Trees, Forests and People最新文献

Enhancing forest carbon storage and carbon sequestration capacity is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. Scientific forest management can maintain a high level of carbon sequestration capacity in forests, and considering the carbon pool of wood products can extend the time of carbon fixation. However, current predictions of large-scale forest carbon storage and carbon sequestration capacity have overlooked changes in forest carbon absorption with forest age and the buffering effect of wood product carbon pools in the carbon release process. In this paper, we used the Forest Simulation and Optimization System model (FSOS) to analyze the wood supply and carbon sequestration capacities of different management scenarios based on data from the Forest Resources Inventory (2014–2018). The results showed that China's forests could export significant amounts of timber in the future; According to the 9th forest survey report, China's forests produce only 88 million m³ yr^-1. Among them, the harvested objects were mainly planted forests, and if all forests (planted forests and natural forests) are involved in forest management planning, the maximum sustainable annual wood supply will reach 286 million m³ yr^-1. Moreover, due to the current large proportion of younger forests in China, 358 million m³ of annual wood supply will be achievable in the future (as of the year 2039). Forest management can increase the carbon sequestration capacities in forest ecosystems as well as the wood supply compared to the no management options. In summary, the carbon sequestration potential of unmanaged forests is limited. Appropriate forest management can increase the carbon sequestration potential of forests. The substitution of carbon emission reduction of wood products and bioenergy can also greatly reduce the pressure to achieve carbon neutral strategies.

The conflict between farmers and pastoralists in Benue State has been an ongoing issue but has become more serious since 2011. In 2017, the Government of Benue State decided to intervene by enacting an anti-open grazing law to confine livestock grazing to ranches. Rather than reduce the conflict, it escalated it, leading to increased fatalities and displacement of both herders who were fleeing being arrested and the farmers who were attacked by the herders as a rejoinder. This article delves into the issue of forests in these contexts of violence and displacement associated with the farmer-herder conflict in the Benue-Nasarawa-Taraba borderland of Nigeria. This article is based on interviews and field observations; uses political ecology and new institutionalism theories to bring together literature on warfare ecology (specifically conflict impacts on forests) and the ungoverned spaces to understand the impact of farmer-herder conflict on forests. The conflict has led to land abandonment since 2017 triggering forest regrowth. However, the reforested area now serves as safe haven for criminals and kidnappers who kidnap their victims for ransom, rob villagers of their money and property. Thus, the anti-open grazing law which attempted to eject the herds inadvertently created hidden dangers of kidnapping for ransom, rape, and robbery as abandoned villages forested serving as safe haven for criminals. The paper underscores the usefulness of blending political ecology and new institutionalism theories to comprehend why spaces become ungoverned.

The forests of Himalayan mountains are rich in diversity of medicinal herbs that contributes immensely to the health care and economy of local people. To ensure sustainable utilization of this precious resource under changing climate and declining biodiversity, it is necessary to understand the diversity, yield potential, and economic value of these medicinal herbs. The study aims to evaluate the diversity, yield potential, and economic value of medicinal herbs in Western Himalayan forests, across different forest stands. We studied three dominant forest types (250–2500 m asl) by employing twenty-seven randomly laid plots measuring 0.1 ha (810 sub-plots of 1×1m) in low Tropical Dry and Moist Deciduous forests (TMDF), mid Subtropical Pine forests (SPF) and high Himalayan Moist Temperate forests (HMTF) altitude forests and recorded a total of 52 economically important herb species falling under 38 families and 46 genera. The SPF was rich in medicinal herbs (46 spp.) than the HMTF (31 spp.) and TMDF (04 spp.). Leaves of 27 % species, followed by whole plants (16 % species), root (13 % species), flowers (10 % species), stem (8 % species), rhizome (8 % species), and shoots (8 % species) were used traditionally by the local people for the treatment of 41 different diseases. The yield (g/ha) of the medicinal herbs was recorded maximum in TMDF (4217.5), followed by HMTF (2455) and minimum (2318) in SPF forest. Economic valuation of the medicinal herbs revealed maximum (Rs. 3546/ ha) value for SPF (Rs. 3546/ha), followed by HMTF (Rs. 2405/ ha), and minimum for TMDF (Rs. 576 /ha). The maximum value was recorded for Hedychium spicatum and least for Agrimonia japonica. This pioneering study provides species-specific contribution of these medicinal herbs in the economic value of these forests that will facilitate development of forest management plan to sustainably utilise and conserve them as well as to improve livelihoods of the local people. These medicinal herbs not only contribute to healthcare but also play a significant role in food and nutritional security by providing essential nutrients and medicinal properties that support the well-being of local communities.

A function that predicts the upper stem diameters of an individual tree is helpful in better quantifying the volume and devising sustainable management of commercially and ecologically important species. This study compares three forms of the taper equation (single, variable-exponent, and segmented) using destructive sample data collected from 80 Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) trees across three adjacent stands in the Mid hills of Nepal. A mixed-effects modeling approach was used to evaluate the 13 different taper functions, selecting the best parameter association with the random effect to avoid overparameterization. Additionally, these models were fitted to minimize errors by modeling correlation structure with continuous autoregressive correlation structure of order 1 (corCAR1) and variance with a power variance function. All models were statistically significant at 5% level in the likelihood ratio test when compared with the models fitted without these error minimization. Furthermore, model performance (root mean square error, mean absolute error, and pseudo-R²) was evaluated using k-fold cross-validation procedure. Although all taper functions described more than 95% of the variation in upper stem diameter prediction, the single-form models of Bennett and Swindel (1972) and Amidon (1984), the variable-exponent model form of Sharma and Zhang (2004), and the segmented model form of Max and Burkhart (1976) explained more than 98% percent of the variability. Residual diagnostics indicated that Sharma and Zhang's (2004) model provided better constant and minimum errors in predicting the upper stem diameter along the 8 to 20 m stem length, whereas other models exhibited higher residual errors. Despite model's better performance, variability along the upper stem diameter prediction would affect its applicability in estimating the volume at any merchantable height of individual trees.

Wild indigenous fruit trees (WIFTs) play a vital role in food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, these resources are currently less accessible to rural populations due to the expanding arable lands and over-exploitation of the trees in the wild, which lead to a decline in their population. This study (i) explored the availability and uses of WIFTs in the Nyamagabe and Bugesera districts of Rwanda (ii) identified challenges and potential interventions for domestication of WIFTs, (iii) assessed community perceptions on WIFTs domestication primarily as integrated system components in smallholder's farm (iv) and also determined the priority species for domestication. A total of 380 respondents from Bugesera and Nyamagabe districts were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed descriptively using the SPSS software analysis tools. Results revelaled a total of 19 WIFTs, 15 from the Bugesera district, and five from the Nyamagabe district with one species occurring in both districts. The recorded WIFTs were used mainly as food, medicine and fuel wood. Despite a decline in population locally, most respondents were interested in domesticating WIFTs and expressed willingness to integrate them on their farmlands once the planting materials are availed. From the study a suggestion to promote the domestication of the priority WIFTs through a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, research institutions and other stakeholders is important. This will ensure not only the sustainability of the WIFTs species to communities but also contribute to their socio-economic development once the products are developed through proper value chains addition.

Wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana/stricta) is an understory grass most often associated with the ecosystem health, function, and biodiversity over a substantial part of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) range, especially in Florida. Wiregrass is frequently the primary herbaceous plant species seeded into restoration projects because it is known to carry the frequent, low intensity fires essential for maintaining open canopy savannas. A limitation to restoration of longleaf pine savannas is the availability of a sufficient amount of viable wiregrass seed or plugs (plants that have been grown in small trays and are installed individually). Here, we examine qualitative data to identify and contextualize the economic, logistical, and ecological barriers to the availability of wiregrass for restoration. We conducted semi-structured interviews of private landowners, public land managers, and conservation organization staff members which revealed the presence of an informal economy. These findings should help landowners and land managers address and overcome restoration challenges in longleaf pine ecosystems and inform policy decisions and program design to promote successful longleaf pine restoration.

Native forests can support wild and domestic herbivores, but their nutritional potential of understory vascular plants is rarely explored. We analysed the composition of understory plant species and their biochemical components to reveal the nutritional potential of forest types (deciduous, evergreen, mixed) and their associated open-lands (e.g. grasslands in forestlands) in Northern Patagonia. We proposed an approach combining our data (e.g. plant composition, occurrence frequency) with bibliographic research (e.g. Scopus database) to develop our findings. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistical analyses and multivariate analyses. This study presents the nutritional values for the 20 pivotal species under examination. The results highlight the significant impact of taxonomic families on nutritional profiles, where the species that presented the most relevant occurrence frequency: the herbs T. officinale (60.4 % of total occurrence frequency-TOF) and T. repens (47.9 % TOF), the graminoid H. lanatus (58 % TOF), and the fern B. penna marina (44.4 % TOF). Multivariate analyses showed that the first two PCA axes explained 76.1 % (p = 0.001) and 10.5 % (p = 1.000) of forest type variation, with ñire forests and open-lands having the highest palatable plant coverage. Biochemical PCA axes explained 52.1 % (p = 0.024) and 22.5 % (p = 0.874) of the variation, distinguishing species by protein content and structural components. The deciduous forests exhibited the highest coverage of palatable plants, while target plants with low palatability and high coverage were predominantly found in evergreen forest types. The confirmed presence of pivotal species across forest types and open-lands underscores its nutritional potential, characterised by highly digestible dry matter, crude protein, highly digestible non-nitrogenous nutrients, and relative feed value. Considering their widespread distribution and nutritional factors, the native and non-native plants merit attention due to their pivotal nutritional potential.

Hybrid sweetgum has potential as a dual-purpose plantation in the southern United States due to its rapid growth and suitability for planting on a wide range of sites. To understand its social acceptability, a survey instrument was administered among 3,000 private landowners in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The survey results showed that a considerable percentage of landowners (41 %) were uncertain and would probably benefit from more information available to them on the topic. A multinomial logit analysis found that landowners who had timber management objectives were more interested in growing hybrid sweetgum if it was profitable and practically feasible. Similarly, female landowners and those having higher education were found to be more interested in growing hybrid sweetgum. Study findings suggest a need for outreach on economic feasibility, management, start-up costs, and tax implications concerning hybrid sweetgum plantations.

The commercialization of non-timber forest products beyond in-house consumption is a strategy for alleviating rural poverty and forest degradation. With the implementation of the ecological civilization program, the Chinese government has explored the value realization mechanism of sustainable ecological products, and many successful cases of agricultural product commercialization have emerged. Focusing on the matsutake of Shangri-La as an example, this study applies both qualitative and quantitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, secondary data collection, and statistical analysis for the dynamics of the matsutake commodity chain construction in the southwest plateau of China to obtain unique insights into contemporary rural China. Specifically, the interrelationships and functional logic of diverse participants in the core process of commodity management were analyzed. We found that the upstream and downstream participants in the matsutake commodity chain are subject to institutional constraints, such as land tenure and non-unified standards, and that markets are crucial to matsutake's trading in Shangri-La. Certain participants along the commodity chain have inefficient information sources, while middlemen have greater autonomy in the matsutake transaction process and a larger profit margin. Additionally, the involvement of the government and non-governmental organizations impacts the preservation of natural resources and the creation of a stable market order, but policies and funds tend to be short-lived. To improve the commodity chain sustainability of non-timber forest products in plateau areas, it is necessary to consider social and cultural factors, ensure the equity of different participants in the commodity chain, and protect traditional local knowledge related to natural resource management.

Multifunctional landscapes offer an integrated approach to production, conservation, and human well-being. However, the challenges of implementing them in territories where plantations dominate are yet not well understood. This is the case in Chile, where plantations of non-native pines and eucalypts are extensively planted in its South-Central regions for timber and pulp. The resulting landscape homogenization, environmental degradation, and increased wildfire risk have caused and exacerbated conflicts, impacting biodiversity and the well-being of local communities and the Indigenous Mapuche Peoples.

After the mega-wildfires in the region in 2023, science-policy discourse promoted the multifunctional landscapes model as a way to increase resilience. But what does this multifunctionality mean in challenging social-ecological contexts? Here, we aim to explore and deconstruct the multifunctional landscapes model in the context of the complex social-ecological systems of South-Central Chile. In this study, a review of the literature and semi-structured interviews with regional experts were used to better understand the challenges and opportunities presented by multifunctional landscapes.

The results show a need to deepen the knowledge of how to move the model into practice, such as how to identify and decide compatible activities in the landscape. The thematic analysis of the interviews showed that restoration and water security are shared goals across the diverse actors in South-Central Chile. However, there were significant differences in knowledge, experiences and resources. While a number of landscape initiatives exist in the region, significant work is needed to build a common vision before the potential of multifunctional landscapes can be realized.