How Timber Harvest Affects the Structure and Diversity of a Montane Forest in Southern Mexico

Timber extraction directly affects forest structure by opening the canopy, reducing the density and volume of dominant species, and transforming the composition, diversity, and functioning of the forest. We analyze the richness, diversity, and basal area of tree species in a pine–oak montane forest under two stages of the Silvicultural Development Method (thinning and liberation cut treatments) in comparison with remnants of forest considered to be control treatment in the Ocotones forest. Timber extraction began 14 years previously but its effect on the tree structure has not been studied to date in this area. We quantified and measured all the trees with a diameter at breast height >5 cm in 12 0.1 ha circular plots in each treatment. Diversity (Hill numbers) and the importance value index were calculated in each treatment. Observed species richness did not differ between treatments; Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl. and Quercus sapotifolia Liebm. were the dominant species regardless of treatment. The principal differences in density and basal area among the treatments were found between the small oaks and small pines. In general, tree density recovered in managed areas because of newly recruited pines and re-sprouting oaks. Although no significant reduction in species richness was detected between treatments, species composition and vegetation structure were modified by the extraction of pine timber and the permanence of many large oaks. Silvicultural treatments appear to create conditions favorable to the maintenance of species richness. The silvicultural interventions in the site meet the objectives of timber production, regeneration, and biodiversity conservation; however, the question of how long the forest can maintain its species diversity and structure after timber extraction remains to be addressed.

Hunting and Deforestation: A Threat to the Existence of the Niger Delta Red Colobus Monkey (Procolobus epieni)

The Niger Delta in Nigeria is the largest wetland in Africa and the third largest mangrove forest in the world. The region is known for its richness in biodiversity as well as its oil and gas resources. Due to the high level of oil exploration, deforestation, hunting and insecurities in these areas, the wildlife especially endemic species like the Niger Delta red colobus becomes vulnerable to extinction. Most researches on their range have noted a significant reduction in their population and range distribution. Hence, up-to-date information on their current status is paramount to ensure proper and urgent conservation measures. Data was obtained through the use of field survey and secondary data. The species was recently discovered endemic to Niger delta region in Nigeria for about 23 years ago and recent studies observed that there has been a drastic reduction in their population and a shift in the range they formally occupied faulting this to anthropogenic activities. This study revealed that the location is under intense timber extraction and hunting and as a result, one of the location in the Apoi creek where it was reported to be present, record no species of Red colobus monkey. Only the red capped mangabey monkey (3) were sighted at the location with some evidence of alligator (10). Result also revealed that most of the communities (age ≤ 30) do not know or have seen the species. The situation at the location is exacerbated because of the level of poverty and insecurity in the areas. Going by the evidence of intense timber extraction and hunting at the location, the number of this species may have drastically reduced compared to what it was formally projected (±200 individuals). It is therefore strongly recommended that a follow up of the research is done in other location where it was reported to be present.

Productivity of a farm tractor with single drum winch during whole-tree timber extraction

U pošumljenim područjima s nedostupnim terenom troškovi pridobivanja drva izrazito su važni. To utječe na razinu mehaniziranosti u šumarstvu. Adaptirani poljoprivredni traktori u širokoj su uporabi, posebice u zemljama u razvoju, kao učinkovita sredstva za prijevoz trupaca ili debla od mjesta sječe do stovarišta. U ovom istraživanju procijenjena je proizvodnost adaptiranog poljoprivrednog traktora s jednobubanjskim vitlom smještenim s prednje strane vozila. Ukupni troškovi tog sustava (traktora i vitla) iznose otprilike 19580 € (Eura). Primijenjena je studija rada i vremena povratnom metodom tijekom dvofazne operacije privlačenja drva. Ispitani su učinci glavnih čimbenika kao što su promjer, visina, obujam i udaljenost privlačenja drva na ukupno vrijeme rada te je napravljena linearna regresijska analiza kako bi se razvio matematički model privlačenja drva. Podaci iz studije vremena pokazali su da privitlavanje debla do primarnog sakupljališta zahtijeva najviše vremena tijekom samog privitlavanja drva uzbrdo, dok je privlačenje debla do stovarišta zahtijevalo najviše vremena tijekom privlačenja drva općenito. Prosječna je proizvodnost sakupljanja drva uz nagib 12.98 m³/sat, a privlačenje drva kretanjem unatrag 14.30 m³/sat. Troškovi sakupljanja drva vitlom uz nagib iznose 10.77 €/sat, a privlačenje drva 11.87 €/sat. Može se zaključiti da se hidraulički sustav s jednobubanjskim vitlom, postavljen s prednje strane adaptiranog poljoprivrednog traktora, može koristiti kao alternativna oprema za pridobivanje drva, posebice kod operacija privitlavanja uzbrdo.

The Philosophy of Furniture, or Light in August and the Material Unconscious of Mississippi Modernity

Chapter 2 turns from agriculture to silviculture to trace the unexpectedly comprehensive way in which the modernization of the timber and lumber industries in the US South leaves its mark on Faulkner’s 1932 novel Light in August. The modern economy of wood in all its phases, from timber extraction to lumber manufacture to the production, distribution, circulation, and even the occasional destruction of furniture, underpins, and at key moments surfaces to undercut, Faulkner’s anatomy of Jim Crow’s psychological and social orders. The turbulent forces of this extractive economy shadow the novel’s principal figures at every step, setting them in motion, by turns shaping and upsetting their itineraries—and haunting novelistic form and technique.