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Simplified on-line FAO questionnaire (fao.org)
Simplified on-line questionnaire: global on-line survey on non-commercial software and its use on forest management activities in the tropics
News from the world of forests
Latest news
News
Deere’s latest major commitment to Russia (International Forest Industries)
Deere & Co has announced plans to significantly expand its presence in Russia, one of the most important growth markets of the company in both agriculture and forestry. Deere has signed an agreement with the Government and local authorities to invest approximately $80 million in a central operations centre which includes a distribution, replacement parts and training facility in the Kaluga region, 62 km southwest of Moscow.
News
Russian forestry ready to take off (Vedomosti )
By year 2020, Russia will rationally manage its huge forests and be a major power within wood processing, a new forestry development plan states. The plan, which has been developed by the federal Ministry of Industry and Energy, states that 1.2 trillion RUB will have to be invested in the industry over the next 12 years. The restructuring of the industry will make Russia a leading country within forestry processing, newspaper Vedomosti reports.
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Germany touts wood residue, straw and sour milk as biofuel sources (AFP)
Berlin – Rapeseed and sugar cane are out, making way for wood, straw and curdled milk to play key roles as future biofuel energy sources that would not starve the planet by taking over land need for food. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on hand Thursday with the heads of automakers Daimler and Volkswagen to inaugurate what was billed as the world's first refinery of "second generation" biofuels in the eastern city of Freiberg.
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Germany Hosts Global Conference on Biological Diversity (www.cbd.int)
Nairobi/Montreal / Bonn - Promoting a Global Response for Addressing the Unprecedented Loss of Biodiversity "Renewing agricultural diversity of crops and livestock backed by a functional natural support system is the international community's best long-term solution to meet the global food challenge,"said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity prior to the start of the global conference on biodiversity on 19 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany.
News
Komatsu Forest invests heavily in 2008 (International Forest Industries)
This year is an important one for Komatsu Forest. “Having spent time mustering our strength, we’re now ready to launch our new harvesters, forwarders, control systems, harvesting heads, and fellers on a broad front,” the company reports.
News
EIA Applauds U.S. Congress for Passing World's First Ban on Import of Illegally Logged Wood (interes
WASHINGTON – The United States Congress today passed landmark legislation to address the global illegal logging crisis. The U.S. is the first country in the world to prohibit the import of illegally-harvested wood and wood products.
News
Sofia Zoo celebrates 120th anniversary (Radio Bulgaria)
There is a place in Sofia where the day dawns free of the urban traffic rattle and human hubbub. Here the uproar comes from animals, because as the sun rises, the inhabitants of the Sofia Zoo wake up to claim their place in the heart of the urban jungle.
News
NEW GUIDANCE ON ESTIMATING DEER POPULATIONS (forestry.gov.uk)
The Forestry Commission has published new guidance on estimating the numbers of deer in woodlands, in Bulletin 128: Estimating deer abundance in woodlands: the combination plot technique.
Press review
Fighting illegal logging in Africa ( International Forest Industries)
APRIL 2008 - China's interest in Africa adds pressure to world's tropical forests The intemational wood business is so full of traders and middlemen operating in a world of bribes, corruption and illegal practices
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Swedish forest is a great carbon sink (Nordic Family)
Swedish forests absorb twice as much carbon dioxide as total Swedish emissions - more than 110 million tons. The parliament wants to take this into account in making Swedish climate policy.
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Don't Blame Us For Hunger, Biofuel Makers Say (Reuters)
SEVILLE - Biofuel manufacturers at an international gathering in Spain have strenuously denied media charges they are driving up food prices and world hunger.
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Newly Arrived Articles from Japan for Sustainability
(30 Apr. - 6 May. 2008) Lack of Information on Legal Timber and Wood Products Hampers Gov't Green Procurement Policy
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Impacts of biodiversity protection on the wood supply in Europe (efi.int)
As the EU promotes renewable energy with clear targets for 2020 and the wood markets show increasing demand of raw material, the present political discussions are focusing on availability and mobilization of wood in Europe. On the other hand, policies are being developed to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010 and beyond.
News Air pollution impedes pollination, study finds (WASHINGTON POST)
By Juliet Eilperin WASHINGTON — Air pollution interferes with the ability of bees and other insects to follow the scent of flowers to their source, undermining the essential process of pollination, a study by three University of Virginia researchers suggests.
News Government taken to court over Natura 2000 (sofiaecho.com)
By Elena Koinova The Union for the Protection of Private Proprietors (UPPP) took Bulgarian government to court over Natura 2000 environmental network, Investor.bg reported on May 12.
News
On the Market: a Whole Rain Forest (time.com)
How much is a rain forest worth? Until recently the answer was: virtually nothing. A tropical rain forest provides habitat for untold species of animals and varieties of plants; modulates the climate and helps bring precipitation to land thousands of miles away; sequesters billions upon billions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. But the only market value a forest had were the trees within it, cut down.
News
Nearly 4 Million Trees Planted in 2008 for 20 States, 7 Countries (americanforests.org)
American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program focuses special attention on wildfire-damaged California forests American Forests will plant nearly 4 million trees in degraded sites across 20 states and four continents in 2008 with special attention given to wildfire-stricken California; 11 projects will plant a total of 426,000 trees there. Seven international projects also are planned.
