A new perspective on measuring the change associated with landscape conditions, when projected through forest plans, is presented. Traditionally, results of forest plans have consisted of various measures of the net amount (or change) of landscape conditions, such as suitable wildlife habitat. Numerous examples exist of how the net amount of habitat has been used as either an objective or a constraint in forest planning. Here, methods are presented to measure the transition of a landscape condition in terms familiar to those used in the modeling of the growth and yield of forests. The measures include the net change, the gross increment, and the net increment of a landscape condition, using such terms as ingrowth, mortality, and harvest (cut). The level of ingrowth, mortality, and cut relative to some current condition of the landscape, and relative to the total landscape area are also proposed as measures of interest to planners. Finally, the percent of a landscape in each category (ingrowth, mortality, and cut) during each planning period are suggested as conditions of interest to planners. Two examples, one hypothetical, and another a realistic scenario for a large watershed, are used to illustrate the measures of landscape change. This work suggests a new way for managers to evaluate, and perhaps control, projected landscape conditions by examining both the rate of change and the type of change projected to occur across a landscape when managed according to a particular forest plan.

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Five images of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and one image of ASTER data at different years were taken to determine the topographic correction effects in the mountainous area in Tsugawa region, Niigata. An automatic scattergram-controlled regression approach was applied for radiometric normalization correction using sequence images obtained using the Landsat TM. The forest was classified as either a deciduous, low-middle volume sugi or high volume sugi forest based on its characteristics and volume by separability analysis. We examined four topographic correction methods to reduce the slope-aspect effect in each forest class compared. In order to elucidate the effect of the applied correction method, we also analyzed the correlation between the digital number and ground measurement. The results showed that the specific forest class type should be considered as input when applying a topographic correction method in satellite images analysis. The two-stage topographic normalization proposed by CIVCO (1989) and statistic-empirical methods appeared to be the best for statistical analyses but were unsuccessful regarding actual correlation for analysis of sugi stand volume. The results indicated that, the C-correction for visible bands and MINNAERT correction methods for infrared band are adequate methods for improving the correlation accuracy between derived digital number and sugi stand volume in the Tsugawa region.

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Approximately 80% of Japan's wood demand is currently met with imported wood. Although private forestry is the most important factor in domestic wood production, more and more private forest landowners have reduced their management activity, resulting in a general deterioration of the private plantation forests in Japan and heavy pressure on the forest resources of supplier countries. An integrated private forest management planning system is needed to reinvigorate private forestry in Japan. This research assessed the information management of forest owners' associations and some of the negative effects of parcelization on landowners' forest management activities. The research was done to provide answers to the question of how such an integrated private forest management system might be organized. We learned through questionnaires that the majority of the associations in Nagano Prefecture, who could be the foundation of an integrated management system, do not have the necessary information about their members' forest resources and management activity. Comprehensive directives are needed to establish standards for the associations on how to collect, maintain and update such information. On the other hand, the results of our investigation of forest landowners' behavior suggests that, without the right incentives for the landowners to implement cooperative forest management, an integrated planning system probably will not be successful. It appears that the current level of silvicultural activity and the proportion of owners having a management plan tend to be higher on larger forest properties. We also found that timber production was more likely to be a primary goal of ownership for owners of larger tracts. Cooperative forest management may provide a way to ameliorate the problem associated with small-scale ownerships and reduce the costs of management. Combined with more competitive prices, such cooperation could help Japanese private forestry reduce the country's reliance on imported timber.

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Estimating the sunny crown volume or surface area requires the sunny crown length, as well as the crown profile defined as a change in crown radius from the tree apex toward the ground, because sunny crown volume or surface area can be obtained by rotating the crown profile from the apex to the base of the sunny crown. In this study, we presented a model to estimate sunny crown length in even-aged closed hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ENDL.) stands. The model requires only three attributes: stand density, total height, and height increment of individual trees. To evaluate the model, it was applied to a 36-year-old hinoki cypress stand in which three plots of various stand density were established. The model provided accurate and precise sunny crown length estimates. Combining the model with a total height growth model allows us to estimate sunny crown length because stand density is generally a known variable.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the full density curves of branches on standing trees. Sixty sample trees of Quercus acuta in a single stand were selectively cut in the Tokyo University Forest in Chiba, and then diameters and lengths of those branches with more than 2cm diameter that were at a length between 3.3m and 9.3m above ground were measured at one meter intervals along their stems and branches. To derive the full density curve of branches, the number of branches at a specific length and the maximum average volumes of branches above that length were selected to be independent and dependent variables, respectively in reference to the pipe model theory. The linear relationships between these variables were investigated on a log-log scale. The result showed that the regression estimates were significant for lengths from 4.3m to 8.3m, and that the full density curves for these significant lengths were considered to have a common slope parameter of -0.9801. This implied that the -3/2 power law of self-thinning is effective for branches on standing trees that are similar to the standing trees in forest stands. Further research was required, however, to investigate whether this slope is applicable not only to Quercus acuta but also to other species.

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This study confirmed the usefulness of short wavelength infrared (SWIR) in the discrimination and classification of evergreen forest types. A forested area near Hisayama and Sasaguri in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, served as the study area. Warm-temperate forest vegetation dominates the study site vegetation. Coniferous plantation forest, natural broad-leaved forest, and bamboo forest were analyzed using LANDSAT5/TM and SPOT4/HRVIR remote sensing data. Samples were extracted for the three forest types, and reflectance factors were compared for each band. Kappa coefficients of various band combinations were also compared by classification accuracy. For the LANDSAT5/TM data observed in April, October, and November, Bands 5 and 7 showed significant differences between bamboo, broad-leaved, and coniferous forests. The same significant difference was not recognized in the visible or near-infrared regions. Classification accuracy, determined by supervised classification, indicated distinct improvements in band combinations with SWIR, as compared to those without SWIR. Similar results were found for both LANDSAT5/TM and SPOT4/HRVIR data. This study identified obvious advantages in using SWIR data in forest-type discrimination and classification.

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This paper will introduce the history of forest resource management in Cambodia since the early 1960s. The integration of the country into the globalized capitalist economy has intensified since the end of the civil war in 1993. Such integration has not taken place naturally, but rather has been connected to political, social and economic process that has prompted Cambodia to exploit its forest resources and to emerge as a significant natural resource supplier country in the region. This leap, unfortunately, occurred during a time when Cambodia's physical and human capital had not yet recovered from 30 years of civil war. The resulting problems have negatively impacted a range of different areas, from biodiversity to people's livelihood. Currently, the community forestry (CF) practice is getting widespread attention as an alternative to forest management in Cambodia. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of this emerging CF practices, thus further study is required.

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