This volume presents the work carried out by eight working groups at a meeting held in Bad Harzburg, Germany, in March 1993, to develop an assessment of the present and likely future carbon fluxes associated with the major components of the Earth's terrestrial biosphere. Major topics considered were: global carbon cycle; boreal forests and tundra; temperate forests; tropical forests; grasslands, savannas and deserts; land and water interface zones; agroecosystems; and biomass management.

Towards the Balance and Management of the Carbon Budget of the Biosphere The current state of misunderstanding of the global C cycle and our failure to resolve an issue that has been debated for 100 years (Jones and Henderson-Sellers, 1990) speaks loudly about the limitations of modem science when faced with the complexity of the biosphere. Efforts to understand and balance the global C budget have gone through several phases. First was a holistic view of the C budget as part of efforts to understand the geochemistry of the Earth (e. g. , Clarke, 1908). Next, came a period of data collection and sythesis which focused on the diversity of sectors of the biosphere. This phase culminated in the early 1970's with the realization that humans were greatly impacting the global C cycle as measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory (Keeling et al. , 1973). New syntheses of the global C budget emerged at this time (Woodwell and Pacan, 1973; Bolin et al. , 1979). The next phase was one of controversy and intense focus on particular sectors of the biosphere. The controversy rested on discrepancies about the role of the terrestrial biota in the global C cycle and the failure to account for sufficient C sinks to absorb all the C emitted by land-use change in the tropics (Woodwell et al. , 1978, 1983; Houghton et al. , 1983).

Develop accurate computer models to determine wildfire risks and controlled-burn benefits Although scientists now recognize that fire is essential to many ecosystems, the ecological and political issues of managing wildfire continue to be vexing. Mapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks offers multiple perspectives on using a Geographic Information System (GIS) for more effective wildfire management. This innovative technology is the ideal tool to organize and display all the information available, so authorities can make informed judgments based on all the facts.Because the authors are not merely theorizing but discussing the GIS they are actually building and using, Mapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks offers practical ideas and perspectives, including: specific information on the modeling approach and kinds of data utilized valuable discussions of the social and environmental factors included in the model techniques for predicting the effects of wildfire on neighborhoods, soil erosion, sedimentation, and air quality predictions of long-term ecosystem recovery given wildfires of different sizes and intensities maps, charts, tables, and formulas to make the process of building a GIS understandable and accessibleMapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks is a compilation of the ideas of federal and state agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations on how to rank and prioritize forested watershed areas that are in need of prescribed fire. This book provides the essential information for deciding how to set priorities for wildfire management that might reduce risks or lower future damages.