Cultural landscapes can often be identified by the presence of sacred trees which have been retained and can be recognised as distinctive veteran trees. The characteristics of these trees such as huge size and longevity give them an enduring presence in the landscape, while their conceptualisation as the ‘domesticated’ wild, transform them into symbols of spirituality and local history. In Zagori, NW Greece, trees gain sanctity by virtue of proximity or connection with sacred sites often associated with churches. In these sites, trees can grow into natural shapes as a result of strong taboos, which prevent use for private needs. There is an association between tree species and the nature of the sacred site: broadleaved oaks and maples are associated with outlying churches; plane trees are located in central squares, next to the church and provide a focal point for community life, while in cemeteries native evergreens are nowadays replaced by planted conifers. In the present day local communities appreciate sacred trees as living elements of their collective memory and local history. 相似文献
The Great Lakes watersheds have an important influence on the water quality of the nearshore environment, therefore, watershed characteristics can be used to predict what will be observed in the streams. We used novel landscape information describing the forest cover change, along with forest census data and established land cover data to predict total phosphorus and turbidity in Great Lakes streams. In Lake Superior, we modeled increased phosphorus as a function of the increase in the proportion of persisting forest, forest disturbed during 2000–2009, and agricultural land, and we modeled increased turbidity as a function of the increase in the proportion of persisting forest, forest disturbed during 2000–2009, agricultural land, and urban land. In Lake Michigan, we modeled increased phosphorus as a function of ecoregion, decrease in the proportion of forest disturbed during 1984–1999 and watershed storage, and increase in the proportion of urban land, and we modeled increased turbidity as a function of ecoregion, increase in the proportion of forest disturbed during 2000–2009, and decrease in the proportion softwood forest. We used these relationships to identify priority areas for restoration in the Lake Superior basin in the southwestern watersheds, and in west central and southwest watersheds of the Lake Michigan basin. We then used the models to estimate water quality in watersheds without observed instream data to prioritize those areas for management. Prioritizing watersheds will aid effective management of the Great Lakes watershed and result in efficient use of restoration funds, which will lead to improved nearshore water quality. 相似文献
Forest logging residues are systematically left after exploitation. In Romania, logging residues were traditionally used by population for fuel but have not been considered at large scale for industrialization. The estimation of the resource needed a more accurate assessment and the development of devoted biomass models for large-scale applications. Our study aims at estimating the amount of logging residues based on direct biomass measurements for the two main species of Romanian Carpathian forests: Norway spruce and beech. A country-scale field measurement campaign resulted in the sampling of 100 Norway spruce and 74 beech trees. Models of logging residues biomass were developed for both species. The amount of potential logging residues per tree was greater in beech than in Norway spruce. The models developed, nonlinear by essence, showed that diameter-based equations enable the evaluation of individual logging residues potential. Using tree height as an additional independent variable did not improve the models. The models fitted were applied to yield tables in order to estimate the resource potential in spruce and beech stands for each productivity class, and its dynamic during the production cycle. The calculations proved that the potential amount of logging residue is larger in spruce stands. The amount in beech is very sensitive to the productivity class, unlike in spruce stands. The potential biomass produced during early thinnings is however greater in beech stands than in spruce ones. A more systematic and organized collecting of residues could offer a fast answer to the need of increasing renewable energy share. 相似文献
The environmental impact of different land-use systems for energy, up to the farm or forest “gate”, has been quantified with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Four representative crops are considered: OilSeed Rape (OSR), Miscanthus, Short-Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow and forest residues. The focus of the LCA is on changes in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) but energy use, emissions of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs), acidification and eutrophication are also considered. In addition to providing an indicator of soil quality, changes in SOC are shown to have a dominant effect on total GHG emissions. Miscanthus is the best land-use option for GHG emissions and soil quality as it sequesters C at a higher rate than the other crops, but this has to be weighed against other environmental impacts where Miscanthus performs worse, such as acidification and eutrophication. OSR shows the worst performance across all categories. Because forest residues are treated as a by-product, their environmental impacts are small in all categories. The analysis highlights the need for detailed site-specific modelling of SOC changes, and for consequential LCAs of the whole fuel cycle including transport and use. 相似文献
A significant amount of logging residues is available for recovery in clear-cut areas. The forest residues’ potential has usually been estimated using biomass models. In Norway spruce (Picea abies) dominated stands, a large share of material is left on site especially due to dropping of needles as residues are left on site to dry in small heaps. In this study, we compared the measured dry weight of logging residues at a power plant with the potential biomass estimations made at a stand level. The study was performed in eight Norway spruce dominated stands, three of which were located in eastern Finland (North Karelia region) with the remainder being in Central Finland. The dry weights of branches, needles and stem tops were estimated using biomass models developed for individual trees by Repola et al. [1]. These dry weights were also compared with Swedish biomass models produced by Marklund [2]. The diameter and tree height information of each harvested tree served as input data in these model-based computations. Tree diameter information was obtained straight from the harvester’s stem value files, while the height information was obtained from models using the data from the stem value files as input. Inventory data before logging was used as a control material for harvester based estimates to spot possible measurement errors on the harvester measurement data. In addition, inventory data were used to get the crown height information, which was not available in the harvester measurement data. It was found that the average recovery rate was approximately 62% when applying Repola’s et al. [1] models and 61% when applying Marklund’s [2] models. However, variation between the logging sites was high. According this study, at least a third of the residues remains on the logging site if they are seasoned during the spring and summertime in small heaps. 相似文献
This paper proposes a new synthesis method for methanol as a future alternative fuel, by the combination of carbon supplied from wood and hydrogen supplied from the electrolysis of water using a solar power generation system in the desert. In the developed countries, more than half of the potential forest area has already been converted into other land uses, while existing forests are well organized and available for wood production. In the developing countries, potential forest sites are expected to be available for wood production, even though they are presently grasslands or secondary forests, while natural tropical forests will not be allowed to be converted into artificial forests. The area available for plantations within 500 km distant from deserts was estimated to be 65 Mha in the world, except for the mountain areas. Biomass production from these sites will be converted annually into 980 Mt methanol with hydrogen from the deserts. This amount is equal to 34% of the world's fuel consumption by vehicles. 相似文献
The number of slash bundlers and the volume of slash bundling have been rapidly increasing during the last few years in Finland. However, no comprehensive time or follow-up studies have been carried out on slash bundling technology in Finland or in any other country. Metsäteho Oy carried out studies on the productivity and costs of slash bundling in different Nordic recovering conditions. The study methods included both time and follow-up studies. Data were collected during the summer and winter period primarily in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) dominated clear cutting sites. The bundling techniques performed by different types of bundler (Fiberpac 370, Timberjack 1490D, Pika RS 2000, Valmet WoodPac) were studied.
The average productivity of slash bundling was 18.1 bundles per operating (E15, including delays shorter than 15 min) hour with the Timberjack 1490D and Fiberpac 370 bundlers in the follow-up study. The operator of the slash bundler had the greatest effect on the productivity of bundling. The prerequisite for increased bundling volumes is a reduction in the costs of the most expensive sub-stage of the bundling supply chain, i.e. bundling itself. This requires improved recovery conditions at bundling sites, increased bundling productivity, larger sized bundles, and the execution of bundling operations in two work shifts using an efficient bundler and effective operator working methods. Implementation of these development measures will bring the bundling supply chain up to a speed that makes it the most competitive supply chain for forest chips in terms of total supply costs for long-distance transportation distances of more than 60 km. 相似文献