News

Foretsry - A real alternative land use for farmers (ForestPress)

Speaking at the Small-Scale Forestry and Rural Development Conference which was opened in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology today, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Mary Wallace T.D., said “wherever we have forests, we will have options: options for jobs, for exports, for energy, for biodiversity, for the environment, for rural communities. Previous generations of planters have given us those options”.

2006. June 23.

Killing tick with fungi Hungarian researchers’ invention (ForestPress)

Chemical-free tick killer, a biopesticide has been developed by two Hungarian researchers. Containing no chemicals at all, it is completely environmental friendly. To release the new tick-killer into the forests and recreation areas the earliest possible, the two inventors, Dr Zoltán Bratek and Dr Béla Pál Bózsik are looking for producers.

2006. June 23.

Threat of fines for Swedish forest owners (Nordicforestry/ForestPRess)

About 2 000 forest owners in Southern Sweden risk being fined, unless by 15 July they have taken care of the timber felled by the severe storm in January 2005. According to the Swedish Forest Agency the quantity of timber still remaining in the forest is over one million m3.

2006. June 22.

Danube - River of Life for Danube Day 2006 (ForestPress)

Thirteen Countries to celebrate 3rd Danube Day Series of Events Planned Across Danube River Basin on 29 June VIENNA, June 2006 - A series of events have been planned for the celebration of the third Danube Day, 29 June, to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1994. Thirteen Countries to celebrate 3rd Danube Day Series of Events Planned Across Danube River Basin on 29 June VIENNA, June 2006 - A series of events have been planned for the celebration of the third Danube Day, 29 June, to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1994.

2006. June 21.

Timber industry gets exemption from endangered-species law (Seattle Post)

By ROBERT McCLURE For the next half-century, Washington's timber industry will be shielded from Endangered Species Act prosecutions for harming salmon and four dozen other types of water creatures, the federal government declared Monday. In exchange, the industry pledged to take steps to help salmon, such as leaving forests alongside streams on 9.3 million acres. That's one-fifth of the state, making it the largest such deal in the West.

2006. June 20.

News

Myth That Green Protection Hits Economy (Reuters)

Story by By Alister Doyle OSLO - The world must lay to rest a "myth" that protecting the environment harms economic growth, the new head of the UN Environment Programme said on Thursday. Achim Steiner, a 45-year-old German, said he would seek to involve consumers, governments, businesses and activists in developing new economic mechanisms to protect the planet from threats ranging from climate change to pollution.

2006. June 19.

Frogs and football (The Observer/ForestPress)

Best reason of the week for losing a World Cup match Ukrainian defender Vladislav Vashchuk claims they lost 4-0 to Spain because of noisy frogs outside the team's hotel. 'Because of the frogs' croaking we hardly got a wink of sleep,' explained Vashchuk.

2006. June 19.

News

Ethiopia: Illicit Animal Trade Costs Country $100 Million Per Year (Business in Africa-Johannesburg)

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia loses over $100mn every year through the illicit trading of live animals, according to the ministry of agriculture and rural development. An expert with the ministry said that illicit trade with neighbouring countries had lost the country over $100mn.

2006. June 18.

Second Reading of new Forest Code Project again postponed (forest.ru/ForestPress)

The second reading of the new Forest Code Project is again postponed at least until July 2006. However, the schedule of State Duma debates for July 2006 does not include the reading of the new Forest Code, but this schedule is usually not strictly followed.

2006. June 17.

The EU Forest Action Plan (ForestPress)

The EU Forest Action Plan was adopted on 15 June 2006. It builds on the report on implementation of the EU Forestry Strategy and consequent conclusions by the Council.

2006. June 16.

Forest Tourism - Business Development (VisitScotland/ForstPress)

The Forest Tourism Initiative is a collaboration between Scottish Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland, VisitScotland and Highlands & Islands Enterprise. Its goal is to enhance the visitor experience of Scotland's forests by working with Forestry Commision Scotland’s (FCS) districts and with Scotland's tourism businesses to improve and develop the forest tourism product.

2006. June 16.

News

Wood exporter dumps bid for global softwood market (ABC-news)

After two years of planning, Australia's oldest woodchip exporter has abandoned its bid to enter the global softwood market. A glut of softwoods is looming after an infestation of the North American timber beetle in Canada.

2006. June 15.

Fuel consumption can be cut by half in Swedish forestry (Nordic/ForestPress)

Fuel consumption in felling and in transportation has been reduced by 30 % since 1985. The reason for this favourable development is more efficient machines and systems. This is the conclusion of studies made by Skogforsk, the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden.

2006. June 14.

Landowners Receive $6.9 Million for Endangered Species Conservation (ForestPress)

The blackfooted ferret South Carolina’s Milliken Forestry Resources to receive single largest grant in program’s history ST. GEORGE, S.C. - Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Matt Hogan announced today grants totaling more than $6.9 million are being awarded to private landowners and groups in 35 states through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Private Stewardship Grants program to undertake conservation projects on their land for endangered, threatened and other at-risk species.

2006. June 13.

Overexploitation depleting forest resources in Near East (ForestPress)

Forest plantations making up for the loss Rome /Larnaka, Cyprus - While many countries in the region have increased their forest area during the period 2000-2005, heavy grazing, wood, clearing of forests for agriculture, and urban development are depleting forest resources in the already forest-scarce Near East, according to FAO.

2006. June 12.

Proposal launched for a cleaner 2025 (UPI/ForstPress)

WASHINGTON – A diverse group of activists, politicians and businesses is proposing the United States get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. The Christian Science Monitor reported that the coalition, which includes governors, industry leaders, farm groups, county officials and environmentalists, has dubbed the proposal "25x'25."

2006. June 10.

Spanish Copper Project Arouses Environmental Anger (Reuters/ForestPress)

Story by Julia Hayley MADRID - A plan to start the biggest open pit copper mine in Europe in southern Spain has run into opposition from environmentalists who fear it will pollute a river with poisonous heavy metals. Canadian company Inmet Mining Corporation is preparing a site in the province of Seville to extract 72,000 tonnes of copper cathodes a year from the high-grade Las Cruces mine starting in January 2008.

2006. June 10.

Conservation of natural forest values is surprisingly popular in Finland(Nordic/ForestPress)

Forest owners in the area of western Uusimaa in the southwest of Finland are very interested in voluntary conservation of natural values in their forests. More than 40 sites were offered for temporary or permanent conservation already during the two first years of the three year project, which is a part of the METSO programme.

2006. June 9.