News from the world of forests

Greenhouse Gas Good for Some Trees (LiveScience.com/ForestPess)

Sara Goudarzi Higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, predicted to adversely affect the environment and humans, may help one species in time of need: the loblolly pine. In an experiment where carbon dioxide levels were elevated to those predicted for 2050, one and a half times today's levels, scientists found that these trees were able to withstand ice storms much better than those growing under current carbon dioxide levels.

2006. September 4.

What wood species gives off the most heat? (ForestPress)

Trees considered deciduous or hardwoods tend to burn hotter and longer than trees considered to be evergreen or softwood (there are some exceptions). Wood also tends to burn hotter when dried. Wood heat value is measured in BTUs or British Thermal Units. The higher the value, the more heat you get per unit of wood.

2006. September 4.

Wolves return to eastern Germany as people leave (Reuters/ForestPress)

By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN - A century after they were wiped out by hunters and a burgeoning population, wolves have returned to parts of eastern Germany as factories close down, businesses fail and people move out. A few dozen wolves have formed a beachhead in Germany's Brandenburg state just west of the border with Poland and enjoy special protection from authorities delighted by the return of the shy animals so deeply entrenched in German folklore.

2006. September 1.

Wood pellet heating, the future market (ForestPress)

Just prior to Pellets 2006 and taking place for the sixth time, is the Industry Forum Pellets on 10th and 11th October 2006. A series of presentations will provide industry representatives attending the conference with in-depth information about the latest developments in the growing wood pellet market. In recent years the wood energy industy forum has developed into a critical meeting point for the pellets industry. A total of 250 participants from industy, research and politics are expected to attend.

2006. August 31.

Russian and Finnish presidents talk on the issue of Russian forest fires (ForestPress)

Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reports that President of Russia Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with President of Finland Tarja Halonen to discuss the issue of forest fires, presenting a transnational threat. The two presidents agreed on the need for cooperation and further discussion of the situation in September this year. In so far, the Finnish government has sent personnel and equipment to Murmansk to help combat forest fires there. Other Russian regions refused to accept Finnish government help.

2006. August 30.

Press room

Request for information on legal aspects of Carbon Neutral

Dear Forests-L Readers, Carbon Fix e. V is a small and innovative German NGO which maintains informed to its members on carbon sink forestry projects. We are currently analyzing the legal aspects on carbon neutral products. Therefore we want to find out for our members if they could call their products CO2 neutral by planting trees which absorb the carbon within the life-cycle.

2006. August 29.

Brown Bear Released in French Pyrenees Dies in Fall (Reuters/ForestPress)

PARIS - A Slovenian brown bear, one of five released in the French Pyrenees earlier this year, has been found dead at the foot of a cliff after an apparent accident, authorities said on Sunday. The animals were let loose under a pan-European programme designed to help species in danger of extinction. The dead bear, named Palouma, was the first of the group to be released in the mountain range stradding the border between France and Spain.

2006. August 28.

Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in Rural America (ForestPress)

FOREST SERVICE PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION FOR RURAL AMERICA WASHINGTON, - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service today announced a new publication which highlights the importance of open space, explores how growth trends in rural America are changing our forests, and offers ideas for balancing growth and conservation. "Cooperating Across Boundaries: Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in Rural America" was developed by a team of Forest Service researchers and highlights key findings from numerous research studies.

2006. August 28.

Forestry Sector Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean (ForestPress)

Latin America and the Caribbean to use more wood from planted forests High deforestation rates expected to persist More than 60 percent of the sustainable wood supply in Latin America and the Caribbean will come from planted forests by the year 2020, leaving more natural forests untouched, FAO said today.

2006. August 28.

Press room

Communication in Urbanised Forestry and Green-space Management’

Dear colleagues, The Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning, KVL (http://www.sl.kvl.dk/?lang=en&), in collaboration with the European Urban Forestry Research and Information Centre (EUFORIC, www.sl.kvl.dk/euforic) will organise an international course on ‘Communication in Urbanised Forestry and Green-space Management’. This course will take place in Noedebo north of Copenhagen, during November 27 – December 1, 2006.

2006. August 25.

Profitable driverless forest machine (Nordic Family)

Forest machines without any driver may reduce felling costs and fuel consumption in forestry. The first system tested by, the Swedish forest research institute, is competitive already at the prototype stage. Researchers consider it to be a technical breakthrough.

2006. August 23.

New changes to the Forest Code draft (forest.ru/ForestPress)

The draft of the new Forest Code has finally been revealed to the public, after the State Duma discussed changes on July 8. According to NGO experts, the new draft has very few amendments from the first draft adopted by the Duma 18 months ago. On the contrary, the new version has more contradictions and ambiguities that allow for many interpretations, which may create a favorable environment for corruption.

2006. August 22.

'More disasters' for warmer world (BBC News)

Rising temperatures will increase the risk of forest fires, droughts and flooding over the next two centuries, UK climate scientists have warned. Even if harmful emissions were cut now, many parts of the world would face a greater risk of natural disasters, a team from Bristol University said.

2006. August 17.

Rising temperatures spell fire, drought and forest loss (SciDev.Net)

15 August 2006 Scholze's team predicts more wildfires (red) if the planet warms by 3 degrees or more Catherine Brahic A three-degrees Celsius rise in temperature over the next century will increase the risk of drought, wildfires and forest loss in many parts of the developing world, say researchers. Marko Scholze of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom led an assessment of the impacts climate change could have on key ecosystems.

2006. August 17.

Timber trade lays strong roots for the future (swissinfo/ForestPRess)

Mathias Froidevaux Swiss forests cover 1.2 million square hectares, or 30% of the country (Keystone) Demand for Swiss timber is increasing, pulling the industry out of the red and a decade of crises. The recent upturn has underlined the importance of Switzerland's multipurpose forests. But even though they are expanding, they are under-exploited.

2006. August 14.

News

NASA shows interest in robot airplanes (ForestPress)

NASA shows interest in robot airplanes, developed in Borsod county , Hungary To detect forest fires, heat camera robot airoplanes have been deployed at Szendrő, Borsod county, Hungary Ágoston Restás, chief of Szendrő Fire Protection, said to ForestPress that three electricity driven engines of only a few kilograms weight, and 3 meters wing span, can assist in detecting large forest fires.

2006. August 13.

Why is the Philippines rich in biodiversity? (ABS-CBN News/ForestPress)

Did you know that the forest trees in Mount Makiling, Laguna, are far more diverse than those in the entire United States? Or that the Philippines has more endemic or native birds than the whole of Europe? It is amazing indeed that a country so small, with a total land area of 30 million hectares and a total coastline of 18,000 kilometers, can be a world showcase in biological diversity. According to Dr. Corazon Sinha and Dr. Lawrence Heaney, authors of the book Philippine Biodiversity: Principles and Practice, recently published by Haribon, "There are many reasons why the Philippines is both high in species richness and endemism."

2006. August 12.

EU helps Spain to tackle forest fires (ForestPress)

This morning (Wednesday, 9th August), Spain requested European civil protection assistance to help combat the forest fires raging in more that 100 places in the region of Galicia. The request triggered a rapid response from the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) of the European Commission.

2006. August 11.