Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Plantation management'

This thesis investigates the traditional knowledge of Banyankore (with référence to the Baganda) banana farmers in the village of Oruruko in the district of Bushenyi, Uganda. It explores the sociocultural, économie and political atmosphère and environment that thèse farmers dwell in and how the latter have an impact on their livelihood stratégies. Despite suffocating poverty, thèse people survive and prosper utilizing their own unique diverse knowledge of the banana plant. This thesis illustrâtes the multiple Banyankore cultural uses and beliefs of and about bananas, and how they and the banana plays a critical rôle in village society and the family. This work is also presented as a critique of development initiatives that undermine local Banyankore knowledge in favour of Western science as the only source of proper knowledge in orderthat greater poverty alleviation measures can be innovated. The Banyankore people, like ail other peoples, possess their own unique local knowledge that is highly specialized and critically important to their local area. Through this work, I have attempted to capture a glimpse of the wealth and importance of this knowledge banana farmers possess. Lastly, but most importantly, I have tried to understand and learn from Banyankore so that through my work, I would have the honour of telling at least a fragment of their story. Nevertheless, even after three years in Uganda, the more I learned, the less I learned I knew.

Wetlands on the extensively afforested Tsitsikamma Plateau are prone to fire and according to foresters, they behave as fire channels that under bergwind conditions rapidly carry fire into plantations. The destruction of plantations causes great economic loss and MTO would therefore prefer to afforest some smaller wetlands to limit the fire hazard. This study was carried out in the middle of a drought period and sought to determine the influence of fire, plantation management and the environment on wetlands and its component species. This study of palustrine wetlands on the Tsitsikamma Plateau identified five wetland vegetation communities, in which plant species richness was relatively low. Plant compositional structure of wetlands is influenced by wetland location, the height of the adjacent plantation and fire frequency. This study found a pronounced plant species turnover from west to east and soil coarseness increased along the same gradient. Re-sprouters dominated the wetland communities in the Tsitsikamma but a few populations of the obligate re-seeding ‘Near threatened’ Leucadendron conicum rely on fire for rejuvenation purposes. Regarding dragonflies in wetlands, abundance was found to be low, while species richness was relatively high considering the absence of surface water. The study found that fire indirectly influenced dragonfly abundance and species composition by altering vegetation structure. Dragonfly abundance and species richness was generally higher in wetlands with older vegetation (≥ 9 years). Further, most dragonflies frequenting the palustrine wetland habitats were females. Seeing that female dragonflies spend most of their time away from prime breeding habitats to escape male harassment, the study indicated these wetlands as important refuge habitats for them. Dragonfly abundance is expected to increase once the drought ends; however, the overall patterns observed are likely to remain unchanged under wetter conditions. Narrow wetlands (< 10 m) are few on the plateau and it is not advisable to sacrifice wider wetlands in the Tsitsikamma. Further, with regards to ecological processes and wetlands’ influence on the surrounding Tsitsikamma matrix, more research is needed before wetlands may be sacrificed. To deal with the fire risk the Tsitsikamma environment poses to plantations, it is strongly recommended to establish and maintain a cleared buffer area between plantations and wetlands. Further, for vegetation rejuvenation purposes, it is important to burn wetlands at irregular intervals but not more frequently than every nine years and not less frequently than every 25-30 years.

Capercaillie numbers in Scotland are declining rapidly and it is accepted that improved habitat management would make a key contribution to any future recovery. In order to do this, managers of commercial forests need to consider the trade-offs between timber production and improved habitat for capercaillie. This research involves the development of a decision tool that uses optimisation methods to systematically investigate this issue. A model that links forest sub-compartment (management unit) characteristics to capercaillie habitat suitability was constructed. Eleven experts evaluated 32 images representing pre-defined forest habitat types. These habitat types were derived using only data available from Forest Enterprise forest inventories and yield models, therefore, they may be predicted directly for any similarly inventoried forest. The Delphi process allowed the experts to reach a consensus regarding the area dependent habitat suitability functions for each habitat type. Following a field validation of the model, the functions were incorporated in a GIS based forest inventory. This allows capercaillie habitat suitability to be calculated for each sub-compartment in a forest. A spreadsheet model was then developed to calculate the timber volume per hectare for possible alternative silvicultural regimes for each sub-compartment. A linear programme then selects the harvesting options for each sub-compartment that return the highest possible score for the forest, five years post management, whilst still meeting specified timer output requirements for the current five year planning period. Two forests representing a conservation forest (Glenmore) and a commercial forest (Inshriach) were selected for case studies. When applied to a range of management scenarios, the model dramatically enhanced habitat suitability whilst allowing timber output targets to be achieved. Various output data, including names of practical use to forest managers are presented.

This thesis establishes a guideline for the future preservation, management and interpretation of Brownsville Plantation. Brownsville Plantation is located in Northampton County on Virginia's lower Eastern Shore. Brownsville's original 1262 acre parcel of land was first patented in 1652 by English Quakers, John and Ursula Browne. At the time of this research (July, 1995 to March, 1996) the property was held in ownership by The Nature Conservancy's Virginia Coast Reserve.

The passing of significant evidence of our history to future generations, provides us with the unique opportunity to both examine and interpret our shared cultural resources. Brownsville's significance lies in the intricate weaving of the natural fabric of the site with the human cultural activities which have historically been exhibited there. The property's significance cannot be quantified as only land or only building(s), instead it is the epic of a place in which each component is inseparable from the entirety of its history.

The methodology implemented in developing this thesis includes four separate but interconnected phases of work. Each phase is founded in linking traces of human activity, as physical representations of the property's cultural heritage, and endeavors to recognize the present and future of Brownsville by acknowledging the past. The phases are: Historical Research; Inventory & Documentation; Site Analysis & Evaluation; and Treatment Selection & Recommendations. Each places the site within an historic and current context while determining stewardship strategies and priorities based on the property's retained overall integrity. As a comprehensive plan of action, this work is envisioned as an interim step in the continuum which forms the property's history. It is intended as a tool which assists in the management of change, while providing clear attitudes for future exploration and ongoing research at Brownsville Plantation.
Master of Science

Aspects of the ecology of black grouse (Tetrao Tetrix), a species of international conservation concern, in commercial plantation forests were investigated between 1996 - 1998 at three study areas in Scotland. The aim was to identify the species' habitat and area requirements in first and second rotation forestry. The distribution of males was assessed using lek surveys and studied at two spatial scales in the mixed rotation forest landscape of Cowal, Argyll and at two spatial and temporal scales in highland Perthshire - a less afforested region. In addition, a radio-tracking study was undertaken to examine the habitat selection of broods in two first rotation plantations in north Perthshire. Pre-thicket forestry formed a preferred habitat but, in terms of lek distribution, black grouse did not differentiate between first and second rotation pre-thicket habitat patches. Patch size, the total amount of forestry in the area, the proportion that was pre-thicket stock and its level of fragmentation, however, were all correlated with the probability of a location holding a lek and the number of males attending it. Lek isolation reduced the number of males in attendance and increased the likelihood of the lek declining over time. Brood habitat preferences differed from those of adult birds. Broods selected habitats that were 'open' enough to support a rich ground flora and presumably an adequate invertebrate fauna but also 'closed' enough to provide cover, representing a compromise between foraging potential and predation risk. Brood roost sites differed by having shorter trees but a higher degree of cover 1-1.5 metres above the ground. Results from the different study areas and age classes are compared and contrasted and the implications of the research findings for 'black grouse friendly' forestry management are discussed. Finally, suggestions for further work are made.

As the human population in Florida continues to expand, development follows, and tree farms give way to homes and businesses. As parks are established, restoration of these semi-natural plantations may provide critical habitat for species conservation. This study evaluates vegetation response to restoration treatments at two study sites, formerly tree farms, now preserves in NE Florida. Treatments included thinning, clearing, or control (no treatment) within 10m^2 plots. Thinning reduced tree canopy to 20% (2-3 pines/plot) and removed all other vegetation; clearing treatments removed all biomass to bare soil; no herbicides were used. Within these plots richness and abundance was assessed by establishing two parallel transects and counting ramets on a bi-annual basis. Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) was also measured (cm). It was hypothesized that release of resources (thinning and clearing) would increase overall diversity (more so in graminoids and forbs), and encourage more robust tree growth versus control groups. Diversity ANOVA (Simpons & Shannon indices) showed significant differences due to survey date (p< 0.05) at the McGirts Creek site and a significant (p= 0.056) effect for the interaction term at the Tigers Point site. Tree dbh also increased at a significantly greater rate in thinned, versus control groups at the Tigers Point site (p= 0.03) perhaps due to higher initial tree density, but not at the McGirts Creek site (p= 0.85). Placing species into guilds revealed both sites reflected high levels of graminoids in cleared plots, which is consistent with early successional species (pioneer plants). McGirts followed hypothesis as forbs and graminoids were dominant in both thinned and cleared plots and the Tigers Point site had higher levels of vines and shrubs than expected. Restoration goals of increasing vegetative diversity, especially in r-selected species, and robust growth can be met by techniques used in this study.

The exotic Pinus plantations of southeast Queensland occupy approximately 130 000 ha and are prominent in catchments which drain to estuarine and marine waters that are economically, socially, and environmentally important. Recently, the deterioration of estuarine and marine water quality has raised concerns about the possible off-site impacts from the intensive management of the Pinus estate in southeast Queensland. Additionally, forest managers have raised questions over the effects of the currently adopted management practices on soil, water, and nutrient resources within plantations. A paucity of information regarding the impacts of these plantations in the humid sub-tropics of southeast Queensland initiated the research presented here. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the influence specific Pinus management techniques (harvesting, site-preparation, prescribed burning and forest roads) have on runoff generation; (ii) quantify fluxes of some nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron (Fe)) and suspended solids (SS) in runoff from these management treatments; and, (iii) assess the overall effectiveness of the currently adopted Best Management Practices (BMP's) in protecting on-site soil, water and nutrient resources, as well as protecting off-site waters from pollution. The study site was located in an intensively managed sub-catchment within the Beerburrum State Forest Pinus plantation on the coastal plain of the Pumicestone region, southeast Queensland. This study was established in October 2001 and consisted of a 141 ha catchment based investigation into water quality and hydrology, which received a 50 ha harvest treatment in February and March 2002. Water was monitored for two water years (October 2001 - September 2003), and incorporated site-preparation and the establishment of the subsequent rotation. The influence of a forest road stream crossing was also monitored in this component of the investigation. Two discrete forest road plots were monitored for the same period to measure the response of runoff, nutrient and sediment fluxes to different road surface materials (gravelled and ungravelled), road maintenance and traffic intensity. Rainfall simulation was used on small plots covering specific management treatments (clearfall harvest, cultivation, fertilised cultivation, prescribed fire and established trees) within the general plantation area to determine their influence on water, sediment and nutrient fluxes. The investigation in the catchment receiving inter-rotation management revealed that that there was very little difference in water quality indices up and downstream of the forest road stream crossing, which suggests that road borne runoff contributed only minor amounts of N, P, Fe and SS to the stream. Perched groundwater quality within the general plantation area was similar to that observed in the adjacent stream. Water quality monitoring within the Coochin-Mellum and Coonowrin Creek catchments showed that the mean annual concentrations of N and P in surface waters were highest from catchments hosting agriculture and residential areas, respectively. Mean annual DOC and Fe concentrations were highest from the catchment hosting native Wallum vegetation. The mean annual concentration of SS was highest from an unmanaged native forest catchment. The rainfall simulation on specific management treatments revealed that mean losses of N and P from unfertilised and unburnt treatments were comparable to loads reported from catchment scale studies in the Pinus plantations of south-east Queensland. Mean SS loads from all treatments were considerably higher than stream loads reported in the literature from catchment scale investigations, and suggest that the currently adopted mitigation practices between the general plantation area and streams are effective in promoting the deposition of entrained solids. The investigation into gravelled and ungravelled forest roads revealed that the mean runoff coefficient (runoff depth / rainfall depth) was consistently higher from the gravelled road plot with 0.57, as compared to the ungravelled road with 0.38. Total sediment loss over the two year period was greatest from the gravelled road plot. Suspended solids contributed 86% of the total sediment loss from the gravelled road and 72% from the ungravelled road over the two years. When road and drain maintenance (grading) was performed runoff and sediment loss was increased from both road types. It should be noted that the results presented herein were based on only two water years, and both years experienced below average rainfall. As such it is important that future research in a catchment prone to waterlogging be conducted over a longer term so as to increase the chance of quantifying water, nutrient and sediment fluxes in response to average and above average rainfall years. It is likely that in above average rainfall years the results for nutrient and sediment fluxes from the general plantation area would be significantly different as runoff would be more readily generated and sustained for longer periods. Overall, the research presented suggests that the management of an exotic Pinus plantation during the inter-rotation period results in relatively low fluxes of N, P, SS Fe and DOC in stream water and vindicates the use of the current practices in protecting on-site water, soil and nutrient resources.

Forests have the ability to alleviate the impact of global warming through carbon sequestration. Six forest management scenarios for a 27,000 acre study area are modeled to determine the impact of forest management on carbon sequestration. Forest management determines annual harvested volume and end-use disposition category of wood products, and inventory volume. Shorter rotations tend to produce short-lived wood products, while longer rotations produce long-lived wood products. Thinning removes pulpwood, which increases the average diameter of the stand and increases the proportion of sawtimber products. Changing forest management complicates accounting for changes in future C storage. Understanding the distinction between pre- and post-regulation harvest volume and C storage is essential to understand the effects of forest regulation. Plotting harvested volume and C storage volume over time shows distinctive pre- and post-regulation characteristics. The pre-regulation curves exhibit irregularities and varying thinned volume due to the uneven area in the existing age classes. Post-regulation curves are level because a constant area is annually thinned and clearcut. Carbon storage is the amount of C that is sequestered into a C pool, which for the purposes of this study is either inventory volume or residual wood product volume. Converting volume flows to C storage involves tracking the accumulation of wood products and standing volume over time then converting volume to a measure of C. Once the forest is regulated, C stored in the inventory pool remains constant from year to year, while the C stored in wood products continually increases. Longer rotations store more carbon than shorter rotations because they have larger inventory pools. Wood products are a substantial carbon pool: at the end of 50 years; the ratio of incremental C in the wood products carbon pool to incremental C in the inventory pool ranges from 6 to 122 for the modeled scenarios. Three accounting periods are evaluated to examine the importance of C sequestration timing to determine if a market for C can influence forest management. Long rotations meet the objectives of maximizing C sequestration and NPV for the modeled regimes regardless of the accounting period considered, or if the forest is regulated or un-regulated. Model sensitivity to decomposition rate, discount rate and timber prices is assessed to determine the effects of uncertainty (measurement error and future trends) on the results of the model. Short rotations are most sensitive to decomposition assumptions and stumpage prices because they produce a large amount of fast-decaying wood products. Long rotations are most affected by discount rate. Carbon storage of all scenarios increases substantially when the pulpwood decomposition rate equals the sawtimber decomposition rate to reflect a potential future increase in composite lumber production.
Master of Science

Tigers (Panthera tigris Linnaeus, 1758) are in danger of extinction. Their populations have declined from ~100,000 to only ~3,000 individuals in a century and their habitat has shrunk to less than 7% of the historic range. Of the five extant tiger subspecies, the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae Pocock, 1929) is the most seriously threatened. Currently determined as Critically Endangered under IUCN criteria, the Sumatran tiger is likely to become extinct unless effective conservation measures are enacted. Threats to the tiger include habitat destruction, killing due to conflict with humans and livestock, and poaching for illegal wildlife trade. Long-term survival of Sumatran tigers depends largely on the effectiveness of current conservation efforts in every tiger landscape. Successful conservation and management require accurate information on ecology of the species upon which decisions can be based. This study investigated basic ecological aspects of tigers and developed strategies for management and restoration to improve tiger viability in the Central Sumatra landscape. This landscape is comprised of natural forests and plantations managed for timber and agricultural commodities. The first chapter assesses the variation in tiger abundance across forest types in Southern Riau, and over time in Tesso Nilo National Park, all in Central Sumatra. Using camera traps, my team and I systematically sampled five blocks representing three major forest types in the region: peat land, flat lowland, and hilly lowland. I found that tiger abundance varied by forest type and through time. Excluding two sampling blocks where no tigers were photographed, the lowest tiger density was in peat land forest of Kerumutan, and the highest density was in the flat lowland forest of Tesso Nilo. Repeated sampling in the newly established Tesso Nilo National Park documented a trend of increasing tiger density (SE) from 0.90 (0.38) individuals/100 km2 in 2005 to 1.70 (0.66) individuals/100 km2 in 2008. Overall, tiger densities from this study were lower than most previous estimates from other parts of Sumatra. The trend of increasing tiger density in Tesso Nilo, however, suggests that the tiger population could be augmented by protection of habitats that were previously logged and severely disturbed. The second chapter examines the occupancy and habitat-use of the tiger across the major landcover types (natural forest, acacia plantation, oilpalm plantation, rubber plantation, and mixed agriculture). I found that tigers used some plantation areas, although they significantly preferred forests over plantations. In all landcover types, sites with tiger detections had thicker understory cover than sites without tiger detection. Modeling tiger occupancy while recognizing that probability of detection is not always perfect, I found that tiger occupancy covaried positively and significantly with altitude and negatively, but not significantly, with distance-to-forest-cores. Probability of habitat use by tigers covaried positively and significantly with understory cover and altitude, and negatively and significantly with human settlement and landcover rank. The results suggested that with adjustments in plantation management, tigers could use or roam through plantations within the habitat mosaic provided that the plantations had adequate understory cover and low level of human activity. They also could use riparian forests (as corridors) and smaller forest patches (as stepping stones) to travel between the main habitat patches across the forest and plantation landscape. The third chapter investigates the ecological characteristics and possible inter-specific interactions among wild felids, including tigers and smaller cats, based on data collected using systematic camera trapping in combination with information on their natural history. I found that despite overlap in resource needs of the five felid species, each appears adapted to specific environmental conditions allowing coexistence with other felids. The five felid species used statistically different elevations, with the golden cat found to inhabit the highest elevation. Two-species occupancy models showed that only leopard cats were found to co-occur with other felid species more frequently than expected by chance under independence. Species of similar size or eating similar-sized prey generally tended to have low coefficients of temporal activity overlap, suggesting avoidance. Temporal avoidance is likely occurring in three pairs of felids, namely clouded leopards and golden cats, clouded leopards and marbled cats, and marbled cats and leopard cats. Based on the differences in morphological and ecological characteristics, and on patterns of spatial and temporal occurrence, I identified six possible mechanisms by which felids in Central Sumatra maintain coexistence. I discussed the implications of this study for management, focusing on how to balance diversity and abundance of felids. The fourth chapter presents the tiger distribution models as a case study to illustrate the importance of accounting for uncertainty in species distribution mapping. I applied four modeling approaches, differing in how the response variable (tiger presence) is constructed and used in the models. I compared the performance and output of different models based on the relative importance of variables, descriptive statistics of the predictions, cross comparison between models using an error matrix, and validation using tiger presence data collected from independent surveys. All models consistently identified forest area within the grid as one of the most important variables explaining tiger probability of occurrence. Three models identified altitude as another important factor. While the four models were consistent in predicting relatively high probability of tiger occurrence for high elevation forest areas such as Rimbang Baling and Bukit Tigapuluh, they generally had a lower level of agreement in predictions for low elevation areas, particularly the peat land in the northeastern part of the study area. Based on the results of cross evaluation of the predictions among models and validation with the independent data, I considered the occupancy model to be superior to the others. If data collection format permits, I advocate the use of occupancy instead of the other modeling techniques to develop predictive species distribution maps. The last chapter constructs a strategy to restore the tiger population across the ecosystem of Central Sumatra through integration of knowledge on tiger ecology from previous chapters with consideration of the ecological conditions of the landscape in the region. The strategy combines existing knowledge of tiger conservation and regional ecosystem restoration. It recognizes the limitations and challenges of traditional nature protection and considers existing and new opportunities. Emerging opportunities and new mechanisms, such as direct and indirect economic incentives for nature conservation and restoration, are taken into account. These, coupled with increased awareness of the stakeholders, better policies and implementation of good governance, and the willingness and know-how to maintain coexistence with wildlife among the local people, are expected to support and accelerate the recovery of tigers and their ecosystem.
Ph. D.

Thesis (MPhil (Industrial Psychology. Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study sought to establish the level of knowledge of people on the medical benefits of male circumcision, especially the protective effect against HIV, with the aim of gathering baseline information on the subject for future health promotion programmes. A cross-section survey was conducted at Border Timbers Limited forest management units with 220 respondents that were conveniently selected into the study, and of these 49% were males and the reminder females. The data were collected using two questionnaires; one for females and the other for males. The data was analyzed using an Epi Info programme. The findings showed that, there was little knowledge on the benefits of male circumcision as they scored an average score of three out of eight, and 66% scored less than 50%. Striking was that that females were more knowledgeable than their male counterparts. Less than 20% knew of the protective effect of male circumcision against HIV. Fifty eight percent of the respondents had negative perceptions of the procedure, and 55% of the respondents were of the opinion that, male circumcision should be stopped with as little as twenty percent of the uncircumcised men willing to be circumcised. Under a third of the total respondents (26.7%) expressed their willingness to circumcise their male children. Medically conducted circumcision was preferred by 95% of the respondents over traditionally conducted circumcision. Based on the above; the study concluded that, raising people's knowledge on benefits of male circumcision would help in changing people's perceptions and increase the acceptability of the procedure. It is recommended that the government together with the private sector urgently need to carry awareness campaigns to raise workplace on how male circumcision can reduce chances of getting HIV. Furthermore, traditional circumcision practice should be encouraged and the practitioners trained to carry the procedure in a safe way. Further studies are recommended to assess the impact of stigma on the already circumcised in order to effectively plan and overcome societal barriers for the recommended strategies to make an impact.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie poog om die vlak van kennis van mense rakende die mediese voordele van manlike besnyding te vestig, veral die voorkomende effek teen MIV met die doel om basislyn inligting oor die onderwerp van toekomstige gesondheidsbevoordelings programme te bevorder. 'n Proefopname is uitgevoer by die Border Timbers Beperk bosbestuur eenhede met 220 respondente wat gerieflik gekies is, waarvan 49% mans en die res vroue is. Data is ingesamel met behulp van twee vraelyste vir vrouens en mans onderskeidelik. Die data was ontleed deur gebruik te maak van die Epi Info program. Die bevindinge het getoon dat daar min kennis oor die voordele van manlike besnyding is, aangesien 'n gemiddelde telling van drie uit agt behaal is en 66% respondente het minder as 50% behaal. Wat opvallend was, is dat vroue meer kennis as hul manlike eweknieë oor die onderwerp gehad het. Minder as 20% het geweet van die beskermende effek van manlike besnyding teen MIV. Agt en vyftig persent van die respondente het negatiewe persepsies oor die proses en 55% van die respondente was van mening dat manlike besnyding gestop moet word en so min as twintig persent van die onbesnyde mans is bereid om besny te word. Minder as 'n derde van die totale respondente (26,7%) was bereid om hul manlike kinders te besny. Medies uitgevoerde besnyding was verkies deur 95% van die respondente teenoor tradisionele besnyding. Gegrond op bogenoemde, het hierdie studie bevind dat die verhoging van mense se kennis oor die voordele van manlike besnyding sal help om mense se persepsies asook die verhoging van aanvaarbaarheid van die proses te verander. Daar word aanbeveel dat die regering, tesame met die privaatsektor dringend bewusmakingsveldtogte moet uitvoer om die werksplek op te voed oor hoe manlike besnyding die kanse om MIV te verminder. Verder moet tradisionele besnydingspraktyke aangemoedig word en praktisyne moet opgelei word om die prosedure op „n veilige manier uit te voer. Verdere studies word aanbeveel om die impak van stigma op die reeds besnydes te assesseer om doeltreffend te beplan en om maatskaplike hindernisse te oorkom vir die aanbevole strategieë om 'n impak te maak.

Biosolids, materials resulting from domestic sewage treatment, are surface applied to forest soils to increase nutrient availability. Retaining streamside management zones (SMZs) can limit nutrient pollution of streams. We delineated 15 m SMZs along three intermittent streams in an 18-year-old Pinus taeda L. plantation. We applied biosolids outside the SMZ on one side of each of the streams maintaining the other side of the stream as control. We collected water samples from the three treated and six reference streams as well as from the perennial stream both upstream and downstream from the intermittent streams for 12 months following treatment. Along transects perpendicular to the treated streams, we collected overland flow samples, soil solution samples at 60 cm and extracts from ion exchange membranes (IEMs) placed in the surface soil. We found elevated nitrate concentrations outside the SMZ in the treated side soil solution samples, in which concentrations remained below 1.5 mg L-1. Nutrient concentrations outside the SMZ in treated side IEM extracts increased following biosolids application, returning to near control levels after one year. Nutrient concentrations in IEM extracts were not elevated adjacent to the streams. We observed elevated phosphorus concentrations adjacent to the stream in overland flow during one period on the treated side of the stream. Stream nutrient concentrations showed few differences downstream from the treatment with concentrations below 1.5 mg L-1. Our results indicate that a 15 m SMZ protected streams from nutrient pollution for the first year following biosolids application to adjacent forestlands.
Master of Science

The establishment of intensively managed woody energy crops on reclaimed surface mine lands provides an opportunity to diversify domestic biomass sources, while increasing the productivity and economic value of underutilized land. Our objective is to test the effect of fertilization and irrigation on the growth, survival, biomass accumulation, biomass allocation, leaf area, and nutrient dynamics of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) planted on a reclaimed surface mine. In 2008, replicated plantings of sycamore and black locust were established on the Big Elk mine in eastern Kentucky. Treatments tested include annual granular fertilizer applications of 37 kg N, 30 kg P, and 16 kg K ha-1, irrigation, irrigation + fertilization, and control. Following two growing seasons, American sycamore exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) greater height, diameter, leaf area, and stem biomass in fertilizer treatment compared to all other species and treatment combinations. Treatments had no affect on survival, but American sycamore exhibited significantly higher survival than black locust. Poor locust survival and growth were likely attributed to excessive ungulate browsing. Our findings indicate that fertilizer applications at young plantations on reclaimed mines in Appalachia increases tree height, diameter, and biomass accumulation.

Ghana has experienced a remarkable degradation and depletion of its forest resources over the last 100 years. This process has undermined the socio-economic and socio-cultural importance of the forests for millions of rural people who depend on the resource to support their livelihood. Many rural households have over the past three decades developed strategies to minimize the effects of forest depletion on their livelihood. The establishment of smallholder forest plantation on agricultural land has emerged as an important form of land-use for households to diversify their sources of income and also improve their socio-economic well-being. The main objective of the study was to identify and analyze the endogenous and exogenous factors inducing farm household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation and to analyze its financial contribution to household’s income and livelihood strategies. The study involved a survey of 280 randomly selected farm households from five communities in the Offinso district in Ghana. The multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select as many as 165 households with farm forest plantation as well as 115 without farm forest plantation. A mixture of tools including semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, wealth ranking, forest inventory and market surveys were used to collect the required data. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that the age of the household head, the number of years of education of the household head, the amount of household labor, the size of household landholding, the ownership of permanent land, the availability of non-agricultural land and household’s participation in past forest plantation development projects are the most important endogenous factors influencing the farm household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation. On the other hand, exogenous factors such as the availability of market and buyers for farm forest products and farm household’s satisfaction with market prices for farm forest products positively influenced the household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation. Prohibitive rules and regulations relating to the harvesting of trees and transportation of timber from private lands and uncertainty in tree tenure as a result of ambiguous policy framework, however, negatively influenced the decision to establish smallholder forest plantation on their agricultural land. The results from household income portfolio analysis show that cash income from selling farm forest products contributed an average of $273.6 to total household’s income in one agricultural season. This amount accounted for 17.6% of total household’s income and represented the second most important source of income after agriculture. The profitability of different land-uses practiced by the households was analyzed using a conventional economic method (Net Present Value). The results from a comparative financial analysis show that the establishment of teak plantation on agricultural land inter-cropped with food crops is the most profitable form of land use for the households compared to pure teak plantation and maize-plantain cultivation. The results of the study underscore the potential contribution of smallholder farm forest plantation to increase the overall household’s income and thereby improve household’s well-being
Ghana hat während der letzten 100 Jahre eine bemerkenswerte Degradation und Verminderung seines Waldvorkommens erlebt. Dieser Prozess hat die sozio-ökonomische und sozial-kulturelle Bedeutung des Waldes als Einkommensquelle zur Unterstützung des Lebensunterhalts für Millionen ländlicher Einwohner geschwächt. Während der letzen 30 Jahre haben viele Kleinbauern Haushalte Strategien entwickelt um den Effekt, den die Verminderung des Waldvorkommens auf ihren Lebensunterhalt hat, zu minimieren. Die Anlage kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Ackerland hat sich dabei als wichtige Form der Landnutzung erwiesen, da sie eine Einkommensquelle zusätzlich zu den vorhandenen bedeuten. Sie haben das Potential, die sozio-ökonomiche Situation der Bevölkerung zu verbessern. Ziel der Studie war die Identifizierung von internen und externen Faktoren, die bedeutend zur Entscheidung von Haushalten über die Errichtung kleinflächiger Forstplantagen beitragen. Desweiteren sollten der finanzielle Beitrag der Forstplantagen zum Einkommen und zu Strategien der Kleinbauern analysiert werden. Für die Sudie werden Datensätze von 280 zufällig ausgewählten landwirtschaftlichen Haushalten aus fünf Gemeinden im Offinso Distrikt in Ghana erfasst. Die mehrstufig aufgebaute zufällige Auswahltechnik wurde benutzt, um die 165 Haushalte mit Forstplantagen und 115 Haushalten ohne Forstplantagen für die Studie auszuwählen. Mehrere Instrumente, wurden genutzt um die benötigten Daten zu sammeln darunter vor allem semi-strukturierte Befragungen, fokusierte Gruppendiskussionen, Wohlstandsranking der Haushalte und eine Forstinventur. Ergebnisse einer logistischen Regressionsanalyse ergaben, dass das Alter des Haushaltsvorstands, die Anzahl der Ausbildungsjahre des Haushaltsvorstands, die Anzahl der im Haushalt vorhandenen Arbeitskräfte, die Größe des dem Haushalt zur Verfügung stehenden Ackerlandes, das Eigentum an Ackerland, verfügbare nicht-landwirtschaftlich nutzbare Flächen und die Teilnahme der Haushalte an Projekten zur Forstplantagenentwicklung die wichtigsten internen Faktoren für die Entscheidung der Kleinbauern zur Errichtung von kleinflächiger Forstpantagen darstellen. Andererseits beeinflussten externe Faktoren wie das Vorhandensein von Markt und Käufern für Produkte der Forstplantagen und die Zufriedenheit der Haushalte mit den gebotenen Marktpreisen für diese Produkte die Entscheidung der Kleinbauern zur Errichtung von Forstplantagen positiv. Demgegenüber beeinflussten Verbote und einschränkende Regelungen zur Ernte und zum Transport von Bäumen auf Privatland und die Unsicherheit bezüglich des Eigentums an den Bäumen als Ergebniss unklarer politischer Vorgaben die Entscheidung zur Errichtung von kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Ackerland negativ. Das Ergebniss der Analyse verschiedene Haushaltseinkommensquellen zeigt, dass das Jahreseinkommen der Haushalte mit Forstplantagen höher ist als das der Haushalte ohne Forstplantagen. Der Beitrag zum Jahreseinkommen aus dem Verkauf von Produkten der kleinflächiger Forstplantagen betrug im Durchschnitt 273,6 USD in einer landwirtschaftlichen Saison. Dies entsprach 17,6 % des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens und stellte somit die zweitwichtigste Einkommensquelle nach der Landwirtschaft dar. Die Rentabilität der verschiedenen Landnutzungsarten wurde mit der Kapitalwertmethode (Net Present Value) ermittelt. Diese vergleichende Analyse zeigte, dass kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Agrarland bei gleichzeitigem Anbau von Nahrungsmittel die profitabelste Art der Landnutzung für die Haushalte im Vergeich zu ausschließlichem Teakanbau und zum Anbau von Mais mit Kochbanane ist. Die Ergebnisse der Studie unterstreichen das Potential kleinflächiger Forstplantagen, einen Beitrag zur Steigerung des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens und zur Verbesserung des Lebensstandards der Haushalte leisten zu können

Plantations are widespread throughout temperate regions, and the area of plantation land cover is predicted to get larger in the future. Interest in ensuring sustainable plantation management is also growing, as it is increasingly recognised that productive areas should play a role in biodiversity conservation. Plantation landscapes can comprise the majority of forested cover in some countries, but taxon-specific guidance can be lacking, due to plantations often being under surveyed. Therefore, despite substantial incentives existing to ensure that plantations meet various ecological criteria, plantation managers lack the information necessary to implement effective management plans. Many bat species have undergone widespread declines in recent decades, attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly of forested habitat. In many temperate countries, historical deforestation has resulted in very low native tree cover, and subsequently, considerable replanting with non-native commercial coniferous plantations has taken place. Species specific habitat surveys have often demonstrated avoidance of conifer plantations by bats, which has been attributed to a lack of roosts and low invertebrate prey abundance. Furthermore, widespread lepidopteran declines have been partly attributed to afforestation with non-native conifer, but moth associations with commercial coniferous plantations are usually only studied for pest species. Bats present a particular challenge in plantation landscapes; tree cover is important to many species to a greater or lesser extent, and in the United Kingdom, destruction of a roost site is illegal, regardless of whether it was deliberate or accidental. However, the extent to which bats associate with non-native commercial plantations is relatively unexplored. This is the first study to explicitly test bat associations with Picea sitchensis plantations (using acoustic detectors, trapping and radio tracking), and shows that, contrary to expectations, they may be an important habitat for breeding populations of Pipistrellus spp., particularly P. pygmaeus. High levels of activity were recorded for both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus, despite little difference in dipteran abundance between different stand types, both species preferentially foraged in felled or less dense stands. This suggests that bats preferentially forage in areas with less acoustic and physical clutter, which will increase foraging efficiency. The impacts of felling in non-native commercial coniferous plantations on foraging activity was tested, for the first time, using a Before – After – Control – Impact experimental design. Bat activity (specifically P. pipistrellus and Nyctalus) increased after felling, particularly in smaller stands. In contrast felling had significant, negative impacts on moth abundance, species richness and diversity, and these effects remain after constraining for functional trait similarity. Reductions in richness and diversity in response to felling were similarly large for both rare and abundant species. Therefore, while bats may benefit from clear fell practices, albeit as long as the size of patches is small, moth populations could benefit from a shift towards other forestry methods, iv such as continuous cover forestry. These results also have implications for the recent, but increasing practice of siting wind turbines in commercial coniferous plantations, as pre-installation preparation involves clearing small patches of forest which may attract foraging bats; post felling monitoring should be carried out to examine potential impacts on bat populations. The presence of broadleaf trees in and around plantations significantly increased moth richness, mostly through increased occurrence of rare species. Broadleaf woodlands (defined as land spanning more than 0.5 ha, with trees higher than 5m and a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees above 10%), also had higher functional redundancy than plantation sites. For a diverse moth population to persist in plantation landscapes, preserving remnant patches of broadleaf trees is essential. There was little difference in bat activity between broadleaf woodlands and plantation sites. However, bat abundance, particularly that of reproductively active females, was greater in broadleaf sites compared to plantations. This was particularly true for Myotis and Nyctalus spp., very few of which were trapped in commercial plantations. Therefore, although reproductively active female Myotis bats are present in the surrounding landscape, they do not appear to associate with plantations themselves. This may reflect a lack of roost availability; both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus preferentially form large maternity colonies in buildings, but for Myotis and Nyctalus spp. which roost switch regularly and often use trees, it is unlikely many suitable roosts exist within the plantations themselves. Many substantial P. pygmaeus maternity colonies were identified in and around Galloway forest, with some holding more than 500 individuals. All maternity colonies were in buildings, and most inhabited (and one uninhabited) buildings within the plantation contained a roost. Although females occasionally used old or dead deciduous trees as temporary roosts, there was no evidence of roosting in crop trees such as P. sitchensis. During this study, the Forestry Commission installed 36 bat boxes; within 6 months over 90% had been used, with a number of harems found inside. This fast uptake compared with bat use of boxes in other locations reflects the paucity of appropriate structures for either roost or harem use in commercial plantations. Twelve bats were captured while foraging, tagged with small radio transmitters, and followed for between 2 and 6 nights during 2014 and 2015. All but one tagged female preferentially foraged within the plantation, with individuals selecting equally riparian habitats and felled stands. Tagged females which roosted furthest from the plantation had the largest home ranges; one individual flew nearly 40km each night to reach foraging areas distant from her roost, suggesting that the food availability within the plantation was sufficient to render such a long journey energetically viable. v These results have important implications for bat populations in and around commercial coniferous plantations. Far from being avoided by bats, plantation landscapes may constitute an important habitat type for both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus, likely due to the high abundance of nematoceran diptera in plantation woodlands. Furthermore, plantation forests support a similar richness of moth species to urban and agricultural woodlands, including a number of declining species of special conservation concern. A list of management recommendations to benefit both bat and moth populations in commercial plantations is presented at the end of this thesis.

Once dominant, longleaf pine forests of the southeastern United States have been modified by 97 percent, resulting in several animal species being listed as endangered and threatened. Pine plantation silviculture (tree plantings) now occupies half of the original longleaf range where several animal species of conservation concern have experienced recent local population declines. In North America, the accepted practice of pine plantations is to plant pines densely in rows for wood production. Given that land use is considered a primary local driver for the 30% of amphibian species currently at risk of extinction, and planted pine is predicted to expand coverage by 2020, sustainable land management will require integrating ecological and economic goals, including conservation objectives. To understand how amphibian species characteristic of longleaf pine forest are affected by planted pine forestry, it is necessary to understand how associated shifts in habitat structure associated with aging pine stands influence species composition across a wide geographic area, especially populations of rare species. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how forest structure (natural regeneration vs plantation) affects amphibian species composition and occupancy of small isolated wetlands embedded within the forest. Particular emphasis is placed on assessing several potential causal mechanisms of regional declines in amphibian species. This study was performed on Florida public forests where active forest management is a potential conservation tool and historic populations of rare amphibians occur. Sites where occupancy was assessed included: Goethe State Forest, Ocala National Forest, Jennings State Forest, Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge, and Apalachicola National Forest. Withlacoochee State Forest was used for examining potential causal mechanisms of amphibian declines because of close proximity of reference condition forest to planted pine. Chapter One of this dissertation uses Objective Based Vegetation Monitoring (OBVM) metrics to quantify differences in forest habitat structure surrounding study sites (among planted pines and naturally regenerated second growth pine) and relationships between vegetation metrics. Increased basal area of planted pine resulted in decreased canopy openness and a significant decrease of ground cover, especially wiregrass. Serenoa repens petiole counts and percent cover of woody shrubs also significantly decreased wiregrass cover, and variance partitioning indicated that the effects of woody shrub invasion and pine basal area on wiregrass were independent on public forests. Absence of bare ground because of pine needle litter was a significant predictor of wiregrass absence in a zero-inflated negative binomial model (ZINB). ZINB predictions for wiregrass cover along a gradient of pine basal area and woody shrub abundance demonstrated the importance of habitat management for native groundcover on public forests. OBVM metrics were often positively correlated within the canopy, subcanopy, and groundcover categories. Chapter Two presents the results of site occupancy modeling comparing the presence of 10 species of amphibians in planted pine and naturally regenerated forest, focusing on the influence of canopy and groundcover habitat structure on occupancy of individual amphibian species. Amphibian species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in Florida adapted to xeric soils, i.e. the gopher frog (Lithobates capito) and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus), were found where basal tree areas were below 10.3 m2/ha, and a mesic amphibian SGCN, the ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata), was found at pine basal areas up to 13.1 sq. m2/ha. All SGCN were found at sites with average woody shrub cover below four percent, and litter cover below 80 percent. Wiregrass cover was higher than four and six percent per m2 at sites with L. capito and N. perstriatus, respectively. Of 33 site detections for SGCN, only three sites had < 2.5 m2 wiregrass cover. Only one species, the pinewoods treefrog (Hyla femoralis), was more common on planted pine stands, and both Lithobates sphenocephala and L. grylio had constant probability of occupancy regardless of forest type. Percent wiregrass cover was a significant predictor of occupancy for five species, particularly for State listed species L. capito and N. perstriatus, suggesting it may be a useful indicator of habitat quality for longleaf-dependent amphibians. Chapter Three focuses on experimental release of juvenile southern toads into two types of terrestrial enclosures to independently determine if amphibian movement and desiccation is determined by forest management. Movement enclosures consisted of four 50 m x 2.5 m unidirectional runways joined at the center to determine movement rate, distance, and behavior among forests of varying habitat structure. Movement rates were relatively consistent among forest types and positively related to rainfall, which itself did not vary among forests. Canopy closure and ground slope were predictors of behavior as toads move preferentially toward canopy openings and negative slopes, particularly when in planted pine habitat. Ten desiccation enclosures, each 15 cm diameter by 45 cm tall, were used to determine water loss and survival of toads for up to 72 hours. The proportional water loss from toad bodies was significantly related to ambient soil moisture at enclosures, with moisture consistently less at planted pines sites in xeric soil, suggesting a potential source of mortality for species specialized to sandhills. Juvenile survival was particularly low at sandhills planted with pine where dry duff replaced native groundcover and likely prevented successful water conservation behavior. The results of these studies suggest that land management decisions related to planted pine forests will determine the species composition at embedded isolated wetlands for both rare and common amphibians. As natural disturbance regimes that limit woody shrub invasion are replaced by plantation silviculture tree plantings that further decrease light transmittance, native groundcover is reduced to greater extent than stands allowed to naturally regenerate following past timber harvest. Current and predicted expansion of pine plantation will particularly limit occupancy for amphibian SGCN endemic to sandhills, where planting dense pines lowers ambient soil moisture and juvenile survival. The vegetation metrics presented will allow land managers to guide forests toward conservation goals, to predict suitability of forests for amphibian species, and enhance success when repatriation efforts are needed. The significant relationship of amphibian occupancy to sensitive herbaceous vegetation (wiregrass) highlights that greater emphasis on forest groundcover is needed where amphibian SGCN occur and that cumulative impacts of forest management on native groundcover should be considered.

Exotic pine plantations are a major landuse within the coastal lowlands of southeast Queensland, extending from close to the shoreline to the hinterland ranges. These plantations are within a sub-tropical climatic zone, and in most years, the summers are appreciably wetter than the winters. This terrain, in general, has been highly weathered and the soils are poor in nutrients. Environmental factors such as the climate, topography and weathering profile (including soil) are found to be important controls on vadose zone hydrology, which, in turn, has a great impact on tree growth and consequently on the design of management practices. This research project takes a holistic approach to investigate the influence of these environmental factors at different scales, and is designed to fulfil the following objectives: (1) To build a spatial model of forest productivity for the entire Tuan Toolara State Forest (TTSF), southeast Queensland, by analysing the spatial patterns of many environmental variables that may have controls on soil water distribution. (2) To determine how some of these environmental factors are responsible for the development of water-logging and soil salinisation by examining in detail an area of low site index that is severely affected by these two processes. (3) To develop a model to assess the risks of water-logging spatially and temporally. A multiple regression model was constructed to predict the forest productivity (measured by the value of site index, the average dominant tree height at 25 years of age). The independent variables were derived from a digital elevation model (elevation, slope, curvature, hillshade, flow accumulation and distance to streams), γ-ray spectrometry (potassium, thorium and uranium), and interpolated rainfall. The model explained up to 60% of the variance in the site indices and produced predictive maps of site index for two species: P. elliottii Engelm. and Queensland hybrid, a P. elliottii × P. caribaea Morelet hybrid. The model also identified the lowest site index area at the northern Tuan State Forest (NTSF), likely due to a greater risk of water-logging and salinisation. The NTSF area is of low relief and, therefore, the focus has been on the vertical controls of deep weathering profile. The methodology included setting up a network of groundwater bores screened at different depths within the weathering profile, characterising the profile (mineralogy, EC, and pH) and the groundwaters within it (water levels, physico-chemical parameters, major and minor ions). It is found that water-logging is caused by perched groundwater formed on top of the ferricrete or mottled saprolite after prolonged rainfall. Localised salinisation is related to the discharge of brackish groundwater occurring within the mottled saprolite. The deep aquifer within the coarse saprolite is fresh and not responsible for salinisation, a situation that differs from many other settings in Australia. The ability of using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) computer model to simulate soil water balance and to assess the risks of water-logging was tested in a selected catchment in the TTSF. The model successfully simulated stream flow at 2 weirs for a period of 6 years; the achieved R2 were 0.752 and 0.858, respectively. Long-term simulation for a 30-year period showed that there are pronounced seasonal patterns in rainfall and evapotranspiration as well as in soil water. For mature plantation with slopes of 3-15%, the mean annual duration of water-logging ranged from 161 days in the humus podzols, to 110 days in the gleyed podzolic, and to 90 days in the yellow podzolics. The outcomes of this research suggest that forest management can be strongly supported by understanding the impacts of these environmental factors (e.g. climate, topography and weathering profile) on vadose zone hydrological processes; the selection of optimum approach will depend on the research objective or purpose. The models and analytical tools that were developed or tested here have the potential to be successfully applied elsewhere if the input data are available.

The intensive nature of land uses in the Strzelecki Ranges poses significant threats to landscape values and water quality. A comprehensive catchment strategy was developed based on sustainability science concepts incorporating the careful management of landscape values, proper land management approaches, and government policy and legislative change to ensure that agriculture, forestry and other land uses become sustainable in this sensitive environment. The readily measurable water quality indicators of turbidity, flow, electrical conductivity, and water temperature were used to determine the impacts of the major land uses in the Strzeleckis. From a water quality perspective, there was a trend of decreasing water quality with increasing intensity in land management. However, from a total sediment load perspective, the forest area contributed the highest total sediment load due to higher volumes of steam flow suggesting that natural processes in the Strzeleckis may remain the principal mechanisms for sediment movement within the catchment. An incidental but significant finding was extensive bioturbation along the riparian zone of the plantation area, the extent of which was not observed in the other catchments. This finding suggested that bioturbation may have been the most significant contributor to poorer water quality flowing from in the plantation catchment. The project developed insights into the major environmental processes active in the upper catchment of the Morwell River. Understanding of the contributions to total sediment loads from natural erosional processes and bioturbation, findings related to the impacts on water quality from agricultural practices, and encountering negligible impacts from conservative timber harvesting practices demonstrate that catchment management approaches need to be tailored to achieve sustainability in land uses across the landscape. Key recommendations include the re-establishment and protection of riparian zones in agricultural catchments, the careful assessment and setting of stream buffer zone widths for timber harvesting operations, and the need for further work to map the extent of natural processes such as bioturbation and stream bank erosion. To mitigate these issues, government policy and legislation will need to focus on the preservation and enhancement of the Crown land riparian zones. Recommended changes to current administrative land management arrangements for these sensitive areas include a move from licensing riparian zones for agricultural practices such as grazing to conservation.

La lutte contre les rongeurs est souvent un enjeu majeur dans les agroécosystèmes. Nous avons conduit une étude comparative dans des plantations de palmiers à huile dans les provinces de Riau et de Bangka en Indonésie. Dans les deux zones, des chouettes ont été introduites pour la lutte contre les rats ; toutefois, à Riau les rats sont maintenus à des niveaux de population acceptables sans recours au raticide, tandis qu’à Bangka les dégâts des rats sont très importants et l’usage de raticide intensif. Nous avons comparé ce deux systèmes en terme d’abondance et/ou de régime alimentaire de deux prédateurs, chouettes et petits carnivores. D’après nos résultats, les petits carnivores sont beaucoup plus abondants dans les plantations à Riau qu’à Bangka, et le chat léopard (Prionailurus bengalensis) est absent à Bangka tandis que cette espèce domine à Riau. Nos résultats suggèrent également que la prédation sur les rats par les chouettes et les petits carnivores serait moindre à Bangka qu’à Riau. D’une manière générale, cette étude confirme l’hypothèse selon laquelle les petits carnivores, notamment les chats léopard, joueraient un rôle important dans la lutte contre les rats en palmeraies. Par ailleurs, nous avons analysé la distribution spatiale des petits carnivores en plantation. Nos résultats suggèrent que, bien que l’habitat palmeraie soit largement utilisé la nuit par certains petits carnivores comme le chat leopard, qui y trouve une abondante ressource alimentaire, la plupart des espèces sont dépendantes de la forêt. Les gestionnaires des palmeraies devraient adapter leurs pratiques, afin de favoriser les petits carnivores dans une perspective de lutte contre les rats
Rodent pest control is often a major issue in agroecosystems. We conducted a 3-year comparative study (2010-2012) in oil palm plantations in Riau and Bangka provinces, in Indonesia: in both areas barn owls have been introduced for rat control, and were at least as abundant in Bangka plantations than in Riau, but in Riau rat populations have been maintained at an acceptable level without the use of rodenticide, whereas in Bangka intensive rodenticide applications did not prevent high levels of rat damage. We compared these two contrasting systems in terms of predator community (barn owls and small carnivores) abundance and/or diet. We found that small carnivores were much more abundant in Riau plantations than in Bangka, and that the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was the dominant species in Riau while absent from Bangka. Our results on diet suggested that rat prey intake from barn owls and from the small carnivore community would be less in Bangka plantations than in Riau. Broadly, our results suggest that small carnivores, notably the leopard cat, play an important role in rodent control. In addition, we investigated spatial distribution of small carnivores within the oil palm habitat. Our results support the hypothesis that, although the oil palm may be habitable for some small carnivore species such as the leopard cat, where they supposedly forage at night, most species still need forest for their survival in oil palm landscapes. Oil palm plantations managers should adapt agricultural practices and land-use to enhance small carnivores, with the view to improve rodent control

Mondi is an international packaging and paper company that manages over 300 000 ha of land in South Africa. After over a decade of working with Mondi to improve its wetland management, wetland sustainability practices were still not integrated into the broader forestry operations, despite some significant cases of successful wetland rehabilitation. An interventionist research project was therefore conducted to explore the factors inhibiting improved wetland management, and determine if and how expansive social learning processes could strengthen organisational learning and development to overcome these factors. In doing so, the research has investigated how informal adult learning supports organisational change to strengthen wetland and environmental sustainability practices, within a corporate plantation forestry context. How individual and/or group-based learning interactions translate to the collective, at the level of organisational change was a key issue probed in this study. The following three research questions were used to guide the research: 1. What tensions and contradictions exist in wetland management in a plantation forestry company? 2. Can expansive learning begin to address the tensions and contradictions that exist in wetland management in a plantation forestry company, for improved sustainability practices? 3. Can expansive social learning strengthen organisational learning and development, enabling Mondi to improve its wetland sustainability practices, and if so how does it do this? Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and the theory of expansive learning provided an epistemological framework for the research. The philosophy of critical realism gave ontological depth to the research, and contributed to a deeper understanding of CHAT and expansive learning. Critical realism was therefore used as a philosophy to underlabour the theoretical framework of the research. However CHAT and expansive learning could not provide the depth of detail required to explain how the expansive learning, organisational social change, and boundary crossings that are necessary for assembling the collective were taking place. Realist social theory (developed out of critical realism by Margaret Archer as an ontologically located theory of how and why social change occurs, or does not) supported the research to do this. The morphogenetic framework was used as a methodology for applying realist social theory. The expansive learning cycle was used as a methodology for applying CHAT and the theory of expansive learning; guiding the development of new knowledge creation required by Mondi staff to identify contradictions and associated tensions inhibiting wetland management, understand their root causes, and develop solutions. Through the expansive learning process, the tensions and contradictions become generative as a tool supporting expansive social learning, rather than as a means to an end where universal consensus was reached on how to circumvent the contradictions. The research was conducted in five phases: • Phase 1: Contextual profiling to identify and describe three activity systems in Mondi responsible for wetland management: 1) siviculture foresters; 2) environmental specialists; 3) community engagement facilitators. The data was generated and analysed through through document analysis, 17 interviews, 2nd generation CHAT analysis, and Critical Realist generative mechanism analysis; • Phase 2: Analysis and identification of tensions and contradictions through a first interventionist workshop. Modelling new solutions to deal with contractions, and examining and testing new models in and after the second interventionist workshop; • Phase 3: Implementing new models as wetland management projects and involved project implementation. This included boundary crossing practices of staff in the three activity systems, reflection and re-view in a further five progress review/interventionist workshops, and a management meeting and seminar; • Phase 4: Reflecting on the expansive learning process, results, and consolidation of changed practices, through nine reflective interviews and field observations; • Phase 5: Morphogenic/stasis analysis of the organisational change and development catalysed via the expansive social learning process (or not). The research found that expansive social learning processes supported organisational learning and development for improved wetland management by: 1) strengthening the scope, depth, and sophistication of participant understanding; 2) expanding the ways staff interact and collaboratively work together; 3) democratising decision making; 4) improving social relations between staff, reducing power differentials, and creating stronger relationships; 5) enhancing participant reflexivity through deeper understanding of social structures and cultural systems, and changing them to support improved wetland and environmental practice of staff, and developing the organisational structures and processes to strengthen organisational learning and development; and 6) using the contradictions identified as generative mechanisms to stimulate and catalyse organisational learning and development for changed wetland/environmental management.

Forest and forestland are important roles and sources of livelihood for the population living in or near forests and in mountainous areas of Vietnam. The objectives of this paper analysed the change in forest resource, and policy of forestry in Vietnam. In recent several years, forest area rapidly covered an average rate of 240,000 ha/year and had about 13.39 million hectares in 2010. It has contributed to the use of bare land, job creation and improvement of livelihoods for 25% of Vietnam’s population living in mountainous areas. Those results were the purpose of reforestation program and the production of wood industry in Vietnam. In this addition, government policies and regulations have provided a solid foundation for development of the forest plantations and conservation of forest ecosystems though forest land allocation and lease to organizations, households, and individuals. Therefore, the forest utilization has motivated by both environmental and commercial factors in Vietnam based on dividing into three forest categories special use, protection and production forests. However, the development strategy of forest management plan is the difficulties associated with conflicting land claims and boundary disputes due to the value of the established forest
Rừng và đất rừng đóng vai trò quan trọng và là nguồn sinh kế cho người dân sống trong hoặc gần rừng ở các khu vực miền núi của Việt Nam. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu này phân tích sự thay đổi về tài nguyên rừng và chính sách về lâm nghiệp. Trong một vài năm gần đây, diện tích rừng bao phủ nhanh với tốc độ trung bình 240.000 ha/năm và có khoảng 13,39 triệu ha trong năm 2010 này đã góp phần vào việc sử dụng đất trống, tạo việc làm và cải thiện đời sống cho 25% dân số sống ở khu vực miền núi của Việt Nam. Kết quả này là mục đích của chương trình trồng rừng và sản xuất gỗ công nghiệp tại Việt Nam. Bên cạnh đó, chính sách và các quy định của chính phủ đã cung cấp một nền tảng vững chắc cho việc phát triển diện tích trồng rừng và bảo tồn hệ sinh thái rừng mặc dù rừng và đất rừng đã được giao và khoán cho các tổ chức, hộ gia đình, cá nhân. Vì vậy, việc sử dụng rừng đã thúc đẩy bởi hai yếu tố môi trường và thương mại ở Việt Nam, dựa trên phân loại rừng: rừng đặc dụng, rừng sản xuất và rừng phòng hộ. Tuy nhiên, chiến lược kế hoạch quản lý phát triển rừng có những khó khăn liên quan đến xung đột khiếu nại đất và tranh chấp biên giới do giá trị của rừng được thành lập

As planted forests mature and are clearfelled in patches, second rotation tree crops (restocks) become available to black grouse, a species of conservation concern in the UK. Currently, only a limited amount is known about the resources provided by this habitat to black grouse and their broods. The aims of this study therefore, were to investigate the recovery of field-layer vegetation and the invertebrate population from restock through to canopy closure of planted trees, assess the duration of habitat availability and food resources to black grouse, and understand how forest management could improve provision. Changes to the abundance of predators resulting from habitat management were also considered. The comparative habitat quality of restocks was assessed in a wider landscape context. Field-layer vegetation in 72 restocks in two afforested areas in the north-east and the south-west of the Scottish Highlands was surveyed. On average, only 60% of ground in restocks was re-planted with second rotation trees, with the remainder left unplanted. Initial vegetation recovery was generally impeded by timber harvest residues (mainly brash), which comprised up to 50% of total ground cover two years after restock. Increased cover of heather Calluna vulgaris, often an important component of black grouse habitat, and decreased brash cover were recorded in areas of restocks where first-rotation timber was removed by cable-winch (compared with harvester and forwarder removal) and in planted areas (compared with areas left unplanted). Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and cotton grass Eriophorum spp. occurrence was recorded infrequently irrespective of restock age or management. Heather generally dominated the field-layer six years after restock, reaching a height and density reported to be suitable for black grouse nesting and brood cover in other studies. The onset of tree canopy closure as early as eight years suggests that suitable black grouse habitat availability in restocks is likely to be severely limited in duration. Brash removal, or break-up and re-distribution of the brash layer, positively affected the recovery of field-layer vegetation species potentially of use to black grouse. Extending the fallow period prior to restock resulted in an extended period of suitable habitat available to black grouse prior to canopy closure. However, habitat created by extending the fallow period also attracted a higher number of mammalian predators of black grouse. In the longer term, areas of restocks left unplanted should provide a valuable open-ground resource after canopy closure of the planted crop, although results suggest that management to prevent encroachment of naturally regenerating non-native trees is likely to be necessary. Invertebrate taxa selected by chicks in previous black grouse studies were available in all ages of restock studied. Taxa abundance differed as restocks aged and field-layer vegetation developed, although contrasting habitat preferences of taxa meant that each was affected differently by restock management. No single forest management method positively increased abundance of all taxa. Abundance of Lepidoptera larvae, a key food item for black grouse chicks, was positively related to dwarf shrub cover. An extended fallow period prior to restock should prolong increased larvae availability to chicks. Provision of preferred field-layer vegetation habitat and invertebrate abundance in restocks was comparable to habitat surrounding leks - areas likely to be occupied and utilised by black grouse. Restocks had a comparatively low occurrence of key plant species, including bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and cotton grass Eriophorum spp. Cover of the dwarf shrub bog myrtle Myrica gale, positively associated with Lepidoptera larvae abundance in habitat surrounding leks, was absent from restocks. The abundance of other invertebrate taxa considered was similar between leks and restocks. Study findings are discussed with reference to black grouse conservation and commercial forestry systems in Europe. Management recommendations to improve habitat for black grouse in second rotation planted forests in Britain are provided.

Predictions of how forest productivity and carbon sequestration will respond to climate change are essential for making forest management decisions and adapting to future climate. However, current predictions can include considerable uncertainty that is not well quantified. To address the need for better quantification of uncertainty, we calculated and compared ecosystem model parameter, ecosystem model process, climate model, and climate scenario uncertainty for predictions of Southeastern U.S. pine forest productivity. We applied a data assimilation using Metropolis-Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo to fuse diverse datasets with the Physiological Principles Predicting Growth model. The spatially and temporally diverse data sets allowed for novel constraints on ecosystem model parameters and allowed for the quantification of uncertainty associated with parameterization and model structure (process). Overall, we found that the uncertainty is higher for parameter and process model uncertainty than the climate model uncertainty. We determined that climate change will result in a likely increase in terrestrial carbon storage and that higher emission scenarios increase the uncertainty in our predictions. In addition, we determined regional variations in biomass accumulation due to a response to the change in frost days, temperature, and vapor pressure deficit. Since the uncertainty associated with ecosystem model parameter and process uncertainty was larger than the uncertainty associated with climate predictions, our results indicate that better constraining parameters in ecosystem models and improving the mathematical structure of ecosystem models can improve future predictions of forest productivity and carbon sequestration.
Master of Science

Forest and forestland are important roles and sources of livelihood for the population living in or near forests and in mountainous areas of Vietnam. The objectives of this paper analysed the change in forest resource, and policy of forestry in Vietnam. In recent several years, forest area rapidly covered an average rate of 240,000 ha/year and had about 13.39 million hectares in 2010. It has contributed to the use of bare land, job creation and improvement of livelihoods for 25% of Vietnam’s population living in mountainous areas. Those results were the purpose of reforestation program and the production of wood industry in Vietnam. In this addition, government policies and regulations have provided a solid foundation for development of the forest plantations and conservation of forest ecosystems though forest land allocation and lease to organizations, households, and individuals. Therefore, the forest utilization has motivated by both environmental and commercial factors in Vietnam based on dividing into three forest categories special use, protection and production forests. However, the development strategy of forest management plan is the difficulties associated with conflicting land claims and boundary disputes due to the value of the established forest.
Rừng và đất rừng đóng vai trò quan trọng và là nguồn sinh kế cho người dân sống trong hoặc gần rừng ở các khu vực miền núi của Việt Nam. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu này phân tích sự thay đổi về tài nguyên rừng và chính sách về lâm nghiệp. Trong một vài năm gần đây, diện tích rừng bao phủ nhanh với tốc độ trung bình 240.000 ha/năm và có khoảng 13,39 triệu ha trong năm 2010 này đã góp phần vào việc sử dụng đất trống, tạo việc làm và cải thiện đời sống cho 25% dân số sống ở khu vực miền núi của Việt Nam. Kết quả này là mục đích của chương trình trồng rừng và sản xuất gỗ công nghiệp tại Việt Nam. Bên cạnh đó, chính sách và các quy định của chính phủ đã cung cấp một nền tảng vững chắc cho việc phát triển diện tích trồng rừng và bảo tồn hệ sinh thái rừng mặc dù rừng và đất rừng đã được giao và khoán cho các tổ chức, hộ gia đình, cá nhân. Vì vậy, việc sử dụng rừng đã thúc đẩy bởi hai yếu tố môi trường và thương mại ở Việt Nam, dựa trên phân loại rừng: rừng đặc dụng, rừng sản xuất và rừng phòng hộ. Tuy nhiên, chiến lược kế hoạch quản lý phát triển rừng có những khó khăn liên quan đến xung đột khiếu nại đất và tranh chấp biên giới do giá trị của rừng được thành lập.

O Ipê Felpudo (Zehyera tuberculosa (Vell) Bur) é uma espécie nativa, pioneira que possui um alto potencial silvicultural. Essa está ameaçada de extinção devido ao caráter extrativista e predatório da exploração florestal brasileira. A eliminação de complexos ecossistemas florestais por atividades agrícolas, agropecuárias, madeireiras e industriais tem levado a drásticas reduções da base genética dessa essência. O espaçamento é de grande importância para o desenvolvimento das árvores sob aspectos tecnológicos, silviculturais e econômicos. Esse influencia na morfologia e crescimento das árvores. O espaçamento ótimo é aquele que concorrerá para o maior volume do produto e a qualidade almejada. A modelagem florestal inicia-se no inventário de parcelas permanentes que sofrem remedições, pois as florestas são um sistema biológico que está sempre em mudanças e, necessita-se da projeção destas mudanças para que se possa tomar decisões necessárias a fim de ser executado um manejo adequado nesse ecossistema. As decisões de manejo são baseadas em informações sobre as situações atuais e futuras dos povoamentos.Os objetivos desse trabalho são: analisar um experimento com 6 diferentes espaçamentos; definir um modelo de crescimento para a espécie, em função de variáveis do povoamento e climáticas coletadas na Estação Experimental de Linhares, Espírito Santo.
The Ipê Felpudo (Zeyhera tuberculosa (Vell) Bur) is a native and pioneer species, which possesses a high silvicultural potencial. It has been threatened of extinguishing due the intense predatory exraction of the Brazilian forestry exploitation. The elimination of the complex forestry ecosystem for agricultural, farming, lumber and industrial activities has induced to the drastic redutions of it’s genetic base. Plantation density is one of the most important factor or is the most important factor has a great importance for the development of the trees under technological, sivicultural and economic aspects. It influences in the morphological and trees growth. The excellent plantation density is the one that will concur for the biggest volume of the product and it’s quality. Forest modeling initiates through the inventory of permanent plots that suffer remeasures, therefore, forests are biological systems that are always changing and requires a projection of theese changes, in order to permit executinge management adjustments in this ecosystem. This decisions are based on information of the current and future situations of the stand. The purposes of this work are: to analyze an experiment with 6 different plantation densities; to define a growth model for this species, with stand and climatic variables, collected in the Experimental Station of Linhares, Espírito Santo.

Os impactos do manejo intensivo sobre a sustentabilidade da produção florestal dependem da manutenção da fertilidade dos solos. A contribuição dos resíduos florestais e a ciclagem de nutrientes nesse processo são determinantes. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram: (i) quantificar a biomassa e o estoque de nutrientes na parte aérea e no sistema radicular de um povoamento de Pinus taeda aos 16 anos de idade; (ii) caracterizar o potencial de liberação de nutrientes dos minerais primários e secundários, e o estoque de nutrientes de um Cambissolo Húmico; (iii) quantificar a exportação de nutrientes via colheita de madeira e dos componentes florestais; (iv) avaliar potencial da sustentabilidade da produtividade de madeira com base no balanço de nutrientes, sob diferentes cenários de manejo florestal. Avaliouse uma plantação de Pinus taeda na idade de 16 anos em um Cambissolo Húmico Alumínico léptico de textura argilosa, relevo ondulado no meio-sul catarinense. Amostraram-se dez árvores de cinco classes diamétricas em função da distribuição dos diâmetros à altura do peito. Para cada árvore mensurou-se a biomassa de acículas, galhos, casca, madeira e raízes. Além da biomassa vegetal, amostrou-se serapilheira acumulada e solo nas camadas 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-100, 100-140, 140-180 e 180-190 cm. Equações entre a área seccional a 1,30 m e a biomassa de cada componente foram ajustadas para estimar a biomassa das árvores inventariadas. Equações entre o conteúdo de nutriente e a biomassa do componente também foram ajustadas para estimar a quantidade de cada nutriente em todos os componentes da árvore. As equações permitiram estimar para as demais árvores do talhão a biomassa de cada componente e o seu respectivo estoque de nutrientes. Nas amostras de solo e de serapilheira se determinou a concentração e o estoque de nutrientes, além de no solo realizar-se a caracterização mineralógica. Simularamse três cenários de manejo florestal, retirada da madeira (A), da madeira + casca (B) e da madeira + casca + copa (C) do sistema florestal. A soma de todos os componentes da biomassa foi de 313 Mg ha-1, sendo a madeira o mais representativo (62%). O estoque dos nutrientes na árvore foi N > Ca > K > S > Mg > P. A madeira foi o componente que acumulou as maiores quantidades de nutrientes (210 N, 33 P, 85 K, 91 Ca, 31 Mg e 65 S, kg ha-1). A mineralogia do Cambissolo demonstrou predominância do quartzo nas frações areia, silte e argila, com pequenos traços de vermiculita na fração de silte. A argila é a principal fração que contribui com o intemperismo do solo, devido à transformação da vermiculita-ilita, liberando K. Para os três cenários de manejo, o esgotamento de nutrientes do sistema solo-biomassa foi: P > S > N > K > Mg > Ca. O P e o S permaneceram como mais limitantes no cenário A decorrente de seus baixos estoques disponíveis no solo. No cenário B, o número de rotações florestais se alterou para N, K e S. O cenário C resultou na maior diminuição de produtividade, possibilitando para o P duas rotações e para o Mg 14. Desta forma, evidenciou-se, pelo número potencial de rotações de cultivo, que os diferentes cenários de manejo podem em curto prazo comprometer a sustentabilidade do P. taeda.
The impacts of intensive management on the sustainability of forest production depends on the maintenance of soil fertility. The contribution of forest residues and nutrient cycling in this process are crucial. The objectives of this study were: (i) quantify the biomass and nutrient stocks in the shoot above and belowground and root system of a stand of 16-years-old Pinus taeda, (ii) characterize the potential release of nutrients from primary and secondary minerals, and the stock of nutrients in a Humic Cambisol (iii) quantify the export of nutrients through wood harvesting and forest components, (iv) evaluate the potential of sustainability in wood based on the balance of nutrients under different forest management scenarios. We evaluated a 16-years-old plantation of Pinus taeda in a Humic Cambisol, undulating relief in the middle-south of Santa Catarina. Ten trees were sampled from five diameter classes according to the distribution of diameter at breast height. Biomass of the needles, twigs, bark, wood and roots were measured for each tree. Besides the biomass and litter soil samples were collected from the layers 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-100, 100- 140, 140-180 and 180-190 cm. Equations which has the sectional area of 1.30 m as independent variable and the biomass of each component as the dependent variable were adjusted to estimate the biomass of the entire studied forest. Furthermore, equations which has the nutrient content of the component as the dependent variable and the biomass as independent variable were adjusted to estimate the amount of each nutrient in all parts of the tree.The concentration and stock of nutrient were determined from the soil sample collected. In addition, a mineralogical characterization was performed for the soil and litters. Three scenarios simulated forest management, removal of wood (A), the wood and bark (B) and wood + bark + cup (C) of the forest system. The sum of all components of biomass was 313 mg h-1 being the most representative of the wood (62%). The stock of nutrients in the tree was N> Ca> K> S> Mg> P. The wood was the largest exporter of nutrients (210 N, 33 P, 85 K, 91 Ca, 31 Mg and 65 S, kg ha-1). The mineralogy of the Cambisol showed the predominance of quartz sand, silt and clay, with small traces of vermiculite in the silt fraction. Clay is the main fraction which contributes to the weathering of the soil due to the transformation of illite-vermiculite, releasing K. The depletion of nutrients from the soil-biomass was: P> S> N> K> Mg> Ca and S. The P and S remained as the most limiting at the scenario A due to its low inventories in the soil. At the scenario B, the number of rotations forest changed to N, K, S. The scenario C resulted in the greatest reduction in productivity, allowing for P two rotation and for Mg 14. It was evident by the number of potential crop rotations, the different management scenarios in the short term may jeopardize the sustainability of P. taeda.

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
The objective of this work was the development of a tool to support eucalyptus stands management with the capacity of predicting forest development under different management options, thus providing forest managers with useful information in the form of variable outputs with interest for forest management. The tool uses the 3-PG model as the basis for growth predictions so that it can be used under a changing climate. The first thing to be done was the improvement of the crown ratio equation, taking advantage of the great amount of available data. With more precise equations, new values of biomass where estimated and a new set of aboveground biomass equations was developed. Biomass values are not only an important model output, but also a vital piece in the hybridization of the GLOBULUS growth and yield model and the 3-PG whole stand process based model. The linkage of the models resulted in a hybrid model with more detailed outputs that were further complemented with a diameter distribution model. The 3-PG fertility ratio is an important parameter of the model, but is estimated in a subjective way. The improvement with an equation that predicts it from soil characteristics is important not also because it is a flaw that is recurrently appointed to the model, but also because it will allow it to be sensible to fertilizations
FCT

Assessment of forest water-use (WU) is undoubtedly important and necessary, especially in water scarcity areas that are already suffering the main negative impacts of climate change. However, instead of just determining how much water is used by a forest, it is also important to evaluate how forest-WU responds to forest management practices such as thinning, a widely recognized alternative to promote improvements in the hydrologic balance while maintaining or improving forest resilience. Thus, this thesis proposes three integrated studies performed in an area of Aleppo pine subject to experimental thinning in Eastern Spain. The first study was modelling an artificial neural network (ANN) to estimate daily WU independently of forest heterogeneity provided by thinning. Stand WU was accurately estimated using climate data, soil water content and forest cover (correlation coefficient, R: 0.95; Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient, E: 0.90 and rootmean-square error, RMSE: 0.078mm/day). Then the ANN modelled was used for gapfilling when needed and those results were used in the following studies. The secondly study addressed the question of how tree-growth, WU and water balance changed as a consequence of thinning. To this end, the influence of thinning intensity and its effect at short-term (thinned in 2008) and at mid-term (thinned in 1998) on the water-balance components and tree-growth were investigated. The high-intensity thinning treatment showed significant increases in mean annual tree-growth from 4.1 to 17.3 cm2 yr -1 , a rate which was maintained in the mid-term. Mean daily WU ranged from 5 (control) to 18 (high intensity thinning) l tree-1 . However, when expressed on stand basis, daily WU ranged from 0.18 (medium intensity thinning) to 0.30 mm (control plot), meaning that in spite of the higher WU rates in the remaining trees, stand WU was reduced with thinning. Large differences were found in the water balance components between thinning plots and control. These differences might have significant implications to maintain forest resilience, and improve forest management practices. The third study, brings forth two interesting points and their responses to thinning, WU and intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi). First, the relationships between growth and climate were studied at mid-term in order to identify if thinning can improve forest resilience. Second, the relationships between WU and WUEi was explored to identify how these factors were affected by thinning at short-term. A substantial limitation of tree-growth imposed by climatic conditions was observed, although thinning changed the tree-growth-precipitation relationships. Significant differences in WUEi were found after thinning at mid-term, however no significant difference was observed at short-term. Despite this, in general WUEi decreased when precipitation increased, with different slopes for each thinning intensity. Different patterns of the relationship between WU and WUEi were found, being positive for thinned plots and negative for control plot at short-term. Finally this thesis suggest that thinning in Aleppo pine plantations is effective in changing the relationships between WU and WUEi, furthermore, this thesis introduces a novel contribution by looking at the inter-related effects on growth, WU, WUEi and water balance in Mediterranean forest subject to thinning.
Gualberto Fernandes, TJ. (2014). Water-oriented management in forest plantations: combining hydrology, dendrochronology and ecophysiology [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/48476
TESIS

Management accounting and control research in developing countries has neglected gender issues. Focusing on management controls over marginalised female workers in Sri Lankan tea plantations, this thesis tries to fill this gap. It takes a postcolonial feminist perspective to theorise ethnographic accounts of mundane controls. The findings illustrate that there are 'embedded‘ controls through colonial and postcolonial legacies, which made the female workers 'double colonised‘. The notion of subalternity captures these repressive forms of controls in their work as tea pluckers. However, postcolonial transformations created a space for resistance against these controls. This shaped a subaltern agency and emancipation and gave rise to a more enabling form of postcolonial management control. The thesis contributes to debates in postcolonial feminist studies in organisations and management control research in general, and management control research in developing countries, in particular.

Fuels management in eucalyptus plantations is essential to minimise the impact of wildfire. Prescribed burning has the potential to reduce the fuel hazard in plantations, but is not routinely conducted due to concerns relating to tree damage. Through a series of experimental burns, the issues of tree damage are addressed and minimum tree sizes are recommended that are capable of withstanding the effects of low to moderate intensity fires. Data was collected between 2005 and 2007 over six sites, two species, and three age classes. Tree response results came from multiple measurements of over 1700 individual trees. The fuel characteristics commonly found in sub-tropical eucalypt plantations from age four to eleven are described and quantified. These fuel characteristics are related to fire behaviour and new fire behaviour models, specific to young eucalypt plantations, are presented. The fuel characteristics that most influence fire behaviour in young eucalypt plantations are fuel load, fuel height, and fuel moisture content. These characteristics can be used to predict the rate of spread of a plantation fire under benign wind conditions. A novel technique for assessing the extent of stem damage in eucalypts is developed and described. This technique enables immediate assessment of stem damage following fire; previous assessment techniques recommend waiting a considerable period of time (up to 2 years) until dead bark dropped off and fire scars were evident. This new assessment technique is likely to be suitable for post-fire assessment of any eucalypt species and will provide forest managers with the capability of deciding whether to leave a stand to ???grow-on??? or commence recovery operations. Minimum stem sizes recommended to ensure no long-term damage are between 5 ??? 8 cm DBH (diameter at breast height, i.e. 1.3m above ground level) for Eucalyptus dunnii (Dunn???s white gum) and 5 ??? 13 cm DBH for Corymbia spp. (spotted gum) depending on the quantity of fuel around the stem. Stem sizes vary between species because of the variation in bark thickness between species. This thesis provides all the necessary information to conduct prescribed burning operations in young eucalypt plantations.

Severely nitrogen and phosphorus deficient restored opencast coal mine sites planting with Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis , Bong. (Carr.)) were treated with both sewage sludge and inorganic fertilizer. Cake sludge was applied before planting at the rate of 100 and 200 tds/ha and liquid sludge at the rte of 227 m3/ha at the age of 3 in selected plots. The highest treatments (S200L) supplied approximately 2051 kg N/ha and 983 kg P/ha which is sufficient to establish an internal nutrient cycle in such degraded sites. Sewage sludge significantly increased the tree growth and foliage N and P concentrations both over the control and inorganic fertilizer treatments. Foliage N concentrations up to 1.95&'37 increased the maximum height growth above which the height growth declined due to excess N concentrations. Both the mean needle weight and height growth increased in response to the increased foliar P concentrations and the response is still not complete. Whole tree sampling showed that there was significantly more tree biomass in sludge treatments in comparison to the control treatments. Regression equations based on independent variables of stem diameter at 5 cm from the ground were developed to estimate total tree dry biomass. Ground vegetation dry matter, nutrient content and species diversity significantly increased in sludge treatments. Soil pH increased, bulk density decreased and organic C, total N, available P, K and Mg increased following sludge application in comparison to the control treatments. Nitrate leaching losses increased immediately after the liquid sludge applications in highest sludge treatments but with time fell down and remained within the standard limit for potable water. Drain water nutrient leaching losses remained well below the soil leachate except for magnesium. Nitrogen mineralization potential increased with increased application rate indicating increased cycling of N within the ecosystem and hence long-term growth response potential to the applied treatments.

Hybrid poplars are a short rotation woody crop grown for a variety of target markets including paper pulp, saw timber, and biofuels in the Pacific Northwest. Development of pest control strategies within hybrid poplar plantations over the last several decades has focused on controlling foliar feeding herbivores and wood boring pests, and has overlooked the epigeal arthropod community. Understanding this unstudied suite of organisms would allow pest managers to better evaluate the impact their management strategies have on the poplar agroecosystem. Qualitative surveys of the arthropod communities in hybrid poplar plantations and nearby native habitats demonstrated that a greater arthropod diversity persists in the surrounding native areas. Additionally, the poplar plantation's epigeal arthropod community was composed of species found within sampled native areas.

Historically poplar research focused on protecting trees in the years following establishment through harvest from emerging pests while discounting cutting mortality by replanting areas of failure. Describing unrooted cutting transplant morality and distribution within newly established planting block could provide a risk assessment tool that growers could utilize to evaluate their potential crop loss. It was determined through the examination of damaged cuttings that several pests were responsible for diminishing establishment success. Identification of these risks led to the development of a management strategy to reduce mortality in newly planted areas. Soaking cuttings in imidacloprid for 48 hrs provided superior herbivore protection for unrooted cuttings until root formation allowed for uptake from chemigation treatments.

An additional study was motivated by the increased concern in growing `clear wood' as poplar has migrated from pulp to saw timber. The accompanying renewed interest in reducing insect galleries in mature trees led to the exploration of deploying a mass trapping, or trap out, effort to reduce populations of Prionoxystus robiniae (Lepidoptera Cossidae) in specific areas of a hybrid poplar plantation. We show that a trap out effort of roughly 5 pheromone-baited traps/ha decimated P. robiniae populations in treated areas throughout the trap out effort and three years post application.

The application of crop residues is one of the most common agricultural practices used to maintain soil ecosystems and crop productivity. This thesis focuses on the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) agroecosystem, an important tropical crop that has expanded rapidly over the past four decades. Both land conversion and business-as-usual practices within the plantations have contributed to soil degradation. The application of oil palm residues, such as empty fruit bunches (EFB) and oil palm fronds, are thought to have positive effects on the soil ecosystem; yet there is currently a deficit of knowledge on their effectiveness. This thesis aims to examine the effects of oil palm residue application on soil physicochemical properties, soil biota, and ecosystem functions. It reports the results of extensive field trials, sample collection, and statistical analysis of crop residue applications in oil palm plantations in Central Sumatra, Indonesia. Four key results emerged from the thesis. First, in this study site land conversion from secondary forest to oil palm does not affect litter decomposition rate, but positively influences soil fauna activity. Second, there is greater soil fauna activity following EFB application than oil palm fronds or chemical fertilizers, and the fauna activity is highly associated with changes in soil chemical properties and soil moisture conditions. Third, EFB application enhances soil ecosystem functions, through the direct provision of organic matter, and by influencing soil biota. Finally, over 15 years of application, EFB appears to be effective in maintaining or increasing annual crop yield in comparison to chemical fertiliser treatment. Temporal changes in crop yield under EFB application appear to be associated with climatic conditions and soil organic carbon. Overall, these findings improve our understanding of the potential of oil palm residue applications to increase soil quality, soil biota, and ecosystem functions. They also provide useful information for a wider audience of soil ecologists, agricultural managers, and policy makers to improve sustainable management of the oil palm ecosystem.

Self-thinning quantifies the reduction in tree numbers due to density-dependent mortality. Maximum size-density relationships (MSDRs) are a component of self-thinning that describe the maximum tree density per unit area obtainable for a given average tree size, often quadratic mean diameter (D). An MSDR species boundary line has been defined as a static upper limit of maximum tree density -- D relationships that applies to all stands of a certain species within a particular geographical area. MSDR dynamic thinning lines have been defined as the maximum tree density obtainable within an individual stand for a particular D which have been shown to vary relative to planting density. Results from this study show that differences in boundary levels of individual stands cause the MSDR species boundary line slope estimate to be sensitive to the range of planting densities within the model fitting dataset. Thus, a second MSDR species boundary line was defined whose slope is the average slope of all MSDR dynamic thinning lines. Mixed-models are presented as a statistical method to obtain an estimate of the population average MSDR dynamic thinning line slope. A common problem when modeling self-thinning is to determine what observations are within generally accepted stages of stand development. Segmented regression is presented as a statistical and less subjective method to determine what observations are within various stages of stand development. Estimates of D and trees per acre (N) where MSDR dynamic thinning lines begin and end on the logarithmic scale were used as response variables and predicted as a function of planting density. Predictions of MSDR dynamic thinning line beginning and ending D and N are used in an alternative MSDR dynamic thinning line slope estimation method. These models show that the maximum value of Reineke's Stand Density Index (SDI) varies relative to planting density. By relating planting density specific Zone of Imminent Competition Mortality boundaries to a MSDR species boundary line, self-thinning was found not to begin at a constant relative SDI. Thus, planting density specific Density Management Diagrams (DMD) showed that self-thinning began at 40 to 72% for planting densities of 605 and 2722 seedlings per acre, respectively.
Ph. D.

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
O Brasil é um dos maiores produtores mundiais de madeira e plantações de eucalipto são responsáveis por boa parte do suprimento dos produtos madeireiros no país. Além disso, essas plantações desempenham papel importante na mitigação do aumento dos gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera. No período compreendido entre a colheita de um ciclo e o estabelecimento de uma nova rotação, ou seja, os seus primeiros dois ou três anos, se concentra a maior parte das operações florestais, que podem definir o sucesso do povoamento e ao mesmo tempo causar impactos negativos em propriedades físicas e orgânicas do solo. Esta tese, dividida em três capítulos, teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto dessas operações sobre a dinâmica das florestas de eucalipto e propriedades do solo. No primeiro capítulo foi abordado como o manejo dos resíduos da colheita do eucalipto pode alterar a sua decomposição e a dinâmica de duas frações (Matéria Orgânica Particulada – MOP e Associada aos Minerais – MAM) da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS). O experimento foi conduzido em área onde pastagens naturais do Pampa Gaúcho foram recentemente convertidas em plantios de eucalipto. Foram simuladas a remoção total dos resíduos (-R), a remoção apenas da casca (-B) e a manutenção total dos resíduos (+B), combinados (+N) ou não (-N) com a adição de 200 kg ha -1 de N mineral, em um fatorial 3x2 completo com 4 repetições. Uma solução enriquecida em 10 % com 15 N foi utilizada como fonte de N para traçar o N mineral em todo o processo. Aos 0, 3, 6, 12 e 36 meses após a instalação amostras dos resíduos e do solo foram coletadas e levadas ao laboratório. Dados de todos os tempos foram utilizados para construir a curva de decomposição dos resíduos, enquanto que os teores de C, δ 13 C, N e δ 15 N associados às duas frações da MOS foram determinados no último tempo nas camadas de 0 -1 e 1 -5 cm do solo. Nessas mesmas camadas, as frações da MOS dos solos de 12 e 36 meses foram submetidas à pirolise associada com cromatografia gasosa e espectrometria de massa (Pi-CG/EM) para caracterização química e tentativa de melhor entendimento sobre os processos de formação da MOS sob os diferentes manejos de resíduos. Ao final dos três anos, cerca de 80 % de todo o resíduo tinha sido decomposto. A presença da casca (p<0,05) e do N-mineral (p=0,06) diminuíram a taxa de decomposição do resíduo. O efeito dos resíduos sobre o C e N das frações da MOS foram mais expressivos na fração particulada e camada de 0 -1 cm. Em geral, a presença dos resíduos aumentou os teores de C e N, e diminuiu os valores de δ 13 C, indicando contribuição dos resíduos para as frações da MOS. A contribuição dos resíduos é maior na presença da casca, especialmente nos tratamentos -N. A contribuição do N mineral para as frações da MOS foi inferior a 4 %, mas foi sempre maior quando os resíduos estavam presentes. Os resultados da Pi- CG/EM indicaram contribuição direta dos resíduos para a fração MOP, enquanto que a influencia na fração MAM parece ser indireta pela alteração da comunidade microbiana e seus produtos. Concluindo, foi mostrado como o manejo dos resíduos altera a composição da MOS e que a manutenção dos resíduos na área acarreta em aumento nos teores de C da MOS. No segundo capítulo, foi avaliado como dois sistemas diferentes de colheita de eucalipto alterariam propriedades físicas do solo, os teores de C e a emissão de CO 2 pelo solo, bem como o crescimento inicial das árvores após a adoção de dois sistemas silviculturais distintos. Para isso, dois talhões adjacentes localizados em Estrela do Sul/MG foram selecionados. Cada talhão foi colhido com um sistema diferente (Feller e Forwarder - F+F, ou Feller e Skidder - F+S) e propriedades físicas [Densidade do Solo (Ds), Micro (Mi), Macro (Ma), Porosidade Total (PT) e Resistência à Penetração (RP)], orgânicas (C lábil, e C associado às frações MOP e MAM), emissão de CO 2 , e mortalidade das cepas foram avaliadas antes e depois da colheita. Posteriormente, cada área foi dividida em dois sistemas silviculturais: talhadia e alto-fuste (reforma), e a emissão de CO 2 pelo solo, frações de C do solo e a altura das árvores foram analisados após um ano para avaliar como cada área se recuperaria dos impactos da colheita. Todas as avaliações foram feitas nas linhas e entrelinhas de plantio. Ambos os sistemas de colheita afetaram negativamente as propriedades físicas do solo, mas de maneira diferente. Enquanto F+F concentra o impacto nas entrelinhas, o sistema F+S não segue linhas de trafego pré-estabelecidas, causando maior compactação nas linhas de plantio e consequentemente maior mortalidade de cepas. A colheita aumentou Ds, Mi, RP e reduziu Ma e PT em todas as posições, sistemas e profundidade. A emissão de CO 2 do solo não foi alterada pela colheita. Diferenças na emissão de CO 2 só foram encontradas após o plantio, quando foi mais elevada no F+S em ambos sistemas silviculturais, e C lábil e C- MOP também estavam mais elevados. Após um ano, a mortalidade ainda era maior no sistema F+S e altura menor no sistema de talhadia. Por outro lado, as árvores no F+S sob reforma eram mais altas. A respiração do solo apresentou padrão semelhante, ou seja, mais alta em área de talhadia no F+F e mais baixa nas áreas reformadas. C lábil, C-MOP e C-MAM foram significativamente mais altos nos sistemas de talhadia. Conclui-se que cada sistema de colheita afeta linha e entrelinha de plantio diferentemente, criando diferentes zonas no talhão, que podem ser exacerbadas com a adoção de diferentes sistemas silviculturais. Essas diferenças devem ser observadas quando são avaliados impactos sobre o solo. No terceiro capítulo foram avaliados o efeito da substituição de pastagens naturais do Pampa Gaúcho por plantios de eucalipto e o efeito da adubação nitrogenada sobre o crescimento inicial, a biomassa e distribuição espacial de raízes finas de eucalipto, e teores de C, δ 13 C e N associados às frações MOP e MAM da MOS. Foram testadas 4 doses de N (24, 36, 48 e 108 kg ha^-1 de N) e o crescimento inicial das árvores foi avaliado até a idade de dois anos. Posteriormente, foram selecionadas árvores representativas que tiveram a biomassa de raízes finas (BRF) avaliadas até a profundidade de 40 cm, ao mesmo tempo em que se realizaram as avaliações da MOS também até 40 cm. Efeitos positivos da adubação nitrogenada foram observados inicialmente sobre diâmetro e altura, mas aos dois anos apenas a altura foi positivamente influenciada. A regressão ajustada para a BRF indicou aumento da BRF até 56 kg ha -1 de N, sendo que após esse nível a BRF diminui e a maior dose de N testada resultou na menor BRF observada. Foi observada anisotropia na distribuição radicular horizontal e verticalmente e, apesar de diferenças entre as doses, não foi possível traçar uma relação clara entre as doses de N e a distribuição espacial de raízes finas. Em geral, a introdução de eucalipto elevou os teores de C do solo. Os efeitos foram maiores nas camadas superficiais. 36 kg ha^-1 resultou nos maiores teores de C-MOP na camada 0 -10, enquanto que 48 kg ha^-1 resultou nos maiores C-MAM nessa camada. As dinâmicas de C e N apresentaram-se fortemente correlacionadas, especialmente na fração MAM. Os teores de C-MOP correlacionaram-se positivamente com BRF. O sistema de preparo do solo influencia os teores de C e N no solo, aumentando-os na linha de plantio, provavelmente por favorecer o desenvolvimento de raízes nessa região. Assim, verificou-se que a adição de N pode afetar positivamente o crescimento inicial do eucalipto, mas os efeitos não parecem ser duradouros. Por outro lado, o efeito do N parece ser observado por mais tempo sobre a biomassa de raízes finas e C e N das frações da MOS. Espera-se que os resultados encontrados na presente tese possam ser utilizados para nortear as práticas de manejo adotadas em plantios de eucalipto no Brasil, trazendo maior produtividade e sustentabilidade à essas florestas.
Brazil is among the world’s largest timber producers and Eucalyptus planted forests are responsible for a significant portion of wood products supply. Furthermore, these forests play an important role on mitigation of increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. The period between harvesting and new rotation establishment, i.e. its first two or three years, concentrates the major part of forest mechanical operations that may define achievable productivity while causing harmful impacts on soil physical and organic properties. This thesis is divided in three chapters that evaluated and tried to provide a better understanding of these operations impact on eucalypt forest dynamics and soil properties. The first chapter approached how the management of eucalypt harvest residues (HR) could alter its decomposition pattern and the dynamics of two soil organic matter (SOM) fractions (Particulate Organic Matter – POM, and Associated to Minerals – MAOM). The experiment was set up in an area where natural grasslands of Pampa Biome in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, have been recently converted to eucalypt forests. Removal of all residues (-R), only bark removal (-B) and maintenance of all residues (+B), all of them combined with external 200 kg ha -1 of N addition (+N) or not (-N), were simulated in PVC micro-plots in a 3x2 full factorial with 4 replications. A 10 % 15 N-enriched solution was used as N source to track the role of mineral-N in the process. Whole micro- plots were sampled at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 36 mo. after experiment establishment and taken to the lab for further analysis. All sampling times were used to build decomposition curve, while C, δ 13 C, N and 15 N content associated with both SOM fractions were determined on 36 mo. samples in 0 -1 and 1 -5 cm soil layers. In these same layers, SOM fractions from 12 and 36 mo. samples were characterized with Pyrolysis associated with Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to obtain a better understanding of SOM formation pathway under different HR management. Almost 80 % of HR have been decomposed until 3 yr. Bark (p<0.05) and mineral-N (p=0.06) presence slowed down decomposition. Overall, changes in C and N content and δ 13 C due to residues presence were more expressive in 0-1 cm layer and POM fraction. +B tended to increase HR contribution, but its effect was more distinguished in -N treatments. Mineral-N fraction was always higher when HR were present, particularly in +B treatments, but its contribution to SOM fractions was always smaller than 4 %. Py-GC/MS products revealed a direct role of HR on POM formation, but their effect on MAOM seems to be indirect by altering microbial composition and its products. In summary, we showed how HR management drives SOM fractions chemistry and we conclude that a sustainable management of HR can enhance soil C accrual. In the second chapter was evaluated how two different harvest systems would change soil physical properties, soil C content and soil CO 2 efflux, and initial tree growth under two different silvicultural system. To this end, two adjacent stands located in Estrela do Sul/MG were selected. Each stand was harvested and logged with a different system (Feller + Forwarder – F+F; and Feller + Skidder – F+S) and soil physical properties [Soil Bulk Density (Ds), Micro (Mi), Macro (Ma) and Total Porosity (TP), and Penetration Resistance (PR)], SOM properties [Labile- C, C associated with Particulate (C-POM) and Mineral (C-MAOM) fractions] soil CO 2 efflux and stump mortality rate, were assessed after harvesting operations and compared with reference (before harvesting). Afterwards, each stand was divided in coppice and replanting, and we followed soil CO 2 efflux after planting and one year after planting, when trees height (H) and SOM properties were also measured in both areas and system to evaluate how areas would recover from harvesting impacts. All soil variables were assessed at planting and inter-planting row positions. Both systems affected soil density and soil pore configuration, but in different ways. F+F concentrates traffic at inter- planting row position, and therefore causes a slightly higher compaction in this region, while F+S does not follow traffic routes and impacts planting-row similarly, resulting in higher stump mortality. Harvesting operations increased Ds, Mi and PR and reduced Ma and TP at all layers. Soil CO 2 efflux was not affected by harvesting operations. Differences in soil CO 2 were found after planting, when it was higher in F+S system, that also presented higher labile-C and C-POM. One year after planting, mortality rate was still higher under coppice in F+S system, that also presented lower trees. In turn, trees were higher in replanting in this area. Soil respiration behaved similarly, i.e., higher in F+F under coppice and lower under replanting. Overall, after one year coppice system presented higher Labile-C, C-POM and C-MAOM. We concluded that each harvest system affects row and inter-row differently, creating different soil functional zones inside same area, that might be enhanced by the next silvicultural system chosen, and should be observed when assessing ecosystem services and site condition. Lastly, the third chapter evaluated the effect of land use change from natural grasslands of Pampa Biome to eucalypt plantations, as well as N fertilization effects on initial eucalypt growth, fine-root biomass (FRB) and its spatial distribution, and C, δ 13 C and N content associated with SOM fractions (POM and MAOM). 4 N-levels were tested (24, 36, 48 e 108 kg ha^-1 of N) on initial tree growth (until 2 yr.). Afterwards, representative trees were chosen to evaluate FRB until 40 cm depth, and soil samples also until 40 cm depth were collected for SOM evaluation. Positive effect of N on tree growth (diameter and height) was seen initially after fertilization, i.e., 1.5 yr., whereas at 2 yr. N effects were seen only at trees height. The FRB fitted regression showed increase of FRB until 56 kg ha^-1 of N, and after that level a decrease in FRB was observed, and the highest N level used resulted in the lowest FRB. Both horizontal and vertical anisotropy in fine-root distribution were observed, and besides differences among N levels, we could not see a clear relation between N fertilization and fine-root spatial distribution. Overall, land use change to eucalypt plantations increased soil C content, particularly in top-soil layers. 36 kg ha^-1 resulted in higher C-POM in 0 -10, while 48 kg ha^-1 resulted in higher C-MAOM in this layer. C and N dynamics were tightly correlated, especially in MAOM fraction. C-POM was positively correlated with FRB. Tillage had a strong control on soil C and N stocks, enhancing C deposition and turnover at row (ridge) region, most likely for favoring roots development in this region. Therefore, it is shown that N fertilization may alter initial tree growth, but its effects don’t seem to last longer. Nevertheless, N effects can be reflected on fine-root biomass and distribution and C and N of SOM fractions. We hope that our findings could guide the adoption of proper management practices in eucalypt plantations in Brazil, enhancing the productivity and sustainability of these forests.