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The Mediterranean superyacht industry significantly contributes to the region's economy, but its rapid growth has raised serious environmental concerns. This study compares the emissions, waste management, and biodiversity protection of two marinas located in Sicily, Italy, and the Balearic Islands, Spain. A survey assessing the carbon footprint and water quality was distributed to the management of the marinas. The collected data were analysed and translated into tonnes of CO2 equivalent using emission factors. By calculating the carbon and water footprints of the two marinas, this study aimed to understand the environmental impact of port-related operations. The JMarinas Environmental Decision Support System and a P-Mapping/Pareto approach were used to identify pollutant sources, following Pareto's principle. The findings indicated that the primary operations of the marina sector are the main sources of pollution, with significant contributions from supporting activities. This study clarifies the origins of CO2 and pollution in marina operations, enabling the authors to recommend the close supervision of all recreational boating activities to reduce CO2 emissions and environmental degradation. By adopting these recommendations, policymakers, marina operators, and yacht owners can ensure the long-term sustainability of Mediterranean marinas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest carbon credit project developments throughout the world can contribute to nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change. With Malaysia's large forest endowment, a study was conducted to evaluate the awareness and knowledge among forest owners, and to identify the main constraints faced when venturing into forest carbon credit projects. A total of 75 companies in both forest plantations and natural forests were involved in the study. The results clearly suggest that knowledge and awareness of forest carbon credit projects is relatively low among forest owners. Hence, forest carbon credit projects development in the country is relatively slow and only a few projects have had serious development to the auction phase. The slow uptake of carbon projects is plagued by the low carbon credit price, lack of clarity in the national carbon policy, limited expertise and capability for project development, and the lack of financing mechanisms for project development. Forest owners prefer biomass production and timber production due to the higher economic returns. Against this background, policymakers as well as federal-state initiatives need to address the gaps with the forest carbon credit project development ecosystem, in order to facilitate and realize the full carbon sequestration potential of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report an investigation of how forest stand mixture may affect biomass allometric relationships in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Analysis of aboveground biomass data was conducted for 50 trees: 25 sample trees from a pure Norway spruce stand and 25 from a mixed stand of Norway spruce with European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). ANCOVA results demonstrated that individual-tree biomass allometry of the pure stand significantly differed from that of the mixed stand. Allometric characteristics depended on the biomass component recorded and the type of biomass predictor used. When predicted by diameter at breast height and (or) height, the total aboveground biomass of mixed-stand trees was significantly less than that for pure-stand trees. This 'apparent' lower aboveground biomass was attributed to the lower branch and needle biomass proportions of trees growing in mixed stand. The findings indicate that caution should be exercised when applying biomass allometric models developed from pure stands to predict tree biomass in mixed stands (and vice versa), as such data treatment may introduce significant bias. Key words: species composition effect, biomass partitioning, mixture, aboveground biomass, allometric equation. Dans cette etude, nous avons examine comment la composition du peuplement forestier peut affecter les relations allometriques de biomasse de l'epicea commun (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). L'analyse des donnees de biomasse aerienne a ete realisee a partir de 50 arbres: 25 arbres echantillons provenaient d'un peuplement pur d'epicea commun et 25 arbres provenaient d'un peuplement mixte d'epicea commun et de hetre commun (Fagus sylvatica L.). Les resultats d'une analyse de covariance indiquent que l'allometrie de la biomasse des arbres individuels du peuplement pur est significativement differente de celle du peuplement mixte. Les caracteristiques allometriques dependaient de la composante de la biomasse prise en compte et du type de variable predictive de la biomasse utilisee. Lorsqu'elle etait predite par le diametre a hauteur de poitrine ou par la hauteur, la biomasse aerienne totale des arbres du peuplement mixte etait significativement inferieure a celle des arbres du peuplement pur. Cette biomasse aerienne apparemment inferieure a ete attribuee a une plus faible proportion de la biomasse allouee aux branches et aux feuilles chez les arbres qui croissent dans le peuplement mixte. Ces resultats indiquent qu'il faut faire preuve de prudence lorsqu'on applique des modeles allometriques de biomasse etalonnes a partir de peuplements purs pour predire la biomasse des arbres de peuplements mixtes (et vice versa) puisqu'un tel traitement des donnees peut introduire un biais important. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: effet de la composition en especes, partitionnement de la biomasse, melange, biomasse aerienne, equation allometrique., Introduction Tree biomass allometry represents one of the most important tools available for estimating carbon sequestration in forest biomass and is widely used when appropriate forest inventory data are available [...]

Ports have played a significant role in the touristic development and further economic growth of Italy. It is the country with the highest number of berths among the nations in the Mediterranean Sea; over time, Italy has created ports with a range of functions. Therefore, it is of vital importance to evaluate the potential pollutants generated from these docks and propose ways to eliminate those problems. A survey that asked about the carbon footprint and the quality of the water in the water footprint calculation was created and distributed to the management of the marinas' operations. After receiving the completed surveys, the data were analyzed and translated using emission factors into tons of CO2 equivalent. The amount of greenhouse gases generated by the investigated marinas was determined by calculating the carbon and water footprints of five representative Palermo marinas, and we aimed to better understand how these port-related operations affect the environment. To pinpoint the pollutant sources within the investigated marinas, an original P-Mapping/Pareto ratio approach was performed as supported by Pareto's principle. The findings indicated that the primary operations of the marina sector are the main sources of pollution. However, a sizable portion of the emissions were also caused by pollution from supporting operations. Based on the study, the origins of CO2 and pollution in marina operations were clarified. The results obtained enable the authors to make recommendations that all recreational boating activities should be closely supervised in order to reduce CO2 emissions and their input in relation to environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Timber Industry Plan was the first major dedicated policy framework for the wood products industry in Malaysia. This plan aimed to transform the industry into a high value-added products manufacturer and exporter, with a targeted export value of USD 13 billion in 2020. Unfortunately, this target was revised downwards in 2017 due to stagnating growth; in 2020, wood products export was valued at USD 5.43 billion. A survey of 914 different wood products manufacturers, involving sawmillers, molding, furniture, and joinery manufacturers, were conducted to examine the constraints faced, and the weaknesses of the policy framework that hampered its intended objectives. The results revealed that the policy framework did not have much impact on transforming the industry, and its growth continued to be fueled by incremental factor inputs, rather than by productivity gains. Uncertainty with the policy framework, especially with addressing raw materials supply and workforce, were highlighted as the two most important constraints faced. In essence, the outcomes suggest that business confidence, associated with industrial growth factors, are the prerequisite for the policy framework to succeed, and if confidence falters, it will adversely affect the targeted outcome of the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of digital technologies (DT) has been on the increase within the manufacturing industries since a decade ago. It has been widely suggested that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of DT in manufacturing industries worldwide, as countries have tried to contain and mitigate the spread of infection through lockdowns and stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs). Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate this trend in the Malaysian wood products industry, and to identify the key DT used. A questionnaire-based survey was implemented and targeted at the furniture, moldings, and builder's joinery and carpentry sub-sectors, with the assistance of the relevant trade associations. A total of 477 responses were obtained, and it was found that digital technologies, such as computer aided design (CAD), computer numerical control (CNC), digital communication, digital marketing, and enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems, were highly adopted, but they did not significantly differ in terms of company size or product type. However, the rate of adoption was not uniform, as 5% of the respondent companies did not adopt any digital technologies. The study revealed that wood products companies adopted digital technologies that boosted their production and marketing, while those with limited DT adoption were more severely impacted during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]