News

Gov't seeks people's help in reviving moribund forestry industry (Kyodo)

Criptomeria japonica Japan should use more domestically produced wood to help build a recycling-oriented system to utilize forest resources and revive the faltering forestry industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Tuesday in an annual report on forestry. The fiscal 2005 report noted that despite strong expectations on forests as a means to prevent natural disasters and preserve the nation's ecosystem, forestry resources have become degraded due in part to lack of labor force and an insufficient thinning of the forests in various parts of the country.

2006. April 20.

Research even more important due to climate change (nordic)

A warmer climate where diseases, insects and a different growth rate have an impact on forests also requires resources for intensified research. Increased demand for wood and timber will create a need for new methods for accelerating forest growth and for avoiding depletion of our forests.

2006. April 19.

Increasing temperatures will change the distribution of the world's forests (ForestPress)

Betula pubescens Depending on the capacity of tree species to adapt to new climatic conditions, climate change and global warming could change the forest landscape worldwide, according to FAO. The territorial range of any given plant species depends to a large extent on temperature and rainfall patterns, and so as climate change alters global temperatures and rainfall patterns a realignment in the distribution of tree species is likely to follow.

2006. April 18.

The Russian Federation has taken up membership of FAO (ForestPress)

The Organization now has 190 Members The Russian Federation has taken up membership of FAO by sending a letter accepting the Constitution of the Organization to Director-General Jacques Diouf more than 60 years after FAO’s foundation.

2006. April 18.

Plantation timber industry plays down greenhouse findings (ABC)

The plantation timber industry has played down the implications of a recent report which shows for the first time that plantation trees emit a leading greenhouse gas. A report in the international science journal Nature suggests that plantation trees release a small amount of methane into the environment.

2006. April 6.

MOSBUILD: The 12th Moscow International Construction and Interior Exhibition (ForestPress)

MOSBUILD BRINGS TOGETHER SPECIALISTS OF THE INDUSTRY IN EXPOCENTR AND CROCUS EXPO The 12th Moscow International Construction and Interior Exhibition "MosBuild" will take place from the 4th to 7th April 2006 at two exhibition venues: Expocentr and Crocus Expo. This event is organised by ITE, the leader of exhibition business in Russia.

2006. April 5.

Greenpeace calls the Earth Summit a failure (ForestPress)

Greenpeace calls the Summit for Life on Earth a failure WTO trade liberalization and lack of funding hijacked biodiversity Curitiba, Brazil, March 31st 2006: As the two-week long world summit on biodiversity drew to a close, Greenpeace described the outcome as major failure - a missed opportunity to stop the global loss of life in the world's forests and oceans.

2006. April 4.

'Barren future' for Africa's soil (BBC)

Africa's farmland is rapidly becoming barren and incapable of sustaining the continent's already hungry population, according to a report. The report shows that more than 80% of the farmland in Sub-Saharan Africa is plagued by severe degradation. This is a major cause of poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in three people is undernourished.

2006. April 4.

EU recognises high potential of wood energy (Nordic/ForestPress)

Brussels – Last week the European Economic and Social committee (EESC) adopted an opinion with the headline “Wood – Energy source in the enlarging Europe”. The exploratory opinion was requested by the commissioners Fischer Boel, Piebalgs and Rehn in July last year and pays tribute to the Committee's role as a consultative body to the European Parliament, Council and European Commission in the field of agriculture and forestry issues.

2006. April 3.

XIII World Forestry Congress (ForestPress)

XIII World Forestry Congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009 Dear Forestry Colleagues, FAO invites you to submit your ideas for a theme for the next World Forestry Congress to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2009. The final selection of a theme will be made by the Government of Argentina and FAO.

2006. April 3.

Lake Baikal is in danger! (forest.ru/ForestPress)

Stop the construction of an oil pipeline in a World Natural Heritage Site! Please go to http://www.babr.ru/?pt=truba to say NO! Please give your support to stop oil pipeline construction next to Lake Baikal! This might be our last chance to stop a project to build an oil pipeline through the Lake Baikal basin in the immediate vicinity of the lake (as close at 800 metres at one point, and crossing 10 major rivers flowing into the lake, and 113,4 kilometres of the UNESCO World Heritage Site).

2006. April 2.

Net rate of forest loss in Africa second highest in the world (ForestPress)

Continent leads the world in forest fires Rome/Maputo – The net rate of forest loss in Africa is the second highest in the world, while the continent leads the globe in the frequency of forest fires, FAO told the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission at its meeting this week (29 March – 1 April) in Maputo, Mozambique.

2006. April 1.

FOREST SERVICE EXTENDS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS PROPOSAL (ForestPress)

WASHINGTON - Agriculture Under Secretary Mark Rey today announced that the public will have another month to comment on a list of forest lands that would be available for sale in a proposal to provide funding to extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (SRS).

2006. March 31.

News

JAPAN INSTITUTE STUDIES WAYS TO DERIVE ETHANOL FROM WOOD SCRAPS (Nikkei)

HIROSHIMA – The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and environmental equipment start-up Juon in April will start jointly researching technology for producing ethanol from waste wood and other substances. Their goal is to create the alternative fuel while holding down production costs to about 40 yen per liter.

2006. March 30.

Uruguay Pulp Mill Suspended After Argentine Protests (Reuters/ForestPress)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Finnish pulp and paper company Metsa-Botnia announced on Sunday it will suspend construction of a mammoth pulp mill in Uruguay for up to 90 days to allow Uruguay and Argentina to study the project's environmental impact. Botnia and Spain's Ence are building two pulp mills worth a combined $1.7 billion along the Uruguay River, which forms a natural border between Uruguay and Argentina.

2006. March 29.

Worms, Beetles in Soil Part of Untapped Trove - UN (Reuters /ForestPress)

By Alister Doyle OSLO - Worms, bacteria and beetles living below ground are part of the largest and least known trove of life on earth that could have spinoffs from farming to pharmaceuticals, a UN report said on Wednesday. "We know little of what is living below our feet...yet it is vital to sustaining life on earth," said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which is hosting March 20-31 talks in Brazil.

2006. March 28.

China is black hole of Asia’s deforestation (AsiaNews Agencies/ForestPress)

The Chinese market imports more than 50% of timber from countries where illegal logging is rife and where deforestation is destroying the lives of the “poorest communities in the world”. Jakarta– China is the main channel for illegal logging in Asia while the United States, Europe and Japan are the key markets for timber products and furniture coming from countries where the illicit practice is widespread and human rights are ignored.

2006. March 27.

Seminar and workshop in Zvolen (Slovakia) (ForestPress)

Policies Fostering Investments and Innovations in Support of Rural Development taking into account forest owners perspective on enhancing economic viability through cooperation and innovation 27-29 March 2006 Hotel Kaskády, Sliač, Sielnica (near Zvolen), Slovakia

2006. March 27.