This paper assess the effectiveness of forest regulations applied between 1900 and 1990 in Ghana's permanent forest reserves at ensuring a future crop of marketable trees by relating forest regulation to historical data on timber exploitation and forest inventory data. During the study period, the commercial species list steadily increased from 3 to 66 species, felling diameter limits and cutting cycles changed several times. Average densities of commercial stems in residual forests in 1989 followed a negative exponential curve, but with lower than expected recruitment into the 40–60 cm dbh class and relatively high densities of smaller sized trees. At the species level, heavily exploited species and light demanding pioneer species deviated from a balanced distribution. Patterns in exploitation, either in number of species or total stems removed, were unrelated to the application of harvesting regulations, milling capacity and political instability may have played a larger role. Results suggest that the harvest regulations, as applied in the past and those in place, are unlikely to sustain timber production.

A combinatorial harvest scheduling model was developed to improve the biodiversity conservation from plantation forests by integrating the connectivity of remnant native forest patches to allow for better movement of wildlife species while considering economic efficiency due to changes in the harvest schedule. The biodiversity goals included in the model are: (1) to create a shifting mosaic of closed-canopy stands that connect the remnant native forest patches, (2) to maximize the amount of interior forest habitat created in the shifting mosaic in each period, and (3) to limit the maximum clear fell area that can be created for any 3-year period. The economic goals are to maximize net present value from timber products while meeting a delivery schedule for the forest products.

The model was demonstrated using 8 arbitrary scenarios on a 1905 ha forested area using a simulated data set. The minimum shifting mosaic areas used in these scenarios were: 650, 850, 1050 and 1250ha. The goal for maximizing interior habitat was expressed as a perimeter goal, which compared the ratio of the perimeter of the shifting mosaic area with the perimeter of a circle with equal area. Two values were used for this analysis; one was twice the perimeter of a circle with equal area while the other set the value to 3.33 times the value of a circle with equivalent area. The highest level of protection from these scenarios, a minimum shifting mosaic area of 1250 ha with either perimeter goal, produces approximately 50% less discounted net revenue than the non spatially constrained solution. The smallest shifting mosaic area, 650 ha, lowered discounted net revenue between 16% for the 3.33 perimeter goal and 27% for the 2.0 perimeter goal. These models are useful for policy makers to begin to develop the cost and benefits from various levels of biodiversity protection.

Unprecedented increase in demand for a wider range of forest goods and services has made the management of forests more challenging. The role of information, on almost all aspects of forestry, is of utmost concern. Millions of dollars are being spent for developing and implementing information systems (IS) in forest sector. Mechanism for the evaluation of IS in business organizations itself has not been standardized and when it comes to evaluating IS in forest sector, the task becomes further complex due to the presence of a variety of stakeholders and conflicting interests. This paper¹, based on field research, attempts to establish criteria and indicators for assessing the effectiveness of an IS in forest sector. Concept of Effectiveness Index of an IS in forest sector has been elaborated upon. The evaluation technique is flexible enough and as the forest organization and stakeholders gain experience with IS, criteria and indicators can be further fine tuned for meeting the objectives.

Some types of measurements about biodiversity that can only be collected with field-based forest sampling may supply information complementary to that acquired remotely. However, field-based forest sampling, especially over large tracts of land, is an expensive and labour intensive exercise. The application of spatial statistics in this context enables the ability to estimate attributes that vary in space at unsampled places from more or less sparse sample data. The importance of defining objectives, understanding the attribute to be modelled, choosing the appropriate interpolation method, assessing the results is discussed and some of the statistical methods available to address each of these issues is presented Tree-species composition of the coastal and tablelands native forest estate managed by State Forests of New South Wales is used a case study, using data from native forest inventory. Examples of how the datasets can be used operationally are also presented and associated uncertainty is discussed.

Enrolments to Higher Education forestry courses have been in decline in the UK over the last decade. This trend has sparked widespread concern about the future of professional forestry education and recruitment of qualified graduates to the forestry sector. It is not clear if this decline is cyclical, or a permanent loss of interest in forestry as a university course and career option. A complex range of factors are responsible for the current situation; some are related to the education system in the UK, some to the forestry sector, and some are socio-economic and cultural. Nonetheless, a similar pattern of decline in recent years has been seen in other natural resource disciplines, most notably agriculture, leading to the closure or merger of several university departments. This paper explores some of the issues that need to be addressed in order that forestry remains a relevant, viable and attractive university course.

This paper presents the results of a systematic sample plot based inventory in two smallholder reforestation projects in North Eastern Vietnam. The projects were implemented from 1995 to 2005 and applied a nature-oriented approach to reforestation with the ultimate goal of restoring near-natural forest ecosystems for sustainable utilisation. At the end of the reforestation activities, data in 1 422 permanent, systematically distributed sample plots of 250m² size have been collected and entered into a database. The results of the inventory show that already in early stages of forest establishment dynamic natural processes occur that are able to transform plantations towards near-natural forest stands in the long run with very promising qualitative and quantitative development. Precondition is that forest establishment is from the outset oriented at the goal of establishing near-natural forest stands and that these processes are deliberately allowed to take place.

In planted stands, these processes lead to a higher number of species and higher densities as originally planted. Planted Pinus massoniana stands quickly develop towards mixed pine/indigenous broadleaf stands. Planted indigenous broadleaf stands merge with natural regeneration towards near-natural mixed broadleaf stands. In stands established by means of natural regeneration, high densities and natural succession processes lead to a very satisfactory quality development and fast growth. The number of target trees in natural regeneration stands is 200/ha on average. Young natural regeneration stands with trees > 10 cm DBH have with 20.1 m³/ha a higher volume than young Pinus massoniana stands with 15.5 m³/ha.

Major changes in the ownership and administration of forests in Romania have taken place since 1991. As well as restitution of properties nationalised in 1948, substantial privatisation of state forests has been undertaken and subsequently major policy and institutional changes are transforming forest ownership. This process of change has added pressure to forest resources which, although now facing new opportunities, also face increased threat to their continuation. This paper identifies the main changes to forest administration and ownership and the accompanying issues. It presents both the constraints which need to be worked around alongside the developmental priorities for the forestry sector in Romania, this highlighting the importance of intensification and diversification in development strategies in order to continue to sustainably manage forest resources irrespective of new ownership structures.