Hassan Camil David

Forest harvest scheduling plan integrated to the road network.

In industrial forest plantations, the spatial distribution of management units for harvest scheduling influences the timber production cost and the non-renewable resources consumption, due to issues related to transport logistic. In this context, this research aimed to formulate Integer Linear Programming (ILP) by means of the application of Floyd-Warshall network optimization algorithm to generate timber production routes, minimizing the production costs resulting from harvest activities and forest road maintenance. Then, scenarios were simulated considering different minimal harvest ages for Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. stands. The planning horizon was five years with annual periodicity. The study area was 23,330 hectares of forests, located in Parana state (southern Brazil). We compared the simulated scenarios according to the following parameter indicators: harvest income, building road network and the production unit cost. The decreasing of the minimal harvest age reduces the mean production of management units scheduled to be harvested, in other hand, it requires fewer roads to be built, and consequently increases the production unit cost. The solutions obtained by using ILP models presented an optimality gap lower than 0.1%.

Sustainable Management of Eremanthus erythropappus in Minas Gerais, Brazil – A Review

We reviewed key studies published so far regarding Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish (Candeia), in order to approach the sustainable management of this species. The objective of this study was to discuss what is already known by the scientific community, presenting the current scenario and outlining the main challenges that still need to be addressed. Candeia is a tree species found in some Brazilian states, being used in the production of fence posts, and essential oils. It aids in the preservation and restoration of natural areas when properly managed, promoting social development through the creation of jobs and economic growth, due to the current high demand and market value for its products. Due to the high value of its timber, there is a strong anthropic pressure on this species, and it has consequently been exploited in an unsustainable manner. However, already published research suggests that well-managed stands of Eremanthus erythropappus can be economically feasible.

INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT FOR OPTIMIZING THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH-VALUE LOGS OF PINE FORESTS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

The best decision-making is a difficult task in forest management because it involves a large number of market and production variables. We simulated growth and yield of loblolly pine in high-quality sites, aiming to indicate thinning regimes and planting densities that maximize the production of large diameter logs (minor diameter >35 cm), as well as economically evaluating such regimes. We used the software OpTimber-LP for forest optimization problems. Simulations involved four planting densities (1,111; 1,600; 2,000; and 2,500 plants/ha); three thinnings with different weights, frequencies and ages of application; and clear cut at 25 years. Such combinations totalized in 2,916 simulated regimes. We calculated ANPV considering variations in interest rates, besides costs of production and returns resulting from thinnings and from clear cut. The findings indicated great productions of large diameter logs in regimes with low planting densities. Heavy thinnings (60% removal of trees) highlighted by being ideal to almost all thinnings, mainly in regimes with densities of 2,000 and 2,500 plants/ha. This intensity also was ideal to the first thinning, regardless the planting density. The most productive regimes presented large diameter log volumes ranging from 480 to 260 m³/ha, for regimes with 1,111 and 2,500 plants/ha, respectively. ANPV ranged from ~1.300 to ~2.100 R

Efeito da Qualidade do Sítio e do Desbaste na Produção de Pinus

/ha. As conclusion, less dense regimes provide largest productions in large diameter log, but lowest productions in total volume; as consequence, ANPV was larger in denser regimes, once the revenue obtained from high-value logs did not overcome that one obtained from finer (and consequently cheaper) logs. High-density regimes may produce less timber volume due to only one improper thinning, whereas low-density stands may have production really affected when are subjected to consecutive improper thinnings.

Efeito do Desbaste e da Qualidade do Sítio na Relação Hipsométrica de Pinus taeda

An experiment in Pinus taeda stands was conducted aiming to evaluate the effect of thinnings and forest site quality on basal area (G), total volume, stem volume (v) and assortment of Pinus taeda. Thinnings occurred between 8 and 9 years old, where the fifth row plus 66%, 54%, 42%, 30% e 19% of the existing trees was cut. Thinnings were followed by measurement of diameters and along the stem to calculate its volume. An analysis of variance in randomized blocks was made adopting the sites as blocks and the mixed thinnings as treatments. Volumetric relation was modeled for the plots and from this, log assortments could be estimated using a software named SISPINUS. In conclusion, thinning affect the volumetric relation especially to larger trees, while its inclination curve reduces from richest sites to poorest sites. Sites exert greater effect than thinnings when considering basal area, total volume, boles volume and volume per assortment.

STRATEGIES FOR STEM MEASUREMENT SAMPLING: A STATISTICAL APPROACH OF MODELLING INDIVIDUAL TREE VOLUME

An experiment in pine (Pinus taeda) stands was conducted aiming to evaluate the thinning and site quality effect on the height-diameter relationship. We applied an analysis of variance in randomized blocks, with blocks representing the sites and treatments the mixed thinning, in which systematic and selective modalities were combined, harvesting every fifth row plus 66%, 54%, 42%, 30% and 19% of the lower canopy trees. Thinnings occurred at 8 and 9 years old interval, and diameters and heights of the trees were measured at age 12. We modeled height-diameter relationship and applied the Graybill test for reducing the number of similar selected models in a same block. We found statistical differences between treatments and blocks. As conclusion, height-diameter relationship varies less between treatments but the curve slope tends to reduce in lower quality sites. Same height-diameter equations can be used in different treatments.

Mapping of sites in forest stands

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar diferentes criterios para amostragem de fustes para medicao e identificar o criterio mais adequado para a modelagem do volume de arvore individual. Os dados foram coletados em povoamentos de eucalipto com idade entre 58 e 65 meses. O modelo de Schumacher-Hall foi aplicado em cinco criterios de amostragem, com nove variacoes (45 no total): 1) numero de arvores por classe diametrica, sendo (a) numero fixo, (b) proporcional a distribuicao do diâmetro amostral, ou (c) proporcional ao desvio padrao da amostra; 2) tamanho da amplitude da classe diametrica, que variou de 1,0 a 5,0 cm. As equacoes geradas em cada criterio foram usadas para estimar o volume de fuste de arvores reservadas para validacao. Isso permitiu calcular erros padroes da estimativa para esse conjunto de dados. Alem disso, os residuos das estimativas de volume foram examinados por meio de testes estatisticos para vies, autocorrelacao e heteroscedasticidade. Os resultados mostraram melhores performances de equacoes de volume usando menores amplitudes. Nao houve uma clara tendencia em aumentar/reduzir a autocorrelacao e/ou heteroscedasticidade dos residuos. Aquelas amostragens com proporcao a frequencia da classe diametrica apresentaram as melhores performances, inclusive usando apenas 36 arvores. Aquelas cuja escolha de arvores foi proporcional ao desvio padrao tiveram os piores resultados. Como conclusao, a selecao proporcional a frequencia da classe diametrica, sob condicao de amostrar pelo menos duas arvores por classe, fornece modelos estatisticamente superiores aos demais quanto aos criterios sugeridos no estudo.

Relações dendrométricas em fragmentos de povoamentos de pinus, em Minas Gerais

Generally, the forest companies use the total one year planting area as a minimum stratum of the total population and, consequently, the forest inventory processing has been conducted by applying the stratified random sampling to it. This study was carried out in the National Forest of Tres Barras, Brazil, and it aimed to classify and map the sites of Pinus elliottii stands. A systematic sampling was structured into clusters and applied independently by compartments. The clusters, in maltese cross, were composed of four sampling subunits, using Prodan sampling method with a fixed number of six trees. By analysis of the methodology it was possible to confirm the hypothesis: a) the selective thinning cause expressive increase of volumetric variability within compartments; b) the variation of sites within the compartments causes volumetric expansion of variance and this grows proportionally to the quality of the sites; c) the stratification in sites results in minimum variance within them; d) the stratification in sites resulted in until to 91% reduction of variances within them.