Forest certification plays an important role in the forest products industry in Mississippi. Approximately 17% of the state’s 19 million acres of forest land is certified under one of three major systems in the United States. More than two million acres are certified under Sustainable Forestry Initiative, more than one million acres are certified under American Tree Farm System and over 150,000 acres are certified under Forest Stewardship Council. The goal of forest certification is sustainable use of all forest resources, from timber to clean water to recreation. This goal can only be achieved if nonindustrial private forest landowners, loggers, and forestry professionals all agree on the concepts each system espouses. This project surveyed nonindustrial private landowners in Mississippi, members of the Mississippi Loggers Association, and members of the Mississippi Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee, to test their levels of agreement on 12 different Likert Scales or sets of statements representing specific underlying concepts of forest certification. The three groups generally agreed on most aspects of forest certification. There were some significant differences between the groups based on the distribution of responses, however the scale averages never differed by more than 0.7 indicating that while the differences were significant, overall they were still fairly close in their understanding of certification concepts. There were a large number of non-industrial private landowners who were not aware of forest certification. This result has not changed since the last landowner study that was conducted in Mississippi regarding forest certification, almost 10 years ago.

Skogen är en viktig resurs, både ekonomiskt och miljömässigt, därför är det viktigt att den brukas på ett ansvarsfullt sätt på både kort och lång sikt. Ett sätt att bidra till ett hållbart skogsbruk är att använda dess restprodukter till gödning av skogsmarken och på så sätt sluta kretsloppet och bidra till en cirkulär ekonomi. När skogen avverkas och brukas tas viktiga makronäringsämnen bort från skogsmarken, ett sätt att återföra dessa viktiga ämnen är genom skogsindustriell aska. Forskning pågår där det undersöks om aska kan återföras i kombination med hydrokol, båda från skogsindustrin. Förhoppningen är att hydrokolen ska binda en del av tungmetallerna som finns i askan för att förhindra att dessa sprider sig i mark och vattendrag. Tanken är att askan och hydrokolen kan användas som gödsel som samtidigt binder tungmetaller och fungerar som koldioxidsänka.  Målet med studien är att ta reda på hur spår- och makronäringsämnena sprids i marken beroende på jordart och om återföringen sker med pelleterad eller pulverformig aska och hydrokol. Detta undersöks genom att under 8 veckor bevattna jordprover med regnvatten. Jordproverna består av endera sand eller torv samt olika kombinationer av aska och hydrokol, totalt 10st olika jordprover. Tester tas på vattnet som lakas ur jordproverna under hela studiens gång. Halten ämnen på olika djup i jordproverna analyseras med hjälp av en XRF varje vecka för att ta reda på hur ämnena transporteras vertikalt i jorden över tid.  Resultatet påvisade att transporten av spår- och makronäringsämnena var högre i sand än i torv. Joner som spår- och makronäringsämnen men även salter och andra ämnen lakades snabbare och i större utsträckning ur sand än torv där högre halt spår- och makronäringsämnen adsorberades till organiska ämnen. I lakvattnet från sandmarken gav pulverformig aska ett höjt pH-värde och högre alkaliniteten. Den pelleterade askan och hydrokolen gav ingen signifikant effekt på lakvattnet i någon av jordarterna. I torv sågs förhöjda halter spår- och makronäringsämnen i slutet jämfört med i början av studien där pelletsen spridits. Vid askåterföring visar studien att det är fördelaktigt att sprida askan pelleterad med hydrokol då detta resulterat i lägre halt tungmetaller i översta marklagret direkt vid spridning. En XRF visade sig ge en god indikation om halter spår- och makronäringsämnen i jordproverna med hög noggrannhet. Däremot fanns svårigheter med att uppnå helt homogena jordprover från vecka till vecka. / The forest is an important resource, both financially and environmentally, therefor it is important that it is used responsibly both short -and long term. One way to contribute to sustainable forestry is to use its residual products to fertilize the forest and thus close the cycle and contribute to circular economy. When the deforestation takes place, important macronutrients are removed from the forest land, one way of returning these important substances is through forest industrial ash. Research is ongoing where it is investigated whether ash can be recycled in combination with hydrochar, also from the forest industry. The hypothesis is that the hydrochar will adsorb some of the heavy metals present in the ash to prevent them from spreading in soil and groundwater. The idea is that the ash and biochar can be used as fertilizer that simultaneously binds heavy metals and acts as a carbon dioxide sink. The aim of the study is to find out how trace- and macronutrient substances are spread in the soil, depending on the soil type and whether the recycling takes place with pelleted or powdered ash and hydrochar. This is investigated by irrigating soil samples with rainwater for 8 weeks. The soil samples consist of either sand or peat as well as different combinations of ash and hydrocarbon, a total of ten different soil samples is studied. Tests are taken on the water that is leached from the soil samples throughout the study. The content of substances at different depths in the soil samples is analyzed using an XRF every week to find out how the substances are vertically transported in the soil over time. The results showed that the transport of trace and macronutrients was higher in sand than in peat. Ions such as trace and macronutrients but also salts and other substances were leached faster and to a greater extent from sand than peat where higher levels of trace and macronutrients were adsorbed to organic substances. In the leachate from the sandy soil, powdered ash gave a higher pH value and higher alkalinity. The pelleted ash and hydrocarbon did not have a significant effect on the leachate in any of the soils. In peat, elevated levels of trace and macronutrient substances were seen at the end compared with the beginning of the study where the pellets were spread. In the case of ash recycling, the study shows that it is advantageous to spread the ash pelleted with hydrocarbon as this has resulted in a lower content of heavy metals in the top soil layer after spreading. An XRF was found to give a good indication of trace and macronutrient levels in the soil samples with high accuracy. However, there were difficulties in obtaining completely homogeneous soil samples from week to week.

Public, Constitutional and International Law / LLD

Research report submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Quantitative Conservation Biology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / The study aimed: (1) to provide baseline data on aspects of wood utilisation in a resource area and a communal area In KwaZulu, (2) to investigate the effects of this wood utilisation on the resource base, and (3) to discuss the sustainability of current wood. utilisation. Wood utilisation in this study refers to the harvesting of dead and livewood for fuelwood, building poles and fencing posts. (Abbreviation abstract) / AC2017

Thesis (Ph. D.)--North Carolina State University, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Mar. 27, 2005). Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Indigenous forests of South Africa are few, small in size and highly fragmented, yet they face intense exploitation particularly in the rural areas. Management of these forests is challenging. High rural dependency on forests and the need to ensure the maintenance of the forest ecological processes that maintain biodiversity and ecosystem integrity are at odds with one another. Rural needs from forests are mainly short-term and interfere with the longer cycle of ecosystem maintenance. In Umzimvubu District of Eastern Cape Province forest management through sustainable use is hampered by a lack of information about the forests' ecology, resource availability and exploitation patterns. Thus it is difficult to set quotas or sustainable harvesting levels. This study addresses these challenges by tackling crosscutting themes of (1) forest policy and use, (2) forest resource availability and exploitation and, (3) the ecological processes of forest regeneration - all vital components for sustainable forest management. Using questionnaires it was found that all forest stakeholders (i.e. forest resource users and managers) were opposed to a ban on forest resource use but agreed to regulated harvesting. Although the new forest policy advocates the devolution of forest management from the state to communities, resource users preferred a greater role for the state in forest management than expected. Given the choice stakeholders selected state forest management over community forest management. However, the combination of roles of the state and communities in forest management, as exemplified by the new policy of participatory forest management (PFM) is probably the most applicable management practice, although it is not without its problems. Tree species are the focus of this study. Trees were largely used for fuelwood, medicinal purposes, craftwork, fencing posts and building poles and involved twenty species. Poles and posts were indiscriminately harvested from the medium (10-20cm dbh) tree size-class. Fuelwood harvesting was selective and only certain species were used. Fuelwood harvesting is unsustainable because the average amount of deadwood produced by the forest marginally balanced that removed from forest as fuelwood. Similarly medicinal tree harvesting (largely through stem debarking) was unsustainable and at least 28% of the debarked trees died. Only one species (Macaranga capensis) could withstand the current stem bark harvesting pressure. Species suitable for pole and post harvesting were determined by a graphic method, based on linear-programming approach that examined the spatial scale or grain of regeneration of a species. The grain of a species is established by comparing the density of stems from a species at the forest canopy and sub-canopy levels and sanctions harvesting only if a species was adequately represented at both levels i.e., fine-grained. Only one species (Englerophytum natalense) met these requirements in all forests and could sustain high levels of pole and post exploitation. Harpephyllum caffrum and Heywoodia lucens are among the most coarse-grained species and their use is discouraged. A relatively high percentage of the forest is under gaps (7.8%) created via natural disturbances of windthrow (50%), breaking tree branches (20%) and snags (13%). Another 17% result from selective tree cutting activities. The gap-phase dynamics paradigm appears to play a minor role in forest tree regeneration, as gap-size niche-differentiation is weak and there is no gap-filling guild of pioneer species. A lottery paradigm best explains tree regeneration in gaps in the forests of Umzimvubu District. Although selective tree harvesting creates gaps, in moderation gap creation is unlikely to change the forests' species composition since there is no gap-filling guild that is favoured by gaps and recruitment is a chance event. Resource use in the forests of Umzimvubu District is unsustainable and PFM offers a viable option for managing these forests. Sustainable use of forest cannot be achieved without an integration of the multifaceted social and ecological issues of forest management and more importantly without prioritising and understanding the ecology of forests. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

This dissertation comprises two components. Component A consists of background to the research and includes the problem statement, aim and objectives. It also includes the literature review, which provides details on the concept of community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) and its benefits as a participatory approach adopted in the management of natural resources. Component B is presented as a research paper that complies with the requirements of the selected journal for purposes of publication shown in appendix I. Relevant information on the purpose of the study and background to the concept of CBNRM from component A is included in component B for purposes of the research paper. It also includes research findings, analysis and conclusions of the study. CBNRM has been identified as a feasible participatory approach to natural resources management based on community needs and priorities. This research reviews the implementation of the Community Environmental Management Programme (CEMP) as a participatory approach adopted by the Zambian Government to address growing environmental concerns, with particular reference to deforestation, as a result of human activities. This study focuses on Luansobe settlement in Mufulira district, one of eight districts in which the CEMP is being implemented as a pilot project. Luansobe is located in the peri-urban area of Mufulira. The majority of the people living in the area are unemployed and live below the poverty datum line. These people are largely dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. Unfortunately, some of the activities people are engaged in are having adverse impacts on the resources, in particular forest resources. The main sources of livelihoods are charcoal production and subsistence farming, which are contributing greatly to the deforestation of the surrounding Nsato Forest Reserve. The CEMP is intended to set up institutional structures at national, district and community levels to address the problem of deforestation and the related poverty levels. This is under the premise that this situation can be improved with good management and community involvement. The study reviewed literature on the concept of CBNRM with particular reference to co-management as one form of a participatory approach with shared responsibility on the management of natural resources between government and local communities. The significance of community involvement in the use and management of forest resources is highlighted. The factors necessary for the effective implementation of joint management programmes are also highlighted and their importance in achieving conservation, community development and good governance. A case study was reviewed to show the importance of these indicators to the successful implementation of such participatory programmes. A list of indicators was compiled as the basis for the assessment of the implementation of the CEMP. A review of government documents provided background information on the establishment of the CEMP, the need for its implementation in Luansobe and the structures put in place at national, district and community levels to implement the programme. These data were supplemented by information gathered through semi-structured interviews with purposively selected key informants and workshops with local community members. Information obtained showed that the institutional structures implementing the CEMP on the ground are different from those set out in documents and are deficient of communication links among the stakeholders, especially community members. This has had negative effects on the representativeness of decisions made regarding the implementation of the programme and accountability of leaders to community members. This has further affected the implementation of projects under the CEMP intended to improve people's livelihoods through alternative sources of income that promote the sustainable use of forest resources. / Thesis (M.Sc.)- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Public, Constitutional and International Law / LLD

Climate change will gradually change the current risk picture in the forestry, the forest is also expected to play a key role in Sweden's transition to a circular bio-based bio-economy as the area of ​​use of the forest raw material is large. The forest also has the benefit of being able to bind and store carbon dioxide. Since 1993, the production target has been equated with the environmental goals and this means that production in the forest must increase, at the same time as an increased environmental consideration is sought from the decision makers to achieve the environmental goals. The forest owners see several opportunities in the future of the forest industry but at the same time, they are concerned about a short-term view from politics. About 50% of the Swedish forest is owned by private owners and the Swedish model of freedom under responsibility gives the forest owner a great opportunity to manage the forest to a large extent. Which also means that the group of private forest owners are important players to achieve both production goals and environmental goals. The changed picture of risk also makes it relevant to investigate the forest owners risk perception and the result shows that forest owners experience risk different due to different factors. The result also shows that there is an awareness among forest owners of risk mitigation measures. / Klimatförändringarna kommer succesivt att förändra den nuvarande riskbilden inom skogsbruket. Skogen förväntas få en nyckelroll i Sveriges omställning till en cirkulär biobaserad bioekonomi då användningsområdet för skogsråvaran är stor. Skogen har dessutom nyttan av att kunna binda och lagra koldioxid. Sedan 1993 är produktionsmålet jämställt med miljömålen och det innebär att produktionen i skogen ska öka, samtidigt som en ökad miljöhänsyn eftersträvas från beslutsfattarnas sida för att uppnå miljömålen. Skogsägarna ser flera möjligheter inför framtiden inom skogsbruket men oroar sig samtidigt för kortsiktighet från politikens sida. Eftersom Sveriges skogsmark ägs till 50% av privata enskilda skogsägare och den svenska modellen med frihet under ansvar ger skogsägaren möjlighet till att i stor uträckning förvalta skogen. Det innebär också att gruppen av privata skogsägare är viktiga aktörer för att både produktionsmål och miljömål ska uppnås. Den förändrade riskbilden gör det också aktuellt att undersöka skogsägares riskperception och resultatet visar att skogsägare upplever risker olika, beroende på vilka faktorer som påverkar. Resultatet visar också att det finns en medvetenhet hos skogsägare om riskminskande åtgärder.

In the southern United States, institutional forest owners engaged in forest certification programs often retain unharvested or less-intensively harvested vegetation when clearcut harvesting intensively managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests (“IMPFs”), a practice called ‘green tree retention’. I investigated resultant patterns of land cover and retained structural elements in recently-harvested IMPF management units (“MUs”) and related them to avian biodiversity to provide information to support harvest decisions. First, to provide forest managers baseline data on retention, I screen-digitized land cover on 1187 MUs (totaling 51646 ha) and characterized green tree retention levels and internal land cover attributes (Chapter 2). I found MU land cover was dominated by regenerating clearcuts (mean: 80.5%), streamside management zones (“SMZs”; vegetated buffers surrounding intermittent and perennial streams; 14.0%) and stringers (buffers surrounding ephemeral streams; 3.3%). Next, I surveyed 60 MUs for vegetation stem density and cover (Chapter 3). Concurrently, I surveyed avian community density and richness (Chapter 4). Vegetation and avian metrics were compared and contrasted across the dominant cover types (with emphasis on stringer/SMZ similarity) to understand impacts of retained structural elements on biodiversity outcomes. I found that snag and log density, midstory pine density, understory deciduous cover, and ground cover were not different in stringers and SMZs; however, overstory (pine and deciduous) and midstory (deciduous) tree density was lower in stringers than in SMZs, and understory pine density was greater in SMZs. Species overlap between cover types was high (74% to 84%), but SMZs and stringers provided 27% of MU species richness. Stringers appeared to benefit both shrubland- and forest-associated birds. Finally, I sampled land cover across 4450 sq-km surrounding the 60 MUs, and performed ordination analyses to identify associations between local-scale (MU interiors) and landscape-scale (3-km buffers around MUs) land cover and avian guild diversity (Chapter 5). I found the region to be >90% forested. Cover type data explained 41% of the partial variation in avian density and total species richness. Local-scale MU characteristics appeared more important than landscape-scale characteristics in explaining avian biodiversity responses. My results suggest that retained structural features support and enhance MU biodiversity in harvested IMPFs.