The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. It was formerly also responsible for Forestry in Wales and Scotland, however on 1 April 2013, Forestry Commission Wales merged with other agencies to become Natural Resources Wales, whilst two new bodies (Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry) were established in Scotland on 1 April 2019.The Forestry Commission was set up in 1919 to expand Britain's forests and woodland after depletion during the First World War. To do this, the commission bought large amounts of agricultural land; eventually becoming the largest land owner in Britain. Today, the Forestry Commission is divided into three divisions: Forestry England, Forestry Commission and Forest Research.Over time the purpose of the Commission broadened to include many other activities beyond timber production. One major activity is scientific research, some of which is carried out in research forests across Britain. Recreation is also important, with several outdoor activities being actively promoted. Protecting and improving biodiversity across England's forests are also part of the Forestry Commission's remit.The Commission received criticism for its reliance on conifers, particularly the uniform appearance of conifer forests and concerns over a lack of biodiversity. Furious protests from the general public and conservation groups accompanied attempts to privatise the organisation in 1993 and 2010..............
This paper conducts an extensive morphometric analysis of the Afram River Basin to assess its hydrological behaviour and its implications for the sustainable management of water resources. These were the goals: to calculate the critical linear, areal, and relief parameters; examine how these parameters affect runoff, infiltration, erosion, and drainage capacity; and interpret their applicability to climate-resilient planning. The ArcGIS 10.8.2 and ERDAS IMAGINE were used to process Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS and SRTM DEM (30 m) data to delineate the basin, classify stream orders, derive slope and calculate quantitative morphometric indicators. Findings indicate a low drainage density of 0.28 km/km2, a mean bifurcation ratio of 1.86, and a dendritic pattern characterised by dominance of 256 first-order streams and an overall stream length of 2213.43 km, suggesting an elongated watershed with slow runoff concentration and low flash-flood potential, but high water stress in dry seasons. The originality of this piece of work lies in the direct connection of these morphometric indicators to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 through the identification of groundwater recharge areas, slopes prone to erosion, and areas of hydrological sensitivity, all of which are necessary for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The results offer evidence-based recommendations for enhancing basin-level water security and climate adaptation in the Afram Basin.
Arboviruses, such as yellow fever and dengue viruses, pose a growing public health threat in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly at human-wildlife interfaces. Mole National Park (MNP), with its rich biodiversity and ecotourism, represents a high-risk area and has been the epicentre of recent outbreaks in Ghana. The objective of this study was to assess community knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding arboviral transmission and prevention in this high-risk interface. In December 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional KAP survey among 300 adults in MNP (n = 120) and nearby communities, Murugu (n = 94) and Mognori (n = 86) using structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, and a multivariable logistic regression model (α = .05). Awareness of yellow fever was high (92.0%), but none mentioned dengue or Zika; awareness varied significantly by location (MNP 96.7%, Murugu 96.8%, Mognori 80.2%; P < .001). Only 44.0% correctly associated mosquito bites with yellow fever transmission. Fever was cited as a common symptom by 17.0%, but misconceptions such as “yellow vomit” (5.0%) and “yellow urine” (10.3%) persisted. While nearly all (95.7%) reported using Insecticide-treated nets, adoption of other preventive measures like repellents (5.0%) and environmental management (1.0%) was very low. Perceptions of arbovirus presence also differed significantly across communities (MNP 48.4%, Murugu 38.7%, Mognori 12.9%; P < .001). Despite these knowledge gaps, all respondents indicated they would seek medical care if infected. These findings suggest that, despite high awareness of yellow fever, knowledge gaps persist regarding its symptoms, transmission, and preventive measures. Addressing these requires sustained health education initiatives on arboviral disease transmission, improved access to repellents and water, sanitation, and hygiene tools, and a One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health.
Land use and land cover changes (LULCC) are major drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, posing significant threats to protected forests and their ecosystem services. However, the impact of LULCC in the Bobiri Forest Reserve remains understudied, with limited evidence of the ecological consequences for the forest. In this study, we investigated (i) the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover in the reserve; (ii) the effects of these changes on species ecological metrics; and (iii) the implications of these changes for the retention of tree seed sources. We applied remote sensing and spatiotemporal analysis to a 38-year dataset (1986–2024), using Landsat 5 TM (1986), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2008), and Sentinel-2 L2A (2024) imagery to quantify LULCC. Our results revealed a deforestation rate of 9.30% between 1986 and 2024, with closed forest consistently transformed into open forest, cropland, and settlements or roads. Evaluation of forest degradation using tree inventory data from eight 1-hectare permanent sample plots (censused in 1990 and re-censused in 2022) showed a 37% decline in biomass and carbon stock. Logging-induced degradation significantly reduced species diversity, species richness, biomass, carbon, seed tree populations and canopy structure, including the loss of 2496 trees across six species families. Paired t-test revealed significant differences between 1990 and 2022 for all ecological metrics. Normality assumptions were met, as none of the ecological variables showed significant deviation from normality (Shapiro–Wilk test,p > 0.05), and Quantile-Quantile(Q–Q) plots closely aligned with the theoretical normal distribution, with only minor deviations in the tails. The impacts of LULCC on the Bobiri Forest Reserve have critical implications for biodiversity conservation, forest carbon dynamics, and natural regeneration. We conclude that urgent interventions are needed to curb unsustainable LULCC and to promote restoration strategies that safeguard the reserve’s ecological resilience, with action required from all policymakers.
Ghana’s timber export sector has experienced unstable trend despite the implementation of major forest governance and plantation development initiatives intended to improve resource sustainability and market competitiveness. This study evaluates the relationship between forest resource availability, policy interventions, and timber export performance using annual data from 2000 to 2023. An integrated analytical framework combining multivariate regression, Interrupted Time Series Regression (ITSR), and ARIMA-based intervention modeling was employed to assess long-term trends, policy impacts, and future export trajectories. Trend analysis indicated a 36.4
Widdringtonia whytei (Mulanje cedar), Malawi’s critically endangered national tree, has declined > 80% since the 1950s from overharvesting, fires and regeneration failure. Previous reforestation initiatives have yielded inconsistent establishment success, attributable to inadequate genotype × environment matching and insufficient edaphic characterization, necessitating empirical research to inform restoration under intensifying climate pressures. This study evaluated 4-year field performance including survival, root collar diameter (RCD) and height of three provenances (Zomba, Chikangawa and Tanzania) established across five operational high-altitude sites in Malawi (Thuchira, Zomba Plateau, Dedza Mountain, Luwawa and Chikangawa). Trials followed randomized complete block designs using a randomized complete block design with five blocks per site and 7 × 7 tree plots assessed on a 5 × 5 core. Site conditions dominated early trait variation at 4 years. Survival from Chikangawa provenance ranged from 21% (Dedza) to 54% (Chikangawa, Luwawa, Zomba, Thuchira); RCD from 1.6 cm (Thuchira) to 6.9 cm (Luwawa); and height from 1.2 m (Thuchira) to 3.1 m (Zomba). Zomba provenance excelled (66% survival overall; 89% at Luwawa; RCD 4.9 cm mean), Tanzania led height at productive sites, and Chikangawa underperformed consistently. Productive sites (> 50% survival) featured sandy loams, p>10 mg kg−1, CEC > 150 cmol_c kg−1, and pH 4.2–4.9; failures showed P-deficient sands (2.7–3.3 mg kg−1). Phosphorus and CEC strongly predicted growth; Zomba on P-replete loams achieved > 65% survival. These findings demonstrate that early performance of Mulanje cedar is jointly governed by genetic origin and edaphic conditions, highlight Zomba provenance as a promising genetic resource for restoration and underline the need to integrate soil pH, phosphorus status and texture into provenance choice and site preparation to improve reforestation success. Integrating soil diagnostics will boost reforestation success, secure W. whytei recovery and guide endangered conifer conservation globally.
