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The Dutch colonial government introduced social forestry at the end of the 19th century with a commitment to controlling forest resources in the Dutch East Indies. This program was a response to the rampant deforestation which had resulted in forest degradation and poverty of the population around the forest. This study examined the practice of social forestry in the late colonial period which had not been done much. From a historical perspective, social forestry practices in Indonesia before independence could be explained more comprehensively. This study uses a historical method which includes four stages: heuristic, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography (composing historical stories). Sources of information were explored through studies of archival documents and contemporary artefacts, especially official colonial government reports and contemporary newspapers/magazines. Data from various sources are then compared and tested for validity to obtain data validity. The next stage is to build facts based on data obtained and then interpreted using the social science theories. Finally, compiling a historical (historiographical) story about social forestry during the late colonial period. The results showed that colonial forestry during the colonial period was still limited in terms of area and method, namely in the area of teak forest and involving villagers through the intercropping system. Farmers involved in these activities are called pesanggem who earn income from forest land being rejuvenated. However, the relationship between pesanggem and the forestry service has not been well institutionalized, consequently the pesanggem is often disadvantaged. Including certainty of ownership and ownership of forest land never gained clarity and even became a source of conflict.

Pongamia (Pongamia pinnata L.) as a source of non-edible oil, is potential tree species for biodiesel production. For several reasons, both technical and economical, the potential of P. pinnata is far from being realized. The exploitation of genetic diversity for crop improvement has been the major driving force for the exploration and ex situ/in situ conservation of plant genetic resources. However, P. pinnata improvement for high oil and seed production is not achieved because of unsystematic way of tree improvement. Performance of P. pinnata planted by Karnataka Forest Department was assessed based on yield potential by collecting 157 clones out of 264 clones established by Karnataka Forest Department research wing under different research circles/ranges. It was evident that the all the seed and pod traits were significantly different. Further, selection of superior germplasm based on oil and pod/seed parameters was achieved by application of Mahalanobis statistics and Tocher’s technique. On the basis of D2 values for all possible 253 pairs of populations the 157 genotypes were grouped into 28 clusters. The clustering pattern showed that geographical diversity is not necessarily related to genetic diversity. Cluster means indicated a wide range of variation for all the pod and seed traits. The best cluster having total oil content of more than 34.9% with 100 seed weight of above 125 g viz. Cluster I, II, III, IX, XV, XIX, XXI, XXIII, XXVI and XXVII were selected for clonal propagation.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the chemical properties of soil in relation to forest structure and composition at different altitudes (900-2,600 m asl) in a part of Western Himalaya. The composite soil samples were taken from three (viz. upper, middle and lower) depths. The soils of the whole study area were acidic in nature (pH=4.90-5.51). Contents of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Carbon (C) and soil organic matter (SOM) showed much fluctuation during different seasons of year. Nitrogen content showed significant positive correlations with altitude (r=0.924, p＜0.05) and different community parameters like species diversity (r=0.892, p＜0.01) and species richness (r=0.941, p＜0.05). Phosphorus exhibited direct correlations with carbon (r=0.637) while weak negative correlations with different community parameters like species richness & diversity, total basal cover (TBC), density and canopy cover. Carbon content and hence SOM showed direct correlations with Nitrogen (r=0.821, p＜0.01); Phosphorus (r=0.637, ns) and Potassium (r=0.540, ns). But no significant relationship was observed between K content and species richness (p=0.30, r=-0.504); between K content and species diversity (p=0.14, r=-0.672); between P content and species diversity (p=0.29, r=-0.513) and species richness (p=0.23, r=-0.575). Among the different soil nutrients, only N showed a significant positive correlation with altitude while all others exhibited negative (but non-significant) correlation with it. The study revealed that the chemical properties affect and are reciprocally affected by forest structure and composition and that N rich soils of higher altitudes are best for the growth and development of forests.

Hymenodictyon orixensis (Roxb.) Mabberley (locally known as Bhutum in Bangladesh) is both an ecologically and economically valuable multipurpose tree species for afforestation and reforestation programs in Bangladesh. Seed germination and seedling development study of H. orixense were conducted to find out the response to different growing medium, e.g., polybag (15×10 cm (T0) and 20×15 cm (T1)), sand medium in propagator house (T2), conventional nursery bed (T3), and root trainer (T4) in the Nursery. Consequently, germination behavior and seedling morphological parameters of H. orixense were assessed. The results revealed that the sand medium of the propagator house (T2) provided the highest germination % (58.57±22.30) and the highest germination energy (11.43±2.43) followed by seedlings growing in 20×15 cm polybags (T1) containing forest topsoil and cow-dung at a ratio of 3:1. Except for germination energy, germination values, and germination capacity, other seed biology parameters, particularly imbibition, germination period, germination rate, and plant survival percent in T1, T2, T3, and T4 were significantly (p＜0.05) different from T0. Each phenotypic parameter of seedlings and dry matter of shoot and root significantly differed from control except root length (p＜0.992). Based on this study, Polybags of 20×15 cm size are regarded as the best medium for quality seedling development of H. orixense. The nursery bed (T3) had the lowest germination performance and developed more inferior quality seedlings. Thereby, 20×15 cm size of polybags with conventional soil and cow-dung media is recommended for maximum germination and to grow the quality seedlings of H. orixense in the Nursery.

This study was conducted to examine litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following thinning, which is among the most important forest management activities that enhance the beneficial functions in Korean forests. Litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following a 2-year elapse from thinning in Pinus densiflora and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Quercus variabilis stands were measured for 2 years from 16 sites in three regions (Sancheong-gun, Uiryeong-gun, and Jinju-si) in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Annual needle litter inputs in P. densiflora stands were significantly decreased following thinning, whereas annual broadleaved leaf litter inputs in Q. variabilis stands were not significantly different between thinned and unthinned treatments. The annual mean total litter inputs in both tree species were significantly lower in the thinned (P. densiflora : 3,653 kg ha-1 year-1; Q. variabilis: 4,963 kg ha-1 year-1) compared to the unthinned stands (P. densiflora: 5,138 kg ha-1 year-1; Q. variabilis: 5,997 kg ha-1 year-1) during the study period. The mass loss rates from decomposing needle litter in P. densiflora stands were significantly lower (p＜0.05) in the thinned stands than in the unthinned stands for two sampling dates of the eight included in the study, whereas the decomposition rates from decomposing leaf litter in Q. variabilis stands were not affected by thinning. The results indicate that thinning effects on total litter inputs remained clear following a 2-year elapse from thinning in P. densiflora stands and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Q. variabilis stands.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) remains contagious for a long time, not only in the carcass, but also in the bone marrow of an infected animal. The scavenging activity of various animals on ASFV-infected carcasses is a likely risk factor for ASFV transmission. Thus, we conducted this study to determine whether scavengers are potential vectors for ASFV. In nonprotected wild boar carcasses on the forest floor, we investigated the seasonal patterns of carcass decomposition and scavenger visits for feeding on them. The duration from fresh to early skeletonization (only bones and leather remaining) of adult carcasses was 37.6±23.1 days (n=3, range=11-51 days) in winter. The duration from fresh to later skeletonization (only bones and some fur remaining) of all carcasses, including subadult carcasses, was 8.3±2.5 days (n=4, range=7-12 days) in summer. At all three study sites, leopard cats (30.3%), large-billed crows (21.6%), and golden eagles (18.1%) were the frequently visiting species, representing more than 10% of the total visits (343 visits) in winter, whereas raccoons (21.9%), grey-backed thrushes (39.4%), and eyebrowed thrushes (14.7%) were the most frequent visitors in summer. In winter, crows or cinereous vultures were the first animals to arrive at a carcass; in summer, raccoons or crows arrived first. Our results showed that wild boars, raccoons, and leopard cats relatively frequently visited wild boar carcasses and stayed there for a long time. Wild rodents chewing on or staying near carcasses were photographed during winter. In addition to wild boars, thus, mammals, such as raccoons, leopard cats and rodents, and birds, such as accipitrids and thrushes, may be spreaders of ASFV in South Korea.

Increasing carbon and PM2.5 concentrations have been emerging as serious environmental issues worldwide. The purpose of this study was to quantify carbon and PM2.5 reduction by urban parks in Gangneung, Korea. A total of 35 parks were sampled by applying a random sampling method to survey tree planting structures and the areal distribution of land cover types of urban parks. These survey data and the Green Evaluation Technique (GET) computer program were used to estimate carbon and PM2.5 reduction by trees. Mean tree density and cover in the study parks were 3.5±0.2 tree/100 m2 and 44.5±3.0%, respectively. Annual carbon uptake and PM2.5 deposition per unit area by trees averaged 2.8±0.2 t/ha/yr and 30.2±2.8 kg/ha/yr. Gangneung’s urban parks annually offset the carbon emissions by 3.4% and the PM2.5 emissions by 3.5%. Thus, urban parks played a significant role in reducing atmospheric carbon and PM2.5 concentrations. Total annual carbon uptake and PM2.5 deposition of urban parks in Gangneung were about 1,338.2 t/yr and 14,433.2 kg/yr. This study is expected to contribute to raising awareness of the role and importance of urban parks regarding carbon and PM2.5 reduction.