Forest law compliance and enforcement: the case of on-farm timber extraction in Ghana.

The paper investigates law compliance in case of on-farm timber extraction in Ghana. It empirically investigates compliance with rules that (i) require timber operators to obtain prior and informed consent from the farmers, (ii) require timber operators to pay appropriate and timely compensation for crop damage caused by timber extraction and (iii) ban chainsaw lumbering. The study documents a low level of compliance in all three domains.

Mass balance of cadmium in two contrasting oak forest ecosystems.

The mass balance of cadmium in forest ecosystems was parameterized. Soil pH is the main variable controlling retention of Cd in the soil and, hence, determines whether Cd is leached from the system or not. However the extent to which root uptake and biomass accumulation of Cd, or the return of Cd to the soil as internal cycling, influences forest Cd balances is unknown.

Growth of ectomycorrhizal mycelia and composition of soil microbial communities in oak forest soils along a nitrogen deposition gradient.

Deciduous forests may respond differently from coniferous forests to the anthropogenic deposition of nitrogen (N). Since fungi, especially ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, are known to be negatively affected by N deposition, the effects of N deposition on the soil microbial community, total fungal biomass and mycelial growth of EM fungi were studied in oak-dominated deciduous forests along a nitrogen deposition gradient in southern Sweden. In-growth mesh bags were used to estimate the production of mycelia by EM fungi in 19 oak stands in the N deposition gradient, and the results were compared with nitrate leaching data obtained previously.

Do green areas affect health? Results from a Danish survey on the use of green areas and health indicators.

The article presents the result from a Danish survey on access and use of green areas and the impact on experienced stress and obesity. The statistical results indicate that access to a garden or short distances to green areas from the dwelling are associated with less stress and a lower likelihood of obesity. The number of visits cannot explain the effects of green areas on the health indicators.

Farm management indicators and farm typologies as a basis for assessments in a changing policy environment.

This paper focuses on the assessment of farm management indicators and argues that typologies are a necessary tool for comprehensive environmental assessments. In the paper Andersen et al., [(2004a).

Limited transfer of nitrogen between wood decomposing and ectomycorrhizal mycelia when studied in the field.

Transfer of (15)N between interacting mycelia of a wood-decomposing fungus (Hypholoma fasciculare) and an ectomycorrhizal fungus (Tomentellopsis submollis) was studied in a mature beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest. The amount of (15)N transferred from the wood decomposer to the ectomycorrhizal fungus was compared to the amount of (15)N released from the wood-decomposing mycelia into the soil solution as (15)N-NH(4). The study was performed in peat-filled plastic containers placed in forest soil in the field.

Valuation of commercial central Himalayan medicinal plants.

This study estimates the national-level annual volume and value of commercial medicinal plant harvest in Nepal. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires administered to local medicinal plant traders (n=149) in 15 districts in Nepal and regional wholesalers (n=53) in India. The annual trade volume is estimated to range from 7000 to 27 000 tons, with 14 500 tons harvested in the case year 1997-1998.

Lignin radicals in the plant cell wall probed by Kerr-gated resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Lignin radicals are crucial intermediates for lignin biosynthesis in the cell wall of vascular plants. In this work they were for the first time, to our knowledge, selectively observed in wood cell walls by laser-based Kerr-gated resonance Raman spectroscopy, and the observations were supported by density functional theory prediction of their vibrational properties. For dry wood cells a lignin radical Raman band is observed at 1,570 cm(-1) irrespective of species.

Sorption of zinc and lead on coir.

Pilot tests have shown that coir (fibres from Coco nucifera) is suitable as a metal ion sorbent. Batch sorption experiments were carried out with Zn and Pb to quantify the sorption kinetics, the pH dependence of the sorption, sorption isotherms at pH 3.0 and pH 5.

Inhibition and stimulation effects in communities of wood decay fungi: exudates from colonized wood influence growth by other species.

The effects of exudates from uncolonized and from partly decayed beech wood on the extension rates of 16 later stage decay fungi were investigated. The partly decayed wood had been colonized by the pyrenomycete Eutypa spinosa, or the basidiomycetes Fomes fomentarius, Stereum hirsutum, and Trametes versicolor, all known as common early decay agents in European beech forests. Sterilized wood pieces were placed onto 0.

Landscape changes in agrarian landscapes in the 1990s: the interaction between farmers and the farmed landscape. A case study from Jutland, Denmark.

Recent landscape changes in a farmed landscape are analysed and related to farm and farmer characteristics. It is assumed that farm and farmer characteristics serve as mediators of large scale or macro driving forces of change-in the present case, a changing farming context including demands for a more environmentally friendly farming practise and a reduced output. The results are based on multivariate analyses of data collected from structured interviews of 160 farmers in a case study area, in central Jutland, measuring 5000 ha.

Differences in salt sensitivity of four deciduous tree species to soil or airborne salt.

Seedlings of four deciduous tree species maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and lime (Tilia cordata) were exposed to de-icing salt (NaCl) either through the soil or applied to the above ground plant parts. A soil solution of 1.65 g l-1 NaCl was maintained from the start of the experiment in January 1999 until termination in June 1999.