News

Waiting for higher bio-energy prices (ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 21.

'Robinwood' brings tree job hopes (BBC News)

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.

2005. March 21.

Deforestation blamed for worsening Thailand drought (AFP)

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.

2005. March 19.

Stora Enso intends to invest abroad (Nordic Family Forestry/ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 18.

Union Calls on Sawmillers to Ban Log Exports (ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 18.

Green Groups Question UK Wildlife Initiative (Reuters)

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.

2005. March 16.

New forest.fi - website launched (ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 16.

EU Forestry Strategy (ForestPress)

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].

2005. March 16.

MINISTER BROWNE ADDRESSES ‘FORESTRY – RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION’ CONFERENCE (ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 13.

The Commission proposes to prepare an EU Action Plan for Sustainable Forest Management (ForestPress

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.

2005. March 12.

Spain Targeted Over Threat to Lynx Survival (Reuters/ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 10.

Tax ruling recognises private forestry roads (ForestPress)

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.

2005. March 10.

Environmentalists Fear Brazil's Lifting of GMO Ban (Reuters)

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.

2005. March 8.

Forest fires are wild cards in Kyoto strategy (London Free Press)

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.

2005. March 7.

Nordic position on EU rural development post 2007 (ForestPress)

Nordic forest owner organisations reaction to the Commission proposal for a Council regulation on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

2005. March 5.

China protects own timber while smuggling rare woods (Knight Ridder Newspapers)

By Tim Johnson NANXUN, China - China's voracious appetite for timber is threatening exotic forests as far away as Brazil, West Africa, Indonesia and Russia's Far East. Much of the timber bound for Chinese sawmills comes from countries where illegal logging is rampant. Environmental groups are sounding an alarm, saying the trade in illegal timber fosters corruption and encourages the devastation of some of the globe's most fragile regions.

2005. March 4.

GOVERNOR PERDUE AND GFC CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY BY PLANTING MAPLE TREE ON CAPITOL GROUNDS (ForestPress)

Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) celebrated Georgia Arbor Day 2005 by planting a Summer Red Maple Tree on the Capitol Grounds in Atlanta. “While most holidays are about celebrating some event that happened in the past, Arbor Day is about taking action for the future. The best way to learn about trees and to help maintain a healthy tree population is to get outside and plant a tree,” said Governor Sonny Perdue.

2005. March 3.

EU furniture industry – facts (europe.eu)

The EU furniture industry accounts for about half of the world's furniture production with a production value of € 82 billion. As a labour-intensive industry it provides employment for around one million people. Material and service costs make up more than 60% of the production value. The value added represents around 40% of the production, with labour costs accounting for about 78%. The furniture sector is a basic industry in most of the industrialised countries, representing in general between 2 and 4% of the production value of the manufacturing sector.

2005. February 25.