scholarly journals Positive site selection bias in meta-analyses comparing natural regeneration to active forest restoration

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. eaas9143 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Leighton Reid ◽  
Matthew E. Fagan ◽  
Rakan A. Zahawi
Keyword(s):  
Selection Bias ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Positive Site ◽  
Meta Analyses

scholarly journals Forest Restoration: Do Site Selection and Restoration Practices Follow Ecological Criteria? A Case Study in Sweden

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 988
Author(s):  
Anouschka R. Hof ◽  
Anna Zachrisson ◽  
Lina E. Polvi
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Managed Forest ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Ecological Site ◽  
Ecological Criteria ◽  
Restoration Practices ◽  
Intensively Managed ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

The speed with which restoration will, or can, be accomplished depends on the initial state and location of the sites. However, many factors can undermine the process of choosing sites that are deemed the best ecological choice for restoration. Little attention has been paid to whether site selection follows ecological criteria and how this may affect restoration success. We used habitat inventory data to investigate whether ecological criteria for site selection and restoration have been followed, focusing on restoration for the white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos B.) in Sweden. In our study region, which is situated in an intensively managed forest landscape with dense and young stands dominated by two coniferous species, purely ecological criteria would entail that sites that are targeted for restoration would (1) initially be composed of older and more deciduous trees than the surrounding landscape, and (2) be at a scale relevant for the species. Furthermore, restoration should lead to sites becoming less dense and less dominated by coniferous trees after restoration, which we investigated as an assessment of restoration progress. To contextualize the results, we interviewed people involved in the restoration efforts on site. We show that although the first criterion for ecological site selection was largely met, the second was not. More research is needed to assess the motivations of actors taking part in restoration efforts, as well as how they interlink with public efforts. This would allow us to identify possible synergies that can benefit restoration efforts.

Site Selection Bias in Program Evaluation *

2015 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 1117-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hunt Allcott
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Selection Bias ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Randomized Control Trials ◽  
Program Evaluations ◽  
Out Of Sample ◽  
Target Treatment ◽  
Randomized Control ◽  
Selection For

Abstract “Site selection bias” can occur when the probability that a program is adopted or evaluated is correlated with its impacts. I test for site selection bias in the context of the Opower energy conservation programs, using 111 randomized control trials involving 8.6 million households across the United States. Predictions based on rich microdata from the first 10 replications substantially overstate efficacy in the next 101 sites. Several mechanisms caused this positive selection. For example, utilities in more environmentalist areas are more likely to adopt the program, and their customers are more responsive to the treatment. Also, because utilities initially target treatment at higher-usage consumer subpopulations, efficacy drops as the program is later expanded. The results illustrate how program evaluations can still give systematically biased out-of-sample predictions, even after many replications.

scholarly journals Natural Regeneration After Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon: Implications for Restoration of Tropical Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Chambi-Legoas ◽  
Daigard Ricardo Ortega Rodriguez ◽  
Francisco de Marques de Figueiredo ◽  
Joel Peña Valdeiglesias ◽  
Percy Amílcar Zevallos Pollito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Regeneration Process ◽  
Peruvian Amazon ◽  
Secondary Species ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Madre De Dios

Context: Gold mining is the most destructive activity in the natural forests of the Madre de Dios region in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. Understanding the natural regeneration process of these degraded areas is necessary to develop forest restoration projects in such conditions.Aims: We aimed to evaluate forest recovery and identify the successional and structure patterns of vegetation governing natural regeneration over time.Methods: Structure, composition, richness, diversity, and successional status were evaluated in abandoned artisanal gold mine areas in Madre de Dios, southeastern Peru. Vegetation data were recorded in 61 plots of 250 m2 established in five sites varying from 1 to 19 years of abandonment. Vegetation in abandoned areas was compared with six undisturbed forests evaluated in previous inventories.Results: In the mining lands, tree density and basal area recovered quickly, while species richness and composition were slow. Forest recovery is an initial stage of transition from pioneer to early secondary species until at least 19 years after abandonment. The most abundant and frequent species were the fast-growing species Ochroma pyramidale and Cecropia engleriana. These species could be considered potential candidates to promote restoration plans. Pioneer species represented 63% of the number of species in plots of 1–4 years, 57% in plots of 5–7 years, and 50% in plots of 8–19 years. Early and late secondary species represented 34 and 16%, respectively, of the number of species in plots of 8–19 years. Abandoned mining and reference plots present less than 5% of species in common.Conclusion: Our results highlight a slow natural regeneration process in areas for up to 19 years after gold mining. Species from different successional statuses were identified as potential candidates for recovering vegetation in such areas. Our findings may have important implications for further research focusing on the ecological restoration in tropical forests severely degraded by gold mining.

scholarly journals How can my research paper be useful for future meta-analyses on forest restoration plantations?

New Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Andivia ◽  
Pedro Villar-Salvador ◽  
Juan A. Oliet ◽  
Jaime Puértolas ◽  
R. Kasten Dumroese
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Meta Analyses

scholarly journals Demographic costs and benefits of natural regeneration during tropical forest restoration

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Trevor Caughlin ◽  
Marinés Peña‐Domene ◽  
Cristina Martínez‐Garza
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Tropical Forest Restoration

Uncovering site selection bias

Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 349 (6255) ◽  
pp. 1501-1502
Author(s):  
B. Wible
Keyword(s):  
Selection Bias ◽  
Site Selection

scholarly journals Site-selection bias can drive apparent population declines in long-term studies

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Auriel M.V. Fournier ◽  
Easton R. White ◽  
Stephen B. Heard
Keyword(s):  
Selection Bias ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Real Population ◽  
Study Sites

Detecting population declines is a critical task for conservation biology. The spatiotemporal variability of populations, along with logistical difficulties in population estimation, makes this task difficult. Here we call attention to a possible bias in estimates of population decline: when study sites are chosen based on abundance of the focal species, for statistical reasons apparent declines are likely even without an underlying population trend. This “site-selection bias” has been mentioned in the literature but is not well known. We show using simulated and real population data that when site-selection biases are introduced, they have substantial impact on inferences about population trends. We use a left-censoring method to show patterns consistent with the operation of the site-selection bias in real population studies. The site-selection bias is, thus, an important consideration for conservation biologists, and we offer suggestions for minimizing or mitigating it in study design and analysis.

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