Spatial assessment of ecosystem functions and services for air purification of forests in South Korea

Ecosystem functions can be understood as the quantified amount of an ecosystem’s role in a natural process, while ecosystem services are the requantification of the ecosystem functions by factoring in environmental conditions and human needs based on social perspectives. In this study, differences between ecosystem functions and services were presented in terms of air purification of a forest ecosystem. Forest volume growth was employed to quantify the pollutant absorption capacity of a forest and was indicated by the natural functions (NF) for air purification by a forest ecosystem. Forest ecosystem services can be requantified from the forest functions by adding the air pollutant and population densities. Air pollutant density was applied to the assessment of the environmental services (ES) of forest ecosystems. Furthermore, the environmental social services (ESS) of forest ecosystems were assessed by including population density considerations. We simulated differences in NF, ES, and ESS in relation to pollutant and population density; while NF was spatially quantified without a close relationship to air pollutant and population density, ES and ESS reacted to environmental and social condition more sensitively. These results imply that the ecosystem services of forest resources for air purification are high where the pollutant and population densities are high, while the ecosystem functions of forest resources for air purification depend solely on forest conditions and not on the density changes of air pollutants and population. This study suggests that the differences in NF, ES, and ESS are important factors to be understood and considered in the decision-making process for ecosystem services. When considering human needs and surrounding environmental conditions, the results suggest that decision makers should utilize the ES and ESS concepts, which reflect both population and pollutant density along with additional human-related factors.     

Advancing urban ecosystem governance in New York City: Shifting towards a unified perspective for conservation management

New York City’s extensive municipal park system is home to forests, wetlands, and grasslands that provide important ecological and social benefits to the city’s population. While efforts and programs exist to restore and protect these spaces, management recommendations are complex due to variable conditions in urban natural areas. To advance the management of urban natural areas, the first comprehensive ecological assessment was conducted through a collaborative effort across 4000 ha of natural areas within New York City parkland. Field and spatial data were collected and analyzed to identify the extent of forests, the types of forests, and their conditions. This approach will help guide decision-making and prioritization of natural area management at the regional level by developing unique quantitative targets for urban forests. This project serves as an example of collaboration between private and public institutions advancing the governance of urban natural areas to achieve citywide conservation and policy goals.     

完善我国森林立法势在必行

通过对1998年长江、嫩江特大洪水的反思,指出了目前森林立法中存在的种种弊端,从而提出了完善我国森林立法的建议。     

生态旅游环境教育解说系统优化研究——以莫尔道嘎国家森林公园为例

环境教育功能是生态旅游区别于非生态旅游的根本特点,伴随生态旅游的迅速发展,生态环境的保护问题越发受到关注,而完善的环境教育解说系统对于生态旅游区的影响日渐凸显.以莫尔道嘎国家森林公园为例,通过调查分析指出环境教育解说系统存在着解说媒介、解说形式、解说功能与解说管理的缺失等问题,并提出环境解说媒介多元化、环境解说形式活态化、环境解说功能化及环境解说管理规范化等优化路径,以期生态旅游的环境教育功能得到有效发挥.     

Monitoring and information reporting for sustainable forest management: a regional comparison of forestry stakeholder perceptions

Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) [1992, Agenda 21: programme of action for sustainable development. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), 3-14 June 1992. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 294pp.], the management of information has become central to the management of forest resources. In the cases of North America and Europe, similar issues have been challenging policy makers as they determine the information suitable for monitoring progress towards sustainable forest management (SFM). Using an 'online' survey, this research explored multiple stakeholder perspectives on monitoring and information reporting for SFM in different jurisdictions. The research was based on the premise that an analysis of the variation in stakeholder observations across a range of SFM 'issue areas' could provide valuable insight into the perceived need for SFM-related monitoring and information reporting in the regions of Europe, Canada and the USA. Despite the traditional limitations associated with exploratory survey research, the results indicate a demand for more information on SFM-related issues. The results also highlight the degree to which the perceptions of a sample of stakeholders can differ between Europe, USA and Canada. While these results cannot be generalized beyond the present study, they do suggest that further studies are needed to understand stakeholder perspectives on forestry-related monitoring and information reporting in different jurisdictions.     

OBIA与RF结合的龙口市土地利用信息提取方法

为提高中分辨率遥感影像解译精度,本文提出面向对象影像分析（Object Based Image Analysis,OBIA）与随机森林（Random Forest,RF）结合的土地利用信息提取方法。采用Landsat 8 OLI影像,针对不同地物特点,阈值分割和多尺度分割结合创建影像对象,规则集和分类器协同分类,基于Relief F算法分别对光谱特征、纹理特征及所有特征降维筛选特征子集,并与全部特征一起应用RF建模,对龙口市进行土地利用信息提取与比较。结果表明：OBIA与RF结合提取土地利用信息,基于Relief F算法筛选纹理特征,保留完整光谱、几何、空间关系特征构建RF模型,建模错分率为0.0958,分类总体精度和Kappa系数分别为89.37%和0.872,取得较理想结果。该方法可应用于中分辨率遥感影像土地利用信息提取。     

A review and numerical assessment of the random walk particle tracking method

We review the basic mathematical concepts of random walk particle tracking (RWPT) and its advantages and limitations. Three different numerical approaches to overcome the local mass conservation problem of the random walk methodology are examined: (i) the interpolation method, (ii) the reflection principle, and (iii) the generalized stochastic differential equations (GSDE). Analytical solutions of the spatial moments for a two-layer system are compared to model predictions using the different techniques and results demonstrate that the interpolation method reproduces correctly average velocity, but fails to reproduce macrodispersion at higher hydraulic conductivity contrasts between the two layers. On the contrary, the reflection principle and the GSDE approach underestimate average velocity, but reproduce macrodispersion better for high contrasts. The different behavior is based on an artificial shift of mass for increasing heterogeneities for the GSDE approach and the reflection principle, whereas the interpolation method suffers from the smoothing of the dispersion tensor. The behavior of these approaches was furthermore analyzed in two-dimensional heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity fields, which are characterized by different random function models. Solute transport was simulated correctly by all three approaches for the reference fields having Gaussian structures or non-Gaussian structures with an isotropic spatial correlation, even for a variance of the natural log of hydraulic conductivity of sigma(lnK)(2)=4. However, for the non-Gaussian model with a strong anisotropic spatial correlation and a variance of sigma(lnK)(2)=2 and higher, the interpolation method was the only technique modelling solute transport correctly. Furthermore, we discuss the general applicability of random walk particle tracking in comparison to the standard transport models and conclude that in advection-dominated problems using a high spatial discretization or requiring the performance of many model runs, RWPT represents a good alternative for modelling contaminant transport.     

变坡度情况下森林地表上坡火行为若干特征的实验研究

应用自行研制的“多坡段固相材料火蔓延实验台”，模拟森林地表火的蔓延过程，对变坡度情况下森林地表上坡火行为规律进行了实验研究。研究发现，上坡火火焰随坡度的变化有三种火焰类型，即小坡度的缓慢燃烧，随坡度增加的火焰的抖动以及大坡度时的贴壁剧烈燃烧。     

Investigating the effect of geometric dimensions of median traffic barriers on crashes: Crash analysis of interstate roads in Wyoming using actual crash datasets

IntroductionDespite the numerous safety studies done on traffic barriers’ performance assessment, the effect of variables such as traffic barrier’s height has not been identified considering a comprehensive actual crash data analysis. This study seeks to identify the impact of geometric variables (i.e., height, post-spacing, sideslope ratio, and lateral offset) on median traffic barriers’ performance in crashes on interstate roads.MethodGeometric dimensions of over 110 miles median traffic barriers on interstate Wyoming roads were inventoried in a field survey between 2016 and 2018. Then, the traffic barrier data collected was combined with historical crash records, traffic volume data, road geometric characteristics, and weather condition data to provide a comprehensive dataset for the analysis. Finally, an ordered logit model with random-parameters was developed for the severity of traffic barrier crashes. Based on the results, traffic barrier’s height was found to impact crash severity.ResultsCrashes involving cable barriers with a height between 30″ and 42″ were less severe than other traffic barrier types, while concrete barriers with a height shorter than 32″ were more likely involved with severe injury crashes. As another important finding, the post-spacing of 6.1–6.3 ft. was identified as the least severe range in W-beam barriers.Practical applicationsThe results show that using flare barriers should reduce the number of crashes compared to parallel barriers.     

南岳森林土壤的研究-Ⅲ.土壤颗粒组成

本文介绍了南岳森林土壤颗粒组成状况及其与环境间的关系,以及土壤的颗粒组成状况对其理化性质的影响。研究表明,南岳土壤质地主要为粉壤土、面砂土和壤粘土等。土壤质地的差异主要受植被类型、植物生长状况、放牧严重与否的影响,其次是受坡度和气候条件的影响。土壤颗粒组成状况显著地影响土壤的速效磷、速效钾、浸水容重、吸湿率、烧失率、pH值等,对土壤紧实度、有机质、碱解氮也有一定的影响。