Earth's Tree News 110

[Guest guest]

For you today we have 35 tree news items from: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Canada, Turkey, Brazil, India, China, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

British Columbia:

 

1) It's been 15 years since I first noticed Will Koop at a Greater Vancouver Regional District meeting where water quality was being discussed. He brought a camera and began recording. It was clear from the demeanour of his video subjects that Koop was not popular with the people's representatives. Koop, whom I dubbed the water gadfly, was concerned about how we had come to permit large urban watersheds which supplied millions of people with drinking water to be used for industrial-scale logging. Persistent but polite, generally sunny in disposition, not easy to irritate or intimidate, middle class in appearance, he attended more meetings than even he can count, made submissions, hiked through the watershed -- well, why should he stay out when heavy equipment was operating in there? -- and still found time to help the legendary Randy Stoltman build his remarkable inventory of the province's giant trees. Logging eventually ceased in the watersheds that supply Greater Vancouver and Greater Victoria. The province's biggest municipal regions returned to the earlier and eminently more sensible policy of maintaining relatively pristine watersheds, as had been the standard for the first half of the 20th Century. And citizens who drink the tap water in much of the Lower Mainland can thank -- among others, of course -- the humble chap who caused the water bureaucrats and their political bosses to take notice of public concerns simply by making sure their words actually meant something in the public record. Now Koop has done us another major service. He's sifted through the city and provincial archives, reviewed crumbling newspaper files, interviewed old-timers and retired bureaucrats, explored other arcane sources and compiled an exhaustive history of how the enlightened and far-thinking policy which established drinking water reserves for communities across the province came to be subverted in the interests of an industrial ideology. From Wisdom to Tyranny: A History of British Columbia's Watershed Reserves arrived on my desk with a thud. It's 276 pages. http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=51 & cat=42 & id=681957 & more=

 

 

2) A B.C. Supreme Court judge is set to hear an application next week by a group of N'Quatqua band members to halt a logging operation planned near Anderson Lake by a company controlled by the N'Quatqua Band. Until the case is heard next Thursday (July 13), contractors for N'Quatqua Logging Co. Ltd. are allowed to proceed with the building of roads associated with the cut, but are not allowed to proceed with the falling of trees on the 85-hectare site, said a person who was in the courtroom of Justice I.H. Pitfield on Tuesday (July 4) in Vancouver. Last Thursday (June 29), N'Quatqua Band Chief Harry O'Donaghey and the Band Council issued a brief statement announcing that harvesting on Cutting Permit 16 (CP16) was set to begin. "All road issues have been addressed and legal access has been secured," said the statement to the N'Quatqua community. "The crews from Ainsworth and Metrona Enerprises Ltd. are preparing for road access. Following that, the road builders will come in, then the fallers, etc." A group calling itself the Voices of the Old Growth Alliance has been protesting against the operation, contending that the environmental damage the operation will cause to mule deer and other animal populations had not been sufficiently taken into account, and that the band leadership had not properly consulted with the community. On June 2, Justice Pitfield dismissed an application by the band and council for an injunction for the forced removal of what was termed a "blockade" against the logging operation. Justice Pitfield stated that he would not issue the injunction because no laws had been broken, but warned the protesters that any illegal activity — including the blocking of public roadways — would be dealt with by the police. http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison\WQuestion.nsf/0/7C986415FF02C05B882571A200807258?Op

 

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3) Has anyone noticed how bare Mount Brenton is getting? I first noticed it about a year ago and now when I look at the mountain from the Mill Bay area the backside of it is brown from the clearcuts. Yes, clearcuts. They are wiping out the trees and leaving nothing but stumps. What is this doing to our watershed? What wildlife will be disappearing as a result of this raping of our mountain? Are these raw logs being cut going to our local mills? I think not. They are being shipped south in what we know as the deliberate and irresponsible destruction of our forests by our provincial government and the forest companies. It is estimated only 25 per cent of Vancouver Island's ancient forests remain. Of 89 primary valleys that flow into the ocean on the Island, only five remain intact (no logging, no roads). Only one per cent of the coastal Douglas fir ecosystem between Victoria and Courtenay remains as old-growth, while only two per cent of the ecosystem is protected. When I talk to friends of mine who are in the forest industry they're telling me that they are running to log off the Island while present policies allow them to. The forest companies know that this golden opportunity may be shut down at any time so they are harvesting as much as they can while current policies allow. Of course all this wood is going south to feed the American mills owned by the forest giants. The rules presently state logs can only be exported unless they're surplus to domestic needs. If you shut down the mills here of course they are surplus to our needs, thus the plan to keep American mills working with B.C. logs. Would the United States allow us to come into Washington State and clearcut it at a breakneck pace and ship the logs to Canada? I think not. Our politicians need to wake up before Vancouver Island becomes another Easter Island. http://www.ladysmithchronicle.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=18 & cat=48 & id=682348 & more=

 

 

4) Some infobits from recent weeks that should make our entire industry wake up - before it's too late: The oil patch is luring truck owners and drivers to the northeast with $15,000-plus signing bonuses and rates that are 30% to 50% higher than for log-hauling. Equipment auctions draw big crowds as newer, well-maintained logging machines roll across the ramp. Although harvest levels are at an all-time high, some contractors are shutting down. Why? All over the province, logging contractors scramble to hire and anchor qualified machine operators. Some try to sell part of their logging volume because they don't have the crew to harvest it. B.C.'s forest industry is in a fight for its life, but it's acting at some levels like there's no problem at all -- how else can anyone explain the games-playing that continues over logging and hauling schedules? An April 1 logging grade adjustment translated into accelerated logging and log-hauling in the six weeks before it - and then a summer startup that in some areas is four weeks late. Last week, some mills started rotating shutdowns because the high dollar and lower lumber prices, The result: Cost-savings for mills - but at what cost? Startup delays and rotating shutdowns cause truckers and machine operators to seek work elsewhere, and both logging and log-hauling capacity suffer. Two years go, this was a nuisance - now it's a nasty capacity issue that's undermining harvest-sector businesses and is about to drive costs through the roof. It's time to move past denial and cost-cutting rate battles, and sit down as a cross-industry group to hash out better ways to do business. If we think we have problems now, wait until oil patch and pipeline work heats up some more. http://www.clearwatertimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=7 & cat=43 & id=681792 & more=

 

 

5) International Forest Products Ltd. has sold more surplus properties and cut jobs in a move to streamline operations and focus on its core businesses. The Vancouver-based lumber producer said late Friday that it had sold surplus properties along the Mamquam Channel in Squamish, B.C., and made other restructuring moves in the just-ended second quarter. Interfor said it sold surplus properties in Bella Coola, B.C.; the Saltair remanufacturing mill in Chemanus, B.C.; equipment from the former Field sawmill site in Comox, B.C., and surplus logging equipment. As well, Interfor cut its work force, but the company did not provide any specifics. In total, the moves generated about $12-million in cash for the company after payment of severance linked to the job cuts.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060703.RINTERFOR03/TPStory/Business

 

Washington:

 

6) ABERDEEN - During this busy Fourth of July holiday, rotting buildings, outdated sewer systems, and dangerous wiring are just some of the concerns at aging state parks across the Northwest. In fact, deferred maintenance at Northwest state parks totals in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Twin Harbors State Park sits between Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay on the Washington Coast. It's a 172-acre former military training ground. Today, it's popular with families, retirees and surfers. It's also in a state of disrepair. Park Ranger Ed Gerard climbs into his Chevy truck for a tour of the Park's decaying infrastructure. The first stop is the RV hook-up area. Gerard points to a row of electrical outlets. " This row was getting dangerous. Got to the point where there were sites we weren't letting people camp in because the electricity was dangerous. " Asked if he was worried about fires starting, Gerard replied, " Actually, I was more worried about somebody electrocuting themselves. " In Washington, the State Parks system turns a hundred years old in 2013. That means there's renewed attention here on the plight of parks. A centennial plan calls for tackling much of the maintenance backlog. Parks Director Derr is optimistic. " I actually see a turning of that two decade trend of decline into a renewed interest and a renewed commitment and a new priority on paying attention to the park system at the highest level in state politics. " Back at Twin Harbors State Park, Ranger Gerard is waiting for the money to arrive. Gerard and his staff hold things together here with the proverbial chewing gum and bailing wire, and a bit of creative accounting. Remember those dangerous RV hook-ups? They're now fixed with money from an unfilled staff position. At times, Gerard says, it's frustrating. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=printarticle & ARTICLE_ID=936433

 

 

Oregon:

 

7) The state's logging industry is expected to lose about 500 jobs by 2014, but the employment decline is smaller than in recent decades, said officials with the Oregon Employment Department. Other industries that support timber production, such as companies that plant trees, thin forests and fight wildfires, are expected to add jobs during the same period, employment officials said. Polk County ranked seventh among Oregon's counties for timber harvest in 2004. More than 195 million board feet of timber was harvested in Polk County. Forests cover more than 28 million of Oregon's 62 million acres. Oregon ranks first in the nation for saw-log harvests, according to Timber Data in Eugene.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/BUSINESS/607030309/1040

 

8) Join Bark for a unique opportunity to hike through the eastern pine forests and meadows of Mt. Hood National Forest. The Eight Mile Meadow Timber Sale is a proposal to "salvage" 222 acres of forest just north of the Badger Creek Wilderness. The forest is a federally-designated Critical Habitat Unit for the northern spotted owl (NSO) and hikers will explore how this proposed clearcut will "restore NSO habitat" as the Forest Service claims. Already utilized by hikers, mountain bikers and horse back riders, the Eightmile Meadow area will provide participants with an opportunity to improve your tree and plant identification skills while enjoying scenic vistas and lush sub-alpine meadows! You'll also learn about the important role of insects and fire in the area and how the Forest Service is removing environmental analysis in management decisions through the expanded use of Categorical Exclusions (CE's). http://www.bark-out.org/tsdb/detail.php?sale=eightmi

 

9) The Forest Service has built over 4,000 miles of road and scarred Mt. Hood National Forest with over 2,000 individual clearcuts. Taxpayers have consistently lost millions of dollars every year to pay for the timber sale program, and in return we have had our drinking water sullied, our trails logged over, and lost our old-growth forests and wildlife. Now the Forest Service now wants us to pay over $300,000 to "assess" whether or not logging around Mt. Hood could qualify for "certification." The Forest Service (i.e. taxpayers) is paying over $300,000 for a study to determine if logging on Mt. Hood National Forest could be "certified" as sustainable. Certification of Mt. Hood National Forest assumes that allowing private timber companies to profit by logging public forests is an acceptable practice. Mt. Hood National Forest has undergone recent budget cuts in transportation, recreation, and most all non-timber budget needs. In 2007 this trend is expected to continue, yet the timber sale program is receiving a $1 million increase and on top of that the $300,000+ for the certification assessment. http://www.pinchot.org/certification/national_forest.htm

 

 

California:

 

10) Signaling a welcome change at the top, managers of the California Department of Forestry (CDF) traveled from Sacramento to Jackson Forest in late June. They came expressly to tour the forest with Kathy Bailey of the Sierra Club and me. We spent most of the day walking and talking along a route that I had chosen, one that showed beautiful redwood groves undisturbed for eighty years, a Pomo Indian campsite, remains of historic railroad trestles, and the aftermath of clearcut logging operations. At the end of the day, the senior CDF managers emphasized their understanding that the current times called for a new mission for Jackson State Forest, one that emphasizes the potential of Jackson to become a world-class research forest and one that recognizes the value of preserving and restoring the forest. This is a fresh breeze, indeed, and very welcome. The June meeting had its origins in an earlier invitation from Ruben Grijalva, the newly appointed Director of the California Department of Forestry, to meet with him and his staff in Sacramento. I approached the meeting with hope, but also with fear that CDF would maintain the stonewall that has prevented all progress on Jackson Forest reform for six years. To my surprise and delight, Mr. Grijalva quickly expressed a willingness to explore new solutions and seek consensus. Early in the meeting, I said that to get an acceptable solution, CDF must be willing to fund its unrelated forestry programs from sources other than cutting trees in Jackson Forest. In the 1990s, timber revenues from Jackson funded almost one-third of the total budget of CDF. The drive for timber revenue led to the neglect of other forest values and, ultimately, to the formation of the Campaign. Until this point, CDF had steadfastly refused to consider lowering its timber harvests to promote other forest values. Jackson revenue was viewed as too important to sacrifice. Mr. Grijalva replied that he had already publicly stated that he was willing to fund the department's forestry programs from alternative sources, and that he meant it. Suddenly, the discussion moved beyond fixed positions to seeking mutually acceptable solutions. http://www.jacksonforest.org/

 

Montana:

 

11) The West has a new economics narrative it's starting to tell, that of the restoration economy. As Pat Williams, former U.S. Representative for Montana and Senior Fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West, said in a recent column on Headwaters News, "Yesterday's scars are tomorrow's pay dirt." That column followed last month's Governor's Restoration Forum, sponsored by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. The two-day forum, written about in this week's Western Perspective on Headwaters News, brought together conservationists, industry leaders, scientists, labor leaders and other interested parties. Together, they touted and discussed the burgeoning restoration economy that is pumping millions of dollars into and around Montana, fueling a new economic engine aimed at, simply put, cleaning up the old economic engines of mining, timber and agriculture. The idea of a restoration economy has even gained the attention of the Western Governors' Association, which has developed a policy resolution on a restoration economy (PDF). In the policy statement, the governors ask Congress and the president to not only recognize this new industry in the West and around the nation, but also ask them to support it with funds and policies through a multiyear appropriations formula. In the West, the restoration narrative primarily concerns ecological restoration. The Society for Ecological Restoration defines it as "the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed." But the restoration talked about by states and regional leaders includes more. It also concerns itself with sustaining local economies, providing good-paying jobs, re-beautifying landscapes and preserving lifestyles. The idea of urban restoration may still be a bit far out, but as ecological restoration becomes a bigger business in the West, the transformation of cities isn't far behind — even if what many of the cities are restored to may hark back to cities older and farther away that what may have existed here before. http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/06/15/news/regional/e971fb170bca69738725718d006c4ad4.txt

 

 

12) KALISPELL - Northwest Montana shines bright blue on Sarah Low's map,

the color chosen to fete places with the most " human amenities. " Those are things such as wild mountains and clean waters, national parks and a high quality of life, gauges Low used to help color her version of America's new economy. " In terms of long-term economic growth, " she said, " it's real important to be talking about these things. " Low is a researcher at the Center for the Study of Rural America, an arm of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. She was exploring entrepreneurship - " what drives it? " - when she began to notice a significant trend. " Something that kept popping up over and over were these natural amenities, " she said. And so she reframed her research questions. Why were lots of new businesses sprouting in places with lots of scenic amenities? " The entrepreneurs are specifically relocating into these areas, " she concluded. " They see a beautiful place with a great quality of life - a quiet community, with skiing or fishing or whatever, and they choose to do business there. " It's a trend most western Montanans are familiar with by now, a trend plotted by homegrown economists at places such as Missoula's own Center for the Rocky Mountain West. But now the Fed, by way of Low, is confirming this emergent economic reality. Her latest report, " Regional Asset Indicators: Human Amenities, " concludes that both employment and income growth are directly related to wild open spaces and a high quality of life. http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=73780

 

 

 

 

Utah:

 

 

13) DENVER The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has halted planned clear-cut logging on the Aquarius Plateau near Escalante, ruling the Forest Service did not present evidence supporting its claim that the project would help the northern goshawk population. The goshawk is considered a sensitive species, which means its populations are declining and any decision about the forest must consider the effect on the species. The plan was to log 3,307 acres of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir and 669 acres of aspen forest, including clear-cutting of 440 acres of Engelmann spruce and 112 acres of aspen. The Forest Service argued that clear-cutting would not harm the goshawk population, which has gone from 68 nesting pairs in 1982 to 30 or fewer in 2002, the last year measured. However, the court's ruling handed down Thursday that that was contrary to recommendations of a report that the Forest Service itself had deemed to be the best available science overall.That report said thinning out trees, not clear-cutting, would be the best strategy to preserve habitat.``The Forest Service presents no long-range scientific evidence supporting its assertion that the project will actually increase the number of northern goshawk in the project area,'' the court's decision states. The Utah-based Aquarius Escalante Foundation and the Montana-based Ecology Center sued the Forest Service when it announced the logging plan in 2002. http://kutv.com/local/local_story_184193245.html

 

 

Colorado:

 

14) LA JARA - A proposed salvage and thinning project involving 1,556 acres of beetle-killed and infected spruce in the Conejos Peak District of the Rio Grande National Forest has raised the hackles of several environmental groups. Last week, a coalition of private land owners and conservation groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court-Denver asking for a court order to stop the proposed County Line timber sale two miles northwest of Cumbres Pass between Antonito and Chama, N.M. The coalition charged that the U.S. Forest Service failed to follow procedure to protect water resources, has not complied with wildlife requirements and generally ignored the potential cumulative effects of the logging. The County Line timber sale is located high in the Conejos River watershed and adjacent to the South San Juan Wilderness as well as the Continental Divide Trail. Several landowners surrounded by national forest scheduled for logging joined in the lawsuit led by Colorado Wild and Forest Guardians. "The Forest Service is degrading our public assets for the benefit of the extraction industries and disguising the activity as a 'healthy forest' policy. It is proven and observable that the American lumber industry is unable to conduct a salvage logging operation without seriously diminishing the forest's natural capability to regenerate itself," said Randal McKown, a private property owner in the timber sale area and a plaintiff on the lawsuit. Mike Blakeman, public information officer for the Rio Grande National Forest and one of the officials responsible for a timber sale fact sheet released last week, said the sale area already has good road access and there have been previous timber sales in the vicinity. " The forest service plans to salvage 841 acres of dead trees and thin 715 acres of green trees, which will generate 24 to 29 million board feet (of lumber)," Blakeman said. "The original purpose for the thinning was to improve the vigor of the remaining trees as they more likely will be able to withstand the spruce bark beetle infestation, but because of the severity of the infestation it may not make any difference." http://www.chieftain.com/business/1152177688/2

 

 

15) Locally, the Ponderosa Pine Forest Partnership covers 8,000 acres under contract in the Mancos-Dolores district of the San Juan National Forest. "In order to create a more healthy forest today, the agency felt that we needed to design stands that better reflected the stand structure that existed in the pre-settlement period," said Phil Kemp, forester for the Dolores Public Lands Center. The nod to the past stems from a 1992 meeting between district rangers, county commissioners and timber workers, where the groups discussed the loss of logging business. Kemp said county commissioners complained of the potential of losing high-paying jobs and tax receipts. Loggers complained they were not getting enough wood, nor high quality wood, from public lands. The restoration partnership addressed a number of problems with overgrown forests. Loggers were cutting down the larger trees, which had not yet reached full growth potential, and leaving the smaller trees, which had very little use in the timber industry. Firefighters automatically suppressed wildfire outbreaks, which led to overgrowth of trees and eventually more intense fires. Additionally, insect infestation spread more quickly in dense forests. "We had a much different stand structure in age class and size class historically than what we have today," Kemp said. Early days In pre-settlement times, ponderosa pine forests grew 20 to 50 trees per acre. Tree diameters measured about 25 inches, and trees lived on average just over 200 years. Today, ponderosa pines grow for about 100 years to diameters of 10 to 12 inches, packed into a density of anywhere from 85 to 400 trees per acre. "It's kind of like your lawn," said Bob Johnson, a logger with J & J Logging. "If you don't thatch it, it don't grow." The thinning isn't a plan for the entire forest anyway. "We don't plan to implement the plan for all 180,000 acres," Kemp said. "We're a multiple-use agency. We may want to manage some ponderosa pines for species habitat and wood-fiber production." Kemp's goal is to apply the pre-settlement thinning prescription for an undetermined time to about one-third of the forest acreage. If his goal is reached, that's 60,000 acres of pre-settlement ponderosa pine forest that will be guaranteed timber for the local logging industry, varied habitat for wildlife and a potential emerging local biomass economy for small diameter trees. http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news & article_path=/n

 

ews/06/news060704_5.htm

 

Wisconsin:

 

 

16) I've written before that if I could have a way-back machine for a day I would go back to the logging heyday of northern Wisconsin to see the great forests before men arrived with crosscut saws. At the Drummond Library and Museum I found an account of those days by Rose Ernst Longenecker, who arrived by train with her husband, George, in 1892 so that he could get experience as a preacher before returning to seminary training in Ohio. Experience would be easy to obtain since George was to be the only preacher of any denomination in any of the lumber towns between Spooner and Ashland. " To a young girl whose life had been spent in towns with tree-shaded streets with lawns, flowers and shrubs around every house, " she wrote later, " the thought of having to spend a year in one of those bleak houses was terrifying. " When it came time to deliver her first child, there was no doctor, only a midwife, and the baby girl died a short time later. Neighbor ladies made a lace-trimmed dress for the funeral and an infant-size casket was obtained from Ashland. Rose " watched from my bedside window as a procession carried the casket to a cemetery which had been started on the edge of town. " In the end, Rose felt home enough in the North Woods that leaving was difficult, though made easier by the manner in which the lumber company was piling lumber between her house and the woods, shutting off the beautiful views. Rust-Owen Company lasted for 48 years, eventually selling much of its cutover land to the federal government for the Chequamegon National Forest. Most of the mill buildings and other company structures were burned or torn down and there are not many traces of those days left, but for the ring of rocks left from the reservoir on the hill. You'll find such artifacts in towns all across the north, but outside the library is a 12-foot section of white pine felled by lightning years ago. The tree measured 45 inches at the base, stood 110 feet tall and was 295 years old when bad luck struck. It may have been a difficult time and the town drab and unwelcoming, but I'd still go back to that era in an instant to see a whole forest of such wonders. Drummond is on Highway 63 in southern Bayfield County. The short trail to the Rust-Owen Reservoir is off the left side of Drummond-Delta Road at the town's southern edge, where you'll find a small parking area and Forest Service literature explaining the site. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=453764

 

17) " Logging and farming no longer are enough to keep a community vital, " he says. The lack of an economic generator, such as a large lake to draw tourists, spells trouble. So does urban sprawl, which can squelch and bury cultural uniqueness. Professor Arnold R. Alanen of the UW department of landscape architecture has made the study of cultural landscapes his passion and his academic specialty. Kitschy lawn ornaments, sacred roadside chapels or a fenced pasture with grazing sheep are a part of what cements a sense of place and home, he says. This is a study of the " built environment, " Alanen says, but buildings are just one part of it. Botanical gardens, personal art projects, grand churches and no-nonsense barnyards fit this grouping, too. Hauge Lutheran Church is " low style, " built by everyday people. Perry Lutheran is " high style, " more ornate, the product of professional planning and execution. Alanen sees great value in both. " Wisconsin has such an array of ethnic groups, " he observes. " It makes for a rich rural culture. " He describes American Indian effigy mounds as the state's first cultural landscapes. " Although it is a bit more on the natural side of things, I think the best example of contemporary landscape management is in Menominee County, " Alanen adds. Before any forest changes are made, the Menominee tribe considers the impact for at least seven generations into the future The difference between which landscapes survive or die also is a matter of changing technology and economy. " The cultural landscape tells us who we are, as Americans, far more effectively than most individual works of architecture or exhibits in museums ever can, " writes colleague Dolores Hayden of Yale, in a foreword to " Preserving Cultural Landscapes in America, " published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2000. http://www.madison.com/tct/features/index.php?ntid=89860 & ntpid=0

 

 

Michigan:

 

18) One hundred years ago the county saw the last logging drive on the Cedar River. The passing of the lumber era was marked by a special edition of the Gladwin County Record that recounted the history of the logging in the area. This year, the Gladwin County Historical Society is remembering that time with special programs this weekend. Bill Jamerson, a lumbering storyteller and singer from Escanaba will present a program he calls "Daylight in the Swamp" at the Chapel on the Historical Society grounds in Gladwin. http://www.gladwinmi.com/placed/story/07-05-2006logging.html

 

 

Vermont:

 

19) A very wet spring and early summer, which has prevented many loggers from getting into the woods, follow an unusually warm winter in which the ground didn't freeze enough to get heavy equipment to winter logging jobs. " I haven't had a decent week in the woods since last August, " said Mike Lemieux, who heads his family's St. Johnsbury-based logging business. " There's very few people working at all right now because it has been so wet. " When loggers suffer, the mills that take their products do as well, said Jane Currier, general manager at the Greenwood Mill in Sutton. She said her mill may have to resort to layoffs if it can't get some logs delivered soon. " How much longer can loggers withstand this? " Currier asked. " How long can they stand having equipment idle? "

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/07/03/weather_cost_increases_hurting_

loggers/

 

Georgia:

 

20) Growing season burns are better for forest health than burns conducted during winter when undesirable trees and brush are dormant. " Burning as brush is sprouting and coming alive kills the entire plant including the root system rather than just burning the tops away, " Kennamer said. The lush new plant growth after the burn attracts a multitude of insects and provides food and shelter for growing turkey poults. However, since these burns often coincide with the nesting season of wild turkeys, questions naturally arise about the impacts on turkeys. Research conducted separately on the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana and on Homochitto National Forest in Mississippi shows that hens prefer to nest in more open areas than the thick brushy areas forest managers are improving with fire. In fact, of 64 nest observed in Mississippi during the spring burning season, only four were spotted in areas scheduled to be burned and only two were actually destroyed by the fire. While some nests are lost in spring burns, evidence shows that most hens will renest if they lose their first, especially if it happens early in their incubation cycle. " The improvement to forest health more than makes up for any minor negative impacts on nesting, " said Jeff Bien, U.S. Forest Service fire management officer for Homochitto National Forest. Forest managers on Homochitto normally conduct a third of each year's prescribed burns during the spring growing season while maintaining healthy turkey populations. In fact, burn areas are extremely popular with turkeys. " We see a lot of birds in recently burned areas, " Bien said. " We've even had people who have taken birds in areas that are still smoking. " http://www.news-reporter.com/news/2006/0706/News/033.html

 

Massachusetts:

 

 

21) A shiny, stainless steel rectangle - the size and shape of a tombstone - it reflects like a mirror, and brings visitors face to face with their own mortality. Look at it, and you'll see yourself in the tombstone. This is the blank slate on which all our birth dates and death dates will be written. It's a sharp reminder that there's a tombstone in all our futures. What you do with that information is up to you. If you dwell on the message of " The Mirroring Stone " - for a minute, a morning or a month - then " Dwelling: Memory, Architecture and Place " has done its job. Miller doesn't balk at bringing art into an environment that many view as sacred. In fact, she points out, with the recent exhibits at Forest Hills - including 2002's " Spirits in the Trees " - the cemetery is returning to its roots. Forest Hills is already renowned for its sculpture and stone work, highlighted, perhaps, by the pieces by Daniel Chester French, famous for his statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. " We're just reviving something that the cemetery is known for, " says Miller. Cemeteries may make unique galleries, but Miller sees their virtues. She jokes about the phenomenon of going to a big art exhibit at a museum, where people run around with hordes of other people making sure they checked all the major works off their must-see list. She admits with a laugh that she's done it herself. But that's not what happens at Forest Hills, where the introspective nature of a cemetery is well-matched with the contemplative nature of an art exhibit. People come. They roam. They reflect. They dwell.

http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/entertainment/view.bg?articleid=529647 & format= & page=2

 

 

22) AGAWAM - A 17-year-old state report cited by activists as a reason to stop planned logging at Robinson State Park highlights a variety of reasons to care for the 852-acre park, but also calls for a " judicious tree-cutting program " involving commercial logging to promote forest health. The report also suggests that oak and other hardwood stands - trees activists in the group Friends of Robinson State Park have strongly opposed cutting - were on the chopping block even then. " The oak-hardwood forest stands in the eastern half of the park should receive thinnings and timber stand improvement work, as many stands in the west half of the park were treated in the last decade, " the report states. " Commercial fuelwood sales are the preferred means of accomplishing this work, but park labor should be used in visually sensitive areas, " it said. The park, located along the Westfield River, is slated for logging later this year, with an estimated 2,700 trees on 133 acres scheduled to be removed. The planned cutting is split into two areas off James Street and the park's main gate on North Street, both located in the park's eastern half. Attempts to reach several members of the Friends group yesterday were unsuccessful, but some members of the group have said they are opposed to any of the park's trees' being removed. State officials have said the trees' removal will promote age diversity in the forest. http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1151999246209490.xml & coll

 

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Maine:

 

23) Plum Creek calls to its podium one George Smith, director of the 14,000-member Sportsman?s Alliance of Maine (SAM), who rhapsodizes about how all the guaranteed access makes this massive development a terrific deal for hunters, anglers, and snowmobilers. Other invited speakers extol the economic boom the development will bring. But after Plum Creek's speakers finish, the pillorying resumes. "We're very disappointed," Cathy Johnson of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) tells the TV networks. "Plum Creek may have listened, but it didn't hear." As goes Plum Creek so goes the rest of the large landowners and all of that big block of undeveloped forestland. We have one chance here to do it right. My press packet asserts that Plum Creek has offered a new "legacy for the Moosehead region." Indeed it has. But there's another possible legacy not just for Moosehead but for the 26-million-acre Northern Forest that embraces it, the last really wild woods and water in the East and a stronghold for Canada lynx, bobcats, pine marten, forest-interior birds, loons, and countless other species we're running out of elsewhere. Plum Creek by itself cannot extinguish all this wildness. But other large landowners, not just in Maine but in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, can, and they are watching carefully. As goes Plum Creek so goes the rest of the large landowners and all of that big block of undeveloped forestland,? says Johnson. "We have one chance here to do it right." Plum Creek cuts and sells pulp and saw timber, but it is also a developer recently reorganized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), an investor-owned company excused from corporate income taxes by paying out at least 90 percent of its taxable profit in dividends, a prescription for land abuse. http://www.maineenvironment.org/news_detail.asp?news?6

 

Canada:

 

24) A new scientific report by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a 110-year-old science-based conservation organization, says that Northwest Territories' Nahanni National Park Reserve – one of Canada's most beloved and storied national parks – is too small to maintain its nearly pristine population of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall's sheep. According to the report, which looked at more than four years of WCS field data, the park needs to expand from its current size of under 5,000 square kilometers, to include the entire South Nahanni River watershed and the adjacent Nahanni Karstlands, an area totaling more than 38,000 square kilometers – four times larger than Yellowstone National Park. The report's author, Dr. John Weaver of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said that the park's current narrow boundaries are too small to contain grizzlies, caribou and Dall's sheep, all of which occupy much larger ranges than the park currently provides. He cautions that without expanding the boundaries, these species will decline due to development pressures looming outside of the park. "Unfortunately, wildlife do not recognize park boundaries, and this is particularly true in the case of Nahanni National Park Reserve" said Weaver, who has studied North American wildlife for more than three decades. "If we don't protect the full range of Nahanni's populations of grizzlies, caribou, and Dall's sheep, then those species are in trouble." Weaver's research showed that the Nahanni's woodland caribou, for example, frequently travel over long distances outside of the park, and need unbroken boreal wilderness to survive. Currently, key seasonal areas for caribou lie outside of the park. http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0705-wcs.html

http://www.wcs.org/

 

25) The Ontario-based mineral company Platinex has slapped the Ojibwa of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) First Nation (KIFN) with a $10-billion damage suit for refusing the company permission to drill on territory the KIFN says is its own. KIFN argues that it has never signed away ownership of the land and is pursuing a land-claim settlement. Situated in northwestern Ontario, KIFN is about 580 km north of Thunder Bay. In Platinex Inc. secured exploratory rights from the Ontario government for 3,580 hectares of land in the area. In November 2005, KIFN called for a moratorium on mining and forestry on its lands. Platinex ignored requests that it vacate KIFN's territory. In February, Platinex workers were confronted by KIFN protesters and, later that month, blockades of access roads and landing strips temporarily halted exploration. In a letter to the Globe and Mail onFebruary 22 Platinex defended its exploration claiming it has "huge value for the world's environment" due to applications in pollution-regulating equipment. Following the setting up of blockades, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) increased its presence in the community with seven additional officers. Platinex later raised a few eyebrows when the company hired a foreign mercenary to provide security for the company. According to Platinex lawyer Neil Smitheman, Paul Gladstone, an ex-British soldier, was hired to "assess and manage a potentially ... volatile situation." KIFN spokesperson John Cutfeet asks, "When will the lessons of Ipperwash be learned?" http://dominionpaper.ca

 

Turkey:

 

26) Bingol's trees being cut for " security " reasons. Sirnak Bar Association lawyers file criminal complaint to protect environment. A forest fire on Sirnak's Cudi mountain in Southeast Turkey that started on June 13 continues to devastate the environment while local journalist Kerem Celik blames the local Ikizce Commando Battalion for setting fire to the trees on grounds of " security " . News of the ongoing fire coincides with Human Rights Association (IHD) Bingol branch executive board member Ridvan Kizgin's claim that the Bingol Regiment Command has launched its own campaign to eliminate trees surrounding roads within provincial borders for a similar " security " reason. 16 lawyers from the Sirnak Bar Association have filed a criminal complaint against the provincial governor, the Forestry Directorate and security forces in relation to the Cudi fire alleging that officials were insensitive to what was going on. Bar Association lawyer Nusirevan Elci said that on June 30 they had also carried out a symbolic tree planting campaign to protest the fire. He argued that officials were not paying the same attention to the fire that they would have done if it was an issue in western parts of the country. Meanwhile, both the Foundation Against Erosion in Turkey (TEMA) and the Association to Protect Natural Life (DHKD) informed bianet when asked on the issue that they had no initiative with regard to the fire in Sirnak. According to the journalist, local villagers set up a special delegation to deal with the fire but withdrew it in fear as the fire was in a military zone. He said the fire now continued in a small area behind Mt. Gabar. " Operations, mined areas and the war that is continuing in the area prevents both sides from preventing the fire " Celik explained. Cudi and Mt. Gabar are renown strongholds of armed rural units of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has in the past claimed occasional fires in the area were started to smoke out militants from forest zones. Kizgin said the tree cutting had started about 10 days ago and gave a list of the villages and hamlets that were effected by the campaign. http://www.kurdishinfo.com/modules.php?name=News & file=article & sid=8233

 

 

Brazil:

 

27) A recently completed University of Florida study has added to the buzz surrounding the Brazilian acai berry. The study is one of the first to research the many claims attributed to the acai fruit. In its study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai berry pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations. At least 4 of the extracts killed a great many cancer cells when applied for 24 hours or more. Anywhere from 35 percent to 86 percent of the cancer cells were destroyed, depending on the particular extract and concentration. According to Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the study showed extracts from acai berries triggered a self-destruct response (apoptosis) in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested Talcott, however, cautioned against reading too much into the results, noting that the tests were run against cancer cell cultures and not on human test subjects. Still, the results are exciting. In the last year, the Brazilian berry has really taken off in the United States. It has also caught the attention of many companies who are now creating products that include the acai berry. http://news.worldfitness.ca/news/070306/BrazilianAcaiBerryShowsPromiseInCancerStudy.php

 

 

28) A chair was kept empty during the debate, making the arrogance and cowardice of the company even more explicit. Furthermore once again we denounce Aracruz Celulose�s aim of attempting to disqualify the current administrative procedure for land demarcation by stating its intention to go to court against a governmental decision in favor of indigenous rights. We also would like to say that, by evading the debate, Aracruz does not assume the attitude of a certified company and, in fact we learnt that day during the Seminar that Aracruz Celulose is no longer a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified company. The FSC is presently the most respected certifier in the world regarding certification of forest' management units, including monoculture tree plantations. It is important to make clear that Aracruz had purchased' this certificate when, in 2003, it acquired about 40,000 hectares from the Riocell company in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. This company had succeeded in having its plantations certified by the FSC in 2001. It should be remembered that it was Aracruz itself that tried to get the FSC certificate in 1999 for its eucalyptus plantations in the state of Bahia. However, at that time a strong and massive mobilization of organizations, communities, movements and citizens prevented Aracruz from succeeding in obtaining the certificate. At that time and with this orchestration and others, the Alert against the Green Desert Network started its existence. To compensate for the loss of the FSC-certificate, the company started to invest in a certificate known as CERFLOR (Brazilian Programme of Forest Certification), a public/private certificate that does not even deserve a minimum of credibility, because its principles and criteria are not made public but need to be bought at Internet and its procedures do not have significant civil society participation. Nevertheless, by buying Riocell, Aracruz Celulose succeeded in what it so much wanted: the FSC certificate. However, the constant denunciations of the violation of indigenous, Afro-Brazilian quilombolas and peasant community rights, in addition to environmental crimes, ended up by costing the company a high price. At the beginning of May, the personal visit by two Tupinikim and Guarani representatives to the International Secretariat of the FSC finally motivated the FSC to commit itself to carry out an investigation of the case and to take a stand. http://www.globaljusticeecology.org

 

India:

 

29) Chandigarh -- With the felling of 25,000 trees and another 15,000 facing axe for widening of highways in the north region, the Punjab Forests department has a proposal at hand to make land acquisition compulsory along such highways for replantation. " We are writing to the State Government for a legislation for making land acquisition compulsory along such highways where we cut trees, and let the cost of the land acquisition for replantation be incorporated in the entire project of the widening of roads, " Punjab Forests Principal Secretary D S Jaspal told UNI here. Lamenting that there was presently no plan for replantation along the highways being widened, he expressed his serious concern over the felling of several heritage trees like palm dates along the Balachaur-Dasuya state highway. Nearly 8,000 trees were cut down to widen this road two months back. About 17,000 trees along the Ambala-Chandigarh highway were cut down this month, while over 50 per cent of the marked 15,000 green trunks have been cut so far along the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway, according to Punjab State Forest Development Corporation. Mr Jaspal said that making land acquisition compulsory along the highways to be widened could only lead to replantation. " There is no space left for replantation on either side of these highways and we need to acquire land from the farmers to plant new trees along the widened stretches, " Punjab State Forest Developmet Corporation managing director Gurbaz Singh said. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200607060310.htm

 

 

China:

 

30) Thousands of hectares of natural forests are being eliminated to make room for fast-growing tree plantations in Liu Shun County in southwestern Yunnan province, according to a recent expos� by China's Central Television (CCTV). The logging operations, which have turned lush hillsides into barren wastelands, have enjoyed the green light from village and county officials as well as local forestry authorities. This collusion between government officials and business interests endangers one of the few remaining intact forest landscapes in China. Workers at one logging site told CCTV that the more than 60-hectare section of natural forest they were felling had been bought by a private businessman. Here and elsewhere, high-quality timbers will be transported out of the region and sold, while the remaining wood will be stockpiled to feed plywood or pulp and paper factories. Dozens of plywood factories dot the area around the site, with the smallest facility having an annual processing capacity of more than 1 million cubic meters of wood. This is just the tip of the iceberg, according to Qing Wenqiang, a local villager who told CCTV that "there are at least 100 such sites" in Liu Shun County alone. Residents estimate that thousands of hectares of natural forests are being cut down in the region. County officials contend that the villagers themselves sold the forests off to businessmen, since the forests at issue were collectively owned by various villages under the county's jurisdiction. Two contracts obtained by CCTV indicate a deal in which one villager group sells a timber company more than 530 hectares of natural forests, home to more than 13,000 cubic meters of timber, at the astoundingly low price of less than 1,500 RMB (US $270 dollars) per hectare, a price below that of even ten trees. "Basically the contracts are determined by villager groups themselves through meetings," explained county official Li Jiankang. "They cheated my grandson into signing the contract," argued Qing Wenqiang, whose grandson was only 15 years old at the time. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4221

 

New Zealand:

 

31) A Conservation Department sting has nabbed two Taupo men chainsawing a rimu tree, estimated to be at least 500 years old, which they planned to make into furniture. The pair, who were working in darkness, were caught by department surveillance cameras in the Pureora Forest removing rimu valued at $9800. In Taupo District Court yesterday, forestry worker Anthony Roy Baker and sickness beneficiary Aaron James Mason, both 24, pleaded guilty to theft of native timber from a conservation block, and interfering with the natural features of a conservation area. The court was told there was a long history of theft of native timber in the forest, west of Lake Taupo. The 78,000-hectare forest was administered as Crown land by the department and is one of the largest remaining stands of original podocarp forest in New Zealand. Mike Bodie, for the department, said in the past 18 months it had investigated the illegal removal of both standing and fallen native logs. Logging was banned in the forest and the black market trade in native timber was extremely profitable. Roads were bulldozed and heavy machinery used to illegally take 10 native trees in the past year. The isolation of the area and the multitude of tracks and roads in and out of the forest made it difficult to detect and prosecute. This was the first successful apprehension by the department, he said. In May, the department found a 30-metre wind-blown rimu, estimated to be between 500 and 1000 years old, in the forest. The head of the tree had been removed. The department set up a hidden camera near the site and on three separate occasions at night filmed Baker and Mason chainsawing and lifting portions on to a truck. Searches of their properties uncovered the sawn native rimu, a portable mill, heavy lifting equipment and a Bedford truck. Judge James Weir, while pointing out it was the first time anyone had been caught stealing native timber from the forest, decided against imposing prison sentences. Baker, identified as the instigator, was sentenced to 350 hours' community work, and Mason to 180 hours. They were both ordered to pay $700 costs. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3722573a12855,00.html

 

Malaysia:

 

32) Now we can only hope that the project is not delayed. Otherwise milky storks will be the sixth bird species to be extinct in the wild in Peninsular Malaysia, joining the green peafowl, white-winged duck, white rump vulture, long-billed vulture and gold-crested myna… The Matang Forest Reserve in Perak is reputed to be one of the world's best examples of sustainably managed mangrove forest. That claim, however, may be dubious as a species it hosts, the milky stork, is on the verge of extinction. Once abundant along the peninsula West Coast, the waterbird is now confined to Matang and recent observations hint at a population that may be as low as four birds. Yes, milky storks are facing imminent extinction in the wild in Malaysia. How did we allow them to reach such a dire state? It appears that conservation measures taken so far have been too little, too late. Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) cannot curb human activities there since Matang is not a wildlife sanctuary but a timber production forest reserve. Proposals for a wildlife reserve and a Ramsar Site (wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention) have for years, been ignored. Hence, Perhilitan has repeated its call to the Forestry Department to enlarge the "protected forest" cover in Matang by an extra 644ha – which is not a lot considering that Matang sprawls over 40,466ha. The Forestry Department had previously protected 1,883ha at Pulau Kelumpang and 103ha at Pulau Terong, two islands where the storks feed and roost. "For effective conservation of the milky stork, larger areas of undisturbed mangroves are necessary to buffer the lakes found on the two islands," says David Li, waterbird conservation officer at Wetlands International. The study repeated proposals for a wildlife reserve and Ramsar Site, as these will give Perhilitan a say in managing the area. Li asserts that conserving the site will benefit migratory birds which winter in Matang. As the mangrove cover declines, so has fisheries production and the population of these birds – by as much as 75% to 95% in the past 10 to 17 years. Gulls and terns are the worst affected. http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/7/4/lifefocus/14684415 & sec=lifefocus

 

 

33) IPOH -- Parts of the Bukit Kinta Forest Reserve where the Sungai Kinta dam and treatment plant are located will be gazetted as a no logging zone. Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said more than 4,000ha of the forest reserve in the vicinity of the RM234mil dam and treatment plant would be gazetted as permanent forest reserve. "We will not allow logging around the area because we want to protect the water quality," he said after chairing the weekly exco meeting Wednesday. "I have asked the Forestry director (Datuk Razani Ujang) to come up with a layout plan of the whole area to protect our water quality." The dam, located about 17.5km from the Pos Slim road leading to Kampung Raja in the Cameron Highlands, was expected to be ready by end of next year, he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/5/nation/20060705171730 & sec=nation

 

Indonesia:

 

34) "When I was a little boy, I could walk into the bush for two kilometres and easily come back a half an hour later with something that I had hunted," Yul explains nostalgically. "But now I have to walk for hours and hours, sometimes even days, to catch something." The longer hunting days are worrying and are the reason why Yul Bole Gebze, an elder from the village of Wambi in the Indonesian province of Papua, made a two-day journey to Madang on the other side of the international border in Papua New Guinea. Native gambir trees are being exploited on a large scale for their bark, which is being exported by the tons to lucrative markets in Java, China and Japan, where it's used to make glue. "If there's no bark on the tree, the tree will die," says Yul, "and the cassowary will go from the area if there is no food." The sweet fruit of the gambir tree provides an important source of food for the cassowary, a flightless ostrich-like bird, which can grow up to 2m in height. The cassowary is an important source of food local communities and the feathers of the bird are used to make traditional headdresses. "What's worse is that people eat the fruit as well, and if they can't reach the fruit, they cut the tree down to get at it, even the younger trees that haven't reached maturity," adds Albertus Moiwend, Committee Chairman of the Marind-Anim tribe, sitting quietly next to Yul. The TransFly is the environmental jewel of the Asia-Pacific region. Straddling the border of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, this unique coastal landscape of grasslands, savannas, wetlands and forest habitats — spanning some 10 million hectares — is home to over half of New Guinea's 800 bird species, including 80 that are endemic to the island, as well as numerous species of birds of paradise. Endemic marsupial cats, flying possums and a rich diversity of reptiles make this region a true nature's paradise. However, the future of the TransFly hangs in the balance. The area's riches are under increasing threat from hunting and invasive species. Transmigration and large-scale development of the region is perhaps the largest threat facing Yul's community, which depends on the land for subsistence. "The majority of the people on the Papua New Guinea side have moved here from other islands in Indonesia," explains Yul. "They are yet to share the same view of the environment as we native Papuans." http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=73780

 

35) "There are now plans for a 40,000ha sugar cane plantation in an area close to the Wasur National Park and a further 120,000ha elsewhere in the TransFly," says Fitrian Ardiansyah, a forest restoration coordinator for WWF-Indonesia. A request to develop 260,000ha of eucalyptus for the pulp and paper industry is also on the table. "If these plantations are approved without taking into account environmental or social considerations, or a commitment from companies to operate sustainably, then it may result in large swathes of pristine TransFly monsoon forests and other unique ecosystems being destroyed," Ardiansyah adds. All the land in Indonesia's Papua Province is traditionally owned by local communities, so in order to acquire land for development companies must either pay communities cash for the land or try to influence the regional authorities, who then convince communities that developing their land would be a good idea and profitable. "The government claims plantations will benefit local communities, however the reality is that they mostly won't," says Benja Mambai, Director of WWF-Indonesia's office in Papua Province. "This is why we are supporting local communities with the development of a community livelihoods programme. We've assisted communities through identifying alternative means of income, such as the sustainable harvesting of cajuput oil, an essential oil used for massage. We're also involved in the introduction of community-based sustainable forestry, which will eventually allow communities to supply certified timber to the international market." http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=73780