In a recent issue of PNAS, Hansen et al. (1) did an excellent job of arguing for the need for a more consistent data set to investigate changes in global forest cover. The indicator they chose, gross forest cover loss (GFCL), marks an improvement both in reproducibility and comparability. However, it does so by using data that the authors themselves state “captures only part of the global fores...

In this paper we develop a bioeconomic model of timber harvesting that includes dynamic interactions between mountain pine beetle (MPB) and a lodgepole pine forest with a disaggregated size structure. The model is used to investigate the consequences of alternative public management strategies on forest dynamics in the presence of MPB outbreaks. Management practices similar to those commonly pr...

Wood biomass has been viewed as “carbon neutral”—its uses as energy have a zero carbon footprint. Some observers argue that the use of wood biofuels will result in a decrease of the forest stock and a net reduction of the carbon captured in the forest. Such assessments take a static, accounting view of forest systems and do not consider the effects of management in renewing the forest and incre...

This article gives an overview of the state of the art 3D data acquisition systems (i. e. airborne laser scanning and digital aerial cameras) and the derivation of forestry related information from the derived 3D points clouds. The described examples are focusing on forest area delineation, growing stock and biomass estimation, forest growth assessment, forest road extraction as well as its cha...

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an international effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forest and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Of critical importance is the estimation of carbon stocks in forests and their dynamics. The paper prese...

We estimate deforestation and the carbon stock in 2740 (82 %) of the 3325 settlements in Brazil's Legal Amazonia region. Estimates are made both using available satellite data and a carbon map for the "pre-modern" period (prior to 1970). We used data from Brazil's Project for Monitoring Deforestation in Amazonia updated through 2013 and from the Brazilian Biomes Deforestation Monitoring Project...

Large areas of African moist forests are being logged in the context of supposedly sustainable management plans. It remains however controversial whether harvesting a few trees per hectare can be maintained in the long term while preserving other forest services as well. We used a unique 24 year silvicultural experiment, encompassing 10 4 ha plots established in the Central African Republic, to...

The properties of PALSAR L-band backscatter and interferometric coherence of Siberian boreal forest are the topic of this paper. The cross-polarized backscatter (HV) is better suited than co-polarized backscatter (HH) for identification of forest cover changes, e.g. clear cuts and fire scars. Coherence acquired during winter also shows a good contrast between forested and nonforested areas. Our...

There is widespread concern among scientists and land managers that Phytophthora ramorum may be accidentally introduced into oak-dominated eastern U.S. forests through the transfer of the pathogen from infected nursery plants to susceptible understory forest species (for example, Rhododendron spp.) at the forest-urban interface. Inspection programs can be made more efficient by identifying loca...