Skip to content
News from the world of forests
HU EN
ForestPress — Forestry · Wood industry · Nature · Hunting

Since 2003

Archive

Over twenty years of news, professional stories and press reviews. Browse by year and section.

2 809 articles

News

Marcus Wallenberg Prize 2006 (Nordic Forestry)

Breakthrough research on genetic diversity wins the Marcus Wallenberg Prize 2006 at a ceremony at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm on 28 September, the Swedish King, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, awarded the MWP 2006 to Dr. Antoine Kremer. He was chosen for his path-breaking discovery of the evolution, organization and distribution of the genetic diversity of Pan-European oaks. Dr. Kremer has integrated the knowledge into a resource that will facilitate the conservation, sustainable management and wise use of forests globally.

News

Scientists analyze rain forest inventories (UPI/ForestPress)

UTRECHT, Netherlands – Dutch scientists have found the distribution of trees in the Amazonian rain forest is far from haphazard and might fill specific environmental niches. The researchers say various factors, such as soil fertility and dry season length, produce gradients of species, suggesting the trees have evolved in a particular manner.

News

Danish forest owners want green management plans (Nordic Forestry)

More than 300 Danish forest owners have applied to the Danish Ministry of the Environment for support for green management plans for their forests. This year Danish forest owners for a first time have an opportunity to apply for support for drawing up green management plans for their forests. The Ministry of the Environment, which initiated the support scheme, says that 300 forest owners have exploited this opportunity.

News

Young people fight Vitosha’s deforestation (ForestPress)

Vitosha Mount by Sofia has been widely known as “the lungs” of the Bulgarian capital city. The greater part of the mountain is included in the Vitosha biosphere reserve. However, after a tornado hit Vitosha four years ago, some 600 hectares of forests mainly in the Bistrishko Branishte reserve and the Opheliite locality have started disappearing.

News

Water reserves rise for first time since May (ThinkSpain )

There was a slight rise of 34 cubic hectometres in water levels last week, according to figures announced by the Environment ministry earlier today. This is the first rise since May, but levels remain at only 39.2% of total capacity.

News

China Says Illegal Logging Brought Under Control (Reuters)

Illegal logging in China has been bought under control, though there are still parts of the country where the situation is serious, a police official said on Thursday. In recent years China has suffered severe flooding that has in part been blamed on excessive logging driven by the country's breakneck economic growth.

News

Lack of Communication in the EU? (CEPF/ForestPress)

Forest Owner Associations are essential for communicating rural development policies Uniquely, this conference brought together participants from administration bodies and private forest owners from around 15 different EU and future EU countries. The process of forming the new rural development (RD) policy and its implementation at national level was intensively discussed during a two days conference.

News

USDA FOREST SERVICE HOSTS

WASHINGTON , - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service invites the public to roll up their sleeves and join the largest, annual coast-to-coast, day-long volunteer restoration activity on America's public lands in recognition of National Public Lands Day (NPLD). On September 30, 2006, in recognition of NPLD, day-use fees will be waived at hundreds of public land recreation sites nationwide.

News

Educating our children on sustainable forestry (ForestPress)

A CD for children has been released on the sustainabilty of the Australian forest industry A ground-breaking educational CD is set to be launched at the Melbourne Showgrounds today. The CD-ROM entitled Ollie’s Island is designed to educate children on the concept of sustainability and the endeavours of Australia’s various industries towards achieving it.

News

EU and Malaysia to Talk on Curbing Illegal Timber (Reuters)

BRUSSELS - The European Union and Malaysia agreed on Monday to launch talks on a trade agreement that would ensure that timber exported from the Asian country to the bloc is felled legally. The voluntary partnership agreement would be meant to help Malaysia preserve its natural forests.

News

Finland still holds top position in forest protection (Nordic Forestry)

Recent statistics concerning forest protection confirm that Finland is still on top level in international comparison. 2.9 million hectares of Finnish forests are protected, i.e. 13 % of total forest area. More than 90 % of the protected area is subject to strict protection.

News

24 missing in Nepal helicopter crash (AP/ForestPress)

KATMANDU, Nepal – Heavy rain and fog cut short the search today for 24 people whose helicopter disappeared over forested mountains in eastern Nepal, officials said. A Nepalese Cabinet minister, a Finnish diplomat and several Western aid workers were among those on the helicopter that went missing Saturday, which was chartered by the World Wildlife Fund conservation group.

News

Lack of Communication in the EU? (ForestPress)

Forest Owner Associations are essential for communicating rural development policies Budapest – Uniquely, this conference brought together participants from administration bodies and priváté forest owners from around 15 different EU and future EU countries. The process of forming the new rural development (RD) policy and its implementation at national levél was intensively discussed during a two days conference.

News

Seeds 200 years old breathe again (BBC News)

By Richard Black Seeds which have been stored away since the time of George III have been persuaded into new life. Scientists from the Millennium Seed Bank, operated by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, have induced seeds from three species to germinate. They had been brought to Britain from South Africa by a Dutch merchant in 1803, and were found in a notebook stored in the National Archives.

News

Tourist hotspots at risk of closure (The Guardian)

Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent Some of the world's most famous tourist attractions, such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Italy's Amalfi coast, could be closed to visitors within a few years because of worries about environmental damage and climate change, a report warns today. Some destinations could be permanently closed to tourists by 2020 or face restrictions on numbers and a sharp increase in admission prices, the study, carried out for the insurance company Churchill, predicts.

News

Max The Stork Achieves World Record For Satellite Tracking (AFP/ForestPress)

Geneva – A stork called Max has achieved a world record after spending more than seven years under satellite surveillance, the longest ever duration for an animal, scientists in Switzerland said Tuesday. Every movement of the female White Stork has been tracked since July 5, 1999, beating the previous record duration held by an American Bald Eagle, according to the Natural History Museum in the Swiss city of Fribourg.

News

Russian forest certification initiatives sign historic agreement (ForestPress/Nordic Family)

The two national initiatives for forest certification in Russia have decided to come together under the PEFC Council. The chairmen of the two national certification councils operating in Russia have signed a founding document establishing a national umbrella organization to represent both systems in PEFC. The PEFC Board of Directors today announced that it will recommend the PEFC Council General Assembly in October to transfer the Russian membership to the new organisation.

News

Illegal forest homes blooming (ForestPress)

A complex maze of bureaucracy, along with the poor implementation of legislation and crossed communication between state services have paved the way for illegal construction activity in the forest of Mount Pendeli forest, in northern Athens, according to documents seen by Sunday’s Kathimerini. The region has seen a number of luxury homes pop up in more than a decade after a large fire in 1990.

News

Gene secrets of the tree revealed (BBC News/ForestPress)

The first tree to have its full DNA code unravelled is a poplar. The genome of the black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) was sequenced in a four-year international project led by US institutions. The work, reported in Science journal, shows the poplar tree has far less DNA in its cells than humans or other mammals, but twice the number of genes. Researchers say the new information will be a boon to the understanding of plant biology and evolution.

News

Big EU project will increase the value of wood and forests (Nordic Family)

Advanced information technology makes it possible to track timber history from the forest all the way to the final wood product. In addition, productivity can be radically increased. Timber that is not suitable for sawn wood must not end up in a sawmill. The quality and characteristics of timber to be sawn can be exploited for minimizing wastage.

Press review

Unasylva - No. 223

An international journal of forestry and forest industries - Vol. 57 2006/1 FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Editor: A. Perlis Editorial Advisory Board Forestry Department: F. Casta?eda, R. Czudek, T. Hofer, D. Kneeland, J.P. Koyo, A. Perlis, L. Russo, M. Uemoto, T. Vahanen, M.L. Wilkie Emeritus Advisers: J. Ball, I.J. Bourke, C. Palmberg-Lerche Regional Advisers: H. Abdel Nour, C. Carneiro, P. Durst, P. Koné, K. Prins

News

Seismic Shock Absorbers For Woodframe Houses (ScienceDaily/ForestPress)

NY – As part of a major international project to design more earthquake-resistant woodframe buildings, an engineer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be testing a damping system designed to act as a seismic shock absorber. The dampers, which have never been tested before in wood construction, will be installed inside the walls of a full-scale, 1,800-square-foot townhouse - the world's largest wooden structure to undergo seismic testing on a shake table.

News

Urgent call on carbon emissions (BBC News)

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced far more quickly than was previously thought, says a climate change research institute. A report by the Tyndall Centre said a UK government target of a 60% cut in emissions by 2050 is insufficient and needs to be 70% by 2030. But it requires a major programme of action within the next four years. It also calls for a climate change bill to commit ministers and business to making the target a reality.

News

Garden finches fall prey to deadly virus (The Times/ForestPress)

BY VALERIE ELLIOTT, COUNTRYSIDE EDITOR HUNDREDS of finches, including greenfinches and chaffinches, are being wiped out by a deadly disease spreading throughout Britain. Wildlife vets are investigating the outbreaks across England, Scotland and Wales, after scores of reports from birdwatchers and householders about mysterious bird deaths in their gardens.

Our partners