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• One of the rare researches about the restoration of defaced characters on wooden surfaces. • Pioneering use of different types of wooden surfaces for forensic marks examination. • Easy, rapid, and cost-effective recovery of scraped characters on wooden surfaces. • Possible on-site method for restoration of the marks on wooden surfaces. The stamp markings on wooden surfaces, which are placed on trees and products including antiques, indicate the status of trees and involve identifying data regarding the products. Such markings are obliterated either to facilitate illegal logging or to conceal product information. Despite the wide literature on the restoration of obliterated characters on metal and polymer surfaces, the recovery of defaced characters on wooden surfaces appears to be understudied. Several reference texts in the forensic marks' examination literature suggest that water, water vapor, and alkaline solutions are useful in restoring the abraded markings on the wood. Since there does not seem to be any experimental study proving such success, this study aimed to fill this gap. This study conducted experimental research by using water, ethanol, ammonia, and chloroform to recover the scraped characters on samples obtained from walnut, beech, spruce, oak, and cedar trees. The cold-stamped characters, which were defaced at varying depths, were restored using vapor and liquid phases of four solvents. While the vapor phases of water, ethanol, and ammonia yielded good outcomes on all types of wooden surfaces, the liquid phases did not seem to be useful in the revisualization process. The response of the vapors, which varied between 62 and 220 s, depended on the type of wood. The restoration technique developed in this research offers the possibility of on-site usage, easy application, utilization of low-cost solvents, rapid recovery, and effectiveness on various wooden surfaces. Overall, the restoration methodology used in this research appears to be fruitful in retrieving identifying information on wooden samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on land reserves is crucial and required to support agricultural development in relation to increased population pressure, food demand, and food security. This research aims to identify and evaluate idle abandoned land based on biophysical suitability, status of land concessions, and forest areas to determine potential land reserves for agricultural development to support food security in Indonesia. The results show that, at the national level, the area of suitable abandoned lands for agricultural extensification is 27.7 million ha, but most of these lands have concession permits and are located in forest areas, so 12.4 million ha are still available, with the largest area being in dry land. The identification of abandoned land by employing satellite imagery in 54 districts resulted in a smaller acreage compared to abandoned land being mapped formally at 1:250,000. After considering land ownership and forest status, both sources resulted in similar areas at a scale of 1:50,000 and 1:250,000, i.e., 6.1 million ha and 6.0 million ha, respectively. It seems that land ownership and forest status adjusted the total acreage of identified land reserves at different map scales. An area of around 7.4 million ha will be required to meet food demand in 2045 by assuming constant consumption per capita. We found about 1.7 million ha as potential land reserves, most of which are in conversion or production forests areas. Converting forests or utilizing drylands could be potential alternatives to deal with the lack of land for food production. Moreover, due to limited wetlands, the use of reserve land in that agroecological zone should be in accordance with its designation, comply with the priority principles, and be supported by government regulations and policies, so that food security can be maintained until 2045. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, illegal logging has posed a serious threat for the integrity of forest ecosystems and for biodiversity conservation in tropical Africa. Although international treaties and regulatory plans have been implemented to reduce illegal logging, much of the total timber volume is harvested and traded illegally from tropical African forest regions. As a result, the development and the application of analytical tools to enhance the traceability and the identification of wood and related products is critical to enforce international regulations. Among available techniques, DNA barcoding is a promising approach for the molecular identification of plant species. However, although it has been used successfully for the discrimination of animal species, no set of genetic markers is available for the universal identification of plant species. In this work, we firstly characterized the genetic diversity of 17 highly-valuable African timber species from five genera (Afzelia, Guibourtia, Leplea, Milicia, Tieghemella) across their distribution ranges in West and Central Africa using the genome skimming approach in order to reconstruct their chloroplast genomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA. Next, we identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the discrimination of closely-related species. In this way, we successfully developed and tested novel species-specific genetic barcodes for species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes a reconstitution in time of land regularization policies in Brazil, emphasizing the set of important normative transformations and administrative procedures observed over little more than a decade. It points to an intense effort to promote land tenure regularization that combined the most varied interests, actors and ideological nuances to regularize the vast stock of Amazonian lands. The environment favorable to the formalization of the land market and tolerant of illegalities encourages deforestation, encourages the expansion of illegal possessions and promotes an environment of insecurity and violence against the traditional communities of the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commitments to curb illegal logging and deforestation have proliferated in recent years with the increase of global trade in tropical timber and wood products. While they reflect international sustainability demands, the employed mechanisms to assure timber legality verification may not reflect conditions faced by local private sector actors. Facing rapid forest loss and limited foreign market access, government of Myanmar started reforming its forest policy to include a system of timber legality verification. Drawing on policy analysis and mixed-methods field research, we evaluate the feasibility of the policy reform to achieve economic and environmental upgrading in the timber value chain. Our findings question the transformative capacity of this policy reform. Not only that it failed to meet its sustainability goals, it has also created favourable conditions for a race to the bottom and concentration in the timber value chain. Economic and environmental upgrading take place at the expense of private smallholders who are expected to address a range of obstacles, including limited access to inputs, quality downgrading, and increased operational costs, which hamper their performance. To prevent socio-environmental losses, forest-sector regulatory reforms should be particularly mindful of these challenges in the midstream segment of the value chain. • Feasibility of policy reform to achieve economic and environmental upgrading. • The case of timber and wood products value chain in Myanmar. • Policy analysis and mixed-methods field research. • The reform failed to meet its sustainability goals. • Conditions for race to the bottom and concentration in the timber value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal logging in Papua's forest areas has been a cause of unresolved degradation or deforestation and has developed into a complex problem. This study intends to elaborate on the complex dynamics of illegal logging in Papua, Indonesia, using Niklas Luhmann's Social System theory. The findings of this study are expected to provide a better understanding of the complexities of illegal logging and to encourage stakeholders to respond with more appropriate decisions and policies in accordance with their respective roles and authorities. The results of the research show that illegal logging in Papua is a social system that is formed from a simplification of the meaning of forests by actors who are purely economic-oriented. In facing the pressure from efforts to eradicate this system, the system has been reproducing in an autopoietic manner through differentiation to penetrate all other social systems pointed toward handling illegal logging and sustainable forest management, especially the law enforcement system and the customary forest community system. The ability of autopoietic to reproduce makes this system very flexible and cannot be handled by a rigid and bureaucratic system for dealing with illegal logging. It is suggested that the system for dealing with illegal logging must also be transformed into one of an autopoietic nature through collaborative management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest crimes are among the serious threats destroying forests. To prevent the forest crimes there are various solutions proposed, such as fortification of the laws, increasing the penalties, or increasing the public awareness. This article, however, suggests an alternative solution of preventing the forest crimes by investigating the relations between the individual financial supports provided to forest villagers and the levels of various forest crime types in Turkey. The study shows that, when the forest villagers are given financial supports, the levels of illegal logging, illegal transferring of forest products, illegal expansion of private lands into forests, illegal processing of trees, and illegal pasturage crimes decrease significantly. However, the financial supports do not affect the levels of illegal occupation of forestlands crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatland stretches across approximately 8% of Indonesia's land area. Peat fire disturbance, which affects the carbon dynamics of the ecosystem, will determine the country's vision for a long-term strategy for low carbon development. While the impact of excessive draining on peatland fire is well-known to the scientific community, much less is known about peatland fire regimes in distinctive land management systems. We examined the effect of land use, land management, and climatic factors in peatland fires. The examination was performed at the Peat Hydrological Unit at Gaung-Batang Tuaka, Riau, Indonesia. We used a semi-automatic approach to determine the area of burned peatland and used a spatial analysis tool to analyze the spatio-temporal pattern of peatland fire in the region. Our results demonstrate an increasing trend of peatland fires between 2001 and 2020, with 33% of the burned peatland undergoing multiple fires. The bulk of the burned land was covered by either wet shrubs or estate crops, with the area of burned wet shrub-land cover was two times higher than the burned estate crop-land cover. Concerning peatland draining, this study found a positive correlation between draining intensity, as represented by canal density, and burned area in peatland forests. In managed and unmanaged land, canal density had no apparent correlation with the area of peatland burned; however, we found that the weighted area of burned peatland was, on average, seven times higher in the unmanaged area compared to the managed area. These findings urgently demand an increase in community participation in the utilization of unmanaged land and prompt execution of peatland rewetting in drained peat forests. While the government of Indonesia has developed a social forestry and agrarian reform scheme to enable the legal utilization of unproductive land in forest areas, we argue that greater impacts can only be achieved if environmental services incentive schemes escalate non-party actors' participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the efforts to increase public awareness of the importance of preserving mangrove ecosystems in the Mahakam Delta is by developing the capacity of the community to be able to take advantage of the potential of existing mangroves in the Mahakam Delta region. When the community is able to obtain economic value from the utilization of non-timber mangrove forest products, it is hoped that public awareness of the existence and sustainability of mangrove forests will increase. One of the mangrove products that has economic value and is a daily need for the community is an antiseptic liquid soap with the addition of pedada (Sonneratia cassiolaris) mangrove fruit extract. Antiseptic liquid soap with pedada fruit extract can be utilized and meet the sanitation needs of the community in Tani Baru Village, Anggana District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency as one of the villages in the Mahakam Delta region in particular. With the training on making bacada fruit antiseptic liquid soap, the aim is for the community to be able to increase their creativity in exploring pedada-type mangroves into a product that provides added value and high economic value. The results that have been achieved in this training are that the community is able to make their own antiseptic liquid soap for their daily needs and can open up business opportunities in entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This thematic issue addresses the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples in protecting their rights and maintaining their unique cultures and ways of life. Despite residing on all continents and possessing distinct social, cultural, economic, and political characteristics, Indigenous peoples have historically faced oppression and violation of their rights. Measures to protect Indigenous rights are gradually being recognized by the international community, but ongoing issues such as illegal deforestation, mining, and land clearances continue to desecrate sacred sites and oppress Indigenous peoples. Indigenous women and youth are particularly vulnerable, facing higher levels of gender‐based violence and overrepresentation in judicial sentencing statistics. Land rights continue to be threatened by natural resource extraction, infrastructure projects, large‐scale agricultural expansion, and conservation orders. There is also a heightened risk of statelessness for Indigenous peoples whose traditional lands cross national borders, leading to displacement, attacks, killings, and criminalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The productive inclusion of local communities is one of the main challenges to sustainable rural development in the Amazon. Existing development initiatives often prioritize projects with exogenous production systems; thus, local systems are overlooked, despite their large coverage. Based on surveys conducted in 107 riparian communities and detailed case studies in eight communities doing ranching, logging, and fishing, this study describes local management systems developed by rural communities in the confluence between the Amazon and Xingu Rivers. The study showed that (1) local management systems for buffalo ranching, logging, and fishing agreements were found in 61%, 60%, and 21% of the 107 riparian communities, respectively; (2) these systems are based on local know-how and on technological solutions that are locally available; and (3) the improvement and consolidation of these local systems require governmental support. The study reveals that local and traditional farming practices may underpin sustainable development in the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood identification plays a significant role in forestry and cultural heritage. Its impact and application are more pronounced in the guide against illegal logging and ecological issues. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to identify individual wood species using the existing wood identification methods. Due to the abovementioned reasons, there is a need to develop an accurate wood identification method that is based on computer vision. Computers react to what they see, just as human eyes react, the insights gained from computer vision as a field of artificial intelligence (AI) enable computers to extract meaningful data from visual inputs such as images and videos, and to take automated actions. Just like AI allows computers to possess thinking ability, computer vision gives them the ability to see. Computer vision, through the regionbased convolutional neural network has been able to solve various visual issues that are related to videos and images accurately. However, its application to wood technology and wood related fields still remains uninvestigated. Therefore, in this study, a computer vision based mask region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) associated with a modified residual network (ResNet) was employed as a hybrid method (Mask RCNN-ResNet) for a robust and accurate wood identification at species level. The technique of Mask R-CNN involves detecting, extracting the relevant features of visual data from a processed image, then, segmenting the target object using region of interest alignment, and mask generation to make a decision. A modified ResNet network (modified model of residual network) reduced the number of training parameters, thereby leading to an increased efficiency during computation. Mask RCNN-ResNet method is able to identify individual wood at species level with 92% identification accuracy higher than the results obtained in the existing work that used other computer-based wood identification methods on the same wood species datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Sandalwood and other high value tree species are under significant threat from illegal harvest. Illegal logging is an increasing problem contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and funding transnational crime. Successful prosecution of illegal logging is hindered by a lack of methods to provide evidence of the origin of timber. New analytical techniques have been developed to trace timber back to its source. These methods, together with the establishment of sustainable sources of forest resources, can help protect vulnerable species by providing evidence to prosecute illegal harvest and ensure that commercially available forest products come from sustainable sources. Summary: Sandalwood is highly valued for its fragrant oil and has a long history of cultural and economic importance in many regions of the world. Historical overharvest and poor management have depleted natural populations of sandalwood, which are slow to regenerate. The increasing establishment of plantation sandalwood creates an alternative resource for the sandalwood industry while potentially relieving harvesting pressure on natural stands. Due to the high demand for sandalwood, remaining wild populations are still under threat from illegal logging and methods to identify the source of harvested sandalwood are needed. Laws and regulations aimed at preventing illegal harvest and possession of sandalwood have been put in place but cannot be enforced without the forensic tools to independently verify claimed origin or product quality. The high value of sandalwood combined with the difficulties in enforcing illegal logging laws makes these species particularly vulnerable to poaching. There is an immediate need to develop tools that can identify illegally sourced and adulterated sandalwood products. This paper reviews the current and developing scientific tools that can help identify and control illegal activity in sandalwood supply chains and provides recommendations for future research. Topics include isotope and DNA analysis for tracing illegally harvested sandalwood, chemical profiling for quality control of sandalwood oils, network and policy development to establish a framework for future regulation of the sandalwood trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest destruction has been found to be the cause of natural disasters in the form of floods, landslides in the rainy season, droughts in the dry season, climate change, and global warming. The high rate of forest destruction is caused by various factors, including weak law enforcement efforts against forestry crimes, such as illegal logging events. However, in Indonesia, illegal logging is only discovered when the perpetrator has distributed the wood products. The lack of monitoring of the overall condition of the forest has an impact on the current high level of forest destruction. Through this research, the problems related to environmental damage due to illegal logging will be described through remote sensing technology, which is currently mainly developed on the basis of artificial intelligence and machine learning, namely Google Earth Engine (GEE). Monitoring of illegal logging events will be analysed using Sentinel 1 and 2 data. Obtaining satellite imagery with relatively small cloud cover for tropical regions, such as Indonesia, is remarkably difficult. This difficulty is due to the presence of a radar sensor on Sentinel 1 images that can penetrate clouds, allowing for observation of the forest condition even in the presence of clouds. Using the random forest classification algorithm of the GEE platform, data on forest conditions in 2021 were obtained, covering an area of 2,843,938.87 ha or 63% of the total area of Sulawesi Selatan Province. An analysis using a map of the function of forest areas revealed that of the current forest area, 38.46% was non-forest estates and 61.54% was forest areas. The continued identification of illegal logging events also found 1971 spots of forest change events in the vulnerable time of the first period (January–April) with the second period (April–August), and 1680 spots of forest change events in the vulnerable period of the second period (April–August) with the third period (September–December), revealing a total incident area of 7599.28 ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic landscape transformations have promoted the provision of ecosystem services (ES) at the expense of other ES, biodiversity, and human well-being. We analysed the transformation portfolios of ES provisions, the costs of transformation, and the rivalry between ES categories and biodiversity conservation during the pre-communist and communist eras. We also examined EU influences in Romania's Danube River lowlands. The environmental history of social-ecological systems was used to: (1) map transformations of natural environments; (2) analyse the outputs of human modes of production, including crops, fish, timber, and livestock, using economic valuation methods and by appropriating the primary means of production; and (3) describe ideologies and values as drivers of ES transformations. During the communist era, the surface area of the agricultural land increased at the expense of natural ecosystems. This resulted in increased provisions being made for crops and timber at the expense of the fish supply; it also caused a reduction in livestock. The costs of land reclamation, hydrotechnical works, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in a net annual loss of EUR 36 million for the entire case study area, disregarding the losses of other ES. Achieving a balanced portfolio of ES requires a discussion about the need for nature restoration, transdisciplinary social-ecological research, and the identification of key leverage points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth is a component of forest dynamics that encompasses changes in species composition, interactions between species, and stand structure. We evaluated the effect of the presence of lianas, crown shape, and light exposure on the periodic annual increment of trees (PAI) in two phytophysiognomies: the ombrophilous dense forest and the ombrophilous open forest with lianas. This study was conducted in the eastern Brazilian Amazon in 13 permanent monitoring plots of 50 m × 50 m (2500 m2) in the same annual production unit. The area has been subjected to reduced-impact logging from 2014 to 2016. The increment in tree diameter varied significantly between both forests (opens forests: 1.28 cm yr−1; dense forests: 0.82 cm yr−1). Light exposure influenced the increment in tree diameter in the ombrophilous open forest with lianas, while the crown shape and light exposure significantly affected the ombrophilous dense forest. Our study emphasizes the usefulness of the periodic annual increment in exploring the differences between contrasting phytophysiognomies in a single annual production unit in the Brazilian Amazon that is subject to reduced-impact logging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, non-timber forest products (NTFPs) continue to contribute vastly to addressing the food, poverty reduction, income, and livelihood requirements of people in rural areas. However, as of now, there are no specific existing data highlighting the periodic contributions of NTFPs to the economy of the eastern region and the country. In Ghana, insufficient attention has been paid to the legislative and regulatory environments for the creation of NTFPs. Since forest policies continue to classify NTFPs as "minor" forest products, they receive less attention than wood in forest management initiatives and policies. The absence of a definitive policy on NTFPs has hampered their promotion, commercialization, and supply chain management. This study analyses the contribution of NTFPs towards economic development in the eastern region and the achievement of SDGs in Ghana. Through focus group discussions and a thematic analysis, it was concluded that NTFPs contribute immensely towards the economic development of the eastern region and the country through employment and direct taxes. Ultimately, it is evident from the study that the destruction of the Atiwa Forest Reserve for the purpose of bauxite mining will widely hinder the country's achievement of its SDGs. Additionally, the study found that residents will continue to exploit forest resources if the core concerns of institutional deficiencies and rural poverty are not addressed. To curb this situation, there should be the sustainable, regulated, and authorized harvesting of NTFPs/NWFPs, community/user empowerment, and sectoral education and training programmes, etc. Even though these are common solutions, the study found them extremely rare within the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tens of thousands of species are at risk of extinction globally. In many ecosystems, species declines are associated with deforestation. However, forest degradation also can profoundly affect biodiversity. I present a detailed case study of species declines associated with forest degradation in southeastern Australia's montane ash (Eucalyptus spp.) forests. The case study is based on ~40 years of long-term monitoring focused on declines (and potential extinction trajectories) of arboreal marsupials and birds, with a particular emphasis on key drivers, especially logging, wildfire, habitat loss, climate change, and interactions among these drivers. I discuss policy failures contributing to species declines, including ongoing logging of high-conservation-value forests, poor regulation of forest management, and inadequate design of reserves. I conclude with general lessons for better conservation and forest management efforts aimed at reducing forest degradation and loss of ecosystem integrity. I contend that ongoing logging in already highly degraded montane ash forests is inconsistent with the Australian government's commitment at the Glasgow COP26 meeting in 2021 on halting forest degradation. Similarly, the Australian Government has committed to preventing further extinctions in Australia, yet its current support for ongoing logging in montane ash forests through federal–state legislation will likely promote extinctions for some species. The inherent conflicts and contradictions between conservation and logging policies need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forestry sector in Italy and throughout Europe is going through a critical period due to ongoing natural and anthropological processes, such as climate change and the abandonment of rural areas. These processes lead to a constant fragmentation of properties in small forest parcels, with direct impacts on management capacity. In this framework, new sustainable forest management methods are being tested and are shown to be good practices to oppose the decline of forest ecosystems. Their innovative aspects concern the introduction of a form of shared and circular economy, where management is built on the process, rather than on the product. Their technical activities are based on precision forestry systems and digitalization. The new approach takes into consideration the fact that the woods are an asset available to the whole community, in terms of benefits and protection. Forest Sharing® is an example of the application of shared forest management systems, due to which the owner user benefits from several services and opportunities, such as the advanced monitoring platform and the access to investment funds. After eighteen months of activity, the first results of the application of the new management systems can already be seen. Many aspects need further development, such as case studies concerning the enhancement due to forest certification and new recreational activities. Shared forest management systems have the potential to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of citizens about environmental and territorial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a study of the structural and dynamic organization of forests located in basins of large rivers influent into Lake Baikal that have considerable influence on changes in the hydrologic regimes of the lake. It is known that the annual river flow significantly depends on the state of the forests growing in the river basins. The stable hydrologic regimes of the rivers responsible for most water runoff into the lake are directly dependent on the functional properties of forests. Maintaining the functions of environmental conservation and water regulation of forests contributes to the stable functioning of river basins, ensuring the general sustainability of the lake as an integrated ecosystem within the Lake Baikal basin. It is noted that the combination of centuries-spanning dynamics of forests associated with the succession of forest-forming species (typical for zonal types of vegetation) and the influence of climate change facilitates the formation of polydominant dark–light coniferous and light coniferous forests and, additionally, influences the hydrologic regimes of rivers in the study areas. The structural and dynamic organization of forest communities of different physical and geographical conditions is established, as are the characteristics of their formation. This information is then used to forecast the vector of possible development of forests growing within the Lake Baikal drainage basin. It is shown that changes in the structure, dynamics, and spatial organization of forests within the drainage basin of the lake, associated with the intensification of fires over the last several decades and recent industrial logging, affect river flows and, consequently, lead to relatively severe fluctuations in lake water levels across years. It is established that trends in forest formation within basins of rivers influent into Baikal determine the relationships in the "forest structure–river volume" systems, which can influence the optimization of forest use within the Lake Baikal basin as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that a community-based social marketing (CBSM) framework can support an environmental health communication and advocacy campaign in Nigeria's Niger Delta. First, the personal and group environmental attitudes and behavior in the region are identified. Next, a summary is provided of the underlying sources, types, and magnitude of the region's environmental challenges from oil production agriculture, and illegal logging. Using grounded theory, a CBSM strategy is proposed for enhancing environmental attitudes and behavior for promoting environmental health in Nigeria's Niger Delta. The analysis identified specific behavior change necessary to improve environmental conditions, themes and resources, including groups and institutions that could be considered as assets, as well as potential barriers to implementing CBSM in the Niger Delta. It also identified the need to combine the CBSM with the social ecological model to make it effective for framing appropriately targeted pro-environmental communication addressing complex socio-political problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure sustainable forest management, the assessment and monitoring of soil compaction and rutting are essential. Here, we used airborne light detection and ranging‐derived digital terrain model (LiDAR‐derived DTM), available for the forest of Compiègne in northern France, to compute a spatial index of soil rutting. Following an environmental systematic sampling design, we selected 45 plots representative of the forest stand conditions where we subsequently extracted information from the DTM to compute the cumulative length of ruts (CLR). To assess the quality of this LiDAR‐derived index, we related the CLR index to in‐situ soil and vegetation parameters such as soil texture, soil pH, and understory plant species composition. Floristic surveys were carried out across all 45 plots to generate plant species response curves along the CLR gradient. We found soil texture, soil type, and soil pH to be important determinants of CLR. For instance, CLR was the highest in soils with the highest clay content. A total of 22 out of the 94 understory plant species we analyzed showed a significant response curve along the CLR gradient. Most important, the occurrence probability of species associated with wet soils and stagnant waters (e.g., Juncus effusus), like those found in ruts, increased with CLR. Other species associated with dry soils (e.g., Hedera helix) showed a negative response curve along the CLR gradient. In conclusion, the proposed index (CLR) has proven useful to remotely assess soil compaction and rutting after logging operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the causes of the failure of Russian law to prevent illegal logging in its effort to protect forests. It does not attempt to review all its rules and regulations. Instead, it focuses on one significant theme: the way how businesses misuse Russian law to conduct the destruction of forestry resources by applying so called ‘salvage clearings’. The process of authorizing and conducting salvage clearings is regulated by the Russian Forest Code, administrative regulations, and judicial interpretations. The analysis of this law leads to the conclusion that Russian law has good purposes and is sufficiently well defined to prosecute and punish its violators. However, the law is not enforced in the way it was meant to. The legal provisions intended for the protection of forests are used for their destruction. Illegal logging takes the form of an activity approved by forest officials. One reason for it is governmental corruption. The existing forestry regulations are not always clear and well-defined, but they provide a sufficient regulatory framework that can be used effectively against the abuses of salvage clearings. A major legal problem lies not so much in the content of forestry law, as in an overall lack of a general effective mechanism to control administrative discretion. In practice, there are no administrative checks on the way the salvage clearings are carried out. Without a mechanism of control, any administrative law, however well-defined, is open to abuse. An effective mechanism cannot exist without a society that values forest resources beneficial not only for humans but also for other species.

Natural regeneration and forest successional development are influenced by gap formation in forest stands. Nonetheless, there are limited studies that provide quantitative information on the influence of gaps on forest regeneration. We evaluated characteristics of inner and outer canopy gaps and their effects on natural regeneration in 40 canopy gaps in Sitapahar forest reserve of Bangladesh. A total of 50 individuals of 27 gapmaker tree species were found, of which 58% were formed by logging and the rest by natural damages. Elliptical shape represented 53% of the gaps followed by circular and rectangular gaps. The mean area of the outer and inner gaps was 50.1 ± 8.6 and 20.0 ± 3.0 m2, respectively. Gap formation types and shapes did not vary significantly between outer and inner gaps, while the mean gap area in older gaps was significantly higher than in new gaps. In comparison with outer gaps, mean densities of seedlings and saplings in the inner gaps were significantly higher, which is probably because of the closeness to seed trees. The diversity index of regenerating species and their height and collar diameter did not vary significantly between the inner and outer gaps. Positive, but weak relationships of gap area with subcanopy tree density and diversity were found. Since gaps were found dominated by few light-demanding tree species such as Brownlowia elata, Lithocarpus acuminata, Lithocarpus polystachya, and Macaranga denticulate, it is suggested that larger gaps need to be replanted with a combination of light-demanding and shade-tolerant native trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focusing on Oregon's timber industry contributes to recent efforts to chart the longer history of working‐class conservativism, while also arguing that environmental change and conflict played a central role in shaping the political leanings and class identities of white, rural workers in resource extraction industries. It pays particular attention to Oregon's independent contracting and milling operations—small, often family‐owned enterprises where the lines separating labor and capital were blurry at best and where bosses and employers alike viewed unions and working‐class radicals with deep skepticism. Independent contractors became the dominant form of labor relations in Oregon's timber industry in the 1970s, largely because of changes to the forest wrought by decades of overharvests and the flight of large timber corporations. Workers unmoored by capital flight increasingly turned to independent contractors and thus began to believe that their economic futures depended on maintaining close ties with their employers. This sense grew stronger in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Oregon environmentalists began seeking new restrictions on logging to protect the habitat of the northern spotted owl — restrictions that threatened to further reduce timber‐based employment and exacerbate the economic problems of rural, timber‐dependent communities. Workers and employers joined together in more visible coalitions, held together by a shared populist outrage at the urban, liberal, and affluent elite who, in their view, were responsible for their economic precarity. This view remains evident in Oregon today, where a new movement that joins bosses and workers, Timber Unity, has coalesced to fight proposed legislation intended to address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field survey made in the last 20 years revealed that large areas of Romania's territory are still unexplored concerning moss distribution. The long-term research in natural and mature spruce forest habitats of this country shows that many sites are well protected, a status that is also confirmed by reports of Buxbaumia viridis. However, many other sites where this species was identified still lack legal protection. We also generated a potential distribution of the species based on an ensemble model, useful in guiding extensive field surveys and also management and conservation measures. In a country where the volume of wood cut by illegal logging is larger than the legal one, according to official data, it is very important that all habitats for B. viridis be included in protected areas. Our paper brings important data to aid in this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the potential role of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) which are so far largely neglected within forest-related bioeconomy research and policy. From an innovation system perspective, we look at the barriers for NWFPs development and propose how they can be supported. We analyse 20 innovation cases in Europe, based on the analysis of documents and semi-structured interviews with experts involved in the cases. Results show that there is no "one" innovation system supporting NWFPs, but support is given rather erratically through certain programmes from various sectoral or regional innovation systems (forestry, agriculture, nature conservation or rural or regional development). There is a pronounced neglection of the institutional system towards NWFPs, resulting in a lack of statistics, research, education and training programmes and focused support structures. However, our results show rich potential of NWFPs in the forest bioeconomy for private forest owners and producers. These activities can range from a collection of NWFPs for subsistence to collectively organized production relevant to rural areas. Most of these are product innovations, some are service or social innovations, while some combine different innovation types. From some successful examples we derive suggestions for how to improve innovation support structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the utilization of the Huai Sai Khao Community Forest, Ban Tha Pa Pao, Tha Pla Duk Sub-district, Mae Tha District, and Lamphun Province with community participation. 2) To study the mode of participative management of community forests according to the geosocial principles of Ban Tha Pa Pao, Tha Pla Duk Sub-district, Mae Tha District, and Lamphun Province. The objectives were performed using questionnaires from a sample group of 66 household representatives and qualitative research using in-depth interviews and group discussions from village forums. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean. The results showed that the social structure of Ban Tha Pa Pao was self-sufficient agriculture. Most people in the community had modest incomes and were primarily men. Overall, it was an empowered community with indigenous knowledge from the local sage, who was a leader and had visions for solving problems and developing communities properly. In addition, the cooperation of people in the community is of great importance to the community forest area. Villagers utilized community forests by collecting non-timber forest products and hunting at all times, and they mainly utilized the forests during the dry season. In terms of community forest management, it was found that villagers participated in community forest management as a whole at a good level. Villagers participating in decision-making showed that they were aware of taking part in proposing alternatives and discussing guidelines to solve problems and set rules or regulations in the management of community forests. Research results suggest that the community forest management model should be adapted to suit modern times and be distinctive to create value for the community and be a source of learning for the community. It should increase the conservation of wildlife that is scarce and provide knowledge about wildlife conservation and the balance of the ecosystem, as well as continuously develop a source of learning and good publicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Illegal logging and illegal timber trade is a global problem. Anatomical, genetic, and chemical techniques support illegal logging legislation by verifying the species and geographic origin of timber. In principle, these methods can be used to identify timber species and the origin of harvest, however, the availability of specific tests for important timber species is unclear. We review the status of these methods for the top 322 global priority timber taxa. Our results show that for species identification, reference data exist for 100% of taxa using wood anatomy, 86% using genetics, 41% for using DART TOFMS, and 6% using NIRS. For origin identification, data exist for 24% of taxa, with most studies applying genetic approaches (23%). No studies have developed forensic-ready tests for the global priority timber taxa. The review highlights that the current potential for identifying species is greater than for geographic origin and more research focused on determining the geographical origin of timber is required. Based on the current rate, it will take approx. 27 years to generate geographic data for all 322 priority taxa. Finally, we identify research opportunities to improve global timber tracing efforts. Our findings indicate more research is needed, and quickly so that scientific verification can support regulators to combat illegal logging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spal: Revista de Prehistoria y Arqueologia de la Universidad de Sevilla is the property of Spal. Revista de Prehistoria y Arqueologia de la Universidad de Sevilla 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 Art-Sanat Journal / Art-Sanat is the property of Art-Sanat 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.)

Mt. Pantaron Range has no legislation for its protection and has significantly lost most of its forest cover over the years due to land conversion for agriculture and human settlement, construction of national highways, and illegal logging and mining. Floristic inventory was conducted in four sampling sites in Mt. Pantaron Range, Bukidnon to document its threatened and endemic seed plants through repeated transect walks. A total of 133 threatened and endemic species of seed plants were documented. Of these, 41 species were threatened, and 120 were endemic species. Mt. Bungkasan, Pantaron Range harbors 70 (52.6%) species of threatened and endemic seed plants, followed by Mt. Malimumu with 53 (40%) species, Mt. Natampod with 40 (30%) species, and Mt. Nabagkesan with only 19 (14%) species. The checklist of threatened seed plants reported herein represents 4.3% of the threatened seed plants and 2.6% of the endemic seed plants in the Philippines. Site comparisons using Bray-Curtis cluster analysis in terms of threatened and endemic species composition are relatively low (≤ 33%), implying the uniqueness of the species for each site in the said mountain range. The assemblage of threatened and endemic seed plants in Mt. Pantaron Range calls for immediate conservation endeavors by the stakeholders to warrant the protection of its threatened and endemic seed plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wildlife camera-trapping survey spanning 5 years, from January 2014 to 2021 in Virachey National Park in Northeast Cambodia, turned up notable records of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are in decline throughout Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) as a result of illegal logging, agricultural and infrastructure development that encroaches on forest habitat, and a widespread snaring crisis that supplies the illegal wildlife trade. We deployed 44 camera traps in 3 separate survey areas, resulting in 133 independent encounters of sun bears, 44 of black bears, and 2 Ursidae, where the species could not be determined. Despite the threats facing both species, our records show that the Park is an important refuge and further, more widespread and structured surveys are warranted to help identify priority areas for bear conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood identification is an important tool in many areas, from biology to cultural heritage. In the fight against illegal logging, it has a more necessary and impactful application. Identifying a wood sample to genus or species level is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, even when using the most recent methods, resulting in a growing need for a readily accessible and field-applicable method for scientific wood identification. Providing fast results and ease of use, computer vision-based technology is an economically accessible option currently applied to meet the demand for automated wood identification. However, despite the promising characteristics and accurate results of this method, it remains a niche research area in wood sciences and is little known in other fields of application such as cultural heritage. To share the results and applicability of computer vision-based wood identification, this paper reviews the most frequently cited and relevant published research based on computer vision and machine learning techniques, aiming to facilitate and promote the use of this technology in research and encourage its application among end-users who need quick and reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 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 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.)

The article discusses the issues of entitlement and dispossession regarding fallen wood in the Kakamega forest, around Ichina village in Kakamega County, Kenya. It highlights the forms of forest access available to the communities living near the forest. It explains the difference between fallen and felled wood and examines the entitlement of the poor villagers to wood.

Understanding the land use land cover dynamics and its drivers is essential to generate evidences for making appropriate interventions to safeguard the environment. The study assesses the impacts of resettlement on the Land use land cover (LULC) change in Nensebo district of Ethiopia using remote sensing and in situe field surveys over a period of 33 years (1986–2019). Four years' temporal satellite images 1986, 2000, 2011 and 2019 were used to assess the LULCC. Supervised maximum likelihood classification algorithm was used to classify the images. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select the study district, three kebeles and respondents. From a total of 987 households, 285(29%) household heads were selected using simple random sampling. Questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions were employed to address the drivers. The result showed that there was a rise of farmland from 9.27% in 1986 to 31.55% in 2019 with a rate of 7.30% per annum. Conversely, forest cover was shrinking from 84.40% in 1986 to 57.87% in 2019 with a rate of 0.95% per annum. The study also revealed a significant conversion of shrubland and forest cover to farmland with 58.2% and 29% respectively over the study period. The study revealed that the rapid rate of deforestation and LULCC were attributed to proximate drivers (commercial farmland expansion, resettlement, forest fire, population growth, illegal logging, charcoal and firewood production) and underlying causes (population pressure, poverty, land scarcity, and weak law enforcement). Thus, making appropriate interventions aimed at ensuring sustainability of environments by protecting forests and grasslands and minimizing livelihood dependence on the environmental resources is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undoubtedly, log smuggling is one of the most significant factors in quantitative and qualitative reduction of the Caspian forests in north of Iran, while it has received less attention in forest studies. This study was conducted to identify the causes of log smuggling in Guilan Province, Iran. A team of 24 experts from Forest Protection Department, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Guilan Province was selected, and the study was carried out in three phases by questionnaire and Delphi method. According to the frequency of responses to the first open-ended question in the first stage of Delphi method, number of 24 various specialists’ ideas were identified as the causes of log smuggling. Greed of profiteers, unemployment and the need for income especially among young people, lack of planning in each forest area, poverty in forest communities, easy access to forest areas through forest roads, and closure of forestry plans had the highest frequency among responses. Based on the results from phase two of Delphi method, unemployment and the need for income especially among young people was the notable cause of log smuggling. Systematic corruption, greed of profiteers, poverty in forest communities, failure to deal effectively with log smuggling agents, buying and selling smuggled wood without any trouble are ranked second to sixth, respectively. The Kendall's W test showed no concordance between experts on the questions in relation to the comparison between the ranks among the variables. The results of the tests also showed that the “unemployment and the need for income especially among young people” factor was the first rank, while the “timber industry dependency on certain types of wood” was the last one. The summary of interviewee's opinions after the Kendall's W test illustrated that the most principle log smuggling causes are as follows: unemployment and the need for income especially among young people (94%), systematic corruption (89%), greed of profiteers (86%), and poverty in forest communities (84%), and failure to deal effectively with log smuggling agents (82%). By identifying the factors affecting log smuggling, the necessity of using a strategy to deal with these factors in Guilan Province is felt more than ever.

Illegal logging, one of the crimes that damage the forests most, may cost human life as well as tax losses in the world. Only even with commercial concerns, 908 people were killed in 35 countries between 2002 and 2013 due to environmental conflicts. However, the absence of comprehensive international legal norms on forest crimes indicates that domestic law is primarily responsible for determining the nature, scope and consequences of these crimes. In this study, Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are among the top countries that suffer the most from forest crimes, and Türkiye, which experienced a significant increase in forest crimes after 2015, were examined in terms of illegal logging crime, forest law and the fine balances related to this crime. It is aimed to discover if there is a relationship between punishment/fine and the number of crimes.