Spatial patterns, trends, and the potential long-term impacts of tree harvesting on lake calcium levels in the Muskoka River Watershed, Ontario, Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn R. Reid ◽  
Shaun A. Watmough
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Ca Depletion

The issue of calcium (Ca) decline in surface waters of eastern Canada is an emerging concern that may be made worse by timber harvesting. In the Muskoka River Watershed (MRW) in Ontario, the mean lake Ca concentration in 104 lakes decreased by 30% since the 1980s, with the rate of decrease slowing over time consistent with changes in lake sulfate (SO4) as the region recovers from acid deposition. Recent data suggested that smaller lakes, at higher elevation, in smaller catchments with higher runoff that are minimally impacted by the influence of roads and agriculture are associated with lower Ca concentrations and thus are the lakes most at risk of amplified Ca depletion. Using proposed annual allowable harvest cuts from 10-year forest management plans, 38% of 364 lakes assessed in the MRW will fall below a reported critical 1 mg·L–1 Ca threshold compared with just 8% in the absence of future harvesting. It is concluded that Ca decline poses a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and should be taken into consideration in future forest management plans.

scholarly journals Application of two phosphorus models with different complexities in a mesoscale river catchment

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Guse ◽  
A. Bronstert ◽  
M. Rode ◽  
B. Tetzlaff ◽  
F. Wendland
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Phosphorus Transport ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Total Runoff ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Entire Study Area

Abstract. The water balance and phosphorus inputs of surface waters of the Weiße Elster catchment, Germany, have been quantified using the models GROWA/MEPhos and SWAT. A comparison of the model results shows small differences in the mean long-term total runoff for the entire study area. All relevant pathways of phosphorus transport were considered in MEPhos with phosphorus inputs resulting to about 65% from point sources. SWAT focuses on agricultural areas and estimates a phosphorus input of about 60% through erosion. The mean annual phosphorus input from erosion calculated with SWAT is six times higher than the estimation with MEPhos due to the differing model concepts. This shows the uncertainty contributed by the modelling description of phosphorus pathways.

Intrapopulation variation in life history traits of Boa constrictor occidentalis in Argentina

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano Sironi ◽  
Margarita Chiaraviglio ◽  
Sergio Lucino ◽  
Miguel Bertona
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Litter Size ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Intrapopulation Variation ◽  
Boa Constrictor ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Mean

AbstractWe provide data on intrapopulation variation of life history traits of Boa constrictor occidentalis in the District of Pocho, Córdoba, Argentina. A total of 153 individuals were captured. The distribution of individuals among four size classes differed significantly among the five years of study. The proportion of mature individuals did not differ between sexes but it showed variation among years. Females were longer and heavier than males. The mean litter size of the species was 24 and there was a linear relationship between litter size and maternal snout-vent length. Most boas were captured during the dry season. There were no significant sex differences in the time of capture and air temperature in either the wet or the dry seasons. However, we found significant differences in the time of capture and air temperature between the seasons. The long-term monitoring of wild populations should be a priority for the development of conservation and management plans for this boid.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Long-Term Forest Management Plans of Forest Management Units in Sumatra, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Masahiko Ota
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Management Units ◽  
Information Gap ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Basic Characteristics ◽  
Forest Managers ◽  
Planned Activities

Indonesia has been developing Forest Management Units (FMUs) as on-site forest managers that undertake actual forest management activities at the field level. Previous studies have identified a critical lack of various resources, particularly human and financial, in FMU development, and yet the types of forest management activities and official planning procedures are less frequently reported. The present study examines forestry planning aspects of the FMU policy and forest management activities planned by FMUs to fill this information gap. The author analyzed relevant laws and regulations and the long-term forest management plans of 22 FMUs in Sumatra. For the latter, the author explored basic characteristics of FMUs, quantitatively summarized planned activities focusing on four aspects of forest management (i.e., utilization, conservation, empowerment of local people, and supervision of concession holders), and qualitatively assessed the levels of concreteness of plan descriptions related to the above-mentioned four aspects. The FMUs listed various kinds of activities in their long-term plans, particularly those related to utilization and conservation. However, a large number of the sample FMUs simply listed or described what they would like to do, or what FMUs are supposed to do, with little concrete detail or deliberation of feasibility. The results of the study can be attributable to a lack of focus on policy formulation, as well as the vulnerability and unpredictability of FMUs themselves. Qualitative enhancement and quantitative increase of human resources and policy options to reduce unpredictability and uncertainty in financial and institutional dimensions are desirable to promote substantive planning for FMUs.

scholarly journals Silvicultural madness: a case from the “Scientific Forestry” initiative in the community forests of Nepal

2018 ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Basnyat ◽  
T. Treue ◽  
R. K. Pokharel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Scientific Principles

Following a case study approach, this paper explains how scientific forest management plans were developed and implemented in community forests of a mid-hill district in Nepal. Field observations were carried over a period of two years (December 2014 to December 2016) in two community forests. User group members, forest officials, forest technicians and executive committee members were consulted. The plans were prepared simply by compiling the administrative requirements where management prescriptions were defined either based on forest technicians’ knowledge or taken directly from the guidelines with little reference to the actual site quality, management objectives, and forest stand conditions. Apart from harvesting of trees, users hardly implemented the plans’ silvicultural prescriptions and forest restoration activities. Moreover, forest officials administratively reduced the number of trees that users could harvest to around half of what the plans allow. Accordingly, forest user groups face a paradoxical forest administration that promotes timber harvesting according to so-called scientific principles, which it then brushes aside to satisfy bureaucratic demands. The study concludes that the concept of scientific forestry is merely used as a “brand” or a seemingly sound “narrative” in community forestry, while it is of little practical relevance because administrative decisions are more powerful in guiding forest management decisions. Hence, the study suggests a replacement of the current schizophrenic mix of so-called “scientific forest management” and sweeping administrative orders with adaptive management practices in community forests. Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Special Issue No. 4, 2018, Page : 54-64

scholarly journals Climate mitigation and intensified forest management in Norway: To what extent are surface waters safeguarded?

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1736-1746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frode Sundnes ◽  
Marianne Karlsson ◽  
Froukje Maria Platjouw ◽  
Nicholas Clarke ◽  
Øyvind Kaste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Long Term Effect

Abstract While the role of forestry in mitigating climate change is increasingly subject to political commitment, other areas, such as water protection, may be at risk. In this study, we ask whether surface waters are sufficiently safeguarded in relation to the 2015 launch of a series of measures to intensify forest management for mitigation of climate change in Norway. First, we assess how impacts on water are accounted for in existing regulations for sustainable forestry. Secondly, we provide an overview of the impacts of forestry on water quality relevant to three support schemes: afforestation on new areas, increased stocking density in existing forests, and forest fertilisation. Lastly, we assess the uncertainties that exist with regard to surface waters in the implementation of these measures. We find that the safeguards in place are adequate to protect water resources at the point of initiation, but there is a large degree of uncertainty as to the long-term effect of these mitigation measures.

Could marten become the spotted owl of eastern Canada?

1991 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian D. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Spotted Owl ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Management Plans

Conservation of spotted owl habitat in western North America illustrates the difficult decisions that must be taken and the conflicts that can arise in land-use planning. In eastern North America, spotted owls are absent but marten, an animal species which prefers old-growth forest, has become rare in some areas as a result of habitat loss. The marten is a threatened species in Newfoundland, exists in small numbers in Nova Scotia, and has been extirpated in Prince Edward Island. Lack of long-term integrated forest resource planning, short rotations, and silvicultural practices that produce sub-optimal habitat may eliminate the species in Atlantic Canada. Two cases are discussed from Newfoundland and New Brunswick where unbalanced forest age structures suggest a bleak future for the marten. Other larger jurisdictions in Canada should closely examine their forest land management plans in view of the Atlantic experience.

scholarly journals Changes in the Assortment and Species Structure of Timber Harvested from the Polish Managed Part of Białowieża Forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Zastocki ◽  
Hubert Lachowicz ◽  
Jarosław Sadowski ◽  
Tadeusz Moskalik
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Species Structure ◽  
Wood Harvesting ◽  
Białowieża Forest ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
The Many

The subject of the research, which is the Polish managed part of Białowieża Forest together with Białowieża National Park, a remnant of primeval forests, is one of the most valuable forest areas in Europe. This article presents the history of the use of these forests. The assortment and species structure of the harvested timber was analyzed in detail for the Białowieża, Browsk, and Hajnówka Forest Districts from 2008 to 2017. The research is based on data from the State Forests Information System (SILP) and Forest Management Plans (PUL), as well as Nature Conservation Programs (POP). The volume of harvested timber was diversified. In 2011–2013, it was limited by a decision of the Minister of the Environment from 110,000 m3 in 2010 to 48,500 m3. This contributed to the increase of the European spruce bark beetle gradation, causing the death of spruce stands. By an annex to the Forest Management Plan issued in 2016, the Minister of the Environment increased the amount of the timber harvest. In 2017, it amounted to almost 190,000 m3, where 91% of the harvested volume was spruce, but the wood was markedly inferior in technical quality compared to previous years. Such a large increase in harvesting aroused the opposition mainly of environmental organizations and the European Commission. In April 2018, the EU Court of Justice decided that Poland violated EU law by increasing the number of felled trees in Białowieża Forest. After this decision, the Minister of the Environment repealed the earlier decision, the basis for conducting the increased wood harvesting in Białowieża Forest. Changes in the timber harvested in terms of volume, quality, and assortment, are due to the specificity of managing environmentally valuable areas. This relates to the many limitations on commercial forestry, which must take into account the need to protect nature and the legal acts regulating timber harvesting.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the commitment of the Krakow Regional Directorate of State Forests and its organizational units to the development of recreational and tourist forest functions

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-152
Author(s):  
Anna Kożuch ◽  
Marcin Piszczek ◽  
Maria Kuc ◽  
Barbara Przybylska
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
The State ◽  
Financial Responsibility ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Forest Functions ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Landscape Value ◽  
Additional Costs

Abstract Forest management affects the scope of various functions provided by forests. Considering the increasing expectations of the society about utilizing non-productive forest, it is important to investigate the commitment of the State Forest units to the development of forest functions. The study’s aim was to evaluate the activity of particular organizational units, namely forest districts of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Kraków (RDSF Kraków), in adapting forests to serve tourism and recreation. Our analysis covered data from the years of 2005–2009, which was obtained from forest management plans, financial statements and department reports of the RDSF Kraków as well as a questionnaire survey. Both direct and indirect additional costs incurred in order to adapt forests for their recreational function, were included in the analysis. We also attempted to estimate the potentially lost profits. The zero unitarization method was used to identify units showing the greatest and lowest commitment. In the area of the RDSF Kraków, a total of 1 765 500 PLN was spent on tourism management and activities supporting recreation. Average direct costs amounted to 1.24 PLN/ha/year, while the workforce expenditure for maintenance of tourist infrastructure and historical buildings was estimated to be 60 700 PLN. Expenses incurred for cleaning up litter in forests attained 629 800 PLN in the considered time period. Profits potentially lost due to the lack of management in the protected zone ‘A’ surrounding health resorts, reduced by the costs of timber harvesting and extraction, were estimated to total 58 200 PLN. Our study indicates that during the analyzed period, forest districts differed in their commitment to the development of recreational and tourist forest functions. The synthetic measure of commitment varied between 0.114 and 0.694 in the State Forest units. The greatest additional costs were incurred by forest districts with towns and areas of high natural and landscape value. The Directorate of State Forests took the financial responsibility for adjusting forest complexes to tourist and recreational needs, but should nevertheless seek external financial and specialist support. The issue of internalization of the positive outward effects of forest management also needs to be discussed.

scholarly journals The ecological impacts of lakewater calcium decline on softwater boreal ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Jeziorski ◽  
John P. Smol
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Boreal Ecosystems ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Recent Laboratory

In recent decades, marked declines in calcium (Ca) concentrations have been noted in many softwater boreal lakes, and are believed to be a long-term consequence of acid deposition as well as other stressors (such as timber harvesting). Reduced Ca availability may act as a potent environmental stressor. Investigations of the direct ecological impacts of lower Ca concentrations in freshwater systems have largely focused on Ca-rich members of the Cladocera; however, a growing body of work, spanning several scientific fields, suggests Ca decline will have profound direct and indirect consequences for aquatic ecosystems. Here, we synthesize recent laboratory analyses and field surveys to provide an overview of these consequences, while highlighting paleolimnological investigations that provide some long-term perspective on the phenomenon. However, considerable questions remain regarding ‘baseline’ or pre-impact conditions, due to the accelerated leaching of Ca from watershed soils during the period of anthropogenic influence. Furthermore, catchment-specific differences in both leaching rates and the initial size of the Ca pool in watershed soils complicate determination of the eventual endpoints of the declines. Despite these uncertainties, persistent low Ca concentrations are anticipated to impede biological recovery from lake acidification, and that ongoing declines will have cascading effects throughout aquatic ecosystems due to the loss of vulnerable taxa. To better understand how reduced Ca availability will continue to change affected surface waters and how these changes will interact with other environmental stressors will require continued investigation of the declines from multiple scientific perspectives.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document