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The aim of the study was to compare the status and prospects of the development of renewable energy in Poland and Ukraine. The source of the data used in this study were available reports, yearbooks and statistical studies Polish and Ukrainian, and literature on the issue of renewable energy development in these countries. Both in Poland and Ukraine, there is an increase in the production of energy from renewable sources. The share of renewables in the energy balance of Ukraine is much lower than in Poland. A significant problem for the development of renewable energy in Ukraine is the current political and economic situation.

Carabid beetles are frequently used as the environment condition indicators. Main purpose of this study was to test if community structure parameters of carabids indicate the stress intensity of heavy metal contamination in the soil of temperate forests. Three geographic regions in Europe differing in both degree of accumulation of heavy metals and its quality were chosen. In Olkusz (southern Poland) the main stressor was zinc, in Głogów (western Poland) – copper and in Clydach (Wales, UK) – nickel. We found strong division between assemblages from contaminated and reference sites (fig. 2). Indicator species from pollution preferring areas in one region can avoid polluted sites in the other region (tab. 2). Species preferring contaminated soils were significantly smaller than those that avoid such ecosystems (F=5.46, p<0.05). Generalized linear model indicated that species richness and biomass decreased in each stressor gradient of contaminated forests. Mean individual biomass and mean abundance of assemblages were significantly lower along zinc gradient only. Species with broader ecological range replace habitat specialists as a response to resource unpredictability. Decreased species richness and biomass in polluted forests indicate degradation of habitat resources and forest ecosystem functioning. Sylwan 159 (11): 905-911

The aim of this article is to present the environmental and economic aspects of the production and use of liquid biofuels of the first generation. To this end it was made analysis of literature. Based on the analysis, it was found that the use of liquid biofuels of the first generation speak both economic aspects (sense of energy security, rural development, increase agricultural income, job creation) and environmental (reduction of extraction of non-renewable resources, reduction of emissions). Unfortunately, you must also take into account the negative economic aspects („land hunger”, the increase in prices of agricultural commodities and food, impoverishment of the population) and ecological (questionable environmental protection, increase the greenhouse effect, monoculture crops, low calorific value) the production and use of liquid biofuels of the first generation.

Kozienice Forest (central Poland) belongs to very valuable areas from touristic and ecological point of view. Water resources are important factor of further development of this region. Analysis of 49−year (1963−2011) annual and seasonal rainfall and runoff characteristics from a small (82 km) catchment of Zagożdżonka River, with forestation ratio of 0.40, indicated a statistically significant decrease for six of the nine considered parameters. Mann−Kendall test was used for trend analysis. Decreased trend was indicated for annual runoff and annual runoff coefficient, median discharge, summer half−year runoff coefficient, median summer discharge and for low mean 30−day discharge. No trend was detected for annual precipitation and summer half year precipitation nor for summer half year runoff. Sylwan 157 (8): 578-586

An influence of environmental changes upon forest tree species competition was studied for suggested scenario of environmental changes (3−4°C increase of monthly temperatures), 8 main tree species and 6 natural regions. For a synthetic assessment of the reaction of various species for thermal and higric parameters of the climate, the growth multipliers DDGF and SMGF were used. The main environmental factor influencing future growth of tree species in Poland will be water shortage due to increased evapotranspiration. Regional decrease of water sensitive species importance, eg. alder, spruce and birch, accompanied by country−scale expansion of highly competitive, late−successional species, eg. beech and hornbeam is expected. Sylwan 157 (4): 253-261

The carbon accumulated in the wood of the world's forests accounts for 32% of the 1,200 Gt, which includes carbon absorbed by forest ecosystems. In the strategy of terrestrial carbon management, the following main issues are distinguished sequestration, conservation and substitution. Comparative studies show environmental advantages of wood products over the industries producing wood substitutes. To produce 1 tonne of construction wood, approximately 580 kWh of energy is required, while competing materials need much higher energy inputs e.g. bricks – 4 times more than wood; cement – 5 times more, plastic – 6 times more, steel – 24 times more and aluminium – 126 times more energy than wood. Wood also becomes an increasingly more attractive biofuel. The U.S. President announced in 2007 ‘the initiative on modern energy', including the replacement by 2025 of over 75% of U.S. oil imports from the Middle East by biofuels. 80−375 litres of ethanol can be produced from 1 tonne of absolutely dry wood. It is expected that 905 million tonnes of agricultural waste and 334 million tonnes of wood biomass will be available annually by 2030. The cultivation of agro−fuel products can be extended to woodlands generating conflicts in land use and increasing deforestation with the implications for biodiversity, climate change and water. The area previously designed for food production may be allocated for the production of biofuels, which can cause a rise in agricultural product prices and threaten food security. Sylwan 155 (3): 195-201

Amount of dry biomass and its annual production of stands of Ojcowski National Park were determined for 1990−2003 period. Carbon dioxide sequestration was estimated for the mentioned period as well. Forests of Ojcowski National are biomass abundant stands with a quite high annual production. Mean stand biomass amounts to 218.6 t/ha in the year 1990 and 275.7 t/ha in the year 2003, with a mean annual increment amounting to 8.7 t/ha/year. Carbon dioxide sequestration for the Park area was estimated to 12.9 t CO2/ha/year. Sylwan 156 (6): 451-462

The objective of the study was to estimate the number of jobs created by sector of wood biomass used for the energy production. The study presents direct employment (the persons who are employed in the production of wood biomass, its harvesting, industry processing, transport or combustion), indirect employment (the employment in the related sections according to Polish Classification of Activites) and induced employment (the jobs created as a result of purchases of the persons directly employed in the biomass sector). The data used in the analyses were obtained from various official sources and statistics as well as previously published studies. The calculation included the whole area of Poland and focused on the data from the year 2012. The results lead to the conclusion that the direct employment in biomass sector in Poland in the year 2012 amounted 15.6 thousand jobs, of which 5.3 thousand in fuelwood harvesting and using. The indirect employment varied between 19 (by forestry sector) to 25 people (by public utilities sector) per 10 million PLN purchases by biomass sector. In turn, the induced employment amounted to 1.8 thousand employees, of which the largest share was observed for the education services section (29%), the manufactured products (19%), and human health services (17%). Sylwan 160 (10): 805-814

The article highlights the importance of geothermal energy in the dynamics of ice streams of the Warta ice sheet in Middle Poland against the background of other endogenous and exogenous factors. The basis of the presented views are data from literature, analysis of geological data archives and field observation of structures of glaciogenic sediments in Middle Poland. Until recently, the uneven spread of Pleistocene ice sheets in the Polish Lowland, which is resembled in lobes of various sizes, has been interpreted as caused by external factors, mainly the climate characteristics and relief barriers. The author proves that these factors should also include the influence of geothermal heat on the ice. The outline of ice lobes of the Warta ice sheet in Middle Poland and their hanging in the South, as well as activity of the ice streams which had formed them (e.g. their propensity to surge) are examples of dependency of the ice sheet from this stream of geothermal heat. Essential differences between its values occur on both sides of the Tornquist-Teysseyre zone. Higher values of flux heat in the Western European platform fluids compared with Eastern European platform meant that the lobes of the Warta ice sheet grew there much better, fostered by dominance of warm ice regime in considerable areas. Artykuł został opublikowany w "Znane fakty – nowe interpretacje w geologii i geomorfologii" pod red. A. Zielińskiego, Instytut Geografii UJK w Kielcach, s. 49-63.

This piece examines the relationship between trade marks and innovation activities and outputs. It acknowledges the growing interest of the legal doctrine as to how trade marks may enhance and transgress their basic function of being source-indicator and reputation-related asset in order to support the development of innovation activities. However, market studies do not confer consistent results as to whether trade marks facilitate the reinvestment in innovation, serve as valuable intangibles monetized to attract capital, ensure successful commercialization of outputs, or are simply used as barrier to entry with various anti-competitive effects. The present piece looks into two recent economic studies to verify the assumption concerning the positive corelation between trade marks and innovation. One study analyses the role played by trade marks in the commercialization of sustainable innovations by Dutch SMEs. Another study maps the regional trade mark activity in 47 Japanese prefectures in order to evaluate the extent to which trade marks capture soft innovation. This piece supports the need of interdisciplinary studies in order to correctly assess such issues as: the meaning of innovation, the stage at which trade marks connect with and determine innovation, the consequences of the trade marks-innovation link, and the parameters for measuring it.