Ongoing deforestation is an urgent, global issue with both direct and indirect impacts on a nation’s future development. This as change in forest cover and economic development provides an intuitive link between each other. Deforestation is driven by the expectations of economic return through exploitation of natural resources in search for economic development. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between change in forest cover and economic development in South America between 1991 and 2019. Even if deforestation is considered widely studied, it remains an empirical question how it relates to economic development. This study uses the framework of Environmental Kuznets Curve for Deforestation (EKCD), an economic theory which suggest that economic development has an inverted U-shaped relationship with deforestation. By using a fixed effect model, we find evidence of a U-shaped relationship between forest cover and income (GDP per capita). Our results indicate that a country’s forest cover decline as income raises until a turning point is reached, after which forest cover increases together with advancing economic development. Hence, provide empirical evidence of the existence of a U-shaped EKCD in South America. Furthermore, the study is conducted using average data and the turning point therefore is also an average for the continent

Amid growing emphasis on community-based approaches to natural resource management, there are concerns about the lack of women participation in communal decision-making. We analyze the association between participation of women in decision-making of forest user groups in Ethiopia and several forest management outcomes. We combine longitudinal survey, administrative and forest inventory data and find that participation of women in executive committees (i.e., formal decision-making) is associated with greater forest benefits, and an improved (perceived and actual) condition of the forest. Alternatively, the association between women participation in group-level meetings and outcomes is not robust. This implies that women participation in formal decision-making is required to reach forest conservation and livelihood gains.

While circularity has gained significant attention in recent years, the wood products industry remains an understudied sector in terms of remanufacturing practices. This study addresses this research gap by synthesizing the existing research on remanufacturing in the wood products industry and developing a research agenda tailored to the European context based on a structured literature review. Content and thematic analyses of peer-reviewed publications founded the basis of the synthesis. Three distinct perspectives on remanufacturing in the wood products industry emerged from the analysis: systems, customer, and manufacturer. These perspectives provide a framework for understanding the complex dynamics of remanufacturing in this sector. The proposed research agenda for the European context is intended to stimulate and guide future research efforts. A central priority identified is the need for enhanced collaboration and communication among actors within the value chain. Additionally, the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of customer perceptions and behavior in the context of remanufactured wood products is recognized. The development of economically viable remanufacturing strategies is another key focus. This knowledge is crucial for tailoring products to meet consumer needs and preferences, ultimately driving demand for remanufactured items. In conclusion, remanufacturing in the wood products industry is an area ripe for exploration, and this study represents a critical step towards catalyzing the research efforts necessary for its advancement. 

Extensive use of drainage ditches in European boreal forests and in some parts of North America has resulted in a major change in wetland and soil hydrology and impacted the overall ecosystem functions of these regions. An increasing understanding of the environmental risks associated with forest ditches makes mapping these ditches a priority for sustainable forest and land use management. Here, we present the first rigorous deep learning-based methodology to map forest ditches at regional scale. A deep neural network was trained on airborne laser scanning data (ALS) and 1,607 km of manually digitized ditch channels from 10 regions spread across Sweden. The model correctly mapped 86% of all ditch channels in the test data, with a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.78. Further, the model proved to be accurate when evaluated on ALS data from other heavily ditched countries in the Baltic Sea Region. This study leads the way in using deep learning and airborne laser scanning for mapping fine-resolution drainage ditches over large areas. This technique requires only one topographical index, which makes it possible to implement on national scales with limited computational resources. It thus provides a significant contribution to the assessment of regional hydrology and ecosystem dynamics in forested landscapes.

In 2014, Mistra-SWECIA conducted an extensive survey of forest owners and forestry advisors in Sweden. The aim of the study was to gain a more comprehensive picture of how foresters in Sweden view climate change and adaptation. The survey asked about the risks associated with climate change, views on different adaptation measures, and the importance of having science-based information for decision-making.