Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pau Brunet-Navarro, Hubert Jochheim, Giuseppe Cardellini, Klaus Richter, Bart Muys
Summary: The study estimated the climate change mitigation effect under different scenarios of wood products use, finding that the mitigation effect from material substitution will decrease as the share of renewables increases, eventually disappearing by the end of the century. However, the mitigation effect of wood product use still contributes to a portion of the European emission reduction targets by 2030.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elias Hurmekoski, Janni Kunttu, Tero Heinonen, Timo Pukkala, Heli Peltola
Summary: Wood use is expanding to new markets in order to replace fossil-intensive products and energy, which can contribute to climate change mitigation. However, the actual mitigation potential depends on various factors such as net fossil and biogenic emissions, market assumptions, and the realism of scenarios. This study focuses on assessing the avoided fossil emissions attributed to changes in wood use and estimating the additional mitigation potential of increased wood use in construction and textile markets. The results show that, compared to baseline, an increase in the market share of wood leads to an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration by 2050, indicating that wood substitution impacts are not sufficient to compensate for forest carbon sinks reduction.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Christopher S. Malley, Elsa N. Lefevre, Johan C. Kuylenstierna, Seraphine Haeussling, Ioli C. Howard, Nathan Borgford-Parnell
Summary: This study evaluates the inclusion of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) and air pollutant mitigation in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted between 2015 and 2022. The study finds that there has been a significant increase in attention to SLCPs and air pollution in post-2020 NDCs, with more countries including explicit reduction targets for methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons. There has also been a rise in the number of specific mitigation measures included in NDCs, indicating a greater focus on reducing SLCPs and co-emitted air pollutants. These findings highlight the importance of integrating SLCP and air pollution mitigation into climate change policies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fei Shi, Yiyong Luo, Renhao Wu, Qinghua Yang, Ruiyi Chen, Chuanyin Wang, Yichen Lin, Dake Chen
Summary: Mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean play a significant role in the transport of heat, carbon, and nutrients. The intensity of the Southern Ocean eddy field has been increasing in recent decades, mainly driven by long-lived eddies. However, short-lived eddies do not show a significant trend in their amplitudes. The increased baroclinic instabilities associated with topography are responsible for the amplitude increase of long-lived eddies.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Elias Hurmekoski, Carolyn E. Smyth, Tobias Stern, Pieter Johannes Verkerk, Raphael Asada
Summary: Wood-based products typically have lower fossil-based emissions over their lifecycle compared to functionally equivalent products made from other materials. However, quantifying the potential impact of large-scale material substitution at the market level remains challenging. Studies show that using wood as a substitute for other materials can reduce emissions, but the specific values are influenced by assumptions and system boundaries, limiting their generalizability.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Pete Smith, Almut Arneth, David K. A. Barnes, Kazuhito Ichii, Pablo A. Marquet, Alex Popp, Hans-Otto Poertner, Alex D. Rogers, Robert J. Scholes, Bernardo Strassburg, Jainguo Wu, Hein Ngo
Summary: Protecting, restoring, managing and creating ecosystems can have co-benefits for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, but not all climate mitigation strategies are equally effective at producing positive biodiversity outcomes. Social implications should also be given more consideration in the climate-biodiversity nexus.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Courtney R. Shuert, Marianne Marcoux, Nigel E. Hussey, Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen, Rune Dietz, Marie Auger-Methe
Summary: This study provides evidence of significant delays in the timing of narwhal autumn migrations and suggests that narwhals are adopting strategic migration tactics in response to climate change. Male narwhals lead the migration out of the summering areas, while females with dependent young depart later. The time spent in summer areas is increasing at a similar rate to climate-driven sea ice loss.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elias Hurmekoski, Juulia Suuronen, Lassi Ahlvik, Janni Kunttu, Tanja Myllyviita
Summary: Wood products are often assumed to fully substitute non-wood products in order to estimate the avoided fossil emissions. However, this study suggests that substitution rarely occurs on a one-to-one basis, and wood products can also substitute for each other. The study outlines a systematic procedure to approximate the rate of substitution between wood and non-wood products based on economic theory. The results indicate that regenerated cellulosic fibers are not perfect substitutes for synthetic fibers in textile markets, which has implications for the overall fossil emissions.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biology
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Davide Ascoli, Michal Bogdziewicz, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian S. Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano
Summary: Populations of long-lived plants exhibit spatially synchronized seed production that varies extensively over time, which is known as "masting" and has significant implications for plant reproductive success, ecosystem dynamics, and plant-human interactions. While mechanistic drivers and fitness consequences of masting have been well studied, the evolutionary history, ontogenetic trajectory, and applications to plant-human interactions are still poorly understood. With increased availability of long-term datasets and advances in molecular approaches, many mysteries of masting are expected to be unraveled soon.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiqi Zheng, Nadine Unger
Summary: Global air pollution and climate change are major threats to planetary health, with short-lived climate forcers playing a significant role. Global emission reductions are crucial for protecting the Earth's environment, with agriculture and domestic sectors being prioritized for achieving climate and health co-benefits.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eva Kiraly, Gabor Kis-Kovacs, Zoltan Borcsok, Zoltan Kocsis, Gabor Nemeth, Andras Polgar, Attila Borovics
Summary: In this study, the carbon storage and emissions of a hypothetical manufacturer's particleboard production in 2020 were examined under different scenarios. The aim was to identify the most climate-friendly practices related to HWP production and waste management. The results showed that a combined scenario with bundled mitigation activities had the largest potential for emission reduction, with increased recycling rates having the largest mitigation effect.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eun-Kyung Jang, Yeo-Chang Youn
Summary: Many countries, including South Korea, have decided to suspend the inclusion of harvested wood products in their Nationally Determined Contributions. The accuracy of carbon accounting and conformity with policy direction are crucial when including harvested wood products in national greenhouse gases inventory. The study compared Tier 2 and Tier 3 accounting methods for carbon storage, revealing significant differences and the possibility of overestimating carbon storage using Tier 2 method in net timber-importing countries like South Korea.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Morten Simonsen, O. Janne Kjonaas, Carlo Aall
Summary: Forest management plays a crucial role in greenhouse gas mitigation by representing carbon pools and enabling wood-based products to substitute fossil-intensive products. This paper analyses the theoretical GHG effects of replacing common non-wood products with wood-based products of different technology options. The study shows that the choice of substitution product is a key factor in determining the final substitution effects, and transportation has a significant impact on emissions. Informed decision-making related to the choice of substitution products is important in reducing CO2 emissions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Janis Vuguls, Stefanija Dubra, Anete Garanca, Daiga Zute, Aris Jansons
Summary: Forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by utilizing harvested wood products to extend the carbon cycle and prevent new fossil emission through substitution. A study compared different management strategies of birch spruce mixed stands over eight years and found that managed stands, through final harvest and retention, contributed more to climate change mitigation compared to unmanaged stands with prolonged rotation. The assortment structure of wood products also plays an important role in carbon balance, emphasizing the benefit of longer-lasting wood products in climate change mitigation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gianluca Piovesan, Angelo Rita, Franco Biondi, Michele Baliva, Marco Borghetti, Michele Brunetti, Giuseppe De Vivo, Alfredo Di Filippo, Anna Dinella, Tiziana Gentilesca, Maurizio Maugeri, Jordan Palli, Andrea Piotti, Emanuele Presutti Saba, Francesco Ripullone, Aldo Schettino, GiovanniG. Vendramin
Summary: We investigated the dendroclimatic response of a Pinus heldreichii metapopulation in the southern Italian Apennines, and found that wood growth along an elevational gradient is non-linearly related to air temperature. Through three years of fieldwork, we collected wood cores from 214 pine trees and used a combination of tree-ring and genetic methods to reveal factors involved in growth acclimation. Our study revealed a divergent growth response between the top and the bottom of the elevation gradient, with increased tree growth in the upper subalpine belt and a positive link between pine growth and April mean temperature at all elevations.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Kathleen Coupland, Juliana Magalhaes, Verena C. Griess
Summary: Applied educational opportunities in forestry undergraduate curricula are critical for students to gain hands-on experience and real-world skills. Local urban forests provide an ideal setting for teaching, reducing time, costs, and logistics. Connecting forestry learning objectives with urban forest types helps identify key locations for effective forestry education.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Brennan A. McLachlan, G. Cornelis van Kooten
Summary: Based on the findings, Canada has the potential to become a major exporter of dairy products and benefit from free trade if supply management is eliminated. However, under a high-cost scenario, producers earn less and only domestic consumers benefit from lower prices.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS-REVUE CANADIENNE D AGROECONOMIE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Salar Ghotb, Taraneh Sowlati, Joel Mortyn, Dominik Roeser, Verena C. Griess
Summary: This paper develops a bi-objective mixed-integer programming model to optimize log logistics, taking into account operational details such as sorting decisions, truck compatibility requirements, and social objectives. The model aims to minimize total logistics costs and provide a balanced workload for trucking contractors. The results show that the model generates balanced workloads for contractors with less than a 0.4% increase in total costs compared to a single objective model.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vahid Nasiri, Ali Asghar Darvishsefat, Hossein Arefi, Verena C. Griess, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, Stelian Alexandru Borz
Summary: This study successfully modeled forest canopy cover in the Hyrcanian mixed temperate forest in Northern Iran using a combination of Sentinel-2 data, high-resolution aerial images, and machine learning algorithms. The results showed that vegetation indices were the most important predictors in the models, and the random forest algorithm performed the best while the elastic net algorithm performed the worst in terms of model performance.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Vahid Nasiri, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, Fardin Moradi, Samaneh Afshari, Azade Deljouei, Verena C. Griess, Carmen Maftei, Stelian Alexandru Borz
Summary: This study examines the potential of integrating Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data to map forest canopy cover in the Mediterranean oak forests of western Iran. The study finds that SVM produces the highest accuracy in mapping forest canopy cover, and the use of a three-year dataset improves the classification ability of all machine learning models.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Rohit Arora, Taraneh Sowlati, Joel Mortyn, Dominik Roeser, Verena C. Griess
Summary: A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed in this paper to optimize the scheduling of harvesting activities, considering the precedence relationship among activities. The objective is to minimize the total costs by determining the start and end time of each activity at each cut block while considering machine movement time. The model is applied to a case study of a large forest company in British Columbia, Canada, with the result of a harvesting cost only 1.37% higher than the lowest possible cost and only 3 idle machines. A detailed harvesting schedule is generated based on the start and end time and operating time of each activity at each cut block.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOREST ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Martin Queinnec, Nicholas C. Coops, Joanne C. White, Verena C. Griess, Naomi B. Schwartz, Grant McCartney
Summary: In this study, dominant species groups in a large boreal forest were mapped by combining area-based and individual tree metrics derived from LiDAR data with multispectral information from Sentinel-2 imagery. The study found that variables such as reflectance in the red edge region, tree crown area and volume, and cumulative distribution of LiDAR returns in the canopy were important for discriminating between species groups.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kathleen Coupland, David Hamilton, Verena Griess
Summary: This research demonstrates how the combination of high-resolution LiDAR data and historical aerial photos can overcome challenges in assessing long-term tree canopy cover changes. The methods outlined in this study are suitable for detecting small-scale canopy changes over long time frames when inconsistent data types are available between the two time periods.
Article
Forestry
Rebecca Zanello, Yin Shi, Atefeh Zeinolebadi, G. Cornelis van Kooten
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant increase in the price of softwood lumber in the United States, with over 300% change between 2020 and 2022. The higher volatility of lumber prices after the COVID-19 outbreak remains unexplained. In this paper, the authors use a calibrated random walk and an event model to study the impact of COVID-19 and other events on the price of softwood lumber, finding that the price volatility is not completely random and can be attributed to recent regional and global events. While COVID-19 did lead to a price jump, it was smaller than a rainfall event that restricted imports from Canada, and import duties and trade actions had no observable impact on U.S. lumber prices.
Article
Ecology
Federico Lingua, Nicholas C. Coops, Verena C. Griess
Summary: This study demonstrates the importance of using geotagged images shared on social media to evaluate cultural ecosystem services (CES) in CES research. By automating the image classification process using deep learning technology and combining it with image metadata, researchers assessed the value of recreational ecosystem services provided by parks.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Xuan Liu, G. Cornelis van Kooten, Eric Martin Gerbrandt, Jun Duan
Summary: This study investigates whether an index-based weather insurance can replace traditional crop yield insurance for mitigating farmers' financial risks. The findings suggest that blueberry growers are unwilling to pay for the insurance without large government subsidies.
AGRICULTURAL FINANCE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mirela Beloiu, Lucca Heinzmann, Nataliia Rehush, Arthur Gessler, Verena C. Griess
Summary: The study successfully used the Convolutional Neural Network algorithm, Faster R-CNN, and open-source aerial RGB imagery to geolocate and identify four tree species in heterogeneous forests. The average detection accuracy of single-species models was 0.76, and the accuracy increased in multi-species models. The performance of the models was mainly influenced by forest stand structure.
Article
Remote Sensing
Vahid Nasiri, Mirela Beloiu, Ali Asghar Darvishsefat, Verena C. Griess, Carmen Maftei, Lars T. Waser
Summary: Tree species composition (TSC) is important for forest planning, biodiversity conservation, and forest resources management, but accurate information is lacking, especially for mixed forests and remote areas. This study develops a robust method for mapping TSC in a mixed temperate forest, using satellite time series, spectral-temporal features, and machine learning algorithms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
A. Murtiyoso, H. Hristova, N. Rehush, V. C. Griess
Summary: This paper explores a low-cost alternative for under-storey vegetation mapping in forestry using low-cost cameras and spherical photogrammetric principles. The results show that despite the low point cloud density, the low-cost cameras can generate point clouds with similar geometric quality as high-cost devices, albeit with more noise.
7TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP LOWCOST 3D - SENSORS, ALGORITHMS, APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
C. R. Fol, A. Murtiyoso, V. C. Griess
Summary: This paper introduces a novel approach using virtual reality technology to extract biodiversity information from 3D point clouds acquired in the field. By developing a VR labeling application, forest point clouds can be visualized and various biodiversity components, such as mosses, lichens, and bark pockets on tree stems, can be segmented.
7TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP LOWCOST 3D - SENSORS, ALGORITHMS, APPLICATIONS
(2022)
