It has been demonstrated how random subspaces can be used to create a Diversified Random Forest, which in turn can lead to better performance in terms of predictive accuracy. Motivated by the fact that each subsforest is built using a set of features that can overlap with those sets of features in other subforests, we hypothesise that using Replicator Dynamics can perform a collective feature e...

The aim of this paper is to provide a mathematical model for assessing the influence of forest fragmentation on the dynamics of animal biodiversity in a changing landscape. The model is based on a stochastic, spatially explicit population dynamics model which takes both temporal and spatial dynamics of biological processes into account. Unfortunately, this model is not tractable, so we will use...

Forested ecosystems are dynamic, subject to natural developmental processes as well as natural and anthropogenic stresses and disturbances. Degradation is a related term. for lowered productive capacity from changes to forest structure of function (FAO. 2001). Degradation is not synonymous with disturbance, however; disturbance becomes degradation when natural resilience mechanisms are overwhel...

In Europe, interest in wild forest products is increasing. Such products may be interpreted in a biological sense as deriving from autonomously growing forest species or in a biocultural sense as reflecting dynamics in human living with biodiversity through re-wilding of earlier domesticated species. In this article I elaborate the idea that the new interests reflect biocultural dynamics. First...

REDD+ implementation requires robust, consistent, accurate and transparent national land cover historical data and monitoring systems. Satellite imagery is the only data source with enough periodicity to provide consistent land cover information in a cost-effective way. The main aim of this paper is the creation of an operational framework for monitoring land cover dynamics based on Landsat ima...

Research at Pasoh as well as most other sites in the worldwide network of the Centre for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS-SIGEO) is traditionally focused on the diversity and dynamics of vegetation. Large-scale forest plots in which trees are mapped, measured and monitored are the key standardized methodology (Condit 1998). This approach, however, does not completely fulfill the primary goal of th...

Dramatic political and economic changes in Eastern European countries following the dissolution of the “Eastern Bloc” and the collapse of the Soviet Union greatly affected land-cover and land-use trends. In particular, changes in forest cover dynamics may be attributed to the collapse of the planned economy, agricultural land abandonment, economy liberalization, and market conditions. However, ...

Secondary forests cover large areas of the tropics and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. During secondary forest succession, simultaneous changes occur among stand structural attributes, soil properties, and species composition. Most studies classify tree species into categories based on their regeneration requirements. We use a high-resolution secondary forest chronosequence t...

[1] Disturbance processes of various types substantially modify ecosystem carbon dynamics both temporally and spatially, and constitute a fundamental part of larger landscape-level dynamics. Forests typically lose carbon for several years to several decades following severe disturbance, but our understanding of the duration and dynamics of post-disturbance forest carbon fluxes remains limited. ...

Contemporary terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is being used widely in forest ecology applications to examine ecosystem properties at increasing spatial and temporal scales. Harvard Forest (HF) in Petersham, MA, USA, is a long-term ecological research (LTER) site, a National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) location and contains a 35 ha plot which is part of Smithsonian Institution's Forest...