Species richness and IUCN status of commercial timber in Kedah Forest, Leuser ecosystem

The Kedah Forest in Sumatra is one of the forests allocated for tourism and research purposes for the local or foreign communities. The Kedah Forest contains a wealth of biological natural resources, flora and fauna, including wood species with a high economic value (commercial). However, data on the diversity of commercial timber plant species in the area have not been recorded and documented, both in terms of tree species and their conservation status. This research aimed to identify commercial timber plant species and determine the population and conservation status of these species in the Kedah Forest. This study was carried out between October and December 2019. We assessed the species richness and the IUCN status of commercial timber species and assessed its conservation status in accordance with IUCN criteria. The result showed that Kedah Forest has 16 species of commercial timber plants from 11 families, of which six species of commercial timber plants have not been registered as commercial timber according to the Decree of the Minister of Forestry Number: 163/Kpts-II/2003 dated 26 May 2003. Four species of wood plants commercial forest in Kedah are listed on the IUCN Red List under the Near Threatened, Low Risk, and Data Less categories.

Form Factor of Eucalyptus Saligna Species in a Commercial Forest Plantation

The present investigation proposes to determine the form factor of the species Eucalyptus saligna in a commercial forest plantation of the Tambillo bajo sector, of the Colta canton, Chimborazo province. For this purpose, 100 individual specimens with straight shafts and without bifurcations were taken as a sample, and each individual’s commercial and total height, diameter at breast height, and diameters along the stem were measured, to determine the real volume of the wood using the Smalian and Newton formulas, the graphical method, and with a form factor of 0.70. Based on the measured data, a comparative analysis of the calculation of real volume by the method used was performed; the results obtained showed significant differences between calculation methods. In addition, five potential volume equations that presented the highest adjusted coefficient of determination and the lowest mean square error were selected. To verify the commercial volume calculated with the estimated form factors against the volume equations, the commercial volume was recalculated based on the form factors and equations found. The calculation of the commercial volume by the Smalian formula is taken as the exact value, and the other methods are taken as approximated values. Keywords: dasometry, form factor, forest plantation, volumen equations, commercial volume. Resumen La presente investigación propone: determinar el factor de forma de la especie Eucalyptus saligna en una plantación forestal comercial; para lo cual se toma como muestra 100 individuos con fustes rectos y sin bifurcaciones, a cada individuo se midió la altura comercial y total, diámetro a la altura del pecho y diámetros a lo largo del fuste, para determinar el volumen real de madera utilizando la fórmula de Smalian, Newton, método gráfico y con un factor de forma de 0,70. En base a los datos medidos, se realiza un análisis comparativo del cálculo de volumen real por método empleado, los resultados obtenidos mostraron diferencias significativas entre métodos de cálculo empleados. Además, se seleccionó 5 ecuaciones de volumen potenciales los cuales presentaron mayor coeficiente de determinación ajustado y menor error cuadrático medio. Para la verificación del volumen comercial calculado con los factores de forma estimados frente a las ecuaciones de volumen se vuelve a calcular el volumen comercial a partir de los factores de forma y ecuaciones encontrados, se toma como valor exacto el cálculo de volumen comercial por la fórmula de Smalian y como valor de aproximación los demás métodos. Palabras clave: dasometría, ecuaciones de volumen, factor de forma, plantación forestal, volumen comercial.

Influence of Informal Education in the Forest Stand Redevelopment Area on the Psychological Restoration of Working Adults

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, a significant part of the human population lives and works in urban agglomerations. Limited contact with nature, polluted air, stress, and a sedentary work style all contribute to problems with the physical and mental health of a considerable number of city dwellers. There are many studies indicating the positive, restorative properties of natural environments, such as forests, on human well-being. Our aim was to investigate whether suburban commercial forests in combination with informal environmental education can bring restorative properties to people, especially those who are economically active. Materials and Methods: Four psychological questionnaires were used to determine the restorative properties of a suburban commercial forest on young active people: the Profile of Mood Scale (POMS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), and the Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS). The experiment involved 60 participants who took forest baths (the act of spending time in a forest and opening your senses to the natural surroundings to experience feelings of peace and wellbeing) in a suburban commercial forest surrounding Świdnik, a city of 40,000 inhabitants located directly next to Lublin (a provincial city with a population of 339,811). The volunteers were divided into three groups; Group A walked an educational route with educational boards (route A1). Group B walked another route with a forest educator who described various forest management activities conducted in this forest (route A2). Group C walked alone, without an educator, along route A2. All three groups arrived at the site of forest stand redevelopment as the end of their route. After a short 10-min exposure to this site, the volunteers again completed the psychological questionnaires. Results: Our study clearly indicates a positive effect from forest bathing in suburban commercial forests. Both the walk with a forest educator and the walk along the educational trail supported psychological recovery for the participants of the experiment, which shows that informal environmental education carried out in forests can be successfully combined with forest bathing, supporting the positive effects of this activity.

Commercial Forest Carbon Protocol Over-credit Bias Delimited by Zero-threshold Carbon Accounting

Despite the use of commercial forest carbon protocols (CFCPs) for more than two decades, claiming ~566 MMtCO2e and a market value of ~USD $15.7 billion, comparative analysis of CFCP methodology and offset results is limited. In this study, five widely used biometric-based CFCPs are characterized, and common characteristics and differences are identified. CFCP claims of net forest carbon sequestration are compared with results of directly measured CO2 by eddy covariance, a meteorological method integrating gross vertical fluxes of forest and soil carbon, and the only alternative non-biometric source of net forest carbon sequestration data available. We show here that CFCPs share a structural feature delimiting forest carbon values by zero-threshold carbon accounting (gC m-2 ≤ 0), a pattern opposite to natural emissions of forest CO2 exchange based on direct measurement and a fundamental biological constraint on net forest carbon storage (i.e., soil efflux, ecosystem respiration). Exclusion of forest CO2 sources to the atmosphere precludes net carbon accounting, resulting in unavoidable over-crediting of CFCP project offsets. CFCP carbon results are significantly different from global forest CO2 net ecosystem exchange population results (FluxNet2015 gC m-2) at the 95% to 99.99% confidence levels, inferring an annual median error of ~247% (gC m-2), consistent with over-crediting. Direct CO2 measurement provides an urgently needed alternative method for commercial forest carbon products that has the potential to harmonize global markets and catalyze the role of forests in managing climate change through nature-based solutions.