Forest Monitoring Articles
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Water-retention potential of Europe`s forests
A European overview to support natural water-retention measures One third of European territory is covered by forests (210 million ha). Approximately 296 million European inhabitants live in — or close to — forests. European forests are also closely connected to much of the hydrological network, and serve large groundwater bodies and many river sources. Forests provide more than 4 ...
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Effects of different management regimes on mangrove ecosystem services in Java, Indonesia
This new report, published by Wageningen University and Wetlands International, seeks to fill a significant gap in mangrove ecosystem service estimates. While several studies have sought to measure and value the ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems in general, this new piece of research has for the first time conducted separate evaluations for zones that are characterised by ...
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Observations and snow model simulations of winter energy balance terms within and between different coniferous forests in southern boreal Finland
Variation of canopy properties between different forest types is seldom taken into account in hydrological and climate models, and consideration of variation inside a forest is normally omitted. In this work, three data sets on near surface energy balance terms (incoming shortwave and longwave radiation; air and snow–soil interface temperatures) were collected in the southern boreal ...
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First attempt to measure rainfall canopy interception loss, throughfall, and stemflow in Juglans regia Linn and Cup. Sempervirens L. Var. fastigiata in the north of Iran
Each individual tree significantly alters the growth of surrounding vegetation by partitioning of rainfall and nutrients to the rooting zone. The Iranian Hyrcanian forests are among one of the most fragile ecosystems of the country owing to large industrial activities for logging and extensive urbanisation. These may accelerate disturbing of this unique type of forest. Of concern currently is an ...
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The effects of Picea schrenkiana forest litter on snow surface albedo
In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of the snow albedo of different underlying surfaces based on measurements of shortwave radiation and observations of forest litter on snow surfaces, both in an open, unforested environment and in areas with differing forest canopy openness. The fractional litter coverage was obtained through the binarization of digital photos of forest litter ...
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Developing a forest naturalness indicator for Europe - Concept and methodology for a high nature value (HNV) forest indicator
Background In Europe, forests cover around 40 % of the land area (190 million ha), making Europe one of the most forest-rich regions in the world. Forests are important habitats for many species of wildlife. Yet, forestry can also have negative impacts on biodiversity as unsustainable forest operations can lead to forest degradation and loss of biodiversity. In more recent times increased land ...
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Why Our Buildings Should Be Made From Wood
If done correctly, using wood for buildings would have a number of environmental benefits without loss of biodiversity or carbon storage capacity. Although it may seem counterintuitive, it would be better if we built buildings from wood than from concrete, brick, aluminium and steel. We use millions of tons of these modern materials every year. They have many valuable properties, but are ...
By Ensia
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FORMA: A Near-Real Time Alert System for Tropical Forest Loss
If you were the administrator of a protected forest, you would ideally have a staff of rangers on patrol, backed up by law enforcement and high-resolution satellite images to keep you up-to-date on the forest’s condition. In this ideal world, illegal activity would quickly be halted. Yet the reality is that many protected areas lack these resources. Updated maps of forest damage can take ...
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9 Maps that explain the World`s Forests
This post is co-authored with Dave Thau, senior developer advocate for Google Earth Engine, Google's satellite image processing platform. By the time we find out about deforestation, it’s usually too late to take action. Scientists have been studying forests for centuries, chronicling the vital importance of these ecosystems for human society. But most of us still lack timely and reliable ...
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Global Forest watch - join the movement
We know remarkably little about what is happening to forests. Businesses currently have no way of determining whether or how much the soy, palm oil, or pulp and paper they use contribute to deforestation. So companies like Unilever and Nestlé, which have committed to halting deforestation in their supply chains, are unable to measure progress toward this important goal. Concerned ...
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Global Forest Watch: dynamic new platform to protect forests worldwide
On Wed. Feb. 19, 2014, the World Resources Institute (WRI), Google, and a group of more than 40 partners launched Global Forest Watch (GFW), a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better manage forests. For the first time, Global Forest Watch unites the latest satellite technology, open data, and crowdsourcing to guarantee access to timely and ...
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Press Advisory: Global Forest Watch to provide unprecedented monitoring of forests worldwide
On February 20, the World Resources Institute (WRI) will launch Global Forest Watch (GFW), a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better manage forests. Created by WRI, Google, and more than 40 partners, GFW unites satellite technology, open data, and crowd sourcing to guarantee access to timely and reliable information about forests. The event, at ...
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Satellite-Based forest clearing detection in the Brazilian Amazon: FORMA, DETER, and PRODES
The advent of near-real-time forest monitoring can dramatically strengthen efforts by governments, businesses, and communities to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s forests. This issue brief introduces a system called FORest Monitoring for Action (FORMA), which provides near-real-time information on new forest clearing in the humid tropical forests of Asia, Africa, and Latin ...
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Warsaw Climate Meeting Makes Progress on Forests, REDD+
For most observers, the outcomes of this year’s climate negotiations in Warsaw, Poland COP 19 were an inadequate response to climate change. But there was one bright spot— negotiators made big advances on a program called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). While much work remains to be done, the progress on REDD+ sets countries up for success when it ...
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Assessing Forest Governance - The Governance of Forests Initiative Indicator Framework
This publication presents a revised version of the Governance of Forests Initiative (GFI) Indicator Framework, a comprehensive menu of indicators that can be used to diagnose strengths and weaknesses in forest governance. It updates the original GFI Indicator Framework based on several years of field-testing of by GFI partners in Brazil, Cameroon, and Indonesia. As a companion to this document, ...
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New mapping technology: Nova Scotia’s powerful ally in protecting valuable forests
The government of Nova Scotia announced an ambitious plan earlier this month to protect 245,000 hectares of forest and park land, establishing the Canadian province as a conservation leader in one of the world’s most heavily forested nations. Roughly 14 percent of all land in Nova Scotia will now be legally protected from development, making it the province with the second-highest ...
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Mangrove coasts: A muddy story
In my previous blog, I have tried to explain the importance of mangrove mud coasts. Of course, these coasts are beautiful, exotic environments, with rare species, such as the mud skipper and numerous crabs, as well as rare birds. For some, their beauty alone would be sufficient reason to protect these ecosystems. For mankind, it is their so-called ecosystem services that should urge their ...
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A generic approach in estimating vegetation density for hydrodynamic roughness parameterization using high density airborne laser scanning data
Vegetation density is among the important parameters required for determination of hydrodynamic roughness over vegetated areas. High density airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data offer several potentials to improve estimation of vegetation density. Available methods in estimating vegetation density based on regression models did not take into account understorey vegetation and were ...
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Evaluating the role of vegetation on the ventilation performance in isolated deep street canyons
Vegetation is generally considered as an essential component for a sustainable city as it helps improve its microclimate environment and reduce greenhouse gases emissions. However, there is some evidence suggesting that adverse effects may be caused by tree–planting in shallow urban street canyons. Accordingly, we intended to investigate whether similar observations are found for different canyon ...
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Calculation and analysis of genuine saving for forests in China
'Genuine Saving' is an indicator which reflects the practical steps towards sustainability. This paper for the first time estimates the Genuine Saving for forests in China. The results show that the Genuine Saving for forests in 1999 was 10290.25 billion Yuan (RMB) and 19402.52 billion Yuan in 2003. This shows that the annual increasing rate was 17.18%, which is higher than the traditional annual ...
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