This study, initiated by FAO, meets the need to document and establish data on environmentally friendly forest engineering practices. The marked superiority of sophisticated construction equipment and advanced techniques in forest road construction should encourage the adoption of such practices to provide access to the forests by roads in mountainous...

Wood production and exportation has long been a Chilean tradition. With sustained forestry growth over the past two decades, in 1990 Chile had an output of nearly 12 million m3 of wood, 90 percent of which was from Pinus radiata plantations. This has led to a corresponding rise in employment,...

This book summarizes some of the experiences acquired in Chile in more of 20 years of study to improve the working and living environment of forest workers. The studies undertaken in the first six years after the founding of the Laboratory of Ergonomics were devoted to understanding the physical characteristics’ of...

The aims of this research were to verify previous studies and to extend the analysis on how tree planting work affects workers health. To do this, objective serial sampling was carried out of several physiological and biochemical parameters indicative of stress and breakdown in the worker. The investigation focused on: comparing...

This article discusses ergonomics research related to forest harvesting in the southeastern United States. The activities were sponsored by the United States Forest Service's Southern Forest Experiment Station between 1980 and 1992. Parallels in prevailing environmental conditions between the southern United States and areas of the humid tropics make many...

Basic principles for the design of protected area networks are well established in the scientific literature. However, the application of generically-defined concepts to a specific landscape, such as the boreal forest, is not a simple matter. In some cases considerable effort will be required in adapting concepts to the boreal...

The document presents: (1) methods for estimating biomass density of tropical forests or tree formations using existing data, (2) examples of calculations on how the different methodologies are used, (3) describe primary data and measurement requirements, (4) present biomass density estimates for many tropical countries using the methods given....

There is a high level of interest in measuring the quantity of carbon in tropical forests as a result of the development of initiatives such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), that aim to provide funding for achieving the preservation of these ecosystems. Ground-based forest inventories remain an...

In southwest Ethiopia, an ambitious program restores degraded forest areas (2700 hectares), while helping local communities with carbon credit funds.

This study provides a framework for evaluating protected area planning processes based on best practices criteria. The 35 criteria are divided into three categories: process (13 criteria), outcome (9 criteria), and implementation (13 criteria). The methodology is illustrated by a case study evaluation of the protected area planning process in...