Since 2003
Over twenty years of news, professional stories and press reviews. Browse by year and section.
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News Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Black wattle is an invasive plant in Brazil. (Photo courtesy Horus Institute) BRASILIA, Brazil - Dozens of non-native animal species - from water buffalo and wild boars to giant African snails - have invaded Brazil’s environment, causing trouble for native ecosystems. They are all being considered this week at Brazil's first symposium on invasive species here in Brasilia.
News Governments – significant actors for certification of sustainable forest management Geneva - Forest certification is a voluntary market-based instrument to promote sustainable forest management, and, as such, driven by market actors. However governments have a major role to play in setting out a policy and institutional framework, and as significant actors themselves, for instance as forest owners and, increasingly, as buyers of wood products. They may also contribute to capacity building, provide support, including finance, to drafting national standards and putting in place the necessary institutions, moderate between competing schemes and provide assurance of a level playing field in international trade and on domestic markets.
News Brazil has adopted emergency measures to deal with one of the Amazon region's worst droughts in decades. Scientists say water levels have fallen to a 30-year low, creating difficulties for river transport - in many cases the only way of moving people and goods. Many towns along the world's second longest river have declared alerts amid fears they could become isolated.
The European Forest Sector Outlook Study presents long term trends for supply and demand of forest products (roundwood, sawnwood, panels, pulp, paper, non-wood products) and services and outlook to 2020, in western and eastern Europe and four major CIS countries, including Russia.
News Populations of big carnivores are on the increase in Finland. According to the latest estimates the increase of the wolf and lynx populations is particularly strong. At the end of 2004 there were about 810 – 850 bears, 185 – 200 wolves, 135 – 140 wolverines and 1050 – 1100 lynx in Finland. The number of wolves and lynx still continues growing and it is clearly bigger than in 2003. The previously increasing bear population stabilized at the of the 1990’ies. The wolverine population has grown somewhat. There are considerable regional differences in big carnivore populations. These numbers represent winter populations, i.e. before the birth season in spring.
News The annual meeting (see documents) of the UNECE Timber Committee was held September 27-30, 2005 in Geneva. Information is available on Market Discussion Timber Committee Market Statement
News WASHINGTON, - U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth recently selected Dave Cleaves to lead the agency's Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.). Cleaves is currently the director of the resource valuation and use research staff here in the national headquarters.
News The dry year in 2003 affected the Swiss forest in different ways. Stem growth in trees at 15 out of the 17 LWF sites clearly reacted to the estimated drought stress. The drier it was between March and August 2003, the less stem growth there was in comparison with the previous year. Aridity decreased, however, with altitude. At sites above 1300 metres a.s.l., trees even grew better. This had mostly to do with the higher temperatures in 2003, as climate analyses in Alpine regions and comparisons with satellite images were able to demonstrate.
News From the seminar „Certification of non-state forests in Slovakia – How surrounding countries are doing?“ , held on September 22, 2005 at TU in Zvolen Private forest owners in Slovakia participating at the seminar understand certification as a tool for international acknowledgment of their approach to forests, better commertional use of wood and forest products and services.
News As prices of oil and electricity increase the use of pellets as bio-fuel shows a strong upward trend in Sweden. Total supplies of pellets to the Swedish market increased by 28 per cent, from 411 681 tons during the first six months of 2004 to 527 673 tons during the corresponding period in 2005. In the single family housing sector there was an increase from 124 244 tons to 141 705 tons, i.e. 14 per cent.
October is energy efficiency month – a timely opportunity to review what’s new when it comes to energy-saving technology. This year, the building industry is abuzz with the latest generation of energy-efficient products that do much more than save kilowatts – they offer greater protection against climate extremes as well.
World Farm Animals Day is a day dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the needless suffering and deaths of 50 billion innocent, feeling animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Observed in all 50 states and around the world, World Farm Animals Day has been organized since 1983 by FARM, a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC.
Not all species suffer from fire. For instance, grass-layer beetle species in Australia's savannahs show remarkable resilience to fire, although fires affect abundance, species and family richness (Orgeas and Andersen, 2001).
News By GILLIAN FLACCUS LOS ANGELES - A wind-whipped 17,000-acre wildfire raced across hills and canyons along the city's northwestern edge Thursday, threatening homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. Some 3,000 firefighters aided by aircraft struggled to protect ridgetop houses along the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, a rugged, brushy landscape west of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Officials said the blaze was 5 percent contained as it burned toward such communities as Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Calabasas and Agoura.
News MANILA - Malaysia urged its neighbours on Tuesday to ratify an agreement to control air pollution in southeast Asia, a month after forest fires in Indonesia caused some of the worst haze in the region in eight years. Malaysian authorities imposed a state of emergency in two areas in August after air pollution levels reached dangerous levels, threatening public health, grounding some flights, disrupting shipping and shutting schools.
News The British EU presidency on Friday will attempt to get experts from all member states to agree to a set of practical rules for proposed timber trade partnerships with non-EU countries, known as Flegt. A presidency compromise currently circulating suggests broadening the scope of the recommendation by adding an annex to cover wood products imported by individual third countries. The annex would be added to as new trade streams became apparent.
News 2nd advertising wave of the promotion campaign Le bois c’est essential The French promotion campaign in France, Le bois c’est essentiel, will be launched on October 7thAfter the first message Did you know that consuming wood is doing good to our forests, the second part will show the advantages of wood as a building material by saying There is always a solution in wood.
News People are asked to look out for the Citrus longhorn beetle following separate findings of them in imported Chinese maple trees (Acers) in Britain, one in Lancashire and others in the south of England. The beetle is listed in legislation as a serious plant pest and measures are required to control any findings.
News When you hear the word "gypsy", a busy traveler may come to mind, and the gypsy moth fits that picture. The ability to travel is a key characteristic of the gypsy moth and explains how the infestation was able to spread from Massachusetts to Michigan.
Forest fire and biological diversity By R. Nasi, R. Dennis, E. Meijaard, G. Applegate and P. Moore Publication date: September 26, 2005 The Overstory Book, 2nd Edition, a formatted, indexed and illustrated compilation of The Overstory ejournal editions 1 - 138 is in stock. Your purchase helps support publication of The Overstory: http://www.agroforestry.net/overstory/ovbook.html
News MANILA - The Philippines said on Monday it was monitoring bird sanctuaries because of concerns that the seasonal arrival of migratory birds next month might bring avian flu to the country. The government also said it had ordered tighter surveillance of illegal trading of exotic birds in southern Mindanao island, and their immediate destruction if they came from bird-flu affected countries such as Indonesia.
September 27, 2005 On Saturday at night Csaba Hámori pointed a loaded rifle at a farmer, Hídlap has reported. Csaba Hámori, former leader of the Communist Youth League (KISZ) who had been member of the presidium of the Hungarian Socialist Party until 1990 and who is now deputy chairman of the Left-wing Movement Platform of the Socialist Party chaired by Péter Kiss, head of the Prime Minister’s Office, came to high words with József Szabó, Sr. from Kesztölc, who tried to chase away game causing damage in the fields.
News Competition in the Nordic countries for becoming the leading city for wooden house construction Wooden houses have become politically “in”. The Norwegian cities Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger are competing for the title of leading wooden house constructor in the Nordic countries.
News By Alison Ross An Amazonian ant that uses its own "herbicide" to shape its surroundings has been described by scientists. The team made the discovery whilst studying "devil's gardens", mysterious parts of the rainforest that are dominated by a single species of tree.
