Rockfall hazard is assessed using Rockfor.net, which is one dimensional tool for assessing the protective function of forests against rockfall. Three sites where chosen to test the tool with different morphological and forest conditions. For each
site, it was evaluated how the boulder size and forest composition affects the probability of the rocks to surpass the forested slope. - (EN)
The forest of the Western Carpathians are important in protecting the soil and water resources of Slovakia and neighboring countries. Although the forest acreage has increased more than 10% during the last 40 years, the condition of the forests
(mainly mixed stands of spruce, fir, and beech) has deteriorated markedly. The main problems are drought and subsequent insect attack, soil acidification, and air pollution. A. discuss reclamation experiments in the municipal spruce forest of Nálepkovo
Dynamic analysis and evaluation of Xinjiang forest resources : based on RS and GIS
China ; Forest ; Geographical information system ; LANDSAT ; Natural resources ; Remote sensing ; Thematic Mapper ; Xinjiang
Based on GIS, related data obtained from satellite remote sensing in 1996 and 2001 were studied through contrastive analysis. Moreover, the dynamic variation of Xinjiang forest resources was studied in an all-around way. The analysis results showed
that the forest resources in Xinjiang were increasing on the whole, however, there remained some problems, such as the sparse natural forests, low forest cover rate, imbalanced wood age structure, and mono tree species composition.
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)
Use of 3D process-based model to determine forests protecting against rockfall - case study Kamniška Bistrica
Environmental management ; Forest ; Geographical information system ; Natural hazards ; Rockfall ; Slovenia ; Thematic mapping ; Vulnerability
This case study of the Kamniška Bistrica forest management unit presents a 3D process-based model for determining forests protecting against rockfall. The finished map of protective forests was compared with the map of the protective functions
of forests, made by the Slovenia Forest Service. Taking into consideration the entire forest area in the forest management unit, the maps match in 48% of cases. The differences appear predominantly in higher altitudes where the protective function map
Employment ; Environmental conservation ; Forest ; France ; Mountain ; Resource management ; Rhône-Alpes ; Savoie ; Wood industry
A case study undertaken by the European Observatory of Mountains Forests (EOMF) of how the forests in the alpine department of Savoy, France are used to provide sustainable employment. Municipal forests tend to be large and coniferous (Norway spruce
, silver fir, and Scots pine), private forests are tiny and broadleaf, and the state controls some forests on land subject to erosion. Although the area of forest has increased in recent years, employment in forestry activities has not followed the same
trend. Author call for greater cooperation among forest actors, greater recognition for wood workers in logging activities, and for greater promotion of the qualities of local wood. - (SLD)
Fire history of a ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forest in the Colorado front range
Biogeography ; Colorado ; Dating ; Fire ; Forest ; Forestry ; Mountain ; United States
The main objectives of this study are : 1) to characterize the fire regime of an area of montane forest in the Colorado Front Range; and 2) to compare the utility of the different methods of dating fires in these forests.
In this paper, the AA. synthesize the state-of-the-art in the use of VHSR remotely sensed imagery for forest inventory and monitoring. Based upon this review, they develop a framework for updating a sample-based, large-area forest inventory
that incorporates VHSR imagery. Using the information needs of the Canadian National Forest Inventory (NFI) for context, they demonstrate the potential capabilities of VHSR imagery in 4 phases of the forest inventory update process : stand delineation, automated
attribution, manual interpretation, and indirect attribute modelling. Although designed to support the information needs of the Canadian NFI, the framework presented herein could be adapted to support other sample-based, large-area forest monitoring
[b1] Canadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Center), Natural Resources, Victoria, Canada
Biogeography ; China ; Eighteenth Century ; Forest ; Historical geography ; Nineteenth Century ; Quantitative analysis ; Spatial statistics ; Twentieth Century ; Vegetation dynamics
Based on historical documents, modern survey and statistics, the trend and main process of forest dynamics are recognized. The forest area and forest coverage rates for each province of China from 1700 to 1949 are estimated backward by every 50
years. Linking the result with modern National Forest Inventory data, the spatial-temporal dynamics of Chinese forest in recent 300 years (AD 1700-1998) is quantitatively analyzed. The forest area in current territory of China has declined in total
Heterogeneity of forest characteristics in primary and secondary forest stands on the third Chickasaw loess bluff, Tennessee
Analysis of variance ; Biodiversity ; Biogeography ; Ecology ; Forest ; Habitat ; Loess ; Spatial variation ; Tennessee ; United States of America
In this study, the AA. hypothesized that primary and secondary forest stands in western Tennessee would exhibit different patterns of heterogeneity. They contrasted non-spatial and spatial components of heterogeneity for a mid-successional forest
(55 years old) and an adjacent primary forest, using both direct and indirect measures. The nonspatial components included : the vertical complexity of the forests with respect to tree sizes/layers, a measure of species diversity, and the statistical
This paper reviews how the opportunities provided by satellite remote sensing have been exploited for the collection of information pertaining to forest resources and, building on these experiences, prospects for the future are highlighted. The use
of remote sensing in forest resource assessment provides 3 levels of information : the spatial extent of forest cover which can be used to assess the spatial dynamics of forest cover; forest type; biophysical and biochemical properties of forests.
The forest fires in Indonesia 1997-98 : possible causes and pervasive consequences
Biodiversity ; Drought ; Ecosystem ; El Niño ; Forest ; Forest fire ; Health ; Human impact ; Impact ; Indonesia ; Monsoon ; Pollution ; Tropical rain forest
The recent (September 1997 to June 1998) forest fires in Indonesia represent an unprecedented ecological disaster. This article describes recent events, evaluates the possible natural and human causes of the fires, and surveys the possible
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.
Recently extensive decline in the quality of forests has been reported in Europe and North-America. The deterioriation of the forests has been associated with the atmospheric deposition of acidifying and eutrophying compounds. The general aim
of this thesis is to identify and clarify the spatial and temporal variability of this phenomenon. A detailed study was done in forest stands at the « Veluwe » in the central part of the Netherlands. A more general study was done at an European scale. - (AGD)
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.).
Analysis and ground-truthing of repeat photography over three decades reveal how the relative percentages of paramo, forest, and agricultural land have changed. Decline in the extent of natural vegetation has been reversed. Chusquea bamboo has
Study of effects of three chronobiosequences (forest-forest (BB), forest-meadow (BP), forest-culture-forest (BCB)) on soil chemical properties. After 70-80 years of forest stand, BCB still exhibits, in surface layer, traces of previous decades
Central African forest cover revisited : a multisatellite analysis
Africa ; Central Africa ; Central African Republic ; Congo ; Cultivated plants ; Forest ; Phytogeography ; Plant canopy ; Remote sensing ; Savanna ; Vegetation map
L'utilisation de plusieurs senseurs permettant d'identifier différents types de végétation (lowland rain forest, swamp forest, secondary formations, forest-savannah mosaic, plantations) aboutit à une carte synthétique couvrant le nord-ouest du Congo