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Books > Professional & Technical > Agriculture & farming > Forestry & silviculture: practice & techniques
This second edition has been completely revised and has incorporated significant changes that have occurred in wood anatomy over the past years. "This book is recommended to all who are interested in a modern, stimulating, competent, and well illustrated work." (Holzforschung).
This volume summarizes the current knowledge on the exchange of trace gases between forests and the atmosphere with the restriction that exclusively carbon and nitrogen compounds are included. For this purpose the volume brings together and interconnects knowledge from different disciplines of biological and atmospheric sciences. It covers microbial and plant processes involved in the production and consumption of these trace gases; the exchange processes between forest soils and vegetation on the one hand, and the atmosphere on the other hand; the fate of the trace gases exchanged inside the atmosphere as well as environmental influences on the exchange of trace gases between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. With this interdisciplinary approach the volume provides the background for an evaluation of the exchange of trace gases between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere and man-made disturbances of this exchange.
Roelof A. A. Oldeman Tropical hardwoods are one of the essential cogs in the complex socio-economic machinery keeping alive an ever-increasing humanity with steadily rising claims upon a finite-resource environment. Their position in this context at first sight seems to be analogous to that of other commodities, such as rubber, metals, mineral oil, tropical fruits and many more. Looking closer, however, tropical hardwoods occupy a special place. Their vast majority, unlike tropical crops, still comes forth from natural forests being exploited by man. This exploitation straight from the natural resource is something they have in common with oil and metals, but the fact that they grow in living systems places them closer to crops. Natural forest ecosystems are not renewable. Timber producing trees, however, can be made into a renewable resource on condition that ways and means are found to cultivate them as a crop. be understood as a socio-economic The tropical hardwood situation can best chain, with the resource base at one end, the consumer community at the other and everything that has to do with the market in the middle. Now, at the resource side, the economics of tropical hardwood extraction barely got out of the primeval ways of wood-gathering by hand and by axe, which were still predominant in the nineteen-forties. There, the offer of natural products was so immense and so near to hand that no care had to be taken of the resource.
There is a strong movement towards uneven-aged forest management based on the idea that such stands increase or at least maintain soil fertility, increase biodiversity, and improve stand resilience. This shift in forest management practice renders existing yield tables increasingly unreliable. Among potential alternatives are tree growth models, because they predict the growth of each tree within a forest stand. This book summarizes three years of work related to the topic, carried out as a joint effort of leading tree growth modellers across Europe together with forest companies. By means of nine specific examples it demonstrates the problem-solving potential of tree growth modeling theory as required by various end-user groups.
Dendrochronologists have long estimated the impact of climate on tree-ring growth by empirical-statistical methods. The use of the model is illustrated with examples from widely differing environments, and possible future directions for model development and application are discussed. As forests are the main carbon sink on land, the results are of great importance for all global change studies.
This book consists of papers presented at a symposium "PLANT-INDUCED SOIL CHANGES: PROCESSES AND FEEDBACKS" that was held during the American Society of Agronomy-Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, November 4-8, 1996. The papers were also pub of Biogeochemistry (Vol. 42, nos. 1 and 2, 1998). The lished in a special issue symposium was built on the growing realisation that plant-induced changes in soil feed back in various ways to natural vegetations, giving rise to a plethora of plant-soil interactions beyond the classical one-way cause-and-effect pathways plant-to-soil and soil-to-plant. The aim of this special issue is not in the first place to present new research findings, but to review and discuss the more holistic aspects of plant-soil interactions, providing more room for speculation than do most collections of research papers. After a general introduction which emphasises ecological and evolutionary aspects of plant-soil interac ions (van Breemen and Finzi), three papers deal with particular effects of plants on soil properties: mineralogy (Kelly et al. ), soil structure (Angers and Caron) and soil fertility (Berendse). Next, five papers take up plant-soil interactions in specific biomes: forests (Binkley and Giardina; Gobran et al. ), grasslands (Burke et al.; Epstein et al. ) and deserts (Schlesinger and Pilmanis). Two papers discuss plant-soil interactions via effects of differences in litter quality in specific ecosystems: California's pygmy forest (Northup et al. ) and the Alaskan Taiga (Schimel et al. )."
Mycorrhiza - the symbiosis between plants and fungi - plays a key role in plant life. This book reviews for the first time the current knowledge of 15 individual genera of ectomycorrhizal fungi. It is unique in that each chapter is dedicated to a single fungal genus, each written by internationally recognized experts on the respective fungal genera. It is thus an invaluable reference source for researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of mycorrhizal biology, mycology, forestry, plant sciences and soil biology.
On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the International Association of Wood Anatomists several symposia were held during the 13th International Botanical Congress in Sydney, August 1981. Extended versions of most of the invited papers presented there, and some additional papers on aspects which could not be included in the congress program constitute the contents of this book, which intentionally received the pretentious title 'New Perspectives in Wood Anatomy'. To some readers it may seem a paradox that under this heading papers on a diversity of partly traditional wood anatomical subjects are assembled, even including two with a historical emphasis. However, a study of the history of wood anatomy and of how students of that discipline joined forces in an inter national association, brings to light many facts and views which deserve the attention of present day and future wood scientists as a potential source of in spiration for their research and organisational work."
This book is a collection of papers presented at the international symposium on forest sector analysis held in Miyazaki, Japan, in 1998. It is structured with three themes: understanding global forest sector issues, discussing the contribution of modeling efforts to forest sector analysis, and discussing the role of Japanese forest policy in a global sense. The most important features are the case studies using various types of forest sector models. From a modeling perspective, changes in modeling efforts include more detail of spatial and multiple market levels, intergenerational welfare concerns, non-market valuation issues, and explicit treatment of the uncertainty inherent in both the policy process and in the biophysical systems. The reader of this book will benefit not only from presentation of forest utilization issues in different nations, but also from the interrelatedness of the theory and application of forest sector modeling.
"The book is very effective in communicating the many aspects, dimensions and interpretations of sustainable forest management (SFM)...It is clearly born out of an ambitious remit to present an overview of SFM across all its dimensions. In this, it is by and large successful... It provides an effective entry into almost any SFM topic." Review in Scottish Forestry by Professor Jaboury Ghazoul, ETH Zurich/University of Edinburgh "Achieving Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests provides an excellent and essential read for those with responsibility for managing the world's tropical forests...The editors, Dr Blaser and Dr Hardcastle, are to be congratulated for editing the chapters into a very consistent read... Each chapter is authored by an expert or experts in the particular geography and/or discipline as social, governance, tenure, biology, rural livelihoods, climate change, products etc." Journal of Forestry - Society of American Foresters Although global rates of deforestation have started to decrease, they remain alarmingly high in many tropical countries. In light of this challenge, the growing importance of sustainable forest management (SFM) has been highlighted as a means for improving sustainability across the sector. Achieving sustainable management of tropical forests summarises and reviews the rich body of research on tropical forests and how this research can be utilised to make sustainable management of tropical forests a standard implementable strategy for the future. The book features expert discussions on the economic, political and environmental contexts needed for SFM to operate successfully, including coverage of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With its distinguished editors and international array of expert authors, Achieving sustainable management of tropical forests will be a standard reference for researchers in tropical forest science, international and national organisations responsible for protection and responsible stewardship of tropical forests, as well as the commercial sector harvesting and using tropical forest products.
Freer Trade, Sustainability, and the Primary Production Sector in the Southern European Union is the first full-scale academic work to cap ture the primary production sector policy aspects of trade liberaliza tion and sustainability with a detailed focus on a typical southern EU country, Greece. Many efforts were pooled together in making this book. In May 1996 the Department of Economics of the University of Crete organ ized an international conference on European Agriculture in the light of the recent WTO agreement and the need for sustainable develop ment. The conference was sponsored by the European Commission (DG XII, contract no ENV4-CT-96-6514), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, contract no L320263049), the Hellenic Ministries for Agriculture and for the Environment, and the University of Crete. While summarizing the conclusions of the conference, sev eral speakers felt that the issues relating to the Southern EU would de serve separate coverage. The conference directors judged that cover age of the issues for a single Southern EU country might have an ad vantage, regarding detail, over a cross country analysis which would certainly be welcome at a later stage. Responding to this call, the University of Crete generously reallo cated all of its infra-structural costs covered by DG XII, ESRC, and the other sponsors above, in the form of a new grant to host a follow-up conference aiming to explore the issues for Greece."
During the 4th International Consultation on Forest Genetics and Tree Building, held in 1998 in Beijing, China, leading scientists were invited to review past achievements, to redefine the role of forest genetics and breeding in contemporary forestry, and to set priorities for future research and development. On the basis of the invited presentations, the volume summarizes the state of knowledge in various fields, such as the impact of forest management and of changing environmental conditions on genetic resources, and the value of genetic markers as indicators for adaptational potential, as well as the tasks of conservation. Detailed reports from the different continents provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the global situation of forest genetics and tree breeding research. The book offers not only an overview of contemporary trends and expected future developments, but also identifies current main problems in funding and cooperation. It may prove therefore useful not only for scientists, university lecturers and advanced students in the field of forestry, ecology and conservation biology, but also for decision makers and managers in companies and conservation organizations.
This handbook was designed as a reference tool for forest geneticists, tree breeders and other tree improvement personnel, as well as a textbook for university courses and short-courses at the graduate level in quantitative genetics. The chapters focus on the decision points faced by quantitative geneticists and breeders in designing programs and analyzing data. Beginning with a justification for the use of quantitative genetics in decision making in tree improvement programs, the book continues with a brief presentation of fundamental principles, followed by discussions and evaluations of mating designs and field test designs, the use of best linear predictors to estimate breeding values, the use of computer programs in the analysis of variance for genetic information, the deployment of genetically improved stock for capturing gains, the use of economic models for program justification, and the development of seed transfer guidelines.
Long-range models that include product and resource detail are essential to meaningful analysis of both industry and resource sustainability. Taking this as its central argument, this book provides essential reading to anyone interested in projecting the future of either the forest products market and/or the forest resource conditions. It is aimed at policy makers, model builders, researchers and graduate students who are building or using forest sector models, as well as at forest industry managers and analysts. While focusing on a specific modeling system the US Timber Assessment models the authors highlight the general elements that might comprise a forest-sector market model of any country or region. Approaches to policy analysis are also general and equally applicable to both national and multi-national forest policy development outside the US particularly in relation to on-going efforts to formulate national programs of sustainable forestry. The text provides literature surveys on relevant modeling issues and policy concerns, and demonstrates the application of the modeling system using a base case 50 year projection and a small set of scenarios to illustrate, for example, the effects of changes in public harvest policies, global change, variations in investments in silviculture, and globalization. Darius Adams and Richard Haynes are widely recognized as leading experts in the forest sector modeling field."
Forest Analytics with R combines practical, down-to-earth forestry data analysis and solutions to real forest management challenges with state-of-the-art statistical and data-handling functionality. The authors adopt a problem-driven approach, in which statistical and mathematical tools are introduced in the context of the forestry problem that they can help to resolve. All the tools are introduced in the context of real forestry datasets, which provide compelling examples of practical applications. The modeling challenges covered within the book include imputation and interpolation for spatial data, fitting probability density functions to tree measurement data using maximum likelihood, fitting allometric functions using both linear and non-linear least-squares regression, and fitting growth models using both linear and non-linear mixed-effects modeling. The coverage also includes deploying and using forest growth models written in compiled languages, analysis of natural resources and forestry inventory data, and forest estate planning and optimization using linear programming. The book would be ideal for a one-semester class in forest biometrics or applied statistics for natural resources management. The text assumes no programming background, some introductory statistics, and very basic applied mathematics.
Micropropagation of plants is a multi billion dollar industry being practiced in hundreds of sm all and large nurseries and commerciallabo- ratories throughout the world. At present, it is the only component of plant biotechnology which has been commercially exploited on such a large scale, especially for the production of ornamentals. Now micropropagation of trees and medicinal plants has also assumed great importance. With recent progress made in the propagation of fruit and forest trees, and the immediate need for afforestation and planting of orchards, propagules and plantlets are required quickly and in large numbers. Taking these points into consideration High-Tech and Micropropagation I, II, III, and IV were published in 1991 and 1992. The present two volumes, High-Tech and Micropropagation V and VI, comprise 51 chapters contributed by international experts from 24 countries. High-Tech and Micropropagation V comprises 24 chapters arranged into the following three seetions: 1. Vegetables and fruits (garlic, Amaranthus, Brassica oleracea, pep- per, watermelon, cassava, banana, Myrtus communis, passionfruit, Polymnia sonchifolia, pepino, and spinaeh) H. Grasses (bamboos, Caustis dioica, Dendrocalamus, Miscanthus x giganteus, sugarcane) In. Trees (Aegle marmelos, Eucalyptus, Fraxinus excelsior, luglans cinerea, Pinus virginiana, Prosopis, and Vlmus species) High-Tech and Micropropagation VI comprises 27 chapters arranged in two sections: 1. Ornamental and aromatic plants (Amaryllis, Anthurium, Blandfordia, bromeliads, Campanula, Coleus, Ctenanthe, Cyclamen, Daphne, Dracaena, Gerbera, Helianthemum, Hippeastrum, Leucojum, Mammillaria, Maranta, Mediocactus, Mussaenda, Narcissus, Otacanthus, ponytail palm, Prunus tenella, Spiranthes, and Zinnia) II.
The germ plasm of numerous plant species, especially those of forest trees, some agricultural crops, and medicinal plants, is endangered and threatened with extinction. This depletion of germplasm pools and the shrinkage of naturally occurring genetic resources have caused international concern. Conventionally, the germplasm of plants is conserved through seeds, tubers, roots, corms, rhizomes, bulbs, cuttings, etc. However, the germ plasm of a number of trees and plantation crops (such as coconut, cocao, coffee, oil palm, rubber, mango, horse chestnut, etc. ) cannot be preserved since their seed are short-lived (recalcitrant). Likewise, germplasm of vegetatively propagated crops (such as potato and cassava) cannot be stored on a long term basis and has to be grown and multiplied periodically in nurseries and fields. The plants are thus exposed to unpredictable weather conditions and diseases, with the result that instances are known where entire genetic stocks are lost. Therefore, unconventional methods are being developed for the storage and international exchange of germplasm. For this purpose in vitro cultures have been employed, but they can only enable short-to medium term preservation; moreover, cell cultures upon repeated subculture undergo genetic erosion. In view of the recent developments in the in vitro induction of genetic variability through somaclonal variation, somatic hybridization, recombinant DNA technology, etc., new methods need to be employed for the storage of desirable cultures. In this regard freeze preservation of cells in liquid nitrogen (-196 0q, like that of semen, enables long-term storage, theoretically, for an indefinite period of time."
The primary aim of Wood Structure and Environment is to reveal the hidden ecological richness in stems and roots from trees, shrubs and herbs. The detailed, lucid text will inspire researchers to consider the anatomic microcosm of wood plants and use it as a retrospective source of information, solving problems related to ecophysiology, competition, site conditions, population biology, earth science, wood quality and even human history.
Homegardens are integrated tree crop animal production systems, often in small parcels of land surrounding homesteads, and primarily found in tropical environments. These agroforestry systems, developed and nurtured by farmers through generations of innovation and experiment, are often cited as the epitome of sustainability, yet have been long neglected by the scientific community. Today, however, these age-old systems are receiving increasing attention owing to their perceived potential to mitigate environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity and rising levels of atmospheric CO2, while providing significant economic gains, as well as food and nutritional security to their owners. This multi-authored volume contains peer-reviewed chapters from the world s leading researchers and professionals in this topic. It summarizes the current state of knowledge on homegarden systems, with a view to using this knowledge as a basis for improving both homegardens and other similar multistrata agroforestry systems. The book is unique in its exclusive and global coverage of the subject, and constitutes a valuable reference material for students and researchers in the field of agroforestry. "
This innovative book integrates practical information from restoration projects around the world with the latest developments in successional theory. It recognizes the critical roles of disturbance ecology, landscape ecology, ecological assembly, invasion biology, ecosystem health, and historical ecology in habitat restoration. It argues that restoration within a successional context will best utilize the lessons from each of these disciplines.
This book consolidates the descriptive results of a pantropical project called Agroforestry Systems Inventory (AFSI), undertaken by the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) from 1982 to 1987. Since agroforestry was a relatively new term when the project was initiated, the main objective was to increase the understanding of and provide a state-of the-art information base on existing agroforestry systems. Therefore, the project was designed to systematically collect, collate, synthesize, and dissem inate information on existing agroforestry systems in developing countries. One of the major results of the project, descriptions of existing agroforestry systems, was published as a series of articles in Agroforestry Systems. These system descriptions form the bulk of this book. Other products of the project include a microcomputer database on agroforestry systems, practices and components, and voluminous unpublished reports and records. Perhaps the title of the book is misleading in that the book does not include or cover all existing agroforestry systems in the tropics and geographical regions in the tropics. Additionally, some of the systems described are outside the tropical boul;ldaries of 23. 5" Nand S latitudes. For the purpose of this book, the word tropics is used in a general sense to also include subtropical developing countries that have agro-ecological and socio-economic character istics and land-use problems similar to those of the countries within the geographical limits of the tropical belt."
It is highly probable that the ability to distinguish between living and nonliving objects was already well developed in early prehuman animals. Cognizance of the difference between these two classes of objects, long a part of human knowledge, led naturally to the division of science into two categories: physics and chemistry on the one hand and biology on the other. So deep was this belief in the separateness of physics and biology that, as late as the early nineteenth century, many biologists still believed in vitalism, according to which living phenomena fall outside the confines of the laws of physics. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that Carl Ludwig, Hermann von Helmholz, Emil DuBois-Reymond, and Ernst von Briicke inaugurated a physicochem ical approach to physiology in which it was recognized clearly that one set of laws must govern the properties and behavior of all matter, living and nonliving . . The task of a biologist is like trying to solve a gigantic multidimensional crossword fill in the right physical concepts at the right places. The biologist depends on puzzle: to the maturation of the science of physics much as the crossword solver depends on a large and correct vocabulary. The solver of crossword puzzles needs not just a good vocabulary but a special vocabulary. Words like inee and oke are vitally useful to him but are not part of the vocabulary of an English professor."
This study uses an innovative approach towards integrating biophysical and socioeconomical components into environmentally sound, sustainable forest management practices in dryland regions. The text covers technical considerations in dryland forestry, agroforestry systems, rehabilitation of saline regions, investment and employment opportunities, and forestry extension programmes. Issues such as conservation, watershed management, grazing practice, livestock production, small-scale agricultural crop production and wildlife are discussed. The recreation and tourism industry is also addressed.
Plant-animal interactions have become a focus of ecological research, with the processes of herbivory being of special interest. This volume examines the interactions of leaf-cutting ants with the rainforest vegetation on Barro Colorado Islands in Central America. It is the synthesis of field research on multiple scales extending over a period of several years. This work can serve as a model study summarizing and extending knowledge about herbivorous insect-plant relationships, and the resulting consequences on structural and functional features of tropical ecosystems. The text is an invaluable reference for researchers and land managers working in the fields of plant-animal interactions, herbivory, community ecology and biodiversity.
In the eyes of many people, the practices of forestry and farming are mutually exclusive, because in the modern world, agriculture involves open fields, straight rows, and machinery to grow crops, while forests are primarily reserved for timber and firewood harvesting. Farming the Woods invites a remarkably different perspective: that a healthy forest can be maintained while growing a wide range of food, medicinal, and other non-timber products. While this concept of forest farming may seem like an obscure practice, history indicates that much of humanity lived and sustained itself from tree-based systems in the past; only recently have people traded the forest for the field. The good news is that this is not an either-or scenario; forest farms can be most productive in places where the plow is not: on steep slopes, and in shallow soils. It is an invaluable practice to integrate into any farm or homestead, especially as the need for unique value-added products and supplemental income becomes more and more important for farmers.Many already know that daily indulgences we take for granted such as coffee, chocolate, and many tropical fruits, all originate in forest ecosystems. But few know that such abundance is also available in the cool temperate forests of North America. Farming the Woods is the first in-depth guide for farmers and gardeners who have access to an established woodland and are looking for productive ways to manage it. Authors Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel describe this process as "productive conservation," guided by the processes and relationships found in natural forest ecosystems.Farming the Woods covers in detail how to cultivate, harvest, and market high-value non-timber forest crops such as American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, ramps (wild leeks), maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamental ferns, and more. Comprehensive information is also offered on historical perspectives of forest farming; mimicking the forest in a changing climate; cultivation of medicinal crops; creating a forest nursery; harvesting and utilizing wood products; the role of animals in the forest farm; and how to design and manage your forest farm once it's set up. This book is a must-read for farmers and gardeners interested in incorporating aspects of agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening, and sustainable woodlot management into the concept of a whole-farm organism." |
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