News

SCOTLAND'S NATIONAL FORESTS LEAD THE WORLD (forestry.gov.uk/ForestPress)

Scotland's national forests have been hailed as being among the most sustainable in the world after receiving an international "green" stamp of approval for the second time. Forestry Commission Scotland has been re-certified as measuring up to the demanding standards of the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS), confirming that the country's public woods are being managed sustainably. This means that wood and other products from the forests can display the logo of the international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as an assurance to buyers that the wood has come from well managed, sustainable forests. Construction timber, signs, outdoor furniture and fencing, panelboards, paper and venison are among the FSC-certified goods produced from national forests across Scotland.

2005. January 9.

Elephants saved tourists from tsunami (Reuters)

By Mark Bendeich KHAO LAK, Thailand, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Agitated elephants felt the tsunami coming, and their sensitivity saved about a dozen foreign tourists from the fate of thousands killed by the giant waves. "I was surprised because the elephants had never cried before," mahout Dang Salangam said on Sunday on Khao Lak beach at the eight-elephant business offering rides to tourists. The elephants started trumpeting -- in a way Dang, 36, and his wife Kulada, 24, said could only be described as crying -- at first light, about the time an earthquake measured at a magnitude of 9.0 cracked open the sea bed off Indonesia's Sumatra island. The elephants soon calmed down. But they started wailing again about an hour later and this time they could not be comforted despite their mahouts' attempts at reassurance. "The elephants didn't believe the mahouts. They just kept running for the hill," said Wit Aniwat, 24, who takes the money from tourists and helps them on to the back of elephants from a sturdy wooden platform

2005. January 8.

Fire-threatened catchment a risk to city's water supply (nafi.com/ForestPress)

Melbourne's water supply is under threat from very high levels of bushfire fuel in its forested water catchments Melbourne's water supply is under threat from very high levels of bushfire fuel in its forested water catchments. The after-effects of intense bushfires could cause a dramatic, long-term decline in catchment runoff to Melbourne, experts have warned following a report that Canberra may have to build new storages sooner because of its 2003 forest fires. Botanist Peter Attiwill said severe bushfires in Melbourne's catchment, north and northeast of the city, could cut streamflow by 30 to 40per cent as fast-regrowing trees monopolised the water. If this happened, the city would have to rethink its water supply. "It takes about 60 years for that downturn (in streamflow) to become an upturn again," Dr Attiwill, principal fellow in botany at Melbourne University, said yesterday.

2005. January 7.

Could it have been home to complex societies? (Globe/ForestPress)

By Marion Lloyd, IRANDUBA, Brazil -- High along bluffs overlooking the confluence of the mighty Negro and Solomes rivers, super-sized eggplants, papayas and cassava spring from the ground. Their exuberance defies a long-held belief about the Amazon. For much of the last half-century, archeologists have viewed the South American rain forest as a ''counterfeit paradise" whose inhospitable environment precluded the development of complex societies. But new research suggests that prehistoric people found ways to overcome the jungle's natural limitations and thrive in large numbers. The secret, say the theory's proponents, is in the ground beneath their feet. The highly fertile soil called terra preta do indio, Portuguese for Indian black earth, was either intentionally created by these pre-Columbian people or is the accidental byproduct of their presence. The research has implications not only for history but for the future of the Amazon rain forest. If scientists could discover how the Amerindians transformed the soil, farmers could use the technology to maximize the productivity of smaller plots of land, rather than cutting down ever larger swaths of jungle. The benefits of this ''gi

2005. January 6.

USDA FOREST SERVICE PROVIDES 33rd CAPITOL HOLIDAY TREE (about.forestry.com/ForestPress)

This year's tree hails from Virginia's George Washington National Forest. WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service today proudly presented the annual "Peoples' Tree" to the nation, which will grace the lawn of the U.S. Capitol throughout the holiday season. The tree is from the George Washington National Forest--the first time the holiday tree has come from Virginia. "The USDA The Forest Service is once again delighted to give the holiday tree that graces the lawn of the nation's Capitol from one of our national forests," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, who will make remarks at the tree lighting ceremony on Capitol Hill. "Thousands of people have already viewed this tree on its journey from Highland County, Va, to Washington, a 17-day trek that included stops in 33 communities.Thousands more will now have the opportunity to see it here on the Capitol lawn, as they come here to celebrate the joys of the holiday season. This year, Virginia's George Washington National Forest is honored to carry on the proud tradition."

2005. January 5.

World Bank to Purchase 100% Renewable Energy for Washington Headquarters

WASHINGTON - The World Bank has announced it will purchase renewable energy for all of its electricity usage at its Washington, D.C. office from WindCurrent, a Maryland-based company that sells wind power to the mid-Atlantic power grid. This purchase will represent enough electricity to power almost 8,000 average homes for a year, and is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 10,000 cars for a year or planting roughly 15,000 acres of trees, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency figures. Produced using conventional electricity sources, including coal and gas, this would have generated an estimated almost 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The bank will purchase 85,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs) which are allocated for each unit of power from a renewable energy power plant (such as a wind farm). “Wind power creates none of the hazardous emissions or mercury pollution that is associated with producing electricity from burning coal,” said Jim Maguire, the founder of WindCurrent. “The World Bank is serving as a role model for other organizations who want to be environmentally responsible.”

2005. January 5.

Animals, entire forests could migrate (Anchorage Daily News/ForestPress)

NEW REPORT: Climate change will push wildlife northward and upward. By JOEL GAY January 4, 2005 A new national report paints a bleak picture for the wilds of North America if global warming continues, with waterfowl struggling to find wetlands, game animals losing their protective cover and plants possibly unable to pollinate. In Alaska and northern Canada, where temperatures have risen faster than in most places, the effects could be heightened, according to the report distilled from hundreds of scientific papers by The Wildlife Society, an association of nearly 9,000 wildlife managers, research scientists, biologists and educators, based in Washington, D.C. "Global warming presents a profound threat to wildlife as we know it in this country," said Douglas Inkley, who chaired the committee that wrote the report. Among the eight co-authors were representatives from the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., Stanford University's Institute for International Studies, Ducks Unlimited's Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research in Canada and the National Wildlife Federation.

2005. January 4.

Gifford Pinchot was one of America's leading advocates of environmental conservation (ForestPress )

Born into turn-of-the-century wealth, Pinchot was able to garner a forestry education in Europe, bring it back to North America and become it's first professional forester. He founded the United States Forest Service and organized the creation of the Society of American Foresters. Place of Birth: At his family's summer home in Milford, Connecticut Education: After graduating from Yale University in 1889, Gifford went abroad to study at L’Ecole Nationale Forestiere in Nancy, France. There were no forestry courses of study in the United States. Career Outline: Pinchot served as Chief Forester for President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's U.S. Forest Service, was a two-term governor of Pennsylvania in the 1920s and 30s and served as the president of the National Coast Anti Pollution League.

2005. January 3.

Giant cockroach among jungle find (BBC News/ForestPress)

The cockroach could be the largest in the world, at 10cm long. A "monster" cockroach and other new insects have been discovered in the jungles of Borneo, scientists say. An expedition of caves and cliffs, led by the Nature Conservancy, also said it saw previously unknown fish and plants. "In just five weeks, the expedition team discovered numerous new species previously unknown to science," the conservancy's Scott Stanley said.

2005. January 3.

Forest Service Marks 100 Years Amid Debate (U.S. National - AP/ForestPress)

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON The U.S. Forest Service is marking its 100th anniversary amid debate over whether it is living up to the mission President Theodore Roosevelt gave it in 1905: to "perpetuate the forest as a permanent resource of the nation." In contrast to the revelry expected for a Jan. 3-6 centennial celebration, some say the Forest Service is so tied up in litigation that it no longer has the sharp focus provided by legendary forester Gifford Pinchot, its first director.

2005. January 2.

UN to assess damage to coral reefs, forests (Boston Globe Staff /ForestPress)

By Beth Daley, The United Nations yesterday set aside $1 million to assess environmental damage caused by this week's devastating tsunami, as reports of destroyed coral reefs and uprooted mangrove forests began trickling in. While attention is clearly focused on the rising human toll of the tragedy, some dive operators and marine biologists are reporting that from Sri Lanka to Thailand corals are suffocating under layers of mud, heaps of rotten fish, are clogging beachfronts, and rare turtle nesting sites have been washed out to sea.

2005. January 2.

A new era in battling pollution (International Herald Tribune)

By Katrin Bennhold EU companies coming under Kyoto limits For Peter Koster, the beginning of 2005 merits more than one glass of Champagne. As millions of fellow Europeans celebrate just another New Year's Eve, the chief executive and founder of the European Climate Exchange will quietly drink to what he calls the dawn of a "new era for European business." Starting on the first day of 2005, 12,000 industrial installations across the European Union will find that the days of pumping unlimited amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere are over, as EU-wide regulations spawned by the Kyoto Climate Protocol come into effect. In February, Koster's exchange, which is the world's largest, and its first mandatory, greenhouse-gas trading market, will go live, formalizing a system aimed at fighting global warming.

2005. January 1.

New sub-species of tiger found (BBC News)

A new genetic study of the tiger family has uncovered a previously unknown sub-species of the big cats, researchers report in the journal Plos Biology. Evidence suggested previous attempts to classify tigers may have been flawed. So the team sampled DNA from 130 tigers from eastern Russia, China, India and countries in south-east Asia. The new sub-species, Panthera tigris jacksoni, is named after tiger campaigner Peter Jackson and comes from splitting one sub-species into two.

2004. December 31.

Paper plant to harness wood power (BBC News)

A new power station is to be built in Markinch A traditional paper mill in Fife is to use a new "green" method of generating power using wood. Tullis Russell confirmed plans to build a ?73m combined heat and power station at its Markinch base. The plant will replace an existing coal and gas fired power station, which has been in daily operation for 60 years. The company said the new station would be completely fuelled by wood and wood-crops planted and grown specifically for use as a fuel source.

2004. December 31.

Annual Observations by FVM (Ministry for Agriculture&Rural Development,Hungary)on 2004 (ForestPress)

Forestry outline: An agrarian energy program will be completed -coordination with IM (Ministry of Justice)- environmental aspects concerned with forestries. Dr Imre Németh, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, gave his assessment on the year of 2004 and forecast agricultural policy for 2005. In his introduction he said that 2004 has brought about more changes than in previous years, for instance offices integrating agrarian policy were established. It has been the period of adaptation and learning. Budgetary debates opened the year, due to the amount of limited financial support (Hungary received half of the money provided to countries joining the EU earlier). This fact is an indicator of the performance of the Hungarian agriculture.

2004. December 30.

Wildlife and Game Management (forestry.about.com/ForestPress)

Aldo Leopold's Forestry Influence Game management's roots go back to the early 20th Century. Forestry and forest management provided the primeval soup, a birthing medium, for what is now the science of wildlife management. Aldo Leopold, a forester, and Jay "Ding" Darling probably furthered the cause of wildlife conservation more than anyone else. They were avid hunters but both influenced the protection of wildlife more than anyone in the United States.

2004. December 29.

More Risks for Forests (Washington Post)

THE BUSH administration's new rules on management of national forests are not a surprise. They generally track a set of draft regulations the Forest Service issued two years ago. They are, nonetheless, a disappointment. The furor over the draft had offered the administration a chance to ameliorate the grave problems with its proposal. Instead, just before Christmas, it has gone ahead with a rule that will weaken environmental protection of forests and their wildlife. The idea of streamlining the forest management planning process -- the purported goal of the regulation -- is reasonable. It takes up to seven years to produce the statutorily mandated 15-year management plans for the country's national forests -- an absurd period that guarantees that plans are out of date by the time they get finalized. But the administration's new rule does more than make the process more efficient. It also weakens the protections it should be ensuring. On its way out of office, the Clinton administration rewrote the rules to ensure that conservation lay at the core of forest management. The Bush administration has replaced those rules with new ones that place economic use of federal forests on a par

2004. December 29.

ITTO commits another US$10 million for tropical forests (itto.or/ForestPress)

YOKOHAMA, Projects to develop national-level principles, criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management in the Republic of Congo, undertake fire management and post-fire forest restoration in Ghana, and continue the development of a transboundary conservation area in the Emerald Triangle of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos were among those funded by the International Tropical Timber Council, which met here last week.

2004. December 29.