Public concern over clearcutting in the United States during the 1970s led to significant changes in natural resource policies, particularly in forest management. One aspect that came under scrutiny was forest aesthetics. This study aims to assess the impact of different harvest designs on stand aesthetics using photogrammetric point clouds (PPC). To evaluate the effectiveness of PPC for forest visualization, two stands in the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest at Oregon State University were selected due to their potential to negatively impact the visual quality of the surrounding scenery during harvesting. The number of trees, their heights, volume, and area were analyzed using both univariate and multivariate methods. Regardless of the analysis type (i.e., univariate and multivariate), the designs were consistently differentiated by the percentage of the area harvested. Canonical Discriminant Analysis revealed that designs tailored to the terrain, such as "strips" and "islands," effectively occluded the visibility of forest operations, showing negative discriminant values. More complex harvest designs, aimed at screening forest operations with innovative mechanisms like an inundation model, also demonstrated the most negative discriminant values in visibility metrics. Because reduced ground exposure is only a proxy for visual impact, and not a direct measure of aesthetic preference, the visibility metrics are interpreted here as indicators of the potential to screen operations rather than as measures of scenic quality. The study found that, for the two stands examined, removing up to 75% of the trees could markedly reduce, and in some layouts nearly eliminate, the visibility of the harvest from the surrounding landscape. Because these results derive from two simulated case-study stands, they should be regarded as a promising decision-support approach.
Wildfire simulation can support fire-risk assessment and management, but its application depends on the availability of consistent spatial information on fuels, topography, weather, and fuel moisture. This study developed and evaluated a FARSITE-based wildfire simulation framework for Romania, with particular emphasis on generating the spatial input datasets required for its application. A national fuel-model map was produced by integrating land-cover and canopy information and assigning standard fire-behaviour fuel models according to vegetation characteristics. The framework was evaluated through retrospective simulations of four historical wildfires in western and southwestern Romania. Simulated and observed fire perimeters were compared using complementary spatial agreement metrics, while model-derived rate of spread, fireline intensity, and flame length were analysed descriptively to characterize simulated fire behaviour. Spatial agreement varied among the four case studies, with S & oslash;rensen-Dice coefficients ranging from 0.660 to 0.879 and Cohen's Kappa values from 0.436 to 0.687. The highest agreement was obtained for the Svinita wildfire, whereas Ilia showed the lowest agreement and the greatest overprediction. Modelled fire behaviour varied substantially among events and fuel types, with the highest simulated spread rates, fireline intensities, and flame lengths generally associated with grass-and shrub-dominated fuels. These fire-behaviour outputs were not independently validated and should therefore be interpreted as modelled patterns. Overall, the results indicate that the proposed framework provides a suitable basis for further FARSITE application and development in Romania under the fuel and environmental conditions represented by the evaluated fires. Further improvements should focus on local fuel characterization, more representative meteorological and topographic inputs, incorporation of information on firefighting operations, and evaluation using a broader range of historical wildfires.
Recent studies have shown that the cypress jewel beetle, Lamprodila festiva L. (Buprestidae, Coleoptera), a species native to the Mediterranean region, has significantly expanded its range and become a major pest of ornamental Cupressaceae species in many urban areas and nurseries. Often, new outbreaks of this pest are identified based on damage caused by the larvae on host plants. However, this type of identification can be lethal for the host species, which often dries up partially or completely. Therefore, the development of effective detection and monitoring methods, as well as a better understanding of adult flight dynamics, is essential for pest management.To monitor this pest of Cupressaceae species, a two-year field experiment was conducted in a nursery located near Bucharest, Romania, using sticky traps (coated on both sides with adhesive) in green and yellow colours, together with dispensers containing host volatile compounds. The trapping schemes were as follows: green unbaited, green baited, yellow unbaited and yellow baited.A total of 2,231 L. festiva specimens were captured, revealing differences in trap performance among treatments. Females represented a very small proportion of the total catch (approximately 3%) in both study years. Green traps were the most effective in capturing adults, while the use of host volatile-based lures did not affect the mean number of individuals captured per trap.Both sexes showed clear responses to trap colour, with males being more strongly attracted to green traps, while females exhibited a preference for yellow traps.Under the climatic conditions of the study area, adult flight activity began at the end of May and lasted until the first decade of August. The main flight activity occurred in June in both years, while from late July onwards a marked decline in the mean number of adults captured per day was observed. The results contribute to a better understanding of L. festiva flight dynamics and support the use of green sticky traps as a practical monitoring tool in ornamental nurseries and urban plantings of Cupressaceae.
Rural forest communities in developing countries face multiple and compounding shocks that increase their vulnerability and reliance on limited coping options. While many studies have examined how socio-economic factors shape coping strategies, few have explored the combined and interacting effects of these factors on strategy selection across diverse shock types. This study investigates the types of shocks experienced by communities surrounding the Kakamega Forest Ecosystem (KFE) in western Kenya, the coping strategies employed, and how socio-economic characteristics and their interactions influence these responses. Using participatory approaches, primary data were collected from 453 households through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a structured household survey. Data were analysed using Chi-square tests, ANOVA, poisson, and negative binomial regression models. Economic distress and illness emerged as the most widely acknowledged shocks. Significant differences were found across wealth categories and Community Forest Association (CFA) membership for illness, unemployment, animal disease outbreaks, and economic shocks. Only animal disease shocks varied significantly by gender of household head. Forest harvesting was the most frequently adopted coping strategy, used in response to 78% of shocks, underscoring the forest’s buffering role. Consumption reduction was common among poor households during unemployment and economic distress, while productive asset sales were triggered by economic and health-related shocks. Rich CFA members and male headed households were less likely to adopt costly or asset-depleting strategies. The paper demonstrates that forest resources serve primarily as short-term safety nets, underscoring the importance of reducing socio-economic disparities and enhancing forest governance to avoid poverty traps and foster resilient, context-specific policies.
The building sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Substituting carbon-intensive materials with timber presents a significant, yet not fully quantified, climate mitigation opportunity.This systematic review synthesizes three decades of global research to quantify the timber substitution effect in the built environment. Its primary objectives are to: (1) consolidate displacement factors and emission reduction ranges from life-cycle assessments, (2) evaluate systemic barriers and enablers for adoption, and (3) provide actionable insights for policy and research.A structured literature search (1990–2024) was performed using Web of Science and Google Scholar. From 12,526 initial records, 12,320 unique studies were screened. Following a full-text review, 80 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, with 68 providing quantitative data for meta-analysis. A mixed-methods framework combined bibliometric and thematic synthesis.The analysis confirms a robust substitution effect. Replacing steel with wood avoids 2.3 kg of CO₂ per kg of wood, while substituting concrete saves 1.4 kg CO₂/kg. In whole-building systems, emission reductions range from 36 to 530 kg CO₂-equivalents per m³ of wood. When sourced sustainably, timber serves as a long-term carbon store, with life-cycle assessments showing 34–84% lower climate impact in multi-story applications. Scaling timber use could reduce sector emissions by 20–30% by 2050. Key barriers include prescriptive building codes, fire safety perceptions, and uneven forest governance.Timber substitution is a viable, scalable mitigation pathway. Realizing its potential requires updated building codes, carbon pricing mechanisms, and certified sustainable forestry. Future research must standardize life-cycle assessment methods and address geographic literature gaps. This transition can simultaneously advance climate goals, circular economy principles, and green job creation.
