Trees, Forests and People最新文献

{"title":"Predicting habitat suitability for conservation of IUCN- red listed medicinal species Chloroxylon swietenia DC., in Tamil Nadu, India using ensemble modeling","authors":"Rajendran Silambarasan ,&nbsp;Kasthuri Nair A ,&nbsp;Maniyan Gomathi ,&nbsp;Hareendran Nair J ,&nbsp;Nishanth Kumar S ,&nbsp;Shan Sasidharan","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is profoundly affecting biodiversity, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding of its impacts on ecosystems and species to inform sustainable conservation strategies. This study focuses on <em>Chloroxylon swietenia</em> DC., an endemic species listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List (criterion A1c), to assess its habitat suitability under various climate change scenarios using ensemble modeling. We incorporated 19 bioclimatic variables, four soil-related variables (bulk density), and five land use/land cover variables (tree cover, cultivated land, water, and built-up areas) to model the species' habitat suitability across four Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) for the periods 2021–2040, 2041–2060, 2061–2080, and 2081–2100, using two different climate projections: BCC_CSM2-MR and EC-Earth3-Veg. Among the algorithms tested, the Random Forest model exhibited the highest performance. The eight climatic variables that contributed most significantly to the model were Bio1 (annual mean temperature), Bio3 (isothermality), Bio4 (temperature seasonality), Bio7 (temperature annual range), Bio13 (precipitation of wettest month), Bio15 (precipitation seasonality), Bio18 (precipitation of warmest quarter), and Bio19 (precipitation of coldest quarter), along with one soil variable (bulk density) and four land use/land cover variables (tree cover, cultivated land, built-up areas, and water). The ensemble model identified the Western and Eastern Ghats, sacred groves, and scrub forests of Tamil Nadu as highly suitable habitats for <em>C. swietenia</em>. Notably, the habitat suitability range of <em>C. swietenia</em> increased in the EC-Earth3-Veg projection, whereas the BCC_CSM2-MR projection indicated a significant reduction in suitability at SSP5–8.5. In contrast, the EC-Earth3-Veg projection showed maximum habitat expansion between 2041 and 2060 and 2081–2100 across all SSPs. Notably maximum gain noticed in weighed mean ensemble type than the committee averaging. Furthermore, the results indicate an increase in the species' population range in the Western Ghats and its neighboring region and reduction noticed in the Eastern ghats region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100951"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144757503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detecting oil palm plantations and mangroves overlooked by IGBP land-cover products with “ground-truthing from the sky” across Southeast Asia","authors":"Yadanar Ye Myint ,&nbsp;Joseph Emile Honour Percival ,&nbsp;Kaoru Kitajima","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100950","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100950","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical deforestation in Southeast (SE) Asia is largely driven by expansion of oil palm plantations, which are difficult to detect with global- or regional-scale remote-sensing products. This paper demonstrates a straight-forward method for “ground-truthing from the sky” with very high resolution (VHR) photographic images to detect oil-palm cultivation and other drivers of deforestation across SE Asia. The MCD12Q1 land-cover is a widely used land-cover product that generates annual 500 m-pixel maps of 17 IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme) classes. While this resolution is practical for regional assessments across SE Asia (∼4.5 million km²), it is too coarse to identify fine-scale, agriculture-driven conversions such as oil-palm expansion. Our approach was to integrate MCD12Q1 data with VHR imagery from Google Earth by random subsampling within each major land cover type to which forests had transitioned during two periods (2001–2010 and 2010–2018). Each of the 260 verification points in each post-transition land type was visually interpreted, from which we generated correction factors to calibrate land-use change probabilities. Whereas uncalibrated results showed that 12 % and 9 % of forested areas were converted to woody savanna and savanna, VHR-images showed that 32 % to 46 % of them were oil palm plantations. After application of these correction factors, we estimated that 40 % and 48 % of forest losses were due to oil palm expansion, whereas the remaining forest loss was attributed to degradation to savannas and grasslands. Additionally, permanent wetland classified by MCD12Q1 was found to consist of mangroves (63 %), aqua farms (20 %), and oil palms (8 %) rather than lakes, rivers and marshes in the region. While MODIS remains a valuable source for analyzing land use changes across large areas, detection of deforestation driven by agricultural activities benefits from calibration with VHR imagery. Our approach is straightforward and requires minimal expertise, making it easily adoptable by local governments, NGOs, land managers and others.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100950"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144695211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variation of heartwood-sapwood physicochemical properties in Populus euphratica along groundwater depth gradients in the Lower Tarim River, Northwest China","authors":"Tongyu Chen ,&nbsp;Tayierjiang Aishan ,&nbsp;Ümüt Halik ,&nbsp;Shiyu Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100948","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100948","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Variation in physical and chemical properties of <em>Populus euphratica</em> Oliv. heartwood and sapwood under different groundwater depths reflect species-specific water and nutrient requirements. This study examines natural <em>P. euphratica</em> forest in the Arghan section of the lower Tarim River, analyzing groundwater depth-dependent changes in heartwood and sapwood characteristics and their interrelationships. Results demonstrate that heartwood rate exhibited the highest coefficient of variation (78.41 %), while heartwood density showed the lowest (7.57 %). With the increase of groundwater depth, both heartwood radius (HR) and sapwood width (SW) initially increased and then decreased. Heartwood area (HA) remained consistently larger than sapwood area (SA), and both showed significant differences under different groundwater depths (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). HR, HA, and SW exhibited significant positive correlations with groundwater depth (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Chemically, maximum heartwood cellulose content occurred at 8.2 m groundwater depth, while sapwood cellulose peaked at 4.8 m. Heartwood consistently displayed higher cellulose content than sapwood at equivalent groundwater depths. Both heartwood and sapwood lignin contents reached maxima at 4.3 m groundwater depth. Random forest analysis identified heartwood cellulose, lignin content, and heartwood density as the most responsive parameters to groundwater depth variations. These findings suggest <em>P. euphratica</em> adapts to arid environments through optimized water utilization and physiological trait adjustments under water stress conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100948"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drivers of forest structure and biomass along a climatic gradient in the Soutpansberg, South Africa","authors":"Martin A. Honold ,&nbsp;Torben Hilmers ,&nbsp;Coert J. Geldenhuys ,&nbsp;Lucky Makhubele ,&nbsp;Johan J. van Tol ,&nbsp;Shamim Ahmed ,&nbsp;Arno Buys ,&nbsp;Elmarie Kotze ,&nbsp;Ratsodo P. Tshidzumba ,&nbsp;Paxie W. Chirwa ,&nbsp;Ndivhuwo Tshaduli ,&nbsp;Mulugheta G. Araia ,&nbsp;Enno Uhl ,&nbsp;Hans Pretzsch","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest structure plays a key role for providing different ecosystem services in rural regions worldwide. In forests and woodlands of southern Africa, there is a lack of quantitative information on prevailing structures, their abiotic and biotic drivers, as well as how stand characteristics will be affected by climate change. In this study, we established permanent research plots in mature developing stages of representative forests and woodlands occurring along a strong climatic gradient. Effects of site-available soil water and forest type were investigated for relevant dendrometric, as well as structural forest variables. We found site-available soil water having a significantly positive effect on all variables, apart from tree density and the ratio of multi-stem trees. Among the factors influencing site-available soil water, climate had a higher impact than topographical wetness index and soil available water capacity. Studied variables were also strongly influenced by the different forest and woodland types emerging, probably due to different species compositions, survival strategies and fire adaptations. Structural forest variables were revealed to have a positive effect on AGB especially in taller stands having enough space to form multiple canopy layers. In light of climate change with less soil water available and a related ongoing species and biome shift in southern Africa, our findings indicate that in the future, most of the studied forest variables, their related ecosystem functions and services are likely to decrease in the Soutpansberg region. The results of this study could be of use as input data for landscape level modelling, as well as for creating local management policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100945"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144680783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"National growth models for stand basal area, volume, and biomass in Chinese larch plantations: integrating stand structure and species effects","authors":"Yangping Qin ,&nbsp;Xiao He ,&nbsp;Hong Guo ,&nbsp;Chaofan Zhou ,&nbsp;Weisheng Zeng ,&nbsp;Xinyun Chen ,&nbsp;Xiangdong Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest growth and yield models are essential tools for forest management decision-making, but most models have neglected the inclusion of stand structure. The relationship between stand structure and stand growth has been widely reported, but the results remain inconsistent. The objective of the study was to develop national growth models for stand basal area, volume, and total biomass of four larch species plantations and quantify the effect of stand structure on basal area, volume, and total biomass. After testing nonlinear mixed effects, we developed stand basal area, volume, and total biomass models for <em>Larix gmelinii, Larix olgensis, Larix gmelinii</em> var. <em>principis-rupprechtii, and Larix kaempferi</em> plantations by incorporating tree size differentiation indices (DBH-based Shannon-Wiener index, D_Sh; DBH-based Simpson index, D_Si). Models were calibrated with 2, 129 permanent sample plots from four periods of China's National Forest Inventory. The national-scale models demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with adjusted <em>R</em>² &gt; 0.95, and 10-fold cross-validation confirmed robust generalization without over/underfitting. Stand basal area, volume, and biomass showed significant positive correlations with D_Sh and D_Si. Our approach successfully captured growth differences among the four larch species. We quantified the effects of tree size diversity on stand growth and enable tree species-specific management. These findings highlight that both tree species selection and structural optimization (e.g., regulating D_Sh/D_Si through density control) are critical for enhancing stand productivity. It is recommended to apply thinning regimes to maintain high tree size diversity for promoting stand growth and quality improvement of larch forests nationwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100943"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of drought stress and fertilization on plant traits and nonstructural carbohydrates of Red-Heart Chinese fir","authors":"Ren You ,&nbsp;Xiangwen Deng ,&nbsp;R. Alex Thompson ,&nbsp;Inès A. Cauquil ,&nbsp;Henry D. Adams ,&nbsp;Shuai Ouyang ,&nbsp;Wenhua Xiang","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100946","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100946","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how drought stress and fertilization influence plant physiological responses is essential for improving forest management under climate change. Previous research has primarily focused on the effects of drought stress on resource allocation and mortality. However, the interaction effect of fertilization and drought on key plant traits and non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) dynamics remains uncertain, particularly in Red-Heart Chinese fir (<em>Cunninghamia lanceolata</em> (Lamb.) Hook.). In this study, the effects of different drought stress gradients and fertilization on aboveground plant traits (different organ biomass, water content, needle number, needle area), belowground plant traits (tap root depth and lateral root spreads), leaf water potential and NSCs were examined in a pot experiment. The trade-offs in growth between aboveground and belowground plant traits become increasingly evident with soil drought gradients. Saplings in the wettest (<em>W</em>_25min) and driest (<em>W</em>_0min) group in both fertilized and unfertilized groups show clear differentiation along the two principal component axes, which are primarily determined by variations in the number of leaves on branches and leaf predawn water potential. Drought intensity mainly influences the leaf total NSCs, and the drought duration mainly influences the branch total NSCs. Fertilization typically promotes the growth of plants, especially below ground tissues. However, fertilization during drought exacerbated mortality in our experiment, especially for the moderate drought. The work highlights that Red-heart Chinese fir traits respond to drought stress gradients and fertilization, demonstrates that fertilization in combination with drought has an antagonistic effect on the growth and survival of red-heart Chinese fir saplings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100946"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Altered composition and structure of plant communities in response to Lantana camara invasion in forest ecosystems of Kumaun Himalaya, India","authors":"Charu Joshi,&nbsp;Vartika Joshi,&nbsp;Archana Fartyal,&nbsp;Kiran Bargali,&nbsp;Surendra Singh Bargali","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecosystem stability is being threatened by the invasion of exotic plant species. This study examined the impact of <em>Lantana camara</em> (Verbenaceae) on associated plant communities and regeneration status across three different forests: Banj oak (<em>Quercus leucotrichophora</em>), Chir pine (<em>Pinus roxburghii</em>) and Sal (<em>Shorea robusta</em>) in Kumaun Central Himalaya, India. In each forest site, two paired plots (invaded by <em>L. camara</em> and uninvaded) of 0.5 hectare each were established. Within each plot, 5 random quadrats of 10 × 10 m for trees, 10 quadrats of 5 × 5 m for shrubs and 20 quadrats of 1 × 1 m for herbs were sampled and community variables for each species were recorded. Regeneration status was studied by classifying individuals into different size classes and developing population structure for tree species. Results showed decreasing trend in the density (92 % in oak, 74.7 % in pine, and 80.3 % in sal forests) and basal area of tree layer in invaded plots. However, shrub and herb layers exhibited higher density and diversity in invaded areas. Tree regeneration was decreased in invaded sites with few seedlings converting to sapling and mature trees mainly in oak and pine forests. Statistical analyses (ANOVA) revealed that invasion had significant impact on density, diversity (H′), evenness (e) and species richness (SN), especially in the seedling and shrub layers. Principal Component Analysis indicated that variation due to invasion was explained by differences in diversity, species richness and dominance. The invasion by <em>L. camara</em> led to increase in the shrub and herb layer, which in turn had a detrimental impact on the tree layer of the studied forests. The observed decline in species diversity and richness indicate loss of ecosystem resilience and function. This decline in the native flora could have long-term harmful effect on the forest ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100947"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diurnal variation and prediction method of floor fuel moisture content in a Pinus massoniana-dominated forest in Guizhou province, China","authors":"Yunlin Zhang ,&nbsp;Man Liu ,&nbsp;Na Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fuel moisture content (FMC) on forest floor exhibits consistent diurnal fluctuations between daytime and night-time, and the construction of a high-precision prediction model is important for estimating the diurnal variation of forest fires and implementing scientific management strategies. In this study, typical fuel from a <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forest in southwestern China was selected as the research object, and its moisture content was monitored during the fire prevention period. Analyze the diurnal variation of FMC and its driving factors, establish a prediction model of moisture content based on the classification of diurnal changes, and discuss the necessity of predicting FMC separate during the daytime and night-time. The results show that: (1) a significant difference exists in the FMC between day and night-time in <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forests, and the daily variation patterns of FMC are similar (2) with an increase in air temperature and wind speed, the FMC showed a significant downward trend, whereas the dynamic changes in humidity and FMC showed a significant positive correlation. Simultaneously, the impact of meteorological factors on the dynamic changes of FMC had a certain lag effect. (3) The Nelson method was the most effective in predicting the diurnal moisture content of <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forests in the southwest forest area. The mean absolute errors for the entire day, daytime, and night-time that were 0.303, 0.329, and 0.197 %, respectively. (4) It is necessary to distinguish between daytime and night-time to predict the FMC separately. We elucidated the law of diurnal variation of FMC, and FMC prediction models should be established separately for daytime and night-time periods, which has important guiding significance for research on diurnal changes in forest fires and night-time fire prediction, and provides basic data support for managing extreme fires that may occur under extreme climate conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100940"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Air temperature and particulate matter 2.5 are key environmental drivers of negative air ion dynamics: Results from long-term monitoring in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest","authors":"Aibo Li ,&nbsp;Ziqing Zhao ,&nbsp;Yuhao Yang ,&nbsp;Kun Sun ,&nbsp;Jilai Chen ,&nbsp;Benzhi Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Negative air ions (NAIs) are widely studied for their role in evaluating the therapeutic effects of forests on human health and mitigating air pollution through mechanisms such as neutralizing airborne particulate matter and reducing reactive gaseous pollutants via oxidative pathways. This study examined NAI temporal dynamics and key environmental drivers in forests. On-site monitoring (June 2021-May 2023) included NAIs, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, direct radiation, and particulate matter. We found that NAI concentrations in the forest generally met the World Health Organization's clean air threshold, averaging 1698 ± 347 ions·cm⁻³. NAI concentrations followed a single-peak diurnal pattern, peaking at 12:00–15:00 and reaching a minimum at 5:00–8:00. Seasonal variations in NAI concentrations were significant, with the highest levels in summer (1919 ± 260 ions·cm⁻³), followed by autumn (1734 ± 115 ions·cm⁻³), spring (1580 ± 338 ions·cm⁻³), and winter (1535 ± 226 ions·cm⁻³). Correlation analyses indicated significant positive correlations between NAI concentrations and air temperature, wind speed, and direct radiation, while relative humidity and particulate matter showed significant negative correlations. Multiple regression and random forest analyses identified air temperature and particulate matter 2.5 as the primary factors influencing NAI concentrations. A predictive model (NAIs = 18.4 × Ta–17.5 × WS–3.6 × RH–8.0 × PM_2.5 + 5.3 × PM₁₀ + 1.8 × 10³) was developed to estimate NAI concentrations in forest environments. Given these temporal patterns of NAI, the findings support scheduling forest therapy in summer and autumn afternoons to maximize exposure to NAI at peak concentrations. Additionally, the predictive model offers a practical tool for air quality management in forested areas, supporting evidence-based decisions in urban green space planning, forest therapy zone scheduling, and environmental health policy development. This study addresses a crucial knowledge gap regarding NAI dynamics and environmental drivers in forests, potentially informing evidence-based decision-making in forest-based health interventions and ecological planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forest fire dynamics in Nepal: Regional trends and socio-ecological drivers","authors":"Khagendra Prasad Joshi ,&nbsp;Susma Giri ,&nbsp;Dipesh Kuinkel ,&nbsp;Sajesh Kuikel ,&nbsp;Rohini Devkota ,&nbsp;Dhiraj Pradhananga ,&nbsp;Suresh Marahatta ,&nbsp;Binod Pokharel","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest fires pose a significant threat to global ecosystems and communities. In Nepal, the country’s diverse vegetation, climates, and socioeconomic settings contribute to unique regional fire dynamics, which are often underrepresented in national forest fire analyses. This study investigates fire trends, key drivers, and public perceptions of management strategies across Nepal’s four major physiographic regions: the Terai, Chure, Middle Mountains, and High Mountains. We employed remote sensing data, questionnaire surveys (<em>n</em> = 337), and statistical modelling to assess regional fire dynamics and evaluate management approaches. We found that over the past two decades, fire incidents and burned areas have increased significantly in the Chure and Middle Mountains. Broad-leaf deciduous forests in lower regions and needle-leaf forests in higher regions were the most significant contributors. While topographical factors played a major role in most regions, they had minimal influence in the Chure. In the High Mountains, anthropogenic factors—such as proximity to roads and agricultural land cover—were strongly negatively correlated with burned area. Pre-monsoon precipitation consistently showed a significant negative relationship with fire occurrence across all regions, whereas pre-monsoon temperature had no discernible impact. Survey responses highlight strong community support for awareness programs and training, and a widespread belief in the importance of local institutions in fire management. However, labor-intensive fire prevention practices, such as creating fire lines and collecting leaf litter, were less preferred. To mitigate future fire risks, we recommend strengthening community involvement, expanding fire management training, and increasing economic incentives linked to forest resources. These findings offer valuable insights into Nepal’s fire regimes and support evidence-based forest fire management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100942"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}