• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-294
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• 2017

Tropical forests constitute almost half of the global forest cover, account for 35% of the global net primary productivity and thereby have potential to contribute substantially to sequester atmospheric $CO_2$ and offset climate change impact. However, deforestation and degradation lead by unsustainable management of tropical forests contribute to the unprecedented species losses and limit ecosystem services including carbon sequestration. Sustainable forest management (SFM) in the tropics may tackle and rectify such deleterious impacts of anthropogenic disturbances and climatic changes. However, the existing dilemma on the definition of SFM and lack of understanding of how tropical forest sustainability can be achieved lead to increasing debate on whether climate change mitigation initiatives would be successful. We reviewed the available literature with a view to clarify the concept of sustainability and provide with a framework towards the sustainability of tropical forests for enhanced carbon stock and climate change mitigation. We argue that along with securing forest tenure and thereby reducing deforestation, application of reduced impact logging (RIL) and appropriate silvicultural system can enhance tropical forest carbon stock and help mitigate climate change.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.298-310
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• 2020

Fuel management can play enormous role in fire management in tropical dry forests. However, unlike the temperate forests, knowledge on implications of different fuel management methods in tropical forests is often inadequate. In this study, the implications of prescribed burning and hand thinning treatments on implementation cost, fuel loading and post-treatment fire behaviour were tested and compared in degraded forests and teak plantations in two forest reserves of different levels of dryness in Ghana. The study found that prescribed burning was less expensive (62.02 US Dollars ha-1) than hand thinning (95.37 US Dollars ha-1). The study also indicated that the two fuel management methods were able to reduce fuel loading in degraded forests and teak plantations. However, prescribed burning was more effective in reducing fuel loading than hand thinning. While the relative change of fuel reduction was 13% higher in prescribed burning than the hand thinning in degraded forest, it was 41% higher in prescribed burning than hand thinning in teak plantations. The fire behaviour of post-treatment experimental fire was also lower in prescribed burning than the hand thinning and control plots. Fuel management, therefore, has a great potential in fire management in degraded forests and teak plantations in Ghana.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.98-100
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• 2007

Tropical forests have variety of biodiversity values, which provide invaluable services to the living being on earth. In the recent years, tropical forests are regarded as valuable global resources that act as sink for carbon dioxide in order to mitigate global climatic change. In many parts of the world, tropical forests are being rapidly cleared by various means. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is concentrated in the upper 12 inches of the soil. So it is readily depleted owing to the degradation activities. In the present study, it was aimed to assess the magnitude of disturbance in the availability of SOC in a semi- evergreen forest, situated in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The forest density of this region was mapped with QuickBird satellite data. Intensive field soil sampling and floristic study were conducted to estimate the SOC status in different density classes and to identify the species availability. The SOC density ranged from 274.06 t/ha to 147.84 t/ha in the very dense and degraded semi-evergreen forest respectively. The SOC content was also varied from 3.70 to 1.83 % in the very dense semi-evergreen and medium semi-evergreen forests respectively. The species composition in different density classes was also varied considerably. As a result of this study, it was identified that the disturbance to forests by various means not only affect the density of forests but also affect the below ground SOC status proportionately.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.454-459
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• 2002

We have developed a new method to visualize river networks in tropical rain forests from JERS-1 SAR images. This method compresses river information in an original SAR image to a small image displaying wide rivers as dark objects in real size and narrower rivers as bright objects showing brightness level as an indicator of the discharge. We applied this method to 476 images of Amazon forests, 13 observations for path 415 data and 11 observations for path 416 data between 1993 and 1997. We confirmed that a change observed in a preliminary experiment was certainly a part of seasonal changes. The changes roughly correspond to the monthly precipitation changes. Through a simple digital analysis although qualitative, we also detected subtle but consistent regional differences among minor tributaries that belong to a major tributary basin.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2022

Wood from tropical plantation forests has lower physical and mechanical properties than mature wood. Furfuryl alcohol (FA) impregnation into the wood could help to enhance hydrophobic properties, dimensional stability, and structural strength. Furfurylation was applied to specimens of the following four fast-growing tropical wood species: jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba), sengon (Falcataria moluccana), mangium (Acacia mangium), and pine (Pinus merkusii). The discoloration and physical and mechanical properties were subsequently measured, and the results showed that furfurylated wood had a darker color and better physical and mechanical properties than untreated wood. Specifically, the furfurylated wood had higher density, modulus of elasticity, and hardness and lower moisture content, water absorption, swelling, and shrinkage. The furfurylation significantly enhanced physical and mechanical properties.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.20-20
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2015

Tropical forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change, and therefore, an accurate and precise estimation of tropical forest carbon (C) is needed. However, there are many uncertainties associated with C stock estimation in a tropical forest, mainly due to its large variations in biomass. Hence, we quantified C stocks in an intact lowland mixed dipterocarp forest (MDF) in Brunei, and investigated variations in biomass and topography. Tree, deadwood, and soil C stocks were estimated by using the allometric equation method, the line intersect method, and the sampling method, respectively. Understory vegetation and litter were also sampled. We then analyzed spatial variations in tree and deadwood biomass in relation to topography. The total C stock was 321.4 Mg C $ha^{-1}$, and living biomass, dead organic matter, and soil C stocks accounted for 67%, 11%, and 23%, respectively, of the total. The results reveal that there was a relatively high C stock, even compared to other tropical forests, and that there was no significant relationship between biomass and topography. Our results provide useful reference data and a greater understanding of biomass variations in lowland MDFs, which could be used for greenhouse gas emission-reduction projects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.97 no.5
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• pp.540-546
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• 2008

Enrichment planting has been used as one of the promising restoration techniques to accelerate the natural restoration process of secondary forests or logged-over forests in Myanmar, The objectives of this study were to examine the growth performances of two commercial species such as Teak (Tectona grandis Linn f.) and Padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz) in response to different canopy opening treatments and to examine the suitability of these species in enrichment planting activities for the restoration of degraded tropical forests in Myanmar. In this study, split plot design was applied, and three levels of canopy openings were experimented. The survival rate and height growth of two species were measured four times with 6 month interval. The root collar diameter (RCD) was also measured in the last assessment. Although the survival rate of seedlings was not significantly different among the three treatments (p>0.05) as well as between two species (p>0.05) for all consecutive measurements, height (p<0.05) and RCD were significantly different (p<0.001) among the treatments, T. grandis seedlings thrived best under complete canopy opening (i.e., 5 m width canopy opening with strip-clear cutting) while P. macrocarpus seedlings under partial canopy opening (without felling of marketable tree species). Because this study is concerned with only for young stage of seedlings, continuous assessment and follow-up tending activities are needed to verify the species suitability and optimum width of canopy opening for enrichment planting activities in restoration of degraded forests of Myanmar.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2013

Differences in rates and patterns of nitrogen cycling have been correlated with nitrogen stable isotope measurements in forest ecosystems of tropical and temperate regions, but limited similar work has been conducted in sub-tropical forests. This study investigated patterns in stable N isotopic composition in a subtropical forest in Taiwan by sampling three soil profiles and overstory and understory foliage. Soil ${\delta}^{15}N$ in the forest floor ranged from -1.8 to -1.8‰. Mineral soils had higher ${\delta}^{15}N$ (4.1 to 6.0‰). Foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ in overstory trees ranged from -6.6 to -2.0‰, and understory foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ ranged from -5.0 to -1.2‰. There was a weak correlation between foliar % N and ${\delta}^{15}N$ ($r^2=0.214$). Compared to results from similar surveys in tropical and temperate forests, foliar ${\delta}^{15}N$ values were generally lower. These results help highlight the need for improved knowledge regarding the relationships between patterns in N stable isotopes and processes affecting rates of N cycling, especially as related to wider scale patterns in forest ecosystems within the east-Asia region.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.189-200
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• 2014

The tropical wet evergreen, tropical semi evergreen and moist deciduous forest types are projected to be impacted by climate change. In the Western Ghats region, a biodiversity hotspot, evergreen forests including semi evergreen account for 30% of the forest area and according to climate change impact model projections, nearly a third of these forest types are likely to undergo vegetation type change. Similarly, tropical moist deciduous forests which account for about 28% of the forest area are likely to experience change in about 20% of the area. Thus climate change could adversely impact forest biodiversity and product flow to the forest dependent households and communities in Uttara Kannada district of the Western Ghats. This study analyses the distribution of non-timber forest product yielding tree species through a network of twelve 1-ha permanent plots established in the district. Further, the extent of dependence of communities on forests is ascertained through questionnaire surveys. On an average 21% and 28% of the tree species in evergreen and deciduous forest types, respectively are, non-timber forest product yielding tree species, indicating potential high levels of supply of products to communities. Community dependence on non-timber forest products is significant, and it contributes to Rs. 1199 and Rs. 3561/household in the evergreen and deciduous zones, respectively. Given that the bulk of the forest grids in Uttara Kannada district are projected to undergo change, bulk of the species which provide multiple forest products are projected to experience die back and even mortality. Incorporation of climate change projections and impacts in forest planning and management is necessary to enable forest ecosystems to enhance resilience.