Globally, planted forests are increasing, providing increased resources to forest industries and ecosystem services (ES) to local and wider communities. However, assessment of the impacts of plantations on ES has been limited. Planted forests have expanded rapidly in Vietnam over the last 20 years, with much of the planting undertaken by smallholder growers using exotic Acacia and Eucalyptus species. This study aimed to test a framework to assess changes in four ES due to an increase in Acacia plantations from 2005–2015 in central Vietnam: carbon sequestration, sediment retention, water yield and habitat. Quantitative and qualitative indicators for each service were derived from the literature. Results showed that the area of planted forests in Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế Provinces increased from 130,930 hectares (ha) to 182,508 ha, mostly replacing non-forest areas (degraded lands, grasslands and agricultural lands) and poor forests. The framework demonstrated capacity to assess the effect of planted forests on wood flow, carbon stocks, sediment retention, streamflow and the extent of wildlife habitat. Apart from the wood supply and carbon sequestration, more research is required to translate biophysical indicators to benefit relevant indicators related to human welfare. The study also revealed that the area of rich forests decreased by 20% over the ten years, mostly through degradation to poorer quality natural forests. Therefore, at the landscape scale, improvement in ES due to conversion of non-forests to planted forests was offset by a reduction in some services as a result of degradation of native forest from rich to poorer condition. Assessment of changes in ES due to planted forests also needs to consider other landscape changes. These analyses can inform policymakers, forest owners and managers, environmental organizations and local communities of the benefits and impacts of planted forests and provide an improved basis for payments for ES and potential additional income for smallholder tree growers.

No abstract

BRILL) announces that at its Annual General Meeting of shareholders (AGM), held today, all proposals were approved.

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) is regarded as an appropriate model for understanding plant diversity-disturbance relationships in the boreal region. However, concern has been raised over its applicability across such a broad region, in particular, in low productive areas of the region such as the cold, dry region of the southwest Yukon. We examined plant richness and diversity in relation to the IDH in the context of both disturbance and productivity gradients. We then tested whether environmental variation and resource quantity interacted with development stage to shape richness patterns in the region. We found that richness and diversity did not conform to the IDH but that environmental variation and resource quantity influenced richness and diversity patterns. Overall richness and diversity patterns were not influenced by development stage though plant functional group patterns were. Richness patterns varied between plant functional groups suggesting that divergent processes shape inter functional group richness within the same stands. Our findings highlight the influence of multiple factors governing patterns of plant richness and diversity in the cold dry boreal forests of the southwest Yukon.

The southwestern region of the Yukon Territory of Canada has experienced an unprecedented spruce bark beetle outbreak (Dendroctonus rufipennis) and an increase in the frequency of forest fires that extend beyond historical trends and that have caused significant impacts on forest structure and composition. A Strategic Forest Management Plan (SFMP) for the Champagne and Aishihik Traditional Territory located in the southwest Yukon was implemented in 2004 in response to the spruce bark beetle (D. rufipennis) infestation and increased fire risk. The plan has recommended salvage harvesting of beetle-killed stands as a strategy to facilitate the development of a timber industry in the region and reduce the fire risk around communities. One of the objectives of the SFMP is to maintain, restore, or enhance forest regeneration, which requires an understanding of regeneration dynamics in the region. In this study, we investigated the regeneration of white spruce (Picea glauca), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), and balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) and the relationship with climatic, disturbance, and edaphic factors within the region. Multivariate canonical correlation analysis was used to assess the weighted relationship between regeneration presence/absence and environmental factors, and negative binomial regression analysis was used to model regeneration abundance of white spruce, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar. We found that although regeneration of all three species responded positively to disturbance, the broadleaved species occupied disturbed plots at higher ratios than white spruce. Regeneration of broadleaved species was higher in open sites with exposed aspects, indicating a preference for warmer sites with higher solar radiation inputs. These findings support the hypothesis that if fire increased in the region with the warmer climate predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, then the region will probably experience an increase in broadleaved species, leading to a more heterogeneous landscape.

Agro forestry is a land management system that integrates trees, agriculture crops, and animal farming in order to provide a diverse range of ecosystem services. Timor-Leste, the newest country and one of the least developed counties, has faced multidimensional challenges on land use management, including deforestation, land degradation, and poverty. The agroforestry system is recognized as one of the viable options for balancing the socio-economic needs and ecological functions of the lands in Timor-Leste. The system has been practiced traditionally by farmers in the country; however, the lack of knowledge and experience, limited institutional capacity, and lack of funding have impeded the wider implantation of the agroforestry system in Timor-Leste. The Strategic Development Plan of Timor-Leste has recommended sustainable agriculture and natural resources management in the rural areas of the country to generate income and create employment for the youths. The paper presents the initiatives, challenges, and opportunities of agroforestry application in Timor-Leste to support sustainable forest management and livelihood improvement. Learning from existing initiatives, capacity building, market access, and financial incentives could promote the agroforestry system in the country.

Rattan is one of the most important non-timber forest products mostly distributed and highly traded in Southeast Asia. Out of 600 species in the world, only 7 species occur in Nepal, but these play a significant role in the income generation of communities. However, rattan resource base has been depleted significantly due to overexploitation, immature harvesting and habitat destruction. This paper highlights a case study of community rattan management in the far western development Terai region of Nepal. The income of the community has been increased up to 30 times after the proper management of rattan. Since 1996 the community has earned about US$ 40 000 each year from the rattan sale and a number of community development activities has been carried out with the funds generated. This is an exemplary work to demonstrate how rattan management can bring positive changes on rural economy, natural resources and social capital.

No abstract