Лесоэксплуатационное районирование лесных субарктических территорий

The use of heuristic techniques in forest planning has been promoted by the need to solve complex problems that cannot be solved using mixed integer programming. We proved that for merchantability standards ensuring the perfect bin-packing theorem (PBPT), the maximum volume that can be harvested annually equals the sum of the maximum MAI of the stands. The method accommodates optimality criteria at the stand level, regarded as maximum MAI, and at the forest level, regarded as maximum annual allowable cut. We scheduled the harvesting by adjusting the first fit decreasing algorithm (FFD) to the PBPT conditions. When PBPT conditions were not met, we developed a mixed integer programming solution to adjust the merchantability standards of the stands to the distributional requirements of the PBPT, an adjustment that ensured the optimal performance of the FFD. The adjusted FFD was compared with linear programming (LP) and simulated annealing (SA) using two harvesting ages (i.e., one based on MAI maximization and one determined as the minimal age) and the same set of spatial temporal constraints for three areas in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. We found that the adjusted FFD performed 100 times faster than SA and for annual allowable cut (AAC) supplied results that were more homogenous and at least 10% greater than the AAC supplied by SA. Furthermore, the adjusted FFD seemed to be relatively insensitive to spatial constraints (i.e., adjacency), while SA displayed a 70% reduction in AAC in response to an increase in adjacency delay from 1 year to 20 years. The results suggest that both adjusted FFD and SA are impacted by the selection of the harvesting age, but the adjusted FFD could still outperform SA.

Annual allowable cut for merchantable woody species in a community managed forest in western Kenya

Potential of energy wood resources and technologies for their supply in Tihvin and Boksitogorsk Districts of the Leningrad Region

Forest companies in British Columbia and Alberta have requested increases in allowable cuts on their public land tenures. The present regulatory framework about allowable cut effects is briefly outlined for each province. Seven requirements are proposed for granting an ACE, including consistent and reliable performance, risk assessments, stable operating and market conditions, robust age class distribution, government and public confidence, adequate benefits, and no unacceptable negative impacts on non-timber values. Some of the important "bad" and "good" news about allowable cuts is itemized, together with the drivers for change in sustainable forest management (SFM). It is concluded that professional and technical rigour is required in requests for an ACE. The cost of access to Crown timber has been increased by SFM and foresters and the industry are challenged to produce credible scenarios using new computer technologies, and then to carry them out. Key words: annual allowable cut, allowable cut effect, sustainable forest management, British Columbia,Alberta, forest regulation

Legal vs. certified timber: Preliminary impacts of forest certification in Cameroon

This paper examines the economic and social consequences of possible reductions in the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) in the province of British Columbia. Following a review of studies of the role of the forest industry in the economy of British Columbia, a general equilibrium model is presented to examine the economic impact of AAC reduction where prices of forest products are allowed to fluctuate. While the studies reviewed and this study use different methodologies, the conclusion that emerges is robust: the economic impact of AAC reduction is significant and negative. The social costs in terms of unemployment and community stability/survival are even higher. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations intended to ensure that decisions concerning harvesting reflect comprehensively the costs and benefits involved in terms of the timber and non-timber values involved.

The article presents an index of the types, motives and basic elements of the legends recorded among the Kestenga Karelians on the territory of the modern Loukhsky district in the Republic of Karelia, and also partially in the Kandalaksha district in the Murmansk region. The identification of the legends’ motives was carried out based on the Scientific Archive of the Karelian Scientific Center RAS and the Phonogram Archive of the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History of the Karelian Scientific Center RAS archival materials, as well as published notes and articles of travelers who visited the studied region in the 19th – 20th centuries. In total, 120 texts of legends were involved in the work, among which one can single out cycles about the settlement and development of the region; the aboriginal regions; treasures; the fight against external enemies; robbers. The index is compiled on the basis of the corresponding index developed by N.A. Krinichnaya in the field of Russian historical prose. The index contains 18 types of motives, within which the main versions and elements are highlighted. With respect to the original index, some versions of the motifs have been corrected, some versions have been added. The compilation of an index of motives based on the material of Karelian prose was undertaken for the first time, which determines the novelty and relevance of this work.

The article presents the results of the analysis of the category “building materials” as one of the criteria for buildings environmental certification. The research aims to study one of the categories of “green” certification systems - environmental friendliness and energy efficiency of materials used in construction. The requirements for building materials in international and national rating systems of environmental certification of buildings are considered. Particular attention is paid to determining the most significant characteristics and parameters of building materials as a criterion for “green” construction in the Arctic territories. The use of energy-efficient “green” materials is considered on the example of model objects built in the territories of two northern regions of Russia - in the Murmansk region (Murmansk) and in the Republic of Karelia (Petrozavodsk).

Within the framework of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, announced for the period from 2021 to 2030, the relevant task is to develop effective methods of inventory and prioritization of disturbed ecosystems for their further restoration. In 2020, the International Institute for Sustainable Development created the PLANGEA multi-criteria geoinformation model, designed to identify priority areas of terrestrial ecosystems in need of restoration. The purpose of the current study is to assess the applicability of the PLANGEA model for the inventory of these ecosystems in the Russian Federation and to analyze their transformation processes. The work uses open data from the PLANGEA project and multi-time maps of the European Space Agency land cover for the period from 1992 to 2020. A spatial analysis of the distribution of priority sites for restoration across the territory of the Russian Federation with the allocation of zones of national and global levels has been carried out. For a detailed study of the processes of ecosystem degradation, two regions contrasting by their natural conditions and anthropogenic impact have been selected—the Yaroslavl and Murmansk regions. It has been revealed that the most priority areas of ecosystems at the national level are concentrated mainly in the European part of Russia in areas of mixed and broad-leaved forests subject to intensive agricultural activity. Priority areas of global ecosystems are located in the taiga and mountainous northeastern regions of the Asian part of the country, where deforestation is the main threat. The analysis of land cover transformation has shown the multidirectional nature of degradation processes within the allocated areas and their fragmented nature, which indicates the insufficient accuracy of the PLANGEA model for practical application in Russian conditions and the need to adapt the methodology to regional specifics.

A combined approach has been developed for the identification and determination of quinolone antibiotics in pharmaceuticals using solid-phase fluorescence digital colorimetry and chemometric analysis. The eigen fluorescence of quinolones and quinolone-sensitized fluorescence of europium(III) have been studied on various matrices. The paper proposes a test-system consisting of four indicator zones. Under irradiation with ultraviolet light (365 nm) of quinolone solutions applied to the indicator zones of test systems, there are observed blue fluorescence on cellulose paper (CP) and plates for high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and pink (CP–Eu, HPTLC–Eu) fluorescence. The measurement of the fluorescence intensity on the surface of the matrices has been carried out using a smartphone. The possibility of using chemometric analysis, which makes it possible to reduce the analysis time and visualize research data, has been shown. The data array was processed by principal component methods, hierarchical cluster analysis, and the kmean method using the XLSTAT software. The identification and assessment of the quantitative content of quinolone antibiotics in tablet forms have been carried out using chemometric analysis. The calibration dependences in the РСА and k-mean methods have a logarithmic form in the ranges of the determined concentrations of 0.5–250 μg/ml (R2 ≥ 0.98). A technique for the determination of fluoroquinolones in pharmaceuticals has been proposed. The relative standard deviation does not exceed 0.09.

Defining natural baselines for rates of change in New Zealand's groundwater quality: Dealing with incomplete or disparate datasets, accounting for impacted sites, and merging into state of the-environment reporting

The study investigated the behavior of producers towards organic vegetables to determine the main factors influencing households’ income and analyze the challenges of producing organic vegetables. Organic agriculture can bring benefits to sustainable production and be a major source of households’ income. The Lao government is promoting and supporting clean agriculture in potential areas where the conditions of production and marketing are proper. Organic agriculture can help farmers increase their incomes and help people improve their health conditions. Organic agriculture has significant potential in Laos since several conditions of a traditional farming system can easily adapt to the organic farming system. Organic vegetables can create a value chain with government certification. However, the Lao government has difficulty recommending organic agriculture to farmers. The study collected 272 individual farm households cultivating organic vegetables in six districts in Vientiane’s capital, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The analysis was considered for both descriptive statistics and an ordered logistic model. The results from the ordered logit model show that age, higher education level, organic vegetable area, and selling frequencies are positive and statistically significant. The study can contribute to the next five-year plan of clean agricultural programs for agriculture and forestry development.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an opportunist multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes a wide range of nosocomial infections. Various cystic fibrosis (CF) centres have reported an increasing prevalence of S. maltophilia colonization/infection among patients with this disease. The purpose of this study was to assess specific fingerprints of S. maltophilia isolates from CF patients (n = 71) by investigating fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) through gas chromatography (GC) and highly abundant proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and to compare them with isolates obtained from intensive care unit (ICU) patients (n = 20) and the environment (n = 11). Principal component analysis (PCA) of GC-FAME patterns did not reveal a clustering corresponding to distinct CF, ICU or environmental types. Based on the peak area index, it was observed that S. maltophilia isolates from CF patients produced significantly higher amounts of fatty acids in comparison with ICU patients and the environmental isolates. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) based on the MALDI-TOF MS peak profiles of S. maltophilia revealed the presence of five large clusters, suggesting a high phenotypic diversity. Although HCA of MALDI-TOF mass spectra did not result in distinct clusters predominantly composed of CF isolates, PCA revealed the presence of a distinct cluster composed of S. maltophilia isolates from CF patients. Our data suggest that S. maltophilia colonizing CF patients tend to modify not only their fatty acid patterns but also their protein patterns as a response to adaptation in the unfavourable environment of the CF lung.

Key messageSessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) provenance variation was assessed in a multisite test based on traits of economic and ecological relevance in France. While climatic drivers generated genetic clines at a range-wide scale, provenance variation in France was mainly shaped by past silvicultural regimes. We developed a multitrait approach to facilitate decision-making for seed sourcing. A set of provenance clusters is proposed, supporting recommendations for plantation programmes.ContextAmong broadleaves, sessile oak (Quercus petraea) is likely to spread in the context of current climate change and is increasingly planted in France. Seed sourcing is of the utmost importance for ensuring plantation success and adaptation. The selection of appropriate seed sources is highly challenging when the future climate conditions of plantation areas are uncertain.AimsWe aimed at identifying drivers of provenance variation in Q. petraea and to build provenance clusters based on traits of adaptive and economic value, to ultimately support decision-making in seed sourcing.MethodsWe analysed a multisite provenance test established 30 years ago and comprising a large collection of Q. petraea provenances by performing phenotypic assessments of survival, growth, phenology, and stem-quality traits. We analysed climate-trait correlations at a range-wide scale and used multivariate statistics [multivariate mixed models, principal component analysis (PCA)] and classification methods [hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), K-means method] to generate an overall clustering of french provenances.ResultsProvenance effects were highly significant regardless of the trait considered, whereas interaction effects between provenance and other experimental sources of variation were minor compared to provenance and environmental variance. There was limited variation between provenances collected in the same forest in comparison to origins of different forests. We found sharp temperature-driven genetic clines for growth and phenology-related traits at a range-wide scale. The multitrait classification approach grouped the French provenances into 11 clusters, with the members of each cluster having similar trait values. Overall, the cluster composition of provenances poorly matched the provenance regions identified on ecological grounds, but rather mirrored the silvicultural regimes implemented in the source stands in the past.ConclusionsTwo of the provenance clusters (comprising a total of 34 provenances) were identified as potentially useful sources of reproductive material. We recommend mixing seeds of different provenances from a given cluster to ensure the maintenance of diversity and to enhance adaptability to future climatic conditions.

The study is devoted to the analysis of mechanisms for managing the safety of territories and the formation of a scientifically based approach to determining the acceptable level of risk. The method of mathematical classification of data, namely hierarchical cluster analysis and the k-means method, is used as a tool. The need to solve this problem is associated with the identified methodological difficulties and inconsistencies in the use of current regulatory documents on risk assessment. The approach proposed in the work to determining the acceptable level of risk, based on the mathematical classification of data, is an important component on the way to developing a unified methodology for standardization.