Imagery Data Processing System Using Aerial Photography for Sensitive Site Investigations in the Route Selction Process

A route selection consists of engineering, biophysical and socio-economic components. A road will generate constraints in one or more of these components. The road proponent then must present the advantages and disadvantages of alternative proposals, the rationale of choosing a particular route and the trade-off made (unavoidable impacts requiring protection planning) on the basis of the best balance and/or the equitable compromise between the engineering, biophysical and socio-economic components. Aerial photography has developed into a standardized, technically mature tool for aerial photo interpretation, reconnaissance and inventory. Traditional procedures of photogrammetric data gathering characterized by interdisciplinary methods, however, may be insufficient to address all of today's environmental protection issues regarding the road planning phase. New scanning sensors and automated imagery data processing software to identify site investigation data in a detailed spatial context have recently become affordable. In this paper, the present phase of a PC-based imagery data processing system using aerial photography through the application to preliminary road network plans in Mie University forests has been summarized, and some prospective role discussed

Chronology of Some Developments in Forest Engineering Research in Japan

The forests and forestry industries within Japan are in a period of uncertainty and change. It must be the responsibility of not only government and industry but also research to identify problems and set the priorities solving these problems. This paper presents the role of forest engineering research in forestry-oriented technology, and how our approach to research is changing with societal needs through a brief history of plantation forestry in Japan. This review of the research "movement" is based on the assumption that the quantity of published papers would be directly a function of their contributions to related technological development, but indirectly would be influenced by public understanding of research effort with the result of the performance of technology transfer. Six different journals dealing with forestry-related research papers were surveyed. Almost thirty-eight thousand pertinent papers issued in the period from 1955 to 1995 were captured through bibliographical information services available in university libraries and government research institutes. A considerable difference in structure and trend of changes in the number of papers issued has been observed among them. Particularly, forest engineering research within about 10 years between 1970s and 1980s has fairly altered in structure, function and orientation. The increased social concerns for various environmental issues propelled researchers toward making major changes in research-oriented activities. One of the notable trends in this research movement was the growing diversification in research areas and related subjects through active introduction of associated disciplines. The tendency has more steadily continued with increasing competition through the entry of associated and/or cross disciplines, organizational and educational reform, and priorities for research objectives

Measuring the Efficiency of Managerial and Technical Performances in Forestry Activities by Means of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

The relation between the most productive scale size for particular input and output mixes and returns to scale for multiple-input multiple-output situations is explicitly developed. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been extensively applied in a range of empirical settings to identify relative inefficiencies, and provide targets for improvements. It accomplishes this by developing peer groups for each unit being operated (Decision Making Unit: DMU). This paper introduces the technique and focuses on some of the key issues that arise in applying DEA in practice. Some illustrations of the practical applications of these results to the estimation of most productive scale sizes and returns to scale for Forest Owner's Associations (FOAs) at the local level in Japan are also provided to emphasize the advantage of this method in examining specific segments of the efficient production surface

Quantitative Analysis of Fragmented Landscape Patterns Resulting from Timber Harvesting Practices in Kyoto University Forests

This paper presents the use of a set of spatial statistics to quantify the forest landscape pattern caused by the patchwork of timber harvesting and the subsequent coniferous plantations made over a 60-year period (1921-1981) in the natural forests of Kyoto University Forests. Aerial photography and orthophotography were used to analyze spatial patterns of forest cover changes at patch level between 1974 and 1996. Base maps of forest pattern were digitized in raster format using four dominant forest cover types in the study area The total number of digitized patches for 1974 and 1996 were 435 and 453, respectively. Four groups of indices were employed to quantify landscape heterogeneity and pattern for each of the two years: (1) patch size; (2) patch abundance; (3) patch shape; and (4) patch spacing. Patch abundance and patch spacing measures provided considerable information on major patterns of forest landscape dynamics over time. Patch size and shape indices contributed information on specific characteristics of the individual patches and may be useful for applications designed to study specific interior and edge habitats or for the prescription of forest cutting patterns and/or cutting-unit size. The net loss of forest covers that occurred during 60-year period trends to be balanced primarily by regeneration of areas cut before 1943 and secondarily by plantation of areas cut before 1965

Interpretation of upper-storey canopy area in subtropical broadleaved forests in Okinawa Island using laser scanning data

Conventional forest inventory practice took huge of effort, and is time- and cost- consuming. With the aid of remote sensing technology by light detection and ranging (LiDAR), those unbearable factors could be minimized. LiDAR is able to capture forest characteristic information and is well known for estimating forest structure accurately in many studies. Forest monitoring related to forest resource inventory (FRI) becomes more effective by utilizing LiDAR data and it is tremendously useful, especially to distinguish information on density, growth and distribution of trees in a selected area. In this study, LiDAR data was utilized aimed to delineate crown cover and estimate upper-storey canopy area in Yambaru Forest using object-based segmentation and classification techniques. Agreement between field survey and LiDAR data analysis showed that only 33.7% of upper- storey canopy area was successfully delineated. The low accuracy level of canopy detection in Yambaru Forest area was expected mainly due to tree structure, density and topographic condition

Fish assemblages associated with three types of artificial reefs: density of assemblages and possible impacts on adjacent fish abundance

We evaluated the effectiveness of wooden artificial reefs (ARs) as fish habitat. Three types of ARs, made of cedar logs, broadleaf tree logs, and PVC pipes, respectively, were deployed in triplicate at 8-m depth off Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Sea of Japan, in May 2004. Fish assemblages associated with each of the nine ARs were observed by using SCUBA twice a month for four years. Fish assemblages in the adjacent habitat were also monitored for two years before and four years after reef deployment. In the surveyed areas (ca. 10 m2) associated with each of the cedar, broadleaf, and PVC ARs, the average number of fish species was 4.14, 3.49, and 3.00, and the average number of individuals was 40.7, 27.9, and 20.3, respectively. The estimated biomass was also more greater when associated with the cedar ARs than with other ARs. Visual censuses of the habitat adjacent to the ARs revealed that the number of fish species and the density of individuals were not affected by the deployment of the ARs. Our results support the superiority of cedar as an AR material and indicate that deployment of wooden ARs causes no reduction of fish abundance in adjacent natural reefs

Accuracy of LiDAR-based tree height estimation and crown recognition in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Okinawa, Japan

Aim of study: To present an approach for estimating tree heights, stand density and crown patches using LiDAR data in a subtropical broad-leaved forest. Area of study: The study was conducted within the Yambaru subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, Okinawa main island, Japan. Materials and methods: A digital canopy height model (CHM) was extracted from the LiDAR data for tree height estimation and a watershed segmentation method was applied for the individual crown delineation. Dominant tree canopy layers were estimated using multi-scale filtering and local maxima detection. The LiDAR estimation results were then compared to the ground inventory data and a high resolution orthophoto image for accuracy assessment. Main results: A Wilcoxon matched pair test suggests that LiDAR data is highly capable of estimating tree height in a subtropical forest (z = 4.0, p = 0.345), but has limitation to detect small understory trees and a single tree delineation. The results show that there is a statistically significant different type of crown detection from LiDAR data over forest inventory (z = 0, p = 0.043). We also found that LiDAR computation results underestimated the stand density and overestimated the crown size. Research highlights: Most studies involving crown detection and tree height estimation have focused on the analysis of plantations, boreal forests and temperate forests, and less was conducted on tropical and/or subtropical forests. Our study tested the capability of LiDAR as an effective application for analyzing a highly dense fores

Comprehensive Genomic Profiling of Neuroendocrine Carcinomas of the Gastrointestinal System

The neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gastrointestinal system (GIS-NEC) is a rare but highly malignant neoplasm. We analyzed 115 cases using whole-genome/exome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, DNA methylation assays, and/or ATAC-seq and found GIS-NECs to be genetically distinct from neuroendocrine tumors (GIS-NET) in the same location. Clear genomic differences were also evident between pancreatic NECs (Panc-NEC) and nonpancreatic GIS-NECs (Nonpanc-NEC). Panc-NECs could be classified into two subgroups (i.e., "ductal-type" and "acinar-type") based on genomic features. Alterations in TP53 and RB1 proved common in GIS-NECs, and most Nonpanc-NECs with intact RB1 demonstrated mutually exclusive amplification of CCNE1 or MYC. Alterations of the Notch gene family were characteristic of Nonpanc-NECs. Transcription factors for neuroendocrine differentiation, especially the SOX2 gene, appeared overexpressed in most GIS-NECs due to hypermethylation of the promoter region. This first comprehensive study of genomic alterations in GIS-NECs uncovered several key biological processes underlying genesis of this very lethal form of cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: GIS-NECs are genetically distinct from GIS-NETs. GIS-NECs arising in different organs show similar histopathologic features and share some genomic features, but considerable differences exist between Panc-NECs and Nonpanc-NECs. In addition, Panc-NECs could be classified into two subgroups (i.e., "ductal-type" and "acinar-type") based on genomic and epigenomic features. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 587

インドネシア東ジャワのアグロフォレストリーにおけるチーク人工林 : (Tectona grandis)の地上部バイオマスおよび葉面積量推定のための相対成長式

Allometric equations were described for estimating stem, branch and leaf biomass from measurements of stem diameter at breast height (D), stem diameter at the lowest major living branch (D_B) and total height (H) in the teak tree (Tectona grandis) under both traditional and intensive taungya and alley cropping system of agroforestry management in moist deciduous forests of East Java, Indonesia. The results showed a diameter of 1.3m above the ground (D) alone was a good predictor of stem diameter at the lowest major living branch (D_B) and tree height (H). Leaf area (U) was a good predictor of leaf dry weight (W_L). When D was combined with H, r^2 was improved somewhat for stem and branch biomass. The relationships among measured tree dimensions drew a simple linear in log-log scale diagrams with r^2 over 0.969, suggesting the growth patterns of tree dimensions were closely interdependent, whereas the allometric equation between D and H was approximated by the hyperbolic relation with r^2 over 0.853. The individual tree equations appear to be applicable over a wide area of agroforestry management practices, and are usable for both young and old planted teak forests in East Java.インドネシア東ジャワの湿潤落葉樹林地帯で行われているアグロフォレストリーである「伝統的タウンヤシステム」と「アレークロッピングシステム」で造成されたチーク人工林の幹, 枝, 葉のバイオマス量を推定するため, 幹部胸高直径(D), 枝下直径(D_B), 樹高(H)を測定パラメータとする相対成長式を明らかにした.その結果, 地上高1.3mでの直径(D)のみで枝下直径(D_B)と樹高(H)をよく予測しうることを明らかにした.葉面積(U)から葉乾燥重量(W_L)を精度良く予測することができた.パラメータHを組み入れることで, Dによる幹および枝バイオマス量推定精度の寄与率はいくぶん向上した.測定パラメータの関係は0.969以上の寄与率で, 両対数スケール上に直線的にプロットされ, 各パラメータの成長パターンが密接に相互依存的であることが示唆された.他方, DとHの間の相対成長式は寄与率0.853以上で双曲線関数により近似された.単木について得られた相対成長式が広範囲のアグロフォレストリー施業へ適用可能であり, また, 東ジャワの若齢, 壮齢双方のチーク人工林に利用しうることを明らかにした