scholarly journals Using Continuous Forest Inventory Data for Control of Wood Production and Use in Large Areas: A Case Study in Lithuania

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1039
Author(s):  
Andrius Kuliešis ◽  
Albertas Kasperavičius ◽  
Gintaras Kulbokas ◽  
Andrius A. Kuliešis ◽  
Aidas Pivoriūnas ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Significant progress in developing European national forest inventory (NFI) systems could ensure accurate evaluations of gross annual increment (GAI) and its components by employing direct measurements. However, the use of NFI data is insufficient for increasing the efficiency of forest management and the use of wood, as well as for meeting sustainable forestry needs. Specification of forest characteristics, such as GAI and its components, identification of the main factors that impact forest growth, accumulation of wood, and natural losses are among the key elements promoting the productivity of forest stands and possibilities of rational use of wood in large forest areas. The aims of this research were (a) to validate the quality of forest statistics provided by a standwise forest inventory (SFI) and (b) to reveal the potential benefits of rational wood use at the country level through the analysis of forest management results, which are based on GAI, including its components derived from the NFI. Materials and Methods: SFI and NFI data from 1998–2017 were collected from 5600 permanent sample plots and used to evaluate the main forest characteristics. Potential wood use was estimated based on the assumption that 50–70% of the total GAI is accumulated for final forest use. Results: Mean growing stock volume (GSV) is underestimated by 7–14% on average in the course of SFI. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the yield changes in forest stands, detection of factors negatively affecting yield and its accumulation, and regulation of these processes by silviculture measures could increase potential forest use in Lithuania. Conclusions: Implementation of sample-based NFI resulted in an improvement of forest characteristics and led to an increase in GSV and GAI. Continuously gathered data on GAI and its components are a prerequisite for efficient forest management and control of the use of wood.

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Przemko Pachana

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to convey to the reader the method and application of the Finnish Multi-Source National Forest Inventory (MS-NFI) that was devised in the Finnish Forest Research Institute. The study area concerned is Stołowe Mountains National Park, which is located in the south-western Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. To accomplish the above mentioned aim, the following data have been applied: timber volume derived from field sample plots, satellite image, digital map data and digital elevation model. The Pearson correlation coefficient between independent and dependent variables has been verified. Furthermore, the non-parametric k-nearest neighbours (k-NN) technique and genetic algorithm have been used in order to estimate forest stands biomass at the pixel level. The error estimates have been obtained by leave-one-out cross-validation method. The main computed forest stands features were total and mean timber volume as well as maximum and minimum biomass occurring in the examined area. In the final step, timber volume map of the growing stock has been created.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Altrell

Mongolia’s first Multipurpose National Forest Inventory, 2014-2017, was implemented by the Forest Research and Development Centre, in collaboration with international expertise and the country’s main forestry institutions, universities and research organisations.The long-term objective of the multipurpose NFI is to promote sustainable management of forestry resources in Mongolia, to enhance their social, economic and environmental functions.The NFI findings show that there are 11.3 million hectares of Boreal Forest in Mongolia. 9.5 million hectares are Stocked Boreal Forest Area, of which 69 percent is located outside of protected areas, 4 percent are designated for green-wood utilisation through forest enterprise concessions, and another 16 percent designated for fallen dead-wood collection through forest user group concessions. The non-protected stocked forests (i.e. production forest) have an average growing stock volume of 115 m3 per hectare, compared with an optimal growing stock volume of 237 m3 per hectare, and there is an additional 46.5 m3 of dead wood per hectare. The growing stock age distribution shows that 24 m3 per hectare are over 200 years (i.e. economically over-aged). The main tree species in stocked forest are Larix sibirica (81%), Pinus sibirica (7%), Betula platyphylla (6%) and Pinus sylvestris (5%), of which all, except for P. sibirica, are classified as legally harvestable tree species. Wild fire is the current main environmental factor decreasing the forest tree biomass.The NFI helped identifying priority areas for the forestry sector, and to guide the implementation of sustainable forest management at the local level. The main forest management challenges of Mongolia’s boreal forest will be to address that they are a) under-stocked (less than 50% of production potential), b) over-aged (31% of growing stock volume in stocked production forest is above optimal production age), and c) under-utilised (4% of forest area designated to green-wood utilisation). 


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matieu Henry ◽  
Zaheer Iqbal ◽  
Kristofer Johnson ◽  
Mariam Akhter ◽  
Liam Costello ◽  
...  

Abstract Background National forest inventory and forest monitoring systems are more important than ever considering continued global degradation of trees and forests. These systems are especially important in a country like Bangladesh, which is characterised by a large population density, climate change vulnerability and dependence on natural resources. With the aim of supporting the Government’s actions towards sustainable forest management through reliable information, the Bangladesh Forest Inventory (BFI) was designed and implemented through three components: biophysical inventory, socio-economic survey and remote sensing-based land cover mapping. This article documents the approach undertaken by the Forest Department under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to establish the BFI as a multipurpose, efficient, accurate and replicable national forest assessment. The design, operationalization and some key results of the process are presented. Methods The BFI takes advantage of the latest and most well-accepted technological and methodological approaches. Importantly, it was designed through a collaborative process which drew from the experience and knowledge of multiple national and international entities. Overall, 1781 field plots were visited, 6400 households were surveyed, and a national land cover map for the year 2015 was produced. Innovative technological enhancements include a semi-automated segmentation approach for developing the wall-to-wall land cover map, an object-based national land characterisation system, consistent estimates between sample-based and mapped land cover areas, use of mobile apps for tree species identification and data collection, and use of differential global positioning system for referencing plot centres. Results Seven criteria, and multiple associated indicators, were developed for monitoring progress towards sustainable forest management goals, informing management decisions, and national and international reporting needs. A wide range of biophysical and socioeconomic data were collected, and in some cases integrated, for estimating the indicators. Conclusions The BFI is a new information source tool for helping guide Bangladesh towards a sustainable future. Reliable information on the status of tree and forest resources, as well as land use, empowers evidence-based decision making across multiple stakeholders and at different levels for protecting natural resources. The integrated socio-economic data collected provides information about the interactions between people and their tree and forest resources, and the valuation of ecosystem services. The BFI is designed to be a permanent assessment of these resources, and future data collection will enable monitoring of trends against the current baseline. However, additional institutional support as well as continuation of collaboration among national partners is crucial for sustaining the BFI process in future.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 409
Author(s):  
Gheorghe Marin ◽  
Vlad C. Strimbu ◽  
Ioan V. Abrudan ◽  
Bogdan M. Strimbu

In many countries, National Forest Inventory (NFI) data is used to assess the variability of forest growth across the country. The identification of areas with similar growths provides the foundation for development of regional models. The objective of the present study is to identify areas with similar diameter and basal area growth using increment cores acquired by the NFI for the three main Romanian species: Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), and Sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.). We used 6536 increment cores with ages less than 100 years, a total of 427,635 rings. The country was divided in 21 non-overlapping ecoregions based on geomorphology, soil, geology and spatial contiguousness. Mixed models and multivariate analyses were used to assess the differences in annual dimeter at breast height and basal area growth among ecoregions. Irrespective of the species, the mixed models analysis revealed significant differences in growth between the ecoregions. However, some ecoregions were similar in terms of growth and could be aggregated. Multivariate analysis reinforced the difference between ecoregions and showed no temporal grouping for spruce and beech. Sessile oak growth was separated not only by ecoregions, but also by time, with some ecoregions being more prone to draught. Our study showed that countries of median size, such as Romania, could exhibit significant spatial differences in forest growth. Therefore, countrywide growth models incorporate too much variability to be considered operationally feasible. Furthermore, it is difficult to justify the current growth and yield models as a legal binding planning tool.


2011 ◽  
Vol 162 (9) ◽  
pp. 300-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Kaufmann

Potential of sustainable wood production in Swiss forests In the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI), the data collected in the three inventories (NFI1 1983–1985, NFI2 1993–1995, NFI3 2004–2006) provide the basis not only for analysing the present state of the forest and how it has developed up to now, but also for assessing, with the help of models, how it might develop in future. The scenario model «Massimo 3», developed at the Swiss Federal Institut for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, is an empirical and stochastic simulation model. It relies on data from the NFI and forecasts the development of the forest according to how it is managed. Six scenarios with different management regimes were defined according to the economic, silvicultural and ecological aspects considered. In three scenarios the growing stock is kept constant at the level of NFI3, but different management strategies are used (Scenario A: basis [business as usual], Scenario E: even-aged forests are transformed into uneven-aged forests, and Scenario F: near-natural percentages of conifers are promoted). In two scenarios forest management is partially abandoned for either ecological reasons (Scenario B: reservations, 10% of the forest area is left unmanaged) or for economic reasons (Scenario C: harvesting costs, 40% of the forest area is left unmanaged). Scenario D (rotation periods are shortened) was used to study the effects of augmenting the annual harvesting amount. A forecasting time period of 100 years was selected to assess the long-term effects of the scenarios. Scenarios A, D, and E show that the sustainable harvesting potential of merchantable wood lies in a relatively narrow range of 7.1 to 7.3 million m3/year, even though in Scenario D the growing stock is reduced from 360 m3/ha to 305 m3/ha. In Scenario F regeneration is systematically established with near-natural percentages of conifers, the long-term harvesting potential is slightly less: about 6.5 million m3/year of merchantable wood. If forest management is abandoned for economic reasons on as much as 40% of the forest area (Scenario C, harvesting costs), the impact on the wood reserves is very negative.


2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mait Lang ◽  
Tauri Arumäe ◽  
Diana Laarmann ◽  
Andres Kiviste

AbstractForest height increment rate is related to the forest growth conditions. Data bases of previous forest inventories contain information about forest heightage relationship on large number of forest stands while repeated measurements of permanent sample plots provide an excellent reference for comparison. Repeated airborne laser scanning of forest stands is an additional source for the estimation of change in forest structure. In this study, height growth of middle-aged and older forest stands for about 10 year period was compared to an algebraic difference model on permanent sample plots (66) and for a sample of forest stands with repeated airborne laser scanning data (61). The model was based on a large dataset of forest inventory records from the period of 1984–1993. Statistically significant increased forest height growth was found in permanent sample plots based on tree height measurements (9 cm yr−1) as well in stands with repeated laser scanning data (4.5 cm yr−1) in South-East Estonia compared to the algebraic difference model. The difference between the two data sets was explained by their mean age and site class, but the increased forest height growth compared to the old forest inventory data indicates improved growth conditions of forests in the test area. The results hint also that empirical data-based forest growth models need to be updated to avoid biased growth estimates.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Ирина Прока ◽  
Irina Proka ◽  
Сергей Бабынин ◽  
Sergey Babynin

Based on the results of the analysis and assessment of the problem of meeting the growing needs of resource forest management in relatively densely populated areas with developed transport infrastructure, within the framework of the developed concept of ensuring the intensification of forest reproduction and use by creating forest plantations with silvicultural methods, one of the ways to solve the problem is to develop for the practical application of the target forest management systems for the creation of forest plantations of many special purpose resources, distinguished by relatively high ecological properties, potential for efficient integrated use of forest resources, which creates the possibility (due to their use) of preserving and reducing the intensity of exploitation of valuable forest ecosystems of natural and natural economic origin. To achieve this goal, based on the use of two types of technological organization of territories of different types of forests and potential productivity of cultivated plantation stands, the interrelated implementation of all activities of the forest regeneration cycle is provided. They are organically combined with a relatively intensive multi-purpose resource forest use throughout the forest reproduction cycle. In turn, effective measures for the protection and preservation of forests are ensured by integrating them into phased measures of thinning throughout all stages of forest growth, as well as by rational organization of the creation and use of forest plantations by silvicultural methods. At the same time, measures are provided for forest users to motivate the use of forest-established forest use - the creation and operation of forest plantations, taking into account the introduction of reasonable changes to the Forest Code to expand the possibilities of planted forest growing while preserving environmentally valuable forests.


2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (7) ◽  
pp. 247-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urs-Beat Brändli

The results of the second national forest inventory (NFI 2) allow a reliable and comprehensive assessment of the Swiss forests'development for the first time. One of the most obvious changes is the important increase in hardwoos. The most significant facts of NFI for hardwood-resources are presented as the basis for discussions and measures for an increased hardwood utilisation. The whole stock in Swiss forests amounts to 418 Mio m3. About 60% of the hardwood stock of 118 Mio m3 is beech. The share of hardwood has increased by 2% both in surface and growing stock. These developments will remain constant in the future. The increase in stock amounts to 5% in softwood,whereas the one of hardwood amounts to 12%, maple and ash are dominating. The most important increase in standing volume is evident in trees of 36 to 52 cm DBH. With an unchanged utilisation, the share in large timber will further increase. The increase was harvested to 80% in softwood, to 59% in hardwood, less so, however, in the French part than in the rest of Switzerland. But in the distinct cantons, not more than 40 to 80% of the increment of hardwood has been harvested. In hardwood, the non-exploited increment amounts to 1.4 Mio m3per year, of which 58% is beech, almost as the growing stock. For silvicultural reasons, it would be possible to double the volume of exploited hardwood – which would make sense, too,for ecological and socio-economic reasons. However, the calculated harvest expenditure for such an increased utilisation is in most of the cases high above the present average proceeds for hardwood.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Ivan Herich

Abstract This paper is based on results from assessment of the production characteristics development in sampling sets of forest management plans with the same date of validity and the validity period. Database is generated by basis sets of forest management plans valid from 1983. The aim of the analysis is to quantify and compare the development of production characteristics of the prevailing tree species in time levels and to quantify the impact of increasing growing stock. We have analysed the variables of the main crop: mean height, mean diameter, absolute yield class, current annual increment, growing stock and crop density. The result is a progressive, balanced and significant trend of increasing production characteristics, which confirms the results of the selection assessment and indicates increased and fast growth of Slovak forests in the research period. The analysis showed that increasing total growing stock is caused except increasing mean heights and mean diameters in particular by changes of the age structure that is reflected in increasing average age of the area.


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