437,180 research outputs found

    The Maine Woods - Forest Ecology Network - Spring 2015

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    Corrugated bamboo roofing sheets (1)

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    What are corrugated bamboo roofing sheets? Corrugated bamboo roofing sheets (CBRS) are an excellent alternative to corrugated asbestos, iron, plastic or zinc roofing sheets. They are produced from natural materials and are attractive, durable and resilient to adverse weather conditions and pest attack. They can be produced in a range of standard sizes and can be used to roof dwellings, stores, animal pens and other buildings. How are they produced? CBRS are produced by pressing firmly together woven bamboo mats that have been impregnated with an adhesive resin. The corrugations are formed by pressing them between corrugated pressing plates in the pressing machine. What is the market for corrugated bamboo roofing sheets? The market for CBRS is somewhat variable in different regions of the world but depends to a large extent on successful marketing strategies. CBRS is popular in rural areas where the low prices are attractive. The potential to increase the use of CBRS in more affluent areas is enormous, and there is considerable export potential in the markets of the more affluent countries where their eco-friendly nature could be a major selling point. What is the role of a corrugated bamboo roofing sheets unit in rural development? The unit itself will provide employment to a range of people and there will be extra employment generation in its forward and backward linkages, such as cultivation and harvesting of bamboos, primary processing, mat weaving, marketing and retailing. A unit producing 500, 000 m2 of sheets per year will require a total workforce of over 200 people. The need for a sustainable supply of raw materials will encourage the proper management of bamboo stands, and the establishment of new plantations, with their associated environmental benefits. How do I establish a corrugated bamboo roofing sheets-making enterprise? A corrugated bamboo roofing sheets manufacturing unit requires a regular supply of bamboo mats, electricity, labour and access to markets. An enterprise with a capacity of 500, 000 m2 per year can be established for approximately USD $26, 000 in Vietnam but costs will vary in other countries.Corrugated bamboo roofing sheet

    Phytophthora root and collar rot in rehabilitated bauxite mines and the adjacent Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah) forest of Western Australia

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    This study gives an overview of recent and current research activities that are being conducted in Western Australia on the biology, ecology and pathology of Phytophthora cinnamomi in rehabilitated bauxite mines and the adjacent jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. The work to date indicates that the biology of this pathogen does differ between rehabilitated mines and the adjacent jarrah forest

    Historical Vegetation, Fuel Loads, and Integrated Resource Information System for Bryce Canyon National Park

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    This report describes a comprehensive approach to understanding the role and effects of fire in Bryce Canyon National Park. The study includes a reconstruction of the historic vegetation of Bryce Canyon National Park from historic photographs, inference from computer simulation models, and research in areas of similar vegetation. The successional pathways from the historic vegetation to the present are discussed and the landscape scale consequences of fire suppression and successional devolopment are addressed

    Ecosystems and human health: The local benefits of forest cover in Indonesia

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    This paper documents the effect of primary forest cover loss on increased incidence of malaria. The evidence is consistent with an ecological response. I show that land use change, anti-malarial programs or migration cannot explain the effect of primary forest cover loss on increased malarial incidence. Falsification tests reveal that the effect is specific to malaria, with forest cover having no discernible effect on other diseases with a disease ecology different from that of malaria. Back-of-the-envelope calculations indicate that the morbidity-related malaria-reducing local benefits of primary forests are at least 1−1-2 per hectare

    Forest landscape ecology and global change: what are the next steps?

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    In this chapter, we summarize current trends and challenges and future research directions in forest landscape ecology and in management related to global change. We discuss the available knowledge in forest landscape ecology and the possibilities of using this knowledge to support management under changing conditions. We also discuss the forest sector’s preparedness to deal with changes in management and how forest landscape ecology can guide this management. Forest landscape ecology has gathered substantial knowledge on patterns, processes, tools, and methods that can support forest and landscape management during changing scenarios. We recognize that existing knowledge is incomplete and that a substantial portion of our knowledge is uncertain, that variability in landscape conditions and various forms of error compound the problem, that we still lack considerable knowledge in some fields, and that there are likely to be knowledge gaps we are not aware of. We nonetheless face the challenge of responding to change based on the available knowledge

    Regularized estimation for highly multivariate log Gaussian Cox processes

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    Statistical inference for highly multivariate point pattern data is challenging due to complex models with large numbers of parameters. In this paper, we develop numerically stable and efficient parameter estimation and model selection algorithms for a class of multivariate log Gaussian Cox processes. The methodology is applied to a highly multivariate point pattern data set from tropical rain forest ecology

    Post-drought decline of the Amazon carbon sink

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    Amazon forests have experienced frequent and severe droughts in the past two decades. However, little is known about the large-scale legacy of droughts on carbon stocks and dynamics of forests. Using systematic sampling of forest structure measured by LiDAR waveforms from 2003 to 2008, here we show a significant loss of carbon over the entire Amazon basin at a rate of 0.3 ± 0.2 (95% CI) PgC yr−1 after the 2005 mega-drought, which continued persistently over the next 3 years (2005–2008). The changes in forest structure, captured by average LiDAR forest height and converted to above ground biomass carbon density, show an average loss of 2.35 ± 1.80 MgC ha−1 a year after (2006) in the epicenter of the drought. With more frequent droughts expected in future, forests of Amazon may lose their role as a robust sink of carbon, leading to a significant positive climate feedback and exacerbating warming trends.The research was partially supported by NASA Terrestrial Ecology grant at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and partial funding to the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability from previous National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Science Foundation grants. The authors thank NSIDC, BYU, USGS, and NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) for making their data available. (NASA Terrestrial Ecology grant at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology)Published versio

    Ground beetle assemblages in Beijing’s new mountain forests

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    Mature forests have been almost completely destroyed in China’s northern regions, but this has been followed by large-scale reforestation in the wake of environmental degradation. Although future forest plantations are expected to expand over millions of hectares, knowledge about the ecology and biodiversity of China’s replanted forests remains very limited. Addressing these knowledge gaps, we recorded ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities in five secondary forest types: plantations of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) and Prince Rupprecht’s Larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii), Oak (Quercus wutaishanica) and Asian White Birch (Betula platyphylla) woodlands, and naturally regenerated mixed forest. Species richness peaked in mixed forests, while pine and oak woodlands harboured discrete communities of intermediate species richness. Oak, pine and mixed forest habitats also showed high levels of species turnover between plots. Canopy closure was an important factor influencing ground beetle assemblages and diversity, and a number of forest specialist species only occurred in pine or oak forests. We believe that some forest specialists have survived earlier deforestation and appear to be supported by new plantation forests, but maintenance of secondary native oak and mixed forests is crucial to safeguard the overall species pool
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