These effects on tree growth, which may persist for several decades (Hatchell et al. 1970, Butt 1987, Miller et al. 1996), may lead to shortand long-term reductions in tree growth and forest productivity. The level of soil disturbance will vary with soil texture, forest floor thickness, and soil water content at time of harvest (Miller and Sirois 1986, Corns 1988). In addition, machine type, si...

These effects on tree growth, which may persist for several decades (Hatchell et al. 1970, Butt 1987, Miller et al. 1996), may lead to shortand long-term reductions in tree growth and forest productivity. The level of soil disturbance will vary with soil texture, forest floor thickness, and soil water content at time of harvest (Miller and Sirois 1986, Corns 1988). In addition, machine type, si...

Avoided deforestation (AD) is a hot topic in climate change circles, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Using financial incentives to reduce rates of deforestation and forest degradation in tropical countries has much to commend it, as deforestation is a major contributor to climate change. It might also offer additional benefits, such as protecting bi...

The International Year of Forests, declared by the UN, is a good occasion to discuss approaches to reducing forest degradation in developing countries. The articles collected in Thematic Forest Series form a diversity of ideas which is essential for setting the levels below which the countries' reduced emissions could be measured and credited. This editorial calls attention to the use of Land-U...

The fate of the Brazilian Amazon is threatened by a new wave of frontier expansion following new infrastructure commitments worth US$40 bn from the federal Government. In a recent paper, alarming rates of deforestation and forest degradation have been predicted, which could be either pessimistic or optimistic depending on the scale of forest disturbance being considered. A more decisive prevent...

This paper evaluates the opportunity provided by global interferometric radar datasets for monitoring deforestation, degradation and forest regrowth in tropical and semi-arid environments. The paper describes an easy to implement method for detecting forest spatial changes and estimating their magnitude. The datasets were acquired within space-borne high spatial resolutions radar missions at ne...

Forests are a critical component of the planet’s ecosystem. Unfortunately, there has been significant degradation in forest cover over recent decades as a result of logging, conversion to crop, plantation, and pasture land, or disasters (natural or man made) such as forest fires, floods, and hurricanes. As a result, significant attention is being given to the sustainable use of forests. A key t...

CIFOR is a leading international forestry research organisation established in 1993 in response to global concerns about the social, environmental, and economic consequences of forest loss and degradation. CIFOR is dedicated to developing policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forests, and for enhancing the well-being of people in developing countries who rely on tropic...

Investigation on structure and dynamics of natural forest ecosystems is an important issue for silvicultural decisions. The aim of this study is to analysis dynamics and structure of a beech stand during 5-year period in the Shast Kalateh forest in the Caspian region, North of Iran. Data were collected from a 16.9ha permanent research plot established in a natural unlogged stand in 2006. All li...