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Deforestation and forest degradation have several negative effects on the environment including a loss of species habitats, disturbance of the water cycle and reduced ability to retain CO2, with consequences for global warming. We investigated the evolution of forest resources from development regions in Romania affected by both deforestation and reforestation using a non-Euclidean method based on fractal analysis.We calculated four fractal dimensions of forest areas: the fractal box-counting dimension of the forest areas, the fractal box-counting dimension of the dilated forest areas, the fractal dilation dimension and the box-counting dimension of the border of the dilated forest areas. Fractal analysis revealed morpho-structural and textural differentiations of forested, deforested and reforested areas in development regions with dominant mountain relief and high hills (more forested and compact organization) in comparison to the development regions dominated by plains or low hills (less forested, more fragmented with small and isolated clusters). Our analysis used the fractal analysis that has the advantage of analyzing the entire image, rather than studying local information, thereby enabling quantification of the uniformity, fragmentation, heterogeneity and homogeneity of forests.

The study was carried out in the Pahou forest reserve in southern Benin as a contribution to sustainable management of this forest. Plant communities’ assessment was made usi ng t he synusi al approach to phytosociology. Soils were characterized according to their pedological profiles and physico-chemical properties. Silvicultural plantations parameters were studied using temporary sample plots of 300 m² each in representative sites of the forest. This study allowed to identify and to describe five phytocoenoses (plant communities). Two hundred and forty-seven (247) species were found in the undergrowth of Acacia auriculiformis plantations in Pahou forest belonging to two hundred and nine (209) genera and seventy-one (71) families. The mean annual increment in diameter and height of the plantations ranged f rom 1. 2 to 3. 1 cm/year and 1. 4 t o 4.2 m/year, respectively, indicating that acacias plantings of Pahou forest are among t he most product i ve i n West Africa. The relationships between ecological factors and productivity of the different plant communities enabled to identif y and map four forest types among which the most productive was represented by the Barteria nigritana – Rauvolfia vomitoria plant community, while the least productive is the biotope supporting Axonopus compressus – Scleria depressa plant community. Recommendations are given on the use of these phytosociological indicators as tools for sustainable forestry management., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published