scholarly journals Assessing the Broader Value of Planted Forests to Inform Forest Management Decisions

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 662
Author(s):  
Richard T. Yao ◽  
David J. Palmer ◽  
Tim W. Payn ◽  
Sally Strang ◽  
Colin Maunder
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Planted Forest ◽  
Binary Forms ◽  
Planted Forests ◽  
Market Values ◽  
Decision Making Processes

This study highlights the importance of incorporating objectively quantified, non-market environmental values (such as avoided erosion and carbon sequestration) into land use decision making for sustainable forest management. A continuously developing approach that has facilitated discussions between researchers, industries, and governments on the quantification of non-market values is the ecosystem services (ES) framework. Using a spatial economic tool, called Forest Investment Framework, this study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first assessment of the market (timber) and non-market (carbon sequestration, avoided nitrogen leaching and avoided erosion) ES values of the 1.75 million-hectare New Zealand planted forest estate. To collect the views of key planted forest industry representatives on ES assessment/quantification, we interviewed 14 forest managers representing 60% of the planted forest area. Results from the spatial economic analysis indicated that the non-market ES values can be more than four times the timber profit nationally, and up to 12 times higher in New Zealand’s most erosion-prone region. These estimated values are indicative and should be treated with caution. From a sensitivity analysis, we found that different discount rates significantly impact ES values, ratios, and distributions. Results from the interviews indicated that ES quantification helped inform decision making by supporting license to operate, while also signaling the development of a reward system for sustaining ES. Sixty-four percent of survey respondents identified the importance of quantifying ES in ecological terms and describing other non-market ES in spatial, qualitative, or binary forms. Overall, this study provided evidence of how estimated non-market ES values compare with market values and highlighted the importance of including them in decision making processes. Future cost benefit analyses that incorporate these non-market monetary ES values would complement multi-criteria analysis that integrate additional dimensions and allow decision makers to rank options based on their particular criteria.

scholarly journals Forest Investment Framework as a Support Tool for the Sustainable Management of Planted Forests

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3477
Author(s):  
Richard Yao ◽  
David Palmer ◽  
Barbara Hock ◽  
Duncan Harrison ◽  
Tim Payn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Planted Forest ◽  
Planted Forests ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Market Values ◽  
Wide Range

Planted forest ecosystems provide a wide range of goods and services such as timber, carbon sequestration, and avoided erosion. However, only ecosystem services with market values (e.g., timber) are usually represented in decision making while those with non-market values (e.g., avoided erosion) that are difficult to quantify are often ignored. A spatial economic tool, the Forest Investment Framework (FIF), integrates data from forest growth models with spatial, biophysical, and economic data, to quantify the broader value of planted forests and to represent non-market values in sustainable forest management. In this paper, we have tested the applicability of FIF in three types of case studies: assessment of afforestation feasibility, regional economic analyses, and ecosystem service assessment. This study provides evidence that a spatial economic tool that quantifies the economic, environmental, and social values of the planted forest ecosystem is valuable in informing land management decisions for maintaining and enhancing the provision of market and non-market ecosystem services to society.

scholarly journals Perceived fatigue does not alter effort-based decision making, but does undermine confidence in the ability to perform physical actions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Greenhouse-Tucknott ◽  
James Graeme Wrightson ◽  
Sam Berens ◽  
Jeanne Dekerle ◽  
Neil Andrew Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Physical Exertion ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The Body ◽  
Knee Extensors ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Evaluative Processes

Introduction: Protracted physical exertion leads to the development of fatigue. The development of fatigue has previously been associated with increased effort costs, influencing decisions to engage in further physical activity. However, whether fatigue-associated changes to effort-based decisions are reflective of a global aversion to effort in response to fatiguing physical exertion, affecting the decision to engage in physical action performed in other parts of the body, is unclear. Methods: To investigate this, we tested whether effort-based choice behaviour was altered by fatigue, pre-induced through physical exertion of a different body part. Twenty-two healthy male participants made a series of choices between two rewarded actions, which varied in both the level of effort required (relative duration of a submaximal contraction of the dominant knee extensors) and reward obtained (monetary incentives). Participants made their choice under two conditions: 1) a pre-induced state of fatigue and 2) a rested (control) state. Results: Across conditions, participants’ choice behaviour demonstrated the anticipated aversion to effort that interacted with the level of reward on offer. However, though prior physical exertion increased the perception of fatigue, prolonged choice selection-time and reduced self-reported confidence in ability to perform chosen effort-demanding actions, participants choice behaviour did not significantly differ between the two conditions. Conclusions:. The findings suggest that a subjective state of fatigue does not increase the general cost of exerting effort across the body but does increase uncertainty within decision-making processes which may alter evaluative processes that precede changes in cost/benefit computations.

scholarly journals Public participation in British Columbia forest management

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
H W Harshaw
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Consensus Building ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Forest Planning And Management ◽  
Planning Processes

Conceptions and challenges of public participation in British Columbia are reviewed to identify those characteristicsof planning processes that serve to benefit or constrain the interests and needs of public stakeholders. Perspectives onpublic participation, including representative and participatory democracies, and approaches to incorporating publicperspectives in decision-making (i.e., shared decision-making, consensus-building, and interest-based negotiation) arepresented to demonstrate the different approaches (and their benefits and challenges) available for providing opportunitiesfor public participation. Lessons from other natural resource management contexts are distilled and used to evaluatethe BC context. Three principal forest planning and management frameworks (the Commission on Resources and theEnvironment, Land and Resource Management Plans, and sustainable forest management certification) are examinedin light of whether meaningful opportunities for public participation were provided.Key words: public participation, British Columbia, Commission on Resources and the Environment, Land and ResourceManagement Plans, sustainable forest management certification

Decision-Making Methods in MIS Outsourcing

2011 ◽  
pp. 134-152
Author(s):  
Jeanette Nasem Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Information Services ◽  
Data Warehouses ◽  
Government Decision ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Decision Making Processes

This chapter commences with a discussion of corporate and government decision-making processes and the management sciences that support development of decisions. Special decision-making considerations, trade-offs analyses, and cost-benefit studies all figure into decisions that result in outsourcing. Technologies that support different methods of decision-making include data warehouses and data mining, rules-based logic, heuristical processes, fuzzy logic, and expert-based reasoning are presented. The chapter presents case studies and current and evolving technologies. The following sections will address the decision-making methods that are used in considering, executing and monitoring outsourced MIS projects or in service lines related to provision of information services in the organization.

Participatory decision support for sustainable forest management: a framework for planning with local communities at the landscape level in Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1515-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen RJ Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Landscape Level

There is an increasing demand for active public involvement in forestry decision making, but there are as yet few established models for achieving this in the new sustainable forest management (SFM) context. At the level of the working forest, the fields of forest sustainability assessment, public participation, decision support, and computer technology in spatial modelling and visualization need to be integrated. This paper presents the results of a literature review of public participation and decision-support methods, with emphasis on case study examples in participatory decision support. These suggest that emerging methods, such as public multicriteria analysis of alternative forest management scenarios and allied tools, may lend themselves to public processes addressing sustainability criteria and indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for participatory decision support to address the special needs of SFM in tactical planning at the landscape level. This framework consists of principles, process criteria, and preliminary guidelines for designing and evaluating SFM planning processes with community input. More well-documented studies are needed to develop comprehensive, engaging, open, and accountable processes that support informed decision making in forest management, and to strengthen guidance for managers.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic factors determining ecosystem services local perceptions in two ecological zones in Benin (West Africa)

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1716-1733
Author(s):  
Fiacre Codjo Ahononga ◽  
Gérard Nounagnon Gouwakinnou ◽  
Samadori Sorotori Honoré Biaou ◽  
Séverin Biaou ◽  
Roland Christel Sonounameto
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Local Perceptions ◽  
Cultural Services ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Local Perception ◽  
Regulating Services

Forests have been undergoing diverse threats due to human activities and these may affect their role as Ecosystem Services (ES) providers. Therefore, it becomes crucial to undertake some analysis of the current socio-economic context of ES offerings to provide valuable information for the decision-making process and policy regarding sustainable forest management. This study aimed at highlighting the local perception of ES in two contrasting ecological regions. 689 respondents distributed in six districts were interviewed through a semi-structured survey on the various ES and their assessment. The analysis in principal components is used to understand socio-cultural group perception. Then, we used Beta regression to know how socio-economic factors influence the rate of people knowledge of ES. Our results show that provisioning services were more overall perceived, followed by cultural services and regulating services. Youth perceived less regulating and supporting services. Furthermore, cultural services were the most perceived by the seniors. The perception of provisioning and regulating services is influenced respectively by education level and the poverty index. Taking into account the local perception of the different actors and the factors in the decision-making, local development can be improved in compliance with the objectives of biodiversity conservation.Keywords: Local perceptions, Ecosystem Services, environmental education, forest management, Benin Republic.

scholarly journals Features of First Nation forest management institutions and implications for sustainability

1999 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Treseder ◽  
Naomi T. Krogman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Industrial Forestry

This paper provides an overview of three approaches to forest management being applied by First Nations in Canada: industrial forestry, forest co-management and community forests. Industrial forestry, involving large-scale harvesting of timber, has been successful in increasing employment levels for some First Nations. However, industrial forestry is difficult to pursue due to the significant financial and timber resources it requires, and it may result in social conflicts between timber harvesters and traditional users of the forest. Forest co-management refers to shared management of forest resources by First Nations, government and/or industry. Benefits of co-management for First Nations can include better decision-making, increased employment opportunities, and cultural sensitivity toward First Nation forestry concerns. Disadvantages can include inequality of the partners in co-management arrangements and lack of public involvement in decision-making. Community forests often include local control, local investment of profits, and greater attention to the long term returns from the forest. The community forest approach may be hindered by a lack of profit, an absence of alternative tenure arrangements and other models to follow, and difficult access to financial resources and adequate land bases. The current state of institutional reform offers hope for the incorporation of Aboriginal objectives in sustainable forest management. New institutions can contribute to sustainability in forest-dependent Aboriginal communities by increasing commitment to and support of local forest management practices. Key Words: forest sociology, sustainable forest management, First Nations, social institutions, industrial forestry, forest co-management, community forests

Optimizing Forest Management for Atmospheric Carbon Sequestration

1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Zemanek
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Forest Industry ◽  
Forest Disturbances ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon

Forest disturbances from logging activities in Canada’s boreal forest influence forest structure and nutrient cycling. Understanding the effect of Canadian forest industry practices on carbon uptake, storage, and release is important for forest management. Forest management is an important component of climate change mitigation through the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Changes to forest structure and soil nutrient storage can have significant impacts on primary productivity. Primary productivity is a measure of the rate of carbon sequestration in forest biomass. Reviewing the literature on forest ecosystem carbon dynamics will inform on how to maximize carbon sequestration in forest management. Identifying forest industry practices that result in the highest rates of carbon sequestration is an important step for sustainable forest management.  

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