Suchergebnisse

Interactions amongst trees and crops in taungya systems of western Kenya -- Active root distribution pattern of Hevea brasiliensis determined by radioassay of latex serum -- Production physiology of three native shrubs intercropped in a young longleaf pine plantation -- Dry matter partitions and specific leaf weight of soybean change with tree competition in an intercropping system -- Natural abundance of 15N in two cacao plantations with legume and non-legume shade trees -- Soil phosphorus and water effects on growth, nutrient and carbohydrate concentrations, ?13C, and nodulation of mimosa (Albizia julibrissin Durz.) on a highly weathered soil -- Silvopastoralism in New Zealand: review of effects of evergreen and deciduous trees on pasture dynamics -- Pasture production under densely planted young willow and poplar in a silvopastoral system -- Relationship between tree canopy height and the production of pasture species in a silvopastoral system based on alder trees -- Changes in limiting resources determine spatio-temporal variability in tree–grass interactions -- Are drought and wildfires turning Mediterranean cork oak forests into persistent shrublands? -- Allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus urophylla on ten tree species in south China -- Scaling-up productivity (NPP) using light or water use efficiencies (LUE, WUE) from a two-layer tropical plantation -- Modeling cotton production response to shading in a pecan alleycropping system using CROPGRO -- Transitioning from wild collection to forest cultivation of indigenous medicinal forest plants in eastern North America is constrained by lack of profitability -- Coppicing improved fallows are profitable for maize production in striga infested soils of western Kenya -- Adoption potential of selected organic resources for improvingsoil fertility in the central highlands of Kenya -- Current situation and prospects of Jatropha curcas as a multipurpose tree in China -- Complementary labor opportunities in Indonesian pulpwood plantations with implications for land use.

The Sinfonevada database is a forest inventory that contains information on the forest ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada mountains (SE Spain). The Sinfonevada dataset contains more than 7,500 occurrence records belonging to 270 taxa (24 of these threatened) from floristic inventories of the Sinfonevada Forest inventory. Expert field workers collected the information. The whole dataset underwent a quality control by botanists with broad expertise in Sierra Nevada flora. This floristic inventory was created to gather useful information for the proper management of Pinus plantations in Sierra Nevada. This is the only dataset that shows a comprehensive view of the forest flora in Sierra Nevada. This is the reason why it is being used to assess the biodiversity in the very dense pine plantations on this massif. With this dataset, managers have improved their ability to decide where to apply forest treatments in order to avoid biodiversity loss. The dataset forms part of the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area. ; All the information contained in Sinfonevada was gathered by TRAGSA (Transformación Agraria S.A.), a public company funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment. The Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory is funded by the Andalusian Regional Government (via Environmental Protection Agency) and by the Spanish Government (via "Fundación Biodiversidad", which is a Public Foundation).

As southern pine forests (both planted and naturally regenerated) are more heavily used to provide biomass for the developing energy sectors and carbon sequestration, a better understanding of models used to characterize regional biomass estimates is needed. We harvested loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) between 0.5 and 15 cm dbh from several plantations and naturally regenerated stands in southeastern Arkansas to evaluate allometric relationships based on stand origin. In this process, each pine was separated into stemwood, branches + foliage, and taproot biomass components. Although the differences changed with dbh, loblolly pines from planted stands generally had greater percentages of biomass allocated to foliage + branches and taproots, whereas those from natural-origin stands had greater amounts in stemwood, aboveground, and total biomass. National Biomass Estimator (NBE) high-specific gravity pine equations predicted natural-origin aboveground biomass reasonably well. However, the same NBE model underpredicted aboveground biomass for small (similar to 5 cm) diameter planted pine and overpredicted planted pines between 7 and 15 cm dbh. When scaled to stand-level estimates, the NBE models resulted in estimates for average stand diameters of 5, 10, and 15 cm that ranged from -18.6 to 2.1% for natural stands and from -21.9 to 62.8% for planted stands. ; Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture [2009-35103-05356]; Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service; Arkansas Forest Resources Center ; We thank the following individuals for their contributions: Kirby Sneed and Rick Stagg (USDA Forest Service); Jonathan Hartley (University of Arkansas-Monticello); and Conner Fristoe (Weyerhaeuser Company). This research was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant 2009-35103-05356 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

An overall study of the niches of forest carabid beetles is carried out in a beechwood close to the climax stage in Lembeek (Belgium). A comparison with two other biotopes — a pine plantation and a grassland in process of afforestation — further aims at defining general features of niche organization in forest carabid communities. Four niche components are measured : annual activity cycle, daily activity rhythm, spatial distribution, and diet. This first paper deals with the three temporal and spatial components.
Annual activity cycles are unexpectedly diversified, and thus play an important part in niche différenciation. The well marked succession of activity peaks during the course of the year separates most forest species in time. On the other hand, niche overlap is higher in the «grassland», especially among dominant species, suggesting that time organization is poorly achieved in a successional stage.
Daily activity rhythm constitutes a minor factor in niche differentiation. Most forest carabids are nocturnal ; but a few spring species are day-active.
Spatial distribution of activity does not generally allow a clear-cut niche separation either. When becoming dominant, large forest species tend to reach an homogeneous distribution of activity. In the «grassland» however, distributions are particularly heterogeneus, and point out two distinct faunas typical of different successional stages.

CONTENIDO Editorial: cátedra libre de estudios ambientales "Dr. Pedro Rincón Gutiérrez" de la facultad de ciencias forestales y ambientales de la Universidad de Los Andes.Editorial: The free cathedra of environmental studies "Dr. Pedro Rincón Gutierrez" of the faculty of forest and environmental sciences of the University of The Andes.Rondón Rangel, José Armando Artículos Impacto del impuesto sobre tierras ociosas en el turno óptimo de cosecha de plantaciones forestales de turno corto.Impact of taxes on idle lands over the optimal harvest rotation in short cycled forest plantations. Carrero G., Omar E. y Jeréz R., Mauricio Fenómenos relacionados con los movimientos de barros y escombros ocurridos en la zona del páramo de Mérida en junio 2003.Phenomena related to the movement of mud and debris occurred in the Páramo Zone of Mérida in June 2003. Olivero, María Luisa; Aguirre Pe, Julián y Moncada, Alix Información técnica sobre los movimientos de barros y escombros ocurridos en la zona del páramo de Mérida en junio 2003.Technical information about the movement of mud and debris occurred in the Páramo zone of Mérida in june 2003. Olivero, María Luisa; Aguirre Pe, Julián y Moncada, Alix Preservación de bambú y madera de plantaciones mediante desplazamiento de savia forzado.Preservation of bamboo and wood from plantations by forced sap displacement. Encinas, Osvaldo Estudio anatómico de la madera en cinco especies del género Brosimum sw. (Moraceae) que crecen en Venezuela.Wood anatomy of five species from Brosimum Sw. (Moraceae) genus in Venezuela. León Hernández, Williams J. Análisis biológico y financiero de un ensayo de fertilización en plantaciones de Eucalyptus urophylla establecidas en suelos arenosos del oriente de Venezuela.Biological and financial analysis of a fertilization trial in Eucalyptus urophylla plantations established on sandy soils in eastern Venezuela. González, Ronalds; Stock, Jürgen; Jeréz R., Mauricio; Carrero G., Omar E.; Plonczak Ratschiller, Miguel Andrés y Shutter, F. Metodología preliminar para la tipificación del bosque con fines de manejo en el lote boscoso El Dorado - Tumeremo estado Bolívar, Venezuela.Preliminary methodology for the forest typification with management purposes in El Dorado - Tumeremo forest lot, Bolivar State. Ramírez, J.; Alzolay, J.; Noguera L., Oscar E.; Suárez, Arlene; Carrero G., Omar E. y Millán, O. Estudio morfométrico y de viabilidad del polen de tres especies de pinos de la región del Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, México.Morphometric study and pollen viability of three species of pine in the area of Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, México. Iglesias Andreu, Lourdes G. y Tivo Fernández, Yamilet Variabilidad de anillos de crecimiento en vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia).Vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia) tree rings variability.Giménez, Ana María; Juárez de Galíndez, M. y Ríos, N. A. Nota Técnica Universidad, ambiente y desarrollo rural.University, environment and rural development. Rodríguez P., Luis E. Los incendios forestales en la legislación venezolana.Forest fires in the venezuelan legislation. León G., José de J. Tesis Modelo preliminar para la planificación del aprovechamiento en plantaciones forestales.Preliminary model for the harvest planning in forest plantations. Chiari López, Ramón José Variables regionales y la condición ecológica de ríos en la cuenca alta del río Chama.Regional variables and ecological conditions of rivers in the high basin of the Chama river. Correa, Ingrit Aspectos del secado al horno y anatómicos para la especie Gmelina arborea (Melina), utilizando horarios combinados convencional - alta temperatura.Anatomical and oven drying aspects for Gmelina arborea (Melina), combining conventional and high temperature schedules. Contreras M., Yoston ; 231 ; semestral ; Nivel analítico

Forest ecosystem services such as clean water, wildlife habitat, and timber supplies are increasingly threatened by drought and disturbances (e.g., harvesting, fires and conversion to other uses), which can have great impacts on stand development and water balance. Improved understanding of the hydrologic response of forested systems to drought and disturbance at spatiotemporal resolutions commensurate with these impacts is important for effective forest management. Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key hydrologic variable in assessing forest functioning and health, but it remains a challenge to accurately quantify ET at landscape scales with the spatial and temporal detail required for effective decision-making. In this study, we apply a multi-sensor satellite data fusion approach to study the response of forest ET to drought and disturbance over a 7-year period. This approach combines Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ET product time series retrieved using a surface energy balance model to generate a multi-year ET datacube at 30-m resolution and daily timesteps. The study area (similar to 900 km(2)) contains natural and managed forest as well as croplands in the humid lower coastal plains in North Carolina, USA, and the simulation period from 2006 to 2012 includes both normal and severe drought conditions. The model results were evaluated at two AmeriFlux sites (US-NC2 and US-NC1) dominated by a mature and a recently clearcut pine plantation, respectively, and showed good agreement with observed fluxes, with 813% relative errors at monthly timesteps. Changes in water use patterns in response to drought and disturbance as well as forest stand aging were assessed using the remotely sensed time series describing total evapotranspiration, the transpiration (T) component of ET, and a moisture stress metric given by the actual-to-reference ET ratio (f(RET)). Analyses demonstrate differential response to drought by land cover type and stand age, with larger impacts on total ET observed in young pine stands than in mature stands which have substantially deeper rooting systems. Transpiration flux shows a clear ascending trend with the growth of young pine plantations, while stand thinning within the plantation leads to decreases in both remotely sensed leaf area index and T, as expected. Time series maps of f(RET) anomalies at 30-m resolution capture signals of drought, disturbance and the subsequent recovery after clearcut at the stand scale and may be an effective indicator for water use change detection and monitoring in forested landscapes. ; National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNational Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) [NNH14AX36I] ; This work was funded in part by a grant from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNH14AX36I). We thank the Weyerhaeuser Company for providing stand age data. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

In this user-friendly, beautifully illustrated, and occasionally eccentric guidebook, David A. Steinberg blazes the trail to more than twenty unusual landmarks and hard-to-find destinations--all within a two-hour drive of New York City. Geared for the experienced hiker or camping adventurer, the book includes hikes to a variety of urban ruins, including a World War II-era air force base, a vacant dairy farm, pine plantations, abandoned quarries, tunnels, cemeteries, and iron mines. Each chapter contains detailed directions, a hand-drawn map, suggestions for the optimal time and season to visit, and GPS coordinates to specific sites. Bringing fifteen years of experience as a leader of hikes, the author leaves no part of the trip unplanned. He even suggests ideal conditions for the outing. An overcast day, for instance, sets up the haunted atmosphere appropriate for visiting a water tower in Mountainside, New Jersey, that has links to a murder-suicide in the 1970s. For less experienced hikers, the guide also includes a chapter on equipment and safety, detailed instructions on how to program a hand-held Global Positioning System receiver, and a glossary of terms. Both a practical guide and a creative chronicle, this book is bound to please hikers and history buffs alike

This study has been led during a Thematic School: "Formation to human sciences methods applied to agroforestry" which took place from 5th to 17th of October 2009 in two sessions: 6 days in Montpellier and 6 days on the field. An international and multidisciplinary team conducted a study on inhabitants and socio professional stakeholders' perception of the evolution of the soutern Causses landscape. This landscape is a specific French heritage, supporting the identity support of a part of its inhabitants, and whose preservation is at stake. However, directly linked with agrarian history, the processes are currently changing the landscape, in particular, the function of the rangeland. The landscape is closing, colonized by bushy and tree vegetation; rangelands are fenced; pine plantations appear here and there. Faced with this evolution negatively judge by most of the stakeholders interviewed, their reaction varies according to their profession, social commitment, or their professional aspirations. So, the people of Causses see the future of "agropastoralism" according to the 5 following perspectives: (i) landscape preservation and management, (ii) improving income and attracting young farmers, (iii) new market opportunities for specialized projects in the region, (iv) the promotion of tourism in the region, (v) the coordination of various stakeholders efforts such as farmers, elected members, government officials, hunters, CPIE and ONF.

The Environment Department of the Government of Andalusia (Spain) has recently undertaken the responsibility of integrating extensive livestock grazing as a tool for fire prevention in several Natural Parks of the region. With the participation of 19 shepherds, 910 ha of fuelbreaks are being maintained by sheep and goat flocks. Their effect is being monitored and specific research is being carried out to adjust the system. In exchange for the service provided, shepherds are paid proportionally both to the surface of fuelbreaks they maintain, and to the biomass control outcome they achieve. This is an extra income that drives their production systems towards sustainable activities integrated in the conservation of forest resources. On the other hand, extensive and scarcely managed forest pine plantations and oak-tree communities are in need of diversification (naturalization) actions. Intense grazing – by domestic or wild herbivores –has always been present in Mediterranean forest and rangelands, contributing to their diversity and dynamics. Therefore, livestock grazing is nowadays a tool that can efficiently collaborate with other initiatives in the naturalization of many simplified forest ecosystems. Both fire prevention and naturalization are main forest management issues in the 21st century, and livestock breeders have the opportunity to team up, enhance their extensive production systems and benefit from the increased social and economical recognition of their activity. ; Peer reviewed

Short rotation Eucalyptus plantations offer great potential for increasing wood-fiber production in the southern United States. Eucalyptus plantations can be highly productive (>35 m(3) ha(-1) year but they may use more water than intensively managed pine (primarily Pinus taeda L) plantations. This has raised concern about how expansion of Eucalyptus plantations will affect water resources. We compared tree water use, stem growth, and WUE (kg wood per m(3) water transpired) in adjacent nine-year-old Eucalyptus benthamii and P. taeda plantations with similar stand density and leaf area. Sap flux (F-d, g cm(-2) s(-1)) was measured continuously over one year using thermal dissipation probes. Stem biomass, stem growth, tree water use (E-t, L day(-1)), canopy transpiration per unit leaf area (E-1, mmol m(-2) s(-1)), and canopy stomatal conductance (G(s), mmol m(2) s(-1)) were quantified. Eucalyptus had higher daily Fd (196.6 g cm(-2) day(-1)) and mean daily E-t (24.6 L day(-1)) than pine (105.8 g cm(-2) day(-1), 15.2 L day(-1)). Eucalyptus exhibited a seasonally bimodal pattern in daily E-t that did not occur in pine. Monthly E-t was23-51% higher in Eucalyptus and differences between species were greatest in the spring and fall. Annual E-t was 32% higher in Eucalyptus (9.13 m(3) H2O year(-1)) than pine (5.79 m(3) H2O year(-1)). Annual stem biomass increment was greater in Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus: 22.9; pine: 11.8 kg tree(-1) year(-1)), and Eucalyptus had greater WUE (Eucalyptus: 2.86; pine 1.72 kg biomass m(-3) H2O year(-1)). Pine exhibited a lower seasonal minimum and higher seasonal maximum leaf area index (LAI). At low LAI, there was no significant difference between species in E-l or G(s); however, at maximum LAI, pine E-l and G(s) were 46 and 43%, respectively of rates observed in Eucalyptus. The species differed in G(5) response to vapor pressure deficit (D). At a similar reference G(s) (G(s),(ref) at D =1 kPa), pine exhibited greater stomatal sensitivity to D. These results suggest that (1) Eucalyptus trees had higher sap flux and total water use than pine, (2) Eucalyptus had greater stem growth and WUE, and (3) species differences in water use were driven primarily by differences in E-l and G(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

For the purpose of restoring degraded soils of the former military base in Río Hato, Farallón, Coclé province, the Panamanian government promotes the establishment of forest concessions to private companies interested in developing this type of investment. The environmental and forestry experience generated in the country for projects, previously developed, makes the Pinus caribaea var hondurensis the largest area planted species within this project. From 1996 affectations are detected in the plant health of plantations and Ips calligraphus identifies a non-native beetle, as responsible for the damages. Field observations provide evidence that environmental conditions have a significant influence on the dispersion of adults, so that for a period of 11 months from August 2010 to June 2011, was conducted with 4 traps sampling Lindgren 12 funnels baited with ipsdienol located so scattered among plantations. We captured a total of 288 individuals in the traps. Regression analysis indicates a linear and inverse relationship between the number of individuals collected variables of Scientia, Vol. 23, N° 1 101 Ips calligraphus and rainfall (F1, 17 = 6.49, p< 0.05, r = 0.53); the variable rainfall accounts for 28% (r2 = 0.28) of the variability in catches. ; Con el propósito de recuperar los suelos degradados de la antigua base militar de Río Hato, en Farallón, en la provincia de Coclé, el Estado panameño promueve el establecimiento de concesiones forestales a empresas privadas interesadas en desarrollar este tipo de inversiones. Las condiciones ambientales y la experiencia forestal generada en el país por proyectos, anteriormente desarrollados, hacen que el Pinus caribaea var hondurensis sea la especie con mayor superficie plantada dentro de este proyecto. A partir de 1996 se detectan afectaciones en el aspecto fitosanitario de las plantaciones y se identifica al Ips calligraphus, un descortezador no nativo, como el responsable de las afectaciones. Observaciones de campo dan indicio que condiciones ambientales tienen una influencia importante sobre la dispersión de los adultos, por lo que por un período de 11 meses a partir de agosto de 2010 hasta junio de 2011, se llevó a cabo un muestreo con 4 trampas Lindgren de 12 embudos cebadas con ipsdienol ubica- 88 Scientia, Vol. 23, N° 1 das de manera dispersa entre las plantaciones forestales. Se capturaron en total 288 individuos en las trampas. El análisis de regresión indica que existe una relación lineal e inversa entre las variables número de individuos colectados de Ips calligraphus y la precipitación pluvial (F1,17 = 6.49, p < 0.05, r = 0.53); la variable precipitación pluvial explica el 28% (r 2 = 0.28) de la variabilidad en las capturas.

The unique results of the 25-year monitoring of forest vegetation of the buffer zone at the Novopolotsk Refinery Complex (NIRC) were summarized. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative changes in the buffer zone, which occurred during the period 1990–2015 years of operation of NRC's enterprises, is given. Detailed analysis of vegetation organization has shown that the most transformed forest areas are directly adjacent to the enterprises from the leeward side. During the 25-year period of research, the area of primary forest fragments in the 500-meter zone of NRC impact has decreased by 2.6 times. Derivatives of small-leaved communities formed at the place of dead coniferous stands immediately after the commissioning of the plants are presented here. The technogenic press reduction in the 1990s resulted in the active demutation transformations of vegetation. Recently, there has also been a dominance of restoration processes, but the change of the main pine and spruce stands to derivatives continues, which is reflected in the prolonged decomposition of fragments of previously disturbed stands. The direction and rates of change of some plant groups by others depend on the initial state of plants, species and age structure of communities, conditions of their growth and environmental factors. In general, it is noted that forest ecosystems of the region have retained the ability to regenerate the composition and structure.

En este artículo se pronostica el consumo aparente de madera en rolas con fines industriales (CpC) en Venezuela, usando modelos autoregresivos integrados de Medias Móviles (ARIMA). El mejor modelo fue un ARIMA (p=2, d=1, q=2). Se pronostica que el CPC levemente se incrementara entre los años 2006 y 2010, alcanzando una cantidad de 0,0441 m3/ha/persona/año, lo que sería equivalente, tomando en cuenta el crecimiento poblacional, a un consumo aparente de 1.272.044 m3 en el 2010, veintisiete por ciento más que en el 2005. Más del cincuenta por ciento del consumo actual de madera rolliza industrial proviene de las plantaciones de pino Caribe, sin embargo gran parte será destinada a los proyectos industriales de CVG PROFORCA, lo cual reducirá significativamente la oferta nacional. Para evitar una caída del consumo per cápita a nivel nacional, Venezuela necesitará incrementar las importaciones, aprovechar más bosques naturales, incrementar en el corto plazo el área destinada a plantaciones forestales, o incrementar sustancialmente la productividad en las plantaciones y bosques naturales. Políticas gubernamentales proactivas pueden ser útiles para alcanzar estos desafiantes objetivos. ; This paper forecast the per capita apparent consumption of industrial round wood (CPC) in Venezuela using autoregressive integrated moving average models (ARIMA). The best model was formulated as an arima (p=2, d=1, q=2). It forecast that CPC will increase slightly from 2006 to 2010, reaching a quantity of 0,0441m3/person/ year, that should be equivalent, taking into account the population growth, to an apparent consumption of 1.272.044 m3 in 2010, twenty seven percent more than in 2005. More than fifty percent of current industrial roundwood apparent consumption is from Caribbean pine plantations, but these are likely to be used by CVG PROFORCa industrial projects, which will reduce domestic supply greatly. To avoid a decline of the per capita domestic consumption, Venezuela will need to increase imports, harvest more natural rain forests, rapidly increase forest plantations, or substantially increase productivity on current plantations and natural forests. Proactive government policies can help achieve these challenging goals. ; 227-237 ; carreroomar@yahoo.com ; andradev@ula.ve ; orlandon@ula.ve ; semestral

Bioenergy is booming as nations seek to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union declared biofuels to be carbon-neutral, triggering a surge in wood use. But do biofuels actually reduce emissions? A molecule of CO2 emitted today has the same impact on radiative forcing whether it comes from coal or biomass. Biofuels can only reduce atmospheric CO2 over time through post-harvest increases in net primary production (NPP). The climate impact of biofuels therefore depends on CO2 emissions from combustion of biofuels versus fossil fuels, the fate of the harvested land and dynamics of NPP. Here we develop a model for dynamic bioenergy lifecycle analysis. The model tracks carbon stocks and fluxes among the atmosphere, biomass, and soils, is extensible to multiple land types and regions, and runs in ≈1s, enabling rapid, interactive policy design and sensitivity testing. We simulate substitution of wood for coal in power generation, estimating the parameters governing NPP and other fluxes using data for forests in the eastern US and using published estimates for supply chain emissions. Because combustion and processing efficiencies for wood are less than coal, the immediate impact of substituting wood for coal is an increase in atmospheric CO2 relative to coal. The payback time for this carbon debt ranges from 44–104 years after clearcut, depending on forest type—assuming the land remains forest. Surprisingly, replanting hardwood forests with fast-growing pine plantations raises the CO2 impact of wood because the equilibrium carbon density of plantations is lower than natural forests. Further, projected growth in wood harvest for bioenergy would increase atmospheric CO2 for at least a century because new carbon debt continuously exceeds NPP. Assuming biofuels are carbon neutral may worsen irreversible impacts of climate change before benefits accrue. Instead, explicit dynamic models should be used to assess the climate impacts of biofuels.

Taking into account that the problem of illegal forest felling in Russia has not been solved so far, the article studies the justification for criminalization of illegal forest felling in considerable amount provided for under Part 1, Article 260 of the Criminal Code of the RF ("simple" illegal felling of forest plantations). According to the Criminal law theory de facto such offence aspires to complete or partial decriminalization, however, de jure such offence has been significantly criminalized. Referring to the theory of criminalization and decriminalization, the authors defined that criminal public danger possesses 2 subsystems (object and damage), "simple" illegal felling has got only one so-called subsystem, which is valuable object. The second subsystem (damage) is absent. The authors determined the significant amount of illegal felling by analyzing the judicial practice which in turn fails to meet the requirements of the legislation. In order to prosecute somebody for illegal felling it is enough to prove that the only one pine tree 26 cm in diameter and 16 meters high has been illegally cut down. Offenders are more often prosecuted for illegal felling in significant amount (Part 3, Article 260 of the Criminal Code of the RF) than for offence provided for under Part 1, Article 260 of the Criminal Code of the RF. As for the total number of verdicts rendered based on Part 2 and Part 3 of the given article, they are twice higher than the number of verdicts based on Part 1, Article 260. Nevertheless, the circumstances that are being introduced into this law as qualifying cannot go with the absolute majority of offences and become a kind of "standard norm" for them. The elements which characterize the overwhelming majority of the certain types of offences should be acknowledged as the essential elements of an offence. In this context authors assume that such indicator as the significant amount of felling should be considered as a criminalizing element of illegal felling. "Simple" illegal forest felling is to be decriminalized, so that sanctions of Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 8.28 of the Code of Administrative Offences are to be amended as well: fines should be increased, basic alternative kind of punishment should be implemented such as community service as well as supplementary punishment in a form of confiscation of work tool or the target of administrative offence