News from the world of forests

33rd Session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC)(ForestPress)

33rd Session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC) Zvolen, Slovakia, 23-26 May 2006 SPECIAL SESSION: IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN EUROPE 15 years of economies in transition: lessons learned and challenges ahead for the forestry sector (policy forum); Progress towards sustainable forest management in Europe: trends, strategies and better coordination of reporting; Forest law compliance: from commitments to practice ; Forest-related voluntary codes of practice

2006. May 23.

IT’S NOT A WONDERFUL WORLD ANYMORE (telegraphindia/ForestPress)

MIND THE GAP Preserving the biodiversity of the planet is not a luxury but a necessity The United Nations has declared May 22 as International Day for Biological Diversity. But how should we celebrate an occasion such as this? The most effective way would be by changing some simple things. For instance, we could switch to buying organic food, saving electricity, and not buying things that we don’t need.

2006. May 23.

5th International Forest Owners´ Congress in Finland (ForestPress)

5th International Forest Owners´ Congress, September 7-9, Helsinki, Finland The congress will bring together owners, managers and friends of private forestry from across the world to discuss current challenges and opportunities of viable private forestry.

2006. May 22.

Unasylva - No. 222 - Forests, Climate and Kyoto

Unasylva - No. 222 - Forests, Climate and Kyoto An international journal of forestry and forest industries - Vol. 56 2005/3

2006. May 22.

Scanning forest damage from the air (Nordic/ForestPress)

The Norwegian forest research institute "Norske Skogforsk" has realized a project for registering the scope of forest damage by means of laser beams from aircraft. The experiment was carried out in connection with the extensive attacks by European saw flies in the province Hedmark last summer.

2006. May 21.

FOREST CONFLICT (ForestPress)

We are pleased to announce that the Managing Conflict in Asian Forest Communities Project has just released a report on conflict over natural resources in Nepal that is available on our website (www.forestconflict.com). The report focuses on conflict at the community and user group levels and addresses the relationship of natural resources to the ongoing Maoist insurgency. Forest, water, and biodiversity resources are covered in the report.

2006. May 20.

Press room

CEPF Communication Expert meeting

Draft AGENDA - CEPF Communication Expert meeting Friday, 9th of June 2006 Location: Land & Forstbetriebe Österreichs, Schauflergasse 6, 1010 Vienna (map see link in e-mail)

2006. May 19.

Press room

2nd WORLD PELLETS CONFERENCE (ForestPress)

Conference, business forum, exhibition and study tour 30 May - 1 June 2006 Jönköping, Sweden Today, pellets, densified biomass fuels, is an important heat source that will develop in coming years to the benefit of the environment and local economies. Such development requires that we meet to exchange experiences, update our know-how on the technology and the economic and political frameworks. Organised by: (Swedish Bioenergy Association) http://www.pellets2006.com/

2006. May 19.

2nd WORLD PELLETS CONFERENCE (ForestPress)

Conference, business forum, exhibition and study tour 30 May - 1 June 2006 Jönköping, Sweden Today, pellets, densified biomass fuels, is an important heat source that will develop in coming years to the benefit of the environment and local economies.

2006. May 19.

USDA FOREST SERVICE LAUNCHES NATIONAL EFFORT TO DEVELOPCONSERVATION LEADERS OF TOMORROW(ForestPress)

Agency Reinvigorates Popular 1950s-Era Conservation Ed Program DENVER, Colo., U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service today launched its new and improved Junior Forest Ranger (JFR) program by enrolling nearly 100 fifth-grade students from Denver's Ellis Elementary School into the conservation education program.

2006. May 18.

Eco tourism around Tarnovo (RadioBulgaria)

Written by Veneta Nickolova There is definitely a place in nature as if taken out of a fairy tale. It is not far from the Medieval Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo and never fails to fascinate nature lovers, willing to participate in eco-tourism - a trend currently gaining popularity in this country. That is the canyon of the river Negovanka, whose meanders flow at the foot of the steep cliffs, which house various rare species of birds. There are also waterfalls and picturesque rock formations.

2006. May 17.

130 000 young trees to be planted in private forests this spring (Nordic/ForestPress)

This spring 130 million young trees will be planted in private forests in Finland. The planting area will be about 128 000 hectares. 80 % of these young trees will be planted in privately owned forests. The planting season has got on to a good start in Finland. On the basis of comparable figures in 2004 the estimated area to be planted this spring will amount of 160 000 hectares, of which 22 000 hectares is state owned forest and 9000 hectares is owned by wood processing industry.

2006. May 16.

New style of vaccine targets parasite carrier (SciDev.Net/ForestPress)

Reina Yaidoo Ticks and other bloodsucking animals transmit a variety of parasites to people and livestock Research has shown that it could be possible to fight parasitic diseases by vaccinating against animals such as mosquitoes and ticks that spread them, rather than against the parasites themselves.

2006. May 15.

Black Water Market Drying out Spain Says WWF (ForestPress)

MADRID - Enough water to supply 58 million people is stolen from Spain's underground reserves each year, drying out already-parched land to feed the lucrative property, tourism and agricultural sectors, a report warned on Thursday. WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund, said there was a hugely profitable black market in water extracted from around 510,000 illegal wells throughout Spain.

2006. May 13.

Dutch Donate Animals to Latvia to Restore Wildlife (Reuters/ForestPress)

AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands is donating more than two dozen horses and cattle, close relatives of now extinct species, to Latvia to help the Baltic country preserve its open lands, conservationists said on Wednesday. The 23 Konik horses and 2 wild cows will be introduced later this month in Latvia's Kemeri National Park, where plant and animal species are threatened because abandoned land is turning into closed forest, the Dutch-based conservation organisation the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF) said.

2006. May 12.

China Olympics 2008: Destroying Papua's Ancient Rainforests to Raise the Olympic Torch

(Rainforest Portal/ForestPress) Protest China's Plundering of Indonesian Rainforests to Build 2008 Olympic Facilities. Caption: Raping of Indonesia's Rainforests for once off sporting event anathema to Olympic Spirit With two-and-a-half years to go until the start of the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing China, the Chinese government and Olympic Committee have recently placed a $1 billion rush order for endangered rainforest timbers from Indonesia's Papua province to be used in construction for the games. A proposed timber processing factory would industrially harvest 800,000 cubic meters of the famous and threatened merbau (intsia spp) rainforest timbers, to be exported to China for the construction of sports facilities. Indonesia's Papua province on the island of New Guinea has some of the world's last remaining large intact rainforests.

2006. May 11.

WORLD RECORD BREAKING SUCCESS AT DARROCH WIDS (ForestPress)

Pupils in the North East are celebrating today (Thursday May 4), after they helped break the existing world record for the largest number of trees planted in an hour with staff from Forestry Commission Scotland and BP, at Darroch Wids, Coynachie, Huntly. Tree planters managed to plant an amazing 18,124 trees in just forty minutes. With only one hundred volunteers allowed to participate, each tree planter managed to plant over four trees per minute. The current entry in the Guinness Book of World Records was held by Gee long Landcare Network, Australia, who planted 13,125 trees in an hour. The pupils were also able to measure their own carbon footprint and gain an insight into the role that woodlands play in reducing the effects of climate change. The trees planted today will soak up 3624 tonnes of carbon.

2006. May 11.

Forest fires ravage 30,000 hectares in Russia (AFP/ForestPress)

MOSCOW - Forest fires blamed on human activity have ravaged 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land in remote parts of Russia in recent days, the emergency situations ministry said as television pictures showed homes destroyed by fire. Worst hit are areas in the far east of the country, in the eastern Siberia region and around the Volga river and Urals mountains further west, a statement from the ministry said.

2006. May 10.