Realizing Opportunities in Forest Growth Modelling

The world is continually changing: the emergence of new technology and new demands for pertinent information pose new challenges and possibilities for forest management. Are forest growth models keeping up with client needs? To remain relevant, modelers need to anticipate client needs, gauge the data needed to satisfy these demands, develop the tools to collect and analyze these data efficiently, and resolve how best to deliver the resulting models and other findings. Researchers and managers should jointly identify and articulate anticipated needs for the future, and initiate action to satisfy them. New technology that offers potential for innovation in forest growth modelling include modelling software, automated data collection, and animation of model outputs. New sensors in the sky and on forest machines can routinely provide data previously considered unattainable (e.g., tree coordinates, crown dimensions), as census rather than sample data. What does this revolution in data availability imply for forest growth models, especially for our choice of driving variables

Desafios ambientais e estratégias para condução da investigação e programas de intervenção social

Este trabalho discute os desafios que se colocam à sociedade contemporânea no âmbito do combate à vulnerabilidade social, realça a importância da abordagem holística dos problemas socioambientais através da integração transversal e simultânea das dimensões social, ambiental e económica da sustentabilidade e exorta para a necessidade do uso combinado de métodos qualitativos e quantitativos como forma de compreender o fenômenos ambientais e sociais e implementar programas de intervenção sustentáveis.<br>This article discusses challenges concerning contemporary society with respect to social vulnerability. The role of holistic approach to face socio-environmental problems by integration of the sustainability dimensions is also addressed. Finally, an approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods is recommended as the appropriate way to understand socio-environmental processes, and perform sustainable programmes