The Management Response to Wind Disturbances in European Forests

Purpose of the Review The review synthesises the current knowledge of post-windstorm management in selected European countries in order to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research. Recent Findings Despite the differences in forest ownership and national regulations, management experiences in Europe converge at (1) the need for mechanization of post-windthrow management to ensure operator safety, (2) the importance to promote operator training and optimise the coordination between all the actors involved in disturbance management and (3) the need to implement measures to consolidate the timber market while restoring forest ecosystem services and maintain biodiversity. Summary Windstorms are natural disturbances that drive forest dynamics but also result in socio-economic losses. As the frequency and magnitude of wind disturbances will likely increase in the future, improved disturbance management is needed. We here highlight the best practices and remaining challenges regarding the strategic, operational, economic and environmental dimensions of post-windthrow management in Europe. Our literature review underlined that post-disturbance management needs to be tailored to each individual situation, taking into account the type of forest, site conditions, available resources and respective legislations. The perspectives on windthrown timber differ throughout Europe, ranging from leaving trees on site to storing them in sophisticated wet storage facilities. Salvage logging is considered important in forests susceptible to bark beetle outbreaks, while no salvage logging is recommended in forests protecting against natural hazards. Remaining research gaps include questions of balancing between the positive and negative effects of salvage logging and integrating climate change considerations more explicitly in post-windthrow management.

Traceability and Management Method of Supply Chain Information Based on Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor network is an emerging technology with broad application prospects and will play an increasingly important role in many aspects of people’s production practices. This article is aimed at conducting research on supply chain information traceability and management methods from the perspective of wireless sensor networks. This paper uses simulation methods and comparative experiment methods. From the perspective of Spanner algorithm research, the wireless sensor network technology is researched, the explanation and simplification of Spanner algorithm in supply chain information traceability are designed, and the parameters are optimized while the algorithm is optimized. Performance analysis introduced the research on supply chain disturbance management and conducted the reliability analysis of the supply chain trust scale. The experimental results show that among the three dimensions of supply chain information sharing, the reliability coefficients of the two dimensions of information sharing content and information sharing quality are 0.803 and 0.825, respectively, which are both greater than 0.8, indicating that the reliability is very good. Cronbach’s coefficient in the information sharing level dimension is equal to 0.665, which is in an acceptable range, the CITC value of this dimension is all higher than 0.4, and the value of the deleted item is lower than 0.665, so all the items of the information sharing level will also be retained. The research of supply chain information traceability and management methods based on wireless sensor network is well completed.

Forest Regeneration Patterns Differ Considerably between Sites with and without Windthrow Wood Logging in the High Tatra Mountains

Our research focused on the impact of post-disturbance management on the subsequent forest stands in the territory of the High Tatra Mts. situated in the northern part of Slovakia. The field work was carried out within the post-disturbance area in 2019, i.e., 15 years after the windstorm. In total, we used data from 80 monitoring plots (MP): 40 plots situated inside the managed part and 40 in the unmanaged areas. Post-disturbance management specifically consisted of logging of wind-thrown wood; therefore, the main difference between the two areas (salvaged versus unsalvaged) was the amount of coarse woody debris (CWD) left on site. We focused on the characteristics of newly regenerated forest stands: the number of trees and tree species per MP, tree height and browsing (mostly by red deer, Cervus elaphus) were recorded as was their growth substrate, i.e., soil or CWD. Higher tree densities, larger trees as well as higher tree species richness were found at salvaged plots. In addition, more evident dominance of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L) Karst.) was recorded at unsalvaged plots. Common rowans (Sorbus aucuparia L.) were frequent at both plot types. Birch trees (Betula sp.) were very frequent at salvaged plots, while only a few birch individuals were recorded at unsalvaged ones. The proportion of trees growing on CWD was 15% at unsalvaged and 3% at salvaged plots. Trees growing on the soil contained nearly double the aboveground biomass than those on CWD. Red deer browsing was approximately two times more frequent at salvaged than unsalvaged plots. While rowan was extremely prone to browsing, spruce was damaged negligibly. These main findings could have two contradictory conclusions, the positive one being that differentiated post-disturbance management within a certain area can combine both forestry and nature conservation interests. Moreover, it can generate parallel forests with different properties that might positively influence the future stability of forest ecosystems as a whole. The negative side might be that contrasting post-disturbance management can cause an uneven distribution of red deer population and intensive browsing in areas favourable for game.

Dealing with resistance to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in production disturbance management

PurposeResistance is expected to emerge with the implementation and use of new technologies in production systems. This work focuses on identifying sources of resistance to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies when managing production disturbances and suitable managerial approaches to deal with them.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was chosen in this research. The authors conducted a literature review and a series of interviews. Thirty-one papers from the literature review were analysed, and 16 people from five different companies were interviewed.FindingsThe authors identified five different sources of resistance and three managerial approaches to dealing with them. The sources of resistance were based on (1) feelings of over-supervision, (2) unclear values, (3) feelings of inadequacy, (4) concerns about loss of power and jobs and (5) work overload. The three approaches to dealing with resistance are (1) communication, (2) participation and (3) training.Originality/valueThis work identifies the sources and strategies to deal with resistance to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in the management of production disturbances. The managerial literature in this area is limited, and to the authors's knowledge, the specific sources for resistance and strategies to deal with that in this topic have not been systematically investigated before.

Prioritisation of root cause analysis in production disturbance management

PurposeManufacturing companies struggle to manage production disturbances. One step of such management deals with prioritising those disturbances which should undergo root cause analysis. The focus of this work is on two areas. First, investigating current challenges faced by manufacturing companies when prioritising root cause analysis of production disturbances. Second, identifying the stakeholders and factors impacted by production disturbances. Understanding the current challenges and identifying impacted stakeholders and factors allows the development of more efficient prioritisation strategies and, thus, contributes to the reduction of frequency and impact of disturbances.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the intended purpose of this research, a qualitative approach was chosen. A series of interviews was conducted with practitioners, to identify current challenges. A series of focus groups was also held, to identify the impacted stakeholders and factors by disturbances.FindingsVarious challenges were identified. These are faced by manufacturing companies in their prioritisation of production disturbances and relate to the time needed, criteria used, centralisation of the process, perspective considered and data support. It was also found that a wide range of stakeholders is impacted by production disturbances, surpassing the limits of production and maintenance departments. Furthermore, the most critical factors impacted are quality, work environment, safety, time, company results, customer satisfaction, productivity, deliverability, resource utilisation, profit, process flow, plannability, machine health and reputation.Originality/valueThe current situation regarding root cause analysis prioritisation has not been identified in previous works. Moreover, there has been no prior systematic identification of the various stakeholders and factors impacted by production disturbances.

Rehabilitation post-COVID-19: cross-sectional observations using the Stanford Hall remote assessment tool

IntroductionThe multisystem COVID-19 can cause prolonged symptoms requiring rehabilitation. This study describes the creation of a remote COVID-19 rehabilitation assessment tool to allow timely triage, assessment and management. It hypotheses those with post-COVID-19 syndrome, potentially without laboratory confirmation and irrespective of initial disease severity, will have significant rehabilitation needs.MethodsCross-sectional study of consecutive patients referred by general practitioners (April–November 2020). Primary outcomes were presence/absence of anticipated sequelae. Binary logistic regression was used to test association between acute presentation and post-COVID-19 symptomatology.Results155 patients (n=127 men, n=28 women, median age 39 years, median 13 weeks post-illness) were assessed using the tool. Acute symptoms were most commonly shortness of breath (SOB) (74.2%), fever (73.5%), fatigue (70.3%) and cough (64.5%); and post-acutely, SOB (76.7%), fatigue (70.3%), cough (57.4%) and anxiety/mood disturbance (39.4%). Individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were 69% and 63% less likely to have anxiety/mood disturbance and pain, respectively, at 3 months.ConclusionsRehabilitation assessment should be offered to all patients suffering post-COVID-19 symptoms, not only those with laboratory confirmation and considered independently from acute illness severity. This tool offers a structure for a remote assessment. Post-COVID-19 programmes should include SOB, fatigue and mood disturbance management.

Development and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for Rhododendron Purdomii Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Rhododendron purdomii, an endangered ornamental species endemic to the Qinling Mountains, is an important component of montane ecosystem in central China. Due to the impact of climate change and human disturbance, management and conservation of this species are in urgent needs. In this study, we developed 13 novel microsatellite markers for R. purdomii based on next-generation sequencing data, and tested these markers’ utility in congeneric species R. concinnum. For the 13 microsatellite markers in three R. purdomii populations, number of alleles ranged from two to 12, number of effective alleles was from 1.000 to 8.892, Shannon’s information index was from 0.000 to 2.320, and the observed and expected heterozygosity were from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.000 to 0.888, respectively. Cross-species amplification for R. concinnum indicated eight microsatellite loci were successfully amplified and polymorphic. The microsatellite markers developed in this study will provide opportunities for examining the genetic diversity and population structure of R. purdomii and contribute to the effective conservation of this species.