This paper examines the implications for the future of forestmanagement on non-industrial private forest (NIPF) lands as well as the dwindling timber supply on these parcels of land.
Abstract This paper analyzes the spatial and temporal pattern of Alabama's forested landscape as well as the implications for the future of forestmanagement on NIPF lands. This paper defines forested land as a parcel of land that is producing or capable of producing more than 20 cubic feet/acre/year of industrial wood and is land not withdrawn from timber production. Much of this land is held by private landowners not involved directly in the timber industry. Extensive studies have been conducted in the southern states concerning the motivation behind usage of NIPF land, its impact on the regional economy and environmental factors. The counties chosen for this particular study are those which had the highest reported income from forest products. The six counties chosen were Clarke, Marengo, Pickens, Monroe, Hale and Wilcox. These counties are located in highly forested areas and have a high amount of NIPF land. According to several surveys, the areas of greatest softwood shortage are those located near large paper and pulp mills. This paper discusses the impending shortage in economic timber that the U.S. will be facing by the year 2020. The writer of this paper examines the various strategies available to halt the dwindling timber supply which include changing the manner in which NIPF lands are managed as well as stricter government regulations which would deter the conversion of native grasslands and wetlands into croplands.
From the Paper "To determine if timber production is likely to be able to meet future needs, the ratio of growth to removal is measured. Timber inventories give an indication of how much timber is currently available. Using this model, it was found that only one state had a positive ratio, North Carolina at 1.15. Alabama's ratio was 0.91. Softwood removal rates consistently exceed growth rates. Hardwood removal ratios faired slightly better at above 1.3. Timber inventories increased from the 1960s through the 1970s, but leveled off in the 1990s. According to SERTS, softwood supplies are expected to decrease 30% by the year 2020. According to an FIA survey, the areas of greatest softwood shortage are located near large paper and pulp mills (Cubbage and Abt, 1998a). According to the SERTS model the southern US will be facing an economic timber shortage by the year 2020."
Abstract In this article the writer mentions that as metropolitan communities grow and as government budgets grow tighter the challenges of forestry management in Ontario have become enormous. The following paper discusses this matter by focusing explicitly upon the economic factors which make protecting Ontario natural forestland so daunting. To begin with, the paper reviews the domestic economic factors - new locations for urban businesses and the rise of mass production farming, to name but two - which are threatening the indigenous forests even as this paper is being written.
Abstract The paper is an assignment for a fourth year forestry course. The paper is about forestmanagement area planning. The topic is the three t's approach (triggers, targets and thresholds) and the use of fuzzy sets. The paper demonstrates how this process can combine other methods and achieve great results with minimal conflict.
From the Paper "Forests are extremely valuable resources. According to Jules Dufour in Towards Sustainable Development of Canada's Forests states. According to the Canadian Forest Industry council, forest product deliveries were evaluated at $14.9 billion in 1991. Forests Canada Estimated the annual contributions of wood products to Canada's trade balance at over $19 billion (Defour 188). Although the harvesting of trees can be used to aid in economic growth, forests also a source of other resources."
Abstract This paper examines how the worldwide problems of global warming are not new to the average American citizen and how attempting to control them through managed forestry of the ocean would be a new and interesting topic of discussion. It looks at how this type of scientific exploration is the topic of the article, "The Ocean's Invisible Forest," by Paul G. Falkowski in the August, 2002, issue of "Scientific American".
From the Paper "Phytoplankton, as well as all land dwelling plants, use the energy in sunlight to convert CO2 into organic matter. This process releases oxygen into the atmosphere which makes possible all animal life on Earth. This is known as primary production. Until recently it was unknown just how great the productivity of phytoplankton actually was. In 1997 NASA launched the Sea Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS). This was the first satellite that was capable of monitoring phytoplankton populations on a global level every week. By 1998 it was realized that phytoplankton are responsible for incorporating 45 to 50 billion metric tons of inorganic carbon into their cells."
Abstract The paper discusses how Canadian forests have been significantly depleted due to poor management practices centered solely on production and monetary gain. The paper shows how forests need to be managed in a sustainable fashion, allowing the industrial exploitation without endangering the many other vital roles this natural resource plays.
From the Paper "Almost one half of Canadian landscape is covered in forests that extend from the one coast to the other (Dufour, 267). According to the 2001 inventory, the Canadian landmass covered in forests was 402.1 million hectares (National Resources Canada, 2001). However, the distribution of forested areas varies between the provinces with British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario having the most forested area. In this light, it is not surprising that forestry plays an important role in the Canadian economy. In fact one fifth of the world's forest products are exported from Canada (Dufour, 268). The forest industry provided over 750 000 direct and indirect jobs in 1991 with this number steadily increasing during the next decade. In the same time period the income for forestry doubled: from $17 billion in 1991 to $34 billion in 2001. (Dufour, 271)."
Abstract This paper explores the issues surrounding the shortages of timber that have been caused and are continuing to happen from NIPF (Non- Industrial Private Forest) lands. The author looks at studies that indicate the demand for timber will overtake supply sometime before 2020, highlighting the areas of the study in different counties in Alabama. The paper centers on the NIPF land owners mismanagement of forests causing shortages of timber. In conclusion, the author states that NIPF landowners could contribute significantly to help alleviate the predicted timber shortages but based on the studies mentioned in the paper, it is unlikely that they will be motivated to use their land for timber production despite incentive programs that have been successful in establishing a replanting program. In the author's opinion, the NIPF landowners prefer to decide themselves how to use their lands and financial gain is not always the leading factor.
From the Paper "Royer conducted many studies on the decision process used by owners of NIPF land. He stated that "Conventional wisdom in forestry holds that landowner behavior, if left unfettered or unencouraged, can and will lead to shortages of timber or increases in the relative prices of stumpage," (Royer, 1979a, in Cubbage and Snider, p. 2). The US forestry service projects that from 1991 to 2010, pulp production will increase by 16%. However, the production of stock panels will increase 33%, nearly twice that rate (Cubbage, 1997). In addition, hardwood removals are expected to increase by 59% in the same time period. Estimates using the Southern Regional Timber Supply model (SERTS) predicts increases of timber removals to increase 39% for hardwoods and 24% for softwoods (Cubbage, 1997). Using this same model, without adjusting for inflation, prices for softwoods are projected to experience 200% increases and Hardwood prices are expected top increase 343% between 1990 and 2020."
Abstract This paper focuses upon one small part of the on going problem of forestry management in Ontario. Specifically, this paper examines the economic factors which are constraining efforts to conserve and protect the province forests. In particular, the paper examines the international trade factors relations with the United States and international trade pressures which are preventing or at least distracting the province from putting forward a clear and comprehensive plan on forestry management.
From the Paper "Suffice it to say, forestry management in Ontario has become increasingly important in recent years as the province's Crown Lands slowly give way to urban sprawl. But beyond the fact that effective forestry management can protect a vulnerable natural resource from (unnecessary) depredation, managing Ontario's Crown Lands is more complicated now than ever before because the world itself has grown more complicated. For example, trade relations with the United States are worse today than they have been for many decades. In addition, the rise of a global economy means that Canada can no longer take it for granted that there will be "easy" markets for its resource products."
Abstract This paper reviews and answers two questions. The first of these deals with carbon sequestration and whether or not Canada should use its boreal forests in pursuit of this aim. The second question discusses how a forestmanager can best utilize her available budget to re-seed the areas falling under her jurisdiction. After some thought, the paper argues that a mix of aerial re-seeding and natural regeneration is the best way to go.
From the Paper "Question 4: Whether or not the Boreal forest region of Canada should be used to sequester Carbon that Canadians emit into the Atmosphere. A: For one thing, the boreal forest region comprises 58 percent of Canada's landmass ("About Canada's Boreal", sec.2). That leaves only 42 percent of the rest of the country. Therefore, it seems logical to infer that whatever carbon dioxide the rest of the country can produce, the boreal region can effectively store it. Moreover, trees obviously store carbon as part of their own process of respiration, so this would policy of carbon sequestration would not impose an undue burden upon valuable wildlife (at least tree "wildlife" anyway)."
Abstract The world's forests are under threat from illegal logging and deforestation generating damaging global environmental change. While the forestry sector can contribute to reducing poverty and enhancing sustainability, this can only occur with the right forest policies and practices. Through a literature review, this paer attempts to show that appropriate forest policy, democratic leadership, strong institutions, bottom-up decision making - in short good forest governance arrangements - are increasingly recognized as essential to achieve sustainable forestmanagement. The paper also develops the concept of good forest governance and uses it to compare the policies and practices of forested countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Outline:
Background
Literature Review
From the Paper "The work of Antonio P. Contreras (2006) entitled: "Civil Society and Forest Governance in Southeast Asia: Towards an Alternative Model in Addressing Transboundary Forest-Related Conflicts" states that the relations "...between states and civil societies have long been established as a critical and complex one. States emerge and gain legitimacy from civil society institutions and processes, even as the sate limits civil societies through legal-bureaucratic mechanisms manifested in law and public policy. With the increasing role of civil society institutions in recent years, state policy, including foreign policy, has become a new domain for civil society engagement." (Contreras, 2006) It is stated however, the there has been an increasing in the participation of civil society in both domestic and regional environmental governance in Southeast Asia. "
Abstract The paper presents the thesis that a healthy forest environment and good forestmanagement is essential in that forests are important for the general environment. The paper's thesis further states that maintenance and restoration of the forest systems in the United States and other areas of the world is directly related to the health of the global environment and related ecosystems. The paper provides a literature review and summarizes its findings in the conclusion.
Outline:
Introduction
Literature review
Conclusion
From the Paper "There is a plethora of evidence from studies on environmental research to suggest that healthy forests are of vital importance to the balance in nature and ultimately for human existence. Forests not only provide clean water but also "...support livelihoods, shelter wildlife and help maintain a stable climate" (Fire and Conservation). The last mentioned aspect, the maintenance of a stable climate, has in recent years become a central focus of ecological and environmental concerns in the light of global warming."
Abstract The paper explains that new product introductions and managing product life-cycles are the most significant events in generating revenue for any company. The paper examines Pepsi's aggressiveness on acquiring brands and Coca-Cola's philosophy of trying to build brands. The paper also looks at approaches Microsoft and Salesforce.com take to new product development. The paper shows how the methods and approaches companies use for bringing innovation into their products all center on bringing the customer into the center of the innovation process, focusing on their unmet needs.
Outline:
Approaches Companies Take To New Product Development
New Products: Blue Ocean or Red Ocean Strategy?
Managing Product Life-cycles
Bringing Innovation into Products
From the Paper "The more competitive the industry, the more critical it is for companies to turn new product development and introduction (NPDI) and the entire product lifecycle management (PLM) series of processes companies into a competitive strength. Exacerbating the need to turn NPDI and PLM into lasting competitive advantages are the mindsets and opinions of senior management and board members as to the direction a company should take on these critical processes. New product introductions and managing product lifecycles are the single most significant event in for generating revenue for any company. For soft drink manufacturers this is clearly the case given the relatively flat growth of carbonated beverages and the urgent need to move into new markets."
Abstract This paper analyzes the issues surrounding timber supply in Southern U.S.A. The paper illustrates factors which contribute to timber supply, such as environmental constraints, demographic trends, public opinion, land owner objectives, slope, water availability, lack of access roads, urbanization, urban sprawl, and stands which are too small to harvest in an economically profitable manner. The paper brings another factor to be considered, that being that many municipalities have restrictions that do not allow timber harvest within their boundaries.
From the Paper "The subject of NIPF land has received much attention from both the academic world and the United States Government. Recent studies indicate that the demand for timber will overtake that supply sometime before 2020. Extensive studies have been conducted in the southern states concerning the motivation behind usage of NIPF land, its impact on the regional economy and environmental factors. The counties chosen for this study are the counties, which had the highest reported income from forest products in 2000. (Mix, 2000). The six counties chosen were Clarke, Marengo, Pickens, Monroe, Hale and Wilcox. These counties located in highly forested areas and have a high amount of NIPF land. "
This paper discusses a case study about the policy development and implementation in an effort to resolve to the battle between the supports of the Pacific Northwest old-growth forests, the spotted owl and the timber and paper industries.
Abstract This paper explains that while the 1994 President's Northwest Forest Plan remained controversial, a number of benefits have emerged from the ongoing efforts associated with the old-growth and spotted owl controversy. The paper points out that the spotted owl was most definitely protected and workers were retrained with aid from the government, which was a part of the 1994 bill. The author relates that new methods have been acquired in forestmanagement; there has been an increased recognition that public lands represent something more than just producers of commodities.
Table of Contents
Overview of the Problem
Key Stakeholders
Policy Initiatives
Conclusion
From the Paper "In spite of this victory for the environmentalists, the battle over the Northwest old-growth forest continued to rage between the two groups. While the northern spotted owl became a symbol for the ongoing struggles between the two groups and what became known later as the "owl-recovery-plan", it failed to end the problems at the center of the debate. As one Oregon state official is said to have remarked in relation to the spotted owl: "People have loaded so much baggage on the shoulders of this 15-inch bird?. This baggage represented the ongoing need for further efforts to develop and implement public policy aimed at resolving the problem."
Abstract The following paper explores various types of pollution in the ocean. Pollution from oil spills, run-offs that result in toxic wastes in the ocean and the dumping of foreign particles in the ocean are discussed.
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between forest fires and weather. The paper argues that forest fires result in higher temperatures, higher temperatures in turn result in higher evaporation rates and higher evaporation rates result in more precipitation. It argues that due to this chain of events, we can see the relationship between forest fires and the weather.
From the Paper "Forest Fires and Weather The connections between weather conditions and forest fires are quite well known. For example, in Weatherwise Malcolm Geast says, The high temperatures combined with low rainfall amounts to exacerbate an already -bad forest fire situation across most of the west (Geast 71). What Geast is saying is that weather conditions are an important precondition for forest fires. Fire fires don't occur when it is cold and wet, they happen when it is hot and dry. Not only are weather conditions a precondition for forest fires but they also trigger them in many cases."
