This issue's contributors include: Bill Feidt, Tom Hammett, Tuula Nuutinen, Brita Pajari, Shyam Sundar Shrestha, and Jerry Vanclay. Thanks for sharing folks!
NEW OFFICERS - The Nepal Foresters' Association (NFA), on July 31,1999, had a General Assembly and elected 13 member new executive council as follows: President: Dr. Himmat Singh KC, Vice Precident: Bijaya Raj Paudyal, General Secretary: Dhruba Prasad Acharya, Joint Secretary: Rajendra Kafle Treasurer: Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Joint Treasurer: Bal Ram Adhikari, Members: Shyam Sundar Shrestha, Raja Baral, Krishna Prasad Osti, Ram Prasad Sharma, Gopal Bhakta Mathema, Krishna Datta Bhatta, and Kedar Nath Poudel. Congratulations to all! The address of NFA is: P. O. box 2761, Kathmandu, Nepal. Tel: +977-1-221744 (at present) it may be changed soon. Email: sss@healthnet.org.np
MODELLING MEETING REPORT - Report on the International Seminar and Summer School Forestry Scenario Modelling in Risk Analysis and Management August 5-13, 1999, Joensuu, Finland. The conference was organised by European Forest Institute and Finnish Forest Research Institute, together with the IUFRO working unit 4.02.07 Large-scale forest inventory and scenario modelling. The aims of the meeting were
1) to define the needs for risk analysis and management in forest management planning and policy making from the perspective of different stake-holders (state forestry, forest industry, non-industrial private forest owners, politicians)
2) to introduce different methodologies in risk analysis and management
3) to present some practical applications and demonstrate the applicability of some existing forestry scenario models in risk analysis and management
4) to summarize the role of scenario modelling in risk analysis and management.
A set of selected papers will be published as peer-reviewed review or research articles in Silva Fennica, a quarterly journal of forest science (in English) published by Finnish Society of Forest Science and Finnish Forest Research Institute, see http://www.metla.fi/silvafennica/.
WORLD'S NATURAL FOREST MEETING REPORT - The International Conference on "The World's Natural Forests and Their Role in Global Processes" was held in Khabarovsk, Russia. 15-20 August, 1999. The conference was organized by Federal Services of Russia and USA, International Boreal Forests Research Association (IBFRA), International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP), Russian Branch of World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Far-Eastern Forestry Research Institute, and Administration of Khabarovsk Krai. Nearly 120 scientists from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Russia, Sweden, and USA took part in the work of the conference. The aim of the conference was to encourage and facilitate the interdisciplinary communication among scientists and other professionals working in ecological systems and sustainable development. The conference provided a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent research and management on natural forests and their influences on global processes. Most of the papers focused on the Boreal forests and most of those focused on Russian Boreal Forests. However, some interesting global topics emerged. What is natural (virgin, pristine) and how much human intervention is considered intervention? Does hunting, fishing, berry, mushroom, or fuelwood gathering qualify as human intervention and nullify an area from being labeled as "virgin", "pristine", or "natural?" Are there any forests truly free from human influence? Are humans a part of nature - if so are not our actions then considered natural? If human beings are not considered a part of nature - what are we? If a road or trail runs through a "virgin" forest - is it still "virgin?" What means "protected" and protected from what? Logging? Fire? Insect and disease infestation? Change in general? These and several other subjects were topics of side-bar discussions. A proceedings will be forthcoming and I will announce it in a future FIU. In the meantime, if you are interested in the subject, I can email you a draft copy of the paper I presented - "Forest Classification: a Definitional Quagmire." - Ask for "Quag." This paper is based upon the definitions I collected on old growth, etc. found athttp://home.att.net/~gklund/pristine.heml. Also available upon request is a draft paper that I presented last month in Tanzania - "Off, On, In, Out: Concepts for Inventorying Trees Off Forests." Ask for "Off"- Gyde
NO 3 SEPT FIU. I will be in travel 29 Aug - 7 Sept. So there will be no 3 Sept. FIU. The next issue of FIU will come out on 10 September. Please hold off sending me any email until 7 September. Thanks, Gyde
ROOT BIOMASS - Javier Guerra C is looking for information about methodologies for assessment Root Biomass or for Carbon Sequestration Assessment for forest ecosystems.especially coarse root. If you have information about this topic, please contact Javier directly at: jegcfor@smtp.uach.cl , Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia - CHILE
Moffatt, I.; Hanley, N.; Wilson, M.; Faichney, R. 1999. Measuring and modeling sustainability. A Global Environmental Change Programme Briefing. Program Office, Mantell Building, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK. Tel; +44-161-275-7861. Fax: +44-161-275-7865. Email: geg@sussex.ac.uk. URL: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/gec.
Nagendra, H.;Gadgil, M. 1999. Satellite imagery as a tool for monitoring species diversity: an assessment. Journal of Applied Ecology 36(3):388-397.
Peltzer, D.A. 1999. Measuring plant neighbour effects in different systems. Functional Ecology 13(2):283-284.
Roberts, J.; Hopkins , R.; Morecroft, M. 1999. Towards a predictive description of forest canopies from litter properties. Functional Ecology 13(2):265-272.
Teplyakov, V.K., et al. 1998. A history of Russian forestry and its leaders. 77 p. Contact: Dept. of Natural Resource Sciences and Cooperative Extension, Washington State University, PO Box 646410, Pullman, WA 99164-6410 USA.
Tyrväinen, L.; Tahvanainen, L. 1999. Using computer graphics for assessing the aesthetic value of large-scale rural landscapes. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 14(3):282-288.
The tropical silviculture newsletter is still produced at the end of every second month (even-numbered months, next issue in 2 weeks). It's compiled as an IUFRO 1.07.00 activity at Southern Cross University, and distributed by CIFOR via email (S107@cgnet.com) and by post to those without email. Write to Rita Mustikasari, CIFOR, PO Box 6596 JKPWB, Jakarta 10065, Indonesia if you want to join this mailing list. To subscribe to the email edition, send 'sub S107' to listserv@cgnet.com To contribute, send brief news items to JVanclay@scu.edu.au
Various dates - 20-21, 23-24 September, 29-30 November, 2-3 December 1999. GIS Training. Towson University, Maryland, USA. Contact: CGIS tel: +1-410-830-3887. URLL http://www.towson.edu/cgis/arcview.html.
5 September 1999. Scientific Seminar on The Full Value of Forests to Society. Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. (Reminder) Contact: Ms. Brita Pajari (Brita.Pajari@efi.fi). The seminar will be free to one participant from each EFI member organisation and to invited guests, but there will be a registration fee of 100 EUR (tentative price) for others. The fee for non-EFI members is 120 EUR (tentative price). http://www.efi.fi/events/1999/full_value/
11-15 September 1999. Pioneering New Trails - Society of American Forest National Convention. Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon USA. Contact: Society of American Foresters, 5400 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 USA. Tel: +1-301·897·8720, Fax: +1-301·897·3690. Email: safweb@safnet.org. URL: http://www.safnet.org/calendar/natcon.htm
2-5 November 1999. The CEOS Global Observation of Forest Cover (GOFC) Meeting on Fire Mapping and Monitoring. Joint Reseach Centre, Ispra, Italy. Contact: Frank Ahern - email frank.ahern@ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca.
10-13 November 1999. National and Regional Climate Change Impact Assessments in the Forestry Sector. Hotel Wenddoche near Belzig, Germany. The aims of this workshop are: 1. to provide a forum for the exchange of experience, where working groups in the field of integrated climate impact assessments on forests present results from their respective national or regional research projects. 2. to develop perspectives for research collaboration on integrated climate impact analysis in forests. Further information can be found in http://www.pik-potsdam.de/cp/chief/nima.html
17-18 November 1999. Conference on Measurements and Quantitative Analysis and Management & The 1999 Southern Mensurationists Meeting. Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA. Contact: Chris J. Cieszewski, Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA. Email: biomat@smokey.forestry.uga.edu. Fax: +1-706-542-8169.
3-6 April 2000. VEGETATION - 2000: 2 years of operation to prepare the future. Lake Maggiore - Italy. Contacts: The Secretariat of the International Users Committee, Mr. Gilbert Saint, Email: Gilbert.Saint@cnes.fr; Space Application Institute, Joint Research Centre, Mr. Etienne Bartholomé, Fax +39 03 32 70 61 63. Email: etienne.bartholome@jrc.it. URL: http://sirius-ci.cst.cnes.fr:8080/vgthmpg.html
8-11 May 2000. The Future of the Mediterranean Rural Environment: Prospects for Sustainable Land Use and Management. Menemen, Turkey. Contact: Gill burrows, Cranfield University at Silsoe, Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4DT, UK. Fax: +44-1525-863-344. Email: g.burrows@cranfield.ac.uk.
8-12 May 2000. The Role of Boreal Forest and Forestry in the Global Carbon Budget. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Call for papers open until 1 November 1999. Contact: Carbon Conference Coordinator, 5320-122 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6H 3S5. Fax: +1-780-435-7365. Email: carbon@nofc.forestry.ca. URL: http://www.nofc.forestry.ca/carbon.
15 May-3 June 2000. Issues in World Forestry and Forest Products: A Tropical Study Program in Nicaragua. Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua, and Gamboa, Panama. For further information and application details, please contact: Dr. A. L. Hammett, Coordinator of International Programs, College of Natural Resources, 210 Cheatham Hall (mail code 0323), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA. Phone:+1-540-231-2716; FAX: +1-540-231-8176; E-mail: himal@vt.edu; URL: http://www.cyber.vt.edu/wd3784nic/
22-26 May 2000. ASPRS: the Imaging and Geospatial Information Society. 2000 Annual Conference. Washington, DC, USA. Contact: ASPRS, Tel:+ 1-410-208-2855. Fax: +1-410-641-8341. Email: wboge@aol.com. URL: http://www.asprs.rog/dc2000.
25-30 June 2000. Multipurpose Management of Mountain Forests: Concepts, Methods, Techniques. Pralognan-la-Vanoise, France. Call for papers open until 15 September 1999. Contact: Gérard BUTTOUD, ENGREF, 14 rue Girardet, F - 54042 NANCY, France ; fax : +33-383370645 ; e-mail : buttoud@nancy-engref.inra.fr
17-21 August 2000. 5th International Symposium on Environmental Geotechnology and Global Sustainable Develoopment. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Conatct: Symposium Secretary, Dept. de Engenharia de Transportes e Geotecnia, Escola de Engenharia da Universidade ederal de Minas gerais, Avenida do Contoro, 842 sala 104, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 30 110-060, Brazil. Tel: +55-31-238-1742. Fax: +55-31-238-1793. Email: cassia@etg.ufmg.br. URL: http://5ieggsd.eng.ufmg.br.
21-25 August 2000. Workshop on Disturbance Dynamics in Boreal Forests. Kuhmo, Finland. Contact: Workshop on Disturbance Dynamics, Department of Forest Ecology, P.O. Box 24, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. Email: DIST2000@Helsinki.fi, Fax +358-9-1917605
How to Create a Forest/Tree Geographic Information System - http://forests.org/danetree/forestgis.htm#mapchar
Vegetation Resources Inventory Photo Interpretation Procedures - http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/RIC/Pubs/teVeg/VRI-photointerp/index.htm
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Data Distribution Centre. Providing Climate Change and Related Scenarios for Impacts Assessments. http://ipcc-ddc.cru.uea.ac.uk/
Southeast Asia Land Use and Cover Change - http://www.start.or.th/LUCC/
Some remote sensing/GIS links
http://www.gis.umn.edu/rsgisinfo/lists.html
http://ecoblaster.anu.edu.au/gis.html
http://www.specsci.com/gis_resource/geolinks.html
http://silva.snr.missouri.edu/gis.html
http://www.vtt.fi/aut/ava/rs/virtual/organizations.html
As always, please share as appropriate. See you in the next FIU on 10 September. Thanks, Gyde