Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zigmārs Rendenieks Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia Author-Name: Līga Liepa Author-Workplace-Name: Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava, Salaspils, Latvia Title: Three scenarios for tree species composition and stand age in new and permanent forest areas: A case study of Latvia Abstract: Land abandonment and the emergence of new forest areas create novel dynamics for forest ecosystems and landscapes. Modelling is often used to forecast tree species composition, age group distribution and spatial patterns in the future. The aim of this study was to develop three scenarios for changes in tree species composition, stand age distribution and spatial patterns of new forest areas and permanent forests using Latvia as a case study. We selected 19 study areas of the size 10 km × 10 km to sample the variety of forest cover patterns, tree species, and stand age. Using GIS tools, we developed three scenarios: baseline, commercial and conservation. Results showed that the conservation scenario resulted in the most even-aged group distribution. Scenarios predicted the increase of Picea abies area (reaching 29.3% in permanent forests and even 45.7% in new forests) and the reduction of Pinus sylvestris in most cases. Changes in the median patch area were the best indicator for evaluation of different scenarios with the largest patches of new forest areas for the conservation scenario (1.92 ± 1.23 ha). The existing structural and compositional integrity of sampled forest landscapes was best retained under the baseline and conservation scenarios, while the commercial scenario indicated more fragmented forest landscapes in the future. Keywords: forest harvesting, forest management, geographic information systems, landscape metrics Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 438-450 Volume: 69 Issue: 10 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/25/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/25/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202310-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:10:id:25-2023-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Klára Báliková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Natacha Jesus-Silva Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics and Management, Portucalense University, Porto, Portugal Author-Name: Noémia Bessa Vilela Author-Workplace-Name: OPHIZ, Inštitut pravnih znanosti, raziskave in razvoj na področju prava, Maribor, Slovenia Author-Name: Michaela Korená Hillayová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Jaroslav Šálka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic Title: The forest land tax systems in Slovakia and Portugal Abstract: Forests cover almost one half of European land. Therefore, land taxes, including taxes from forests, are essential for a municipality's income. The land tax system is implemented on different levels, mainly nationally and locally. Therefore, many land tax features are settled by federal law, and others differ according to the local tax administrators. The objective of the paper is to compare the current laws and principles and the implementation process of forest land in Slovakia and Portugal. We have selected countries from different geographical areas of Europe. Even though the forest compositions and forest ownership differ, we aimed to identify whether the forest land tax systems can be similar. We analysed the legislation and strategic documents on the national level that helped us to describe the land tax system and its general features (e.g. taxpayer, tax rate, tax base, exemption options, tax period, or penalties). In both countries, the national tax law governs the tax implementation and settles any basic processes related to tax collection. The municipalities have the right to revise both the tax rates and exemptions. The results also show that forest owners in Slovakia have more options for tax exemptions than in Portugal. Keywords: forest property, local government bodies, municipalities, property taxes Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 427-437 Volume: 69 Issue: 10 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/51/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/51/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202310-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:10:id:51-2023-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mohammad Rasoul Nazari Sendi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehe Sara, Iran Author-Name: Iraj Hassanzad Navroodi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehe Sara, Iran Author-Name: Aman Mohammad Kalteh Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehe Sara, Iran Title: Estimation of Fagus orientalis Lipsky height using nonlinear models in Hyrcanian forests, Iran Abstract: Tree height is one of the most important variables in describing forest stand structure. However, due to difficulty in height measurement, especially in dense and mountainous forests, the common approach is to invoke the height-diameter (H-D) models. The oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) is one of the most important species of Hyrcanian forests, over the mid to high-altitudes (400-1 800 m a.s.l.), in northern Iran. In this study, the H-D relationship of beech trees was investigated separately for mid-altitude and high-altitude in Shafaroud forests of Guilan using 14 nonlinear H-D models and an artificial neural network model (ANN). To collect data, a systematic random sampling method within a 100 × 100 m regular randomized grid was applied. In total, 3 243 individual trees in 255 circular plots with 0.1 ha were measured. For comparing the results, performance criteria including root mean square error (RMSE), R2adj, Akaike's information criterion (AIC), and mean absolute error (MAE) were used. In high and mid altitudes, Meyer (1940) and Bates and Watts (1980) models had the best performance, while Watts (1983) model and Burkhart-Strub (1974) model had the worst performance in high-altitude and in mid-altitude, respectively. On the other hand, the ANN model had the best accuracy and performance in both sites. Since the performance of the ANN model is superior and consistent compared to the common nonlinear models, here it is preferred for both regions. Keywords: elevation, height-diameter modelling, neural network, oriental beech, Shafaroud Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 415-426 Volume: 69 Issue: 10 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/93/2022-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/93/2022-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202310-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:10:id:93-2022-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Hana Svobodová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest and Wood Product Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Petra Hlaváčková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest and Wood Product Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Forest as a source of renewable material to reduce the environmental impact of buildings Abstract: Construction sector has high environmental impact throughout entire life cycle of buildings. One way to reduce the impact is to use building materials with the lowest possible environmental impact - such as wood. The use of wood-based building materials can improve the overall environmental balance of buildings. Compared to other materials, wood probably has the best environmental performance. These findings are particularly significant in the context of the environmental and legislative situation in Europe and the Czech Republic and may be one of the reasons for the increasing number of new wood-based buildings. The main reason for the research is to highlight the potential of wood as an ecological renewable material with multiple applications in all sectors of the national economy, especially in the construction industry. This paper aims to deepen the knowledge of the environmental specifications of building materials, especially wood, highlight its benefits and verify that building with natural and eco-friendly materials is less costly with lower environmental impacts. To illustrate the environmental impact of the construction industry, a case study comparing house variants was conducted to find the most suitable combinations of materials in terms of economic, environmental, and social aspects. It was found that from a sustainable development perspective, building with green materials generally means lower environmental impacts measured by e.g. global warming potential and embodied energy. This is particularly evident in the case of wood, which is not only a renewable material with advantageous thermo-technical and construction properties despite its low weight, but also stores carbon as it grows. The findings show that wood in the structure can reduce the cumulative environmental impact of the whole structure. Keywords: circular economy, forestry, eco-design, life cycle assessment, timber supply chain, wood-based construction, wood utilisation Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 451-462 Volume: 69 Issue: 10 Year: 2023 DOI: 10.17221/65/2023-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/65/2023-JFS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202310-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:69:y:2023:i:10:id:65-2023-JFS