Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainable forest management (SFM)'

Climate change will pose increasing challenges to forest managers working to achieve sustainable forest management in the boreal forest. A logical starting point for climate change adaptation is to proactively identify management practices and policies that have a higher likelihood of achieving management objectives across a wide range of potential climate futures. This research implemented an approach to identifying such measures by tapping into the experiential knowledge base of local forest practitioners. The assessment was organized according to a structured decision-making (SDM) approach. Northern forest practitioners consider the goals of climate change adaptation to be synonymous with those of sustainable forest management indicating that the criteria for the conservation and sustainable management of boreal forests as defined by the Montréal Process are suitable objectives against which the performance of alternative adaptation options can be assessed. The case study area for this research was the Champagne and Aishihik Traditional Territory of southwest Yukon where a climatically-driven, large-scale spruce bark beetle disturbance has been driving forest management planning yet climate change considerations have not been directly addressed in the planning process. Twenty-four adaptation options were identified as being important to implement in forest development areas to achieve regional goals and objectives of forest management across three scenarios of climate change. In addition, the performance of alternative strategies to re-establish forests was assessed. Results indicate that the applicability of alternative forest renewal adaptation strategies is strongly related to the objectives of forest management which differed across the forest management planning area. However, since none of the strategies were judged to perform highly across any of the scenarios of climate change, additional work is needed to explore whether a threshold of acceptability can be met even with the adoption of adjustments to forest management policies and practices. If not, management objectives themselves may need to be revised. An extensive list of research and monitoring needs were also identified, an indication that climate change is providing the imperative for a more comprehensive research and monitoring program to support the sustainable management of forest resources in this region. The next steps in a SDM approach are to implement adaptation options and strategies deemed appropriate and to monitor their performance in achieving management objectives within an adaptive management context.

The concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) has been promoted in the past few decades all over the world. Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners play an important role in that aspect in the U.S. because of their number (about 16 millions), the size of forest land under their control (about half of all forest land in the continental US), and the dynamism of their population (increasing number of new owners). This study sought to better understand how NIPF owners come to a decision for adoption (or non-adoption) of SFM practices. We developed a theoretical model combining four theories (the Value-Belief-Norm theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and the Innovation-Diffusion Process) to explain NIPFâ s decision making. Using multivariate analyses, we determined which elements of the developed theoretical model were significant in explaining adoption of eight groups of practices. Overall, some of the most significant predictors of adoption we identified were technical assistance, motivations for owning land and the use of a written management plan. Particular attention was also directed toward the eventual relationship between education and adoption of SFM practices and it was found that NIPF owners who attended educational programs tended to be likely adopters compared to those who did not attend any educational program. Since SFM was not limited to the US, we also analyzed the concept of SFM with the same goals as in the US, but under a completely different context (socio-cultural, economic and ecologic) in Africa, through the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) system. We used four case studies and focused on criteria such as participation, equity (both procedural and distributive, power devolution, trust, etc) to analyze how CBNRM works on the field, what lessons to take from the cases to better ensure the goal of sustainability of the resources.
Ph. D.

Esta dissertação aborda a análise custo-benefício (ACB) em manejo florestal sustentável (MFS) em Roraima, Unidade da Federação pertencente à Amazônia Legal que assim como os outros Estados sofrem com a falta de alternativas econômicas frente à pressão regional e internacional de não uso dos recursos da floresta. Por essa razão, este trabalho, procurou estudar a viabilidade da atividade de manejo florestal sustentável (MFS), a fim de subsidiar futuros empreendimentos que sejam ao mesmo tempo economicamente viável e ambientalmente corretos. Para alcançar tal objetivo foi necessário expor exaustivamente a corrente do desenvolvimento sustentável, tais como, sua origem, o contexto histórico, seus conceitos, tratados e convenções que asseguraram juridicamente o pensamento conservacionista. Além disso, foi preciso embasamento na Ciência Econômica, com o conteúdo transversal sobre a Curva de Kuznets, conceito de bens públicos e as implicâncias das externalidades no custo ambiental, bem como de contribuições de economistas como Pigou, Meadows e Tietenberg. Assim, também, indispensável foi inserir na discussão, dados, conceitos e o histórico da região em discussão qual seja, a Amazônia (especialmente a roraimense) bioma possuidor de apelo internacional haja vista sua indiscutível importância para o equilíbrio ambiental do Brasil e sua contribuição para todo o planeta terra. Por fim, conjugou-se a aplicação da ACB e suas ferramentas (como os método de valoração ambiental) com o manejo florestal sustentável (MFS) objetivando o alcance do desiderato inicial, qual seja, a viabilidade ou não de modelos de extração de madeira na Amazônia de Roraima. O resultado obtido foi de que, dos três modelos estudados apenas o modelo em manejo florestal sustentável (MFS) apresentou viabilidade econômica e ambiental, tendo em vista que nos dois primeiros modelos em sistema e produção convencional (um sem e outro com custo ambiental) não atenderam aos requisitos dos indicadores do estudo: valor presente líquido (VPL), taxa interna de retorno (TIR) e a razão B/C. Aliás, duas das análises que levaram em conta os custos dos impactos ambientais foram denominadas de análise custo-benefício ampliada ou ambiental (ACBA), que são variações ou alternativas ao modelo de ACB convencional ou simples. Desse modo, o benefício do modelo MFS supera seus custos o que torna atrativos para investidores privados e públicos, bem como para financiamento via fundos ambientais nacionais e internacionais ou via financiamento via Banco Mundial, Comunidade Européia, entre outros agentes de fomento.
This study approach the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in sustainable forest management (SFM) in Roraima, Brazilian State owned by Amazon that just as other states suffer from a lack of economic alternatives facing the regional and international pressure not to use of forest resources. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the feasibility of the activity of sustainable forest management (SFM) in order to support future developments that are both economically viable and environmentally sound. To achieve this it was necessary to thoroughly expose the chain of sustainable development, such as its origin, historical context, its concepts, treaties and conventions which ensure legal thinking conservationist. Moreover, it was necessary grounding in economic science, with the content on the transverse Kuznets Curve, a concept of public goods and the implications of externalities in the environmental cost, as well as contributions from economists like Pigou, Meadows and Tietenberg. So, too, was essential to enter into the discussion, data, concepts and history of the region under discussion which is the Amazon (especially roraimense) biome possessed of international appeal has seen its unquestionable importance to the environmental balance of Brazil and its contribution to all the planet earth. Finally, conjugated to the implementation of the CBA and its tools (such as the valuation method) with sustainable forest management (SFM) in order to reach the first desideratum, namely, the feasibility or otherwise of models of logging on Amazon Roraima. The result was that the three models studied only the model in sustainable forest management (SFM) presented economic and environmental viability, given that the first two models and conventional production system (one without and one with environmental cost) is not met the requirements of the study indicators: net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and the ratio B/C. Indeed, two of the analysis that took into account the costs of environmental impacts were identified as extended cost-benefit analysis or environmental (ACBA), which are a variation, or alternatives to the conventional model of CBA or simple. Thus, the benefit of the MFS model exceeds its cost which makes it attractive for private and public investors, as well as financing through national and international environmental funds or by funding through the World Bank, European Community, and other agents of promotion.

Forest aesthetic indicators are an important aspect of the social component of sustainable forest management (SFM) standards. However, SFM standards have few aesthetic indicators, especially at an international level. A possible reason for this is that public awareness of forest aesthetic values has often been regarded as unscientific or even contradictory to the ecological knowledge of forestry experts and that aesthetic values vary according to the cultural backgrounds of the individuals involved in any assessment. In response to the current lack of aesthetic indicators in SFM standards, several questions have been raised: (1) Does the public think forest aesthetic values are important and to what degree in terms of SFM, (2) Is there any consensus on the aesthetic values among the public and between the public and forestry experts, (3) Are there any differences in perspectives on the absence of aesthetic considerations in SFM standards between the experts participating in the creation and revision of SFM C&I and experts in the fields of forest aesthetics, and (4) How can aesthetic values be effectively and efficiently assessed? In order to address these questions, three surveys were conducted involving the public and experts in four countries. The survey revealed no significant differences in priorities for forest aesthetic values amongst selected groups of public respondents in Korea, China, Japan and Canada. However, significant differences existed between forestry experts and the public. Forest aesthetic values were rated as relatively important by the general public, but both types of experts generally rated the importance of aesthetics higher than did the public. Three major reasons for the lack of aesthetic indicators were provided by the SFM and aesthetic experts: a lack of aesthetic training amongst those designing criteria and indicators; a bias against aesthetics, which are often considered to be highly subjective; and the general omission of people with knowledge of aesthetics during the development of SFM standards. Ten possible aesthetic indicators that could be used in future SFM schemes were developed in this study. The indicators presented here and the direct involvement of aesthetic experts would improve the ability of current SFM frameworks to balance effectively social, environmental and economic values.

Linking regeneration activities to desired future forest conditions is a critical component of sustainable forest management. In much of North America, regeneration standards are an important administrative tool for ensuring this goal, but the links to predicted future outcomes are often weak. There is a need for developing regeneration standards that are solidly based on defensible predictions of future stand attributes and are indicators of a wide range of forest values. This dissertation describes the application of an analysis framework wherein many variations of simulated juvenile stand stem maps are used as the basis for regeneration standards development. The simulated stem maps were generated at the scale of operational cutting units using newly developed software routines. Spatial variation was emphasized at the scale of 5 to 200 m, reflecting underlying terrain and ecosystem patterns. The simulated stands were projected into the future using existing growth models, and sampled using simulated regeneration surveys. Simplified models to mimic predictions of selected stand attributes from the growth models were developed using survey summary data as predictor variables. The analysis system was applied to test relationships between various measures of stocking and yield for conifer monocultures. For the predictive relationships, curve shape and dispersion were found to be highly variable based on various stocking measurement parameters. Stocking was found to imperfectly account for spatial variation in the regenerating stand, and stocking thresholds for achieving a specific relative yield were found to vary by species and the top height at which relative yield was assessed. A second analysis developed simplified models to evaluate the contribution of regenerated stands to landscape level species composition in a vertically stratified, spruce-aspen (Picea glauca and Populus tremuloides) forest type. Various field assessment methods and model formulations were contrasted. Site index was found to have a major impact on absolute yield and on the curve shape for relationships between stocking and species composition. This dissertation provides a greater understanding of how to develop, interpret and apply regeneration standards. Relating standards and assessment methods to forest-level management goals provides a key link that is often missing in stand-level regeneration assessments.

The holistic, landscape-based approach of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in the United States emphasizes the importance of addressing three components of forest management: ecology, community, and economy. Many believe this approach represents an important and positive paradigm shift in natural resource management. In Vermont, as well as many other parts of the United States, parcelized forest ownership presents challenges to the achievement of SFM on private property. These challenges include that of applying concepts of landscape-scale management over a mosaic of small landownerships while addressing ecological, economic, and social dynamics. Many authors have suggested a need for new institutions that are better capable of addressing the integrated, boundary-crossing nature of SFM on private lands. In Vermont, partnerships involving environmental non-profit organizations are implementing innovative management strategies to promote SFM which address the challenges of parcelization. In so doing, non-profit groups are branching out from traditional roles of advocacy and public goods protection to address not only the ecological, but also economic and community aspects of forest management. Examining the strategies, organizational roles, challenges and perceived permanence of these partnerships provides a greater understanding of the nature of these new institutional arrangements for SFM. This study asks the question: How do partnerships involving environmental nonprofit organizations in Vermont attempt to achieve goals of sustainable forest management in the context of a parcelized landscape? Using a multiple case study approach, I examine three SFM-related partnerships in Vermont that involve environmental nonprofit organizations. I assess their strategies, organizational roles, challenges and perceived permanence. Results indicate that partnerships involving environmental nonprofit organizations are playing important roles in defining and institutionalizing SFM in Vermont. Partnerships use diverse strategies through which they strive to account for the three components of SFM. I find three points of entry into SFM-related issues, connected to three strategies used by partnerships to address issues of parcelization: community-based, alternative silviculture and product branding. This diversity in approach may complement the diverse nature of forest landowner’s wants and needs. Furthermore, demonstrated flexibility at the partnership and organizational levels allowed partnerships to better work toward their goals. Challenges encountered by partnerships involved both internal dynamics and external circumstances, including differential organizational capacity and economic conditions, respectively. In addition, perceived permanence of these institutional arrangements may be related to the roles that environmental nonprofit organizations play within each partnership. Findings increase our understanding of the changing roles of non-profit organizations in the forest management sector, raise key questions about the permanence of such arrangements, and provide insights into partnership practices and challenges that may be applied in other settings. The results of this study contribute to a broader analysis of national trends in SFM.

The Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) was first introduced in all commercial forest reserves in Sabah in 1997. This policy gives hope to the state government to manage the forests in a sustainable manner following the forest development phase of revenue oriented timber exploitation, which has contributed to the decline in forest resources; the increase in forest degradation and the decrease in state income earned from the forestry sector. Under the SFM concept, the forest of the state was divided into Forest Management Units (FMUs) managed by FMU holders under different institutional arrangements of state, state enterprise and private sector. This study was conducted to investigate the corporate-stakeholder interrelation under the SFM concept implemented by the FMU holder in Sabah, Malaysia. The research was based on the ‘Triple Typology Perspective of Stakeholder Theory’, which encapsulates three different perspectives of ‘conceptual’, ‘corporate’ and ‘stakeholder’ centric. The ‘conceptual’ perspective explores the overall SFM concept and its relation to the FMU holder – stakeholder interaction. The ‘corporate’ view investigates how the FMU holders as the corporate part of the SFM concept deals with their stakeholders; and the ‘stakeholder’ perspective analyses the relation between stakeholders, the FMU holders and SFM implementation. Stakeholder analysis was used to gather information with the application of methods incorporating literature reviews, expert interviews, focus groups, meetings and discussion, questionnaire surveys and Q methodology. Four FMUs were selected as study areas, which managed by the state, state enterprise and private sector. The respondents were encompassed personal of Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), FMU managers and FMU workers, various governmental and non-governmental agencies, and local communities of eight villages located within and in the fringe of FMU areas involved in the study. Under the ‘conceptual centric’, different groups of stakeholders were identified based on SFM documentation, which also provide the normative basis for the SFM concept. The contemporary implementation of SFM was assessed based on stakeholders’ perspective, which indicated that the overall SFM contribution entailed mainly on satisfaction of environment objectives, followed by economic and, to a lesser degree, social objectives. Different categories of stakeholders were identified based on their perceptions of various issues under SFM implementation. These include the level of cooperation or conflict; degree of stakeholder participation; views of specific individuals and a thorough comparison of individual subjectivity. There is, however, an agreement to the statements on the influential factors towards effective SFM implementation, which include the administration and leadership of SFD, and good collaboration between SFD and the FMU holders. Other consensuses were related to the roles of participation in promoting learning about synergy and the importance of various forest uses, and that it should be able to influence the decision-making during the consultation process. The implementation of SFM was agreed in influencing towards investment in the forestry sector and the development of the rural area in the state. The ‘corporate centric’ indicates the different approaches of stakeholder management under the different arrangements of FMU holders. The SFM operations with a high level of stakeholder involvement were identified as community forestry programme followed by forest conservation, forest protection, development and preparation of plans, administration, human resource development, and research and development. The important stakeholders, according to their degree of involvement in SFM operations were the internal stakeholders of FMU workers, followed by external stakeholders of the staff of SFD, contractors, local communities, local authorities, consultants, businessmen/traders and researchers/scientists. Other stakeholders were various state government agencies, manufacturers, shareholders, NGOs (local), international agencies, NGOs (international), donors, federal government agencies and other FMU holders. The ‘stakeholder centric’ identifies the various stakeholders interests and claims associated with SFM implementation that depend on stakeholder affiliation. The main groups in this study were multi-interest stakeholder groups (n=104) and the local community groups of the selected villages (n=332). The interests and claims of the multi-interest stakeholder group were related to SFM objectives such as good management of the forest, protection and conservation of environment and biodiversity, and protection of water catchment areas. The local community groups, on the other hand, were mainly concerned with the importance of the forest as a source for foods, land for agriculture and other livelihood purposes. There are various approaches for stakeholder relation management (SRM) that are employed by the FMU holders and stakeholders. These may consist of management quality system, CSR program, the community forest development project; inter agency meetings and dialogue; and collaboration and cooperation with other agencies and institutions. SRM can assist in balancing conflicts that arise, promoting cooperation, and advancing the knowledge and understanding on the SFM concept among the stakeholders. The SRM approaches under the SFM implementation can augment participation by the stakeholders, which in turn will promote effective and efficient implementation of SFM. The mutual relation of the SFM concept and SRM is advancing stakeholder participation in promoting effective implementation of SFM at the FMU level. The inter-relation of the ‘triple perspective typology of stakeholder theory’ was integrated as new contexts to achieve objectives for sustainability under SFM policy, with the business case of corporate sustainability, and the wider scope of the ecosystem approach and the sustainable development
Das Konzept Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) wurde erstmals in allen kommerziellen Waldreservaten in Sabah, Malaysia, im Jahr 1997 eingeführt. Mit dieser Politik verbindet die Landesregierung die Hoffnung, dass die Wälder nun in einer nachhaltigen Art und Weise bewirtschaftet werden können, nachdem die fast ausschließlich auf Einnahmen orientierte Holznutzung zum Rückgang der Waldbestände, zur Zunahme der Waldzerstörung und damit letztendlich auch zum Rückgang der Staatseinnahmen aus der Forstwirtschaft beigetragen hat. Zur Umsetzung des SFM-Konzepts wurde der Staatswald in Forest Management Units (FMU) unterteilt, die von FMU Haltern aus verschiedenen Staatsinstitutionen, Staatsunternehmen und der Privatwirtschaft verwaltet werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht das Verhältnis zwischen Unternehmen als FMU-Bewirtschaftern und Stakeholdern im Konzept nachhaltiger Waldbewirtschaftung, das von FMUs in Sabah, Malaysia implementiert wurde. Die Arbeit basiert auf der „Triple-Typology Perspective of Stakeholder Theory“, welche drei verschiedene Perspektiven beinhaltet, die konzeptionell, unternehmensbezogen oder Stakeholder-zentriert sind. Dabei untersucht die konzeptionelle Perspektive SFM-Konzepte und die daraus resultierenden Beziehungen zwischen FMU-Bewirtschafter und ihren jeweiligen Stakeholdern. Die unternehmenszentrierte Sicht legt den Schwerpunkt darauf, wie FMU-Bewirtschafter als Teil des SFM-Konzeptes mit Stakeholdern interagieren. Die Stakeholder-Perspektive analysiert das Verhältnis zwischen Stakeholdern, FMU-Bewirtschafter und der SFM-Implementierung. Die Daten wurden mit Hilfe der Stakeholder-Theorie unter Anwendung quantitativer und qualitativer Methoden wie Literaturrecherche, Experteninterviews, Fokusgruppen, informellen Treffen und Diskussionsrunden, schriftlichen Befragungen und der Q-Methodologie erhoben. Als Untersuchungseinheiten wurden vier FMUs ausgewählt, die durch den Staat, den staatlichen Forstbetrieb und den privatem Sektor bewirtschaftet werden. Die Befragungsteilnehmer setzten sich aus Personal der Forstverwaltung Sabah (Sabah Forestry Department, SFD), den FMU-Bewirtschaftern und –Mitarbeitern, verschiedenen Regierungs- und Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen und lokalen Gemeinschaften in acht Dörfern innerhalb sowie im Randgebiet der FMUs zusammen. In Bezug auf die konzeptionelle Perspektive wurden, basierend auf der SFM-Dokumentation, verschiedene Stakeholder-Gruppen identifiziert, die die normative Basis für das SFM-Konzept liefern. Dessen Implementation wurde aus Sicht der Stakeholder analysiert. Es zeigte sich, dass der gesamte Beitrag zum SFM vornehmlich umweltbezogene Zielsetzungen erfüllt, gefolgt von ökonomischen und, zu einem noch geringeren Grad, sozialen Zielen. Mehrere Kategorien von Stakeholdern wurden auf Grundlage ihrer Wahrnehmung verschiedener Aspekte im Zuge der SFM-Implementation identifiziert. Diese umfassen die Kooperations- oder Konfliktebene, den Grad der Stakeholder-Beteiligung sowie individuelle Betrachtungen. Es gibt eine Übereinstimmung zu Äußerungen, welche Einflussfaktoren hinsichtlich effektiver SFM-Implementierung entscheidend sind. Dabei wurden vor allem das Management und die Führung der, der SFD sowie gute Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem SFD und den FMU-Bewirtschaftern genannt. Weitere Übereinstimmung besteht darin, die Weiterbildung über die Bedeutung unterschiedlicher Waldnutzungen und deren Ausbalancierung zu stärken, um die Entscheidungsfindung im Konsultationsprozess beeinflussen zu können. Auch herrschte Einigkeit darin, durch Investition in den Forstsektor und Entwicklung ländlicher Regionen die Implementation von SFM zu stärken. Der unternehmensbezogene Fokus konzentriert sich auf die verschiedenen Ansätze des Stakeholder-Managements unter unterschiedlichen Charakteristika der FMU-Bewirtschafter. SFM-Maßnahmen mit einem hohen Grad an Stakeholder-Beteiligung sind Gemeinschaftsforstprogramme (community forestry programmes), gefolgt von Waldnaturschutz, Waldschutz, Entwicklung und Vorbereitung von Plänen, Verwaltung, die Entwicklung von Humanressourcen sowie Forschung und Entwicklung. Die wichtigsten Stakeholder, bezogen auf ihren Beteiligungsgrad in SFM-Maßnahmen, waren intern die Mitarbeiter der FMUs und extern die Mitarbeiter der SFD, Vertragsnehmer, lokale Gemeinschaftsgruppen und Verwaltungen, Berater, Geschäftsleute/Händler und Forscher/Wissenschaftler. Weitere Stakeholder waren verschiedene Regierungsorganisationen, Produzenten, Aktionäre, internationale Behörden, lokale und internationale NGOs, Behörden der föderalen Regierung und andere FMU-Bewirtschafter. Die Stakeholder Perspektive identifiziert verschiedene Interessen und Forderungen der Stakeholder, die sich auf die SFM-Implementation beziehen und von der Stakeholder-Zugehörigkeit abhängen. Die Hauptgruppen in dieser Studie waren sogenannte Mehrinteressen-Stakeholder-Gruppen (n=104) und lokale Gemeinschaftsgruppen (n=332). Die Interessen und Forderungen der Mehrinteressen-Stakeholder-Gruppen waren bezogen auf SFM-Ziele wie gute Waldbewirtschaftung, Schutz und Erhaltung der Umwelt und Biodiversität sowie Schutz von Wassereinzugsgebieten. Andererseits stand der Wald als Quelle für Nahrung, landwirtschaftliche Flächen und andere Aspekte des Lebensunterhaltes im Mittelpunkt des Interesses lokaler Gemeinschaftsgruppen. Es gibt zahlreiche Ansätze für das Management von Stakeholder-Beziehungen (Stakeholder Relation Management, SRM), welches durch FMU-Bewirtschafter und Stakeholder genutzt wird. Der SRM-Ansatz besteht aus dem Bewirtschaftungsqualitätssystem, CSR-Programm, dem Gemeinschaftswaldentwicklungsprojekt, multilateralen Treffen und Dialog zwischen den Behörden, und Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation mit anderen Behörden und Organisationen. SRM kann dazu dienen, mögliche Konflikte auszubalancieren, Kooperation zu begünstigen sowie das Wissen und Verständnis von SFM zu fördern. Die Einbindung von SRM in die Implementation von SFM erweitert die Beteiligung der Stakeholder, was wiederum zu einer effektiveren und effizienteren Implementation von SFM auf FMU-Ebene führen kann. Die Wechselbeziehungen zwischen der „Triple-Perspective Typology of Stakeholder Theory“ und dem Ökosystemansatz, der unternehmensbezogenen Nachhaltigkeit und dem Konzept des Sustainable Forest Management bilden die Grundlage, um das Ziel einer umfassenden Nachhaltigkeit zu erreichen

This PhD by Publication traces through 13 of my publications on economic incentives for forest management and conservation in tropical countries (with a regional bias towards Latin America), including several papers focused on participatory forest management or community-based conservation. The papers show how my thinking has evolved from a focus on market and nonmarket incentives, to an increasing emphasis on governance and regulatory incentives in explaining stakeholder behaviour to the forest resource, as well as the equity impacts. They reveal that positive incentives and win-win (environmental and poverty reduction) outcomes will only emerge when the underlying market, policy and institutional failures are tackled. Because of their public good values, the survival of tropical forests is contingent on the actions of the international community and governments. Sustainable forestry, therefore, depends on a combination of domestic governance progress to control illegal logging and the rent-seeking powers of vested interest groups, global governance regulations which create markets for environmental services, secure property rights for resident stakeholders and extra-sectoral policies that moderate land use opportunity costs. The current main hope for tropical forests is 'avoided deforestation' since this will need to tackle the forest governance problems and underlying multi-sectoral drivers of deforestation if it is to be successful. It represents a balanced market (payments for ecosystem services) and supply-side (improved governance) response to what is essentially a 'public goods' management problem, but will need to overcome some major political economy challenges.

Doutoramento em Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente
Os incêndios florestais, associados ao abandono do espaço rural, a pequena propriedade florestal e o desinteresse e o absentismo dos proprietários florestais têm sido apontados como fatores que têm afetado a sustentabilidade das florestas em Portugal. Apesar da formulação de políticas e de instrumentos de planeamento e de gestão florestal para lidar com estes constrangimentos, são ainda escassos os progressos para uma Gestão Florestal Sustentável. A nível internacional e europeu, a participação dos agentes já representa um aspeto-chave no processo de definição e de implementação de estratégias que promovam a multifuncionalidade da floresta, mas também se adeqúem às necessidades e aos interesses dos agentes locais. A temática da tese esteve focada nesta discussão, argumentando que existe uma escassa participação dos agentes nos processos de tomada de decisão relativos ao setor florestal. O principal objetivo da investigação foi o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia participativa para a discussão e negociação de estratégias locais para a Gestão Florestal Sustentável, que maximizem o potencial produtivo e o papel sócio-ambiental das florestas, diminuam o risco de incêndio e promovam o crescente interesse e participação dos agentes locais na gestão florestal. A tese está estruturada em três partes. A primeira parte apresenta uma avaliação do sector florestal nacional, com base numa revisão bibliográfica e numa comparação de indicadores, políticas e instrumentos de planeamento e gestão florestal (Capítulo 2) e com base num estudo de perceção social desenvolvido numa área de estudo localizada na região Centro de Portugal. Este estudo analisa as perceções técnicas (decisores políticos e técnicos) e sociais (proprietários florestais e outros membros da comunidade local) sobre as florestas, a gestão florestal e os incêndios florestais (Capítulo 4). As ‘Zonas de Intervenção Florestal’, enquanto ferramenta recente para a cooperação e organização dos proprietários e produtores florestais, foram também analisadas (Capítulo 3). A segunda parte da tese é dedicada à análise de processos de participação pública, com base numa revisão bibliográfica sobre os benefícios, níveis, abordagens e métodos de participação (Capítulo 5) e numa avaliação de processos de participação pública desenvolvidos em Portugal (Capítulo 6). A terceira parte da tese foca-se no desenho e no teste da metodologia participativa proposta no âmbito desta tese (Capítulo 7) e na formulação de algumas orientações para melhoria dos processos participativos na gestão florestal (Capítulo 8). Os resultados confirmaram a centralidade dos incêndios florestais e dos fatores associados ao contexto socioeconómico (e.g. despovoamento e envelhecimento populacional, absentismo, falta de gestão florestal, estrutura fundiária) como os principais problemas que afetam a floresta na região Centro de Portugal. A organização e cooperação dos proprietários florestais emergiu como solução possível para lidar com estas ameaças e promover a multifuncionalidade da floresta, sendo essencial aumentar o conhecimento e a participação dos agentes nas decisões associadas à floresta. É proposta uma ferramenta para esta participação, centrada no contexto local e facilmente utilizável por todos os agentes. A implementação da metodologia participativa revelou o seu potencial no desenvolvimento de uma participação equitativa e inclusiva dos múltiplos agentes.
Forest fires associated with rural abandonment, small-scale forest ownership and landowners’ disinterest and absenteeism are affecting the sustainability of forests in Portugal. Despite the design of policies, planning and management tools for dealing with these constraints, the progresses towards Sustainable Forest Management have been insufficient. At international and European level, stakeholder participation is a key-issue in the definition and implementation of strategies that, while promoting the multifunctionality of forests, also meet the needs and the interests of local stakeholders. The thematic of the thesis has focused on that discussion, arguing that there is a lack of effective and adequate stakeholder participation in decision-making processes concerning the forest sector. The main aim of the research was designing a stakeholder participatory methodology for discussing and negotiating local strategies for Sustainable Forest Management, able to contribute to maximize the productive potential and the socio-environmental role of forests, reduce the fire hazard and promote an increasing interest and participation of local stakeholders in forest management. The thesis is organized in three main parts. The first part presents an assessment of the national forest sector, through a literature review comparing indicators, policies and instruments relating to the sector (Chapter 2) and through a social perception survey implemented at a case study located in Central Portugal. The survey analysed the technical (decision-makers and technicians) and social (forest owners and other citizens) perceptions of forests, of forest management and of the fire hazard (Chapter 4). The 'Forest Intervention Area' approach, as the most recent tool for cooperation and organization of forest owners and producers, was also assessed using official data and the results from the social perception survey (Chapter 3). The second part is dedicated to stakeholder participation processes, through a literature review about the benefits, levels, approaches and methods of participation (Chapter 5) and an assessment of stakeholder participation processes developed in Portugal (Chapter 6). The third part presents the design and testing of the participatory methodology proposed in this thesis (Chapter 7) and proposes some recommendations for improving stakeholder participation in forest management (Chapter 8). The results confirmed fire hazard and socio-economic contextual variables (depopulation and ageing, absenteeism, absence of forestry practices; land size, etc.) as central problems of Central Portugal forests. The organization and the cooperation of forest owners emerged as the possible solution for dealing with these threats, whilst promoting the multifunctionality of forests, where it is essential to increase stakeholder knowledge and participation in forest-related decisions. A tool for stakeholder participation focused on the local context and easily used by all stakeholders is proposed. The implementation of the methodology demonstrated its potential in promoting an equitable and inclusive participation among multiple stakeholders.

This study investigated the challenges facing the adoption of sustainable forest management (SFM) and forest certification in China. To achieve this goal, the perceptions of four influential direct and indirect stakeholders were examined to reveal the awareness, understanding, interest, motivation, and barriers to adopting SFM and forest certification. The four stakeholders consisted of Chinese small-scale forest farmers who have received small forest land from the collectives through the new forest tenure reforms, Chinese market officials working for forestry property markets, Chinese wood products manufacturers, and Canadian wood products retailers. In addition, the new forest tenure reforms and their supporting mechanisms, including forestry property markets, were assessed in terms of their impacts on the promotion of SFM and certification in China. The study revealed general low levels of awareness and understanding about SFM and forest certification amongst various stakeholders in China, with forest farmers having particularly low awareness. Several challenges to the adoption of SFM and forest certification in the period before the new forest tenure reforms were identified by the small-scale forest farmers, including insecure and unclear forest tenure, inconsistent forest policies, inadequate finances, under-developed infrastructure and transport system, and lack of efficient knowledge and technical transfer. Market officials were found to have limited knowledge of SFM and forest certification but their role in educating forest farmers and promoting SFM and certification is particularly important, as government support is considered to be critical to the early and rapid uptake of SFM and certification in China. Chinese manufacturers expressed immense interest in forest certification despite the identified barriers. From their perspectives, the biggest barrier was the lack of market demand for certified wood products. Canadian retailers were chosen as a substitute of Chinese retailers to gain insights into how a more advanced market for certified wood products might evolve, and how the demand might evolve in China. The new forest tenure reforms and forestry property markets are likely to overcome many of the challenges and enable forest farmers to adopt SFM and certification. That said, the widespread adoption of SFM and certification amongst various stakeholders has a long way to go.

As the doubling time of the global human population decreases, increasing emphasis is placed on sustainable development by both policy makers and scientists. Sustainable forest management is one part of the overall picture of sustainable development. One method to assess sustainable forest management is through the use of criteria and indicators. Criteria represent sustainable management goals. Indicators are measurable quantities that designate whether the goals are being met. The maintenance of forest health and vitality is a criterion of the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests. Measures of air pollution, forest disturbance, and change in ecological integrity provide indicators of how well forest health and vitality are being maintained. Using national databases, I assess air pollution in the United States, demonstrate the use of epidemiological approaches to examine forest disturbances, and develop an analytical technique to identify gaps and target priorities in reserve networks. The analyses in this dissertation offer new approaches to large-scale analysis of Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators. The results can be summarized as follows. (1) From 1994 through 2000 air pollution was highest in the northeastern United States and the oak-hickory and loblolly-shortleaf forest type groups were consistently exposed to more air pollution than other forest types. Conversely, the western white pine and larch forest type groups were consistently exposed to less air pollution than all other forest types. (2) Examination of the southeastern United States revealed high rates of forest fragmentation in the piedmont and coastal plain region. In the Pacific North west, insect and pathogen activity was analyzed and recurring clusters of high rates of activity were identified. (3) Although protected areas of the Douglas-fir forest type group occurred throughout much of the species range, most existed in colder and drier parts of the range. To conserve representative habitats, future conservation efforts would be most effective in warmer and wetter areas of western Oregon, northwestern Washington, and northwestern California.

Bibliography: p. 155-161.
Management systems as applied to most of the world's tropical forests are anthropocentric. In view of this, conservation of these ecosystems has been threatened by overuse and pressure of exotic monocultures. Sustainable forest development aims at utilizing the forest resource without unduly degrading the forest ecosystems. This study examines the case of Mount Meru forest reserve, a tropical montane rainforest in northern Tanzania. The main aim of the study is to investigate human induced causes of forest degradation and to propose ways to improve the forest management so as to attain sustainable forest development. The study is based on survey data obtained from the study area through semi-structured interviews conducted with 198 key informats. Social study methods have been used for data analysis and interpretation.

In this study, sustainable forest management (SFM) indicators employed by 13 different forest management entities in British Columbia (BC) have been analyzed according to their use and associated monitoring costs. The analysis revealed significant gaps in the monitoring of many social and economic indicators amongst forestry companies, largely due to a perception that these indicators were not the companies’ responsibilities to monitor. In addition, some widely recognized values, such as the maintenance of soil and water quality, were also not being monitored. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the high cost of monitoring these indicators. Amongst Aboriginal entities, they were also major gaps in the monitoring, often reflecting a lack of capacity or a disagreement with the context in which the indicators were framed. Further exploration of the data through Q-type factor analysis revealed that there are five distinct organizational perspectives on stewardship amongst the 13 case studies. These perspectives are predominantly delineated by causal mechanism related to access and control of resources. These results represent important policy signals for government when attempting to craft a cohesive SFM policy across a broad scale of diverse landscapes and cultures and provide a basis for exploring the relationship between institutional failures and adaptation in SFM. A generic ‘SFM system’ was devised for BC using the theory of Panarchy as an underlying conceptual framework. In this system, the constraints and incentives on SFM monitoring derived from the analysis of the 13 case studies are connected to institutional failures in the SFM system. Relationships between failure and adaption are explored in order to make policy suggestions for better incorporation of a diversity of operational SFM definitions into higher-level SFM implementation and monitoring in BC.

Erosion is a serious concern across the US and the globe. One effective method to reduce soil erosion is to apply rolled erosion control products (RECPs). One material source for use in RECPs that has not been studied is low-value forest residuals (LVRs). The objectives of this study were to design RECPs out of four LVRs (leaf litter, willow whiplets, willow chips, spruce needles) and to assess their ability to reduce soil loss, control water quality (turbidity and total phosphorous), and enhance germination. LVR RECPs were tested using ASTM standards on bare, detritus, and burned soils. Leaf litter and spruce needle RECPs were highly effective at all three abilities, while the willow whiplet and chip RECPs were effective at reducing erosion, but less effective at controlling water quality and enhancing vegetation. Overall, the use of LVRs as a material source for RECPs shows great promise.

LANDSAT-Data show that, despite the ban on all forest activities in the Dominican Republic, an accelerating rate of deforestation is taking place. To date no study investigating the political and socio-economic aspects of 'conventional forest management' (timber production) has been carried out resulting in a total lack of knowledge concerning forest management and its constraints. The present study attempts to measure the impact of an existing natural pine forest management project on forest dwellers' living standards and on employment in the small-scale timber-processing industry of rural areas. A tentatitive assessment of the impact of forestry and forest industry on employment at a nation-wide scale was also attempted. Non-parametrical statistics were used to measure the impact of the project by comparing the results of a survey of project-beneficiaries with results from non-beneficiaries of a Project and a Control area. The results indicate that the project had certain positive effects on the living standards of the beneficiaries in terms of employment and income. The impact, however, was not strong enough to cause a significant difference compared with the living standards of non-beneficiaries. Results also indicate that other important factors such as ownership of land and agricultural and forest activities were not influenced at all or even negatively. It is recommended that socio-economic studies should be carried out before projects are planned and implemented in order to take account of the needs of 'target groups' and to achieve positive impacts which significantly improve living standards.

Les feux sont un phénomène naturel dans la forêt boréale du Canada. Ils sont étroitement liés à la croissance et au développement de cet écosystème. Cependant, l’augmentation des activités anthropiques associées au changement climatique graduel peuvent provoquer un accroissement des épisodes de feux. Un tel accroissement pourrait avoir des effets indési-rables sur l'industrie forestière en raison d’une rupture de l'approvisionnement en bois sur une période de planification à long terme. Cette thèse explore une approche alternative pour concevoir des stratégies qui réduiront l'impact potentiel des feux de forêt sur les revenus à long terme générés par la vente de produits forestiers ciblés, et ce, au moyen d’une politique d’aménagement forestier spécifique. L'étude est basée sur les données de trois unités d’aménagement forestier localisées dans la région boréale de la province de Québec au Ca-nada. Les modèles de politique de planification de la récolte forestière ont été résolus en utilisant la programmation linéaire intégrée avec un taux de brûlage constant. Les options de récolte prescrites par les modèles de planification ont été évaluées à l’aide d’un modèle de simulation de paysage intégré avec un taux de brûlage stochastique. Parmi les quatre modèles pris en compte, le modèle verticalement intégré (modèle 4) a géné-ré les revenus les plus élevés tout en ayant les variations les moins importantes de revenu au sein et entre les périodes pour l'horizon de planification. Ce modèle a permis de maximiser la valeur actuelle nette des recettes provenant de la vente de produits de première transfor-mation pour les deux premières périodes soumis à une récolte forestière constante et à des volumes de bois récupérés durant une période de planification complète. Les revenus plus élevés et les variations plus faibles suggèrent que le modèle peut réduire le risque des im-pacts des feux de forêt sur les revenus comparativement aux trois autres modèles, y compris le modèle de rendement soutenu qui maximise le volume de la récolte soumis à des flux constants du volume de récolte durant une période de planification (modèle 1). L'analyse des dépenses de gestion des incendies a démontré que l’augmentation de telles dépenses peut réduire le coût de lutte contre les feux et augmenter les revenus de la récolte tout en diminuant la variabilité. Cependant, il y a un niveau optimal de dépense qui dépend de la structure forestière et des régimes de feux. Par conséquent, une répartition optimale des dépenses de prévention peut réduire le risque d'impact du feu sur l’économie forestière à long terme. La pérennité des écosystèmes est importante en gestion forestière. Par conséquent, l'intégri-té écologique est de plus en plus préoccupante en ce qui concerne les forêts publiques cana-diennes qui sont aménagées à des fins commerciales. La mise en œuvre d’une politique de récolte exigeant la conservation des vieilles forêts tout en tenant compte de l'impact poten-tiel du feu peut avoir des effets négatifs sur les revenus. Les impacts peuvent être réduits en choisissant une politique de gestion forestière alternative. La réduction des revenus à court terme peut être compensée par des retours à long terme générés par la valeur ajoutée asso-ciée à l'âge du bois en utilisant des politiques alternatives. Finalement, les résultats démontrent que le modèle de planification de la récolte intégrée verticalement et l’optimisation des efforts de gestion du feu peuvent accroître les revenus à moyen et à long terme de l'industrie forestière. Le modèle réduit le risque de perte de reve-nus lié à la rupture de l'approvisionnement lorsque l'impact du feu est inclus dans le proces-sus de planification. De plus, les solutions prescrites dans ce modèle aident à réduire le taux de récolte et à augmenter le volume des stocks qui peut être un coussin en prévision des feux qui surviennent de façon très variable au cours des périodes de l’horizon de planification.
Forest fire is a natural process in the boreal forest region of Canada and it is strongly con-nected to forest growth and development. Yet, increasing anthropogenic activities coupled with gradual climate change can increase fire occurrence and area burned. Such an increase may cause adverse impacts on the forest-based economy by the potential disruption of tim-ber supply over a long-term planning horizon. This thesis explores an alternative approach to designing strategies to reduce the potential impact of fire on long-term revenues generated by the sale of prescribed harvest products using a specified forest management policy. The study is based on data from three commercially-managed forests located in the boreal forest region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The harvest planning policy models were solved using a constant average annual burn rate-embedded in a linear programming model. The harvest solutions prescribed by the planning model were evaluated by implementing them in a stochastic landscape simulation model. Among the four policy models examined, vertically integrated model (model 4) generated the highest revenue with the least within- and among-period variation in revenue over the planning horizon. This model maximized the net present value from the sale of primary-processed wood products for the first two periods subjecting to the constant flows of har-vest timber and recovered lumber volumes for an entire planning horizon. The higher reve-nue and lower variation suggest that the model can have lower risk of fire impacts on reve-nue compared with the other three models including the status quo sustained-yield policy model (model 1) that maximizes harvest timber volume subject to constant flows of the harvest volume over the planning horizon. Analysis of fire management expenditures demonstrated that increased presuppression ex-penditure can reduce suppression costs and increase the revenue from the harvest while lowering the variability. However, there is an optimal level of expenditure, which depends on the structure of the forest and fire regimes. Hence, an optimal allocation of presuppres-sion expenditure can reduce the risk of the fire on the long-term economics of the forest. Ecosystem sustainability is important for forest management. Therefore, ecological integrity is of increasing concern with respect to commercially-managed public forests in Canada. Implementation of a harvest policy with strict requirement of old-growth forest area con-straint while accounting for the possible impact of fire can have adverse impacts on reve-nue. The impacts can be reduced by selecting alternative forest management policies. The short-term reduction in revenue from harvests can be compensated for by long-term eco-nomic returns provided by age-related value accumulation of the harvest timber using alter-native policies. Finally, based on the results, the vertically integrated harvest planning model coupled with optimal fire management efforts can increase long-term average revenue to wood industry. The model lowers the risk of loss of revenue due to supply disruptions when the impact of fire is accounted for in the planning process. In addition, the solutions prescribed by this model help reduce the harvest rate and increase stock volume which can act as a buffer for the highly variable potential fires in the successive periods over a planning horizon.

The objective of this Bachelor Thesis is to study the participatory forest management of Ufiome Forest Reserve in Babati, Tanzania. Further the aim is to determine whether the Joint Forest Management of Ufiome can be considered as a part of a sustainable development. The concept of Sustainable Development is discussed in relation to the forest management of Ufiome. Through the method of semi-structured interviews during a 3 week field study in Babati District, Tanzania, came the conclusion that the Joint Forest Management of Ufiome was considered successful in conserving the forest and the ecosystem of which it holds in an effective way. Benefits such as access to water and more fodder and fruits are brought up. However in relation to the concept of the three spheres of Sustainable Development, the ecologic, social and economic, the success was not as apparent. Development of a sustainable character needs to exist in all the spheres. Economically, little to no financial gain or stimulation was evident. Although the social status has gone up in general in the District and in the villages, the process is slow. People are starting to notice a change in the villages due to the forest management. With this in mind the Joint Forest Management of Ufiome, although successful, has its flaws and needs to further develop. Informants for this thesis consist of local villagers in the area of Ufiome forest and District Officials, the majority of which share hope and a strong belief that such conservation strategies as that of the Joint Forest Management of Ufiome is a clear step in the right direction for a sustainable future.

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia / UL
To anticipate European climate scenarios for the end of the century, we explored the climate gradient within the REINFFORCE (RÉseau INFrastructure de recherche pour le suivi et l’adaptation des FORêts au Changement climatiquE) arboreta network, established in 38 sites between latitudes 37◦ and 57◦, where 35 tree species are represented. Understanding how climate affects tree phenology, biotic and abiotic vulnerability, is a most important research subject under Climate Change. We focused on determining which climatic variables best explain their survival and growth, and identify which species that are more tolerant to climate variation and those whose growth and survival future climate might constrain. We used empirical models to determine the best climatic predictor variables that explain tree survival and growth, to predict the impact on the specific response of tree species to changing climate scenarios, to evaluate the loss and assess the risk of maintaining or changing species, under each scenario. Considering the scenarios described on IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, predictions were run under two main Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. Precipitation-transfer distance was most important for the survival of broadleaved species, whereas growing-season-degree days best explained conifer-tree survival. Growth (annual height increment) was mainly explained by a derived annual dryness index (ADI) for both conifers and broadleaved trees. Species that showed the greatest variation in survival and growth in response to climatic variation included Betula pendula Roth, Pinus elliottii Engelm., and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don, and those that were least affected included Quercus shumardii Buckland and Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold. We also demonstrated that provenance differences were significant for Pinus pinea L., Quercus robur L., and Ceratonia siliqua L. A higher survival risk is expected for conifer species, especially for species like Calocedrus decurrens, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Pinus nigra. For growth, high risk is indicated for Larix decidua, Pinus pinaster, and Betula pendula. Risk distribution points to higher risk at southern sites, and higher production potential for northern sites. Here, we demonstrate the usefulness of infrastructures along a climatic gradient like REINFFORCE to determine major tendencies of tree species responding to climate changes
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Appreciation of how forest land can be managed in a sustainable way in arid and semi-arid zones (ASAZs) of centralized countries is limited. Accordingly, this thesis seeks to analyse the role of government and communities, including women, in the formulation and implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) policy and practices in the semi-arid environment of Syria where such land is limited in extent (e.g. 3% forest and 57% rangeland) and yet where its high biodiversity value is of international significance. The thesis employs a variety of methods: a case study approach (Syria); a questionnaire (i.e. 142 respondents); face-to-face interviews (i.e. 26 interviewees); participant observation and secondary data. The SFM model was used to organise and analyse the influences of environmental, economic, social, cultural and political issues on the state of forest land in Syria. Three contrasting forest areas were selected for detailed analysis at local level: Al Foronloq had the Arab Institute of Forestry close by and the area had a high biodiversity value for landscape; Abo Kbeis contained key genetic resources and a number of women there had been trained in forest management and Abd Aziz Mountain was characterised by rangeland with traditional grazing plus a very arid environment. The main results obtained from census data confirmed that Syrian forest lands have diminished considerably since 1900 with regard to their geographical extent due to agricultural development, expansion of rural-urban settlements as well as of agricultural land onto Syrian forest land. On a more general level, the political issues in Syria (i.e. centralization and independency of the country) demand development of the internal resources of the country, such as agricultural production, in order to cover the needs of human maintenance. Scrutinising forest documentation and using results of face-to-face interviews, it was found that there were considerable changes in forest policies in terms of forest protection and plantation. In addition, there was a recent indication of adopting SFM principles in the case study area, largely as a result of action by agencies external to Syria at the national level, and the new role of NGOs in forest management at the local level. The increasing level of awareness of environmental problems; the capacity of institutions; community participation in natural resources management and achieving international agreements were also found to be paramount in any contracts between the Syrian government and other organisations. This thesis, at the local level, showed that respondents in the mountains (in the Abd Aziz Mountain (AAM) study area) seemed to be older, poorer, mostly with non-educated background, with more than three children, than in the Al Foronloq (AF) and Abo Kbeis (AK) study areas. Respondent groups in AAM were found to be more dependent upon forest resources than respondents in AF and AK; and they occupied land illegally because of their mission to develop agricultural activities, including grazing. The study confirmed that educated households in AF and AK use forest resources more than non-educated households. Conversely, non-educated households in AAM suffer from gaining a local income which may in turn affect their attitudes and behaviours in using forest resources; and as consequence, householders suffering from financial problems may be less aware of the importance of forest protection and try to solve their individual needs by increasing the pressures on the forest resources. The major constraints affecting the formulation and implementation of SFM policy are insufficient financial resources, inadequate management from national to regional and local levels; the limitations are also related to local communities’ attitudes and ignorance of the role of women in forest management. This thesis found that the contribution of women in the labour force at the local level was high in Lattakia (Al Foronloq study area) compared with other study areas (e.g. 32.9% in Lattakia against 13.4% in Hamah and 18.8% in Alhasake) (UNDP: Syrian Human development, 2005); although, there was a significant relationship between income level, family size and women’s contribution in forest management at the local level and no significant relationship with the educational level. On a more specific level, the role of religious faith in AK affects the contribution of women in the society and the workplace generally and in forest management in particular. Finally, the application of the SFM model in this study provided a flexible approach for analysis of complicated interactions between the government and communities. It also provided a comprehensive framework for different types of analytical purposes. Each of the three main components (issues, state and political decisionmakers) was divided into several sub-components which facilitate the explanation and identification of the complexities affecting the formulation of SFM policy and the implementation of such policy. It helped to provide a set of policy recommendations which may help to increase future community participation in forest management and reduce the influences of community pressures on forest resources in Syria.

This thesis examines the roles of and the relationships amongst the public, private, Third, and intergovernmental sectors, in order to understand the dynamics of Intersectoral Partnerships (ISPs) and its impact as a sustainable development strategy in community forest management (CFM) projects in Brazil. Partnership literature highlights the value of ISPs' ability to pool resources; however, it fails to evaluate the role for each sector within partnerships. This study of ISPs reviews the theory behind sectors to explain their influence in partnerships and propose a solution utilizing sector strengths to optimize the impact of ISPs on sustainable livelihoods. This research tracks the evolution of ISPs in relation to development theories in literature to eventually focus on three Brazilian CFM projects. Backed by intergovernmental sector support, each of the three case studies represents a partnership with one of the public, Third or private sectors. An analysis of the production and commercialization process of CFM projects pinpoints valuable practical sector contributions and limitations. Sector strengths such as public sector infrastructure investments. Third sector monitoring of communities, private sector knowledge of marketing, and intergovernmental aid coordination create the foundation for ISPs in productive livelihoods. The research identifies training, certification, community organization and political voice as indicators of CFM projects' sustainability. ISPs prove their added value as a sustainable development strategy by addressing these elements better than any individual sector. This research recommends the clear delegation of responsibilities according to inherent sector strengths to maximize use of the wealth of resources provided by an ISP. A proactive approach to partnerships capitalizes on sector strengths and compensates for sector weaknesses to facilitate cooperation amongst sectors in the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods. The strategic use of the public, private, Third, and intergovernmental sectors within ISPs in project development and implementation will contribute to further reducing poverty and deforestation through CFM projects by promoting sustainable livelihoods for forest communities.

This thesis has the aim of presenting a forest management system to be applied on small farms, especially in the settlement projects of the Brazilian Amazon, and to examine its sustainability by investigating the responses of the forest in terms of the changes in natural regeneration in felling gaps and the dynamics of the residual trees. Using the program CAFOGROM, an additional aim was to simulate the forest responses to different cycle lengths, harvesting intensities and silvicultural treatments to determine the theoretical optimum combination of these parameters. The proposed forest management system was designed to generate a new source of family income and to maintain the structure and biodiversity of the legal forest reserves. The system is new in three main characteristics: the use of short cycles in the management of tropical forest, the low harvesting intensity and environmental impact and the direct involvement of the local population in all forest management activities. It is based on a minimum felling cycle of ten years and an annual harvest of 5-10 m3 ha-1 of timber. The gaps produced by logging in PC Peixoto can be classified as small or less often medium sized (canopy openness from 10% to 25%). Differences in gap size and canopy openness produced significant differences in the growth rates, species richness and species diversity of seedlings, but no statistically significant differences could be determined according to the position of the quadrats in the gaps. Mortality rates increased and recruitment rates decreased with increasing gap size. The density and recruitment of seedlings of commercial species was not different between gap sizes, but gap creation increased the growth rate of the seedlings of these species.

This thesis is an examination of the political settlement in Indian forest policy. In the last two decades the rapid degradation of Indian forests has led to a reconsideration of who should manage the forests and with what priorities. An agenda has emerged which identifies the decentralisation of resources to local communities for subsistence as a national priority. This thesis explores the content and development of the consensus over decentralised forest management. My focus in this respect is on a system of common property forest management in the Central Himalaya, and on two villages in District Kurnaun in particular. In chapter 1 argue that the content of agenda is determined by two interest groups, the government and 'a social forestry interest group', comprised of NGOs ahd the international development community. Both have theories about the interaction between environment and society in which their own specific interests are represented as being in the general interest of society as a whole. The 'conventional' position adopted by the government considers central control over local units of management necessary to prevent unrestrained resource use. The 'populist' position of the social forestry interest group maintains that common property regimes were a past tradition, and that their disruption - is a principle cause for deforestation. Both theories fail to explore the material causes for environmental degradation, and the way in which local communities have adapted their patterns of resource use and social relations of production in response to developments in the wider economy. In chapter 3, 5, 6 and 7 I show the inadequacies of populist and conventional explanations for the interaction between environment and society, and why the new agenda fails to offer a comprehensive agenda for development. In chapter 4 and 8 I consider the way in which the discourse over the environment has become entrenched in policy making.

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an invasive wood boring beetle native to eastern Asia which was first detected in North America in 2002. All North American Fraxinus (ash) species are suitable hosts and susceptible to attack. Emerald ash borer larvae feed on phloem beneath the bark of infested trees resulting in girdling and mortality in as little as five years following initial infestation. Since its introduction near Detroit, Michigan, emerald ash borer has rapidly spread throughout much of the United States and portions of Canada, threatening the persistence of ash in invaded regions. I tested a management strategy for emerald ash borer which combines pesticide applications with releases of three species of classical biological control agents: Tetrastichus planipennisi, Spathius agrili, and Oobius agrili. My data suggest that the two approaches are compatible and pesticides did not negatively impact establishment success of T. planipennisi and O. agrili. Additionally, I characterized the assemblage of natural enemies native to the central United States that might be capable of helping regulate emerald ash borer populations, and found twelve morpho-species of natural enemies being recruited to emerald ash borer in this region. Finally, I evaluated the impact of ash decline on native hymenopteran parasitoids and found a positive correlation between ash decline and parasitoid abundance.

This research assesses the state of sustainability of State indigenous forests in the Eastern Cape and provides recommendations to improve their sustainability. The Eastern Cape Indigenous Forest Management Audit (ECIFMA) report of 2009 provided the primary data for this assessment (DAFF, 2009). The research was inspired by the fact that the global challenge of forestry destruction and degradation where the extent of forests is being reduced at an alarming rate of 6% annually. It became essential for global leaders to develop policies and strategies that sought to promote sustainable forest management. The monitoring of sustainability of forests was only possible through use of globally and nationally developed sets of criteria and indicators. Eleven forest estates responsible for the management of State indigenous forests in the Eastern Cape were selected for this research. The choice was influenced by the availability of audit data from the ECIFMA report of 2009. This report contained performance information of 41 indicators under 18 criteria for monitoring sustainable forest management as extracted from the PCI&S assessment checklist developed for monitoring the sustainability of indigenous forests in South Africa (DWAF, 2005). The data was refined using the MCA methods (ranking and scoring) as described by Mendoza and Prabhu (2000). These methods yielded to the determination of the performance of indicators of forest sustainability. It was thus important to conclude the research by responding to the following questions: • What is the state of sustainability of the State indigenous forests in the Eastern Cape? • What recommendations could be made to improve the sustainability of State indigenous forests? It was found that the State indigenous forests were not managed in a sustainable manner. The research report is concluded by providing concrete recommendations to improve forest sustainability.

The Swedish forest is currently being debated as to how it should be managed to provide climate mitigation. Forest management can contribute to climate mitigation in mainly two ways. Either through increased sequestration and storage of carbon in the forest or as a consequence of the substitution effect, through which emissions can be avoided by utilizing harvested wood products to replace other emission-intensive products. However, these two climate benefits are at odds with each other, as efforts to increase the sequestration of carbon in the forest by increased conservation will decrease the amount of harvested biomass available for substitution. This fact has led to a disagreement between scholars regarding the climate benefits of increased forest conservation versus the climate benefits of maintaining a high harvest level. The climate benefit of increased forest conservation is influenced by how much additional carbon the growing forest can sequester over time. The climate benefit of forest harvest is instead directly related to the level of achieved substitution effect. As the substitution level is dynamic, it may change in the future due to various technological, economic, and societal developments, which would influence the potential climate benefit of forest harvest. In addition, intensifying forest management as a means to increase forest growth is also commonly suggested as a possible measure for enhancing the climate mitigation potential of the Swedish forest. This study aimed to investigate how the climate mitigation potential of different forest management regimes develops over time based on different potential levels of achieved substitution effect. Based on input data from the National Forest Inventory, the Heureka RegWise system was used to simulate the impact on sequestration of carbon dioxide and the available harvested biomass to be used for substitution for the different forest management regimes over a 150-year period. The results indicate that increased forest conservation provides a higher climate mitigation potential throughout a majority of the 150-year period. However, the climate benefit of increased conservation does diminish over time due to the set-aside forests' declining ability to sequester additional carbon. The rate at which the forest management regimes without increased conservation can catch up is influenced on which level of substitution that is applied. The results also indicate that increased utilization of growth-enhancing practices increases the climate mitigation potential of forest management.

Mestrado em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
The Cabeça Gorda and Salvada forest is an area approximately 320 hectares of pine, oaks, eucalyptus, scrub, and grassland, under public administration and subject to partial forestry regime since 1960. In 2009 an agreement was signed between the National Forest Authority and the two owners, the parish councils of Cabeça Gorda and Salvada, in order to transfer management responsibility and administration from the first organization to the other two. This thesis is a contribution to establish a framework to multifunctional forest management of that area whose primary function is to protect water and soil and provide recreation conditions to the populations living in the surroundings. Some proposals are presented: lines of action considering the different functions of the forest such as protection, conservation, recreation, landscape service, production of wood and non-wood products as well as social and educational activities. Forest management systems certification requirements from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), have been tested as an exercise to characterize responsible (sustainable) forest management under the conditions of the Cabeça Gorda and Salvada forest. Several measures which are deemed essential to achieve sustainable forest management in the study area are presented.