ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge input from Gary Hunt and Jonathan Rubin, who are members of David Lewis's thesis committee. In addition, David Field, Thomas Power, and especially Gary Hunt provided helpful comments on an earlier version of this bulletin. David Lewis is appreciative of financial support for his graduate studies provided by the University of Maine Graduate Assista...

Throughout the 20th century, many countries created national parks, forests, nature reserves, and sanctuaries to provide benefits that are underproduced on private lands . Private lands are now especially valuable for providing ecological services that publi c lands cannot provide, due to the increasing demands for all uses and the political and economic conflicts associated with allocating pub...

Wind erosion not only affects agricultural productivity but also soil, air, and water quality. Dust and specifically particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM-10) has adverse effects on respiratory health and also reduces visibility along roadways, resulting in auto accidents. The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) was developed by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service to simulate wind erosion and prov...

Urban planning and management in economic, social, cultural, health and hygienic, and safety and security fields is one of the main concerns of officials and citizens in each country. Nowadays, the necessity of green lands in cities has become very important. Green lands refine the air and reduce air pollutants, strike ecological balance, and absorb piercing sickening sounds. Today, people are ...

extended abstract 1. introduction given the horizontal expansion of cities in recent decades, there are a lot of unused and abandoned lands in large cities. these lands are now an opportunity for urban redevelopment and investment. attracting domestic and foreign investments to cities has been very common in recent decades, which has turned the national nature of large cities to international (...