Forest disturbance by an ecosystem engineer : beaver in boreal forest landscapes

Natural disturbances are important for forest ecosystem dynamics and maintenance of biodiversity. In the boreal forest, large-scale disturbances such as wildfires and windstorms have been emphasized, while disturbance agents acting at smaller scales have received less attention. Especially in Europe beavers have long been neglected as forest disturbance agents because they were extirpated from most of their range centuries ago. However, now they are returning to many parts of their former distribution range. As a disturbance agent, beaver plays two roles: of an ecosystem engineer and of a herbivore. The engineering impact is realized through dam construction resulting in a transformation of an originally terrestrial ecosystem into an aquatic one. As herbivores, beavers affect stand structure and tree species composition by preferring deciduous trees over coniferous ones. After abandonment, a beaver pond gradually turns into a terrestrial habitat again. At well-drained sites, forest will return in due course, first dominated by deciduous trees. At poorly drained sites, moistness of beaver patches may result in fen development. We conclude that beaver has an important impact on ecosystem processes and biodiversity in boreal forest ecosystems because it creates and maintains a spatio-temporal mosaic of successional habitats and associated species communities that would otherwise not exist in the landscape.Peer reviewe

Alle kouluikäisen lapsen päihdeongelmainen perhe sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon asiakkaana

SAVONIA- AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU Terveysala, Kuopio OPINNÄYTETYÖ Tiivistelmä Koulutusohjelma: Hoitotyön koulutusohjelma Suuntautumisvaihtoehto: Hoitotyön suuntautumisvaihtoehto Työn tekijä(t): Maiju Kuuluvainen, Sini Tikkanen Työn nimi: Alle kouluikäisen lapsen päihdeongelmainen perhe sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon asiakkaana Päiväys: 18.11.2009 Sivumäärä / liitteet: 40/2 Ohjaajat: Pirkko Jokinen, yliopettaja Työyksikkö / projekti: Kuopion sosiaali- ja terveyskeskus Tiivistelmä: Päihteiden käyttö on maassamme kasvava ongelma, mikä luo haasteita myös sairaanhoitajan työhön. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa, jonka avulla voitaisiin kehittää päihdeongelmaisen perheen hoitotyötä sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollossa. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kuvata alle kouluikäisen päihdeongelmaista perhettä sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon asiakkaana työntekijöiden näkökulmasta. Tutkimus oli lähestymistavaltaan kvalitatiivinen eli laadullinen. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin teemahaastatteluilla vuoden 2009 aikana. Aineisto koostui neljästä sosiaali- ja terveysalan ammattilaisen haastattelusta. Aineisto analysoitiin sisällön analyysillä. Tutkimustulosten mukaan nykyinen päihdehoitotyö on pirstaloitunut moneen paikkaan. Työntekijät kuvasivat resurssipulan vaikuttavan hoidon laatuun ja saatavuuteen. Työntekijät tukivat perheiden päihdekuntoutumista verkostoyhteistyön ja hoitosuhteen keinoin. Tärkeimmiksi tavoitteiksi työntekijät kokivat päihdeperheen hoidossa arjessa selviytymisen, päihteettömyyden ja lasten hyvinvoinnin turvaamisen. Tulosten mukaan päihdeongelman tunnistamiseen oli olemassa monia keinoja. Hoitajat kokivat, että varhainen puuttuminen päihdeongelmaan paransi hoitotuloksia. Hoitoon ohjauduttiin yksiköstä riippuen oma-aloitteisesti tai lähetteellä. Päihdeperheitä tuettiin pääasiassa avohuollon tukitoimenpiteillä. Yhteistyö eri toimijoiden välillä vaihteli. Työntekijät kokivat, että juuri yhteistyössä oli eniten puutteita. Haastateltavien kokemukset päihdeongelmaisen vanhemman kohtaamisesta olivat myönteisiä, työn tuomiin haasteisiin oli osattu varautua. Jatkotutkimuksen aihe voisi olla päihdeongelmaisten perheiden kokemusten kartoittaminen saamastaan tuesta. Avainsanat: (1-5) päihdeongelma, päihdeperhe, yhteistyö Julkinen _X_ Salainen ___SAVONIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES School of health Professions, Kuopio THESIS Abstract Degree Programme: Degree Programme in Nursing Option: Registered Nurse Aurhors: Maiju Kuuluvainen, Sini Tikkanen Title of Thesis: A family with a substance abuse problem of pre-school children under school age as a client in social and health care Date: 18th November 2009 Pages/ appendices: 40/2 Supervisor: Pirkko Jokinen, senior teacher Contact persons: Kuopio's social and health center Abstract: Substance abuse is a growing problem in Finland, which also creates challenges in health care. The aim of this study was to provide information that enables to develope substance abusing families’ nursing in social and healthcare. The purpose of this study was to describe substance abusing families with children under school age, in social and healthcare from a social workers' point of view. The research method used was qualitative research. The data was collected by interviews during 2009. The material consisted of four social and health care professionals’ interviews. The data was analyzed using content analysis. According to the results current substance abuse care is too fragmented in several locations. Employees described that the resource constraints affect the quality and availability of treatment. Employees supported substance abusing families’ rehabilitation through co-operation with other authorities and by creating a therapeutic relationship. Employees felt that top priority of the treatment of substance abusing families is everyday survival, intoxicance and supporting the welfare of the children. According to the results there where number of ways to identify substance abuse. Nurses felt that early intervention to substance abuse improved the outcomes of the treatment. Families could seek help spontaneously or by a referral. Substance abuse families were supported mainly with non-institutional support measures. The employees felt that the biggest problem was lack of co-operation. The interviewees’ experiences of substance abusing parents were positive, the employees were prepared for the challenges of the work. Follow-up research could focus on how substance abusing families have experienced the help aimed at them. Keywords: (1-5) Substance abuse, substance abusing family, co-operation Public_X_ Secure __

Dead standing pine trees in a boreal forest landscape in the Kalevala National park, northern Fennoscandia : amount, population characteristics and spatial pattern

Background: After their death, Scots pine trees can remain standing for decades and sometimes up to 200 years, forming long-lasting and ecologically important structures in boreal forest landscapes. Standing dead pines decay very slowly and with time develop into 'kelo' trees, which are characterized by hard wood with silvery-colored appearance. These kelo trees represent an ecologically important, long lasting and visually striking element of the structure of natural pine-dominated forests in boreal Fennoscandia that is nowadays virtually absent from managed forest landscapes. Methods: We examined and mapped the amount, structural features, site characteristics and spatial distribution of dead standing pine trees over a ten hectare area in an unmanaged boreal forest landscape in the Kalevala National Park in Russian Viena Karelia. Results: The mean basal area of dead standing pine trees in the forested part of the landscape was 1.7 m(2).ha(-1) and the estimated volume 12.7 m(3).ha(-1). From the total number of standing dead pine trees 65% were kelo trees, with a basal area of 1.1 m(2).ha(-1) and volume of 8.0 m(3).ha(-1), the remainder consisting of standing dead pines along the continuum between a recently dead tree and a kelo tree. Overall, standing dead pines were distributed throughout the study area, but there was a tendency towards spatial clustering up to <100 m distances. Standing dead pines were most commonly situated on flat ground or in the mid slope in the local topography. In addition, standing dead pines contributed to substrate diversity also by commonly having charred wood and broken tops. Based on the presence of dead pine snags in different stage of transition from a recently dead pine to a kelo with silvery surface, it seems evident that the process of kelo recruitment was continuously in action in the studied landscape. Conclusions: Kelo trees are an omnipresent feature in natural pine-dominated forest landscapes with important contribution to forest structural and substrate diversity. Because of their longevity and extremely slow turnover dynamics and importance for biodiversity, protection of vulnerable kelo tree populations, and ensuring their continuous recruitment, should be of high priority in forest restoration and sustainable management.Peer reviewe

Institutional Regime, Off-Farm Employment, and the Interaction Effect : What are the Determinants of Households' Forestland Transfer in China?

The development of the land rental market has been widely attributed to the associated institutional regime and the functioning of the off-farm labor market. However, little is known of the interaction effect of these two factors. To fill this gap, we employ a nationwide representative household dataset to investigate the effects of China's collective forest tenure reform (CFTR) and off-farm employment on forestland transfer in China. Special interest is focused on their potential interaction effect. The Smith-Blundell instrumental variable tobit model is adopted to account for the endogeneity of off-farm employment. The estimation results show that both the tenure reform and off-farm employment significantly influence forestland transactions. However, compared to the positive effect of the reform on both renting in and renting out forestland, the effect of off-farm employment is mixed, that is, its effect is negative when forestland is rented in but positive on rent-out decisions. An important finding is that the CFTR imposes a negative enhancement effect on forestland rent-in through its interaction term with off-farm employment. In contrast, the enhancement effect on rent-out is not statistically significant, which may be due to the neutralization by the endowment effect of the CFTR.Peer reviewe