The area of the tropical forests has been shrinking fast in the last decades and, moreover, considerable parts of the remaining natural forests are in a process of degradation, mainly due to overexploitation, intensified pasture farming and frequent
fires. This process of decline in large parts of the tropical forest belt concerns more and more the public and politicians in the industrialized countries as well as increasingly also in parts of the developing countries. - (L'A.).
the A. reviews published tropical rain-forest research that has focused on the time dimension from late 1992 until early 1994.
An appreciation of time on a variety of scales may help explain the complexity of tropical rain forests and provide a frame of reference to consider the consequences of anthropogenic deforestation and global climatic change on this biome. Here
Effect of fire on soil, rice, weeds and forest regrowth in a rain forest zone (Côte d'Ivoire)
Agricultural practice ; Agropedology ; Fire ; Forest ; Geochemistry ; Ivory Coast ; Rice ; Soil ; Soil properties
Forest, soil, rice, weeds and regrowth were studied in the fields off local farmers in permanent plots during 2-5 years. The fields covered all currently cultivated soil types and forest types. This study is concerned with the full shifting
The development of inventory activities in the field of forest damage assessment and monitoring during the last decade in Germany and the present state are recorded as far as remote sensing has been involved. Any forest inventory is influenced
The terrestrial monitoring of forests in the Czech Republic is based on the harmonized methodology of International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (UNEP/ECE) and consists of three parts
: (a) national network of permanent monitoring plots (16 x 16 km), (b) regional intensive monitoring (network 1 x 1 km in selected areas), (c) set of permanent research plots established for the purposes of forest inventory and management planning. - (L'A.).
Climate and atmospheric deposition studies in forests. International Conference
Applied ecology ; Atmospheric pollution ; Central Europe ; Climatic variability ; Congress ; Czech Republic ; Eastern Europe ; Ecosystem ; Environment ; Environmental management ; Forest ; Hungary ; International cooperation ; Lithuania
The different articles describe methods used in the United States and several Central and East European countries for monitoring forest health and dynamics of selected biological processes in forests. The first article gives a history
and perspectives of scientific cooperation between Poland and USA in research on effects of climatic changes and increasing levels of environmental pollution on forests ecosystems. The remaining articles are connected with forest monitoring, forest gradient studies
, forest pollution, special methods for forest monitoring. - (DG)
Biogeochemical and bioindication studies in the beech-pine forest catchment exposed to the moderate, but chronic industrial emissions in southern Poland are described. Balance of nutrients and pollutants are calculated, forest damage using plant
indicators is estimated. All data show that the forest in the Ratanica catchment is deteriorated.
We have characterised principles of geobotanical indication methods, that may be used as a tool in forest monitoring. Further, we have discussed the vegetation role as an indicator of present conditions and transformations of numerous elements
of the natural environment, (especially climate and soils) occuring under the influence of anthropogenic influences and natural mechanisms. A few examples of possible applications of geobotanical indication methods for analysing changes of forest phytocoenoses
Degradation of forest ecosystems became widespread throughout the Northern hemisphere in the 1970's. Research projects were developed to clarify the role of air pollution and changes in climatic conditions by using new monitoring methods. Based
on old traditions and a newborn international cooperative program, a complex monitoring and research project was developed in Hungary to better understand the rapid changes in the forest ecosystems. - (L'A.).
In the Swiss Alps near Lucerne, slope process and conditions of the forest above the Gotthard railway line are examined to determine the probability of landslides. - (DAG)
Africa ; Asia ; Biogeography ; Ecology ; Ecosystem ; Environmental conservation ; Forest ; Latin America ; Mountain ; South America ; Tropical zone
Collection of 27 papers devoted to the biogeography, ecology, hydrology, zoology and conservation of cloud forests in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia and New Guinea. Specific chapters on the montane forests in the Hawaiian islands, Samoa
Fire history and tree recruitment in an uncut New England forest
Biogeography ; Dating ; Dendrology ; Drought ; Fire ; Forest ; New England ; Pine ; United States of America
This paper describes the fire history of the Battell Research Forest (BRF), in Vermont, recorded by the age distributions of living and dead trees and by fire scars. The results illustrate a fire cycle that has controlled the recruitment
and mortality of most pine and probably most hemlock trees in this forest over the past 500 yr.
The results of IIASA (Austria) based on forest monitoring programmes indicate that nearly 80% of coniferous and 40% of deciduous forests in Europe suffer from air and soil pollution effects. Satellite observations show that in Central Europe
The paper begins with a discussion of concepts of sustainable resource management and the guiding principles of the Resource Assessment Commission. A description is given of the study area, its environment and forest resources. Sources of conflit
in resource management are identified. The paper explains how benefit-cost analysis techniques are applied to assess resource management options. The analysis is based on the Krutilla-Fisher model and contingent valuation of the forest resource.
Forest damage can be caused by three types of stress which exercise their influence by predisposing, causative and contributory factors. When using remote sensing data to monitor the development of forest damage it is necessary therefore not only
an inventory made of the actual condition of the forest of the Land of Brandenburg but also trends of damage progress shown.
Tracking ozone: air-mass trajectories and pollutant source regions influencing ozone in Pennsylvania forests
Air mass ; Atmospheric circulation ; Forest ; Ozone ; Pennsylvania ; Pollution ; Seasonal variability ; United States of America ; Weather type
This study identifies those geographic regions with the greatest potential influence on forest ozone concentrations via a climatological analysis of air-mass trajectories. In this analysis, observed meteorological data and a trajectory model