Jerome K Vanclay

• D.Sc.For.
• Professor at Southern Cross University

It is generally agreed that effective conservation requires the cooperation of private landholders to complement reserve-based efforts, but there is little agreement about how this can best be achieved. Various stakeholders lobby for tough regulations, for greater landholder freedom, and for incentives for activities or outcomes. A review of these...

Familiarity with a simulation platform can seduce modellers into accepting untested assumptions for convenience of implementation. These assumptions may have consequences greater than commonly suspected, and it is important that modellers remain mindful of assumptions and remain diligent with sensitivity testing. Familiarity with a technique can le...

Background: Mixed-species systems are well-suited to smallholder and community forestry, but reliable evidence regarding and procedures to assess species performance in such systems is scarce. This study concern a field trial with a pair of clinal plots varying spacing and species composition that offered insights into competition between four spec...

A ground-based survey of 400 Eucalyptus tereticornis trees examined the incidence of visible hollows suitable for hollow-dependent fauna. As well as the expected relationship with stem diameter, data analysis revealed a relationship between the incidence of hollows (with entrance diameter ≥10 cm) and spacing between neighbouring trees. When the dis...

The long-standing view that biomass growth in trees typically follows a rise-and-fall unimodal pattern has been challenged by studies concluding that biomass growth increases with size even among the largest stems in both closed forests and in open competition-free environments. We highlight challenges and pitfalls that influence such interpretatio...

Discusses trials and analyses to support forest landscape restoration

Claims that the catastrophic flooding events of 2022 which devastated the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales were unprecedented are demonstrated here to be ill-informed. Additionally, flood mitigation efforts will not be able to protect Lismore and surrounding communities from the ravages of future floods. It is essential that geographical r...

Mixed-species systems are well-suited to smallholder and community forestry, but reliable evidence regarding and procedures to assess species performance in such systems is scarce. This field trial uses a pair of clinal plots with varying spacing and species composition to gain insights into competition between four species proposed for landscape r...

This purpose of this report is to present the case for rebuilding a new Lismore CBD, on higher ground. It argues that, for Lismore to prosper into the future, it is essential that it build a new heart. The reasoned evidence for this case is presented in this document. In brief, our argument is: • careful study of the catchment, and of the monitorin...

Reliable estimates of forest productivity at the site scale can guide site-specific forest management. However, the best methods to evaluate productivity of natural forest sites, and in particular secondary natural forests, remain undefined. In this study we: (1) applied an indirect method for estimation of the potential productivity of a forest si...

Studies in low-diversity temperate forests clearly establish that thinning leads to increased growth of remaining trees. However, few studies have investigated the long-term impacts of thinning regimes on the growth responses of tropical timber species. In this study, we analysed data collected over a period of 46 years to assess the long-term grow...

Allometries that include height as independent variable usually provide greater accuracy on estimates of volume, biomass or individual carbon than other prediction strategies that rely only diameter at breast height as independent variable. However, when these models are applied in Amazon Forest Inventories, it is common to use estimated heights ra...

Some ecologists and conservationists, opposed to timber harvesting, are trying to use bushfire disasters as a lever to stop native forest harvesting, but their case is based on opinion, beliefs and selective science. A 2016 study of over 1 million hectares burnt by wildfire in the 2003 fires in Victoria, showed that fire severity across the landsca...

Biomass has been widely studied in terms of ecosystem ecology, timber production profitability, bioenergy (biofuels) and greenhouse gas emission reduction mechanisms. However, uncertainty in biomass estimation is still a current concern. In this study, direct and indirect methods were used to develop species-specific biomass estimation models (BEMs...

Stand management optimization has long been computationally demanding as increasingly detailed growth and yield models have been developed. Process-based growth models are useful tools for predicting forest dynamics. However, the difficulty of classic optimization algorithms limited its applications in forest planning. This study assessed alternati...

Most native Araucaria forests exist on small farms in the southern region of Brazil, with only a small area (<1%) of coverage still present in the protected areas of mature forests. Current law restricts forest management for timber production in native Araucaria forests by prohibiting harvesting the main tree species—Araucaria angustifolia and oth...

The dominance relationship between angiosperms and gymnosperms in natural forests has long been widely discussed, with some researchers believing that angiosperms tend to displace conifers due to competitive processes between the two species groups. The Lozenge or “temporal stand replacement” model states that a cohort of conifers is first establis...

Identifying long-term impacts of logging disturbance on rainforests is crucial for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluated changes in tree diversity and dynamics as well as species responses over 48 years in a subtropical rainforest subject to intensive logging in north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) Australia. Some areas of this fore...

1. The longstanding view that biomass growth in trees typically follows a rise-and-fall unimodal pattern has been challenged by studies concluding that biomass growth increases with size even among the largest stems (in closed forests and in open competition-free environments). We highlight challenges and pitfalls that influence such views and inte...

1. The long-standing view that biomass growth in trees typically follows a rise-and-fall unimodal pattern has been challenged by studies concluding that biomass growth increases with size even among the largest stems in both closed forests and in open competition-free environments. We highlight challenges and pitfalls that influence such interpreta...

Forest management faces a contradiction: superb decision support systems are available, but only for few forests because the necessary requisites (data, computers, advisors) often remain elusive. Thus many forests and managers are hampered by a lack of information to guide management, and this handicap falls particularly heavily on community and sm...

Background In recent decades, native Araucaria forests in Brazil have become fragmented due to the conversion of forest to agricultural lands and commercial tree plantations. Consequently, the forest dynamics in this forest type have been poorly investigated, as most fragments are poorly structured in terms of tree size and diversity. Methods We de...

Unfettered exploitation of Brazilian forests over the past century, through conversion to cropping and pasture lands and commercial tree plantations, has reduced native Araucaria forests to fragments, restricted largely to small landholdings and protected areas. To encourage sustainable forestry activity in smallholdings and stimulate the expansion...

There is growing interest in multi-species tropical plantations but little information exists to guide their design and silviculture. The Rainforestation Farming system is the oldest tropical polyculture planting system in the Philippines and provides a unique opportunity to understand the underlying processes affecting tree performance within dive...

Best candidate models selected from the LMEM models examining tree growth in the community of 32 common species. (DOCX)

Tree diameter predicting growth rate of individuals of some common species in the Rainforestation plantings. (DOCX)

Data of the common species in the Rainforestation plantations. (XLSX)

Summary of the common species in the Rainforestation plantations. (DOCX)

Variable inflation factor (VIF) of explanatory variables used in modelling. (DOCX)

Best candidate models selected from the LMEM models examining tree status in the community of 32 common species. (DOCX)

Describing and understanding growth patterns in tropical forests is crucial to assessing their role in carbon balance. Growth and vital rates of a protected gallery forest in central Brazil were estimated, based on six measurement intervals between 1985 and 2009. The sample consisted of all stems ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height measured in 151 pe...

Background: There has been growing interest in mixed species plantation systems because of their potential to provide a range of socio-economic and bio-physical benefits which can be matched to the diverse needs of smallholders and communities. Potential benefits include the production of a range of forest products for home and commercial use; impr...

Technological and social change is inevitable, and a smart society should shape its future, ideally through broadly-based and well-informed discussion. Technology is likely to unravel the 'work trilogy' (of task, pay, esteem) and we have the option to construct new socially-relevant alternatives, to take a laissez-faire approach, or to resist and a...

Bioenergy is re-shaping opportunities and imperatives of forest management. This study demonstrates, through a case study in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), how forest bioenergy policies affect stand management strategies. Optimization studies were examined for 15 Scots pine stands of different initial stand densities, site types, and temperature...

The contemporary forestry preoccupation with non-declining even-flow during yield simulations detracts from more important questions about the constraints that should bind the end of a simulation. Whilst long simulations help to convey a sense of sustainability, they are inferior to stronger indicators such as the optimal state and binding conditio...

After more than a century of research the typical growth pattern of a tree was thought to be fairly well understood. Following germination height growth accelerates for some time, then increment peaks and the added height each year becomes less and less. The cross sectional area (basal area) of the tree follows a similar pattern, but the maximum ba...

In their response to our recent article (Putz et al. 2012), Kormos and Zimmerman (K&Z) do not take issue with the result of our meta-analysis of more than 100 published studies that biodiversity and carbon stocks are mostly retained in selectively logged tropical forests.

This paper details the processes and challenges involved in collecting inventory data from smallholder and community woodlots on Leyte Island, Philippines. Over the period from 2005 through to 2012, 253 woodlots at 170 sites were sampled as part of a large multidisciplinary project, resulting in a substantial timber inventory database. The inventor...

Presentation to METLA, the Finnish Forest Research Institute

Book review

Forest growth models attempt to quantify the growth of a forest, and are commonly used for two principal purposes: to predict the future status of a forest and the nature of any harvests from that forest; and to help consider alternative cultivation practices. Models may also find other uses, such as in education, communicating information, etc. De...

Context A 20-year-old Nelder wheel planted with hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D.Don) and Queensland maple (Flindersia brayleyana F.Muell.) in 18 spokes and 8 rings represents nominal point densities of 3,580, 2,150, 1,140, 595, 305, 158, 82, and 42 stems/ha and offers an opportunity to examine competition and spa-tial interaction betwe...

Identifies five key challenges for forestry in Australia

There is a need to accurately estimate the carbon sequestration potential of many of our agricultural and horticultural industries now that the Australian Government has introduced the Carbon Farming Initiative and is planning to introduce an emissions trading scheme in 2015. This study estimates that the carbon sequestration of macadamia plantatio...

Indicators of forest site productivity may exhibit considerable spatial and temporal variability that should be considered in sustainable forest management. It is generally assumed that natural site conditions and, in turn, site productivity changes gradually and predictably. Our review illustrates many exceptions to this para-digm. Consequently, u...

Analysis of 131 publications during 2006–2007 by staff of the School of Environmental Science and Management at Southern Cross University reveals that the journal impact factor, article length and type (i.e., article or review), and journal self-citations affect the citations accrued to 2012. Authors seeking to be well cited should aim to write com...

Mixed species plantations using native trees are increasingly being considered for sustainable timber production. Successful application of mixed species forestry systems requires knowledge of the potential spatial interaction between species in order to minimise the chance of dominance and suppression and to maximise wood production. Here, we exam...

[Extract] In their report "Financial Costs of Meeting global biodiversity conservation targets: Current spending and unmet needs" (16 November, p. 946), D. P. McCarthy et al. estimate the financial costs required for conservation of terrestrial species as US$76.1 billion annually. They highlight the need for increased spending while noting that the...

Whitewood () is a tree species that shows promise for plantation timber production in Vanuatu, but few growth data are available to inform yield forecasts. Three simple relationships summarizing stand dynamics, namely height-age, diameter-height-stocking, and mortality-basal area relationships, were calibrated with data from 15 plots to form the ba...

A review of tree domestication principles, practices and case studies illustrates the importance of a methodological approach to domestication. Domestication of new species involves of the entire value chain from identification of candidate species, through production and management, to uptake by communities and markets. Efforts to domesticate fore...

A series of trials examining fertilizer-shading interactions on the island of Leyte (Philippines, 11°N) revealed that the endemic dipterocarp mayapis () benefits from shade trees, either directly above or to the east, during the early stages of plantation establishment. Although it can attain 2 cm/year diameter increment in plantations, mayapis exh...

Many well established techniques such as yield tables and age-based growth models are not applicable in continuous cover forestry (CCF). A further complexity in CCF is the need to predict regeneration. It is possible to model CCF using stand-based approaches such as transition matrices and stand table projection but the utility of these approaches...

Most tropical forests outside protected areas have been or will be selectively logged so it is essential to maximize the conservation values of partially harvested areas. Here we examine the extent to which these forests sustain timber production, retain species, and conserve carbon stocks. We then describe some improvements in tropical forestry an...

Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA) is an attempt by the Australian Research Council to rate Australian universities on a 5-point scale within 180 Fields of Research using metrics and peer evaluation by an evaluation committee. Some of the bibliometric data contributing to this ranking suffer statistical issues associated with skewed distrib...

Publication patterns of 79 forest scientists awarded major international forestry prizes during 1990–2010 were compared with the journal classification and ranking promoted as part of the ‘Excellence in Research for Australia’ (ERA) by the Australian Research Council. The data revealed that these scientists exhibited an elite publication performanc...

A review of Garfield's journal impact factor and its specific implementation as the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor reveals several weaknesses in this commonly-used indicator of journal standing. Key limitations include the mismatch between citing and cited documents, the deceptive display of three decimals that belies the real precision, and the abs...

After 15 years, it is timely to review the 4-year bachelor degree in forestry offered by Southern Cross University (SCU), now the only remaining such 4-year degree in Australia. The SCU program is characterised by innovative teaching, a strong fieldwork component, emphasis on research, and strong links with local interest groups (both environmental...

Publication patterns of 79 forest scientists awarded major international forestry prizes during 1990-2010 were compared with the journal classification and ranking promoted as part of the 'Excellence in Research for Australia' (ERA) by the Australian Research Council. The data revealed that these scientists exhibited an elite publication performanc...

Forest Growth and Yield Modelingsynthesizes current scientific literature and provides insights in how models are constructed. Giving suggestions for future developments, and outlining keys for successful implementation of models the book provides a thorough and up-to-date, single source reference for students, researchers and practitioners requiri...

IntroductionTotal heightCrown lengthCrown width and profileStem volume and taperBiomassUse of static equations to predict missing valuesSummary

IntroductionTwo-sided competitionOne-sided competitionLimitationsSummary

IntroductionCollection of appropriate dataGeneration of appropriate dataTemporal scaleSpatial scaleComputer interfaceVisualizationOutputSummary

IntroductionWhole-stand modelsSize-class modelsSummary

IntroductionData requirementsModel formParameter estimationSummary

IntroductionTypes of hybrid modelsComparison to statistical modelsSummary

IntroductionLinked stand- and size-class modelsLinked stand- and tree-level modelsSummary