Transgenic poplars could make China a big player in lumber. But some experts worry about effects on nature. By Mark Clayton Scattered across at least seven provinces in China are more than 1 million common poplar trees with an uncommon bite. They can kill the insects that nibble their leaves. Their unusual defensive system is a genetically engineered bomb: Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a naturally occurring toxin inserted into the tree's DNA. Other such transgenic species, such as the larch and walnut, are in the works, Chinese researchers report.
Photo by Trygve M. Davidsen «If a man builds a church, whether he is a landlord or a farmer or somebody else, he must always keep it in good shape and never abandon the site. But if the church decays and the columns starts to fall, he must bring new within twelve months; and if he fails in doing so, he will be fined three Mark for his failure to the Bishop and still have to bring the timber and do the repair anyway».
European Foresters Orienteering Championship 11-16 July 2005 Ventspils, Latvia We would like to thank all the foresters who believed the possibility of EFOL in Latvia in 1994 and through their participance have studied the forestry in different European countries.
The Ministry of Environment of Madagascar published a ministerial decree to stop all ongoing logging permits in areas that threaten the sustainability of forests. The ban, approved a few weeks ago, covers as much as 7.0 million hectares. Along with other agreed measures, the new course of action is setting the stage for a dramatic improvement in the governance of the forestry sector at a time that the World Bank is launching the Third Environmental Project in this African country.
By Michael Lloyd Forestry Commission Scotland is helping to roll back the boundaries of physical activity for disabled people. The 7stanes trails on seven sites across the Borders are already a mecca for able-bodied mountain bikers.
The Canadian government will ask the World Trade Organization for authority to retaliate against at least $4.1 billion in U.S. imports over American noncompliance with WTO rulings on softwood lumber, officials said Wednesday.
The Swedish Government has now submitted Sweden's application for aid from EU's solidarity fund for damage caused by the storm in Southern Sweden. The objective is that the fund shall cover part of the costs resulting from the storm.
By Jeremy Lovell BREADSALL, England, March 18 (Reuters) - Disagreement over moves to end illegal logging that is destroying rain forests overshadowed a unique meeting on Friday of environment and development ministers from the Group of Eight rich nations. Britain, as president of the G8 this year, wants to take tough measures including bringing in new trade laws to curb the devastating trade estimated to be worth $15 billion a year.
Bio-energy may become very important for forestry, but with today's prices the quantity we can take out is limited, says counsellor Björn Hovard Evjen in the Norwegian Forest Owners' Association. Bio-energy may become a new business branch increasing value added in Norwegian forests. However, external factors constitute a problem. The main challenge is how to create profitable business. Evjen points out that Norway applies considerably lower charges on electricity and oil than for example Sweden.
Wales is part of a six-nation European project aimed at promoting ways for rural communities to create jobs by making the most of their woodlands. The three-year Robinwood project will pump ?4m into research on the sustainable uses of trees and timber. The project - which plays on the name of Robin Hood - includes Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and Slovakia.
BANGKOK - Deforestation has worsened a severe drought afflicting Thailand and the key to preventing similar problems in the future lies in doubling forest cover, an agriculture official said. Deforestation has long been a problem affecting parts of Thailand, with illegal logging continuing despite numerous tree planting campaigns over the years.
Well before the coming of the first European settlers, Canada's aboriginal peoples had discovered the food properties of maple sap, which they gathered every spring. According to many historians, the maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700. Following are some examples of how the maple leaf grew in public consciousness as a symbol of our country until it finally became official on February 15, 1965, as an integral component of the national flag of Canada.
The Stora Enso wood industry group plans to move its pulp production from Europe to new plants in South America, Asia and perhaps Russia. In the long run it is financially more advantageous to produce pulp from fast growing eucalyptus than from Nordic tree species. This piece of news was published by Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden's biggest morning papers.
No one should be exporting valuable resource overseas when it can be value added in Australia The CFMEU has called on Victorian saw millers to agree to changes to their log licenses banning the export of logs to countries such as China. The call has come after saw millers and the Liberal Party have called for the State Government not to export logs to China.
Statement by Fülöp Benedek State Secretary, Chairman of the Hungarian National FAO Committee Ministerial Meeting on Forests Rome, Italy,14 March 2005 Mr. Chairman, Mr. Director General, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my great pleasure to greet, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Hungary the ministers, delegates and guests attending the Ministerial Meeting on Forests.
Byline: David Cullen LONDON - UK farmers are to get state cash to help wildlife flourish, but green groups onFriday said the move was unlikely to repair much of the damage caused by years of intensive production. Britain's farm ministry this month launched a scheme that will see farmers in England receive money if they abandon part of their land to nature, creating habitats for all types of wildlife.
The Finnish Forest Association has launched its new forest.fi-website. The most significant elements on the site are the news service and an information package called Forest Facts. The website will be published both in English and Finnish. The Forest Facts -portion of the forest.fi gives a clear and understandable picture of forest sector in Finland. It consists of short pieces of texts with links to graphics and other kinds of presentations.
EU Forestry Strategy [7181/05]: EU Farm Ministers considered a future Action Plan for Sustainable Forest Management as part of a wider report on the EU Forestry Strategy published last week by Commissioners Fischer Boel, Verheugen (Enterprise) & Dimas (Environment) [see AF21-05].
Mr John Browne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food with responsibility for Forestry, today made the opening address to the ‘Forestry – Rural Development in Action’ conference in the Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore. Emphasising the positive contribution that forestry plays in Rural Development including the provision of some 16,000 jobs, the Minister made clear his determination to oppose the cuts in aid for forestry contained in the new EU Commission proposed Rural Development Regulation.
Yesterday the Commission stepped up its efforts on forestry by proposing the preparation of an EU Action Plan for Sustainable Forest Management. The need for an Action Plan has emerged from a review of the activities implemented in the context of the EU Forestry Strategy since its adoption in December 1998. The review shows that forests can provide multiple benefits to modern society and that these benefits are increasingly appreciated by the public. There has been progress in the sustainable management of EU forests over the last years, but the policy context is changing and a more pro-active approach to governing the Union’s forests is needed in the future. The Commission believes that the development of an EU Action Plan for Sustainable Forest Management could provide the necessary impetus to transform the Strategy into a dynamic process capable of responding to the newly emerging expectations of society.
GENEVA - Spain and the European Union must halt road and dam projects that are threatening the survival of the rare Iberian lynx, the WWF environmental organisation said in a statement on Wednesday. With only around 100 lynx left in and around Donana Natural Park in southern Spain, the animal could soon be the first big cat species to become extinct since the sabre-toothed tiger disappeared 10,000 years ago, the WWF said.
A new ruling released today by the Australian Tax Office clarifies the tax rebates available to off-road forestry activities. The ruling has corrected an anomaly that meant forest industries paid substantial taxes on their fuel use whenever the public were allowed to use forestry roads.
By Andrew Hay BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's move to lift a ban on the sale of genetically modified crops poses a serious threat to the country's endangered Amazon rain forest, environmentalists charged Friday. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defied his environment minister, much of his party and his own campaign promises this week when he won legislation to allow the sale and planting of GMO plants -- most notably soy for export. Big farmers driving economic growth and biotechnology firms like Monsanto Co. supplying the seeds were seen as gaining from the controversial legislation awaiting Lula's signature into law. The legislation, which also cleared the way for research involving human embryonic stem cells, was cheered by many Brazilians who saw it as a step toward a modern Brazil.
By JOHN WARD OTTAWA (CP) - Even if every Canadian met the government's "one-tonne challenge" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the whole effort could be wiped out by a few big forest fires, researchers say. In a bad year, forest fires in Canada can produce pollution equal to that generated by industry. The National Forest Strategy Coalition says such fires across the country can produce 150 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in a single year - five times what the one-tonne challenge program would save. Just three fires that raged in British Columbia two summers ago pumped out 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
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