Growing concerns about the consequences of forest clearance have increased the need to understand more completely the processes by which human activity affects the species composition, structure, and dynamics of forests. Some earlier studies of forest degradation and conversion now have been criticized as having been short-sighted, superficial, and excessively alarmist, but other studies have highlighted the significant changes that can result from a variety of human activities. This project will contribute new insights about the complex dynamics of change in forests through a lengthy, detailed case study of deforestation in the upland forests on the southeastern flank of the Dhaulagiri Himal range of western Nepal. Extensive field work by the investigator and native assistants will gather data about vegetation characteristics, physical characteristics, and human use and management practices for roughly 50 forest stands controlled by native villages in the region. These data will be analyzed through direct and indirect gradient analyses to assess the impacts of human, physical, and natural factors on vegetational dynamics. This project will provide valuable new insights about the complex processes through which people and natural forces interact within and near upland forests. Because methods used in this analysis have been used elsewhere, this study will complement other research and add to general knowledge about these types of processes. This Research in Undergraduate Institutions award also will support general research and educational activities at a predominantly undergraduate institution.
