the State and the competent bodies, evidencing that the factors associated with deforestation in these municipalities are complex and are not related only to the timber sector.

The increasing concern for sustainable forest and protected forest resources motivates this study. In the wake of rising protected forest depletion, climate change and public health problems, this study through a bidding game format develops a sustainability index to show households' sustainability behavior toward the protected forests in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Relying on a cross-section of household survey data and regression analysis, this study finds that overall, approximately 79% of respondents exhibited sustainable behavior toward protected forests in GAR. Also, this sustainable behavior is associated with expected revenue of GH¢ 80,837,594 (USD$ 15,368,398) per annum. We also find that socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors are the main drivers of protected forest sustainability in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. This study has important implications for institutions working toward sustaining protected forest and forest resources in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road initiative is a comprehensive strategic initiative initiated by the Chinese government; it encompasses a significant segment of geo-territory, interaction of economy, investment, environment and ecology worldwide. In recent years, much has been said and written about the Belt and Road initiative's economic and investment prospectus; however, relatively little attention has been paid to the comprehensive quest of its emergent ecological and sustainable environmental spares. This paper aims to investigate the association of forest resources, agricultural expansion, and financial development with energy demand and environment; based on ecological footprints among selected ninety-seven nations of Belt and Road initiative from 1995 to 2018 by employing a Generalized Method of Moments and Driscoll and Kraay approaches. Empirical outcomes of the study have revealed that GDP growth reduces the environmental burden, and agricultural expansion deteriorates the environment. Contrarily, finance, foreign direct investment, and forest resources are providing solutions for environmental improvement in the study area. Similarly, the role of forests, agriculture, and finance remain positive determinants of energy demand in the study area. From the causal test, we found that the indicators of environment, energy, forest, agriculture, and finance all have bidirectional linkages. Based on our research results, we have concluded some policy implications for policymakers within the Belt and Road initiative framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation is one of the main causes of concern in the world. There is a dilemma on policies that are devised to improve the quality of the environment with those meant to promote economic growth, since factors that foster economic growth degrade the environment. The present research seeks to examine the influence of energy efficiency, forest resources, and renewable energy among the less-emitter and high-emitter sub-Saharan African nations, for the period 1990 to 2020. The present research is significant in providing a comparative analysis of less- and high-emitter sub-Saharan African nations on this subject, hence the main novelty of the research. The panel Autoregressive distributive lag and cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributive methods are used for data analysis, and their results are compared and contrasted. The research presents in its findings that renewable energy, forest resources, and energy efficiency improve the environment, while economic growth distorts the environment in both regions. No asymmetries exist between the less- and high-emitter sub-Saharan African nations, on the impact of energy efficiency, economic growth, forest resources, and renewable energy to the environment. Non-renewable energy, in the high-emitter sub-Saharan African nations, degrades the environment. The policy recommendations are also given in line with the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caatinga is an endemic biome in Brazil and classified as a seasonally dry tropical forest, with relevant biodiversity and environmental and social importance. However, anthropic activities such as burning, deforestation, agriculture and grazing, have been suppressing considerable areas of vegetation in this biome, contributing to its fragmentation. In this sense, this study aimed to analyze the anthropic pressures under the Caatinga biome in the micro-region of the Cariri Oriental da Paraíba, using metrics such as land use and cover, suppression of primary and secondary vegetation, as well as the extraction of firewood and production of coal. Data from three different databases were used (BDiA; MAPBIOMAS and SIDRA), analyzed separately and, subsequently, together through principal component analysis (PCA). Considerable differences were observed for land use and cover among the municipalities in this micro-region, with predominance of areas with agriculture and livestock and Wooded Stépica Savannah. The mosaic of uses (Pastures/Agriculture) was the main agricultural land use class in Eastern Cariri. Suppression of primary vegetation greater than 1000 hectares was registered in the years 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1998. Significant values of firewood extraction (>130,000 m3 per year) were observed in the period 1998-2001. The ACP showed significant associations between the suppression of primary vegetation and the production of firewood and charcoal. The results together demonstrate the local susceptibility of the Caatinga and the need for conservation actions in this biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scientific article provides a general description of forest resources as an object of administrative and legal research and an object of legal protection, as well as a study of the general concept of a forest and the concept of a forest as an object of legal protection. In modern conditions (aggression from Russia and crimes against ecocide), the issue of forest protection is very relevant. As you know, everything in nature is interconnected and interdependent, so by preserving the forest, we also preserve other natural objects. It has been established that forest resources are wood, technical, medicinal and other forest products that are used to meet the needs of the population and production and are reproduced in the process of forming forest natural complexes. An analysis of the concepts of the forest from the point of view of scientists and legal acts was carried out, and the role of the forest and its functions were determined. Our vision of the concept of forest is proposed, namely: a forest is a complex, multifunctional, reproducible object of nature (plant life) and an object of state ownership, which is part of the natural environment and performs two important functions: economic and ecological. The economic includes: the use of wood in economic activities, the use of gifts of the forest (berries, mushrooms, medicinal plants) - in vital activities and human health. Ecological can include the restoration and purification of air in the atmosphere, a positive effect on the regulation of the ecosystem in all territories of Ukraine, from an agricultural point of view, it has a positive effect on the protection of soils from erosion and increases the yield of agricultural products, etc. After all, the possibility of the existence of a forest as such is related to its inherent property, namely: restoration, i.e., a continuous, constantly operating process of vital activity of interconnected organisms that go through a complete life cycle from birth to death with subsequent reproduction. The issue of legal protection of forests of Ukraine was also considered, measures were proposed to improve the legal regulation of relations. Based on the analysis of scientists, the features regulating relations in the use and protection of forests have been established. After all, the shortcomings of the national forest legislation and insufficient protection of forests, illegal felling, problems in delimiting the powers of control bodies, ecocide against natural forest objects by the aggressor state lead to the destruction of forests and damage to the surrounding natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of low provision of Ukraine with forests, its uneven distribution and low level of forest cover of the territory, and, as a result, forestry reserves, it seems promising to determine the priority areas for the development of the forest industry and mechanisms for effective management of the modern forestry industry complex, taking into account the experience of the structural policy of the countries with the forest fund that is similar in terms of extent. The aim of the article is to provide an in-depth analysis of the status and tendencies in the development of the forestry industry complex of Ukraine in the pre-war period, taking into account its integral components. The article analyzes the status and tendencies in the development of the forestry industry complex of Ukraine in the context of uneven distribution of forests and the extent of the forest fund in different regions of Ukraine. An in-depth analysis of the components of the forestry industry complex in the pre-war period is carried out, in particular, such as: woodworking industry, production of paper and paper products, furniture production. At presence, the woodworking industry of Ukraine has a low level of provision of mainly coniferous wood for forest consumers and the needs of the domestic market, which, in turn, leads to inefficient use of wood resources in conditions of low rates of reproduction of forest plantations. It is determined that the woodworking industry is a priority industry for most of the western regions of Ukraine and can further become a driving force for the intensive development of their economy. The activity of enterprises of the woodworking industry is also characterized from the standpoint of their number, net profit (loss) and profitability. An analysis of the foreign economic component of the development of the woodworking industry of Ukraine is carried out. It is proved that the prerequisite for the further development of the forestry industry complex of Ukraine in the post-war recovery period is its existing potential, which, under the conditions of an effective and systematic State policy in the field of forest management, will achieve an increase in competitiveness and growth of production at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of any state, the forest domain played a great role. Russia, being a country with the richest forest resources, pays great attention to the state regulation of forest management and forest conservation. The history of the use of forest resources is part of the history of Russia. The relevance of the topic is due to the change in the concept of teaching the history of Russia for students studying in specialized historical and non-core specialties and areas of training in universities. The number of hours devoted to the study of national history is increasing; the history of Russia will be singled out from the course of world history as an independent academic discipline. Students will have the opportunity to study in more detail various aspects of the history of the Russian state. The article analyzes the measures of state regulation of the use of forest resources for the production of potash, resin and tar in Russia in the 17th century. — the first quarter of the XVIII century. and also questions of regulation of trade in the specified goods. The analysis of normative legal acts that determined the conditions and features of production and trade in products obtained from wood processing was carried out. It is concluded that the state’s focus only on administrative and legal measures to regulate the use of forests in Russia, without taking into account economic realities, demonstrates low efficiency and leads to crisis phenomena in the area under study.

HTI development involves many parties and stakeholders, one of which is the community living around the industrial forest area, whose existence cannot be separated from the forest. The location of the service in Bengkalis Regency is focused on Bukit Batu District. Data and information were collected through interviews and Focused Group Discussions. The results of the identification of social impacts found negative impacts from the existence of HTI companies on the people in the survey villages, namely land ownership conflicts, labour recruitment, and road dust that interfered with the residents' health. While the positive impact felt by the community is CSR assistance such as commemorating the anniversary of Indonesia's independence, sports competitions, and others. Additionally, the forest management efforts that must be carried out are socialization of a persuasive approach to the community to resolve conflicts between HTI companies and community lands, provide the widest possible opportunity for local workers in companies according to their level of education and experience, and prevent road dust so that it no longer disturbs the health of the population.

In recent decades, there has been a perception that the Mozambican forests have been threatened with massive exploitation for commercialization, deforesting vast areas, leading to desertification and contributing to the extinction of some forest species. The present research summarizes the official information obtained by monitoring the country's natural resources over time and identifying the major types of existing forests in Mozambique. The main objective is to elucidate on the current state of Mozambican forests, analyze change and trends, and characterize the actual distribution of forest species in Mozambique to verify the sustainability of forest resources and their composition. It is a case study of the qualitative descriptive type, with data obtained through a bibliographic research method focusing on scientific articles on the type of forest species existing in Africa and Mozambique and data from official sources of the forests. Various types of forests were identified, such as mopane, mercrusse, semi-deciduous, miombo, and semi-evergreen, including the gallery forest. Forest species with particular relevance were highlighted, such as Afzelia quanzensis, Swartzia madagascariensis, Pterocarpaus angolensis, Combretum imberbe, and Millettia stuhalmannii. Major threats to these natural resources were identified and reported, including anthropogenic activity associated with traditional practices of illegal logging or due to the valuation of other goods of primary necessity, lack of protection and conservation measures, and impacts resulting from climate change. The Munza district is presented as a case study, carrying out a characterization of the forest in this district and identifying the main threats in the study area from 2015 to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanzania, like many other tropical countries, has streamlined its environmental policies to institutionalise community participation and improve governance of community forests. The question is: to what extent has the governance of these forests improved as a result of the specified measures? The aim of this paper is to understand whether the institutionalisation of community participation through Community Forest Management Agreements (CoFMAs) guarantees sustainability in the governance of community forests in Zanzibar. Data for this paper were collected through structured interviews from 323 respondents in selected households, and complemented with in-depth interviews with 27 key informants (government officials, elders from the communities, local leaders and leaders of community conservation groups). The results show that the establishment of CoFMAs followed existing legislative frameworks to formalize community participation to ensure governance sustainability of community forests. However, the established conservation initiatives such as community participation in decision-making processes, benefit-sharing of forest resources, technological transfer, and community monitoring of forest resources have remained elusive as most of those initiatives have not been sustained overtime. Although CoFMAs have slightly improved community forest areas, illegal hunting of wildlife in and out of the conserved forests still remains a challenge. As such, the institutionalization of community participation under CoFMA cannot guarantee sustainability in the governance of community forest resources, unless it is community-led, and has access to reliable sources of income. Communities should, therefore, be facilitated with income-generating conservation projects, and/or establish reliable alternative sources of income to meet their needs to ensure sustainable governance of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a dual context characterized, on the one hand, by the proliferation of forest areas made possible by initiatives such as "one department, one forest", and on the other hand, by the devolution of the management of these forest areas to local populations through decentralization, it is necessary and opportune to investigate the management of these forest resources. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the management of two community forests by examining the access of local residents to information related to these forests and their participation in their management. To this end, quantitative data were collected from 201 households living near these forests. The Likert scale, consisting of four possible options, was used to assess the level of access of local residents to information related to the forests and the extent of their participation in forest management. The results of this analysis revealed respective overall mean scores of 3.59 for information access and 2.89 for participation in management, indicating a high level of information access and a moderate degree of peasant participation in forest management. These farmers should be encouraged to maximize their participation in the management of the forests to which they are adjacent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era, forest resources are integrated into the life and general social relations of human communities, having a significant impact on their cultural and social organization. It is recognized that forest resources were indeed the basis on which people built their material existence, economic development for many centuries, bearing par excellence the seal of wood. Currently, the area covered with forests in the Republic of Moldova is 362.7 thousand hectares, which is 10.7% of the country's territory. The share of forests in the total area of the country is insufficient to ensure the ecological balance and meet the needs of the national economy in the products and services of forestry.

Modern forestry systems rely on typologies of forest types (FTs). In Argentina, several proposals have been developed, but they lack unified criteria. The objective was to compare different approaches, specifically focusing on (i) phenoclusters (functional forests based on vegetation phenology variations and climate variables) and (ii) forest canopy cover composition by tree species. We conducted comparative uni-variate analyses using data from national forest inventories, forest models (biodiversity, carbon, structure), and regional climate. We assessed the performance of phenoclusters in differentiating the variability of native forests (proxy: forest structure), biodiversity (proxy: indicator species), and environmental factors (proxies: soil carbon stock, elevation, climate). Additionally, we proposed a simple FT classification methodology based on species composition, considering the basal area of tree species. Finally, we compared the performance of both proposals. Our findings showed that classifications based on forest canopy cover composition are feasible to implement in regions dominated by mono-specific forests. However, phenoclusters allowed for the increased complexity of categories at the landscape level. Conversely, in regions where multi-specific stands prevailed, classifications based on forest canopy cover composition proved ineffective; however, phenoclusters facilitated a reduction in complexity at the landscape level. These results offer a pathway to harmonize national FT classifications by employing criteria and indicators to achieve sustainable forest management and conservation initiatives.

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

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

Balancing the relationship between forest resources and economic growth is crucial for achieving sustainable development in China. Inner Mongolia, with its unique geographical environment and relatively underdeveloped economy, exhibits distinctive patterns in its forest resources development and changes. This study investigates the impact of economic growth on forest resources in Inner Mongolia using time-series data from 1980 to 2018 and the cubic curve regression model based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results reveal an inverted N-shaped EKC relationship, with the forest coverage rate undergoing a “decline-up-decline” evolution process, characterized by turning points 1984 and 2015, and the forest stock volume exhibiting a “decline-up” evolution process with a minimum turning point around 1999. Remarkably, the forest stock volume continues to increase at present and over a foreseeable future. Furthermore, the study finds that population density has a negligible effect on the reduction of forest coverage rate in Inner Mongolia. Lastly, the paper offers policy suggestions to promote the sustainable development of forest resources in the region.

Trees outside forests (TOFs) are important landscape features that provide numerous functions (ecosystem services) that are not valued due to a lack of knowledge about these resources. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by the anthropogenic land use change in relation to their effects on TOFs. The dynamics of TOFs were examined through detailed photointerpretation mapping and characterization by land use/land cover and other environmental variables. The landscape function of TOFs and relative dynamics were analyzed, revealing landscape simplification due to the loss of TOFs, both in number and area, and a relative loss of connectivity. In 2000, TOFs accounted for 2.6% more forest area than mapped in the regional forest map; in fifteen years, about 30% of the total area has been lost, one-third of which has been converted to forest and the remainder permanently lost. The causes of the loss of TOFs are partly due to the abandonment of agricultural land, but also to the actions of farmers who remove these elements for various reasons. In protected areas (Natura 2000 network), the loss is less due to the different characteristics of land use/cover and land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

Crimes of destroying forest resources threaten the security of forest resources and hinder the high-quality development of forestry as well as the process of forestry modernization. With the crimes of destroying forest resources happening during the period from 2012 to 2021 as the sample, the temporal and spatial distribution of crimes of destroying forest resources were teased out; the causes of crimes of destroying forest resources from the perspectives of the relationship between supply and demand, crime characteristics, law enforcement and crackdowns, and the construction of the rule of law were analyzed; and treatment paths such as improving laws and regulations on crimes of destroying forest resources were proposed, in order to strengthen special rectification of crimes of destroying forest resources, and build a crime prevention and control system that puts prevention first, for the reference of people in theory and practice circles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, various methods for estimating and projecting forest resources have been developed and are used by countries where the forest sector is important. Therefore, the obligation to report and account for forest resources, including changes in carbon stocks in a forest area, has gained attention. The latest regulations (Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry—LULUCF) requires European Union (EU) members to annually report and publish national accounting plans estimating emissions and removals from managed forest areas (Regulation EU 2018/841). The major challenge is to choose and adapt a unique tool for this accounting. At the same time, they need to provide reliable estimates that are recognized by regulators and control authorities. This study focuses on comparing the adaptation of two accounting frameworks: the Operational-Scale Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) and the European Forest Dynamics Model (EFDM). Both tools are based on National Forest Inventory (NFI) data. It is assumed that the EFDM can provide similar results to the CBM-CFS3, which is already used in Poland. Implementing the EFDM and adapting it to Polish conditions could facilitate forest management decision-making and the preparation of forest policies. The main objective of this study was to compare and validate the accuracy of the results obtained with the EFDM framework. Metrics compared using both tools included growing stock volume, biomass of growing stock expressed in carbon units and age–class distribution over area. The comparison was based on the agreement of EFDM with CBM-CFS3 results. The volume of logging was taken from the EFDM and compared with the values obtained by Statistics Poland. This study also provides a guide for framework parameterization directly from the Polish National Forest Inventory data from the 2010–2015 cycle. Our main findings are that the results of the two models are reasonably comparable (the extent of deviation is acceptable). Moreover, the first implementation of the EFDM showed that it is an easy-to-use open-source program that allows forest managers to implement their own settings according to their needs. This document elucidates the concept of using both frameworks under Polish conditions and provides an impression of their performance for future modelers, students and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Basin covers more than 2 million square kilometres and is surrounded by three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. The Basin that is rich in biodiversity has tilted towards warmer and drier conditions over the last decades. The emerging climatic conditions particularly the increase in the number of climate extremes are bringing new threats and risks that will exacerbate existing pressures. The present study thoroughly reviewed the recent scientific literature and synthesized existing body of knowledge on the impacts (direct and indirect) of climate change on forest ecosystem services in the Mediterranean Basin. Despite many uncertainties about climate change in the Basin, there appears to be a consensus among a number of studies that climate change is having and will continue to have mostly negative impacts on the Mediterranean forest ecosystem services (wood and non-wood forest products, water resources, carbon storage and recreation and tourism) with possible substantial impacts in the future. Further, evidence is mounting that climate-induced natural disturbances (fires, insect pests, and pathogenic diseases) are becoming frequent and severe. The Mediterranean plants are known for their resilience to natural disturbances. However, the novel climatic conditions may exceed their resilience and alter the ecosystem services. Therefore, there is the need to mitigate the challenges posed by climate change and adapt forest management practices to impending changes to sustain the forest ecosystem services.

To date, the forestry industry has obtained certain experience in implementing Open Source software. The article describes Open Source QGIS-plugins for the tasks of forest fires and forest resources monitoring and management in research and applications. The functionality analysis performed aimed to simplify the selection of tools for a forest geoinformation project in desktop and web versions. The article presents a brief description of presently downloadable QGIS (version 3.18.1) forestry plugins. The analysis of external QGIS-plugins for working with forest resources and fires has shown the heterogeneity of research. This prevents from identifying trends so far. An option for future research subjects may be development of plugins with available data as cartographic services for territories of different spatial coverage, taking into account that archived data and their availability is a key asset in the forestry. Subject-related forest scope in the present-day repository of QGIS-plugins tends to be relatively limited. Transport and environmental applications implemented in the form of GIS tools are more numerous and can solve individual tasks in the orest project. A review of plugins functionality, compatibility to the core QGIS and their performance should be performed on a regular basis, following new QGIS versions.

Climate change is predicted to lead to increasingly intense and hotter droughts, causing physiological weakness followed by forest decline in many regions of the world. Long- and short-range remote sensing (satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly called drones) can sense drought-induced changes in vegetation. Although several studies have addressed forest decline events, none have analyzed the forest decline attributable to climate change using remote sensing in a concise manner. A bibliometric analysis was carried out to characterize the scientific production reported in the Web of Science repository. The search descriptors were a combination of keywords related to forest decline and remote sensing. The results showed 278 articles published between 1989 and 2021 in 92 journals, with an average annual increase of 31%. A total of 29 nodes and 220 scientific collaboration links were located, mainly led by researchers from USA, Germany and China. Keyword analysis using World-TreeMap reflected the association of different key forest decline phenomena such as drought stress and climate change. Although the use of satellite information to study and understand forest decline has been reported for just over three decades, the most notable feature of the present research was the limited role of drones with only 5 studies. This reveals an area of opportunity to take advantage of the main strengths of drones, i.e., spatial and temporal resolution, low cost compared to manned flights, and centimeter accuracy. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to increase studies to improve the use of multispectral sensors, thermal and LiDAR technology for long-term monitoring of forest decline related to climate change.

Spatial analysis of industrial locations is an important tool for cluster-based economic development that helps identify hot spots for attracting new businesses in a particular region. The forest product industry in North Carolina (NC) is the top employer among all manufacturing sectors, with a substantial contribution to the state economy. Using geographic information system tools, we examined the current spatial distribution of the primary and secondary forest product manufacturers (FPM) and available forest resources to identify major hot spots in NC. Additionally, by estimating count data models, this study evaluated factors influencing the location of FPMs across counties in NC. Our results suggested that primary FPMs exhibit a higher spatial dependency relative to secondary FPMs. Similarly, regression results suggested that the counties near cities with high population, hot spots of raw materials, and better county economy are more likely to host both primary and secondary FPMs in the counties of NC. The findings of this study shed light on how the clustering of forest product manufacturing firms may influence competition between FPMs, sustainable supply of raw materials, and supply-chain networks in forest-dependent rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to achieve estimates at the minimum cost, with no greater uncertainty than that which is appropriate for the objectives of the inventory. The aim of this study was to estimate the forest volume efficiently and accurately by sampling and analyzing the existing forest survey data, which is also a technical challenge. In this work, we used the spatial statistics tools in the ArcGIS software to analyze spatial autocorrelations with the data from the sixth to ninth continuous forest inventories (CFI) of Sichuan Province from 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. Based on the sampling framework of the CFI, we divided the sampling units into five groups using different methods to create the second-stage samples. Combined with the spatial autocorrelation analysis results, we selected certain samples from the collection of second-stage samples through stratified sampling to form the third-stage sampling units. We applied the sampling ratio, sampling accuracy, workload, and costs as the evaluation indexes for the sampling efficiency analysis. The main results are as follows: Before conversion, the forest volume density had a positively skewed distribution. There was substantial positive spatial autocorrelation, and its intensity was affected by the distance scale, especially at 187.3 km, where the spatial processes of clustering were most pronounced. At the significance level of α = 0.01, the high-volume stands were mainly concentrated in the Aba Prefecture, Garze Prefecture, and Liangshan Prefecture, while the low-volume stands were mainly concentrated in the Sichuan Basin region. The heterogeneous gatherings were staggered between the high-volume areas and low-volume areas, while the transition zone between the three prefecture regions and basin region was randomly distributed. With 95% reliability, the average estimation accuracy of the systematic sampling, random sampling, and cluster sampling in the second stage was 94.09%, which is less accurate than the CFI estimation accuracy. The mean correlation coefficients (R) between the estimated value of the forest volume and the observations of the systematic sampling, random sampling, and cluster sampling in the second stage were 0.95, 0.98, and 0.96, respectively. The relative differences (RD%) were −0.52, −0.39, and −0.36, respectively. The spatial stratified sampling in the third stage, which is based on spatial distribution pattern information, significantly reduced the sampling ratio to 1.68 per 10,000, compared with the average ratios of the CFI sampling and second-stage sampling, which were 13.73 per 10,000 and 2.75 per 10,000, respectively. With 95% reliability, the mean accuracy of the spatial stratified sampling in the third stage was 93.05%, the R was 0.94, and the RD% was −0.09. Spatial stratified sampling is more in line with the actual work conducted in annual surveys because it effectively reduces the sample size using prior spatial information, which can better meet the requirements of the annual output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Globally, forest landscapes are rapidly transforming, with the role of institutions as mediators in their use and management constantly appearing in the literature. However, global comparative reviews to enhance comprehension of how forest management institutions (FMIs) are conceptualized, and the varying determinants of compliance, are lacking. And so too, is there knowledge fragmentation on the methodological approaches which have and should be prioritized in the new research agenda on FMIs. Objectives: We review the regional variations in the conceptualization of FMIs, analyze the determinants of compliance with FMIs, and assess the methodological gaps applied in the study of FMIs. Methods: A systematic review of 197 empirically conducted studies (491 cases) on FMIs was performed, including a directed content analysis. Results: First, FMIs literature is growing; multi-case and multi-country studies characterize Europe/North America, Africa and Latin America, over Asia. Second, the structure-process conceptualization of FMIs predominates in Asia and Africa. Third, global south regions report high cases of compliance with informal FMIs, while non-compliance was registered for Europe/North America in the formal domain. Finally, mixed-methods approaches have been least employed in the studies so far; while the use of only qualitative methods increased over time, the adoption of only quantitative approaches witnessed a decrease. Conclusion: Future research should empirically ground informality in the institutional set-up of Australia while also valorizing mixed-methods research globally. Crucially, future research should consider multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to explore the actor and power dimensions of forest management institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline in natural forest resources in the tropics due to ineffective management practices has reached unprecedented levels with the most affected forests being in developing countries. Efforts to manage these resources sustainably have proven futile. Understanding the nature and status of the forest resources and the communities is crucial for devising effective management strategies. The study was designed to characterise forest resources and the local communities to aid in the choice of effective management strategies for forest resources. The study was conducted in Yumbe district, northwestern Uganda, using a cross-sectional research design. It targeted communities living in the sub-counties of Kei, Kerwa, and Midigo. Data were collected using questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations, and remote sensing. Pearson correlation and regression were used to analyse quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The correlation p-values (Sig.) of less than .05 were statistically significant, implying a strong relationship between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of households and the choice of forest management strategies. The results further showed that the local communities were poor, illiterate, and dependent on subsistence farming and forest resources. The forest resources both in public and communal lands were in a state of serious decline. They were non-timber-based, accessible to the local community and dominated by woodland and other grassland mosaics. The local community used sustainable management practices, such as selective harvesting, tree planting, and gazetting some sites as sacred places. The management strategies used were forest type-specific, e.g., traditional for community forests and modern for public forests. The most important factor influencing the choice of management strategy was the level of education with an R Square value of .112. The study, therefore, recommends an improvement in the education of the local communities and the integration of local skills and practices to promote community-based approaches in sustainable forest resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally accepted that equitable benefits sharing from protected areas (PAs) is a probable technique for both sustainable management and PA conservation. Evidence however, suggests that this might not be entirely true since such benefits might not be equitably shared among local communities as they would have wished. This research compares benefits received by Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) community members with those of non-CFM community members adjacent to Echuya Central Forest Reserve (ECFR). The study further assesses the most preferred benefits by local community members around ECFR and the perceived barriers to equitable benefit sharing. It provides insight into how benefit sharing under CFM influences the conservation of protected areas. We conducted 458 household interviews, 26 key informant interviews and 4 focus group discussions to obtain data from CFM and non-CFM community members, government institutions, conservation organisations and local community leaders around ECFR. Benefits received by community members include access to firewood, grass, medicinal plants, materials to make ropes, honey and bamboo rhizomes, livelihood project support, cash benefits and training. The preferred benefits in their descending order include agricultural support, financial support, ecotourism, and livestock farming. The failure to monitor the implementation of CFM activities and corruption hinder equitable benefit sharing and promote overexploitation of forest resources. This study recommends that the National Forestry Authority (NFA) should include forest-adjacent communities in budget frameworks in order to provide financial support for CFM activities. The NFA and conservation organisations working around ECFR need to enhance the monitoring of CFM activities to ensure transparency and equitable sharing of forest resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciência Florestal (01039954) is the property of Ciencia Florestal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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

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

Forests perform essential ecological functions - water protection, sanitation, health, recreation, and aesthetics. The research aimed to substantiate the ecological and economic importance of forest resources in the Kyiv region and analyse their rational use and protection. The article shows that the Kyiv region belongs to the regions with an average level of forest cover – 592.8 thousand hectares or 22.2%. The level of forest cover is uneven in the area of the Kyiv Forest zone. It is 44%, and in the area of the Forest-Steppe, it is much lower and decreases from north to south. The use of forest resources in the Kyiv region in 2019 amounted to harvesting liquid wood of 999.5 thousand m2, and deforestation was carried out on 75.5 thousand hectares. The region’s volume of forestry works and services amounted to 8,9 million dollars, and the wood stock makes 90805,9 thousand m2 . Emphasis is placed on the importance of protecting the Red Book species of plants and fungi that grow in the forests of the Kyiv region. Examples of harmful economic activity in the areas belonging to the nature reserve fund and large-scale fires in April 2020, which covered more than 3.5 thousand hectares of forests in the region and caused damage to forest fauna and flora. The studied region’s positive environmental and economic factors have been admitted by planting trees on an area of 2151 hectares and sowing seeds of forest species on an area of 67 hectares in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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