Livelihood strategy of coastal households during covid-19 pandemic: case study in Wermaktian District, Tanimbar Islands Regency

This research aims to analyze coastal households' livelihood strategy in coping with the covid-19 pandemic, especially for the households who live by coastal forest in Wermaktian District, Tanimbar Islands Regency. Research is conducted at two villages, namely Marantutul Village and Batuputih Village. These villages are selected because the households in that village undergo both farming and fishery activities. The sample is determined purposively, involving 60 households with 30 households taken from each village. The research shows that households who live by coastal forest have used several strategies for fulfilling household necessities during the covid-19 pandemic. Those strategies are classified into three categories, respectively on-farm (intensifying farming works), non-farm (working at lumber industry), and off-farm (as a trader). Working in the lumber industry has the biggest contribution to household income, which is 53 percents. The remaining percentage is contributed by copra commodity, crops, fishery, and household services.

Estimating Dependence Among Lumber Strength Properties With Copula Models

A copula-based approach is used to estimate the dependence among three lumber strength properties: modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). MOR and UTS are destructive measurements so they cannot be obtained simultaneously for lumber specimens. The dependence modeling is possible under an appropriate experimental design with i) a shoulder group for rupture, ii) a shoulder group for tension, and iii) other groups proof loaded in either the rupture or tension mode with survivors tested to failure in the mode that was not initially tested. With a fitted copula model based on an assumption of no damage due to the proof loading procedure, we conclude that there is a strong dependence between MOR and UTS conditioning on MOE. To assess the “no damage assumption,” a graphical method with simulated data from the fitted copula model is used. It suggests that there may be some damage to the lumber specimens due to proof loading, especially for weaker lumber specimens. Information from the dependence model can potentially help reduce monitoring costs in the lumber industry.

Green possibilities in a green industrial sector: The lumber industry

Industries have gone on far too long escaping the eyes of the general public on matters of sustainability and global environmental “greening”. The lumber industry itself has gone on for hundreds of years without any indication of environmental consciousness, even with their main resource at a slow decline. From early human civilization to the present modern age, wood has been a longstanding staple as a natural resource and a symbol of environmental awareness. With the consumer public becoming more aware and conscious of worldwide concerns such as climate change, greenhouse gases, and other environmental issues, businesses are being condemned for their lack of initiative in preserving the global ecosystem for future generations. While the lumber industry is one such corporation, generations of wood technologies have contributed to the growing environmental effort of the business. From simply recycling wood scraps as fuel to processing wood composite boards for a myriad of different applications, these advancements to wood products and lumber processing have contributed exorbitant amounts of careful planning in order to construct a more sustainable, environmentally “green” industry.

Lignin microspheres as a nature-based material for effective nickel(II) and cadmium(II) ions removal

<p>Sustainable development and the circular economy are becoming the new imperative of industrial growth, as the world faces the depletion of natural resources and consequences of climate change. The utilization of waste streams through the concept of ‘new added value’ gives life to the production of materials and their environmental application. Therefore, the development of novel, eco-friendly, nature-based adsorbents that possess high degradable and recyclable potential is on the forefront of research. The modifications of wood derivates, such as cellulose and lignin, are widely applied as natural polymers due to their economic feasibility, ecological similarity and adsorption capabilities.</p><p>The subject of this study is the adsorption of nickel(II) and cadmium(II) ions from aqueous solutions using 5.0 mass % of alginate lignin microspheres (A-LMS). Due to their toxicity, persistence, high solubility and mobility, such heavy metals are widely dispersed throughout environmental media (chiefly, aquatic bodies), leading to ecological and public health problems. The raw lignin used as a source material in the study originates from the waste stream of the lumber industry. The porous microspheres are of a radius of 50 to 950 microns and a surface area of 36.9 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>-1</sup> were synthesized via inverse suspension copolymerization of the kraft lignin with a poly(ethylene imine) grafting-agent and an epichlorohydrin cross-linker. The structural and surface characteristics were confirmed via Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The textural properties of the synthesized A-LMS were determined according to the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) method of analyzing nitrogen adsorption. The adsorption batch and column testing were carried out by varying the reaction time, temperature, adsorbent mass, at predefined pH values of the initial solutions. The maximum adsorption capacity of the A-LMS for nickel (II) ions was 89.286 mg g<sup>-1 </sup>at a temperature of 318 K, while for the adsorption of cadmium(II) ions it was 96.154 mg g<sup>-1 </sup>at a temperature of 308 K. The kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, while the Weber-Morris model indicated intra-particle diffusion as a rate limiting step. The thermodynamic parameters for the A-LMS further confirm that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic.</p><p>The study indicates the high potential of by-products or waste products from heavy industry to be repurposed for environmental engineering applications by which they may serve a benefit as opposed to being a detrimental risk. Such is the case here with lignin-natural polymers taken from the lumber industry, which themselves may be reutilized for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgments</strong></p><p>This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (project no. 172007). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by COST-European Cooperation in Science and Technology, to the Cost Action CA17133: Circular City.</p>

The Origins of the Seattle General Strike of 1919: The Timber Beast

Seattle in 1919 was an island in a still immeasurable sea of timber. The Pacific coastal forests were estimated to contain nearly two-thirds of the timber in the country, and the Washington State forests accounted for the largest part of these. The physical hardships associated with the lumber industry, including isolation deep within the rain forests, made working conditions an even more miserable burden than low wages. The work was seasonal and layoffs were common; the completion of one job might mean termination and the search for work elsewhere. When the winter rains brought an end to work in the woods, the state's loggers fled to the city, not welcome elsewhere. In some years, there might be thousands on Seattle's streets.

Managing the Technological Potential of Eschweilera truncata A. C. Sm in the Amazon

Eschweilera truncata trees, known commercially by the name of Matamatá, are abundant, widely distributed throughout the forest, and characterized by important features for forest management, but are not harvested due to the scarcity of studies of the technological attributes that would reveal their potential, such as their machining and physical properties. Otherwise such studies might contribute to the inclusion of new species in the market, strengthening the sustainability of the forest ecosystems. Given this gap, the present research aimed to evaluate the performance of Matamatá wood in terms of its physical properties and behaviour under the machining process that would be used in this sector of the timber industry. The research involved a study of the tree, from which a base disk was removed in order to analyse its apparent density, density, shrinkage and anisotropy coefficient. The tradable shaft was split into logs and planks to assess the effects of machining processes. In the data analysis, we used descriptive statistics and the Tukey test. The results obtained classify Matamatá wood as high density and identify its anisotropy coefficient of 1.90, suggesting a medium to low stability. E. truncata wood performed excellently in the machining evaluation, and its results in the planer, sandpaper, drill perforation, frame in the top and lathe tests were also outstanding; in addition it presented wood material of the same quality throughout, whether heartwood or sapwood. This is an important indicator of wood yield, signifying that greater use can be made of the wood. The performance of the wood was validated via the manufacture of products such as furniture, decoration and finger-boards for musical instruments. In general, it can be concluded that the wood studied may be used in the lumber industry, because it presents similar features to those in the species already marketed and because it is plentiful all over the Amazon region.