scholarly journals Monitoring selective logging with Landsat satellite imagery reveals that protected forests in Western Siberia experience greater harvest than non-protected forests

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER SHCHUR ◽  
EUGENIA BRAGINA ◽  
ANIKA SIEBER ◽  
ANNA M. PIDGEON ◽  
VOLKER C. RADELOFF
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Protected Forests

SUMMARYWhen timber harvesting is an important source of local income and forest resources are declining, even forests that are designated as protected areas may become vulnerable. Therefore, regular monitoring of forest disturbance is necessary to enforce the protection of forest ecosystems. However, mapping forest disturbance with satellite imagery can be complicated if the majority of the harvesting is selective logging and not clearcuts. Our goal was to map both selective logging and clearcuts within and outside of protected areas in Western Siberia, a region with a highly developed timber industry. Combining summer and winter imagery allowed us to accurately estimate not only clearcuts, but also selective logging. Winter Landsat images substantially improved our classification and resulted in a highly accurate forest disturbance map (97.5% overall accuracy and 86% user accuracy for the rarest class, clearcuts). Selective logging and stripcuts were the dominant disturbance types, accounting for 96.3% of all forest disturbances, versus 3.7% for clearcuts. The total annual forest disturbance rate (i.e. disturbance rate for clearcuts, stripcuts and selective logging together) was 0.53%, but total forest disturbance within protected areas was greater than in non-protected forest (0.66% versus 0.50%, respectively), and so was the annual rate of selective logging (i.e. without clearcuts, 0.37% versus 0.25%, respectively). Our results highlight that monitoring only clearcuts without assessing selective logging might result in significant underestimation of forest disturbance. Also, when timber harvesting is important for the local economy and when protected areas have valuable timber resources that have already been depleted elsewhere, then additional protection may be necessary in order to maintain natural forests within protected areas. We suggest that this is the situation in our study area in Western Siberia right now and is likely the situation in many other parts of the globe as well.

scholarly journals Assessment of the CLASlite forest monitoring system in detecting disturbance from selective logging in the Selva Maya, Mexico

Silva Fennica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irving Hernández-Gómez ◽  
Carlos Cerdán ◽  
Angélica Navarro-Martínez ◽  
Dinora Vázquez-Luna ◽  
Samaria Armenta-Montero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Logging Impacts

Detecting and monitoring forest disturbance from selective logging is necessary to develop effective strategies and polices that conserve tropical forests and mitigate climate change. We assessed the potential of using the remote sensing tool, CLASlite forest monitoring system, to detect disturbance from timber harvesting in four community forests () of the Selva Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Selective logging impacts (e.g. felling gaps, skid trails, logging roads and log landings) were mapped using GPS in the 2014 annual cutting areas (ACAs) of each ejido. We processed and analyzed two pre-harvest Landsat images (2001 and 2013) and one post-harvest image (November 2014) with the CLASlite system, producing maps of degraded, deforested and unlogged areas in each ACA. Based on reference points of disturbed (felling and skidding), deforested (log landings and roads) and unlogged areas in each ACA, we applied accuracy assessments which showed very low overall accuracies (<19.1%). Selective logging impacts, mainly from log landings and new logging road construction, were detected in only one ejido which had the highest logging intensity (7 m ha).ejidos3–1

scholarly journals Congo Basin forest loss dominated by increasing smallholder clearing

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. eaat2993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Tyukavina ◽  
Matthew C. Hansen ◽  
Peter Potapov ◽  
Diana Parker ◽  
Chima Okpa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Forest Loss

A regional assessment of forest disturbance dynamics from 2000 to 2014 was performed for the Congo Basin countries using time-series satellite data. Area of forest loss was estimated and disaggregated by predisturbance forest type and direct disturbance driver. An estimated 84% of forest disturbance area in the region is due to small-scale, nonmechanized forest clearing for agriculture. Annual rates of small-scale clearing for agriculture in primary forests and woodlands doubled between 2000 and 2014, mirroring increasing population growth. Smallholder clearing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of total forest loss in the basin. Selective logging is the second most significant disturbance driver, contributing roughly 10% of regional gross forest disturbance area and more than 60% of disturbance area in Gabon. Forest loss due to agro-industrial clearing along the Gulf of Guinea coast more than doubled in the last half of the study period. Maintaining natural forest cover in the Congo Basin into the future will be challenged by an expected fivefold population growth by 2100 and allocation of industrial timber harvesting and large-scale agricultural development inside remaining old-growth forests.

scholarly journals Biogeographic Distribution of Cedrela spp. Genus in Peru Using MaxEnt Modeling: A Conservation and Restoration Approach

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Alexander Cotrina Sánchez ◽  
Nilton B. Rojas Briceño ◽  
Subhajit Bandopadhyay ◽  
Subhasis Ghosh ◽  
Cristóbal Torres Guzmán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Timber Species ◽  
National Service ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Entropy Model ◽  
Probability Of Occurrence ◽  
Bioclimatic Variables ◽  
Population Sizes

The increasing demand for tropical timber from natural forests has reduced the population sizes of native species such as Cedrela spp. because of their high economic value. To prevent the decline of population sizes of the species, all Cedrela species have been incorporated into Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The study presents information about the modeled distribution of the genus Cedrela in Peru that aims to identify potential habitat distribution of the genus, its availability in areas protected by national service of protected areas, and highlighted some areas because of their conservation relevance and the potential need for restoration. We modeled the distribution of the genus Cedrela in Peru using 947 occurrence records that included 10 species (C. odorata, C. montana, C. fissilis, C. longipetiolulata, C. angustifolia, C. nebulosa, C. kuelapensis, C. saltensis, C. weberbaueri, and C. molinensis). We aim to identify areas environmentally suitable for the occurrence of Cedrela that are legally protected by the National Service of Protected Areas (PAs) and those that are ideal for research and restoration projects. We used various environmental variables (19 bioclimatic variables, 3 topographic factors, 9 edaphic factors, solar radiation, and relative humidity) and the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict the probability of occurrence. We observed that 6.7% (86,916.2 km2) of Peru presents a high distribution probability of occurrence of Cedrela, distributed in 17 departments, with 4.4% (10,171.03 km2) of the area protected by PAs mainly under the category of protection forests. Another 11.65% (21,345.16 km2) of distribution covers areas highly prone to degradation, distributed mainly in the departments Ucayali, Loreto, and Madre de Dios, and needs immediate attention for its protection and restoration. We believe that the study will contribute significantly to conserve Cedrela and other endangered species, as well as to promote the sustainable use and management of timber species as a whole.

scholarly journals Managing Biodiversity: Impacts of Legal Protection in Mountain Forests of the Himalayas

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inger Måren ◽  
Lila Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Participatory Management ◽  
Protected Forests ◽  
Agro Forestry

Legal protection has been used as means of conserving forests and associated biodiversity in many regions of the world since the eighteenth century. However, most forests in the global south, even those within protected areas, are influenced by human activities. Himalayan forests harbour much of the biodiversity of the region, maintain subsistence livelihoods, and provide regional and global ecosystem services like water regulation, flood control, and carbon sequestration. Yet few studies have quantitatively studied the impacts of legal protection on forest health and biodiversity. We assess woody biodiversity and forest health in relation to legal protection and biomass extraction in forests inside and outside Langtang National Park in Nepal (n = 180). We found more woody species in protected forests. Of the 69 woody species recorded, 47% occurred at both sites. Within protected forests, we found differences in forest health largely related to the intensity of biomass extraction expressed as walking distance to settlement. The closer the forest was to settlements, the heavier degradation it suffered, showing that within agro-forestry systems in the Himalayas, the resource-consumer distance is typically determining the intensity of biomass extraction. Our research brings forth the need to better address the drivers of resource extraction from protected areas in order to mitigate this degradation. It also brings forth the need to contribute to the development of appropriate participatory management programmes outside areas of formal protection in order to sustain both biodiversity and ecosystem service delivery from these forests for the future.

scholarly journals Stand structure and species composition of merbau in logged-over forest in Papua, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-171
Author(s):  
PRIJANTO PAMOENGKAS ◽  
ISKANDAR Z. SIREGAR ◽  
AJI NURALAM DWISUTONO
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Timber Species ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Selective Cutting ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Reference Plot

Pamoengkas P, Siregar IZ, Dwisutono AN. 2018. Stand structure and species composition of merbau in logged-over forest in Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 163-171. Single selective cutting is the most common form of timber extraction in natural forest in the tropics. Although, vast tracts natural forests are already logged-over, the effect of logging on the structure and species composition has been sparsely documented, especially for merbau (Intsia bijuga). Merbau is an excellent timber species and intensively harvested in Papua. The objective of this study was to analyze the structure and species composition of merbau in the several logged-over forests at different ages, i.e., 1, 5, 11, 16, 21 years old after selective logging and primary forest as the reference plot. The study was conducted in February 2016 at Sarmi District, Papua. The distributions of merbau in each plot varies but when they were compared with that in the primary forest that had reached 9.81%. Thus, the decrease of merbau trees in the plots of logged forest areas was not significant. Index of Diversity of all growth stages was high. In general, the number of merbau seedling regeneration in the study plots are above the average value standardized in Selective Cutting and Replanting System (TPTI) regulation. With regard to the condition of sapling regeneration, we concluded that selective logging might not provide enough growing space for regeneration of merbau. Providing appropriate growing space is one of the key factors to achieve adequate merbau natural regeneration.

scholarly journals The Effects of Selective Logging Behaviors on Forest Fragmentation and Recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xanic J. Rondon ◽  
Graeme S. Cumming ◽  
Rosa E. Cossío ◽  
Jane Southworth
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Intermediate Scale ◽  
Scale Interactions ◽  
Predator Prey Model ◽  
Forest Resilience

To study the impacts of selective logging behaviors on a forest landscape, we developed an intermediate-scale spatial model to link cross-scale interactions of timber harvesting, a fine-scale human activity, with coarse-scale landscape impacts. We used the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model with Holling’s functional response II to simulate selective logging, coupled with a cellular automaton model to simulate logger mobility and forest fragmentation. Three logging scenarios were simulated, each varying in timber harvesting preference and logger mobility. We quantified forest resilience by evaluating (1) the spatial patterns of forest fragmentation, (2) the time until the system crossed a threshold into a deforested state, and (3) recovery time. Our simulations showed that logging behaviors involving decisions made about harvesting timber and mobility can lead to different spatial patterns of forest fragmentation. They can, together with forest management practices, significantly delay or accelerate the transition of a forest landscape to a deforested state and its return to a recovered state. Intermediate-scale models emerge as useful tools for understanding cross-scale interactions between human activities and the spatial patterns that are created by anthropogenic land use.

scholarly journals Ongoing forest disturbance in Guatemala's protected areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-152
Author(s):  
Eric L. Bullock ◽  
Christoph Nolte ◽  
Ana L. Reboredo Segovia ◽  
Curtis E. Woodcock
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Disturbance

Mixed method approaches to evaluate conservation impact: evidence from decentralized forest management in Tanzania

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENS FRIIS LUND ◽  
NEIL D. BURGESS ◽  
SHABANI A. O. CHAMSHAMA ◽  
KLAUS DONS ◽  
JACK A. ISANGO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Forest Condition ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Forest Use

SUMMARYNearly 10% of the world's total forest area is formally owned by communities and indigenous groups, yet knowledge of the effects of decentralized forest management approaches on conservation (and livelihood) impacts remains elusive. In this paper, the conservation impact of decentralized forest management on two forests in Tanzania was evaluated using a mixed method approach. Current forest condition, forest increment and forest use patterns were assessed through forest inventories, and changes in forest disturbance levels before and after the implementation of decentralized forest management were assessed on the basis of analyses of Landsat images. This biophysical evidence was then linked to changes in actual management practices, assessed through records, interviews and participatory observations, to provide a measure of the conservation impact of the policy change. Both forests in the study were found to be in good condition, and extraction was lower than overall forest increment. Divergent changes in forest disturbance levels were in evidence following the implementation of decentralized forest management. The evidence from records, interviews and participatory observations indicated that decentralized management had led to increased control of forest use and the observed divergence in forest disturbance levels appeared to be linked to differences in the way that village-level forest managers prioritized conservation objectives and forest-based livelihood strategies. The study illustrates that a mixed methods approach comprises a valid and promising way to evaluate impacts of conservation policies, even in the absence of control sites. By carefully linking policy outcomes to policy outputs, such an approach not only identifies whether such policies work as intended, but also potential mechanisms.

scholarly journals The status and conservation of Jamaica's threatened and endemic forest avifauna and their habitats following Hurricane Gilbert

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Varty
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Hurricane Damage ◽  
Blue Mountain ◽  
The Status ◽  
Forest Regions ◽  
Conservation And Management

SummaryDespite serious and widespread hurricane damage to the natural forests of Jamaica (43% of trees either toppled or with crowns broken in the John Crow Mountains, for instance), the populations of the endemic Ring-tailed Pigeon Columba caribaea, Crested Quail-dove Geotrygon versicolor, Black-billed Parrot Amazona agilis, Yellow-billed Parrot A. collaria, Blue Mountain Vireo Vireo osburni and Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus appear to have survived Hurricane Gilbert well. However, the expected reduction in food supplies, notably for the frugivores, caused by the severe damage to many trees, coupled with continuing and in some cases increasing human destruction and disturbance of the forests, puts the longer-term survival of these species in some doubt. The establishment of functioning protected areas encompassing the key forest regions for these birds; upgrading and more rigorous enforcement of the legislation governing conservation and management of wildlife and the natural forests; and the control and improvement of agricultural practices around forest areas, would greatly help to ensure the preservation of the forest avifauna and are recommended.

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