The Value of Hybrid Aspen Coppice Investment under Different Discount Rate, Price and Management Scenarios: A Case Study of Estonia

Hybrid aspen is one of the most promising tree species for short-rotation forestry in Northern Europe. After the clearcutting of hybrid aspen plantation, the next generation arises from root and stump sprouts. The economic feasibility of different management strategies of hybrid aspen coppice stands has not yet been comprehensively evaluated in Northern Europe. We compared the land expectation values (LEVs) of hybrid aspen coppice stands managed according to four scenarios: three early thinning methods (corridor, cross-corridor and single-tree) followed by conventional management and intensive bioenergy production (repeated harvests in 5-year rotations) over a 25-year period in hemiboreal Estonia. We considered the historic price volatility of aspen wood assortments under various discount rates (1–20%). We found that the 25-year rotation with different early thinning methods was more profitable than short bioenergy cycles in the case of low discount rates (<5%). The LEV of short coppice cycles for only bioenergy production became more profitable in comparison with those by thinning methods, when higher discount rates (>10%) were applied. Hybrid aspen coppice stands can be managed profitably, but more risks are taken when the management strategy focuses only on bioenergy production.

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A Better Brew: COVID-19 and Sustainable Outcomes for Coffee Tourism in Ali Mountain, Taiwan

Journal of Responsible Tourism Management ◽

10.47263/jrtm.01-01-06 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Global Economy ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Consumer Preference ◽

Case Study Approach ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

Study Approach ◽

Coffee Farmers ◽

Coffee Farm ◽

Sustainable Futures

COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy in an unprecedented manner, which includes the coffee industry. This paper seeks to provide insights as to how coffee farmers on Ali Mountain, Taiwan transitioned to sustainable futures as an outcome of the pandemic. A case study approach is adopted to explore how COVID-19 influences the coffee business and corresponding tourism implications, along with crisis management strategies for a post-pandemic era. Through a case study approach, the study revealed that the current pandemic has conditioned the perception of risk towards all actors of the coffee estate and thereby causing a shift in consumer preference. Despite the adaptive strategies employed by the business to establish some form of normality, the coffee estate operation in Ali Mountain remains reactive to crises and disaster in the absence of a strategic and holistic plan to deal with situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Theoretical and practical suggestions are provided to inspire coffee farm owners in terms of disaster management scenarios, sustainable anti-pandemic strategies, as well as the desire and quest for industry resuscitation and activation.

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Short rotation forestry: An agricultural case study of economic feasibility

Bioresource Technology ◽

10.1016/0960-8524(91)90080-4 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 41-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jacques-Eric Bergez ◽

Luc Bouvarel ◽

Daniel Auclair

Keyword(s):

Economic Feasibility ◽

Short Rotation

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Short-rotation forestry with hybrid aspen (Populus tremulaL.×P. tremuloidesMichx.) in Northern Europe

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1080/02827581.2011.628949 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 10-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Arvo Tullus ◽

Lars Rytter ◽

Tea Tullus ◽

Martin Weih ◽

Hardi Tullus

Keyword(s):

Northern Europe ◽

Hybrid Aspen ◽

Short Rotation

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Environmental and Economic Assessment of Castor Oil Supply Chain: A Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12166339 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 6339 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Luigi Pari ◽

Alessandro Suardi ◽

Walter Stefanoni ◽

Francesco Latterini ◽

Nadia Palmieri

Keyword(s):

Economic Performance ◽

Castor Oil ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Press Cake ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

Gross Margin ◽

By Products

Among the species currently cultivated for industrial vegetable oil production, castor could be a good candidate for future investments due to the good resistance to pests, tolerance to drought, and suitability for marginal lands cultivation. In addition, the production of castor oil from Ricinus generates a large quantity of press cake, husks, and crop residues that, in a framework of bioeconomy, could be used as by-products for different purposes. Using a case study approach, the work presents results of the environmental impact assessment and economic feasibility of the production of castor oil from two different castor hybrids comparing four by-products management scenarios and two harvesting systems (manual vs. mechanical). Castor hybrid C-856 harvested manually and that involved only the soil incorporation of press cake obtained by the oil extraction resulted as the most sustainable. The hybrid C-1030 resulted as more profitable than C-856 when harvested with the combine harvester. The ratio between gross margin and GWP emissions was applied to calculate the economic performance (gross margin) per unit of environmental burden. Findings showed that Sc1B scenario in case of C-856 cultivar hybrid had a better ratio between economic performance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted into the atmosphere (€3.75 per kg CO2eq).

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Investigation of a New Approach to Predict Water Quality Extremes with a Case Study of Chemical Determinands in Stream Water

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1991.0137 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 25-33

Author(s):

A. J. Jakeman ◽

P. G. Whitehead ◽

A. Robson ◽

J. A. Taylor ◽

J. Bai

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Stream Water ◽

Probability Distributions ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Hybrid Modelling ◽

Trend Model ◽

Environmental Extremes ◽

Modelling Approach

The paper illustrates analysis of the assumptions of the statistical component of a hybrid modelling approach for predicting environmental extremes. This shows how to assess the applicability of the approach to water quality problems. The analysis involves data on stream acidity from the Birkenes catchment in Norway. The modelling approach is hybrid in that it uses: (1) a deterministic or process-based description to simulate (non-stationary) long term trend values of environmental variables, and (2) probability distributions which are superimposed on the trend values to characterise the frequency of shorter term concentrations. This permits assessment of management strategies and of sensitivity to climate variables by adjusting the values of major forcing variables in the trend model. Knowledge of the variability about the trend is provided by: (a) identification of an appropriate parametric form of the probability density function (pdf) of the environmental attribute (e.g. stream acidity variables) whose extremes are of interest, and (b) estimation of pdf parameters using the output of the trend model.

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Exploring the Use of Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models to Account for the Benefits of Public Lands: An Example from National Forest Planning in the United States

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12030267 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 267

Author(s):

Lydia Olander ◽

Katie Warnell ◽

Travis Warziniack ◽

Zoe Ghali ◽

Chris Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Public Lands ◽

The United States ◽

Forest Planning ◽

National Forest ◽

Planning Team ◽

National Forest Planning

A shared understanding of the benefits and tradeoffs to people from alternative land management strategies is critical to successful decision-making for managing public lands and fostering shared stewardship. This study describes an approach for identifying and monitoring the types of resource benefits and tradeoffs considered in National Forest planning in the United States under the 2012 Planning Rule and demonstrates the use of tools for conceptualizing the production of ecosystem services and benefits from alternative land management strategies. Efforts to apply these tools through workshops and engagement exercises provide opportunities to explore and highlight measures, indicators, and data sources for characterizing benefits and tradeoffs in collaborative environments involving interdisciplinary planning teams. Conceptual modeling tools are applied to a case study examining the social and economic benefits of recreation on the Ashley National Forest. The case study illustrates how these types of tools facilitate dialog for planning teams to discuss alternatives and key ecosystem service outcomes, create easy to interpret visuals that map details in plans, and provide a basis for selecting ecosystem service (socio-economic) metrics. These metrics can be used to enhance environmental impact analysis, and help satisfy the goals of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 2012 Planning Rule, and shared stewardship initiatives. The systematic consideration of ecosystem services outcomes and metrics supported by this approach enhanced dialog between members of the Forest planning team, allowed for a more transparent process in identification of key linkages and outcomes, and identified impacts and outcomes that may not have been apparent to the sociologist who is lacking the resource specific expertise of these participants. As a result, the use of the Ecosystem Service Conceptual Model (ESCM) process may result in reduced time for internal reviews and greater comprehension of anticipated outcomes and impacts of proposed management in the plan revision Environmental Impact Statement amongst the planning team.

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Linking Conservation, Community Knowledge, and Adaptation to Extreme Climatic Events: A Case Study in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116478 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6478

Author(s):

Amemarlita Matos ◽

Laura Barraza ◽

Isabel Ruiz-Mallén

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Animal Species ◽

Human Life ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Forest Products ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Extreme Climatic Events ◽

Water Provision

This study is based on ethnographic research that analyzes how traditional knowledge and local beliefs on biodiversity conservation relates to the local ability to adapt and be resilient to climatic changes in two communities around Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique: Nhanfisse in the buffer zone and Muanandimae in the core area. A total of 78 semi-structured interviews with heads of households were conducted. We found that both communities carried out practices and held beliefs associated with conservation, such as protecting trees and animal species considered sacred or perceived as beneficial for human life in terms of water provision and agricultural production. In addition to traditional ceremonies that respond to extreme climatic events such as drought and flood, other adaptation strategies used by the communities include moving to neighboring areas in search of better living conditions and using forest products in times of scarcity. We discuss that the management of the park should be agreed on, in a shared way, between local communities and conservation agents to ensure that these areas continue to perform the ecological, subsistence, and spiritual functions required. Our research results contribute to a better understanding of local adaptation dynamics towards extreme climatic events and improvement of management strategies.

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