Topic
Forest transition
About: Forest transition is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 444 publications have been published within this topic receiving 28111 citations.
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TL;DR: Intensive forestry practiced within subtropical forests resulted in the highest rates of forest change globally, and boreal forest loss due largely to fire and forestry was second to that in the tropics in absolute and proportional terms.
Abstract: Quantification of global forest change has been lacking despite the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services. In this study, Earth observation satellite data were used to map global forest loss (2.3 million square kilometers) and gain (0.8 million square kilometers) from 2000 to 2012 at a spatial resolution of 30 meters. The tropics were the only climate domain to exhibit a trend, with forest loss increasing by 2101 square kilometers per year. Brazil's well-documented reduction in deforestation was offset by increasing forest loss in Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, Bolivia, Zambia, Angola, and elsewhere. Intensive forestry practiced within subtropical forests resulted in the highest rates of forest change globally. Boreal forest loss due largely to fire and forestry was second to that in the tropics in absolute and proportional terms. These results depict a globally consistent and locally relevant record of forest change.
7,890 citations
TL;DR: Forest transitions have occurred in two, sometimes overlapping circumstances: economic development and scarcity of forest products have prompted governments and landowners to plant trees in some fields as mentioned in this paper, and these transitions do little to conserve biodiversity, but they do sequester carbon and conserve soil, so governments should place a high priority on promoting them.
Abstract: Places experience forest transitions when declines in forest cover cease and recoveries in forest cover begin. Forest transitions have occurred in two, sometimes overlapping circumstances. In some places economic development has created enough non-farm jobs to pull farmers off of the land, thereby inducing the spontaneous regeneration of forests in old fields. In other places a scarcity of forest products has prompted governments and landowners to plant trees in some fields. The transitions do little to conserve biodiversity, but they do sequester carbon and conserve soil, so governments should place a high priority on promoting them. C 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1,278 citations
TL;DR: The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 (FRA 2015) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FRA 2015 was based on responses to surveys by individual countries using a common reporting framework, agreed definitions and reporting standards as discussed by the authors.
1,109 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an assessment of proximate drivers of deforestation and forest degradation by synthesizing empirical data reported by countries as part of their REDDC readiness activities, CIFOR country profiles, UNFCCC national communications and scientific literature.
Abstract: Countries are encouraged to identify drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the development of national strategies and action plans for REDDC. In this letter we provide an assessment of proximate drivers of deforestation and forest degradation by synthesizing empirical data reported by countries as part of their REDDC readiness activities, CIFOR country profiles, UNFCCC national communications and scientific literature. Based on deforestation rate and remaining forest cover 100 (sub)tropical non-Annex I countries were grouped into four forest transition phases. Driver data of 46 countries were summarized for each phase and by continent, and were used as a proxy to estimate drivers for the countries with missing data. The deforestation drivers are similar in Africa and Asia, while degradation drivers are more similar in Latin America and Asia. Commercial agriculture is the most important driver of deforestation, followed by subsistence agriculture. Timber extraction and logging drives most of the degradation, followed by fuelwood collection and charcoal production, uncontrolled fire and livestock grazing. The results reflect the most up to date and comprehensive overview of current national-level data availability on drivers, which is expected to improve over time within the frame of the UNFCCC REDDC process.
991 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore whether the sources of land use transitions are mostly endogenous socio-ecological forces or exogenous socio-economic factors, and evaluate the varying ecological quality of expanding forests associated with these pathways.
935 citations