The Ackerman Unit of the Tombigbee National Forest has served as the location of numerous archaeological investigations. Despite all of the work done, there is a question of whether a representative sample of the archaeological record has been saved and subsequently whether the reports and findings from the Ackerman Unit of the Tombigbee National Forest are legitimate and can be applied to a larger body or research at the regional, and even national scale. This thesis will evaluate whether a paradigmatic classification of occupations can be used to assess if a representative sample of the archaeological record has been saved, and consequently whether identifiable bias exists among the practitioners who recorded those occupations.

The effect of trampling on vegetation and soil, as a result of recreational pressure, was studied in the Buffalo campground of the Targhee National Forest, Idaho. Site deterioration was most evident in the forty-two year old site. The tree stand had matured, but there were few young trees and tree reproduction had been reduced to ten seedlings per acre for Pinus contorta. Only two shrub species were sampled with a combined population of eight individuals per acre. Most of the grass species had been seeded; forbs provided 20% of the ground cover, 13% was bare ground and 71% litter. The soil had become compacted, and a hard-pan had formed. Similar deterioration was found in the six-year old site, but to a lesser degree. The year-old site was most similar to the control area, but site deterioration had occurred. It is difficult to reverse or halt site deterioration and still maintain the area as a public facility. Seeding and rest-rotation could improve the oldest site; younger sites could be maintained by restrotation, to allow existing vegetation to re-stock the depleted areas.

No description available.

No description available.

In recent decades, political scientists have devoted substantial attention to the changing role of the state towards more inclusion of non-state actors in policymaking. This deliberative turn, or move towards governance, may signal inability to handle complex problems without cooperation with nonstate actors. On the other hand, governance is frequently credited with generating legitimate decision-making processes and results. In some instances, non-governmental actors have even taken the lead in policymaking. One archetype of such private governance, which has received significant scholarly attention, is forest certification. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is frequently described as the most democratic and therefore legitimate forest certification organization since it grants equal voting rights to three stakeholder groups in the formulation of criteria for responsible forestry: environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), social groups (indigenous peoples and labor organizations) and forest owners. However, in Sweden, a country often described as a role model in forest certification, the FSC has increasingly received critique for failing to generate legitimate processes and results, and recently three of five ENGOs have chosen to exit the FSC organization. Such processes of de-legitimation have received little attention in the forest certification literature. This thesis therefore provides a critical assessment of the legitimacy of forest certification in Sweden. Legitimacy is analyzed through concerned stakeholders’ perceptions of both procedural qualities (input legitimacy) and problem-solving capacity (output legitimacy). This study of legitimacy is combined with an assessment of the ability of certification to enhance environmental protection, defined as changes in both forest management practices and biophysical conditions. The thesis focuses not the least on legitimacy on the local level, which is where the actual implementation takes place. Today local studies of the legitimacy of forest certification are rare. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are applied and a number of sources are analyzed: forest monitoring data, survey data, interviews with and documents produced by the participating stakeholders. Papers I and IV analyze the perceived legitimacy of forest certification, while Papers II and III analyze forest certification schemes’ ability to enhance environmental protection. The results show that a process of de-legitimation is occurring in Swedish forest certification. In particular, certification has lost legitimacy with ENGOs, which increasingly consider Swedish forest certification to lack both input legitimacy and output legitimacy. Moreover, although the Swedish FSC standard pays attention to reindeer husbandry, the results show that reindeer herders consider themselves to have limited power to influence long-term forest planning and management (low output legitimacy). The forest industry, on the other hand, increasingly grants legitimacy to forest certification due to customer demands, which are created not the least by pressures from international ENGOs and by EU regulation. The results also show that Swedish forest companies have paid more attention to their environmental practices after obtaining certification. However, to what extent these changes result in positive environmental impacts remains uncertain, especially since forests in Sweden grow slowly, which requires analyses over time. There are also measurement problems resulting from the low certification rate among small-scale forest owners and from the fact that certified small-scale owners tend to be more active in their management. These findings highlight that research on private forest governance should not neglect the role of the state, neither as a buyer nor as a regulator. These findings also suggest that further research should pay attention to power asymmetries in private governance and develop methods for better understanding and evaluating the certification schemes’ environmental and social impacts.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T10:44:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LETICIA CUNHA FERNANDES.pdf: 833205 bytes, checksum: 8f76da332e97449e23fd250766a111ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-23 / The focus of this work is the characterization and perception of relations established between the population bordering the Conservation Unit Silvânia National Forest, located in the municipality of Silvânia, Goiás, Brazil, analyzing the current state it is in the area and performing the survey data for characterization of the surrounding population, the environmental perception of the importance of unity and more opinions, attitudes and values present in relation to local biodiversity. We adopted the method of descriptive research with theoretical references from the literature review on the topic considered and data from field work, by applying a semi-structured formulary, in addition to research with employees and manager of the Park. Concludes that CU has its place very conserved and preserves several Cerrado physiognomies, even with a relatively restricted area. Although the results indicate positive aspects regarding the importance of hard drive space as a site for conservation of native flora and fauna, they also lack the sense of a conservation area, the very meaning of conservation and a deep dichotomy between human and nature, reflecting a lack of current condition, especially of its meaning in the context of conservation of the biome and its goals. / O enfoque deste trabalho é a caracterização das relações e da percepção estabelecidas entre a população limítrofe com a Unidade de Conservação Floresta Nacional de Silvânia, localizada no município de Silvânia, Goiás, Brasil, analisando o estado atual em que se encontra a área e realizando o levantamento de dados para caracterização da população do entorno, a percepção ambiental acerca da importância dessa unidade e mais as opiniões, atitudes e valores presentes em relação à biodiversidade local. Adotou-se a modalidade de pesquisa descritiva, com referências teóricas a partir da revisão de literatura sobre a temática considerada e dados obtidos em trabalho de campo, através da aplicação de formulário semi estruturado, além de pesquisa com os funcionários e gestores do Parque. Conclui que essa UC tem seu espaço bastante conservado e preserva várias fitofisionomias do Cerrado, mesmo com uma área relativamente restrita. Apesar dos resultados indicarem aspectos positivos com relação a importância do espaço da unidade como local de conservação da fauna e flora nativa, eles apresentam também desconhecimento do sentido de conservação de uma área, do próprio significado de Unidade de Conservação e uma profunda dicotomia entre homem e natureza, refletindo um desconhecimento da condição atual, especialmente de seu significado no contexto da conservação do bioma e de seus objetivos.

The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska contains 2,176 square kilometers of karst. As part of the evolving Tongass Land Management Plan, research into the function of karst systems is crucial in understanding how forest management affects not only karst areas but also surrounding ecosystems. Dye trace and water balance results in two watersheds on the north end of Prince of Wales Island demonstrate the difficulty in containing the effects of management, as water can enter karst catchments from unknown sources at different flow regimes. A dye trace was conducted in Windgate and Canyon Block watersheds. Two sinking streams were traced to one resurgence spring in Canyon Block, and four sinking streams were traced to one resurgence spring in Windgate. Water balance data calculated for the entire study period and individual storm events suggests that Windgate has been sufficiently delineated. Data from the study period and storm event water balance calculations for Canyon Block suggest that at high flow discharge is pirated into Canyon Block from another system. High resolution monitoring in each catchment show that there is no significant delay between the increase in discharge and the arrival of direct runoff, as evidenced by the quick decrease in specific conductance. This could result in a quick transmission of sediment and contaminants through the karst system into downstream salmon habitat.

This dissertation traces the history of cattle grazing at Saguaro NP, Organ Pipe Cactus NM and Fort Bowie NHS in southern Arizona. This collection of studies examines the factors affecting that use, the ranchers who made their living from the landscape, and the federal land managers responsible for sustaining the natural and cultural resources. A dominant industry on arid public lands since the Civil War, grazing was altered by a variety of influences: environmental and human-derived. Ranching communities developed from homesteading settlements. Success was determined by climate, topography, and natural resources; social and cultural pressures; economic events and political legislation; and later federal regulations and decisions. The first agency to oversee grazing, USFS was under constant pressure to maximize short-term human benefits. The NPS Organic Act of 1916 mandated conservation of natural resources "by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations" and yet approved cattle grazing, an extractive use, under USFS management. Park managers were frustrated by grazing practices not under their control. Parks were at a cultural and social disadvantage. Residents and politicians often expressed displeasure at park reservations; communities feared that parks would interfere with local industries. Park employees supervised visitors and developed recreation infrastructure; they came with little experience to manage livestock. Lack of funding for research, limited manpower, and political and administrative interference allowed cattle grazing to continue unregulated for decades altering vegetation and enhancing erosion. In the 1960s, changing values from the environmental movement, the waning power of the livestock industry, and the rise of activist scientists impelled NPS to act. Without monitoring data, NPS turned to legal opinions to terminate grazing. Now grazing is regulated and carefully monitored. NPS is mandated to incorporate research results into management decisions. Older grazing permits are being retired, but land acquisitions for park additions add new management challenges. Purchasing permits offers a new but financially limited opportunity to protect sensitive lands. Grazing has ended at all three parks, yet ecological changes and historic structures remain. As cultural and administrative legacies, those remnants offer opportunities to interpret a significant regional tradition and an untold controversy.

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the features of Legal regulations, governing National forest management of Member States of the European Union. The object of analyses was legal regulations in the following 17 countries of European Union: Ireland, Austria, Czech, Denmark, Great Britain, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Germany. The following methods of analyses were used in the study: document analyses, comparative analyses, historical and logical methods. The result of the study shows that, Legal regulations governing National forest are reflected in the national forest law. Legal principles, which are not exclusively stated in the basic law, are in details mentioned in legal acts related to forest. The legal principles are not at the same level explicit in all EU countries, but are the most similar between countries of the same forest management type.

This creative project examined design and management alternatives for the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area located in the Hoosier National Forest. The design intent of the project was to develop Hardin Ridge into a wildland recreation facility which offered visitors a variety of experiential opportunity and choice, and provided experiences which could effectively accommodate a demographically diversified population. This project would also provide environmental educational opportunities and attempt to retain the integrity of the sites natural systems. An examination of the importance and benefits of outdoor recreation, National Forest Service recreational planning, outdoor recreation demographic diversity and outdoor recreation design issues was conducted in formulating the projects design criteria and theory. This design criteria and theory was then utilized to create the design concepts directly applicable to the Hardin Ridge project site and develop a design ideology applicable to most U.S. wilderness recreation areas. The final product of the study was a design and management plan which effectively addressed the design objectives at Hardin Ridge and created a design model capable of meeting similar design objectives at the national level. / Department of Landscape Architecture