Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Forest Ecology and Management, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
An increased attention drawn to uneven-aged forests, selective cutting and natural regeneration have been seen in Norway over the past years. This means that forest managers face new challenges related to localization and prioritization of forest areas that potentially are suitable for selective cutting. A selective cutting index describing the suitability for selective cuttings based on objectively measured stand attributes related to forest structure and conditions for natural regeneration was therefore, developed. The index comprises four sub-indices describing diameter diversity, growth potential, stability of remaining trees, and conditions for natural regeneration of a stand. The index may be used as a tool in decision-support in practical management planning. It is easy to interpret and can be applied directly because all variables included are available from practical inventories. An evaluation, based on data from the national forest inventory in Norway, showed that the performance of the index agreed with general biological knowledge and previously performed research. The evaluation also showed that the suitability for selective cutting probably is more precisely determined with the index compared to a subjective assessment based on the number of vertical tree layers. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Forest Ecology and Management, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The crown illumination index (CII) is an ordinal scale frequently used to qualitatively assess the light environment within a forest. Although this method provides a simple and rapid approach, it can be subjective and needs to be calibrated against quantitative measurements of canopy structure. A study was undertaken in north-western Amazonia to provide a means to calibrate the CII in tropical forests. Hemispherical photographs were taken to represent each CII class, which were then analysed using HemiView 2.1 software in order to calculate light availability factors. The proportion of visible sky and indirect, direct and global site factors (the proportion of indirect, direct and total radiation reaching a point, compared to an open location) were all found to correlate strongly with CII class and therefore offer a viable method for calibration. CII classes could only be weakly defined with respect to leaf area index (LAI), however, and so conversion of CII to LAI or vice versa is problematic. The results of this study provide a quantified description of each index class, significantly improving interpretation of the crown illumination index. ... Read more

Book Description
Natural disasters are a terrible reality of our world. But with the latest scientific research you can at least be better prepared. NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS, 2005 HURRICANE EDITION walks you through the major earth and atmospheric hazards that can appear suddenly, helping you be informed and make smart choices. And, with loads of illustrations, diagrams, and photos, this disasters textbook has all the resources to master the material and succeed in the course. ... Read more