Footpaths, tree cut-outs and social contagion drive citizen greening in the road verge

Planning of forest road network is the most important issue for sustainable management of northern forests in Iran. This study represented a technical method of forest road planning by using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in Vatan forestry plan of Golestan province, Iran. The aim of this study was to find out options for the optimization of skid trail length and for decreasing the negative effects of redundant skid trail length. Results of this study showed that the total length of forest road and the road network density was 36745 m and 8.68 m ha−1, respectively. 54% of the area was covered by these roads. 98.06 km skid trail was planned from road verge into the forest interior. The density of this skidding trail was 23.17 m ha−1. The suggested road network length measured using GIS was 47.23 km. Road density was 10.87 m ha−1, with 79% coverage. Skid trail length was 81.04 km, and skid trail density was 19.15 m ha−1. On the basis of GIS measurements, the skid trails on new road network system had shorter length and more frequency. This causes to decrease the cost of primary transportation. Moreover, in this plan the roads with suitable coverage passed from stable slopes. Santrauka Miško kelių tinklo planavimas – viena svarstomų problemų, siekiant užtikrinti tvarią miškotvarkos sistemą šiaurinėje Irano dalyje esančiuose miškuose. Šiame straipsnyje pristatomas miško kelių planavimo techninis metodas, taikant GIS (geografinės informacinės sistemos) programą ir naudojant Vatan miško, Golestan provincijoje, Irane, planus. Šio tyrimo tikslas – išsiaiškinti galimybes, kaip optimizuoti miško keliukų ilgį ir sumažinti neigiamą poveikį miškui, mažinant perteklinį šių keliukų trasos ilgį. Pirminiai rezultatai parodė, kad bendras esamų kelių ilgis siekia 36 745 km, kelių tinklas aprėpė 54% visos tiriamosios teritorijos, tankis siekė 8,68 m ha−1, o optimalus miško kelių tinklas buvo rengiamas pagal esamą 98,06 km ilgio miško keliukų tinklą, kurio tankis – 23,17 m ha−1. Bendras siūlomo kelių tinklo ilgis siekia 47,23 km, tankumas – 10,87 m ha−1, jis aprėpia 79% teritorijos. Miško keliukų ilgis – 81,04 km, tankumas – 19,15 m·ha−1. Remiantis GIS matavimais, naujo miško keliukų tinklo keliukai buvo trumpesni, tačiau jų tinklas tankesnis. Dėl šios priežasties mažėja pirminės transporto išlaidos ir sukuriama optimali miško keliukų aprėptis, pagerinamas prieinamumas. Резюме Планирование сети лесных дорог является одним из важнейших вопросов при создании упорядоченной системылесохозяйствования в северной части Ирана. В статье представлен технический метод планирования лесохозяйственной деятельности (прокладки дорог) с использованием ГИС и плана леса Ватан в провинции Гулистан Ирана. Целью исследования было выяснить возможности оптимизации длины лесных дорог и уменьшениянегативных последствий их избыточной длины. Результаты исследования показали, что общая протяженность существующих лесных дорог составляет 36 745 км, сеть дорог охватывает 54% всей исследованной территории,ее плотность – 8,68 м га−1. Оптимальная сеть лесных дорог создавалась на основании имеющейся сети лесных дорог, протяженность которой 98,06 км, плотность – 23,17 м гa−1. Протяженность предлагаемой сети дорог составит 47,23 км, плотность – 10,87 м гa−1, она охватит 79% территории. Длина лесных дорог составит 81,04 км, а плотность – 19,15 м·гa−1. На основании измерений, проведенных с использованием ГИС, длина дорог лесной сети стала короче, а сеть более густой. В связи с этим снижаются первичные затраты на транспорт, охват леснымидорогами становится более оптимальным, увеличивается доступность.

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Heavy metal migration along a rural highway route: Ilesha-Akure roadside oil, Southwestern, Nigeria

Global NEST Journal ◽

10.30955/gnj.001997 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 742-760 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Heavy Metal Contamination ◽

Clay Fraction ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Southwestern Nigeria ◽

Road Verge ◽

The Road ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Mean Concentration

<div> This paper present migration of some selected heavy metal (zinc, lead, copper, chromium and nickel) of roadside soil samples from along Ilesa-Akure highway with a view to assess the degree of contamination such soils contain and the likelihood that this contamination can be remobilized. Soil samples were collected from 5 locations (Ilesa, Ipetu-ijesa, JABU, Ilara-mokin and FUTA north gate) at depths of 0-5, 15-20, 35-40 and 55-60cm and analysed for the five selected heavy metals in the bulk sample and clay fraction. Their concentrations and distributions in four different road verge zones (5m, 30m, 60m and 110m) were determined. The 5m zone had the highest mean concentration of the five metals whereas the 110m zone exhibited the lowest mean concentration. Zinc and lead exhibited a significant decrease in the roadside soils with the increasing distance from the road while chromium and nickel showed significant increase, copper on the other hand showed no significant difference. Quantitative assessment of the heavy metal contamination using the Igeo and PI indexes showed that the selected heavy metals were in the order of Cu < Pb < Zn < Ni <Cr for both Indexes. Soil characteristics (which include pH, Cation exchange capacity {CEC}, organic matter and other basic geotechnical tests) responsible for the mobility and vertical distributions of these heavy metals from the road side soil were also assessed. </div>

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Do wildlife warning reflectors elicit aversion in captive macropods?

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr05115 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (7) ◽

pp. 583 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Daniel Ramp ◽

David B. Croft

Keyword(s):

World Wide ◽

Field Trials ◽

Behavioural Response ◽

Vehicle Collisions ◽

Road Verge ◽

Aversive Effect ◽

The Road ◽

Macropus Rufus ◽

On The Road

A goal to reduce the frequency of animal–vehicle collisions is motivating extensive research on this topic world-wide. Over the last 30 years, one popular mechanism to warn wildlife of approaching vehicles has been the wildlife warning reflector, manufactured and distributed under the brands Swareflex (Austria) and Strieter-Lite (USA). These reflectors were designed to scare deer and other ungulates from roadways at night by reflecting light from the headlights of approaching vehicles into the eyes of animals on the road verge. Robust documentation of their effectiveness has been lacking, yet there has been a push in Australia to examine their efficacy with regard to medium to large macropodids. Field trials of the reflectors are problematic and difficult to design rigorously, so we chose to examine the behavioural response of two captive macropodid species (Macropus rufus and M. rufogriseus) to the reflectors on a simulated road in order to derive some indication as to their efficacy. The behavioural response to the reflectors was negligible for both species and not consistent with an aversive effect to deter road use or crossing. We conclude that they would be of little value in our efforts to reduce the frequency of collisions of kangaroos or wallabies with vehicles in Australia.

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Effects of roads on understory plant communities in a broadleaved forest in Hyrcanian zone

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/29/2012-jfs ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 58 (No. 10) ◽

pp. 446-455 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Lotfalian ◽

N. Riahifar ◽

A. Fallah ◽

S.M. Hodjati

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Forest Road ◽

Road Verge ◽

Biological Communities ◽

The Road ◽

Understory Plant ◽

Set Up

This study was conducted to assess the effect of forest road as a corridor on local biodiversity. For this purpose, 10 segments in a 10 year-old road were selected in Neka-Zalemrood forest in Hyrcanian zone. At each of the segments, we established two 100-m transects perpendicular to the road centre line, within which we sampled three macroplots of an area 400 m2. In each macroplot, nine quadrant microplots 2 × 2 m in size were set up for regenerated tree species and herbaceous plant survey. Chemical and physical parameters of soil were measured in laboratory. Results indicated that thirty-six herbaceous species and 13 regenerated tree species were recorded within the area of 100 m from the road verge. At the different distances from the road verge and both down and up-slope, the ground cover of Carex sylvatica and Rubus caesius L. as well as regeneration density of Carpinus betulus L. were higher compared to other species. Menhenick, Margalef, Shannon and Simpson indices were higher at the distance of 0–20 m than at the distances of 40–60 m and 80–100 m. Camargo and Smith-Wilson indices decreased when increasing distance to the road. These results are expected to provide critical information for decision makers and land managers for managing plant species and maintaining the integrity of biological communities.

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Seeking to uncover biology's chemical roots

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences ◽

10.1042/etls20190012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 435-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Addy Pross

Keyword(s):

Environmental Changes ◽

Biological Systems ◽

Significant Development ◽

The Road ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Systems Chemistry ◽

Biological World ◽

Inanimate Matter ◽

The Origin Of Life ◽

Opening Up

Despite the considerable advances in molecular biology over the past several decades, the nature of the physical–chemical process by which inanimate matter become transformed into simplest life remains elusive. In this review, we describe recent advances in a relatively new area of chemistry, systems chemistry, which attempts to uncover the physical–chemical principles underlying that remarkable transformation. A significant development has been the discovery that within the space of chemical potentiality there exists a largely unexplored kinetic domain which could be termed dynamic kinetic chemistry. Our analysis suggests that all biological systems and associated sub-systems belong to this distinct domain, thereby facilitating the placement of biological systems within a coherent physical/chemical framework. That discovery offers new insights into the origin of life process, as well as opening the door toward the preparation of active materials able to self-heal, adapt to environmental changes, even communicate, mimicking what transpires routinely in the biological world. The road to simplest proto-life appears to be opening up.

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