The present work applied a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to assess changes in the technical efficiency of timber production at a period of transition in forest management priorities. The ...study material consisted of data on timber sold by Polish State Forests (PSF) and on its forest management inputs in the years 1990–2019. During the period of economic transition in Poland (1990–2003) the technical efficiency of timber production on average amounted to 0.809 and was highly variable. In the free-market period, that efficiency was much higher (on average 0.939) and more stable. This improvement was achieved by substantial layoffs in the PSF, and steady rise in the share and standing volume of mature stands, which made it possible to increase timber production while adhering to sustainable management principles. Analysis of the various categories of inputs to timber production revealed that the greatest decline, in labor costs, was attributable to a fourfold reduction in the workforce, and was accompanied by a 2.4-fold increment in timber production. On the other hand, logging costs increased due to, among other causes, the pursuit of environmentally friendly but more expensive harvesting procedures and reductions in clearcutting, which entailed more dispersed harvesting operations.
Informacyjny wymiar człowieka Zięba, Stanisław
Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Nauk Społecznych z siedzibą w Lublinie,
10/2021, Volume:
10, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Przedmiotem publikacji jest geneza człowieka ukazana na podstawie wydarzeń w neolicie określanych jako „wielki skok” czy „rewolucja neolityczna”, sygnalizując tym samym nie tylko wyjątkowość ...zaistnienia człowieka, ale także wyjątkowość człowieka na tle rozwoju przyrody. Rewolucja uczłowieczenia to pojawienie się istoty zdolnej do refleksji nad sobą i nad otaczającym światem. Świadectwem rewolucji neolitycznej jest m.in. rozwój rolnictwa i osiadły tryb życia człowieka. Radykalna przemiana to proces „przekroczenia” progu biologicznego. Czynnik sprawczy tego wielkiego skoku upatrujemy w informacji. Informacja stała się podstawą interpretacji zdarzeń, procesów, organizacji w świecie, stała się czynnikiem wykorzystanym w eksplikacji genezy układów fizycznych, biologicznych i antropologicznych. Hipotetycznie przyjmujemy, że w wydarzeniach neolitu informacja genetyczna uzyskała nową jakość pozagenetyczną.
This study analyzed the effects of various forest management scenarios on habitats of the black stork, which has very specific requirements: it needs extensive forest complexes with a significant ...proportion of old trees for nesting, and bodies of water for foraging. The relationship between different forest management scenarios and the presence of black storks was examined in a large forest complex (9641 ha of managed stands) surrounded by wetland areas. A simulation of forest development under three management regimes was performed for eighteen 10-year periods. Management scenarios differed in terms of the species composition of stands, rotation age, retention tree areas, and silvicultural treatments. The basic scenario was characterized by a species composition consistent with natural-type stands, but with higher proportions of Scots pine and oak, with rotation ages of 100 and 140 years, respectively, managed by the shelterwood system. The productive scenario featured monospecific stands with a dominance of Scots pine with a rotation age of 90 years, harvested by clearcutting. Finally, the long rotation scenario introduced mixed tree stands with a long rotation age (110 and 180 years for Scots pine and oak, respectively). As compared to the basic scenario, the total harvest volume was greater by 14.6% in the productive scenario and smaller by 16.2% in the long rotation scenario. The availability of habitats for black stork changed as a result of different species compositions and age structures of tree stands. A considerable decrease in rotation age (below 100 years) and the elimination of oak trees from stands in the productive scenario adversely affected potential habitats for black stork. On the other hand, the factors favorable to black stork habitats were a long rotation age, the presence of oak in stands, the application of shelterwood cutting, and the use of retention trees in the long rotation scenario. This scenario would probably also benefit other bird species legally protected under the European Union’s Birds Directive.
The continuing decline in biodiversity presents a major environmental protection challenge. The conservation of sufficiently extensive and diverse habitats requires an array of coordinated actions, ...often involving large areas. While a set of conservation objectives have been defined for the Natura 2000 network, no universal methods of accomplishing them have been specified, and so they must be designed by individual Member States. Deadwood volume and the density of large deadwood pieces are widely used for evaluating the quality of forest habitat types designated under the Habitats Directive. In the present study, data from 5557 sample plots were used to evaluate the mean values of the two deadwood indicators as well as the ratio of deadwood volume to living tree volume for each of the 13 habitat types in Poland. In addition, a logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the effects of terrain, site, and tree stand characteristics as well as protection type on deadwood volume in Natura 2000 areas. Mean deadwood volume varied greatly between habitat types, with the lowest values found for Central European lichen Scots pine forests (91T0–2.5 m3 ha−1) and Old acidophilous oak woods (9190–4.4 m3 ha−1), and the highest for Riparian mixed forests (91F0–43.1 m3 ha−1) and Acidophilous Picea forests of the montane to alpine levels (9410–55.4 m3 ha−1). The ratio of deadwood volume to living tree volume ranged from approx. 1%–17%. Additionally, the presence of large deadwood differed among habitat types: in some, there were no deadwood pieces with a diameter of ≥50 cm, while their maximum density was 6.1 pieces ha−1. The logistic regression model showed that the likelihood of a habitat type to have a ‘favorable conservation status’ as defined by deadwood abundance (a threshold of at least 20 m3 ha−1 according to Polish manuals on habitat type evaluation) increased with sample plot elevation, site fertility, and moisture, as well as stand age and volume. Positive effects were also observed for forests under strict and active protection versus managed forests. Planned efforts are necessary to enhance the quality of habitats with insufficient deadwood, especially in managed forests. Special attention should be given to areas that are readily accessible due to gentle terrain and low site moisture. Furthermore, younger stands on less fertile sites may require intervention to promote deadwood accumulation. We recommend retaining a certain proportion of mature stands until natural death and decomposition. Increasing the density of large deadwood is currently one of the most pressing conservation needs in most habitat types.
The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the daily lives of everyone, including local communities and entire societies. Under the influence of this new experience, the ...importance of the services and benefits provided by forests and other green spaces has increased. A very large role in this aspect was played by media messages promoting the idea of being close to nature as a remedy for malaise and stress, and pushing the thesis that the risk of spreading the virus outdoors is lower than it is indoors. Thanks to media messages, as well as government responses (i.e., lockdown, temporary bans on entering the forest), public attention has been directed toward forests, generating greater interest in forest management and conservation issues, as well as in nature and forestry education. The purpose of our research was to determine how the pandemic affected the frequency of visits to the forest and how it changed the public’s views on the role of forests. The research material consists of the results of a questionnaire survey (online and traditionally way) carried out in Poland from September to October in 2020. A total of 1402 people were surveyed. The results show that nearly 52% of respondents increased their use of forest recreational services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also found that more than 80% of respondents agreed with statements that the forest is a safer space than, for example, parks or squares, and it is more difficult to contract the virus there. Men were more likely to agree with this statement than women (1.51), respondents without children (1.45), respondents over the age of 31 (1.72), and respondents with more than primary or secondary education (1.37). Also, more than 80% of respondents said that the social functions of the forest (e.g., recreational) had gained importance as a result of the pandemic. The social functions of the forest gained importance primarily among respondents with higher education (2.40), and among respondents who had visited the forest rather infrequently (several times a year) for recreational purposes before the pandemic (1.72). Those with children were more likely to agree with the statement that the economic functions of the forest have lost their importance (1.43), as were those who had formerly visited the forest several times a year (1.53). With regard to the statement “the slowdown of the economy has contributed to the improvement of the environment,” there were no statistically significant differences in the views of respondents in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics.
Refleksje wokół biosfery Twardowski, Mirosław; Zięba, Stanisław
Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Nauk Społecznych z siedzibą w Lublinie,
10/2023, Volume:
12, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Przyroda to świat roślin i zwierząt z terenem, na którym się znajdują, biosfera zaś to warstwa globu ziemskiego i otaczającej go atmosfery zamieszkana przez organizmy żywe. Biosfera jest przestrzenią ...obejmującą całą hydrosferę oraz część litosfery i część atmosfery, gdzie występują organizmy żywe. Podlega ona procesowi rozwoju, w którym wynurzają się coraz to nowe zjawiska i gatunki kształtujące życie. Biosfera jest globalnym ekosystemem, w którym poprzez procesy fizyczne i udział organizmów żywych następuje krążenie elementów, np. pierwiastków. Zasadniczą cechą biosfery jest złożoność. Biosfera na poziomie organizacji odróżnia się i hierarchizuje, wyróżniają ją emergentne nowe właściwości. Biosfera jest organizatorem życia. Każdy gatunek w biosferze pełni swoje funkcje, ale funkcję organizatora nie może wypełnić poszczególny gatunek, może to zrobić duży system. Ważną cechą biosfery jest różnorodność biologiczna: zróżnicowanie gatunków, rozmaitość form życia. Przynajmniej kilka kluczowych elementów musiało pojawić się, aby mogła kształtować się biosfera. Motor jej ewolucji upatrujemy w przechowywaniu informacji i jej powielaniu.
The aim of our work was to assess the direction of change taking place in the forests of the regional directorates of State Forests (rdSF) based on measurable indicators used to assess sustainable ...development. Based on a synthetic index (
), changes in the years 1993−2013 were evaluated for individual directorates. We identified the regions with the highest and lowest rates of change in terms of sustainable development dynamics. The analysis was performed using spatiotemporal variables and the main criterion for selecting the diagnostic variables was their availability and comparability over the analysed period. The rdSF variation was assessed with the synthetic index (
), using the method of zero unitarisation. In 1993−2013, favourable changes over time were indeed recorded, reflecting the progress in implementing practices supporting sustainable development in forestry. However, large differences exist between the regional managements in this respect. For the analysed period, the most favourable conditions from the perspective of sustainable forest management were maintained in rdSF Kraków, rdSF Białystok and rdSF Toruń, while the least desirable conditions were found in rdSF Zielona Góra, rdSF Piła and rdSF Warsaw. The greatest rates of beneficial change, on the other hand, were found in rdSF Szczecin, rdSF Kraków and rdSF Wrocław. In turn, the lowest rates of change of the synthetic index (
) were observed in the directorates of Katowice, Piła and Łódź. In summary, measurable indicators of sustainable development are a good instrument for measuring the pace of change in sustainable forestry. They are an effective tool for assessing and reporting progress over time and should also be used when planning and implementing development strategies.
This paper assesses the priority of forest ecosystem services (FESs) and defines the sociodemographic profile of people who consider particular services to be an essential function of forests. The ...research material consists of the results of a questionnaire survey conducted on 1402 Polish respondents. Twelve different types of FESs were evaluated, to which respondents assigned relative priority (Ps) on a five-point Likert scale. The significance of differences in the importance of individual FESs was assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA rank test, while a logistic regression model was used to profile respondents in terms of differences in perceptions of a particular FES. Regulating functions were considered the most important (Ps 0.87–0.94), followed by cultural functions (0.79–0.86), while provisioning functions (0.31–0.75) were deemed the least important. During the last decade, the trend in societal demand for FESs was upward. The greatest increase occurred for regulating functions and the lowest for provisioning (in the case of the supply of animal products, demand has actually decreased). Regulating functions are seen as very important by people with higher education, people who are satisfied with their financial status, and women; noise reduction is in particular valued by urban residents. Cultural functions are most valued by those satisfied with their financial status and people over 40. Provisioning functions are perceived as very important primarily by rural residents, often of low financial status, with the provision of animal products being more appreciated by men and the supply of mushrooms and berries by women. The greater appreciation of the importance of regulating and cultural functions (compared to provisioning ESs) suggests that local development planning should emphasize them much more strongly. In turn, identifying and estimating the demand for ecosystem services from the perspective of socioeconomic and demographic stakeholder profiles can provide valuable insight during planning for sustainable forest and ecosystem services.
This paper presents a system of uneven-aged forest management consistent with the principles of close-to-nature silviculture with treatments adopted to the requirements of individual tree stands, ...depending on their development phase, growing stock volume, DBH distribution and regeneration status. The study involves an experimental forest (property of the University of Agriculture in Cracow, Poland) with an area of 455.86 ha, located in the Western Carpathians. Data about stand characteristics and development processes, including regeneration, survival and removal, were obtained by measurements conducted at 10-year intervals on 413 permanent sample plots in the years 1976–2016, resulting in a total of four measurement periods. In the first period (1976–1986), harvesting intensity was low at 2.16 m3/ha/year but subsequently increased with the development of growing stock, higher volume increments and improved age and species structure, to finally reach 10.34 m3/ha/year in 2006–2016. The mean volume of timber harvested over the entire study period was 6.12 m3/ha/year, corresponding to 65.2% of the volume increment and 2.8% of the total growing stock. Management by the close-to-nature silviculture method had a positive impact on the forest characteristics. The improved species and age structure and the increased volume increment and growing stock translated into greater stand productivity without detriment to the implementation of non-timber forest functions.
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