Hydrologic and water quality models are increasingly used to determine the environmental impacts of climate variability and land management. Due to differing model objectives and differences in monitored data, there are currently no universally accepted procedures for calibration and validation in the literature. In an effort to develop accepted model calibration and validation procedures or guidelines, a special collection of 22 research articles that present and discuss calibration strategies for 25 hydrologic and water quality models was previously assembled.

Increasing land degradation and concomitant low agricultural productivity are important determinants of rural poverty in the hillside areas of Honduras. Using data at the levels of the farm household, parcel and plot, we develop an econometric modeling framework to analyze land management decisions and their impact on crop productivity. Our econometric model allows for endogenous household decisions regarding livelihood strategy choice, use of labor and external inputs, and participation in organizations.

In the light of the Japanese government's intensive efforts to decontaminate areas affected by radioactive Caesium from Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant, I create a framework for assessing the merits of management options. In particular I consider delayed intervention as a possible policy. Delay can be optimal because allowing the natural decay of radiation can lower significantly the costs of achieving targets for exposure. Using some benchmark data for Japan I estimate that optimal delay is positive for most reasonable parameter values.

The article provides with a description of sectorial and regional planning in the Republic of Belarus which consists of a hierarchically organized system of socio-economic development programs of the republic, its regions and districts as well as the complex of documents of regional planning. Being under development the land tenure schemes for administrative districts should be most closely linked to the Programs of socio-economic development of the districts. For the next five-year plan it’s proposed the standard structure of the document.

The movement of sand by erosion is a common feature of drylands during droughts and periods of sparse vascular plant cover. We examined the effects of sand deposition on the bioavailability of N in cyanobacterial-dominant soil crusts during and after a severe drought. Crusts were sampled from two depths on stony and stone-free surfaces with and without sandy deposits. All sites supported an extensive cover (up to 51%) of N-fixing cyanobacteria and cyanolichens.

We developed a set of generalized value categories and average relative marginal values using resource and valuation information collected at seven federal land management planning units in the USA. The categories and average values are intended to be used for rapid strategic wildland fire program planning or as foundation values for a more extended planning effort. To divide the original information into logical and statistically valid value categories, we used a k-means cluster analysis combined with expert knowledge of how each resource type is managed with respect to fire.

A significant challenge in ecological studies has been defining scales of observation that correspond to the relevant ecological scales for organisms or processes of interest. Remote sensing has become commonplace in ecological studies and management, but the default resolution of imagery often used in studies is an arbitrary scale of observation. Segmentation of images into objects has been proposed as an alternative method for scaling remotely-sensed data into units having ecological meaning.

The European forest carbon balance studied by various methods shows different results. We compared the regional and national net primary production (NPP) estimated by the forest inventory-based model EFISCEN and the climate-based terrestrial ecosystem models (TEMs: BIOME-BGC, ORCHIDEE, and JULES), and single forests NPP derived from the international network of eddy-covariance towers (FLUXNET). In addition, the paper presents the net ecosystem production (NEP) and the net biome production (NBP) calculated with EFISCEN and discusses the influence of forest management onto carbon fluxes.

Relating population density to spatially explicit habitat characteristics can inform management by directing efforts to areas with lower densities or focusing conservation and land protection on high-density areas. We conducted point-transect surveys for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) and Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in the live-fire region of Fort Hood, Texas. We used mark—recapture distance sampling and combined a Horvitz-Thompson estimator with a habitat-based, resourceselection gradient to estimate spatially explicit density for both species.

Off-road military vehicle traffic is a major consideration in the management of military lands. The objective of this study was to determine the impacts of military tracked M1A1 heavy combat tank vehicles on sediment loss from runoff, surface plant cover, and surface microtopography in a desert military training environment. A randomized block design was used which had 10 blocks with 4 plots (0.5 m2) in each block.

We evaluate the outcomes and consequences of a decade‐long restoration project in a Hawaiian lowland wet forest as they relate to long‐term management actions. Our initial study was designed both to promote native biodiversity and to develop knowledge that would enable land management agencies to restore invaded forests. Our premise of success followed the prevalent perception that short‐term management, such as removal of invasive species, ideally translates into long‐term and sustainable restoration.

Land use and management practices may influence plant C inputs and soil CO2 emission. We evaluated the effect of a combination of irrigation, tillage, cropping system, and N fertilization on plant biomass C, soil temperature and water content at the 0- to 15-cm depth, and CO2 emission in a sandy loam soil from April to October, 2006 to 2008, in western North Dakota.