Foresta (Czechia)

BackgroundSafe mobility for children and adolescents is a pressing challenge in vulnerable communities of developing countries, where journeys expose them to risks like traffic accidents, violence, and health hazards from pollution. Recognizing the transversal impact of safe mobility on economic, cultural, racial, age, gender, and accessibility issues, national and international agendas emphasize its role in reducing societal inequalities.ObjectiveThis research was implemented with the support of UNICEF and addresses the urgent need for road safety policies targeting young people. Through a policy brief focused on the Brazilian context, the study analyzes existing initiatives and public policies that promote safe and sustainable mobility for children and adolescents.Policy AnalysisThe methodology unfolds in four stages: online desk research, characterization of intervention approaches, assessment of context and challenges, and development of recommendations. Best practices were selected based on criteria from mobility studies and priority themes according to local communities. The study mapped 22 federal, 12 state, and 34 municipal initiatives.Policy ImplicationsFive main themes and categories of approach emerged from the analysis: 1- requalification of urban space, 2- neighbourhood plans, 3- school routes, 4- public transportation, and 5- urban mobility, leisure, and education. Analysis of best practices revealed diverse methodologies, strategies, and articulation forms addressing challenges faced during implementation.The public sector was identified as a key actor, with the greatest scope for action and impact. However, their engagement has proven to be one of the most challenging in Brazil. Active participation of young people in policy-making was highlighted as a critical factor in guaranteeing effective interventions in their realities, particularly for those who live in vulnerable and peripheral urban areas.ConclusionsThe research provides fundamental elements for constructing similar policies, offering recommendations for various stakeholders, including the public, private and third sectors and community leaders. The findings emphasize the potential replicability of successful initiatives, contributing to the ongoing efforts to reverse the negative trends in child and youth development associated with unsafe urban mobility. The benefits of similar initiatives are not limited to this group and contribute to a safer and more accessible city for all residents.

El propósito de este trabajo es actualizar las proyecciones sobre la oferta de madera en pie en las plantaciones de pino radiata y eucaliptos hasta el año 2051, debido a las necesidades de información sobre los stocks de madera futura y su sostenibilidad en el mediano y largo plazo. Información de gran relevancia para el país, donde la empresa privada, entidades públicas, inversionistas, mandantes de madera, entre otros, dispondrán de información actualizada para la toma de decisiones. A esto se suma la importancia que se proyecta de la madera como potencial elemento constructivo del futuro por sobre otros materiales, sumado a la política de construcción de viviendas industrializadas donde la madera se visualiza como un material muy importante en términos económico, sociales y ambientales.

European forestry is facing many challenges, including the need to adapt to climate change and an unprecedented increase in forest damage. We investigated these challenges in a Norway spruce-dominated mountain region in Central Europe. We used the model Sibyla to explore forest biomass production to the year 2100 under climate change and under two alternative management systems: the currently applied management (CM), which strives to actively improve the forest’s adaptive capacity, and no management (NM) as a reference. Because biodiversity is thought to have mostly positive effects on the adaptive capacity of forests and on the quality of ecosystem services, we explored how climate change and management affect indicators of biodiversity. We found a differential response across the elevation-climatic gradient, including a drought-induced decrease in biomass production over large areas. With CM, the support of non-spruce species and the projected improvement of their growth increased tree species diversity. The promotion of species with higher survival rates led to a decrease in forest damage relative to both the present conditions and NM. NM preserved the high density of over-matured spruce trees, which caused forest damage to increase. An abundance of dead wood and large standing trees, which can increase biodiversity, increased with NM. Our results suggest that commercial spruce forests, which are not actively adapted to climate change, tend to preserve their monospecific composition at a cost of increased forest damage. The persisting high rates of damage along with the adverse effects of climate change make the prospects of such forests uncertain.

The gypsy moth is the most important defoliator of broadleaved forests in the Northern Hemisphere. We explored the patterns in the moth’s long-term dynamics and produced outbreak forecasts for seven countries located in central to southeastern Europe and extending into the Carpathian Mountains. We investigated how the outbreak periods and trends in the size of outbreak areas differ among the countries, the extent to which pest dynamics are synchronized, and how the observed patterns can be used to forecast outbreaks. We used long-term time series on outbreaks from about 1947 to 2013. The outbreak period ranged from 13 years in the northwest to 8 years in the southeast of the region; the periods were statistically significant in six of the seven countries (α = 0.05). Two distinct patterns in outbreak size were observed, i.e. while outbreak areas in the northwest were increasing, exceptionally large outbreaks occasionally occurred in the southeastern part of the region. Outbreak forecasts based on combined use of the Fourier Transform and ARFIMA approaches showed that outbreak predictability differs among the countries. An increase in outbreak areas, the control of which would require increased resources, was forecasted mainly in the central part of the region. Although the forecasts can support the forest management, there are limits to their use because of the complex relationships between the pest and the environment, which were not captured by our empirical forecasting models.

En la mayoria de los paises desarrollados el concepto de manejo de la vegetacion urbana ha evolucionado desde funciones meramente estetica a funciones medioambientales, incluyendo los beneficios economicos cuantificables de arboles y espacios verdes. En Santiago se constata una gran diferencia entre los distintos municipios respecto de sus politicas y capacidades tecnicas asociadas al manejo (sustentable) de este recurso. Las diferencias de cobertura arborea pueden llegar a ser de 10 a 1, entre comunas de estratos socioeconomicos altos y bajos. Por ello los servicios ambientales de la vegetacion urbana tambien presentan una gran variabilidad espacial en la ciudad.

The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has set new goals and priorities in its Strategic Plan 2003–2008, re-examining the knowledge it creates and the ways in which that knowledge is created. This is in line with the Government of Canada's pursuit of a global strategy for Canadian science and technology, supporting more collaborative international research at the frontiers of knowledge. Also, with the Canadian forest industry facing new and non-traditional competitors and repositioning its product mix, CFS is encountering increased expectations from its external partners, clients and stakeholders—as the primary forest research agency in the country and the main federal body ensuring the competitiveness of the industry. CFS is, therefore, re-defining its role as the leading player in the Canadian forest sector by re-evaluating how it does business. CFS will spearhead the development and implementation of a new national forest S&T agenda, becoming Canada's premier source of authoritative, value-added forest information. It will also champion Canadian forest interests and expertise internationally while strengthening national consensus on Canadian forest policies and programs and advocating Canada's forest agenda within the federal government. To this end, CFS will attract and support talented personnel by creating a workplace conducive to creativity. Key words: Strategic Plan, global S&T strategy, non-traditional competitors, product mix, value-added forest information