Assessing the world's forests

Mather, Alexander S.

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2005.04.001

Cited by 50 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Similarly, the World Bank reports Pakistan's total forest cover to be 2.2% of its total land area [14]. This situation is similar to several global assessments that refer to various figures on the extent of global forest coverage, which can also be partly attributed to a lack of a clear definition of "forest land" [15]. Few countries have reliable data from comparable assessments over time [13], and this lack of data is a sizable obstacle for efficient forest management policies in these countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Conventionally, the system would contain classes that are exhaustive and mutually exclusive; in fuzzy systems, this requirement can be relaxed, allowing intergradations of classes and mixed communities [15]. To keep the current land cover classes comparable with previous efforts, earlier studies were reviewed, including the Forestry Sector Master Plan [12], the National Forest and Range Resource Assessment [47], the Provincial Forest Resource Inventory (PFRI) of North West Frontier Province-Pakistan [48] and the Ecological Mapping and Monitoring for the Mountain Areas Conservancy Project [49].…”

Section: Image Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping Deforestation and Forest Degradation Patterns in Western Himalaya, Pakistan

et al. 2016

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Abstract:The Himalayan mountain forest ecosystem has been degrading since the British ruled the area in the 1850s. Local understanding of the patterns and processes of degradation is desperately required to devise management strategies to halt this degradation and provide long-term sustainability. This work comprises a satellite image based study in combination with national expert validation to generate sub-district level statistics for forest cover over the Western Himalaya, Pakistan, which accounts for approximately 67% of the total forest cover of the country. The time series of forest cover maps (1990, 2000, 2010) reveal extensive deforestation in the area. Indeed, approximately 170,684 ha of forest has been lost, which amounts to 0.38% per year clear cut or severely degraded during the last 20 years. A significant increase in the rate of deforestation is observed in the second half of the study period, where much of the loss occurs at the western borders along with Afghanistan. The current study is the first systematic and comprehensive effort to map changes to forest cover in Northern Pakistan. Deforestation hotspots identified at the sub-district level provide important insight into deforestation patterns, which may facilitate the development of appropriate forest conservation and management strategies in the country.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Image Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Deforestation and Forest Degradation Patterns in Western Himalaya, Pakistan

et al. 2016

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“…Inconsistencies in tropical forest area trends contribute with those for temperate forests (66) to uncertainty about global forest trends (67). Supposed remnants of ''virgin forest'' in West Africa may have regrown naturally or been planted on previously deforested land (68).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Difficulties in tracking the long-term global trend in tropical forest area

Grainger

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

355

259

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The long-term trend in tropical forest area receives less scrutiny than the tropical deforestation rate. We show that constructing a reliable trend is difficult and evidence for decline is unclear, within the limits of errors involved in making global estimates. A time series for all tropical forest area, using data from Forest Resources Assessments (FRAs) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, is dominated by three successively corrected declining trends. Inconsistencies between these trends raise questions about their reliability, especially because differences seem to result as much from errors as from changes in statistical design and use of new data. A second time series for tropical moist forest area shows no apparent decline. The latter may be masked by the errors involved, but a ''forest return'' effect may also be operating, in which forest regeneration in some areas offsets deforestation (but not biodiversity loss) elsewhere. A better monitoring program is needed to give a more reliable trend. Scientists who use FRA data should check how the accuracy of their findings depends on errors in the data.global environmental monitoring ͉ sustainability indicators ͉ tropical deforestation

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“…A variety of methods have been used to assess and characterize the area of boreal forest, including field surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite remotely sensed data (e.g., Spribille and Chytry 2002, Gamon et al 2004, Mather 2005. Different methods result in the measurement of different variables, at differing scales, and the resulting areal estimates are thus not directly comparable.…”

Section: Boreal Forest Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different methods result in the measurement of different variables, at differing scales, and the resulting areal estimates are thus not directly comparable. Assessing the status of the boreal forest is therefore challenging, as changes in the areal extent through time and space may result from changes in the type of source data used and/or from changes in definitions and methodological issues associated with measurement, as well as from genuine accretions and depletions of forest area (Mather 2005, Gold et al 2006. Notwithstanding these caveats, Table 1 summarizes the distribution of circumpolar boreal forest by nation (FAO 2001(FAO , 2006.…”

Section: Boreal Forest Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

National circumstances in the international circumboreal community

Wulder¹,

Campbell²,

White³

et al. 2007

The Forestry Chronicle

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Boreal forest nations are often thought to have similar environmental, social, and economic contexts. In this communication we show that boreal forest nations are a disparate grouping, with some similarities and many differences. Highlighting these differing national contexts provides insights into how a given nation utilizes the boreal forests over which it holds stewardship responsibilities. Current national contexts are related to each nation's physiography, climate, history, legacy of past forest management, the timing of transition from natural to plantation forests, population density and distribution, and access to resources and markets. Boreal forests are dominated by pioneer species that are resilient to disturbance and have a demonstrated ability to adapt to past climate changes. National responses to natural disturbances are linked to forest area, ownership, and management intensity. Boreal forests in large nations (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation) are typically publicly owned, and disturbances such as fire are allowed to progress naturally over remote areas. In smaller nations, where there is often a greater proportion of private ownership and a focus on production forestry, natural disturbances are more aggressively controlled (e.g., Sweden, Finland). Large nations with low boreal human population densities have a greater proportion of natural boreal forest, with relatively higher levels of biodiversity when compared to the fully managed forests of some smaller boreal nations. In smaller nations, the combination of limited forest area and private ownership has facilitated the dominance of intensive sustainable forestry management practices (e.g., Finland). Conversely, in nations with more spatially extensive forest assets that are publicly owned and managed to meet multiple objectives, extensive sustainable forest management practices dominate (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation).Key words: boreal forest, global, national circumstances, environmental, social, economic, forestry practices, Canada RÉSUMÉ Les pays forestiers nordiques sont souvent perçus comme ayant un contexte environnemental, social et économique semblable. Dans cet article, nous démontrons que les pays forestiers constituent un groupe disparate ayant quelques similitudes et plusieurs différences. La mise en évidence de ces contextes nationaux différents permet une vision intrinsèque de l'utilisation faite par un pays donné des forêts boréales pour lesquelles il détient des responsabilités d'intendance. Les contextes nationaux actuels sont décrits selon la géographie physique, le climat, l'histoire, l'héritage de l'aménagement forestier antérieur, l'époque de la transition des forêts naturelles vers les plantations, la densité et la distribution de la population, ainsi que l'accès à la ressource et aux marchés de chaque pays. Les forêts boréales sont dominées par des espèces pionnières qui sont résilientes suite à une perturbation et ont une capacité démontrée de s'être adaptées aux changements climatiques du passé. Les réacti...

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Assessing the world's forests

Cited by 50 publications

References 27 publications

Mapping Deforestation and Forest Degradation Patterns in Western Himalaya, Pakistan

Mapping Deforestation and Forest Degradation Patterns in Western Himalaya, Pakistan

Difficulties in tracking the long-term global trend in tropical forest area

National circumstances in the international circumboreal community

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