Forest Mensuration-Remote Sensing In Forest Mensuration

In this book titled Forest Mensuration written by Antonie Van Laar and Alparslan Akca, the authors present the state-of-art research results relating to the practice of forest management.

While reading, I discovered the topics on remote sensing in forest mensuration contains most advanced scientific knowledge and information that enlighten me.

I have endeavored in this book, attempting to put across the idea that Forest mensuration is one of the most fundamental disciplines within forest and related sciences. It deals with the measurement of trees and stands and the analysis of the resultant information. 

During the early days of sustained forest management simple measurement and estimation methods and with the analysis of inventory and research data were available. 

The middle of last century, worldwide increase in the need for more quantitative information about trees and stands which generated the need for more sophisticated methods to obtain and analyze forest data.

Considerable progress has been made to develop methods for measuring tree and stand characteristic as well as in instrumentation in the statistical analysis of forest mensuration information. 

Sampling which based on inferential statistics plays a dominant role in forest mensuration and forest inventory.

The first attempts to introduce aerial photographs as a remote-sensing tool in forestry were made in 1887. An airborne balloon was used as a photographic platform to produce photographs of forest in the vicinity of Berlin. 

The objective was to examine the possibility of preparing forest maps from aerial photographs and in addition, to classify and describe the forest on the basis of a visual examination of the photographs. 

Aerial photographs were introduced during World War II, primarily for military purposes. It stimulated rapid technical developments and used to rationalize mapping operation.

 Traditional way to measure the tree

The development of non-photographic sensors, the application of digital photometry and the widespread use of geographic information systems have widened the scope and usefulness of remote-sensing technology for mapping and for the classification of forests. Satellite imagery too has been integrated successfully with the inventory of large forest tracts. 

Risk Analysis in Forest Management

The book Risk Analysis in Forest Management edited by Klaus von Gadow presents state-of-the art research results, concepts and techniques regarding the assessment and evaluation of natural hazards and the analysis of risk and uncertainty about forest management.

It covers ecological perspectives, applications in engineering and planning as well as methods applicable to economics and policy.

 In the article “Risk Analysis as a Tool for Policy Evaluation: A Multi-Level Comparison Example” written by K. Hollenstein, he stress that Risk Analysis, although traditionally used for other purposes now can be used to address the issue of the decisions of land-use especially to assess the consequences of different options across time and space in a transparent and quantitative way.

The risk analysis provide a transparent procedure which is easy to implement on different levels and for a variety of geographical settings, it is reproducible and can be used for supporting the decision-making. 

Accordingly, one of the risk analysis approaches for policy evaluation is the flexibility in handling a variety of input information and in generating the desired output risk variables, thus the methodology is applied to a well-defined system. 

Pokok Bahaya di kawasan Hutan Lipur dan Hutan Taman Negeri

Bahagian Forest Eco Park dan Hutan Taman Negeri, Ibu Pejabat Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia telah menganjurkan Bengkel Pemahaman dan Penilaian Pokok Bahaya di kawasan Hutan Lipur dan Hutan Taman Negeri peringkat Zon Timur mulai 22 hingga 24 Mei 2012 yang lalu bertempat di Hutan Lipur Lata Belatan, Daerah Jerteh.

                                       Peserta Bengkel
 

Bengkel ini telah dihadiri oleh kira-kira seramai 18 orang kakitangan beruniform yang terlibat secara langsung dengan pengurusan kawasan hutan lipur dan hutan taman negeri khususnya daripada negeri Pahang, Terengganu dan Kelantan. 

Tujuan bengkel ini diadakan adalah untuk memberikan pemahaman kepada kakitangan Jabatan berhubung dengan kaedah pengisian borang penilaian pokok bahaya serta kemasukan data dengan menggunakan perisian komputer. 

 

                                  Bengkel berlangsung
Hasil daripada kemasukan data tersebut, peserta akan mengetahui dengan segera status satu-satu pokok yang dinilai itu sama ada berstatus Bahaya (kod bewarna Merah), berstatus Pemerhatian (kod bewarna Kuning) atau berstatus Baik (kod bewarna Hijau).
   
        

            Pratikal 1                                                                 Pratikal 2

Selain daripada itu, bengkel ini secara tidak langsung akan memberikan kesedaran kepada peserta mengenai kepentingan pengurusan pokok bahaya khususnya mengenai aspek keselamatan pengunjung dan harta benda di kawasan hutan lipur dan hutan taman negeri.

                       
   Meninjau kawasan                                                          Q N A

 
Bengkel ini telah dirasmikan oleh Pengarah Bahagian Forest Eco Park dan Hutan Taman Negeri, Tuan Haji Samsudin bin Salleh.

Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia - Organizational structure

Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia is under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Malaysia. Its headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur and it has 10 State Forestry Departments and 33 District Forest Offices located throughout Peninsular Malaysia.

The department is headed by the Director-General of Forestry who is assisted by two Deputy Director-Generals of Forestry.

Dato' Prof. Dr. Hj. Abd Rahman bin Hj. Abd Rahim, Director General of                                 Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia

 

 

FUNCTION

FORESTRY DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS

Formulation of forestry policies, provision of advice and technical assistance to the State Forestry Departments in forestry planning, forest management and development, forest and wood-based industries, forest operational studies, training and human resource development.

 

POLICY AND PLANNING DIVISION

Dato' Masran B. Md. Salleh, Deputy Director-General of Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia (Policy & Planning)

• Monitoring of assessment of forest resources to generate new wealth for the nation and of affairs of the National Forestry Council.

• Monitoring of the implementation of the National Biodiversity Policy and development of biotechnology.

• Monitoring of development affairs of forest plantation and conservation programmes as well as forest ecosystem of the country’s coastal areas.

• Monitoring of the establishment and development of ecopark forests and state forest parks.

• Monitoring of international affairs relating to the forestry sector.

• Monitoring of the development of wood-based industries in line with the master plan.

• Monitoring of the planning and implementation of physical development and infrastructure of forest harvesting and technical projects.

• Monitoring of the affairs of MAJURUS and implementation of MC&I, MS certification.

• Monitoring of the implementation of and amendments to the National Forestry Policy.

OPERATIONS AND TECHNICAL DIVISION

Dato' Hj. Nik Mohd Shah bin Nik Mustafa, Deputy Director-General Of Forestry    Department Peninsular Malaysia (

operation & Technical)

• Monitoring of the affairs of human resource, human capital and career development of department personnel.

• Monitoring of the progress of job creation and placements for semi-professionals in the department.

• Ensuring of development progress of wood-based industries to enhance skills and to reduce bureaucracy.

• Monitoring and coordination of the department’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI).

• Coordination of the department’s parliamentary affairs such as identifying duty officers and preparation of answers to questions in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

• Coordination of operational studies and implementation of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL).

• Monitoring and coordination of enforcement activities of the National Forestry Act 1984 and Wood-Based Industries Act 1986.

• Monitoring of the implementation of physical, mechanical and forest harvesting infrastructure activities of civil engineering projects.

• Monitoring and coordination of the implementation and development of the IT and geoinformatics adoption programme.

STATE FORESTRY DEPARTMENT

• Monitoring of the administration and control of forest harvesting, forest revenue collected and state forest resource development.

• Planning and coordination of the development of wood-based industries.

• Divided into Forest Operations and Forest Development Divisions, and supported by the District Forest Offices.

FOREST OPERATIONS DIVISION

• Monitoring of the administration, enforcement of forest laws and forest revenue collected.

• Coordination and liaison with the Forestry Department Headquarters, other state departments, statutory bodies and agencies.

FOREST DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

• Planning, implementation and monitoring of silvicultural and forest management activities, preparation and implementation of forest management planning and forestry development projects at state level.

DISTRICT FOREST OFFICE

• Monitoring of administration, control of forest harvesting, forest revenue collected and enforcement of forest laws at district level as well as execution of forest management activities and forest silviculture.