A crença na capacidade do mercado de Produtos Florestais Não Madeireiros (PFNMs) em conciliar a conservação de florestas tropicais e o desenvolvimento de populações extrativistas resultou na implementação de diversos programas com esta finalidade na Amazônia brasileira. Dentre esses programas é cada vez mais comum o estabelecimento de parcerias entre comunidades extrativistas que comercializam PFNMs com empresas. No entanto, estudos têm evidenciado que o mercado de PFNMs apresenta impactos tanto na esfera ambiental como no âmbito socioeconômico das comunidades envolvidas. Sobre os efeitos socioeconômicos, não estão claros quais os efeitos deste mercado nas estratégias de compartilhamento de recursos e cooperação produtiva entre unidades domésticas, as quais têm funções econômicas e sociais para a subsistência, em especial no caso das unidades mais vulneráveis. Partindo dessa questão central foi testada a hipótese de que a exposição ao mercado de PFNMs afeta essas instituições cooperativas, trazendo consequências negativas para a segurança de subgrupos mais vulneráveis economicamente. Para isso foi feito um estudo comparativo entre duas comunidades que compartilham o mesmo histórico e estão localizadas em condições ambientais e geográficas semelhantes na Reserva Extrativista do Médio Juruá no Estado do Amazonas Brasil, mas que diferem com relação à exposição ao mercado de PFNMs. Enquanto a comunidade do Roque comercializa óleos vegetais com empresas de cosméticos, Pupuaí mantém práticas econômicas locais. As técnicas para coleta de dados incluíram painel de observações sistemáticas, surveys, diagnóstico rural participativo e entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas. Os resultados indicam que o compartilhamento de recursos é menos frequente na comunidade inserida no mercado de PFNMs, porém este efeito não é perceptível na avaliação transversal entre unidades domésticas com diferentes graus da inserção ao mercado. Portanto, as mudanças no compartilhamento de recursos foram observadas somente no nível entre comunidades e a hipótese foi apenas parcialmente aceita. Com relação aos efeitos sobre unidades domésticas mais vulneráveis este estudo apresentou dois resultados principais. Em primeiro lugar há um padrão distinto de compartilhamento de recursos entre as comunidades. Isto é, na comunidade com mercado de PFNMs as unidades vulneráveis receberam mais recursos, enquanto na comunidade menos exposta ao mercado foi observado o oposto. Mas, devido à menor frequência de eventos cooperativos observados na comunidade inserida no mercado, ainda assim suas unidades vulneráveis receberam menos recursos quando comparadas com as unidades vulneráveis da comunidade menos exposta ao mercado. O segundo resultado é que as unidades mais vulneráveis da comunidade com mercado de PFNMs participaram de interações cooperativas com menos unidades distintas quando comparadas com aquelas da comunidade sem mercado e, portanto, têm menor capital social para recorrer em situações de risco ou escassez de recursos. No entanto, para avaliar se a redução no comportamento cooperativo afeta o bem-estar das unidades mais vulneráveis seria necessário avaliar se a demanda de consumo das unidades vulneráveis são melhor atendidas na comunidade inserida no mercado de PFNMs ou naquela menos exposta ao mercado. / The belief in the capacity of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to reconcile the double aim of providing for the well-being of extractive communities and conserving tropical forests resulted in the implementation of various programs with this purpose in the Brazilian Amazon. Among these programs it is increasingly common the adoption of partnerships between extractive communities and companies to trade NTFPs. Recently, however, several studies have highlighted the shortcomings of trading NTFP, regarding both biological conservation and the well-being of communities. Within the context of well-being impacts, there is a fear the increased integration of largely autarkic communities into NTFP markets can disrupt cooperation strategies and sharing practices, which have economic and social functions to peasant economies, particularly for more vulnerable households. In this study, we focus on this issue and advance the hypothesis that increased trade in NTFP may disrupt those cooperative institutions, bringing negative consequences to the security of the most economically vulnerable subgroups. To test this hypothesis, we compare two communities of the Médio Juruá Extractive Reserve, Brazilian Amazonia, which share the same historical background and similar environmental and geographic conditions, but differ in relation to NTFP trade. While Roque community trades vegetable oils with cosmetics companies, Pupuaí carries on with previous economic practices. Data gathering techniques included random systematic observations, household surveys, participatory rural appraisal and structured and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that the community integrated into NTFP markets has fewer cooperative events than the community less market integrated. Despite that, no pattern is observed when we compare the association between levels of market participation among households. Therefore, we concluded the hypothesis was only partially accepted, because the changes in sharing practices are observable only at the community level. When we evaluate the effects of cooperation networks on more vulnerable households, we find two main results. First, we find a different pattern between the two communities as regards vulnerable households. While more vulnerable households benefit more from cooperative events in the community integrated into NTFPs, the opposite is observed in the community less exposed to markets. Even so, because the frequency of cooperation is much lower in the community trading NTFPs, these differences mean more vulnerable households still get fewer payoffs from cooperation than in the community less market integrated. Secondly, households from the community trading NTFPs, besides cooperating less frequently, also do so with a smaller number of different households when compared with the community less integrated to markets, which means their networks of social capital are weaker. It is therefore not yet clear in which community the human needs of vulnerable households are better fulfilled in order to ascertain whether the reduction on cooperative behavior diminishes their well-being.

Attention has been drawn to the observation that environmental benefits under the current regulatory approaches are diminishing with respect to increased pollution control costs. Regulators have begun to appreciate that while environmental gains can still be achieved under the current command and control system, the most significant environmental gains have already been made, and an alternative regulatory approach might be warranted for continued environmental improvement. This study found that regulatory initiatives that seek to address business incentives and disincentives may yield better environmental outcomes. Internal characteristics such as corporate environmental directives, waste audit and environmental performance tracking systems and linkage of compensation to environmental performance are evident in firms that have attempted to adapt to regulatory pressures. These characteristics, according to organizational models, are posited to improve the environmental performance of firms as environmental issues are linked to key business decisions. This study was conducted by surveying firms in the forest products industry. Certain firms were found to exhibit specific internal characteristics indicative of good environmental performance. The study attempts to identify the implication this finding has on regulators in terms of policy design and implementation. The study suggests that the optimum regulatory strategy is a hybrid of a command and control approach and a market-based approach which blends the compliance assurance of the command and control approach to address motivating firm behavior with the flexibility of the market-based approach to provide firms incentives to improve environmental performance. The study concludes that the value of such a hybrid approach which attempts to address firm incentives and disincentives related to their environmental practices will result in improved environmental performance. / Graduation date: 1998

Swedish hardwood is today used in the energy, pulp and mechanical hardwood industries. Only very small volumes of Swedish hardwood are, however, consumed by the mechanical industry that normally pays the highest timber price. The smallness of the volumes used for mechanical refinement is a result both of forestry not focusing on the production of hardwood for these uses, and of the fact that the mechanical hardwood industry, particularly the sawing industry, is not designed to process the existing raw material in an optimal manner. This thesis discusses the possibilities of improving the conditions for the mechanical refinement of hardwood. The aim of the work has been to investigate the possibilities of developing products and methods for processing of Swedish hardwood. The thesis proposes a new manufacturing system for Swedish hardwood to better utilize the inherent properties of the wood material. The system is based on the so-called PrimWood Method and the star-sawing concept. Compared to normally sawn wood, the sawing concept utilizes the raw material more efficiently with regard to volume yield, and increases the distance between knots in the sawn wood. The material produced has vertical annual rings which give the wood smaller movements as a result of moisture variations and a different textural appearance. Using the PrimWood Method for hardwood would make it possible to more closely match customer requirements regarding hardwood products. Since Swedish hardwood is nowadays mainly used indoors, a possible way of expanding the market would be to increase the outdoor use of the material. Here the durability is of great importance, and one important factor is then the capillary characteristics of the material. The thesis therefore focuses on the characterisation of the capillarity in wood for the future improvement of its durability. It is shown that with the material produced by the proposed manufacturing system, i.e. wood with vertical annual rings, the possibility of using hardwood outdoors increases, because the susceptibility to cracking decreases.

Examensarbetet syftar till att hitta samband mellan ytliga sprickor hos virke, i form av dimensioner och karaktärer, som dagens maskinella avsyningssystem inte klarar av. Tyngdpunkten i projektet har legat på att identifiera eventuella samband mellan verkligt djup hos sprickor och de ytliga sprickmått som kan uppmätas med automatisk avsyning av WoodEye. I huvudsak har projektets praktiska undersökningar gått ut på att bestämma sprickors ytliga dimensioner, djup, typ och position med hjälp av automatisk avsyningsutrustning (WoodEye) samt genom manuell uppmätning i ett antal itusågade sprickzoner. Det provmaterial som använts i utförda försök och som legat till grund för efterföljande sprickanalyser har varit av sådan karaktär att det kunnat jämställas med konstruktionsvirke som normalt sett hållfasthetssorteras enligt europasstandard SS-EN 14081-1. I projektet har 568 sprickor, fördelade över 8 olika spricktyper, analyserats. Av erhållna resultat har det konstaterats att störst respektive minst medelbredd uppvisades hos kådlåpor respektive kantsprickor, störst respektive minst medellängd uppvisades hos splintsidesprickor respektive kådlåpor, samt att störst medeldjup uppvisades hos fäll-, kap- och stormsprickor. Vid analys av sprickors bredd och längd i relation till dess djup har inga entydiga samband kunnat påvisas. / This degree project aims to examine any connections between superficial cracks in timber, in terms of dimensions and characteristics, a matter insufficiently addressed by today's visual grading systems. The projects emphasis lies within the practical studies of cracks, characteristics and dimensions, within the acquired samples. In essence, the survey set out to determine superficial dimensions, depth, type and position of cracks by using a visual grading system (WoodEye), and by comparing the results by manually measuring a number of crosscutted cracks. The material used in the experiments and which formed the basis for subsequent analysis has been of such a nature that it could be equated with structural timber normally defined under the European Standard EN 14081-1. The project has encompassed the analysis of 568 examples of cracks consisting of 8 various types of cracks. By obtained results it has established that the greatest and smallest width is shown in resin pockets, respective side cracks, the greatest and least average height shown in sapwood cracks, respective resin pockets, and that the greatest average depth shown in cracks occurred from felling or hurricanes. From analysis of the cracks breadth and height in relation to depth no clear connection can be established.

Detta examensarbete handlar om hur ett möbelproducerande företags råmaterialförsörjning går till. Företaget som har varit värd för arbetet är ett möbeltillverkande företag som heter Stolab och ligger i Smålandstenar. Studiebesök och intervjuer har hos Stolab och deras leverantörer legat till grund för det arbete som vi har utfört. Ämnen som är behandlade är kvalitetsaspekter på råmaterialet samt hur relationerna mellan kund – leverantör fungerar. Arbetet fokuserar främst på den sista punkten, hur relationerna ser ut mellan kund leverantör, vilka möjligheter man har att förbättra kommunikationen mellan företagen och hur inköp och lagerhållning kan fungera. För att kunna förbättra kvaliteten på det råmaterial som kommer till företaget så är en viktig del i det att öka förståelsen för de krav som ställs. Kraven måste också kommuniceras på ett effektivt sätt. Vi har utarbetat en modell för hur detta samarbete kan gå till samt gett en del andra förslag till åtgärder för att kunna förbättra kvalitet på materialet och förbättra relationerna. / This final thesis deals with the hardwood raw material procurement in a furniture producing company. The company that has been our host is a furniture producing company called Stolab situated in Smålandstenar. The study visits and interviews we have completed has been the base of this work and the theory studies that we have made. Subjects that have been treated in this report are quality aspects on the raw material and also the relationships between customer and the supplier. The discussion is focused on the latest mentioned part, which possibilities there are to improve the communication between the companies and how purchase and store-keeping can work. To be able to improve the quality of the raw material that is being delivered to the company an important part is to gain the understanding of the demand that is set. The demands also need to be communicated in an efficient way. We have worked out a model which gives suggestions to motions to be made to improve the quality of the raw material and the relationships between customers and suppliers.

<p>Examensarbetet syftar till att hitta samband mellan ytliga sprickor hos virke, i form av dimensioner och karaktärer, som dagens maskinella avsyningssystem inte klarar av. Tyngdpunkten i projektet har legat på att identifiera eventuella samband mellan verkligt djup hos sprickor och de ytliga sprickmått som kan uppmätas med automatisk avsyning av WoodEye. I huvudsak har projektets praktiska undersökningar gått ut på att bestämma sprickors ytliga dimensioner, djup, typ och position med hjälp av automatisk avsyningsutrustning (WoodEye) samt genom manuell uppmätning i ett antal itusågade sprickzoner. Det provmaterial som använts i utförda försök och som legat till grund för efterföljande sprickanalyser har varit av sådan karaktär att det kunnat jämställas med konstruktionsvirke som normalt sett hållfasthetssorteras enligt europasstandard SS-EN 14081-1.</p><p>I projektet har 568 sprickor, fördelade över 8 olika spricktyper, analyserats. Av erhållna resultat har det konstaterats att störst respektive minst medelbredd uppvisades hos kådlåpor respektive kantsprickor, störst respektive minst medellängd uppvisades hos splintsidesprickor respektive kådlåpor, samt att störst medeldjup uppvisades hos fäll-, kap- och stormsprickor. Vid analys av sprickors bredd och längd i relation till dess djup har inga entydiga samband kunnat påvisas.</p> / <p>This degree project aims to examine any connections between superficial cracks in timber, in terms of dimensions and characteristics, a matter insufficiently addressed by today's visual grading systems. The projects emphasis lies within the practical studies of cracks, characteristics and dimensions, within the acquired samples. In essence, the survey set out to determine superficial dimensions, depth, type and position of cracks by using a visual grading system (WoodEye), and by comparing the results by manually measuring a number of crosscutted cracks. The material used in the experiments and which formed the basis for subsequent analysis has been of such a nature that it could be equated with structural timber normally defined under the European Standard EN 14081-1.</p><p>The project has encompassed the analysis of 568 examples of cracks consisting of 8 various types of cracks. By obtained results it has established that the greatest and smallest width is shown in resin pockets, respective side cracks, the greatest and least average height shown in sapwood cracks, respective resin pockets, and that the greatest average depth shown in cracks occurred from felling or hurricanes. From analysis of the cracks breadth and height in relation to depth no clear connection can be established.</p>

<p>Detta examensarbete handlar om hur ett möbelproducerande företags råmaterialförsörjning går till. Företaget som har varit värd för arbetet är ett möbeltillverkande företag som heter Stolab och ligger i Smålandstenar. Studiebesök och intervjuer har hos Stolab och deras leverantörer legat till grund för det arbete som vi har utfört. Ämnen som är behandlade är kvalitetsaspekter på råmaterialet samt hur relationerna mellan kund – leverantör fungerar. Arbetet fokuserar främst på den sista punkten, hur relationerna ser ut mellan kund leverantör, vilka möjligheter man har att förbättra kommunikationen mellan företagen och hur inköp och lagerhållning kan fungera. För att kunna förbättra kvaliteten på det råmaterial som kommer till företaget så är en viktig del i det att öka förståelsen för de krav som ställs. Kraven måste också kommuniceras på ett effektivt sätt. Vi har utarbetat en modell för hur detta samarbete kan gå till samt gett en del andra förslag till åtgärder för att kunna förbättra kvalitet på materialet och förbättra relationerna.</p> / <p>This final thesis deals with the hardwood raw material procurement in a furniture producing company. The company that has been our host is a furniture producing company called Stolab situated in Smålandstenar. The study visits and interviews we have completed has been the base of this work and the theory studies that we have made. Subjects that have been treated in this report are quality aspects on the raw material and also the relationships between customer and the supplier. The discussion is focused on the latest mentioned part, which possibilities there are to improve the communication between the companies and how purchase and store-keeping can work. To be able to improve the quality of the raw material that is being delivered to the company an important part is to gain the understanding of the demand that is set. The demands also need to be communicated in an efficient way. We have worked out a model which gives suggestions to motions to be made to improve the quality of the raw material and the relationships between customers and suppliers.</p>

Harvesting and transport accounts for up to 70% of the total production cost of roundwood in South Africa. This invokes an interest to improve harvesting systems through the introduction of improved equipment, road networks and more refined operating techniques. A literature review was conducted which investigated the various harvesting systems and equipment with a focus on ground based extraction, as it accounts for 96% of the timber being extracted annually in South Africa. A review of forest roads in South Africa was also conducted and it was concluded that at present there has been little focus on the upgrading and maintenance of forest road networks. It was concluded that the most significant reduction in transport costs would be achieved by reducing the distances travelled by expensive extended pnmary transport (R5.83 t-1.km-1) and by allowing less expensive secondary terminal transport (R0.4 t-1.km-1) to move further into the plantations. This could only be achieved by investing large amounts of capital into the upgrading of forest roads to a standard suitable to service secondary transport vehicles. A model was developed which was able to determine the tonnage of timber needed to flow over a particular road that will warrant the upgrading cost. The model was applied to two study areas, the first study yielded no results due to the already dense network of B- class roads, possibly excessive. The second study area identified three possible road upgrades to improve the existing transport system. A full costing of the existing and modified transport system was completed and a significant cost saving was shown, not accounting for the road upgrading cost. Capital budgets were used to account for more complex parameters, such as tax and discount rates, previously excluded from the simple model. These were used to determine the economic viability of the upgrades and to evaluate the suitability of the model. The model proved to be successful and confirmed that forest roads can be optimised accompanied by significant cost savings. The model is generic and simple allowing for easy application to a variety of situations and is also flexible to modifications. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Bigleaf maple tapping has become increasingly popular on Vancouver Island and additional information is needed to assist in the sustainable development of this non-timber forest product. This research is an exploratory study that investigates sap flow in the 2006/2007 season on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sap flow was highly variable throughout the season. Fluctuations in air temperature, above and below zero, were shown to trigger sap flow. This study characterizes the dissolved solid components of the sap and syrup collected during the 2006/2007 season. The carbohydrate content of the bigleaf maple sap is mainly sucrose with a minor component of fructose and glucose. The concentration of carbohydrates varied throughout the season. The main cations in the bigleaf maple sap and syrup are calcium, potassium and magnesium.

More than a decade after the World Bank was forced out of the dam-building industry due to the social and environmental consequences of the projects they helped to finance, World Bank support for the development of the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) Hydroelectric Project, located atop the bio-diverse Nakai Plateau in central Laos, signals the re-emergence of the Bank’s involvement in large-scale dam construction initiatives. The NT2 project is the Bank’s response to its international critics. The project is a ‘test case’ for a new model of hydropower development that seeks to counteract any negative consequences to the surrounding environment and populations through the enactment of a new set of environmental and social safeguards that the Bank had spent over a decade developing. As the optimal consequence, if NT2 achieves the goal of safeguarding the bio-diverse environment of the Nakai region through the creation and implementation of long-term ‘socially and environmentally sustainable’ livelihood activities capable of raising the living standards and income levels of Nakai villagers beyond the national poverty line, then the NT2 model of development will be validated and its use in other World Bank supported hydroelectric initiatives all but assured. The alternative result is that the new safeguard mechanisms fail to achieve these goals, significantly contributing to the destabilization of one of the of the most environmentally and culturally unique regions in the world. This thesis analyzes the effectiveness of NT2 social and environmental safeguards in order to determine to what extent this new model of development is achieving the objectives it set prior to construction. Using a range of data, it analyzes outcomes produced from the core safeguards program of the project: the resettlement livelihoods’ programmes. Analysis of villagers’ livelihoods after resettlement clearly indicates that the NT2 model was never able to overcome challenges posed by reduced access to forest and agricultural lands for re-establishing villagers’ core land-based livelihood activities. As a result, many villagers have abandoned the livelihoods programmes at resettlement villages across the Plateau. In the short term, these villagers have, nevertheless, significantly increased their incomes through intensified commercial fishing and export-oriented rare timber and endangered wildlife extraction activities. The problem for NT2 developers such as the World Bank is that this form of economic activity is neither socially nor environmentally sustainable, placing the regional environment, local populations and the NT2 project in jeopardy. / Graduate