Characterising online museum users: a study of the National Museums Liverpool museum website

Museums are increasing access to their collections and providing richer user experiences via web-based interfaces. However, they are seeing high numbers of users looking at only one or two pages within 10 s and then leaving. To reduce this rate, a better understanding of the type of user who visits a museum website is required. Existing models for museum website users tend to focus on groups that are readily accessible for study or provide little detail in their definitions of the groups. This paper presents the results of a large-scale user survey for the National Museums Liverpool museum website in which data on a wide range of user characteristics were collected regarding their current visit to provide a better understanding of their motivations, tasks, engagement and domain knowledge. Results show that the frequently understudied general public and non-professional users make up the majority (approximately 77%) of the respondents

The changing culture of silviculture

Changing climates are altering the structural and functional components of forest ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. Simultaneously, we are seeing a diversification of public expectations on the broader sustainable use of forest resources beyond timber production. As a result, the science and art of silviculture needs to adapt to these changing realities. In this piece, we argue that silviculturists are gradually shifting from the application of empirically derived silvicultural scenarios to new sets of approaches, methods and practices, a process that calls for broadening our conception of silviculture as a scientific discipline. We propose a holistic view of silviculture revolving around three key themes: observe, anticipate and adapt. In observe, we present how recent advances in remote sensing now enable silviculturists to observe forest structural, compositional and functional attributes in near-real-time, which in turn facilitates the deployment of efficient, targeted silvicultural measures in practice that are adapted to rapidly changing constraints. In anticipate, we highlight the importance of developing state-of-the-art models designed to take into account the effects of changing environmental conditions on forest growth and dynamics. In adapt, we discuss the need to provide spatially explicit guidance for the implementation of adaptive silvicultural actions that are efficient, cost-effective and socially acceptable. We conclude by presenting key steps towards the development of new tools and practical knowledge that will ensure meeting societal demands in rapidly changing environmental conditions. We classify these actions into three main categories: reexamining existing silvicultural trials to identify key stand attributes associated with the resistance and resilience of forests to multiple stressors, developing technological workflows and infrastructures to allow for continuous forest inventory updating frameworks, and implementing bold, innovative silvicultural trials in consultation with the relevant communities where a range of adaptive silvicultural strategies are tested. In this holistic perspective, silviculture can be defined as the science of observing forest condition and anticipating its development to apply tending and regeneration treatments adapted to a multiplicity of desired outcomes in rapidly changing realities

The changing culture of silviculture

Changing climates are altering the structural and functional components of forest ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. Simultaneously, we are seeing a diversification of public expectations on the broader sustainable use of forest resources beyond timber production. As a result, the science and art of silviculture needs to adapt to these changing realities. In this piece, we argue that silviculturists are gradually shifting from the application of empirically derived silvicultural scenarios to new sets of approaches, methods and practices, a process that calls for broadening our conception of silviculture as a scientific discipline. We propose a holistic view of silviculture revolving around three key themes: observe, anticipate and adapt. In observe, we present how recent advances in remote sensing now enable silviculturists to observe forest structural, compositional and functional attributes in near-real-time, which in turn facilitates the deployment of efficient, targeted silvicultural measures in practice that are adapted to rapidly changing constraints. In anticipate, we highlight the importance of developing state-of-the-art models designed to take into account the effects of changing environmental conditions on forest growth and dynamics. In adapt, we discuss the need to provide spatially explicit guidance for the implementation of adaptive silvicultural actions that are efficient, cost-effective and socially acceptable. We conclude by presenting key steps towards the development of new tools and practical knowledge that will ensure meeting societal demands in rapidly changing environmental conditions. We classify these actions into three main categories: re-examining existing silvicultural trials to identify key stand attributes associated with the resistance and resilience of forests to multiple stressors, developing technological workflows and infrastructures to allow for continuous forest inventory updating frameworks, and implementing bold, innovative silvicultural trials in consultation with the relevant communities where a range of adaptive silvicultural strategies are tested. In this holistic perspective, silviculture can be defined as the science of observing forest condition and anticipating its development to apply tending and regeneration treatments adapted to a multiplicity of desired outcomes in rapidly changing realities

Revenir aux fondamentaux pour mieux se projeter dans l'avenir

L’époque actuelle est marquée par de nombreux et profonds changements au niveau du climat, de la société et de la technologie qui impactent fortement les écosystèmes forestiers et leur gestion. Cet article propose de revenir sur les fondamentaux de la planification forestière pour mieux se projeter dans le futur. Il invite à s'interroger sur les bases sur lesquelles s'appuyer pour bien comprendre les instruments de planification et ce qui contribue à leur pertinence, leur efficacité et la possibilité de les faire évoluer relativement facilement.Die gegenwärtige Zeit ist geprägt von zahlreichen und tiefgreifenden Veränderungen in Klima, Gesellschaft und Technologie, die sich stark auf die Waldökosysteme und ihre Bewirtschaftung auswirken. Dieser Artikel schlägt vor, sich auf die Grundlagen der Forstplanung zu besinnen, um besser in die Zukunft blicken zu können. Er lädt dazu ein, sich zu fragen, auf welche Grundlagen man sich stützen kann, um die Planungsinstrumente richtig zu verstehen. Zudem sollten die Gründe für ihre Relevanz, ihre Effizienz und die Möglichkeiten, sie relativ leicht weiterzuentwickeln, untersucht werden.The current era is marked by many profound changes in climate, society and technology, all of which are having a major impact on forest ecosystems and their management. This article takes a look at the fundamentals of forestry planning in order to better plan for the future. It invites us to look at the foundations on which we can build a good understanding of planning instruments and what contributes to their rele vance, effectiveness and the possibility of making them evolve relatively easily

Assessing forest recreational potential from social media data and remote sensing technologies data

Conventionally, forest management plans have focused on ensuring a continuous provision of wood. In recent years, political agendas worldwide have recognized the importance of forests’ cultural ecosystem services, such as recreation. However, the inclusion of such values in management plans is challenging, and forest managers require novel methodologies and indicators to characterize forest recreation demand and provision. To this end, in this study, we combine remote sensing technologies and crowdsourced social media data to map and value the forest recreational potential of BC’s provincial parks system. We trained and deployed convolutional neural networks to automatically classify the content of over 60,000 Flickr images, we then created a random forest model to identify the variables that influence the visitors’ choice of recreational activity. These models allowed us to map the most likely recreational activities to occur in BC’s provincial parks and perform a spatially explicit assessment of the consumer surplus that these activities generate with a benefit transfer approach. Our findings suggest that the most influential variables in determining the choice of forest recreational activities are topographic, while anthropogenic impacts and forest biometrics variables have less effect. Furthermore, the outcomes of our study support the proposition that the integration of social media and remote sensing technologies allow, in the future, park managers to tailor the management of recreational services to forest visitors’ needs.ISSN:1470-160XISSN:1872-703

Product diversification in South Africa’s commercial timber plantations : a way to mitigate investment risk

The full abstract for this item is available in the body of the item, and will be available when the embargo expires.Forest Resources Management, Department ofForestry, Faculty ofNon UBCReviewedFacult

Entwicklung der Waldinventur: von der Vollkluppierung zum virtuellen Wald

Wo früher für die Planung noch ganze Wälder vollständig kluppiert wurden, schwirren heute Drohnen umher. Entwicklungen zur Ableitung forstlicher Parameter aus Fernerkundungsdaten schreiten rasch voran. Es laufen diverse Projekte zur Ableitung wichtiger Waldplanungsparameter wie Baumart, Volumen und Verjüngung sowie zur operationellen Anwendung von Fernerkundungsdaten in Bestandskarten. Immer grössere Bedeutung kommt auch den Risikohinweiskarten zu. Zudem wird an günstigeren Mitteln zur Datenerhebung geforscht. In virtuellen Wäldern sollen zukünftig Datenerhebung, Datenverarbeitung und Datenvisualisierung zusammengeführt werden, und sie sollen durch Modellierungen verschiedener Bewirtschaftungsstrategien und Klimaszenarien die Verantwortlichen bei den für die Bewirtschaftung relevanten Entscheidungen unterstützen.Les drones sont aujourd'hui utilisés pour cartographier des forêts entières à des fins de planification. Les développements visant à déduire des paramètres forestiers à partir de données de télédétection progressent rapidement. Divers projets sont en cours pour dériver d'importants paramètres de planification forestière tels que l'essence, le volume et la régénération, ainsi que pour l'application opérationnelle des données de télédétection dans les cartes de peuplement. Les cartes indicatives des risques revêtent également une importance croissante. En outre, des recherches sont menées pour trouver des moyens plus économiques de collecter des données. Dans les forêts virtuelles, la collecte, le traitement et la visualisation des données devraient à l'avenir être réunis et, grâce à la modélisation de différentes stratégies de gestion et de scénarios climatiques, aider les responsables à prendre des décisions pertinentes pour la gestion.Where entire forests were completely clumped for planning in the past, today drones are buzzing around. Developments for deriving forestry parameters from remote sensing data are progressing rapidly. Various projects are in progress to derive important forest planning parameters such as tree species, volume, and regeneration as well as for the operational application of remote sensing data in stand maps. Risk indication maps are also becoming increasingly important. In addition, research is being conducted into cheaper means of data collection. In the future, data collection, data processing, and data visualisation are to be combined in virtual forests and, through modelling of different management strategies and climate scenarios, support those responsible in making decisions relevant to management

Neue Tools für bessere Entscheidungen

In diesem Beitrag werden einige der für die schweizerische Waldwirtschaft relevanten Entscheidungsunterstützungstools (Decision Support Tools) vorgestellt. Dabei handelt es sich entweder um ein Entscheidungsunterstützungssystem (Decision Support System) oder um ein Management-Support-Tool. Der Hauptzweck eines Entscheidungsunterstützungstools ist es, für komplexe Entscheidungssituationen eine computergestützte Unterstützung zu bieten, ohne dass das System die Entscheidungen trifft. Unter Management-Support-Tools versteht man Werkzeuge zur Unterstützung von Managementaktivitäten abseits der Entscheidungsfindung. Wir führen aus, welche Eigenschaften nötig sind, um solche Systeme in der Waldpraxis im operationellen Einsatz erfolgreich zu etablieren.Cet article présente quelques-uns des outils d'aide à la décision (Decision Support Tool, DST) pertinents pour l’économie forestière suisse. Il s'agit soit d'un système d'aide à la décision (DSS, Decision Support System), soit d'un outil d'aide à la gestion (MST, Management Support Tool). L'objectif principal d'un DSS est de fournir un soutien informatisé pour des situations de décision complexes, sans que le système ne prenne les décisions. Par outils d'aide à la gestion (MST), on entend des outils destinés à soutenir les activités de gestion en dehors de la prise de décision. Nous expliquons quelles sont les caractéristiques nécessaires pour établir avec succès de tels systèmes dans la pratique forestière lors d'une utilisation opérationnelle.This paper presents some of the decision support tools (DST) relevant for Swiss forestry. These are either a decision support system (DSS) or a management support tool (MST). The main purpose of a DSS is to provide computerised support for complex decision-making situations without the system making the decisions. MST are tools that support management activities away from decision-making. We elaborate on the characteristics needed to successfully establish such systems in operational use in forest practice

Timber-based agrisilviculture improves financial viability of hardwood plantations : a case study from Panama

Tree plantations are widely considered a sustainable and economically feasible way to foster reforestation of degraded tropical lands. However, the greatest obstacle to their implementation is the 5–10 years period before initial returns through tree harvesting are realized. This study evaluated the feasibility of generating returns in this period by intercropping hardwood plantations with annual crops. In an agroforestry trial established in eastern Panama, the costs and revenues of intercropping five native and one exotic (Tectona grandis) tree species with three different agricultural treatments––maize-beans, pigeon pea and cassava––were assessed. All tree-crop combinations, except those with cassava, generated positive net cash flows during the first years. Over the modeled rotation period of 25 years, the agrisilvicultural systems showed up to 50 % higher net present values (NPV) than pure forestry (given a 6 % interest rate), while most tree-crop combinations exceeded the NPV of pure agriculture. T. grandis intercropped with pigeon pea showed the best economic performance. The NPVs of the agrisilvicultural systems were less sensitive to changes in costs or revenues than either pure forestry or pure agriculture. Accordingly, the final felling value required for intercropping treatments to meet the desired interest rate of 6 % was up to 90 % lower than that for pure forest plantations. This effect was strongest for native tree species, as their slower growth allowed for longer periods of intercropping. Results suggest that intercropping hardwood plantations can be an effective tool for improving financial feasibility of reforestation while providing increased food security in rural areas.Forestry, Faculty ofNon UBCForest Resources Management, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearche

Characterizing, mapping and valuing the demand for forest recreation using crowdsourced social media data

Mapping and valuing of forest recreation is time-consuming and complex, hampering its inclusion in forest management plans and hence the achievement of a fully sustainable forest management. In this study, we explore the potential of crowdsourced social media data in tackling the mapping and valuing of forest recreation demand. To do so, we assess the relationships between crowdsourced social media data, acquired from over 350,000 Flickr geotagged pictures, and demand for forest recreation in British Columbia (BC) forests. We first identify temporal and spatial trends of forest recreation demand, as well as the countries of origin of BC forests visitors. Second, we estimate the average number of annual recreational visits with a linear regression model calibrated with empirically collected secondary data. Lastly, we estimate recreational values by deriving the average consumer surpluses for the visitors of BC forested provincial parks. We find that annually, on average, over 44 million recreational experiences are completed in BC forests, with peaks during the summer months and during the weekends. Moreover, a crowdsourced travel cost approach allowed us to value the recreational ecosystem service in five forested provincial parks ranging from ~2.9 to ~35.0 million CAN$/year. Our findings demonstrate that social media data can be used to characterize, quantify and map the demand for forest recreation (especially in peri-urban forests), representing a useful tool for the inclusion of recreational values in forest management. Finally, we address the limitations of crowdsourced social media data in the study of forest recreation and the future perspectives of this rapidly growing research field.ISSN:1932-620