scholarly journals Biogecoenological approaches to creating standing woods in the steppe zone

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
W. A. Gorejiko
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Moisture Deficit ◽  
Forest Belts

Feasibility of modern biogecoenological approaches to creating standing woods in the steppe zone of Ukraine has been demonstrated. Theoretical background of increasing forest cover percentage in the steppe zone based on the typology of standing woods by A. L. Belgard has been revealed. Experience gained in creating standing woods in Ukraine, achievements and errors depending on the technology used for forest planting are described. Experimental comparison of forest improvement efficiency allowed to develop and recommend long-range structure of wood and shrub species and their balance in mixed forest stands. Cost-effective technology of soil cultivation for planting forests has been revealed. Validated design of protective belts, ways of keeping soils free of weeds as well as silvicultural management practices are recommended. Basic techniques of forest improvement on gully and ravine lands, particularly ways of relief optimization, are described in detail. Technological characteristics of thinning in standing woods delivering the best possible wind permeability of protective belts are given. Actions aimed at reducing soil moisture deficit as well as improving microclimatic characteristics of forest belts and making the process of forest improvement more affordable are revealed. Therefore, based on all-around study of standing woods under the conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine, more advanced and cost-effective techniques of creating standing woods that better meet silvicultural, reclamative and ecological requirements have been offered.

scholarly journals Nature-oriented potential resource and melliferous value of forest belts in steppe agro-forest landscapes

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Samsonova ◽  
Anatoly Gryazkin ◽  
Natalia Belyaeva ◽  
Vladimir Belyaev ◽  
Vitaliy Petrik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Black Locust ◽  
Robinia Pseudoacacia ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Forest Belts ◽  
Potential Resource

Abstract Creation of forest shelterbelts in steppe zone is important because they allow to obtain the highest yields of grains of cereals where the area of the most favorable conditions for growth is formed in comparison with many other soil-climatic regions. Melliferous and pollen production value of lands changes as a result of anthropic landscape conversion from agrarian to forest agrarian. There are a lot of melliferous trees and shrubs in forest belts; some of them have been introduced from the other floristic regions and are well naturalised in the local conditions. Nature-oriented potential resource of forest belts is in carbon deposition and oxygen production by phytomass of the main species. The aim of the research is to evaluate the bioresource potential of forest belts in the conditions of steppe agrarian landscapes. Bioresource potential (Brp) of forests for honey supply in the region was defined according to the distribution of species in the area. Potential honey stock of melliferous lands, represented by forest stands was assigned according to their area, given by the Forestry Department of Rostov region, and the average normative honey productivity of 1 ha of these crops. The number of beehives (N) necessary for honey supply that use ½ of bioresource forest potential was calculated according to the need of a bee family in honey per year. Value of nature-oriented resource of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) stands was defined according to the amount of oxygen produced and carbon deposed. Pure and mixed forest belts with the share of black locust from 60 to 80% (335.0–494.5 kg/ha) in composition with ash (Fraxinus sp.), Norway maple, Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), apricot and dense structure of honey suckle and Siberian pea tree underbrush have the highest productivity. The total volume of possible honey yield from forest belts of agro-forest landscapes in the studied region is 26,379.8 t. Maximum indices of carbon fixation and oxygen production are observed in the maturing stands of black locust, and the largest honey stock dominate in average age stands and are 3,755,000 t, 10,288,000 t and 25,200 t, respectively. The role of the whole system in the increase of landscape honey productivity and formation of forage conveyor for bees and enthomophages might be much more if the recommended assortment of the best melliferous and pollen bearing species would be more completely used when forest belts are created.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing-Based and Participatory Analysis of Forests, Agricultural Land Dynamics, and Potential Land Conservation Measures in Kloto District (Togo, West Africa)

Soil Systems ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawovi Koglo ◽  
Wilson Agyare ◽  
Badabate Diwediga ◽  
Jean Sogbedji ◽  
Ayi Adden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Major Factors

This study investigates proximate drivers of cropland and forest degradation in the Kloto district (Togo, West Africa) as a way of exploring integrated sustainable landscape approaches with respect to socioeconomic and environmental needs and requirements. Net change analysis of major cash and food crops based on Landsat data from three time steps (1985–2002, 2002–2017, and 1985–2017) and quantitative analysis from participatory survey data with farmers and landowners are used. The study underlines poor agricultural systems and cassava farming as major factors contributing to the alarming forest losses between 1985 and 2017. A significant net loss in forest cover of 23.6% and areas under maize and cocoa agroforestry farming of 12.99% and 10.1% between 1985 and 2017, respectively, was noted. These significant losses are due to intensive cassava cropping (38.78%) and settlement expansion (7.87%). Meanwhile, the loss of forest cover between 2002 and 2017 was marginal (8.36%) compared to the period 1985–2002, which had a considerable loss of 15.24%. Based on participatory surveys, the majority of agricultural lands are threatened by erosion or physical deterioration (67.5%), land degradation or salt deposits and loss of micro/macro fauna and flora (56.7%), declines in soil fertility (32.5%) and soil water holding capacity (11.7%), and changes in soil texture (3.3%). Most farmers adhere to the proposed climate smart practices, with an emphasis on cost-effective drip irrigation systems (45.83%), soil mulching (35%), and the adoption of drought-resilient varieties (29.17%) to anticipate adverse spells. We conclude that low adoption of improved soil conservation, integrated water management, and harvesting systems and the use of less productive and adaptive cultivars entail extreme degradation of cropland and a decline in crop productivity. Consequently, farmers are forced to clear more forest in search of stable and healthy soil to meet their food demands and improve their livelihood. Capacity building on integrated pathways of soil and land management practices is therefore needed to ensure sustainable and viable socio-ecological systems at a local scale.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing Based and Participatory Analysis of Land Degradation and Potential Land Conservation Measures in Kloto District (Togo, West Africa)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawovi S. Koglo ◽  
Wilson A. Agyare ◽  
Badabate Diwediga ◽  
Jean M. Sogbedji ◽  
Ayi K. Adden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Productivity Decline

This study investigates proximate drivers of cropland and forest degradation in Kloto district (Togo, West Africa) as, way of, exploring integrated sustainable landscape approaches in respect to socio-economic and environmental needs and requirements. Net change analysis of major cash and food crops based on three time steps Landsat data (1985–2002, 2002–2017 and 1985–2017) and quantitative analysis from participatory survey data with farmers and landowners are used. Study underlines poor agricultural systems and cassava farming as major impediments to alarming forest losses between 1985–2017. Significant net loss in forests cover by 23.6% and surface areas under cultivation of cocoa agroforestry and maize by 12.99 and 10.1% from 1985 to 2017, due to, intensive cassava cropping (38.78%) and settlement expansions (7.84%). Meanwhile, loss in forest cover between 2017 and 2002 was marginal (8.36%) compared to the period 1985–2002 for which the loss was considerable (15.24%). Based on participatory surveys, majority of agricultural lands are threatened by erosion or physical deterioration (67.5%), land degradation or salt deposits and loss of micro/macro fauna and flora at 56.7%, declining in soil fertility (32.5%), soil water holding capacity (11.7%) and changes in soil texture (3.3%). Majority of farmers adhere to the adoption of the proposed climate smart practices with emphasis on cost effective drip irrigation systems (45.83%), soil mulching (35%) and adoption of drought resilient varieties (29.17%) to anticipate drought spells adverse. The study concludes that low adoption of improved soil conservation, integrated water management and harvesting systems and low productive and adaptive cultivars entail extreme degradation of croplands and crops productivity decline. Therefore, farmers are forced to clear more forests in search of stable and healthy soils for production and extraction of forest products to meet their food demands and improve their livelihoods conditions. Capacity building on integrated pathways of soil and land management practices are therefore needed to ensure sustainable and viable socio-ecological systems at local scale.

scholarly journals Historical creations aspects and functioning features of field protective forest plantations in the steppe zone of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
M. S. Yakuba ◽  
V. A. Gorban
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Forest Vegetation ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Forest Plantations ◽  
Current State ◽  
Forest Belts ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Protective Forest

Field protective forest plantings of the steppe zone of Ukraine are one of the most important links in the system of protective forest plantations on arable lands. The presence of well-functioning field protective forest belts is a fundamental condition for efficient agricultural production in the steppe regions of Ukraine. The paper presents the facts about the expediency of creating protective forest belts as an important measure to support the agricultural potential of the steppe zone of Ukraine. The current state of forest belts is analyzed and historical literature information on the creation and prospects of development of protective afforestation in the steppe of Ukraine is presented. The legal aspect of the mode of operation of field protective plantations is highlighted. Given the low forest cover of a large area of Ukraine, the difficult and ambiguous situation of afforestation of forest-deficient areas of the country, the creation of new and preservation of existing protective forest belts in the steppe zone of Ukraine is an extremely important task today. The problem of ensuring the effective functioning of field protective plantations in the conditions of ecological inconsistency of forest vegetation conditions for the existence of woody vegetation in Dnipropetrovsk region, in the zone of weeds-fescue-feathergrass steppes is acute. Against the background of a number of well-known indisputable facts about the positive impact of forest belts on the soil and climatic properties of steppe landscapes, the condition of most existing protective plantations today is unsatisfactory, and some of them – critical. Almost everywhere in Ukraine, in conditions of high plowed lands and the absence of forest strips or their neglected condition, there is a rapid destruction of the upper fertile layer of soil. This leads to soil degradation, reduced yields and causes great economic damage to the country. Mass uncontrolled logging, destruction of protective forest belts, their irrational use and lack of proper care are a critical problem of national scale and may soon turn into an environmental disaster. An acute modern problem in the existence and functioning of forest belts is the solution of the legal regime of field protective tree strips and the introduction of appropriate legislative state regulation. An equally painful problem for field protection strips today is the lack of reliable information about their real condition. Therefore, obtaining a general idea of the current state and dynamics of field protection strips is possible only if they conduct a detailed comprehensive study and conduct a thorough inventory. For successful planning and implementation of measures to increase the forest cover of forest-deficient regions with difficult forest vegetation conditions and create an effective system of protective forest belts should take into account the history and many years of experience in creating forest plantations in the steppe of Ukraine.

Assessment of harvest blocks generated from operational polygons and forest-cover polygons in tactical and strategic planning

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 682-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Block Size ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Important Barrier ◽  
Interior Forest ◽  
Block Size Distribution

Manually designing harvest units for strategic planning is expensive. This paper compares blocking methods based on forest-cover polygons and manually designed harvest units. Routines are used to split and aggregate polygons into three block size distributions: (i) uniform 40-ha blocks; (ii) uniform 120-ha blocks; and (iii) by area, one-third 20 ha, one-third 60 ha, and one-third 150 ha. Three harvest rules that influence adjacency and the cutting of polygons within a block are applied to each block size distribution to compare forecasts generated by forest-cover and operational blocks. Generally, volume flows from the two methods deviate by less than 5%, and the highest deviations usually occur during the first 20 years. Projected landscape structure, as measured by interior forest area, is also similar under the two blocking methods. The results indicate that forest-cover data provide a reasonable alternative to manual blocking in tactical and strategic plans. This is significant because it removes an important barrier to timely and cost-effective planning, especially for large geographic problems where manual blocking is not an option.

scholarly journals Different forest cover and its impact on eco-hydrological traits, invertebrate fauna and biodiversity of spring habitats

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 85-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Reiss ◽  
Peter Chifflard
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Substrate Type ◽  
Structure Mapping ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Low Mountain Ranges

Headwater springs in the German Low Mountain Ranges are local ecotone habitats and biogeographical islands embedded in and interlinked with their adjacent landscape. The structure of forests reflects the eco-hydrological conditions in substrate type occurrence, microhabitat richness and biodiversity in forest springs. This study considers effects from different forest land cover by comparing spring habitats in deciduous beech forests and coniferous spruce forests on eco-hydrological structures and biodiversity. Study areas include six different forest landscapes in the Low Mountain Ranges in Central Germany in Hesse and Thuringia. Hydro-morphological structure mapping and invertebrate sampling was executed within a multi-habitat sampling regime, which involves sampling plots being allocated according to the cover ratio of the occurring substrata. Aquatic and terrestrial spring zones are considered with respect to an ecotone approach. Some in situ measurements were implemented, such as pH values, to assess the acidity of the spring water. Results show obvious differences in acidity, substrate type cover ratios and biodiversity in deciduous and coniferous forest springs. Conifer forest springs were found tending to acidification while deciduous forest springs were slightly alkaline. Deciduous forest springs had higher cover ratios of organic microhabitats as well as a higher biodiversity in species richness and total number of individuals. Although it was not possible to clearly distinguish one direct key factor of fauna assemblages, negative effects from forest management practices (e.g. monoculture plantations of conifer forest) on spring habitats can be concluded.

scholarly journals Land-use-driven stream warming in southeastern Amazonia

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1619) ◽  
pp. 20120153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia N. Macedo ◽  
Michael T. Coe ◽  
Ruth DeFries ◽  
Maria Uriarte ◽  
Paulo M. Brando ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Small Streams

Large-scale cattle and crop production are the primary drivers of deforestation in the Amazon today. Such land-use changes can degrade stream ecosystems by reducing connectivity, changing light and nutrient inputs, and altering the quantity and quality of streamwater. This study integrates field data from 12 catchments with satellite-derived information for the 176 000 km 2 upper Xingu watershed (Mato Grosso, Brazil). We quantify recent land-use transitions and evaluate the influence of land management on streamwater temperature, an important determinant of habitat quality in small streams. By 2010, over 40 per cent of catchments outside protected areas were dominated (greater than 60% of area) by agriculture, with an estimated 10 000 impoundments in the upper Xingu. Streams in pasture and soya bean watersheds were significantly warmer than those in forested watersheds, with average daily maxima over 4°C higher in pasture and 3°C higher in soya bean. The upstream density of impoundments and riparian forest cover accounted for 43 per cent of the variation in temperature. Scaling up, our model suggests that management practices associated with recent agricultural expansion may have already increased headwater stream temperatures across the Xingu. Although increased temperatures could negatively impact stream biota, conserving or restoring riparian buffers could reduce predicted warming by as much as fivefold.

The Islamic gold dinar: a hedge against exchange rate volatility

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 722-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin W.H. Cheong
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Exchange Rate Volatility ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Market Volatility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sample Country ◽  
Islamic Financial Institutions ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Lower Magnitude ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ability of the Islamic gold dinar to hedge against two well-established foreign exchange (FX) risk factors namely, the dollar risk factor and global FX volatility innovations. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a combination of the Markowitz (1952) portfolio optimization, visual data representations and the classic Fama-Macbeth (1973) two-pass procedure regressions. Findings The findings show that the Islamic gold dinar can serve as a hedge against market volatility, outperforms a diversified currency portfolio, and through its inclusions into the diversified currency portfolio, improve said portfolio’s ability to hedge against market volatility. Research limitations/implications Due to the spread of the sample, country-specific factors could not be taken into account. Practical implications The Islamic gold dinar is a cost-efficient, cost-effective, and Shariah-compliant instrument that provides a solid hedge for investors and/or firms that have financial positions denominated in foreign currencies. Should these investors or firms find it costly to maintain a dinar-only portfolio, including the dinar into their currency portfolios also provides the same benefit, albeit at a lower magnitude. Originality/value This study is timely as the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions has recently for the first time recognized gold as a Shariah-compliant investment. The findings of this study provide the first look as to how investors and firms can benefit through the use of the Islamic gold dinar in their risk management practices.

scholarly journals Quantifying Land Cover Changes in a Mediterranean Environment Using Landsat TM and Support Vector Machines

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotiria Fragou ◽  
Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos ◽  
Nikolaos Stathopoulos ◽  
Panagiota Louka ◽  
Prashant K. Srivastava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Support Vector Machines ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Spectral Band ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Landsat Tm ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Geoinformation Technologies ◽  
Vector Machines

The rapid advent in geoinformation technologies, such as Earth Observation (EO) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), has made it possible to observe and monitor the Earth’s environment on variable geographical scales and analyze those changes in both time and space. This study explores the synergistic use of Landsat EO imagery and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) in obtaining Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) mapping and quantifying its spatio-temporal changes for the municipality of Mandra–Idyllia, Attica Region, Greece. The study area is representative of typical Mediterranean landscape in terms of physical structure and coverage of species composition. Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) images from 1993, 2001 and 2010 were acquired, pre-processed and classified using the SVMs classifier. A total of nine basic classes were established. Eight spectral band ratios were created in order to incorporate them in the initial variables of the image. For validating the classification, in-situ data were collected for each LULC type during several field surveys that were conducted in the area. The overall classification accuracy for 1993, 2001 and 2010 Landsat images was reported as 89.85%, 91.01% and 90.24%, respectively, and with a statistical factor (K) of 0.96, 0.89 and 0.99, respectively. The classification results showed that the total extent of forests within the studied period represents the predominant LULC, despite the intense human presence and its impacts. A marginal change happened in the forest cover from 1993 to 2010, although mixed forest decreased significantly during the studied period. This information is very important for future management of the natural resources in the studied area and for understanding the pressures of the anthropogenic activities on the natural environment. All in all, the present study demonstrated the considerable promise towards the support of geoinformation technologies in sustainable environmental development and prudent resource management.

scholarly journals Towards improved, cost-effective surveillance of Ixodes ricinus ticks and associated pathogens using species distribution modelling

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Signorini ◽  
Anna-Sofie Stensgaard ◽  
Michele Drigo ◽  
Giulia Simonato ◽  
Federica Marcer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Ecological Requirements

Various ticks exist in the temperate hilly and pre-alpine areas of Northern Italy, where Ixodes ricinus is the more important. In this area different tick-borne pathogen monitoring projects have recently been implemented; we present here the results of a twoyear field survey of ticks and associated pathogens, conducted 2009-2010 in North-eastern Italy. The cost-effectiveness of different sampling strategies, hypothesized a posteriori based on two sub-sets of data, were compared and analysed. The same two subsets were also used to develop models of habitat suitability, using a maximum entropy algorithm based on remotely sensed data. Comparison of the two strategies (in terms of number of ticks collected, rates of pathogen detection and model accuracy) indicated that monitoring at many temporary sites was more cost-effective than monthly samplings at a few permanent sites. The two model predictions were similar and provided a greater understanding of ecological requirements of I. ricinus in the study area. Dense vegetation cover, as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index, was identified as a good predictor of tick presence, whereas high summer temperatures appeared to be a limiting factor. The study suggests that it is possible to obtain realistic results (in terms of pathogens detection and development of habitat suitability maps) with a relatively limited sampling effort and a wellplanned monitoring strategy.

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