Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Sandra Notaro Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics and Management, University of Trento, Trento, Italy Author-Name: Elisabetta Lovera Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics and Management, University of Trento, Trento, Italy Author-Name: Alessandro Paletto Author-Workplace-Name: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Trento, Italy Title: Behaviours and attitudes of consumers towards bioplastics: An exploratory study in Italy Abstract: Bio-based and biodegradable plastics produced from wood residues can have a positive impact on the environment by replacing conventional plastics. However, the current bioplastics market is held back by a lack of available information and weak marketing activities aimed at final consumers. To increase the available information, the present study investigated the consumers' attitudes and behaviours towards bioplastic products. A web-based survey was conducted on a sample of potential consumers in Italy. 1 115 consumers filled out the questionnaire with a dropout rate in compilation of 14%. The results showed that the environmental characteristics of bioplastics (lower impact on climate change and renewable sources used to produce them) are considered more important by respondents than the non-environmental characteristics (technical properties, origin of raw material, potential trade-off between bioplastics and food production). The results highlighted that the most important behavioural factor is the purchase intentions, followed by control of perceived cost and subjective norm. It is interesting to emphasize that the cost of bioplastics compared to conventional plastics is a key variable in the choices of many Italian consumers. The results provided can be useful to the manufacturing industries to better understand the consumers' attitudes towards bioplastics. Keywords: bio-based plastics, biodegradable plastics, innovative forest-based products, theory of planned behaviour, wood residues Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 121-135 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/26/2022-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/26/2022-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202204-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:26-2022-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mihert Semere Author-Name: Abirham Cherinet Author-Workplace-Name: Climate Science Research, Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Author-Name: Martha Gebreyesus Author-Workplace-Name: Climate Science Research, Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Title: Climate resilient traditional agroforestry systems in Silite district, Southern Ethiopia Abstract: Agroforestry is recognized as one of the strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation under the Kyoto protocol. The system has been practiced in Ethiopia for a while by smallholder farmers by incorporating crops with trees providing extensive socio-economic and environmental benefits. This unaccounted benefit of the system needs further and specific study. Thus, this study aimed to examine the resilience of three (homegardens, woodlots, and parkland) traditional agroforestry systems (TAFS) on the basis of biomass carbon accumulation and socio-economic characteristics in Silite district, Southern Ethiopia. Systematic random sampling was employed to collect social and biological data. Height and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured to determine the biomass carbon stock and a questionnaire was performed for the socio-economic data. The mean differences across the system were analyzed using a post hoc test. Socioeconomic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. Climate change awareness was perceived almost by half of the respondents, thus the contribution of TAFS to climate change adaptation and mitigation was revealed socio-economically and ecologically. Carbon stock and socio-economic benefits gained from agroforestry systems consist in a great sink of carbon and food security. Keywords: adaptation, biomass carbon stock, climate change, mitigation Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 136-144 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/151/2021-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/151/2021-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202204-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:151-2021-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mahdiyeh Nezhadgholam-Zardroodi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Guilan, Iran Author-Name: Hassan Pourbabaei Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Guilan, Iran Author-Name: Mehrdad Ghodskhah-Daryaei Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Guilan, Iran Author-Name: Ali Salehi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Guilan, Iran Author-Name: Shahram Enayati-Charvadeh Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Natural Disaster Management, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Author-Name: Jamshid Eslamdoust Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Title: Vegetation dynamics and soil properties following low-intensity wildfire in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) planted forest in Northern Iran Abstract: Vegetation dynamics, soil properties, and the correlation between them following a wildfire are crucial to understanding the recovery of forest (natural or planted forest) ecosystems. We compared species composition and soil properties in two burned (Br) and unburned (UBr) sites of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stand in Northern Iran. We detected 39 plant species including 22 (56.4%) species that were common in both sites, 13 (33.3%) species specifically in the Br site, and 4 (10.3%) species specifically in the UBr site. Although species abundance was significantly higher in the UBr site, species richness was significantly higher in the Br site. Species composition was significantly different (F = 16.25, P-value = 0.001) between Br and UBr sites. Rarefaction-extrapolation revealed consistently and significantly higher species diversity in Br site compared to UBr site for all three Hill numbers. Only sand (t = 2.23, P-value = 0.030), pH (t = 2.44, P-value = 0.018) and electrical coductivity (t = 2.98, P-value = 0.004) were significantly higher (P-value ≤ 0.05) in the Br site due to the demobilization of base cations in burnt vegetation. In the Br site, the wildfire did not cause any marked changes in C and N stocks. Keywords: forest management, ground flora, litter thickness, soil organic matter, species composition Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 145-155 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/16/2022-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/16/2022-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202204-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:16-2022-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Michal Pástor Author-Workplace-Name: Forest Research Institute, National Forest Centre, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Jaroslav Jankovič Author-Workplace-Name: Forest Research Institute, National Forest Centre, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Martin Belko Author-Workplace-Name: Forest Research Institute, National Forest Centre, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Juraj Modranský Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Title: Evaluation of selected growth parameters of Paulownia cotevisa plantation in the Danubian Lowland Abstract: The main objective of this study was to assess the growth of the established Paulownia cotevisa plantation during an extended time period and compare it with values reviewed in the literature. Seven years after planting, mean diameter at breast height and height of the aboveground part of P. cotevisa 2® (P. cotevisa) plantation were similar to values reported in the literature and they reached 21.5 cm and 11.2 m, respectively. Besides the crown damage caused by wind, development of the P. cotevisa plantation established in the Danubian Lowland was not affected by any other harmful environmental factor or biological pest. The results suggest that P. cotevisa could be used to a larger extent in diversification of biomass production on abandoned arable lands of the Danubian Lowland. Keywords: agroforestry systems, arable lands, biomass production, fast-growing tree species Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 156-162 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/155/2021-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/155/2021-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202204-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:155-2021-JFS