Considérer l’expérience du visiteur, une clé pour la gestion intégrée des forêts

Les forêts occidentales sont aujourd’hui de plus en plus prisées pour la pratique d’activités récréatives en milieu naturel. Dès lors, la mise en place d’une gestion intégrée des forêts est plus que jamais indispensable au maintien des conditions nécessaires à la pratique de l’ensemble des activités sur le territoire. Le Québec s’est doté d’une nouvelle législation pour répondre aux nombreux enjeux qui touchent le milieu forestier, notamment en ce qui a trait à l’harmonisation entre les activités récréatives et la production ligneuse. Dans le cadre de cette recherche, nous nous sommes intéressés au concept d’expérience du visiteur comme moyen de faciliter cette harmonisation. Il s’agissait à la fois de caractériser l’expérience de visite des utilisateurs d’un parc régional et de se questionner sur son opérationnalisation dans l’aménagement forestier. Deux méthodes qualitatives complémentaires ont été utilisées : d’une part, l’analyse de récits inscrits dans des livres d’or placés dans différents hébergements et d’autre part, des entrevues ont été conduites auprès de visiteurs rencontrés sur le site. Les résultats révèlent la pertinence de considérer l’expérience du visiteur pour favoriser une utilisation plurielle et harmonieuse du territoire forestier. Son étude permet une compréhension fine des composantes communes et spécifiques des expériences, en fonction des visiteurs. Par ailleurs, l’étude témoigne de la possibilité de mettre en relation des typologies d’expériences recherchées et les modalités d’harmonisation. Enfin, au-delà de l’expérience, le suivi de la perception de la foresterie et des représentations peut également s’avérer pertinent pour les gestionnaires.

Studies On Some Boring And Fouling Crustaceans

The present work comprises studies on the salinity tolerance and respiratory metabolism of a mood-boring sphaeromid, Sphaeroma annandalei, Stabbing and two free living,foulers of the family Cirolanidae, Cirolana fluviatilis Stabbing and C. uilleyi Stabbing. Except for the systematic accounts and general observations by Pillai (1961) and the preliminary studies on the salinity tolerance and respiration of C. fluviatilis by Nagabhushanam and Gopalakrishnamurthy (1965, 1965a) very little is known about these isopods From Indian waters. Studies by John (1968) on the habits, structure, and development of Sphaeroma terebrans and by Cheriyan (1973) on the eoéphysiology of the same are the recent major contributions on this interesting group of animals. 5. annandalei is closely related to S. terebrans and has been reported to occur on timber along with the latter (Pillai, 1951). s. gggandalei is a serious pest attacking wood along the Kerala coast, but detailed works on this species have not been undertaken so Far

Studies on sphaeroma terebrans bate of the port of Cochi

Sphaeroma terebrans Bate, one of the most destructive wood-boring isopod crustacean occurring in the Cochin harbour region was taken up for investigations on its habitat, breeding, attack on timber, salinity tolerance and respiration. The respiration of the animal under different stresses was noted using an instrument fabricated in the laboratory. Of the various hydrographic conditions of the Cochin harbour region studied, salinity is found to be the most fluctuating factor and the variations are largely influenced by the seasonal rain fall from one side and the tidal currents on the other.In spite of the great fluctuations in salinity, Sphaeroma terebrans occurs throughout the year in the Cochin harbour region, though their number varies in different months. Exposure tests show that Sphaeroma terebrans can remain for about 20 to 24 hours outside water in a damp atmosphere.

Vegetation changes in a river oasis on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert in China between 1956 and 2000

The indigenous vegetation surrounding the river oases on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert has drastically diminished due to overexploitation as a source of fodder, timber and fuel for the human population. The change in the spatial extent of landscape forms and vegetation types around the Qira oasis was analyzed by comparing SPOT satellite images from 1998 with aerial photographs from 1956. The analysis was supplemented by field surveys in 1999 and 2000. The study is part of a joint Chinese-European project with the aim of assessing the current state of the foreland vegetation, of gathering information on the regeneration potential and of suggesting procedures for a sustainable management. With 33 mm of annual precipitation, plants can only grow if they have access to groundwater, lakes or rivers. Most of the available water comes into the desert via rivers in the form of seasonal flooding events resulting from snow melt in the Kun Lun Mountains. This water is captured in canal systems and used for irrigation of arable fields. Among the eight herbaceous and woody vegetation types and the type of open sand without any plant life that were mapped in 2000 in the oasis foreland, only the latter, the oasis border between cultivated land and open Populus euphratica forests and Tamarix ramosissima-Phragmites australis riverbed vegetation could be clearly identified on the photographs from 1956. The comparison of the images revealed that the oasis increased in area between 1956 and 2000. Shifting sand was successfully combated near to the oasis borders but increased in extent at the outward border of the foreland vegetation. In contrast to expectations, the area covered with Populus trees was smaller in 1956 than today due to some new forests in the north of the oasis that have grown up since 1977. Subfossil wood and leaf remnants of Populus euphratica that were found in many places in the foreland must have originated from forests destroyed before 1956. In the last 50 years, the main Qira River has shifted its bed significantly northward and developed a new furcation with a large new bed in 1986. The natural river dynamics are not only an important factor in forming the oasis’ landscape but also in providing the only possible regeneration sites for all occurring plant species. The conclusion of the study is that the oasis landscape has changed considerably in the last 50 years due to natural floodings and to vegetation degradation by human overexploitation. The trend towards decreasing width of the indigenous vegetation belt resulting from the advancing desert and the expansion of arable land is particularly alarming because a decrease in its protective function against shifting sand can be expected in the future.

A Modeling Analysis of Changing Global Land Use as affected by Changing Demands for Wood Products

The 21st century has brought new challenges for forest management at a time when globalization in world trade is increasing and global climate change is becoming increasingly apparent. In addition to various goods and services like food, feed, timber or biofuels being provided to humans, forest ecosystems are a large store of terrestrial carbon and account for a major part of the carbon exchange between the atmosphere and the land surface. Depending on the stage of the ecosystems and/or management regimes, forests can be either sinks, or sources of carbon. At the global scale, rapid economic development and a growing world population have raised much concern over the use of natural resources, especially forest resources. The challenging question is how can the global demands for forest commodities be satisfied in an increasingly globalised economy, and where could they potentially be produced? For this purpose, wood demand estimates need to be integrated in a framework, which is able to adequately handle the competition for land between major land-use options such as residential land or agricultural land. This thesis is organised in accordance with the requirements to integrate the simulation of forest changes based on wood extraction in an existing framework for global land-use modelling called LandSHIFT. Accordingly, the following neuralgic points for research have been identified: (1) a review of existing global-scale economic forest sector models (2) simulation of global wood production under selected scenarios (3) simulation of global vegetation carbon yields and (4) the implementation of a land-use allocation procedure to simulate the impact of wood extraction on forest land-cover. Modelling the spatial dynamics of forests on the global scale requires two important inputs: (1) simulated long-term wood demand data to determine future roundwood harvests in each country and (2) the changes in the spatial distribution of woody biomass stocks to determine how much of the resource is available to satisfy the simulated wood demands. First, three global timber market models are reviewed and compared in order to select a suitable economic model to generate wood demand scenario data for the forest sector in LandSHIFT. The comparison indicates that the ‘Global Forest Products Model’ (GFPM) is most suitable for obtaining projections on future roundwood harvests for further study with the LandSHIFT forest sector. Accordingly, the GFPM is adapted and applied to simulate wood demands for the global forestry sector conditional on selected scenarios from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Global Environmental Outlook until 2050. Secondly, the Lund-Potsdam-Jena (LPJ) dynamic global vegetation model is utilized to simulate the change in potential vegetation carbon stocks for the forested locations in LandSHIFT. The LPJ data is used in collaboration with spatially explicit forest inventory data on aboveground biomass to allocate the demands for raw forest products and identify locations of deforestation. Using the previous results as an input, a methodology to simulate the spatial dynamics of forests based on wood extraction is developed within the LandSHIFT framework. The land-use allocation procedure specified in the module translates the country level demands for forest products into woody biomass requirements for forest areas, and allocates these on a five arc minute grid. In a first version, the model assumes only actual conditions through the entire study period and does not explicitly address forest age structure. Although the module is in a very preliminary stage of development, it already captures the effects of important drivers of land-use change like cropland and urban expansion. As a first plausibility test, the module performance is tested under three forest management scenarios. The module succeeds in responding to changing inputs in an expected and consistent manner. The entire methodology is applied in an exemplary scenario analysis for India. A couple of future research priorities need to be addressed, particularly the incorporation of plantation establishments; issue of age structure dynamics; as well as the implementation of a new technology change factor in the GFPM which can allow the specification of substituting raw wood products (especially fuelwood) by other non-wood products.

Wild food trees in Eastern Nuba Mountains, Sudan: Use diversity and threatening factors

This study was conducted in 2010 in Eastern Nuba Mountains, Sudan to investigate ethnobotanical food and non-food uses of 16 wild edible fruit producing trees. Quantitative and qualitative information was collected from 105 individuals distributed in 7 villages using a semi-structured questionnaire. Also gathering of data was done using a number of rapid rural appraisal techniques, including key informant interviews, group discussion, secondary data sources and direct observations. Data was analysed using fidelity level and informant consensus factor methods to reveal the cultural importance of species and use category. Utilizations for timber products were found of most community importance than food usages, especially during cultivated food abundance. Balanites aegyptiaca, Ziziphus spina-christi and Tamarindus indica fruits were asserted as most preferable over the others and of high marketability in most of the study sites. Harvesting for timber-based utilizations in addition to agricultural expansion and overgrazing were the principal threats to wild edible food producing trees in the area. The on and off prevailing armed conflict in the area make it crucial to conserve wild food trees which usually play a more significant role in securing food supply during emergency times, especially in times of famine and wars. Increasing the awareness of population on importance of wild food trees and securing alternative income sources, other than wood products, is necessary in any rural development programme aiming at securing food and sustaining its resources in the area.

Estudio de factibilidad para exportar madera aserrada a la Región de Guangdong, República Popular China

China es un país aliado con la economía de Colombia debido a su alta importación de productos como café y madera. En los últimos años la exportación de madera desde Colombia hacia China ha presentado un crecimiento sin procedentes, debido a que los empresarios prefieren proveedores que ofrezcan productos con alguna transformación. Se ha elegido Guangdong, como una de las principales ciudades de China para la exportación de madera por el gran crecimiento de mercado que ha reflejado en los últimos años en la utilización de este producto para la diversidad de fines privados y comerciales. Este trabajo muestra el análisis que se ha realizado para la exportación de madera aserrada a dicho mercado meta, al igual que la presentación del producto, su proceso de elaboración y sus ventajas para ser una gran oferta de calidad en China. De igual manera se profundiza en el proceso de exportación que se planea realizar, el cual incluye los procesos de logística y distribución, las normas, la documentación necesaria y las reglas que se deben cumplir tanto en Colombia como en China. Los aspectos financieros también son incluidos como parte del proyecto con el fin de tener en cuenta el presupuesto necesario para incurrir con este tipo de negociación

Evaluación de un modelo de abastecimiento para el comercio internacional de carga masiva en Colombia sobre el sector maderero

Teniendo en cuenta el vertiginoso crecimiento que se ha presentado durante el periodo 2003- 2011 en las importaciones del sector maderero en el país, con el presente trabajo se buscara realizar una pertinente evaluación del sistema de distribución actual que tiene el sector, y a partir de dicho análisis proponer soluciones viables para lograr un aumento de la competitividad y productividad del sector. Este trabajo pretende analizar dos escenarios de distribución diferentes: despacho directo en contenedor puerto-centro de distribución, desconsolidar carga en puerto para su posterior distribución, con el objetivo de presentar al sector el modelo que se adapte a sus necesidades teniendo en cuenta diferentes factores como: a. Costos b. Ventajas y Desventajas c. Tiempos d. Distancias

Caracterización del ausentismo laboral de una IPS que presta servicios de consulta externa de medicina general, 2014

RESUMEN El ausentismo laboral genera un gran impacto económico en las empresas y a la sociedad en general. Es un problema difícil de manejar ya que es multifactorial, porque a pesar de que en su gran mayoría es generado por enfermedad general, al analizarlo se puede encontrar otros factores que conlleven a la ausencia del trabajador y con ello producir alteración al normal funcionamiento de la empresa, por lo que resulta indispensable estudiar este tema. Objetivo Caracterizar las principales causas de ausentismo laboral en los médicos generales de una IPS que presta servicios de consulta externa de medicina general a nivel nacional durante el año 2014. Materiales y Métodos: es un estudio de corte transversal sobre datos secundarios correspondientes al registro de incapacidades que presento la IPS durante el año 2014. Los criterios de inclusión fueron los médicos generales con los que contaba la IPS que presta servicios de salud a nivel nacional durante el año 2014 y los criterios de exclusión fueron las licencias de maternidad y paternidad. El tamaño de la muestra final fue de 202 médicos y el número de incapacidades que se presentó durante el año 2014 fue 313. Se realizó análisis de distribución de frecuencias, porcentaje y prevalencia de las incapacidades. Resultados: durante el año 2014 se presentaron 313 incapacidades, en una población de 202 médicos generales con prevalencia en las mujeres. El diagnóstico más frecuente de las incapacidades fue la categoría diagnostica “otros” en el cual se encuentra migraña, vértigo, alteraciones de la mama con 59 incapacidades, seguida por enfermedades gastrointestinales con 25 incapacidades. Conclusiones y recomendaciones: Las incapacidades fueron más frecuentes en mujeres que en hombres. El diagnóstico de las incapacidades más frecuente fue “enfermedad genérica o ausencia de diagnóstico”. La incapacidad más frecuente de un día que se presentaron 46 registros. El médico que mayor número de incapacidades presento fue de 18 para el año 2014. Se recomienda a la empresa tener un seguimiento de las incapacidades repetitivas, ya que estas podrían tener relación con enfermedad laboral que aún no ha sido calificada. Se recomienda complementar la base de datos con información como el antecedente de enfermedad crónica y el sedentarismo, lo que puede permitir realizar nuevos estudios respecto al riesgo cardiovascular de esta población.

Building wood debris piles benefits avian seed dispersers in burned and logged Mediterranean pine forests

Salvage logging is a common practice carried out in burned forests worldwide, and intended to mitigate the economic losses caused by wildfires. Logging implies an additional disturbance occurring shortly after fire, although its ecological effects can be somewhat mitigated by leaving wood debris on site. The composition of the bird community and its capacity to provide ecosystem services such as seed dispersal of fleshy-fruited plants have been shown to be affected by postfire logging. We assessed the effects of the habitat structure resulting from different postfire management practices on the bird community, in three burned pine forests in Catalonia (western Mediterranean). For this purpose, we focused on the group of species that is responsible for seed dispersal, a process which takes place primarily during the winter in the Mediterranean basin. In addition, we assessed microhabitat selection by seed disperser birds in such environments in relation to management practices. Our results showed a significant, positive relationship between the density of wood debris piles and the abundance of seed disperser birds. Furthermore, such piles were the preferred microhabitat of these species. This reveals an important effect of forest management on seed disperser birds, which is likely to affect the dynamics of bird-dependent seed dispersal. Thus, building wood debris piles can be a useful practice for the conservation of both the species and their ecosystem services, while also being compatible with timber harvesting

Movement of Juvenile Songbirds in Harvested Boreal Forest: Assessing Residency Time and Landscape Connectivity

Little is known about juvenile songbird movement in response to timber harvest, particularly in the boreal forest. If clearcut land cover facilitates movement, the availability of resources may increase. However, if clearcut land cover impedes movement, important post-fledging resources may be rendered inaccessible. Using radio telemetry, we tested the hypothesis that regenerating clearcut land cover would affect the movement of recently independent Yellow-rumped Myrtle Warblers (Dendroica coronata coronata) and Blackpoll Warblers (Dendroica striata) differently than forested land cover owing to intrinsic differences in each land-cover type or in how they are perceived. We found that both species moved extensively before migration. We also found that Blackpoll Warblers were quick to exit local areas composed of clearcut land cover and that both species were quick to exit neighborhoods composed of large proportions of clearcut land cover. However, if individuals encountered clearcut land cover when exiting the neighborhood, movement rate was slowed. Effectively, residency time decreased in clearcut neighborhoods and landscape connectivity was impeded by clearcut land cover. Our results suggest that clearcut land cover may represent low-quality habitat for both species during the post-fledging period. Further research is needed to determine if changes in movement behavior associated with landscape structure affect individual condition and higher-level ecological processes.

Numerical Response of Breeding Birds Following Experimental Selection Harvesting in Northern Hardwood Forests

Silvicultural treatments have been shown to alter the composition of species assemblages in numerous taxa. However, the intensity and persistence of these effects have rarely been documented. We used a before-after, control-impact (BACI) paired design, i.e., five pairs of 25-ha study plots, 1-control and 1-treated plot, to quantify changes in the density of eight forest bird species in response to selection harvesting over six breeding seasons, one year pre- and five years postharvest. Focal species included mature forest associates, i.e., Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) and Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens), forest generalists, i.e., Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) and Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), early-seral specialists, i.e., Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia) and Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica), species associated with shrubby forest gaps, i.e., Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens), and mid-seral species, i.e., American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). As predicted, we found a negative numerical response to the treatment in the Black-throated Green Warbler, no treatment effect in the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a positive treatment effect in early-seral specialists. We only detected a year effect in the Northern Parula and the American Redstart. There was evidence for a positive treatment effect on the Swainson’s Thrush when the regeneration started to reach the pole stage, i.e., fifth year postharvest. These findings suggest that selection harvesting has the potential to maintain diverse avian assemblages while allowing sustainable management of timber supply, but future studies should determine whether mature-forest associates can sustain second- and third-entry selection harvest treatments.

Stand and within-stand factors influencing Golden-winged Warbler use of regenerating stands in the central Appalachian Mountains

The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is currently being considered for protected status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The creation of breeding habitat in the Appalachian Mountains is considered a conservation priority for this songbird, which is dependent on extensively forested landscapes with adequate availability of young forest. We modeled abundance of Golden-winged Warbler males in regenerating harvested forest stands that were 0-17 years postharvest at both mid-Appalachian and northeast Pennsylvania regional scales using stand and within-stand characteristics of 222 regenerating stands, 2010-2011. Variables that were most influential at the mid-Appalachian scale were different than those in the northeast region. Across the mid-Appalachian ecoregion, the proportion of young forest cover, i.e., shrub/scrub cover, within 1 km of regenerating stands best explained abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Golden-winged Warbler response was best explained by a concave quadratic relationship in which abundance was highest with 5-15% land in young forest cover. We also found evidence that the amount of herbaceous cover, i.e., the amount of grasses and forbs, within a regenerating stand positively influenced abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. In northeastern Pennsylvania, where young forest cover is found in high proportions, the distance to the nearest regenerating stand best explained variation in abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Abundance of Golden-winged Warblers was <1 male per survey when another regenerating stand was >1500 m away. When modeling within-stand features in the northeast region, many of the models were closely ranked, indicating that multiple variables likely explained Golden-winged Warbler response to within-stand conditions. Based on our findings, we have proposed several management guidelines for land managers interested in creating breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers using commercial timber operations. For example, we recommend when managing for Golden-winged Warblers in the central Appalachian Mountains that managers should strive for 15% young forest in a heavily forested landscape (>70% forest cover) and cluster stands within 1-2 km of other young forest habitats.

Croft Moraig and the chronology of stone circles

The Perthshire stone circle of Croft Moraig was excavated 40 years ago and is usually taken to illustrate the classic sequence at such monuments in Britain. A timber setting, accompanied by a shallow ditch, was replaced by two successive stone settings. The pottery associated with the earliest construction was dated to the Neolithic period. A new analysis of the excavated material suggests that, in fact, the ceramics are Middle or Late Bronze Age. They provide a terminus post quem for at least one of the stone settings on the site. Further study of the evidence suggests an alternative sequence of construction at Croft Moraig, involving a change in the axis of the monument. It seems possible that other stone and timber circles were equally late in date and that their period of use in Britain and Ireland may have been longer than is generally supposed.