The Dangerous Middle: Situational Awareness and Worker Perception of Beetle Kill

ABSTRACT

Forest workers, including loggers, foresters, and wildland firefighters, are regularly exposed to some of the most fatal occupational environments in the United States. These hazardous work environments may become even more complex and dynamic when subject to bark beetle outbreaks that have resulted in significant tree mortality. The impacts of tree death from bark beetles are significant, with the cumulative 17-year (2000–2016) footprint for bark beetle caused tree mortality estimated at 54 million acres. However, how workers think about and act in these environments is understudied. This study, therefore, approaches the issue of beetle kill and forest worker safety by examining the perspectives or workers themselves. Its contribution is to leverage ethnographic research to provide insights that can generate new research questions, better inform outreach, and ultimately improve worker safety outcomes. The resulting insights show that beetle kill was understood by workers as a hazard that increased the complexity and dynamism of the work environment, making situational awareness both more necessary and more difficult to maintain. While much research about situational awareness focuses on hazardous situations, it is suggested that building adequate situational awareness should also include broader considerations of organizational communication, as well as training and experience considered over the course of entire careers.     

非线性动态系统理论在林业系统中的应用——Ⅱ.用信息熵研究林业系统中生态和经济协调关系

用K.S熵(一种信息熵)判别林业系统中生态和经济的协调关系,并提出了控制和改进现有林业系统的有效途径。     

Hand-arm vibration syndrome and its prevalence in the present status of private forestry enterprises in Japan

Summary Currently there are no limitations on age of employment on private forestries in Japan. Hence, it was hypothesized that in these kind of enterprises, elderly chain saw operators, or those with long-term exposure, might be at higher risk of developing hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). We consequently investigated the prevalence of HAVS in 447 chain saw workers on private forestries in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, with particular reference to age and exposure period. Of this population, 43 (9.6%) had signs and symptoms of vibration-induced white finger (VWF), and among these workers the severity of finger blanching was significantly correlated (P < 0.01) with the exposure period. Classification of all subjects by exposure period showed that workers with 30 years' exposure had higher prevalences of VWF (20.9%) and numbness of the hands (25.4%) compared to other groups. Significant differences (P < 0.01) were found between the functional capacities of workers with VWF and those of control subjects. We concluded that (a) the elderly chain saw operators and those with longer exposure should be moved to other jobs with a lower or no risk of exposure to vibration, and (b) the results of screening tests, even without cold water immersion (which we did not employ, in order to protect workers' hands), could be helpful for the identification of workers with VWF.     

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF EUCALYPT VEGETATION

Methods of controlling unwanted eucalypt vegetation by chemical means were examined. Picloram was by far the best chemical tested for killing existing eucalypt coppice when applied as a foliar spray.

A number of chemicals, including 2,4,5-T, picloram, and AMS were effective in preventing coppice growth from cut stumps when applied as complete stump sprays. 2,4,5-T and picloram gave most promise of success when applied as surface treatments only. A delay of three months between the time the trees were felled and treatment was too long for cut stump treatments to be fully effective.

Sodium arsenite was the most effective arboricide tested on standing cull trees, and picloram was the best alternative.

The season of application had no apparent effect on killing or preventing coppice growth, but late winter to spring was the best time at which to treat standing cull trees.     

Science in society: challenges and opportunities for indigenous knowledge in the present-day context

Generally, when we talk or think about science, we refer to that of Western or industrialized societies, assuming that science is only there in those societies and quite often implying that scientific rigour or interest is absent in other societies. The role of science is to help mankind meet the various demands for exploiting natural resources in the best possible way without adversely affecting the environment. In most societies, there exists a rich body of knowledge based on how to meet the demands of that particular society but quite often these are ignored. We need to look at indigenous science and technology particularly when an existing body of knowledge is available. Perhaps it is better to develop it instead of disregarding it in the name of scientific progress. The prevailing health and medical system, the Western system, has unfortunately failed to meet the needs of all. In most countries, frightening policy changes place less and less emphasis on the social and welfare sectors and higher emphasis on the economic and infrastructure sectors. As such, funds allocated to health are going down. The implications of such a trend in countries where health insurance is unaffordable for the majority, is unimaginable. In this changing situation, the conditions of the poor, particularly the indigenous people, have become critical. In this paper, challenges and opportunities for indigenous health practices are examined in the context of forest situations, forest policy and related environmental issues.     

农林院校制药工程专业课程分析与建议

分析了《制药工程本科专业教学质量国家标准》及建议开设课程,比较了化工医药类院校、农林类院校制药工程专业课程与标准建议课程设置之间的差异,并根据农林类院校制药工程专业人才能力培养的要求及就业存在的问题,提出了农林类院校制药工程专业在体现办学特色的同时应加强工程类课程开设的建议,以体现制药工程专业人才培养的工程特征,拓展人才的就业渠道和深造空间。     

Early impacts of disturbance on lichens,mosses and liverworts in Tasmania’s wet eucalypt production forests

The impacts of silvicultural disturbance (felling and burning) on lichens, mosses and liverworts in Eucalyptus obliqua-dominated wet forest in Tasmania were investigated. The study was based on presence–absence data for 452 taxa from 52 sampling events, spanning unlogged forest and disturbed, regenerating forest about 1, 3 and 5 years after disturbance. Three aspects of species composition were compared: total species richness, occurrence of pre-disturbance species in the post-disturbance flora and relative richness of ecological groups in the flora. Total species richness was the least reliable measure for evaluating changes due to disturbance.

Felling and burning in different combinations were represented in a range of silvicultural treatments applied in the study area. They produced different levels of disturbance and different microhabitats, and thereby defined the character of the cryptogamic flora. The most severe impacts occurred at burnt sites, regardless of whether the forest had been felled or not, and the least impact was found in standing, unburnt forest.

The consequences of severe disturbance were a substantial change in species composition, with a reduction, in particular, of mature wet forest species in favour of species associated with disturbance or brightly lit, exposed environments. In the lichens, the loss of old tree indicators, old forest indicators, foliicolous species, rare species of conservation significance and species indicative of a succession towards cool temperate rainforest was especially severe. Mosses and liverworts also showed a very pronounced loss of mature wet forest species. In the mosses, the presence of newcomers, represented mostly by disturbance species or species typical of open drier conditions, masked the extent of these losses. In the liverworts, there were few newcomers and the composition of the post-disturbance flora was much depleted.     

Book Review

The relationship between variation in wood shrinkage and cellulose crystallite width determined by X-ray diffraction was assessed using SilviScan-2 (a system developed at CSIRO for rapid assessment of wood microstructure). Cellulose crystallite width, density and microfibril angle were determined for 600μm wide zones on small wood samples with known tangential shrinkage. The tangential shrinkage measurements included shrinkage to 12% moisture content after reconditioning (MC AR); and a shrinkage differential calculated from tangential shrinkage to 12% MC AR recorded for each zone; and the minimum shrinkage recorded in adjacent wood of similar cambial age. Spearman correlations and forward stepwise regressions showed that the cellulose crystallite width was a good predictor of the shrinkage measures and that density was a minor predictor. Together, cellulose crystallite width and density could explain 75% of the variation in tangential shrinkage for randomly selected locations throughout the tree, and 87% of the variation in tangential shrinkage in samples selected from the lower 5% of tree height. The results suggest that SilviScan-2 can be used to predict tangential shrinkage during drying in increment cores, and may therefore be useful in developing nondestructive sampling strategies in tree improvement programs for E. globulus.     

Dermatophytoses in forestry workers and farmers

To assess the frequency of superficial mycoses in forestry workers and farmers in the rural region of Duzce, a total of 467 residents of the rural region were examined for dermatomycosis infection. Of these, 349 were forestry workers and 118 farmers. All specimens collected were analysed by direct microscopy and culture. Tinea pedis et manus was found in 23 (19.4%), and onycomycosis in 21 (17.7%) farmers. Tinea pedis et manus was found in 50 (14.3%), and onycomycosis in 28 (8%) forestry workers. One tinea corporis, two tinea inguinalis and two erosio interdigitalis cases were determined in the farmer group but no cases of tinea corporis, tinea inguinalis, or erosio interdigitalis were found in the forestry group. In total, five tinea versicolor cases were found in the two groups on clinical examination but no agent positivity was yielded in mycological cultures. The most frequently isolated agent in the two groups was Trichophyton rubrum. The frequencies of superficial mycosis and onychomycosis were found to be higher in the farmer group than in the forestry group, although similar aetiological agents were isolated in both groups. The farmers had greater rates of contact with pathogenic fungi present in soil as well as from infected farm animals than the foresters; furthermore, animal husbandry, and the wearing of rubber shoes and nylon socks were more frequent in the farmer group. These results suggest that habits such as the wearing of rubber shoes and nylon socks, and the practice of animal husbandry may be the most important factors in determining the frequency of superficial mycoses and aetiological agents in forestry workers and farmers. To our knowledge, there is no previous report about dermatophytoses in forestry workers.     

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from lichens in present-day Finland

Lichens are abundant in forests, living on trees, soil, stones and rocks. They contain usnic acid and other lichen acids that are contact allergens. Lichens and liverworts cause woodcutter's dermatitis, eczema that appears in the forest on the bare skin areas, especially in cold and wet weather. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from lichens occurs in forestry and horticultural workers and in lichen pickers. Lichens can cause immediate allergy, contact urticaria, rhinitis and asthma and probably also photoallergic contact dermatitis. Lichens are used for the manufacture of oak moss absolute, a fragrance constituent. Oak moss absolute contains lichen acids and is one of the commonest contact allergens. Lichen acid allergy develops either from contact with lichens or from fragrances. We describe 4 cases of occupational allergic contact dermatitis from lichens during the past decade: 2 were farmers and 2 gardeners. 3 of them had allergic reactions to fragrance mix and oak moss absolute. Lichen contact allergy is an old, partly forgotten, syndrome that should be remembered for symptoms in contact with barked wood or wood dust.