Understanding the role of land use type and topographic features in shaping wildfire regimes received much attention because of the intensification of wildfire activities. The intensifying wildfires in the western United States are a great concern both for the environment and society. We investigate the patterns of wildfire occurrence in the western United States at the landscape level by using 118 wildfires with areas greater than 405 ha in the study year of 2018. The selection ratios were calculated to measure fire preference with regard to land cover type, slope, and aspect. The results suggest that grasslands, steeper slopes, and south-facing aspects were more susceptible to wildfires in the western United States. Additionally, there were regional variations in wildfire susceptibility in Washington, Oregon, and California. The most wildfire-prone land cover type in Washington was mixed forests, whereas that in Oregon and California was grassland. The findings of this study improve the understanding of the role of land use changes and topographic features in shaping wildfire patterns in the western United States, providing insights for managing wildfire risks for forest management strategies at the landscape level.

The global supply chain crisis caused by COVID-19 and the trend of “anti-globalization” continuously impact international trade. As one of the central processing centers of global primary products, China’s forest product enterprises import raw materials and export manufactured products, which are vulnerable to the worldwide supply chain crisis. This article reviews research on the influence of the pandemic and the Sino–US trade war on the international trade of wooden products and China’s forestry enterprises that import raw timber materials and export wooden products. Furthermore, with the analysis of trade data, we found that China’s forest product enterprises are facing a shortage of wood materials and rising import prices. Regarding export, they face the problems of increased trade costs and fluctuating product demand. Moreover, the influence of the global supply chain crisis causes China’s trade diversion effect. This article comprehensively analyzes how the global supply chain crisis affects wood-based product enterprises and offers suggestions for further developing China’s forestry enterprises.

Competition among the South, the West, and Canada as major softwood lumber production regions has been affected by timber resource endowments, public land policies, and the general economy. To assess spatial price linkages, a threshold vector error correction model is applied on softwood lumber prices from 1978 to 2011. Price transmission is found to be nonlinear and asymmetric. The South is more adaptive to price disequilibrium. Short-term price adjustments are more sophisticated over the period of 1991 to 1993 related to the federal timber restrictions than over the period of 2008 to 2009 related to the global financial crisis. (JEL C32, Q23)

Forests provide wood biomass to produce various wood products while sequestering CO₂ from the atmosphere. The joint benefits of wood production and carbon sequestration should be considered when making forest management decisions such as those related to optimal rotation periods. In this study, we extend the Faustmann model to consider the effects of timber value and the dynamics of forests’ multiple carbon pools (biomass, dead organic matter and long-period forest products) on the optimal rotation and the corresponding net present value (NPV). The theoretical framework also takes account of dynamic carbon prices and potential effects of carbon cap policies. We showcase our approach using Populus × euramericana “Nanlin895” as an example. This tree species is an important species for the planted forests in East China. The results show that: (1) multiple carbon pools increase the optimal rotation period by 4.76 per cent and the NPV by 45.66 per cent under the static carbon price scenario, (2) the tightening carbon cap facilitates carbon price variation and results in a significant increase in the NPV, while the optimal rotation period fluctuates between 8 and 10 years and (3) frequent cap policy adjustments shorten the optimal rotation period and lower the NPV even if the cap reduction target is achieved. Although the effect of carbon benefits on the optimal rotation period is small, the forest carbon trade mechanism could effectively enhance landowners’ income through the tightening carbon cap. These findings have significant policy implications for forest management. Highlights • We analyze the effects of multiple carbon pools on the optimal rotation period and the net present value. • We examine how carbon trade affects the management decision of Populus plantations. • Tightening the carbon cap promotes dynamic carbon price variation, benefiting landowners.