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Book Grazing Ecology and Forest History

Download or read book Grazing Ecology and Forest History written by F. W. M. Vera and published by CABI. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the lowlands of Central and Western Europe before man intervened in prehistoric times to develop agriculture. If this intervention had not taken place, the forest would still be there, and if left the grassland vegetation and fields now present would revert to a natural closed forest state, although with a reduced number of wild species. This book, which an updated and expanded version of the author's 1997 thesis (presented to the Wageningen University, Netherlands), challenges the traditional view, using examples from history, pollen analyses and studies on the ecology of tree and shrub species such as oak and hazel. It tests the hypothesis that the climax vegetation is a closed canopy forest, against the alternative hypothesis that species composition and vegetational succession were governed by large herbivores, and that the Central and Western European lowlands were covered by a park-like landscape consisting of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees and groves bordered by a mantle and fringe vegetation. Comparative information from the eastern USA is also included throughout the book (this was not present in the thesis), because the forests there are commonly regarded as being analogous to the primeval vegetation in Europe. The book is arranged in 7 chapters: (1) General introduction and formulation of the problem; (2) Succession, the climax forest and the role of large herbivores; (3) Palynology, the forest as climax in prehistoric times and the effects of humans; (4) The use of the wilderness from the Middle Ages up to 1900; (5) Spontaneous succession in forest reserves in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe - including examples from France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland; (6) Establishment of trees and shrubs in relation to light and grazing; and (7) Final synthesis and conclusions. Twelve appendices are included giving further information, and there are 67 pages of references and a subject index.

Book Trees  Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals

Download or read book Trees Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals written by Ian D. Rotherham and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive book, the critical components of the European landscape – forest, parkland, and other grazed landscapes with trees are addressed. The book considers the history of grazed treed landscapes, of large grazing herbivores in Europe, and the implications of the past in shaping our environment today and in the future. Debates on the types of anciently grazed landscapes in Europe, and what they tell us about past and present ecology, have been especially topical and controversial recently. This treatment brings the current discussions and the latest research to a much wider audience. The book breaks new ground in broadening the scope of wood-pasture and woodland research to address sites and ecologies that have previously been overlooked but which hold potential keys to understanding landscape dynamics. Eminent contributors, including Oliver Rackham and Frans Vera, present a text which addresses the importance of history in understanding the past landscape, and the relevance of historical ecology and landscape studies in providing a future vision.

Book Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems

Download or read book Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems written by R.J. Putman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New Forest in southern England is an area of mixed vegetation set aside as a Royal Hunting Forest in the eleventh century and since that time subjected to heavy grazing pressure from large herbivores. The entire structure of the Forest and its various communities has been developed under this continued history ofheavy grazing, with the estab lishment of a series of vegetational systems unique within the whole of Europe. The effects of large herbivores in the structuring of this eco system in the past, and the pressure of grazing continuing to this day, have in turn a profound influence, indeed the dominating influence, on the whole ecological functioning of the Forest system. Because of its assemblage of unique vegetation types, the area is clearly of tremendous ecological interest in its own right. In addition, its long history of heavy grazing ani the continued intense herbivore pressure make the New Forest an ideal study-site for evaluation of both short-term and long term effects of grazing upon temperate ecosystems. The N ew Forest (some 37,500 ha in total area) currently supports a population of approximately 2,500 wild deer (red, roe, sika and fallow); in addition 3,500 ponies and 2,000 domestic cattle are pastured on the Forest under Common Rights.

Book The Western Range Revisited

    Book Details:
  • Author : Debra L. Donahue
  • Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
  • Release : 1999
  • ISBN : 9780806132983
  • Pages : 404 pages

Download or read book The Western Range Revisited written by Debra L. Donahue and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Livestock grazing is the most widespread commercial use of federal public lands. The image of a herd grazing on Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service lands is so traditional that many view this use as central to the history and culture of the West. Yet the grazing program costs far more to administer than it generates in revenues, and grazing affects all other uses of public lands, causing potentially irreversible damage to native wildlife and vegetation. The Western Range Revisited proposes a landscape-level strategy for conserving native biological diversity on federal rangelands, a strategy based chiefly on removing livestock from large tracts of arid BLM lands in ten western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. Drawing from range ecology, conservation biology, law, and economics, Debra L. Donahue examines the history of federal grazing policy and the current debate on federal multiple-use, sustained-yield policies and changing priorities for our public lands. Donahue, a lawyer and wildlife biologist, uses existing laws and regulations, historical documents, economic statistics, and current scientific thinking to make a strong case for a land-management strategy that has been, until now, "unthinkable." A groundbreaking interdisciplinary work, The Western Range Revisited demonstrates that conserving biodiversity by eliminating or reducing livestock grazing makes economic sense, is ecologically expedient, and can be achieved under current law.

Book U S  Forest Service Grazing and Rangelands

Download or read book U S Forest Service Grazing and Rangelands written by William D. Rowley and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The early luxury of free forage on unclaimed western public domain allowed the building of fortunes in cattle and sheep and offered opportunities to successive waves of settlement. But the western public lands could not last. The range became overgrazed, overstocked, overcrowded. Animals were lost, much range was irreversible damaged, and even violence occurred as cowmen, sheepmen, and settlers competed for the best forage. Congress intervened by designating the U.S. Forest Service as the pioneer grazing control agency. The Forest Service's controls represent not only attempts to protect a resource but also a social experiment designed to prevent the monopolization of rangelands by large outfits and to encourage small enterprises. The Forest Service has become the undisputed leader in bringing order, rationality, and economic use to the range resources under government supervision. The problems and continuing challenges of the task emerge in these pages.

Book The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing

Download or read book The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing written by Iain J. Gordon and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-09-14 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume investigates how large herbivores not only influence the structure and distribution of the vegetation, but also affect nutrient flows and the responses of associated fauna. The mechanisms and processes underlying the herbivores' behavior, distribution, movement and direct impact on the vegetation are discussed in detail. It is shown that an understanding of plant/animal interactions can inform the management of large herbivores to integrate production and conservation in terrestrial systems.

Book Moral Ecology of a Forest

Download or read book Moral Ecology of a Forest written by José E. Martínez-Reyes and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2016-11-29 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forests are alive, filled with rich, biologically complex life forms and the interrelationships of multiple species and materials. Vulnerable to a host of changing conditions in this global era, forests are in peril as never before. New markets in carbon and environmental services attract speculators. In the name of conservation, such speculators attempt to undermine local land control in these desirable areas. Moral Ecology of a Forest provides an ethnographic account of conservation politics, particularly the conflict between Western conservation and Mayan ontological ecology. The difficult interactions of the Maya of central Quintana Roo, Mexico, for example, or the Mayan communities of the Sain Ka’an Biosphere, demonstrate the clashing interests with Western biodiversity conservation initiatives. The conflicts within the forest of Quintana Roo represent the outcome of nature in this global era, where the forces of land grabbing, conservation promotion and organizations, and capitalism vie for control of forests and land. Forests pose living questions. In addition to the ever-thrilling biology of interdependent species, forests raise questions in the sphere of political economy, and thus raise cultural and moral questions. The economic aspects focus on the power dynamics and ideological perspectives over who controls, uses, exploits, or preserves those life forms and landscapes. The cultural and moral issues focus on the symbolic meanings, forms of knowledge, and obligations that people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and classes have constructed in relation to their lands. The Maya Forest of Quintana Roo is a historically disputed place in which these three questions come together.

Book The Practice of Silviculture

Download or read book The Practice of Silviculture written by Mark S. Ashton and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-03-19 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most up-to-date, comprehensive resource on silviculture that covers the range of topics and issues facing today’s foresters and resource professionals The tenth edition of the classic work, The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology, includes the most current information and the results of research on the many issues that are relevant to forests and forestry. The text covers such timely topics as biofuels and intensive timber production, ecosystem and landscape scale management of public lands, ecosystem services, surface drinking water supplies, urban and community greenspace, forest carbon, fire and climate, and much more. In recent years, silvicultural systems have become more sophisticated and complex in application, particularly with a focus on multi-aged silviculture. There have been paradigm shifts toward managing for more complex structures and age-classes for integrated and complementary values including wildlife, water and open space recreation. Extensively revised and updated, this new edition covers a wide range of topics and challenges relevant to the forester or resource professional today. This full-color text offers the most expansive book on silviculture and: Includes a revised and expanded text with clear language and explanations Covers the many cutting-edge resource issues that are relevant to forests and forestry Contains boxes within each chapter to provide greater detail on particular silvicultural treatments and examples of their use Features a completely updated bibliography plus new photographs, tables and figures The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology, Tenth Edition is an invaluable resource for students and professionals in forestry and natural resource management.

Book The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States

Download or read book The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States written by Chris Helzer and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most prairies exist today as fragmented landscapes, making thoughtful and vigilant management ever more important. Intended for landowners and managers dedicated to understanding and nurturing their prairies as well as farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and all those with a strong interest in grasslands, ecologist Chris Helzer’s readable and practical manual educates prairie owners and managers about grassland ecology and gives them guidelines for keeping prairies diverse, vigorous, and viable. Chapters in the first section, "Prairie Ecology," describe prairie plants and the communities they live in, the ways in which disturbance modifies plant communities, the animal and plant inhabitants that are key to prairie survival, and the importance of diversity within plant and animal communities. Chapters in the second section, "Prairie Management," explore the adaptive management process as well as guiding principles for designing management strategies, examples of successful management systems such as fire and grazing, guidance for dealing with birds and other species that have particular habitat requirements and with the invasive species that have become the most serious threat that prairie managers have to deal with, and general techniques for prairie restoration. Following the conclusion and a forward-thinking note on climate change, eight appendixes provide more information on grazing, prescribed fire, and invasive species as well as bibliographic notes, references, and national and state organizations with expertise in prairie management. Grasslands can be found throughout much of North America, and the ideas and strategies in this book apply to most of them, particularly tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies in eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, northwestern Missouri, northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin, and southwestern Minnesota. By presenting all the factors that promote biological diversity and thus enhance prairie communities, then incorporating these factors into a set of clear-sighted management practices, The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States presents the tools necessary to ensure that grasslands are managed in the purposeful ways essential to the continued health and survival of prairie communities.

Book A Brief History of Forestry in Europe

Download or read book A Brief History of Forestry in Europe written by Bernhard Eduard Fernow and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book The Grazing Land Ecosystems of the African Sahel

Download or read book The Grazing Land Ecosystems of the African Sahel written by Henry N. Le Houerou and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 7. 2 The Pilot Zone of the FerIo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 7. 2. 1 Geographical Zoning and Administrative Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 7. 2. 2 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 7. 2. 3 The Substratum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 7. 2. 4 Surface Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 7. 2. 5 Vegetation and Rangelands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 7. 2. 6 Wildlife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 7. 2. 7 Livestock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 7. 2. 8 Evolution of Land Use and History of Development . . . . . . . . 170 7. 3 Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 7. 3. 1 Principles, Problems and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 7. 3. 2 Evaluation of Green Herbaceous Biomass by Orbital Remote Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 7. 3. 3 Evaluation of Range Production from Ground Sampling . . . . 207 7. 3. 4 Low Altitude Systematic Reconnaissance Flights (SRF) . . . . . . 211 7. 3. 5 Practical Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 7. 4 Conclusions on Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 8 General Conclusions: Towards an Ecological Management of the Sahelian Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 of Scientific Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 . . . . . . . . . . . . Index Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 VII Abbreviations and Acronyms AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer CILSS Comite Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Secheresse au Sahel CIPEA Centre International pour l'Elevage en Afrique CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CP Crude Protein (N x 6.

Book The Social Lives of Forests

    Book Details:
  • Author : Susanna B. Hecht
  • Publisher : University of Chicago Press
  • Release : 2014-03-04
  • ISBN : 022602413X
  • Pages : 508 pages

Download or read book The Social Lives of Forests written by Susanna B. Hecht and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forests are in decline, and the threats these outposts of nature face—including deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation—are the result of human culture. Or are they? This volume calls these assumptions into question, revealing forests’ past, present, and future conditions to be the joint products of a host of natural and cultural forces. Moreover, in many cases the coalescence of these forces—from local ecologies to competing knowledge systems—has masked a significant contemporary trend of woodland resurgence, even in the forests of the tropics. Focusing on the history and current use of woodlands from India to the Amazon, The Social Lives of Forests attempts to build a coherent view of forests sited at the nexus of nature, culture, and development. With chapters covering the effects of human activities on succession patterns in now-protected Costa Rican forests; the intersection of gender and knowledge in African shea nut tree markets; and even the unexpectedly rich urban woodlands of Chicago, this book explores forests as places of significant human action, with complex institutions, ecologies, and economies that have transformed these landscapes in the past and continue to shape them today. From rain forests to timber farms, the face of forests—how we define, understand, and maintain them—is changing.

Book The Ecological History of European Forests

Download or read book The Ecological History of European Forests written by K. J. Kirby and published by C A B International. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forest is the natural vegetation of most of Europe. Although the majority has been destroyed by human activity over the centuries, a considerable amount remains and has been managed to varying degrees and for a wide variety of reasons. This has resulted in a large number of natural and semi-natural landscapes and habitat types over the region and a high diversity of plant and animal communities adapted to them. The growing interest in natural history and the environment in recent years has resulted in a greater demand for information on the complex ecological history of European forest. This book is unique in providing wide ranging and detailed case studies on specific aspects, including grazing, management practices and conservation and overviews, from recognized authorities, of the latest research on the ecological history of forests and woodland in Europe. It consists of selected papers given at an international conference of forest historians organized in association with the British Ecological Society and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations at Nottingham University in September 1996. Contributions come from the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Turkey. This book is essential reading for ecologists, conservationists, landscape historians, foresters and geographers. It will also be of interest to advanced students in these areas.

Book Responses of Plant Communities to Grazing in the Southwestern United States

Download or read book Responses of Plant Communities to Grazing in the Southwestern United States written by Daniel G. Milchunas and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Range and Pasture Management

Download or read book Range and Pasture Management written by Arthur William Sampson and published by . This book was released on 1923 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book American Forests

Download or read book American Forests written by Douglas W. MacCleery and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: