Sustainable forest management in Iran: a factor analysis

Since 1996, several Forest Resources Management Plans (FRMPs) have been launched by the Iranian government in order to approach sustainable forest management in the Zagros area in west and south-west Iran. This survey study aimed to provide some policy recommendations in order to launch more successful FRMPs. Using a proportional cluster random sampling method, data were collected from 208 forest-dwellers (beneficiaries) and 90 practitioners. The results showed that the FRMPs are far from satisfactory. There are several reasons for this failure. First, the financial resources allocated to these plans are being used for other purposes. Second, the inputs and supplies needed for effective forest management interventions were not in place in a timely manner. Third, the forest management in the area is far from being decentralized. Both the beneficiaries and practitioners believe that forest-dwellers play a weak role in forest management interventions. Factor analysis revealed that three main factors influencing the Zagros management effectiveness are "the management capabilities of forest-dwellers", "the professional capabilities of practitioners in forest management", and "public support for forest-dwellers". The correlation analysis revealed that all the three factors are also positively and significantly associated with the success of the government's forestry programs. Accordingly, the main recommendation of this study was to reformulate forest management policies in the Zagros area by highlighting participatory approaches, not only as a tool, but also as a goal of FRMPs

Forest Plantation Management

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Forest Management

This study analyses the institutional set-up of forest management in Pakistan, focusing on the North West Frontier Province, which houses 40 percent of the total forestlands. These areas have faced significant deforestation in the past. It is feared that if nothing is done to check this process, these forests will soon disappear. The study argues for the Property Rights School of thought that the roots of environmental problems are to be traced to inadequate and ill-defined property institutions. The study develops a normative criterion, describing the conditions that are essential for optimal utilisation and conservation of a resource, to be used in assessing the present situation. The analysis indicates that there are problems in the ownership structure, in the enforcement of property rules, as well as in the management system. It is concluded that the present institutional set-up is inappropriate to achieve the objective of forest conservation, and changes in this set-up are suggested. The study puts forward ‘collective management’ as an alternative institutional set-up.Forests, Institutions, Property Rights

Michigan\u27s Cooperative Forest Pest Management Program, A Team Approach to Improving Forest Management

A forest management team was organized in the late 1970\u27s by cooperative efforts of Michigan\u27s universities. the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the USDA Forest Service.The goals were to devise new technologies, transfer available technology, and service and management alternatives to forest land managers in Michigan. The program throughout has emphasized forest management rather than pest management for prevention and control of pests. Dissemination of pest management information has been of importance and new research results have gone directly to land managers for immediate use. The team participates in forest compartmental reviews and helps prescribe management plans for land parcels, thus providing for preventative pest management. Services and management recommendations are provided mostly through forest pest specialists located in the field. They feed back results and problems to researchers and extension specialists of the team for further input. Preventive management information used by by local managers in recent years has nearly paid the cost of the program. Plans are to broaden the team effort by cooperating with organizations and in adjacent states through a computer network system and by other means

Scientifically based biodiversity management in timber concessions: contribution to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity

During the past 25 years, forest laws in Central African countries have undergone major changes. Management plans were made mandatory: nearly 19 million hectares of timber concessions (38% of total granted concessions) were subject to a management plan in 2013 and the dynamics is currently underway. The management plan is based on a set of technical and scientific studies, including statistical surveys (management inventories) covering the whole concession and taking into account all timber species, large mammals and the main non timber forest products. These inventories allow, at concession level, to characterize ecosystems and to assess the forest conservation values, through floristic and faunal biodiversity indicators and by taking into account threats to the forest ecosystems, especially anthropogenic ones. Such management inventories are used especially for planning and forecasting harvests, while minimising environmental impacts on the forest structure and functioning, and retaining regeneration capacities of the timber species and the forest ecosystems. The knowledge gained on specific and ecosystemic biodiversity helps to define management rules to ensure the sustainability of different timber species' populations, noticeably the exploited ones. It is also used to design areas within the concessions were exploitation will not take place due to conservation interest (most biodiversity-rich areas, protection of rare or endangered species...). Such so-called “conservation series” therefore complement the protected areas network. Well-managed forest concessions can help conserve the regional forest ecosystems and maintain essential functions that they provide. However, management plans were up to now designed at the concession scale. Data acquired in forest concessions also significantly contribute to improve knowledge of the forest ecosystems and their functioning at the regional level. Using this data, the CoForChange Project (http://www.coforchange.eu) issued a map of the forest ecosystems developed in the "Sangha River Interval" region. This project suggested that those forest ecosystems could react differently to disturbance, and could need an adaptation of management methods to each ecosystem. Based on forest inventories, other initiatives are underway to map the forest types and the biomass stock at the scale of Central Africa, and might be of particular interest for policy decisions on forest ecosystems. (Texte intégral

Forest Measurements

Forest measurements, one of the cornerstones in the foundation of forestry, is the art and science of providing the quantitative information about trees and forest stands necessary for forest management, planning, and research. The updated edition (sixth edition) of this longstanding classic textbook, Forest Measurements, provides new and complete coverage of conventional and current measurement practices and technological applications that link the role of forest measurements with management of forest resources

Sustainability of industrial forest plantations and indigenous land rights in the Philippines : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning at Massey University

In the Philippines, forest management two decades ago was mainly aimed at addressing the need for economic growth. There was low priority accorded to the long-term sustainability and inherent environmental functions of the country's forests as well as social equity issues over the use of these resources. Sustainable development and the management of forest resources during that time was nothing more than just a concept used by academicians, ecologists, and forestry professionals. Forest management also ignored the concerns and interests of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people. It was not until the late 70s and early 80s when the effects of deforestation and rapid depletion of forest resources impacted on the country's economic, social, and environmental wellbeing, did the country realise the need to sustainably manage these resources. The need to consider the economic and social wellbeing of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people, also started to be recognised. The growing consciousness on the need to balance development with environmental protection, and the inherent need to sustain the flow of benefits from the country's forest resources, has become the main rationale in developing sustainable forest management policies. The primary vision was to adopt forest management policies that can help ensure that various benefits that can be derived from the forests would cater to the needs of the greatest number of Filipinos in the longest period of time without compromising the environment. The development of industrial forest plantations has been one of the major forest management strategies designed in support of such vision in the management of the country's forest resources. This study was undertaken to provide an understanding of industrial forest plantations as a forest management strategy in the Philippines and how it impacts on indigenous people and local communities. Using a qualitative research approach, case studies of three industrial forest plantations were analysed to investigate the impact of industrial forest plantations on indigenous people and local communities. The case studies were also used to examine the degree to which industrial forest plantations have been achieving economic, social, and environmental objectives by identifying and examining the factors that may enhance or hamper its sustainability as a forest development strategy. This study concluded that there is a growing role for industrial forest plantations in the sustainable management of forest resources in the Philippines. This role derives from the need to develop alternative sources of timber to the rapidly depleting sources from the natural forests, bringing socio-economic development in the upland areas in the country, and promoting environmental rehabilitation. As a forest management strategy, industrial forest plantations can promote social equity by recognising the rights of indigenous people over their land and the use of resources therein and by encouraging local community participation in the development process, which in a way helps strengthen local institutions. It was shown in this study that the integration and definition of property rights of indigenous people in any upland development programme is a critical factor that seriously affects the success and sustainability of any forest management strategy. The success of any forestry programme can only be achieved if supported by effective institutional and policy framework. Finally, it was concluded that industrial forest plantations could only be sustainable if as a policy strategy, it has been designed to consider the "bottom up" perspective where local needs, community values, and indigenous rights are consistent with the overall national goals of sustainable development

Drier Conditions, More Wildfire, and Heightened Concerns About Forest Management in Eastern Oregon

This brief examines climate change and forest conditions in eastern Oregon. Eastern Oregon is experiencing warmer, drier conditions and increased numbers of wildfires. Surveys of the Oregon public find that forest health and wildfire threats are widely shared concerns. The more knowledgeable residents say they are about forest management, the more likely they are to say that forests are becoming less healthy. Majorities support active forest management (forest thinning, surface fuel reduction) and restoration to reduce the likelihood of high-severity wildfires that would damage forest resources and threaten local communities. The authors conclude that forests continue to be an important part of the heritage of western lands, and their management is a crucial issue of our time. Engaging private forest owners who are not actively managing their lands and developing new partnerships to support active management on public lands are essential to addressing the threats confronting the Blue Mountains and the Inland Northwest

Effects of presenting forest simulation results on the forest values and attitudes of forestry professionals and other forest users in Central Labrador

This research tested whether demonstration of the long term effect of different forest management scenarios in a large forested area changes people's forest values and attitudes. Forestry professionals and other forest users in Central Labrador were shown simulation results of three alternative forest management scenarios illustrating possible long term effects on various indicators. Forest values and attitudes towards forestry were measured before and after the presentation. Our conception of values and attitudes is based on the cognitive hierarchy model of human behaviour which states that values are more enduring and more difficult to change than attitudes. It was thus hypothesized that attitudes would change but not values and that change in forestry professionals would be less than in other forest users since foresters are trained to think about long-term effects and large-scale processes of forest management scenarios. We also hypothesized that a greater number of people would have an opinion on forest management after the presentation. All three hypotheses were partially supported by the results. The results indicated that some attitude change occurred, but that values also changed somewhat. Most of the significant changes occurred when persons with no clear opinion on several forest-related questions formed an opinion. Long-term, landscape simulation results provide valuable information and enhance understanding of both forestry professionals and other forest users. However, being provided the same information, the two groups learned different things. While forest users gained more confidence in the current forest management plan and were motivated to further participate, professionals learned more specific things. This reflects differences between technical and local knowledge

Modeling associations between public understanding, engagement and forest conditions in theInland Northwest, USA

Opinions about public lands and the actions of private non-industrial forest owners in the western United States play important roles in forested landscape management as both public and private forests face increasing risks from large wildfires, pests and disease. This work presents the responses from two surveys, a random-sample telephone survey of more than 1500 residents and a mail survey targeting owners of parcels with 10 or more acres of forest. These surveys were conducted in three counties (Wallowa, Union, and Baker) in northeast Oregon, USA. We analyze these survey data using structural equation models in order to assess how individual characteristics and understanding of forest management issues affect perceptions about forest conditions and risks associated with declining forest health on public lands. We test whether forest understanding is informed by background, beliefs, and experiences, and whether as an intervening variable it is associated with views about forest conditions on publicly managed forests. Individual background characteristics such as age, gender and county of residence have significant direct or indirect effects on our measurement of understanding. Controlling for background factors, we found that forest owners with higher self-assessed understanding, and more education about forest management, tend to hold more pessimistic views about forest conditions. Based on our results we argue that self-assessed understanding, interest in learning, and willingness to engage in extension activities together have leverage to affect perceptions about the risks posed by declining forest conditions on public lands, influence land owner actions, and affect support for public policies. These results also have broader implications for management of forested landscapes on public and private lands amidst changing demographics in rural communities across the Inland Northwest where migration may significantly alter the composition of forest owner goals, understanding, and support for various management actions