Forest management inventories (FMIs) provide critical information, usually at the stand level, for forest management planning. A typical FMI includes (i) the delineation of the inventory area to ...stands by applying auxiliary information; (ii) the classification of the stands according to categorical attributes such as age, site fertility, main tree species, and stand development; and (iii) measurement, modelling, and prediction of stand attributes of interest. The emergence of wall-towall remote-sensing data has enabled a paradigm change in FMIs from highly subjective, visual assessments to objective, model-based inferences. Previously, optical remote-sensing data were used to complement visual assessments, especially in stand delineation and height measurements. The evolution of airborne laser scanning (ALS) has made objective estimation of forest characteristics with known accuracy possible. New optical and Lidar-based sensors and platforms will allow further improvements of accuracy. However, there are still bottlenecks related to species-specific stand attribute information in mixed stands and assessments of tree quality. Here, we concentrate on approaches and methods that have been applied in the Nordic countries in particular.
Abstract
Understanding visitor preferences to heritage areas is essential in informing management planning and interpretive strategies for these places. This paper uses a quantitative method approach ...to investigate local Malaysian visitor preferences to heritage trails in the Old Town of central Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, to understand what values and qualities visitors are experiencing that informs their preferences. The findings of this research offers a ranking system of heritage trails and buildings based upon visitors’ preferences, that can aid in understanding of visitor preferences of heritage trails and the places and values along such trails.
The Special Collection Data Management Planning across Disciplines and Infrastructures of the Data Science Journal consists of papers describing practical experiences, concepts, and future directions ...on the design and deployment of effective data management plans and associated tools. Papers contain practical examples on managing and sharing data, consider the integration of data management plans into infrastructures and reflect innovative research into new directions for disciplinary and cross-disciplinary data management planning.
Commonly used in the literature to refer to the “attractiveness”, “appeal”, or “beauty” of a species, charisma can be defined as a set of characteristics – and the perception thereof – that affect ...people’s attitudes and behaviors toward a species. It is a highly relevant concept for invasion science, with implications across all stages of the invasion process. However, the concept of invasive alien species (IAS) charisma has not yet been systematically investigated. We discuss this concept in detail, provide a set of recommendations for further research, and highlight management implications. We review how charisma affects the processes associated with biological invasions and IAS management, including species introductions and spread, media portrayals, public perceptions of species management, research attention, and active public involvement in research and management. Explicit consideration of IAS charisma is critical for understanding the factors that shape people’s attitudes toward particular species, planning management measures and strategies, and implementing a combination of education programs, awareness raising, and public involvement campaigns.
The adoption of nutrient management practices can lead to win-win outcomes in terms of both improving productivity and reducing the environmental impact of farming. However, adoption of key practices ...remains below expectations globally. Few studies specifically focus on the adoption of nutrient management practices and the majority overlook psychological factors in their analysis. This study examines the factors which influence Irish farmers' intention to apply fertiliser on the basis of soil test results. An expanded version of the theory of planned behaviour is used as a framework for analysis. The influence of policy is also accounted for by this study which requires certain farmers in Ireland to adopt soil testing on a mandatory basis. The results for the national sample (n = 1009) show that attitudes, subjective norms (social pressure), perceived behavioural control (ease/difficulty) and perceived resources are significant and positively associated with farmers' intentions. In terms of the voluntary sample (n = 587), only attitude, perceived behavioural control and perceived resources are significantly and positively associated with farmers' intentions. Whereas, for the mandatory sample (n = 422), subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and perceived resources are significantly and correlated in a positive direction with intentions. A number of farm and farmer characteristics are also significantly associated with intentions. Policy recommendations are made based on these results.
•We examine factors influencing intentions to adopt nutrient management planning.•Policy plays a role in shaping which factors influence farmers' intentions.•Attitudes, norms, perceived control and resources positively influence intentions.•Dairy system, age, education and advisor also positively influence intentions.•Results are helpful in identifying factors influencing farmers' behaviour.
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a decision aid frequently used in the field of forest management planning. It includes the evaluation of multiple criteria such as the production of timber ...and non-timber forest products and tangible as well as intangible values of ecosystem services (ES). Hence, it is beneficial compared to those methods that take a purely financial perspective. Accordingly, MCDA methods are increasingly popular in the wide field of sustainability assessment. Hybrid approaches allow aggregating MCDA and, potentially, other decision-making techniques to make use of their individual benefits and leading to a more holistic view of the actual consequences that come with certain decisions. This review is providing a comprehensive overview of hybrid approaches that are used in forest management planning. Today, the scientific world is facing increasing challenges regarding the evaluation of ES and the trade-offs between them, for example between provisioning and regulating services. As the preferences of multiple stakeholders are essential to improve the decision process in multi-purpose forestry, participatory and hybrid approaches turn out to be of particular importance. Accordingly, hybrid methods show great potential for becoming most relevant in future decision making. Based on the review presented here, the development of models for the use in planning processes should focus on participatory modeling and the consideration of uncertainty regarding available information.
Over the last decades, the natural disturbance is increasingly putting pressure on European forests. Shifts in disturbance regimes may compromise forest functioning and the continuous provisioning of ...ecosystem services to society, including their climate change mitigation potential. Although forests are central to many European policies, we lack the long‐term empirical data needed for thoroughly understanding disturbance dynamics, modeling them, and developing adaptive management strategies. Here, we present a unique database of >170,000 records of ground‐based natural disturbance observations in European forests from 1950 to 2019. Reported data confirm a significant increase in forest disturbance in 34 European countries, causing on an average of 43.8 million m3 of disturbed timber volume per year over the 70‐year study period. This value is likely a conservative estimate due to under‐reporting, especially of small‐scale disturbances. We used machine learning techniques for assessing the magnitude of unreported disturbances, which are estimated to be between 8.6 and 18.3 million m3/year. In the last 20 years, disturbances on average accounted for 16% of the mean annual harvest in Europe. Wind was the most important disturbance agent over the study period (46% of total damage), followed by fire (24%) and bark beetles (17%). Bark beetle disturbance doubled its share of the total damage in the last 20 years. Forest disturbances can profoundly impact ecosystem services (e.g., climate change mitigation), affect regional forest resource provisioning and consequently disrupt long‐term management planning objectives and timber markets. We conclude that adaptation to changing disturbance regimes must be placed at the core of the European forest management and policy debate. Furthermore, a coherent and homogeneous monitoring system of natural disturbances is urgently needed in Europe, to better observe and respond to the ongoing changes in forest disturbance regimes.
Shifts in forest disturbance regimes may compromise the continuous provisioning of ecosystem services to society. Although forests in Europe are central to many policies, empirical data for understanding disturbance dynamics are lacking. We present a unique database of >170,000 ground‐based natural disturbance records in European forests from 1950 to 2019. Disturbances significantly increase over the study period, damaging on average 43.8 million m3 of timber volume per year. This is likely a conservative estimate due to under‐reporting. We estimated the magnitude of unreported damages to be between 8.6 and 18.3 million m3/year.
•Management intensities impact on the provision of all ecosystem services.•High rate of tending and afforestation provide better opportunities for timber, C and soil.•Extensive management creates ...better condition for biodiversity, water, recreation.•Rotation length has marginal impact on the provision of ecosystem services.•None of the planning alternatives can optimize all ecosystem services simultaneously.
Understanding forest dynamics under varying management intensification is a crucial step for designing and implementing sustainable forest management scenarios. One way to assess the sustainability is to evaluate the long-term supply of ecosystem services (ES) with some performance indicators. This research focuses on exploring the effects of management intensification on several ESs such as habitat for biodiversity conservation, wood production, carbon stock, cultural values, water provision and soil protection. Forest development was simulated over time with the ETCAP forest management decision support system (DSS) to investigate the effects of intensified forest management activities, representing different treatment rates, rotation periods and afforestation levels, on the selected ecosystem services. Hamidiye forest planning unit was used as a case study area with 19,009 ha forests in southeastern Turkey.
The management scenarios with intensified forest interventions such as high rate of thinning and afforestation areas with medium rotation ages led to increased harvest level, carbon storage, soil protection, deadwood and forest area, and reductions in largest stand volume, understory, basal area, ground water and cultural values. The same intensified scenarios with short rotation ages, however, resulted in again higher harvest levels, yet a more regulated forest structure due mainly to the increasing afforestation areas and productivity. Extension of rotation periods, however, appear to have marginal impact on carbon storage, positive effect on soil protection and significant effect on harvest level. Scenarios with low intensified interventions only resulted in high values of biodiversity conservation and cultural values. Intensive treatments and larger afforestation areas had significant impact on the overall results. Overall, the analysis of the modeling approach with varying management scenarios led to better and wider understanding of forest development over time by allowing the assessment of the impacts of management interventions on the sustainable supply of the ecosystem services that highly depend on the afforestation level, thinning rate and rotation period.
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