The forest transition: Towards a more comprehensive theoretical framework

Building on the contributions of Mather and others, this paper offers an approach for developing a more comprehensive theory of the forest transition. We argue that long-run changes in forest cover in a country or region cannot be separated from the overall pattern of land use changes. Moreover, this pattern is determined by relative land values; forest cover changes over time as the value of one land use relative to the value of its competing use changes over time. However, the actual values that are used to allocate land may be far from optimal; that is, the presence of market, policy and institutional failures can distort economic and political incentives that can lead to bias in favour of one type of land use over the other, and may ultimately explain why a forest transition may be delayed unnecessarily in some countries and regions.     

Urban encroachment,forest regrowth and land-use institutions: Does zoning matter?

As concern grows regarding urban sprawl and forest and agricultural land preservation, the effectiveness of land-use policies in shaping land-use change warrants further study. We evaluate the impact of county-level zoning laws, the most predominant land use policy in the USA, and land rents on the relative amounts of forest, agricultural, and developed land, while controlling for demographic information and taxation rates. Over the past decades, southern Indiana has experienced forest regrowth on private lands, but this regrowth has declined in recent years with increased conversion of open space for urban residential development. We develop a model of land-use shares in 40 southern Indiana counties based on the net benefits to agriculture, forestland, and urban uses using a maximum likelihood estimation of a Dirichlet distribution. We find agricultural land rent and indicators of land productivity are the most important predictors of the proportion of agriculture and urban uses. Forest use is better explained by shifting regional economic structure and hilly terrain. Counties with a greater proportion of their work force in the service sectors have a greater proportion of land forested. Finally, to some extent zoning may protect agricultural land in the region, although land rents, land characteristics, and population are strong predictors of the ratio of agriculture to urban use.     

Land use transitions: Socio-ecological feedback versus socio-economic change

The concept of land use transition highlights that land use change is non-linear and is associated with other societal and biophysical system changes. A transition in land use is not a fixed pattern, nor is it deterministic. Land use transitions can be caused by negative socio-ecological feedbacks that arise from a depletion of key resources or from socio-economic change and innovation that take place rather independently from the ecological system. Here, we explore whether the sources of land use transitions are mostly endogenous socio-ecological forces or exogenous socio-economic factors. We first review a few generic pathways of forest transition as identified in national case studies, and evaluate the varying ecological quality of expanding forests associated with these pathways. We then discuss possible explanatory frameworks of land use transitions. We use the case of the recent forest transition in Vietnam as an illustration. Socio-ecological feedbacks seem to better explain a slowing down of deforestation and stabilization of forest cover, while exogenous socio-economic factors better account for reforestation. We conclude by discussing the prospects of accelerating land use transitions in tropical forest countries.     

神农架林区生态农业发展探析

对神农架林区生态农业发展现状进行深入分析。指出林区生态农业发展的有利条件和不利因素。提出了林区生态农业发展的对策建议:采取得力措施,切实落实生态农业发展政策;加大农业科技创新力度,持续实施生态农业工程;加强生态农业示范区建设,积极推进农业标准化生产;围绕农业旅游建设,促进生态农业向纵深发展。     

信息技术在林火探测中的应用

本文在介绍信息技术的基础上。搜集了大量的林火探测方法,分析了人为探测的优缺点以及利用信息技术进行林火探测的必要性。信息技术在林火探测中的应用主要包括4个方面：红外探测、感烟探测、卫星遥感探测和视频图像探测。本文分析了各种信息技术的探火原理以及优缺点,并指出在不同的环境背景下应该选择不同的信息技术进行林火探测．必要的时候可以使用复合型的林火探测方式。一般来说,红外探测和感烟探测比较适合近距离的林火探测．因为红外和烟雾容易受周围环境的影响而有不同程度的削减;对于大面积的森林监测应该采用卫星遥感技术,但由于其覆盖周期长,应用于林火探测上尚有一定距离,在林火灾后评估方面有很好的应用效果;视频图像林火探测是一门新兴的信息技术,虽然有其他方法所不可比拟的优越性,但在应用过程中,其缺点也应受到人们的重视。随着信息技术日新月异的发展,林火探测技术将会越来越科学、准确。     

从“森林效应”看民办高校教师绩效考核体系构建的必要性

我国民办高等教育起步时间不长,与公办院校相比,仍旧差距明显,在诸多差距中,师资水平差距首当其冲。本文以"森林效应"为启示,着重论述了教师绩效考核体系的构建对民办高校师资队伍建设的意义和作用。     

南京老山林场森林生态系统适应性管理问题的探讨

由于气候变化的恶劣情况给森林生态系统和人类带来了很大的风险,本文在研究适应性管理的基础上,确定了老山森林生态系统建设的主要生态目标,综合分析了南京老山林场森林生态系统的功能,指出老山林场森林生态系统适应性管理过程中存在的问题,并提出了老山林场森林生态系统实施适应性管理的具体措施和相关的建议。     

湖南省森林植物园游客满意度综合测评研究

通过问卷调查法研究湖南省森林植物园的游客满意度状况,借助相关软件对数据进行了整理分析。结果表明：植物园内游客满意度程度10项指标测评中,游客的态度主要为“一般”和“满意”;游客满意度10项指标当中都与忠诚度具有正相关关系;不同的的年龄阶段的人群对植物园的满意程度存在显著差异;湖南省森林植物园的客源市场在性别、年龄、婚姻、学历、职业和家庭收入方面等方面呈现出多样性。     

新时期我国林产品对外贸易研究分析

本文对我国林产品对外贸易现状进行分析,研究发现我国林产品进出口市场高度集中,进1：3多为环境敏感的初级林产品,出口则以低附加值的劳动密集型林产品为主。我国林业企业不但承受着环境保护的压力,也承担着贸易摩擦带来的风险。所遇困境已经制约了新时期我国林产品对外贸易的发展,因此,必须改变贸易方式,加强企业综合实力,才能走出困境。     

Do protest responses to a contingent valuation question and a choice experiment differ?

It is suggested that the number of protest responses in stated preference surveys depends, inter alia, on the valuation method used. Choice Experiments (CE) are said to generate a lower number of protest responses than Contingent Valuation (CV). However, no comparison of both methods with respect to protest responses has been conducted to date. We used both CE and CV in a survey on forest biodiversity in two German regions. Protest beliefs were measured for all respondents irrespective of whether they were willing to pay or not. The results show no clear pattern of differences between CE and CV regarding protest beliefs and protest responses. Using an attitude scale based on respondents’ protest beliefs, we see a significant negative effect of this attitude on willingness to pay in both methods. However, in one of the two study regions, the effect is weaker in CE than in CV.