Leadership and Management in Health Visiting Essay

Leadership and Management in Health Visiting - Essay Example "Leader is a person who leads, commands, or precedes a group, organization or a country". "Manager is a person who manages an organization or a group of staff. A person who controls the professional activities of a performer or a player is also called a Manager or a person in charge of activities, tactics, and training of a team." Oxford Dictionary Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in such a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. They carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although the position of manager gives one authority to carry out certain tasks, and objectives in the organization, this power does not make one leader, but it simply makes you 'Boss'. Leadership differs in that it makes followers wish to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around. Basis of good leadership is honorable character, selfless service to your organization. In your employee's eyes, your leadership is everything you do that effects organization's objectives and wellbeing. Respected Leaders concentrate on what they are (such as beliefs and characters) what they know (such as job, tasks and human nature) and what they do (such as implementing, motivating, and providing direction). Health Visitors are community health professionals (midwives, comm... Health Visiting is thus at the heart of services for children. Their work is highly valued across the system, and with their public health nursing and family support skills, they are an integral part of children's services. Principles of health visiting are the search for health needs; create an awareness of health needs, influence on the policies affecting health, and facilitation of health enhancing activities. Universality of health visiting service is vital for the early identification of problems. In partnership with health visitors families will continue to receive a health needs assessment. For families with no identified needs, a minimum program is proposed. This will allow Health.Visitor. to target their service to most vulnerable families. Health visiting team can be made fit to respond to the changing needs of health and service care agenda, by building skill mix team with greater responsibilities and accountability. . Sure Start is the cornerstone of government's drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. Sure Start works to provide childcare, early education, health and family support services for children below 5 years. These integrated services are delivered through children's centres,which are concentrated in most disadvantaged areas till date.By this year (2006) they are planning to come to the mainstream since local audit has shown that 30% of the country's (U.K.)vulnerable children are living outside this area. This guidance is given in 3 parts to Local authorities, Primary care trusts, Children's Centre Managers and Practitioners. - Section 02 deals with planning and running a centre, Section 03-10 focus on the delivery of services, Section 11-14 focus on the working with different groups. In brief practice guidance states

Delivering Superior Customer Service- Amazon Essay

Delivering Superior Customer Service- Amazon - Essay Example Instead, brand has improved in significance in relation to other purchase drivers such as location, price, habit and convenience (Millward Brown 3). The Millward Brown survey shows that too many brands are not successful in optimizing their power to persuade, and rather overstress cost while under leverage desire. Some prominent takeaways from the study are that brands, which enjoy strong equity normally, rate high on desire (Millward Brown 4). Also, the most priceless brands successfully drive a desire to shift from normal to astonishing productivity. Finally, according to the study, leading brands such as Amazon do not ignore price, but they adjust price derived from desire (Millward Brown 4). Also, in another study released by ForeSee on customer satisfaction among internet shopping giants, Amazon topped the list (Tecca 1). The truth that Amazon was number one among dozens of companies with regards to their customer satisfaction is not an outstanding finding to the 152 million ind ividuals with active Amazon customer accounts (Tecca 1). What is outstanding is the reality that ForeSee’s client satisfaction score of Amazon is the highest score ever to be awarded to any online shopping website (Tecca 1). It is vital to take note that ForeSee have been carrying out their studies for over five years now and that no other business has attained a higher rating than Amazon. Therefore, Amazon clients have always been satisfied, and the online firm will always strive to satisfy their clients (Tecca 1). An Amazon Prime membership will only cost someone $79 a year. They can begin with a one-month free tryout, or if they are a parent or a student, the Amazon Mom and Amazon Student programs respectively provide other benefits. A single membership can be shared with a maximum of four extra individuals, so someone in a family of four can all get the membership for one annually fee (Tecca 1). A customer can get a free two-day shipping, as well as $3.99 one-day shipping on appropriate purchases. The firm’s account of a perfect client experience is one in which their clients do not just want to talk to them (Tecca 1). Each and every time a client contacts Amazon, they see it as a flaw. The firm says that they consider their clients as friends, but not merchants. Any person can be eligible for the normal Amazon Prime membership, even though subscribers in the U.S. can see the streaming video for free. Buying of goods sold by Amazon itself are primarily eligible for free tow-day shipping, even though some goods are extremely bulky, hazardous and heavy material may get normal shipping instead (Tecca 1). The Amazon Mom and Amazon Student programs provide benefits close to Amazon Prime, but they are not fairly the same (Tecca 1). For example, neither program offers free streaming video. Amazon Student subscribers are entitled to the same shipping benefits as Prime members for six months of subscription and also get deals, as well as promotions li mited to students. Amazon Mom subscribers, on the other hand, get the Prime shipping benefits for only three months and can prolong that through earning an additional month of free shipping for every $US 25 used in the Baby Store (Tecca 1). Amazon Mom subscribers also get discounts, as well as exclusive deals on a variety of baby products. Going through the reviews on their

The European sovereign debt crisis dominated international financial Essay - 1

The European sovereign debt crisis dominated international financial markets during 2010-2012. Economies fell into recession and financial market volatility was high - Essay Example d not be contained as the problems only in the Greek region, given the economical and financial structure governing the European nations it was apparent that this crisis was a truly ‘European’ crisis and couldn’t be handled in isolation with any one country. The Greek deficit was a direct result of the The European Nation came into being in 1992 through the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. The treaty established the euro as legal tender for all the participating nations, with the exclusive responsibility of forming the monetary policy for the euro zone falling on the European Central Bank. The treaty promised great benefits for the nations admitted to the euro zone. There were two major economic rewards firstly it increased the ease of borrowing for individual governments based on the average rating for the whole of euro zone; nations with high deficits and low GDP would enjoy the same average rating as a benefit from the high economic performance of stronger euro zone economies. Secondly, the uniform monetary policy meant that no nation could devalue its currency or lower interest rates etc to increase their competitive advantage. This leveled the playing field for all participants of the Euro zone. However, the mechanics behind these ‘benefits’ were risky and the major criticism for the treaty. The countries were still held responsible for designing their fiscal policies in order to positively influence the economy, but without the control of monetary measures, they could not manage their sovereign debt problems through devaluation of currency or lowering the interest rates. Another concern, which would later prove to be true, was the idea that some economies might become ‘free-riders’ and depend on other participating nations in the euro zone to indulge in high debt to finance economic activities without the required increase in productivity. In order to put a check and balance on the system, a â€Å"convergence criteria† was set upon for the

Enzymes Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enzymes - Lab Report Example Following addition of iodine to a solution of glucose, the only color observed was red or yellow (iodine color). Therefore, the faster the blue color is lost, the faster the enzyme amylase activity. The enzyme amylase can’t hydrolyze starch if it is inactivated, so the starch-iodine complex blue color will persist. The presence of glucose in the samples was tested using Benedict’s reagent. When blue solution of Benedict’s reagent is added to a glucose solution the color changes to green (at low concentrations of glucose) or reddish-orange (at higher concentrations of glucose). Starch can’t react with Benedict’s reagent, therefore the solution remains blue. The aim of the experiment was to look at how enzyme amylase activity is affected by pH, temperature and concentration of the enzyme. Introduction Enzymes are proteins in nature; they are catalysts for biological reactions. Like all catalysts, they speed up reactions by lowering the reactionâ€℠¢s activation energy without themselves being used up. Enzymes catalyze all biochemical reactions. They can be denatured in a variety of ways since they are proteins in nature, Therefore they work optimally under mild conditions. At body temperature and at a neutral pH, most of them have optimum activity. Enzymes also are known to be very specific; they act only on a specific substrate or one type of similar substrate molecules. This is because the enzyme active site is complementary to the polarity and shape of the substrate. Only one kind of substrate will â€Å"fit† into the active site. (Abu et al, 2005) Methods and Materials Preparation: Water baths of constant, low and high temperature were used in the experiment. A large water bath was set to 37 °C.For low temperature bath, a 250-mL beaker, was half filled with tap water, and some ice was added to the water to attain between 0 and 5 °C temperature. High temperature water bath was made by filling a 250-mL beaker to two-thirds full then heated to boil. The temperature of the bath was close to 100 °C. 1% starch solution was used for every experiment part. Iodine reagent for each experiment was also used. Commercial amylase solution, clean droppers and a white spot plate were also needed in the experiment. For starch testing, few drops of starch were transferred to one well of the spot plate. One iodine reagent drop was added. Iodine and Starch was reacted to form a deep blue-black complex. For glucose testing, 1% glucose solution of 3 ml was added in a test tube. 2 ml of Benedict’s solution was added and heated in a boiling water bath for 3-4 minutes. The reaction formed a red-orange solid. Experiment 1: Effect of Enzyme Concentration Five test tubes were labeled as 1-5. 4 ml of 1 % starch was placed in every first four test tubes. 4 ml of amylase solution was placed in the fifth tube. All of the tubes were placed in water bath (37 °C) for 5 minutes. 5 clean droppers were obtained the n labeled from 1 to 5.Separate dropper were used for each mixture to avoid contamination. Tube 1 was the control and it never had any enzyme. The tubes were momentarily removed from the water bath and quickly 3 drops of the warmed amylase solution was added to tube 2, to tube 3, 6 drops of amylase was added and in tube 4, 10 drops of amylase was added. The tubes were mixed quickly by shaking gently then later put immediately back into 37 °C water bath. The time at which the enzyme was added was

Puffin Parcel Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Puffin Parcel Group - Case Study Example Andre’s vision for Puffin Parcel Group (PPG) will herald a number of changes on the previous business processes in order for the people and structure to be suited to the new business strategies. Given that PPG has over the past decade operated a reliable service to local businesses in Manchester, the processes must be transformed to accommodate the expansion to other platforms. Expansion to the home delivery and returns market increases the complexity of business processes in PPG. Whereas the employees were used to working in a system that only supported collection and delivery to and from local businesses, they will now incorporate home delivery and collection to the business processes. This might also translate into a need for PPG to absorb some of the drivers on casual contract into its network of permanent full-time drivers. Having an online presence will have significant impact on PPG due to the impact of e-commerce on sales and marketing efforts. Liang (2010) notes the internet performs a number of significant functions, which improves efficiency in areas of operations such as information acquisition, organization, processing, storage and transfer. However, for the business to enjoy success brought about by these changes, the management should introduce changes targeting payment systems and logistic, which promotes innovations. These platforms means that although PPG does not open physical offices in other regions, its presence will expand to reach to national and also adds to potential exploitation of international customers. Among the areas that will change  is time of business operation. Online business will make it necessary for PPG to adopt a 24/7 business operation to fully capitalize on existing markets.  

War in Iraq Essay Example for Free

War in Iraq Essay The United States Governments decision to invade Iraq was a mistake and so is the decision to continue to occupy the war-country. However, more than just a mistake, the war is of course wrong, and the reasons which the US declared for the rationale of the war are based on misinformed information. There are kinds of war that can be justified if the reasons behind them are morally right — the Iraq War is not one of them. The question whether the government knew this or not is not really known. Various sides claim different things regarding the rationality of the war, but one thing is for sure: This author is not for any kind of war, including the Iraq War. Iraq War in Under Fire There are a number of reasons why the war on Iraq is to be considered a bad judgment, if not a bad â€Å"scheme. † We could go on and on with a long list, but it would take a very long time. However, the main concern of the government was that Iraq had what they called â€Å"Weapons of Mass Destruction† (WMD) that are a threat to the security of not only America but also the rest of the world. There is reason to believe that misleading information influenced the decision of the president to go to war. In a press release posted on the Central Intelligence Agencys (CIA) website, Jay Rockefeller, chair of Intelligence committee said, â€Å"In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed† (qtd. in United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 1). He was right; by the time the US and coalition forces was done ransacking the country, no WMD were found. There were also no threatening biological and chemical weapons found in Iraq. There were hints that Saddam wanted to create such devious weapons, but the findings suggest that the â€Å"imminent threats† that the government was so afraid about were non-existent. With these findings alone, the main justification of the US government for going to war with Iraq is nullified. Supposedly after the US was embarrassed by their Intelligence failure, the logical thing to do was to pull out of Iraq as quickly as possible and admit they have made a mistake. Yet, instead of doing this, the government even denied it, publicly declaring Iraq as an â€Å"imminent threat† to the US (Center for American Progress 1). Of course, pulling out of the Iraq would not be that easy especially because the coalition forces have done such a good job of virtually maiming the country. The chaos that the conflict created also meant that it would be morally wrong to just leave the devastated country after doing significant damage to it. The process of pulling out the troops, however, is taking longer than necessary. US troops have been in Iraq since 2003 and until now, tens of thousands of soldiers are still in the dangerous country. The longer the troops stay in Iraq, the more body bags the army have to ship back home. Apart from the unjustified nature of the Iraq War, the casualties that the conflict created and is still creating are one of the major reasons why this war is being contested. As of June 2, 2009, there have been 4,627 coalition deaths, and these only include the coalition forces that died (Cable News Network [CNN]). According to a recent research published in the New York Times, the civilian casualties that the conflict is causing may sum up to 600,000 since the war began (Tavernise and Mcneil). That is almost a hundred thousand deaths a year, which makes this war even more wrong because of the sheer number of casualties produced. Not everybody sees this war the same way. Some argue that if Iraq was not invaded by Coalition forces, Iraq may have developed the Weapons of Mass Destruction they were so eager to find inside Iraqi territory. However, since the time when Iraq was invaded up to this date, no Weapons of Mass Destruction have been detected, making this argument invalid. For others, the war on Iraq was a necessary move of the United States in order to defend itself from foreign threats, and it was a direct action to the seemingly increasing threat that Saddam supposedly had on the US. Former US President George W. Bush claimed that war was his last option. â€Å"I didnt want war, to assume that I wanted war is just flat wrong,† George Bush said in an interview (qtd. in Shakir). However, evidence suggests that he has already made up his mind long before the first coalition forces landed on Iraqi soil. Bush and then British Prime Minister Tony Blair have already met and decided on the matter as revealed in a memo dated January 31, 2003 (Norton-Taylor). Conclusion The Iraq War is just flat out wrong. The US government pretended and projected to the people that Iraq was an imminent threat despite the lack of real evidence. The rationality of the war is just based on misleading information, therefore making it a mistake. However, more important than the rationality of the war, the number of casualties that the conflict has created and is still creating is a strong enough reason to justify the immorality and irrationality of the war. Others may claim that the war was necessary, but the hard truth is that it was indeed a mistake. The failure to find WMD has caused critics to be suspicious of the real intent of the US why they invaded Iraq — Iraq is of course an oil well capable of generating enormous amounts of money that even the already rich US government could not resist. Works Cited Cable News Network. â€Å"US and Coalition Casualties: Iraq. † CNN. com/world. 2 June 2009. 4 June 2009. http://edition. cnn. com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/. Center for American Progress. â€Å"In Their Own Words: Iraqs Imminent Threat.† Center for American Progress. 29 Jan. 2004. 4 June 2009. http://www. americanprogress. org/kf/QUOTES. PDF. Norton-Taylor, Richard. â€Å"Blair-Bush Deal Before Iraq War Revealed in Secret Memo. † 3 Feb. 2006. Guardian News and Media. 4 June 2009. http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2006/feb/03/iraq. usa. Shakir, Faiz. â€Å"Bush Insists I Didnt Want War, Overwhelming Evidence Suggests Otherwise. † Think Progress. 21 Mar. 2006. 4 June 2009. http://thinkprogress. org/2006/03/21/made-up-his-mind/.

Human Impacts on Deciduous Forest

Human Impacts on Deciduous Forest Autumn Blaze Maple Tree The autumn blaze maple tree is a unique combination of good traits from the red maple and silver maple. The qualities mixed by the autumn blaze maple tree are brilliant orange-red color in the fall, dense and healthy branching, and enhanced growth that protects from insects and disease. They are known for their unexcelled speed of growth. The autumn blaze maple tree can also live in a variety of climates, ranging from the frigid cold of zone three, to the humid south of zone eight. The autumn blaze maple tree will grow to fifty or sixty feet tall and have a mature spread of thirty to forty feet. They are not a susceptible to storm damage as the silver maple, as they received stronger wood from their red maple parent. The autumn blaze maple tree also has the ability to grow in most soil conditions. The leaves of the autumn blaze maple tree resemble the leaves of a silver maple tree, being opposite, simple, and five-lobed with toothy margins. The deep red veins of the leaves are derived from the red maple. The summer color of the autumn blaze maple tree is a rich medium green, which turns into orange and crimson in the fall. The leaves of the autumn blaze maple tree will last longer on the branch than those of other maple trees. The Birch Birch species are generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of temperate climates. The simple leaves are alternate, singly or doubly serrate, feather-veined, petiolate and stipulate. They often appear in pairs, but these pairs are really borne on spur-like, two-leaved, lateral branchlets. The fruit is a small samara, although the wings may be obscure in some species. They differ from the alders (Alnus, other genus in the family) in that the female catkins are not woody and disintegrate at maturity, falling apart to release the seeds, unlike the woody, cone-like female alder catkins. The bark of all birches is characteristically marked with long, horizontal lenticels, and often separates into thin, papery plates, especially upon the paper birch. It is resistant to decay, due to the resinous oil it contains. Its decided color gives the common names gray, white, black, silver and yellow birch to different species. European larch Larix decidua, common name European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, with also low populations in southern Poland and southern Lithuania. Larix decidua is a medium-size to large deciduous coniferous tree reaching 25-45 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter (exceptionally, to 55 m tall and 2 m diameter). The crown is conic when young, becoming broad with age; the main branches are level to upswept, with the side branches often pendulous. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots (typically 10-50 cm long) and bearing several buds, and short shoots only 1-2 mm long with only a single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light green, 2-4 cm long which turn bright yellow before they fall in the autumn, leaving the pale yellow-buff shoots bare until the next spring. The cones are erect, ovoid-conic, 2-6 cm long, with 30-70 erect or slightly incurved (not reflexed) seed scales; they are green variably flushed red when immature, turning brown and opening to release the seeds when mature, 4-6 months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black.It is very cold tolerant, able to survive winter temperatures down to at least -50 °C, and is among the tree line trees in the Alps, reaching 2400 m altitude, though most abundant from 1000-2000 m. It only grows on well-drained soils, avoiding waterlogged ground. Deciduous forest animals A wide variety of mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles can be found in a deciduous forest biome. Mammals that are commonly found in a deciduous forest include bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wood mice, and in the U.S., deer can be found in these forests. While bobcats, mountain lions, timber wolves, and coyotes are natural residents of these forests, they have nearly been eliminated by humans because of their threat to human life. Other animals that were native to this biome, such as elk and bison, have been hunted to near extinction. Migration and hibernation are two adaptations used by the animals in this biome. While a wide variety of birds migrate, many of the mammals hibernate during the cold winter months when food is in short supply. Another behavioral adaptation some animals have adopted is food storage. The nuts and seeds that are plentiful during the summer are gathered by squirrels, chipmunks, and some jays, and are stored in the hollows of trees for use during the winter months. Cold temperatures help prevent the decomposition of the nuts and seeds. Deciduous forest plants A deciduous forest typically has three to four, and sometimes five, layers of plant growth. Tall deciduous trees make up the top layer of plant growth, and they create a moderately dense forest canopy. Although the canopy is moderately dense, it does allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. This sunlight allows plants in the other layers to grow. The second layer of plant growth includes saplings and species of trees that are naturally shorter in stature. A third layer (or understory) would include shrubs. Forest herbs, such as wildflowers and berries, make up a fourth layer. During the spring, before the deciduous trees leaf out, these herbs bloom and grow quickly in order to take advantage of the sunlight. A fifth layer would include mosses and lichens that grow on tree trunks. Plant adaptations In the spring, deciduous trees begin producing thin, broad, light-weight leaves. This type of leaf structure easily captures the sunlight needed for food production (photosynthesis). The broad leaves are great when temperatures are warm and there is plenty of sunlight. However, when temperatures are cold, the broad leaves expose too much surface area to water loss and tissue damage. To help prevent this damage from occurring, deciduous trees make internal and physical adaptations that are triggered by changes in the climate. Image of deciduous forest trees with leaves of red and orange. Cooler temperatures and limited sunlight are two climatic conditions that tell the tree to begin adapting. In the Fall, when these conditions occur, the tree cuts off the supply of water to the leaves and seals off the area between the leaf stem and the tree trunk. With limited sunlight and water, the leaf is unable to continue producing chlorophyll, the green stuff in the leaves, and as the chlorophyll decreases the leaves change color. The beautiful display of brilliant red, yellow, and gold leaves, associated with deciduous forests in the fall, is a result of this process. Most deciduous trees shed their leaves, once the leaves are brown and dry. Humans in the ecosystem The original broad lived deciduous forest that covered most of the lowlands of temperate Europe have almost disappeared to give way to an intensively farmed landscape. (Peterken, G. F., 1996). European natural nemoral woodland is considered to be among the most degraded ecosystems in the world (JÄâ„ ¢drzejewska et al., 1994). Although there is the perception that the greatest concern should be held for tropical rain forests, temperate deciduous forests have a smaller fraction of original vegetation remaining than boreal or tropical forests, and also have been more severely impacted by land use change and air pollution. Remaining deciduous forests in the Fennoscandian boreal landscape have high ecological value, and are considered as key components of the forest landscape. In Europe and North America, less than 1% of all temperate deciduous forests remain inundisturbed state, free of logging, grazing, and deforestation or other intensive use. In  south  and  central  Sweden,  during  the  20th  century much  of  the  deciduous  forests  were  transferred  to  coniferous  forest  plantations, while  the  remaining  deciduous  forests  are  to  a  large  extent  also  characterized by  commercial  forestry.  Estimates  by  SEPA  indicates  that  less  than  2%  of  the original  distribution  of  deciduous  forests  are  still  intact,  in  terms  of  natural forest  dynamics. In Norway more than 20% of the broad-leaved forests are logged and replaced with non-native tree species. The forest sector continues this destructive management, manipulating living forests into boring monoculture of non-native species. This is the biggest threat to this unique and biodiversity rich forest ecosystem, for which Norway has an international responsabiliity. The history of deciduous forest in Scandinavia: The example of picea albes Although climate changes are considered as the driving force of forest modification, (Webb 1987), the actual vegetation landscape of Europe is the result of thousands years of interferences between human activity and forests. (Behre, 1988; Huntley Webb, 1989). This can be illustrated by the immigration of Picea abies into Fennoscandia. Both human disturbance and climatic change are responsible factors (Tallantire, 1977; Nunez Vuorela, 1979; Huntley, 1988; Dahl, 1990). To retrace forest landscape history we can use pollen analysis (Bradshaw, 1988; Bradshaw Zackrisson, 1990). The major deciduous tree species in the Fennoscandian boreal forest, Betula pendula, B. pubescens and Populus tremula, all depend on disturbance for their perpetuation (Zackrisson, 1985; Nikolov Helmisaari, 1992) Pollen records and charcoal remains provide evidence of intense deforestation for agricultural uses 4000 years ago in Southern Scandinavia. This clearing facilitated a dramatic change in the forest composition, although at the beginning in southern Sweden forest where dominated by deciduous trees and Spruce were found only in the northern and central part of Sweden,(Bjorse Bradshaw 1998, Lindbladh Bradshaw, 1998) During the following two millennia, the spruce spread southwards rapidly and is now the dominant forest species in most of southern Sweden. This process has been explained as being based on a combination of climatic changes and of anthropogenic influences such as grazing by domestic animals, selective cuttings, pollarding, and burning, which has been unfavorable for deciduous tree species (Nilsson, 1997a, Lindbladh et al., 2000). Since the mid-19th century the Swedish boreal land- scape has been transformed by forestry operations, which have produced intensively managed forests, mainly even-aged conifer monocultures, in which production of tim- ber and pulpwood are the main goals (Ostlund et al. 1997; Linder Ostlund, 1998; Axelsson Ostlund, 2001) The landscape perspective has come to play an important role in efforts to achieve sustainable forestry, especially regarding the protection of biodiversity However, many temperate zone economies have shifted from rural, agricultural to urban manufacturing and technologically driven economies. This has led to large-scale agricultural abandonment and the reversion of agricultural lands back to forests. Recent studies indicate an increase in forest area and volumes in both North America and Europe (Kauppi et al., 1992; Houghton, 1995). Restoration and management of deciduous forests Temperate deciduous forests are important to regional economies as a source of wood, they provide many ecological services, and they play a major role in the global carbon cycle The need to repair habitat and restore forest structure and function is recognized throughout the boreal and temperate zone as a component of sustainable forest management. Forest restoration is a complex task, complicated by diverse ecological and social conditions, that challenges our understanding of forest ecosystems. Forest are human dominated ecosystems. Reconstructing forests where they are now absent, as well as altering existing forests to more natural conditions, are important aspects of sustainable forest management. Rare herbaceous species, lichens, mosses, insects and birds that are dependent on old, dying and dead deciduous trees occur in these forests (Sturesson, 1983; Lundqvist, 1986; Wikars As, 1991) In Sà ¶derà ¥sen National Park Sweden CONCLUSION: WHAT FUTURE FOR  TEMPERATE FORESTS? Long, long ago forests of oak, elm, beech, chestnut, maple, ash, poplar, linden, birch, and many other species blanketedmost of the lowlands of Europe. Similar forests covered much of the northeastern United States. Many of those forests have gone, cleared by long-dead settlers to make way for farms. Farms were needed, of course. People must be fed-and so must the draft animals that helped the farmers till the land. But forests have always been needed. Most furniture, house frames, floors, and everyday tools are made wholly or partly from wood. This book is made from paper manufactured from what were once trees growing in a forest. Wood was once the only fuel that heated every home, from the kings palace and the barons castle to the villagers cottage. It cooked everyones meals, and the only way to obtain hotwater for washing was to place a cauldron over a wood fire. Many people burn wood to keep warm even today. We mayboast of living in the Information Age, but the truth is that we live in the Wooden Age, and we always have. Nowadays a new use has been found for our forests, basedon a deeper understanding and appreciation of the way they function. Forests are seen not simply as sources of raw materials and fuel, but as living communities of plants, animals, fungi, and organisms so small they can be seen only with the aid of a microscope. The forest reveals itself as a wonderland of diversity, a community of living organisms so vast and complex as to be barely comprehensible. Most North Americans and Europeans now live in cities. The countryside and its forests are remote from the sidewalks, subways, city blocks, and suburban sprawl, and city parks are pale imitations of genuine countryside. This makes the forests still more special-and valuable. The forest is a place to visit. It is where families can walk, children can play, and naturalists can observe what is around them. It is where scientists can study the planet we all share, and where students can learn. Throughout much of the Tropics, forests are being cleared, although strenuous efforts are being made to halt the clearances. In temperate regions, on the other hand, the forests are expanding. Forests that have stood for centuries, known as old-growth forests in most of the world and as ancient woodland in Britain, are protected. The protection is not always effective and valued forests are sometimes lost, often through illegal logging, but conservation bodies are increasingly vigilant and the chainsaws can no longer enter the forest unchallenged. It seems certain, therefore, that the temperate forests will survive long into the future. Changes in the climate may alter their composition, but forests are not static; their composition is changing all the time. Trees come and go, but the forest will remain. Of that we may be certain.