Identifying the components and effective factors in disaster education to improve adolescents' resilience: A thematic analysis

BACKGROUND: Education is considered one of the critical elements of behavioral changes in societies with a high risk of disasters. Meanwhile, the role of adolescents, as the key and the largest group of stakeholders in planning for disaster preparedness and response, has often been neglected. The current study aimed to extract the components and effective factors in disaster education to increase adolescents' resilience in disasters in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was done by inductive approach through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 key informants and 11 adolescents selected through purposive sampling. To extract the components and factors affecting education to increase adolescents' resilience in disasters, the data were analyzed by thematic analysis. RESULTS: The effective factors in increasing adolescents' disaster resilience were classified into four categories, namely, social participation, need-based education, scope of influence, and governance perspectives, and 19 subcategories. CONCLUSION: This study provided an overview and a comprehensive understanding of disaster education to increase adolescents' resilience. Recognizing these factors can help effectively in developing disaster education programs to improve adolescents' resilience against disasters. By encouraging natural hazard habits in this age group, it can also potentially increase the society's resilience in future

Evaluation of Deadwood Characteristics and Carbon Storage under Different Silvicultural Treatments in a Mixed Broadleaves Mountain Forest

The deadwood (DW) of the forest is in the following two forms: standing (snag) and fallen (log). The DW categories and decay stage are important functional and structural components of forest ecosystems. We used a field-based assessment to quantify how the relative contribution of deadwood to total above-ground carbon stock changes across a silvicultural method and stand altitude gradient in mixed broadleaves stands. The characteristics of DW and carbon stock in selection-cutting managed stands (Sc), shelter-wood managed stands (Sh) and protected stands (Pr) were examined in three altitude ranges (low, <600; medium, 600–1200; and high, >1200 m a.s.l.) in a mixed broadleaves high forest. The results showed that with increasing altitude, the volume of DW increased. The volume of DW in Pr stands was about three times higher than Sh stands and twice higher than Sc stands. The volume of the standing DW was greater than that of the fallen DW in all stands. The highest volume ratio of fallen DW to standing DW was found in the medium altitude in the Sc stand. The amount of carbon stock by DW in the Sh, Sc, and Pr stands was 1.53–2.22, 2.29–3.19, and 5.03–6.80 t ha−1, respectively. The DW share of C-stock of above ground biomass was 4%–4.6% in Sh stand, 4.3%–4.8% in Sc stand, and 7.4%–7.9% in the Pr stand. Deadwood assessment and management, in terms of volume, type, species composition, diameter distribution, spatial allocation and decay stage, is one of the new challenges for a proper sustainable forest management