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      • Trusted Partner
        November 2013

        God’s Word Omitted

        Omissions in the Transmission of the Hebrew Bible

        by Pakkala, Juha

      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
        Business, Economics & Law
        October 2016

        Europe's Changing Woods and Forests

        From Wildwood to Managed Landscapes

        by Tibor Hartel, Keith Kirby, Thomas Ranius, Charles Watkins, Peter Buckley, Peter S Savill, Chris Quine, Matthias Bürgi, John Fletcher, Robert Hearn, Martin Hermy, Diego Moreno, Tomasz Samojlik, George Peterken, Xavier Rochel, Per Angelstam, Jim Latham, Emma Goldberg, Roberta Cevasco, Clive Potter, Juha Siitonen, Robert Fuller

        Our understanding of the historical ecology of European forests has been transformed in the last twenty years. Bringing together key findings from across the continent, Europe's Changing Woods and Forests: From Wildwood to Managed Landscapes provides a comprehensive account of recent research and the relevance of historical studies to our current conservation and management of forests. Combining theory with a series of regional case studies, this book shows how different aspects of forestry play out according to the landscape and historical context of the local area, with broad implications for woodland history, policy and management. Beginning with an overview of Europe's woods and forests, the book reviews a variety of management techniques (including wood-pastures, coppicing, close-to-nature forestry and the impact of hunting), describes how plants and animals respond to changes in woodland and forest cover, and includes case histories from around the continent. It concludes with a discussion of how lessons learned from the past can help in the future. This book is both a vital resource and an interesting read for foresters, conservationists, landscape historians, geographers and ecologists. ; This book provides a comprehensive account of the relevance of historical studies to current conservation and management of forests. It combines theory with a series of regional case studies to show how different aspects of forestry play out according to the landscape and historical context of the local area. ; I: ContributorsII: PrefaceIII: AcknowledgementsPART 1: Introduction and Overview1.0: Overview of Europe’s woods and forests1.1: Introduction1.2: The current state and composition of European woods and forests1.2.1: European forests in a global context1.2.2: Variation in forest cover across the continent1.2.3: Variation in forest composition1.3: Forestry policy and cooperation at a European level 01.3.1: Forestry policy1.3.2: Conservation measures1.3.3: Landscape and amenity conservation.1.3.4: Certification as an approach to sustainable forestry management1.3.5: Forest research cooperation across Europe1.4: Conclusion1.5: References2.0: Methods and approaches in the study of woodland history2.1: Introduction2.2: Oral history2.3: Photographs and drawings2.4: Biological indicators2.5: Historical records2.6: Preserved wood and dendrochronology2.7: Lidar and GIS2.8: Applying archaeological insights to ecological issues2.9: Pollen and charcoal analysis2.10: Conclusion2.11: References3.0: The forest landscape before farming3.1: Where to begin?3.2: A cold open continent3.3: Trees spread back after the ice3.3.1: Forming a canopy 53.3.2: The wood beneath the trees3.3.3: Molecular markers for re-colonisation routes.3.4: A holey blanket of trees3.5: The role of large herbivores, particularly bison, wild horse and aurochs3.6: People in the landscape: the trees in retreat3.7: References4.0: Evolution of modern landscapes4.1: Introduction4.2: The emergence of woodland management4.3: Changes in forest extent and distribution4.3.1: Reductions in forest cover4.3.2: Increases as well as decreases4.3.3: Patterns of clearance and survival4.3.4: The ecological consequences of a patchy landscape4.4: Changes in structure and composition through management4.5: Deliberate modification of the tree and shrub composition of forests4.6: Other species gains and losses4.7: Changes to the fire regime4.8: Changes to the forest soil4.9: Forests and atmospheric pollution4.10: Climate change4.11: Conclusion4.12: ReferencesPART 2: The variety of management across European woods and forests5.0: Wood-pastures in Europe5.1: Introduction5.2: Wood-pasture: a multi-purpose system5.3: Historical development of wood-pastures in Europe5.3.1: Forest grazing and pasturing in ancient times5.3.2: Driving the livestock out of the forest (18th-19th centuries)5.3.4: New recognition for wood-pastures?5.4: National inventories of wood-pastures5.5: Wood-pastures as multi-functional landscape elements: past and present5.6: Threats to wood-pastures5.6.1: Management changes5.6.2: Policy mismatch5.6.3: Decline of old, hollowing or dying trees5.6.4: Lack of regeneration5.7: Conclusions5.8: Acknowledgements5.9: References6.0: Coppice silviculture: from the Mesolithic to the 21st century6.1: Introduction6.2: The physiological and evolutionary significance of coppice6.3: Historic development of coppice silviculture6.4: The rise and fall of coppice as an industrial resource6.5: Surviving and neglected coppice in Europe: the extent of the forest estate6.6: Coppice silviculture6.6.1: Cutting methods6.6.2: Time of cutting6.7: Conversion to high forest6.7.1: Coppice versus high forest yields6.8: Reinstating coppice management6.9: Future drivers of change6.10: References7.0: High forest management and the rise of even-aged stands7.1: Introduction7.2: Changing from coppice to high forest systems7.3: The need for new administrative tools7.4: Silvicultural systems7.5: The rise of plantations7.6: Increased use of conifers and introduced species7.7: How forestry is changing7.8: Future high forest and natural forest structures7.9: References8.0: Close-to-nature forestry8.1: Introduction8.2: Roots and pre-requisites8.3: Developments in the 20th century8.4: Ecological implications8.5: Conclusion8.6: References9.0: The impact of hunting on European woodland from medieval to modern9.1: Introduction9.2: Early impacts of hunting9.3: Meat or merit?9.4: Medieval hunting reserves9.5: Early modern hunting parks in Europe9.6: Hunting and the wider landscape9.7: Modern hunting9.7.1: The influence of driven pheasant shoots on British woodland9.7.2: The influence of modern hunting enclosures on Spanish woodland9.8: Conclusion9.9: ReferencesPART 3: How plants and animals have responded to the changing woodland and forest cover.10.0: The flora and fauna of coppice woods: winners and losers of active management or neglect10.1: Introduction10.2: The diversity of coppice10.2.1: Plants10.2.2: Birds10.2.3: Invertebrates10.2.4: Deadwood and associated species10.2.5: Mammals10.3: Impacts of deer browsing on flora and fauna in coppice10.4: Conservation strategies10.5: Short Rotation Coppice10.6: Conclusion10.7: References11.0: The importance of veteran trees for saproxylic insects11.1: Introduction11.2: What are saproxylic species11.3: Veteran trees in past and present landscapes11.4: Important structures and associated species in old trees11.4.1: Microhabitat diversity11.4.2: Tree cavities and their invertebrates11.4.3: Other microhabitats11.5: Effects of environmental factors on the invertebrate fauna11.5.1: Effects of tree characteristics on species assemblages11.5.2: Effects of surrounding landscape on species assemblages11.5.3: Catering for the needs of the adult as well as the larvae11.5.4: Survey methods11.6: Current situation in Europe11.7: How to preserve the specialized saproxylic species?11.7.1: Management for increasing habitat amount and quality11.7.2: Management for securing spatio-temporal continuity11.8: Future prospects11.9: References12.0: The changing fortunes of woodland birds in temperate Europe12.1: Introduction12.2: The birds of the early Holocene12.3: The birds of the wildwood: alternative models of forest dynamics12.3.1: Largely closed forest – ‘closed canopy’ scenario12.3.2: Open mosaic landscape – ‘wood pasture’ scenario12.3.3: Forest-dominated, but more varied – ‘closed but varied’ scenario12.4: Fragmentation of the wildwood12.5: Effects of the historical emergence of management12.6: The age of managed pasture woods and coppice12.7: The shift towards high forest12.8: Woodland birds today12.8.1: Population trends12.8.2: Influences of agriculture12.8.3: Forestry intensification12.8.4: Birds and afforestation12.9: Recent trends12.10: Conclusions12.11: References13.0: Evolution and changes in the understorey of deciduous forests: lagging behind drivers of change13.1: Introduction13.2: Background13.3: What sorts of plants occur in forests?13.4: Comparing ancient and recent forests13.5: Colonization of new forests13.6: Dispersal and recruitment limitation13.7: Changing ancient forests13.7.1: Management effects13.7.2: Effects of environmental changes13.7.3: Effects of grazing13.7.4: Effects of invasive non-native species13.8: Conserving and expanding forests: does it work?13.9: References14.0: Gains and losses in the European mammal fauna14.1: Introduction14.2: Aurochs14.3: The carnivores14.3.1: Wolf14.3.2: Brown bear14.3.3: Lynx14.4: The Beaver14.5: A species that has done too well14.6: The decline and rise of wild boar and deer14.6.1: Wild boar14.6.2: Deer14.7: Conclusion14.8: References15.0: The curious case of the even-aged plantation: wretched, funereal or misunderstood?15.1: Introduction15.2: What is an even-aged plantation?15.3: A brief historical overview of Atlantic spruce forests15.3.1: The dominance of Sitka spruce15.3.2: Breaking up the conifer blanket15.4: Species composition of spruce plantations15.5: Ecological implications of stand dynamics15.5.1: Precursors - the creation of woodland through afforestation (Stage 0)15.5.2: Stand initiation (Stage 1)15.5.3: The impact of stand development – canopy closure and mortality (Stages 2 and 3)15.5.4: Prolonging the rotation and developing multiple storeys (Stage 4)15.5.5: Resetting the woodland through disturbance15.6: Forest design15.7: The landscape setting15.8: Where next?15.9: Conclusions15.10: ReferencesPART 4: A variety of woodland histories.16.0: Historical ecology in modern conservation in Italy16.1: Introduction16.2: Background16.3: The spread of an historical ecological approach in European conservation thinking16.3.1: Forestry versus Woodmanship16.3.2: Woodland or land-bearing-trees16.3.3: The need for an inter-disciplinary approach16.3.4: The role of historical ecology16.4: Integrating Historical and Local Knowledge into Management Strategies16.4.1: An introduction to the case studies16.4.2: Trees and Woodlands Producing Leaf Fodder16.4.3: Trees, woodland and soil fertility16.4.4: The collection of litter16.4.5: Trees invading bogs: an experiment in applied historical ecology16.5: Conclusion16.6: References17.0: Bialowieza Primeval Forest: a 2000-year interplay of environmental and cultural forces in Europe’s best preserved temperate woodland17.1: Introduction17.2: Previous studies17.3: A new palaeo-ecological record for Bialowieza Primeval Forest17.3.1: Methods17.3.2: Results17.4: Archaeological evidence17.5: Archival studies17.5.1: Royal forest of Polish kings17.5.2: Under Russian rule17.5.3: World War I to the present17.5.4: Changes in land use extent and character17.6: Dendro-chronological analyses of fire dynamics17.7: Interplay of natural and cultural forces17.7.1: The Iron Age17.7.2: The Migration Period, mediaeval and early modern times17.7.3: The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries17.7.4: The nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries17.7.5: The recent decades17.8: The role of large herbivores in shaping BNP17.9: Conclusions17.10: Acknowledgements17.11: References18.0: Woodland history in the British Isles - an interaction of environmental and cultural forces.18.1: Introduction18.2: Outline of British woodland history18.3: Historical stages and processes of change18.4: Regions18.4.1: Pre-Neolithic wildwood18.4.2: Exploited wildwood18.4.3: Traditional woodland management18.4.4: Parks, Forests and wooded commons18.4.5: Improved traditional management18.4.6: Plantations18.4.7: Revival and restoration of native woodland18.5: Some consequences of differences in regional history18.6: References19.0: Forest management and species composition: an historical approach in Lorraine, France19.1: Introduction19.2: The study of forest history in France19.3: Historical forest uses and their consequences on forest management19.4: The making of the technical and legislative framework19.5: The consequences of forestry policies on forest composition in woodlands of Lorraine19.6: The modern forest - conclusion19.7: References20.0: Barriers and bridges for sustainable forest management: the role of landscape history in Swedish Bergslagen20.1: Introduction20.2: The European scale20.3: The regional scale20.4: Bergslagen – an introduction20.5: Forests, forest ownership and land use dynamics20.6: Barriers to sustainability20.6.1: Ecological sustainability20.6.2: Economic sustainability20. 6.3: Social and cultural sustainability20.7: Bridges towards sustainable forest management20.8: Discussion20.8.1: From forest history to history of forest landscapes20.8.2: Landscapes with different histories: using space for time substitution20.9: ReferencesPART 5: Lessons from the past for the future?21.0: The development of forest conservation in Europe21.1: Introduction21.2: Why conserve forests?21.2.1: As a spiritual place21.2.2: As a place for the Chase21.2.3: As a source of raw materials and a barrier against the elements21.2.4: For a new form of communing with the forests21.3: Type and extent of Protected Forest Areas21.4: Selection of protected areas21.5: Developing a European perspective21.6: Forest protection and conservation as part of land-use practice.21.7: Rewilding and forest conservation21.8: From the past to the future21.8.1: Conservation for people?21.8.2: What sorts of woods and forests will be conserved in future?21.9: References22.0: The UK’s Ancient Woodland Inventory and its Use22.1: Introduction22.2: Developing the ancient woodland concept22.3: The creation of the ancient woodland inventory22.4: Developing and using the inventories22.4.1: England: the ‘Red Queen’ dilemma22.4.2: Wales22.4.3: Scotland22.4.4: Northern Ireland22.5: Testing the limits of the English inventories22.5.1: Uncertain evidence22.5.2: What is a wood?22.5.3: How small can an ancient wood be?22.6: Conclusion22.7: References23.0: Tree and forest pests and diseases: learning from the past to prepare for the future23.1: Introduction23.2: Background23.2.1: Dutch Elm Disease, Ramorum blight and Ash Dieback23.3: The Dutch Elm Disease outbreak23.4: ‘Sudden Oak Death’ (ramorum blight) in the UK23.5: A landscape without ash?23.6: The lessons from history23.7: References24.0: Reflections24.1: Introduction24.2: Ways of exploring and understanding woodland histories24.3: Issues for the future historian24.4: From cultural landscapes back to wildwood?24.5: Europe’s woods and forests: the future?

      • Picture books

        Filippa & Company

        The Piano

        by Juha Virta

        Filippa and her friends find a piano in their backyard. Each of them wants the piano. André the donkey would use it as a coffee-table, Snoozy the cat would take a nap in it. Filippa simply would love to play her favourite song on it. At the same time the pianist is missing his piano, and the conductor is missing his socks.

      • July 2015

        ROBOGEM

        Fun programming board game for the whole family

        by Juha Paananen, Mikko Hiltunen

        Robogem is a fun-filled, action-packed strategy game for two to four players in which robots search for diamonds on a distant planet. Players steer their robots using simple commands, use different tactics, dodge obstacles, and try to be the first to grab the diamonds! Robogem is a programming game where the difficulty increases as your skills improve, presenting a challenge for the whole family.

      • Education

        Unaccomplished Utopia

        Neoconservative Dismantling of Public Higher Education in the European Union

        by Paraskeva, J. M.

        This is a stimulating and original collection of chapters produced by an impressive group of international scholars. It provides a vital critical perspective that will strengthen our understanding of what the very important Bologna project means for Universities in Europe and beyond – Roger Dale, University of Bristol, UK. This book is an imperative read. It presents a powerful set of challenging and straightforward analyses of the current neo-Rightist attack on Higher Education and the Public Sphere in the European Union by The Bologna Process. In an era of Public Education characterized by a flood of magical neoliberal solutions, this volume exposes the real political aims behind the illusions created by the Bologna Process. Sans euphemisms, Joao Paraskeva and his colleagues have insightfully unveiled how these current technocratic instruments, while assuming unique, neutral, and scientific solutions, have hijacked this debate. Jurjo Torres Santome – University of Corunha, Spain. All too often EU's higher education policies are left untouched by the critical eye as if the totalizing machine of the EU was handed over from above as a generous gift from the politico-administrative elite to the ordinary people walking in the markets of educational vanity. Fortunately, authors of this volume have the courage to see through the many illusions installed in the apparently all-European, "harmonizing", educative apparatus. - Juha Suoranta, Professor of Adult Education, University of Tampere, Finland. Creating access to Higher Education is not easy. It is even harder to create an accord where more than 20 EU Countries come together to change their paradigm, to change their approach, and to create a common fabric of higher education in the European Union. The contributors of this volume have reached out to critically analyze this accord and to help us better understand the lethal costs associated with it, in terms of the labor, identity, and academic freedom. Sheila Macrine – Montclair University, USA. Joao Menalau Paraskeva begins his new book with a clear assessment of the pedagogical proposals of what he terms the neo radical centrist globalization forces: these proposals are dismantling public Higher Education in the European Union. His collaborators provide complementary data and reflections along the same lines, public universities in the European Union are at the threshold of becoming organizations chained to the market undermining any other social and pedagogical function. For some this diagnostic of universities turned into subservient educational institutions, more oriented to for-profit ventures and the commodification of knowledge, may seem an exaggeration. It is early to assess to what extents all the claims made in this book are going to be fully developed with the dangerous implications noted in it, but there is no doubt that its warnings are serious, well-researched and presented in a thorough manner. Paraskeva is a sensible scholar and is offering a sensible book about the marketization of the European public university that educators around the world should take seriously - Gustavo E. Fischman Arizona State University

      • Trusted Partner
        Children's & YA

        PEEKABOO'S PICTURE DICTIONARY

        by NATAŠA BUCIK

        PEEKABOO’S PICTURE DICTIONARYSLOVENE-ENGLISH-FRENCHWritten by Nataša Bucik, Kaja BucikIllustrated by Ana Zavadlav With single and double page illustrations this picture dictionary introduces over 1200 words. The dictionary is suitable for children aged 3 years and up, when they start paying greater attention to naming things in their environment. It will also be a welcome picture dictionary for learning foreign words for children (up to the age of 10). Peekaboo’s Picture Dictionary is published in various language editions (3-5 languages). Illustrator Ana Zavadlav was given the Smrekar Award for popular science illustration for her dictionary illustrations. Format: 23 x 30.5 cm | 96 pages | Age: 3+

      • Trusted Partner
        Children's & YA

        MY NAME IS DAMIJAN

        by SUZANA TRATNIK

        MY NAME IS DAMIANWritten by Suzana Tratnik Damian’s world is one of family quarrels, drugs, alcohol and fights, which the nineteenyear-old uses to rebel against his family’s stereotypical expectations. Through Damian’s first-person narration, the reader gains an insight into the torn-up soul of a teenager who turns in vain to his parents, sister, girlfriend and friends for help. It reveals the loneliness of a young man who has to fight against the prejudices and prescribed gender roles that he encounters while trying to find his identity and his own path in life. Format: 14 x 20 cm174 pages | Age: 15+

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