Earth’s Tree News 111

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Today for you we have 41 articles of earth's tree news from: British

Columbia, Oregon, California, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan,

Wisconsin, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, USA, Canada,

Finland, Liberia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Zanzibar, Malawi, Kenya,

Guyana, Nicaragua, India, Fuji and Vietnam.British Columbia:1)

Ned Jacobs of the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs reports that

logging and clearing the trees and brush from the route has temporarily

stopped because Bluffs volunteers have found nesting migratory birds in

the path of the logging. A 200-metre wide swathe of broken earth and

stumps is visible from the highway and from the air, but covers only

about half a kilometer of the seven-kilometer route. He writes: " The

protesters are not giving up . . . By locating active nests of

protected birds, they have delayed the destruction of the Larsen

wetlands. They continue to call for a halt to this dangerous diversion

and to the breaking of our Olympic promise. " But the Coalition's appeal

of the injunction was denied by the court on July 4th, and it now

appears construction will continue as soon as the nesting season is

over. Meanwhile, Vancouver environmentalist Betty Krawczyk, 78, is back

in jail pending trial for her protests at Eagleridge Bluffs in West

Vancouver. Justice Brown ordered Krawczyk to remain in custody at

Surrey Pre-Trial Centre until her next hearing at BC Supreme Court on

September 15. " For her own good, Ms. Krawczyk must be detained to

protect the public, " Justice Brown stated. " Entering construction zones

endangers Ms. Krawczyk, those accompanying her and the workers. "

Krawczyk was removed from court Thursday and held overnight for her

bail hearing Friday afternoon. She appeared in a gray BC Corrections

sweatsuit and slippers, her short white hair combed flat. She said the

court has no right to hold her without charge. " I'm held in some sort

of limbo, " she said. " I feel it's contrary to my rights as a citizen. "

Justice Brown said she is considering criminal contempt of court

charges for Krawczyk's three attempts to stop construction in a

wetlands area in May and June. Dozens of Eagleridge supporters were

arrested along with Krawczyk in May after pitching tents in the path of

bulldozers, linking arms and refusing to move. http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca2)

This week, lawyer Joseph Arvay filed an appeal of Justice R.D. Wilson's

month-old decision that ruled in favour of the Crown's res judicata

challenge. This decision blocked continuation of the 'James vs. Crown'

class action lawsuit by which 200 former Youbou millworkers had hoped

to see justice resolved for themselves and the general public. If

communities are to move, as we believe they should, away from corporate

dependence and the industrial forest model, toward ecological

sustainability and community-accountable stewardship, then this case

can be viewed as emblematic of that objective. This case challenges the

prevailing wisdom that communities and workers need not be consulted

about the disposition (environmental and economic) of their land and

resources. On the grand scale, it is a contest between the forces that

champion local self determination and those that celebrate the primacy

of the global marketplace. The YTS has established a special savings

account for 'James vs. Crown' and is soliciting financial support for

the continuing legal struggle. Donations can be made through the YTS

Website at http://www.savebcjobs.com3)

"Less than a beer a year." That's the slogan used by a group of Camosun

College students who successfully convinced their fellow students --

and the school's administration -- to help the college switch to using

only 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper. The effort helped them

win a 2006 Saanich Environmental Award as a result. Following a

six-month campaign by the Camosun College Students for Environmental

Awareness, students at both the college's campuses voted in April to

pay an additional 30 cents each per month in student fees to ensure

that no trees are cut down to make the paper used in the school's

offices, photocopiers and computer labs. The student fees will cover

half the cost of making the switch, while the school's administration

will cover the other half. Kyle Artell and friend Chris Jahn were

motivated to start both the campaign and the student environmental

group after learning what kind of paper, and how much, the college was

using. " We did some calculations and realized the school uses an

enormous amount of paper, " the 23-year-old biology student said.

" They're supposed to use eight million sheets next year. That's 40 tons

of paper, or 97 tons of wood. " http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28 & cat=23 & id=685112 & more

4)

Ten days ago, Bobbi and Greg Sandkuhl were awoken at their home in

Pinecrest Estates by the sound of chainsaws. A nearby logging operation

had been ongoing for the previous seven weeks, so they more or less

expected the noise to continue.But they didn't expect it at 5:30

a.m.The company conducting the operation, Richmond-based Terminal

Forest Products, had taken part in a community open house about the

planned cut last fall as part of the company's permitting process.

According to André Germain, operations manager at the Squamish Forest

District, the permit allows the company to log using helicopters in

cutblocks ranging from .1 hectare in size to five ha. within a larger

permit area near Pinecrest and Black Tusk Village. Bobbi Sandkuhl said

the operation began in early May and was originally to have ended by

the end of May. That was later adjusted to the first week of

June."Well, I went away for a few weeks and expected to return to some

peace and quiet," she wrote in an email to the company that was

forwarded to The Question. "I was told you would be finished your

logging at the end of MAY! You adjusted that to the first week of June.

"In case you don't know how to read a calendar… it is the END OF

JUNE!!" http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/0/6CA65E56D0836253882571A2008058D6?OpenDocument

Oregon:5)

GRANTS PASS -- Conservation groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service again over its decision not to consider endangered species

protection for two rare salamanders that live in old growth forests in

Northern California and southern Oregon. The lawsuit filed in U.S.

District Court in San Francisco on Thursday contends that the state and

federal protections the service cited as part of its decision not to do

an endangered species review of the Scott Bar salamander and Siskiyou

Mountain salamander are both being dismantled. " They relied on

protections they knew were on the chopping block, even though they knew

they were on the chopping block, which doesn't make any sense, " said

Noah Greenwald, a biologist for the Center for Biological Diversity in

Portland, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Fish and Wildlife

spokeswoman Alex Pitts said from Sacramento, Calif., that the agency

does not comment on pending litigation. As a result of an earlier

lawsuit, the service decided last April that the Siskiyou salamander is

already protected as a threatened species by the state of California,

and both salamanders are protected by a Northwest Forest Plan provision

that preserves habitat for rare species on national forests. However,

the California Department of Fish and Game has begun a process to take

the Siskiyou salamander off the state endangered list, and taken the

position that the Scott Bar salamander is not protected, the lawsuit

said. The U.S. Forest Service is taking steps to eliminate the " survey

and manage " provisions of the Northwest Forest Plan, the lawsuit added.

The survey and manage provisions were reinstated by court order this

year, but the Forest Service is taking steps to replace them again with

other protocols to protect rare species, said spokesman Tom

Knappenberger. The lawsuit added that Fish and Wildlife has

acknowledged there is extensive logging on private lands which make up

as much as 18 percent of the forests where the salamanders live. The

two salamanders live under the surface in patches of loose rock where

old growth forest keeps the air and ground cool and moist. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_SALAMANDER_LAWSUIT_OROL-?SITE=ORSAL & SECTION=HOME & TE

MPLATE=DEFAULT6)

BLUE RIVER - Nathaniel Mitchell is dangling from about 50 feet up in a

Douglas fir tree of notable girth - perhaps a 400-year-old tree soaring

150 feet. The tree rises on a slope with a stunning view of nearby Wolf

Rock, the largest monolith in Oregon. But Mitchell's not here for the

vista on this mist-drizzled summer morning. He's got his eyes on a much

smaller prize: red tree voles. The dinky arboreal mammals are shy,

quick and nocturnal, so he never actually gets to see them. Instead,

Mitchell is looking for evidence of their presence: rice-sized scat and

resin ducts of fir needles, the rodent's primary food. Mitchell, an

arborist from Ashland, and fellow volunteer Nicholas Sobb have been in

the woods for two weeks climbing trees in an area slated for logging.

They hope their careful search for tree vole nests will persuade

Willamette National Forest managers to limit the number of trees cut in

the area known as the Trapper Project. They think they're adding

important information about a species the Forest Service is required to

keep tabs on. The timber industry thinks of it as yet another bit of

environmental theater. The Trapper Project, 155 acres on the slopes

rising above the bustling clear waters of Blue River off Highway 126,

is comprised of parcels that have never been logged before. Many of its

stands are mixed age because of a fire that swept through the area 150

years ago. Big, old Douglas firs mingle with younger trees, including

true firs and hemlock. The Forest Service plans to log the area in a

way that mimics fire - part of a 15-year-old larger Blue River

Landscape Study designed to help researchers better understand the role

of fire in forests. To that end, 50 percent of the trees in the Trapper

Project will be logged. Then a controlled fire will be set to take out

50 percent of the remaining trees. The logging/controlled fire regimen

will leave a mix of live older trees and dead snags. It's not an exact

replica of catastrophic fire, but it's close enough to be useful to

researchers, said Cheryl Friesen, science liaison for the Willamette

National Forest. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/07/08/d1.cr.treevoles.0708.p1.php?section=cityregion

7)

Opponents of what would be the first logging project in a roadless area

filed for a temporary restraining order today Thursday in federal

court. As Ley Garnett reports, this area is also where the Biscuit Fire

burned four years ago. Governor Ted Kulongoski, who's a candidate for

reelection, joined an environmental law firm in filing the brief with a

federal district judge in San Francisco. They're trying to stop the

Mike's Gulch timber sale where logging could begin Tuesday. This sale

is in a roadless area of the Siskiyou National Forest and that's the

issue Kulongoski's lawyers are citing in the restraining order request.

He says the US Forest Service promised logging would not be allowed in

any roadless area until November. That's the deadline for governors to

petition the Bush Administration to preserve roadless areas. But the

president's top forestry advisor, Mark Rey, says the Mike's Gulch

timber sale will be logged using helicopters so it won't require new

roads to get to the trees. http://publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article & ARTICLE_ID=938314 & sectionID=1

8)

" There's a lot of different needs for climbing trees, " said Jerry

Berdeen, a forestry technician and Dorena's tree-climbing program

coordinator. Originated in the mid-1960s, the annual summer

tree-climbing program began as training for data collection for the

center's white pine blister rust program. Tree-climbing certification

and instructor training was provided in the National Tree Climbing

Program for the U.S. Forest Service and other governmental agencies,

mainly for tree improvement projects. In the mid-1990s, a shift

occurred within Dorena's National Tree Climbing Program and more

emphasis was placed on wildlife research and non-related safety

concerns. In the Northwest, climbers use tree-climbing skills to survey

for endangered species such as marbled murrelet and red tree voles.

Smokejumpers train at Dorena with emphasis placed on climbing out of

trees or rescuing partners if they happen to land in a tree while

parachuting to a fire. Among tree improvement centers across the

nation, Dorena is recognized as the leader in providing tree-climbing

training for numerous federal, state and tribal agencies, said Carol

Morehead, Dorena's center manager. " We're the hub, " Morehead said. Its

weeklong course aims to curb serious injuries or fatal falls that can

occur while climbing trees. Dour attends the tree-climbing course every

three years to retain his instructor status and pick up the latest

tools and tips of the trade. With constant improvements in tool design

and knot-tying methods, Dour learns the latest tree-climbing advances

by training with other instructors from across the country. Tree

climbers, once certified at Dorena, can visit an instructor every three

years and be recertified by taking a short course. Climbers within

Roseburg's BLM who are interested in retaining their climbing status

can visit Dour for a short course. Their training is particularly used

for scoping Port Orford cedars in the Camas Valley area where they

proliferate in Douglas County. " We collect cones and vegetative

material for Dorena's Port Orford cedar program, " Dour said. http://www.newsreview.info/article/20060706/NEWS/1070600959)

The AP reports that the Mike's Gulch timber sale purchased by Silver

Creek Timber Company is the first timber sale in a national forest

roadless area since the Bush administration eased logging rules in

roadless wildlands. A typical log truck holds 5,000 board feet of

timber, meaning that Silver Creek Timber is paying the U.S. Forest

Service $166.66 per log truck load of old-growth trees from one of the

most spectacular wild areas in all of Oregon. Given that in many parts

of the west homeowners can expect to pay nearly $166 for a single cord

of firewood (which measures 4 feet x 4 feet x feet) $166 is quite the

screaming deal for a whole log truck full off old-growth trees from the

South Kalmiopsis Roadless area. Kinda makes one wonder if the Forest

Service and Bush Administration are living in 1806 instead of 2006. http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/9774California:10)

California's forests will continue to succumb to development unless

landowners' profits outweigh the costs of logging regulations, a report

by a group of ranching, environmental and agency representatives says.

The Buckeye Conservancy released its final report Thursday, repeating

its concerns that both clear-cutting and subdividing land can be far

more financially attractive to a landowner than using more gentle

logging methods, as many would like. The group recommended that logging

plans should be good for longer than the current three-year period, and

that landowners with up to 10,000 acres should qualify for

non-industrial management plans. The development of the state's forests

-- some 30,000 to 40,000 acres each year -- has become a major issue

over the past decade. State resource leaders have said the loss of

those lands is a disaster for wildlife and fish as well as a detriment

to offsetting California's greenhouse gas emissions. In May, California

Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman called climate change a

"ticking time bomb," calling special attention to Northern California's

forests as one tool to help keep global warming at bay. The Buckeye

report said that California's increasingly complex logging regulations

are geared at industrial timber owners, but smaller landowners find

them even more burdensome. About 60 percent of the state's private

forest is owned by ranchers and others who often want to log less

intensively. That's typically what most environmentalists want, greatly

favoring light-touch logging over subdividing and developing land

that's important habitat for plants and animals. A 2003 project found

that a 160-acre stand on a ranch along the Van Duzen River was only

profitable if it were clear-cut or developed. The family that owned the

property would have to pay $35,000 to $45,000 to prepare a logging plan

that would net them only $5,000 for the logs. Clear-cutting turned a

$30,000 profit, while selling it for development would yield $250,000.

A Mattole rancher, Sally French, said in the report that her family

used to log fewer trees than its logging plans allowed, something no

longer feasible. "Now we have to harvest pretty much all that we're

allowed to because we have to cover the costs of the THP and earn some

kind of income," French said. "The Sierra Club definitely sees that

there are advantages to making it more affordable to do the type of

logging that we would like to see," Mason said.http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_402330111)

Paul Zinke, Professor of Forestry at UC Berkeley ranked silvicultural

systems and harvesting methods by their degree of soil disturbance. Of

the six silvicultural systems, which include single tree selection,

group selection, shelterwood, seed tree, clearcutting and biomass

harvesting, single tree selection, with 10 percent of the area affected

and 5 percent of the trees removed, was ranked lowest. Clearcutting,

with more than 90 percent of the area affected, was ranked highest and

clearcutting where the crowns as well as the logs were removed had a

greater impact on soil fertility because the foliage, twigs and

branches contain the highest above ground nutrients of the tree. Of the

harvesting methods evaluated, feller-bunching and tractor or skidder

logging produced a higher degree of soil disturbance than cable and

horse logging which produced a higher degree of soil disturbance than

helicopter logging. The type of silviculture, harvesting, site

preparation, slash management and road management interact with each

other, the topography, e.g. steepness of slope and aspect, and the

characteristics of the soil, e.g. shallow, bare, infertile and/ or

saturated, to further minimize or maximize soil impacts. No matter the

silvicultural system or the harvesting method, the creation of slash is

inevitable. Slash management includes leaving slash in place, burning,

lopping and scattering, chipping, packing slash on skid roads or

removing slash from the site altogether. Generally, leaving slash in

place is best because the nutrient cycle and soil fertility is impacted

less. Roads can significantly contribute to soil loss, organic matter

loss and compaction. Minimizing roads, using roads in the season for

which they were designed, draining roads well and frequently onto

stable surfaces, diversion proofing crossings, and designing crossings

for the large episodic event are road management practices to minimize

impacts on soil. http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/features/ci_4024055Montana:12)

It didn't take long for U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy to decide

that Montana's first hazardous fuels project under the Bush

administration's Healthy Forests Restoration Act could move forward.

Molloy denied a request for a preliminary injunction sought by

Missoula's WildWest Institute and the Friends of the Bitterroot on the

controversial Middle East Fork Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project last

Friday, a day after hearing arguments on the matter in his Missoula

courtroom. Molloy said the environmental groups' chances of succeeding

on the merits of their claim the U.S. Forest Service broke the law by

not fully collaborating with the public were low. "The plaintiffs

failed to show they have a 'fair chance' of succeeding in proving the

defendants violated NEPA and NFMA," Molloy wrote. The possibility of a

severe wildfire and its effect on the community is a measurable injury,

Molloy said. Because a wildfire could block the only road going into

the area, the judge said he had to balance the risk of human lives with

the loss of recreation opportunities. "In balancing the hardship to the

parties, the scales tip toward the defendants and away from granting a

preliminary injunction," he wrote. The environmental groups claimed the

Forest Service violated federal environmental laws by committing

resources before a decision was made, censoring contrary science,

selectively excluding members of the public from the process, and not

taking a hard look at soils. http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/07/06/news/mtregional/news03.txt13)

A draft decision memo for the Whitetail Salvage project on the

Musselshell Ranger District on the Lewis and Clark National Forest has

been released for comment. This project in the Little Belt Mountains

contains about 65 acres of trees to be harvested, where 10 to 40

percent of the Douglas fir has been killed and some remaining trees are

at a high risk for insect-related mortality. Less than 0.5 miles of

temporary road will be constructed. Public comments will be accepted

for 30 calendar days following publication of legal notice in the Great

Falls Tribune. Only those who submit timely and substantive comments

will retain appeal eligibility. Comments should be sent to: District

Ranger Douglas Dodge, P.O. Box 1906, Harlowton, MT 59036. Electronic

comments may be submitted to: comments-northern-lewisclark-musselshellArizona:14)

On his first visit to Flagstaff, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike

Johanns said he was struck by the ability to reverse the declining

health of forests through treatments such as those deployed by Northern

Arizona University's Ecological Restoration Institute. Johanns toured

the Gus Pearson Natural Area in the Fort Valley Experimental Forest

northwest of Flagstaff today with U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and

representatives of NAU, the U.S. Forest Service, the Greater Flagstaff

Forests Partnership and the city of Flagstaff. " The condition of our

forests is not very good, if you want to be candid about it, " Johanns

said, citing overgrown conditions. " You can reverse the problems…but

it's going to take some effort, some patience and some money. " On the

issue of funding, Kyl announced the Senate Appropriations Committee

unanimously approved the 2007 Interior, Environment and Related

Agencies Appropriations bill, which includes $2.7 million for NAU's

Ecological Restoration Institute. The bill now goes to conference

committee for vetting. " I'm hoping we will continue to get that kind of

funding, " said Kyl, noting that restoring healthy forests will cost

more than what has been appropriated previously. Wally Covington,

director of the Ecological Restoration Institute, guided a tour of

ERI's restoration project in the Gus Pearson Natural Area, the oldest

experimental forest in the United States. It also is the site of the

ERI's oldest ecological restoration treatments. The ERI began

treatments in 1994 to restore the site to pre-Anglo-European settlement

conditions by reducing the tree density. Colorado:15)

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Mason Gulch Fire, which as

a result of a lightning strike, burned 11,357 acres and lasted three

weeks. "Things could be better, but it could be a lot worse," said Mike

Smith of the U.S. Forest Service as he walked through the area

Wednesday. "We are getting pretty good cover after one year." That

cover is coming in the form of gamble oak grass, which is sprouting

throughout the Mason Gulch region. Smith said the appearance of gamble

oak is good and bad. On one hand, it will benefit deer and elk and help

revitalize the area, but at the same time, the well-rooted shrub is

hard to walk through and will not produce food for bears who will have

to relocate. "A lot of good habitat for bears was destroyed," Smith

said. The forest service did aerial seeding last fall on 50 percent of

the burned area, focusing efforts on the severely burned areas and

hillsides. This spring, Smith said they would assess how much of their

work yielded new grass to help absorb moisture on the burned hillsides.

In addition to the gamble oak taking root, Smith said some noxious

weeds, such as Canada thistle and leafy spurge, have taken the

opportunity to move in. "Those plants are kind of opportunists anyway,"

Smith said. "And we have just created a 12,000-acre opportunity for

them." Using mules to carry herbicides, Smith said they have been

spraying the weeds to kill them. One of the biggest problems the gutted

forest left is erosion. Without the trees and plants to absorb rains,

streams have been growing and eroding silt off hillsides. As for the

blackened remains of trees, they will remain alone for two to three

years while the forest service grows new trees to plant. "There is a

5-6 mile region without a living tree," Smith said. "We will need to

plant some new trees." http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/region-story.asp?ID=4103Michigan:16)

VANDERBILT — State timber plans for 2008 in the Pigeon River Country

State Forest are open for public comment. Officials with the Michigan

Department of Natural Resources recommend 1,620 acres be logged from

among more than 11,000 acres of state land inventoried within four

townships in Cheboygan and Otsego counties. " The prescriptions for this

and every year will fit within the forest plan — to keep cuttings

relatively small, minimize road construction and also manage for the

elk herd, " said John Pilon, DNR forest planner. The logging plans call

mostly for thinned-out areas, but also includes 571 proposed clear-cut

acres. More than 450 of those acres are aspen stands, while the rest

are jack pine, black spruce and other swamp conifers. Tim Flynn, a

volunteer with the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he likely

will file comments with the state about the plans and what he called

excessive aspen regeneration. " Aspen is characteristic of a forest

that's highly disturbed. Aspen only survives in decimated areas. It's

quackery as far as landscape management, " Flynn said. http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/08logging.htmWisconsin:17)

Like those who came before me who were born, lived and died among the

dense primeval forests and who gathered the wild rice along the shores

of the crystal clear lakes in the long ago, I am a lover of tall trees.

The elders may not have known that the mighty giants of the forest

cleansed and made the atmosphere around them breathable, making all

other life forms possible. But they revered and loved the fresh scent

of the towering pines. And the creatures of the forest, from the great

antlered moose to the ground squirrel, all of whom I call my relations,

dwelt in the midst of the tall timber. They are nurtured and sustained

by it, as we modern humans will never truly understand. There were no

scientific studies then to explain the hows and whys of the ecosystem

and its delicate balance. But the Old Ones understood the intrinsic

connection that exists among all living creatures and their own

interdependency with the air and water and the earth and all her

creatures as well. Because they comprehended in such a profound manner

the fundamental truth of the network of life and their own tenuous

place in the network, they trod the pathways of the forest with a deep

respect, always aware that their own survival was connected to the

health and well being of their environment. http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060709/FON04/607090377/1329

Indiana:18)

EVANSVILLE - Crews have removed at least 200 trees at the city's Mesker

Park Zoo to make way for an $11 million Amazonian rain forest exhibit

that will include 650 trees and plants typically found in the tropics.

The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will include 400 trees outside Amazonia,

100 inside and a new parking lot and zoo entrance shaded by another 150

trees of both hardy tropical varieties and native hardwoods. Many of

them are already growing in greenhouses at the zoo. The zoo director

sees the project as good for trees. " I remember watching them work and

a guy with me said, 'What are you going to do when the tree-huggers

find out about this?' " said Dan McGinn. " I said, 'You don't understand.

We are the tree-huggers. http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/14988301.htmVirginia:19)

Last fall a Suffolk man made a significant discovery n an old-growth

forest off the Nottoway River that could be more than 1,000 years old.

The 38-acre stand of primarily water tupelo and bald cypress is virgin

forest, something virtually unheard of; the majority of large trees

have long since been logged.Byron Carmean, a retired horticulturalist

who lives in the Lake Prince area, happened upon the Cypress Bridge

site just below Courtland early last fall. A volunteer with the

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Natural

Heritage, he was out trying to help create an atlas of Virginia flora.

His group stopped at a landing along the Nottoway River to look around.

"I looked across the waterway and saw a very large [water] tupelo," he

said. At the time, he had no boat to get across the water for further

inspection, so at the end of the week he headed back out to the spot

for a closer look. He wanted to measure the water tupelo, because just

from that one glance, it looked bigger than the nation's largest tupelo

by about six feet. http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/articles/2006/07/09/news/news6.txtWest Virginia:20)

"It's wild country in there," said Mark Wylie, superintendent at Watoga

State Park, who also manages Cal Price. "Except for 12 or 13 sites of

Watoga's Beaver Creek Campground that spill over onto state forest

land, and a small section of the Allegheny Trail that passes along an

edge of Cal Price, there's no recreational development." A few

secondary roads loop into sections of the state forest, but no roads

bisect it or venture deeply into it, with the exception of one rough

jeep trail that makes numerous bridgeless creek crossings before

veering south and out of the state forest. Access is usually attained

by taking Beaver Creek Road from W.Va. 39 at Huntersville past Watoga's

north entrance, through Beaver Creek Campground to an Allegheny Trail

parking area, or bypassing the Beaver Creek Campground and driving a

few more miles to Watoga's Laurel Run Primitive Campground. http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/Wild%20 & %20Wonderful/200607087

Pennsylvania:21)

MARIENVILLE - A draft plan to guide growth in the Allegheny National

Forest is the right recipe for Forest County, federal coffers and the

environment, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said Wednesday during a

stop in the state's least populous county. " It looks like a very good

combination of using the forest as a natural resource for timber, for

recreation and for conservation purposes, " he said. " I definitely

underscore the word balance. This is a tremendous resource for the

community and the country. " Along with the other elected officials

assembled around two picnic tables at the Marienville Ranger Station,

Santorum spent most of his discussion with forest supervisor Kathleen

Morse inquiring about timber production in the forest. From 1987 to

2005, government-backed logging in the Allegheny generated receipts of

more than $325 million. Under a federal revenue-sharing program, 25

percent of that money is returned to the townships and school districts

where the timber was harvested. The more acres cut, the more funds

doled out. The Forest Service plan unveiled in May would slightly

enlarge protected wilderness areas in the 513,000-acre forest - thus

cutting back available timberland - but the threshold for overall

output would actually increase by 3 million board feet per year. http://www.thederrick.com/stories/07062006-4006.shtmlUSA:22)

While the trend in consumption by U.S. daily newspapers continued to

decline in May, falling 8.5% year-over-year, to 577,000 tonnes,

according to the latest statistics from the Pulp and Paper Products

Council (PPPC), industry forecasters noted offsetting factors. The most

obvious of these was the additional Sunday in May 2005 vs May 2006.

Total U.S. newsprint consumption of 3.7 million tonnes during

January-May 2006 was down 5.3% from a year earlier, with one-fourth of

this decline attributable to reduced grammage, noted CIBC World

Markets, in a June 22 report. Circulation accounted for another 45% of

the drop, with the remaining falloff tied to advertising lineage (20%)

and other factors such as conservation measures (10%). Quinn projected

that negative circulation trends would continue to adversely affect the

newsprint industry, with other media -- particularly the Internet --

capturing more advertising revenue and readership. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/forestwebs_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10028017

30Canada:23)

The federal government is investing $3.3 million in sustainable forest

management projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and New

Brunswick as it aims to improve the forestry sector's competitiveness

and productivity. But the money is just part of the picture, as

researchers are also setting their sights on closer co-ordination and

collaboration with the industry. Eight new research studies were

recently unveiled at the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) network's

fourth international conference held in Edmonton. The studies, which

range from increasing the involvement of forest-dependent communities

in forest management to improving the timing and cost effectiveness of

logging operations, will help the industry move forward, conference

officials said. This, he says, will help both industry and government

deal with issues such as lowering logging and transportation costs,

increasing the productivity of silvicultural investments, and reducing

negative logging impacts on forest soils, streams and lakes. http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/12996.cfm24)

Did you know that the price of disposable paper products such as

Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle includes the destruction of an acre of

ancient trees every 12.9 seconds? Kimberly-Clark, maker of these

products, refuses to use recycled paper even though they have the means

to do so. Sign this petition to tell Kimberly-Clark to use

post-consumer recycled content in their products! Kimberly-Clark doesnt

want you to know that they use 3.3 million tons of virgin fiber

annually to make their consumer products, which will ultimately end up

in a landfill. The virgin fiber comes from ancient trees in the Boreal

Forest. This chain of trees, spanning the far Northern latitudes, is

one of the largest ecosystems on the planet and one of the last great

ancient forests we have. Caribou, Lynx, Black Bear, Moose, Timber Wolf,

over 200 bird species, and Wood Bison all make their homes here. Act

today! Tell Kimberly-Clark to stop blowing their noses on ancient

forests! Sign this petition to urge Kimberly-Clark to use post-consumer

recycled content in their products before they destroy every remaining

tree. Act now! http://go.care2.com/e/lxb/n0/Fl2F 25)

GRASSY NARROWS, ONTARIO - More than 100 supporters from across Canada

and the United States will arrive in Grassy Narrows, Ontario on Monday,

July 10 for a week-long Earth Justice Gathering to demand respect for

Indigenous rights and protection for the endangered Boreal Forest.

Throughout the week, Grassy Narrows First Nation community leaders and

environmental and social justice activists will intensify their call

for an end to clear-cut logging without consent on Grassy Narrows

Traditional Territory. The weeklong event will feature a tour of a

recently clear-cut area, sweat lodge ceremonies, traditional feasts,

non-violent direct action trainings, and speeches by Grassy Narrows

community members and other First Nations leaders. " Weyerhaeuser and

Abitibi are destroying an ancient way of life and an ecosystem vital to

our planet's health while the McGuinty government fails to act to

resolve this crisis, " said Brant Olson, director of Rainforest Action

Network's Old Growth campaign. " We're working with banks and buyers to

stand with the people of Grassy Narrows and send a wake up call. " For

more than a decade, the Grassy Narrows community has struggled to end

clear-cut logging on their traditional land. Government and industry

have failed to respond to years of official complaints, environmental

assessment requests, negotiations, and public protests which gave rise

to a blockade that has kept logging trucks off highway 671 for more

than three years. The Earth Justice Gathering marks the latest

development in the growing international response to a call to action

issued by Grassy Narrows community leaders in late Feb., 2006. http://www.FreeGrassy.org and www.WheresMcGuinty.ca.Finland:

26)

The Sámi Reindeer Forests of Arctic Lapland are amongst the few

remaining areas of ancient forest left in Europe. So much is at stake

here - the Reindeer Forest is under siege by the Finnish government's

own logging company, Metsähallitus. Sámi reindeer herding co-operatives

have identified areas of forest vital for the free grazing of reindeer

- areas that continue to be logged by Metsähallitus. Up to 70% of the

timber logged by Metsähallitus in Sámi areas goes into the production

of pulp and paper - ending up as magazine and copy paper throughout

Europe. In Inari, Sámi reindeer herding communities are now taking

action to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. A team of Greenpeace

activists has joined forces with the herding co-operatives, to help

save these last areas of Reindeer Forest. Joint working group of Inari

reindeer herding co-operatives is disappointed in the new Natural

Resources Plan (NRP) of Metsähallitus. Logging in reindeer grazing

forests will continue. The Inari reindeer herding co-operatives have

for many years asked for negotiations to solve the forest dispute.

Instead of negotiations, Metsähallitus in a joint meeting today

presented its new NRP, which has been made without participation of the

reindeer herding co-operatives. Metsähallitus also proposed discussions

separately with each reindeer herding co-operative about the specific

locations of logging plans in their area. These discussions cannot be

regarded as negotiations, because Metsähallitus has not agreed to

negotiate forestry decisions in all important reindeer grazing areas as

a whole, but will only discuss the locations of next loggings. The NRP

is an internal planning system of Metsähallitus, where Metsähallitus

alone holds the decision-making power. Its central aim in theory is to

guarantee the rights of the Saami culture and reindeer herding in

forest use. http://weblog.greenpeace.org/forestrescue Liberia:27)

Most of Liberia's government revenues in the past were based on diamond

and timber exports, but this income is currently non-existent due to UN

sanctions. While the export of diamonds remains under UN sanctions, the

UN lifted restrictions on timber exports last month. However, exports

have yet to begin. In a recent warning, the Forestry Development

Authority (FDA) said " absolutely nobody is allowed to produce logs for

export since in fact no one presently owns a concession in Liberia.

Anyone caught exporting logs or sawn timber will face the full weight

of the laws of Liberia relative to such violation. " However, the FDA is

putting in place laws and policies that are subject to legislative

approval on the exportation of logs and sawn timber from Liberia. It

remains unclear at this date exactly when exports will be cleared.

Sirleaf told reporters last week that her budget would mark the

beginning of a six-year term with a development agenda. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607060552.htmlCameroon:28)

YAOUNDE -- France and Cameroon have signed an historic debt-for-nature

swap that aims to conserve some of the most pristine yet threatened

rainforest in Africa. Under the agreement, at least $25 million will be

invested over the five years to protect parts of the Congo River Basin,

the world's second largest tropical forest after the Amazon. French

Minister for Cooperation, Development and Francophonie Brigitte

Girardin said at the signing ceremony that France aimed to target debt

relief on areas such as the environment, higher education and cultural

diversity. A vast forest covering 494 million acres, the Congo Basin

spreads across six countries and its dense forests are home to half of

Africa's wild animals -- including gorillas, chimpanzees and forest

elephants -- as well as more than 10,000 species of plants. But it is

threatened by growing human populations, illegal logging and the

clearing of land for agriculture. The WWF has estimated some 70 percent

of it could disappear by 2040. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/07/06/cameroon.france.nature.reut/29)

Three major logging companies in Cameroon have joined the World

Wildlife Fund, WWF's, Central Africa Forest and Trade Network, CAFTN,

in setting a new standard for responsible forest exploitation in the

forests of the Congo Basin. Under such an agreement launched recently,

up to 700.000 hectares of natural forest would be placed under a

sustainable management regime. The three logging companies are the

first in the region to join the newly launched Central Africa Forest

and Trade Network. They are now benefiting from technical assistance

provided by WWF and partners to help them achieve certification for

their forestry practices. WWF's CAFTN monitors their progress and

provides market links to purchasers of legally produced and certified

products. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607061047.htmlSierra Leone:30)

About two weeks ago the BBC reported that the Government of Niger had

requested its citizens for Prayer and fasting so that it would rain.

The Country has had three successive years of drought and the situation

was getting desperate. Could anyone in Sierra Leone imagine three whole

years without a drop of rain? But it is almost commonplace in parts of

East and Southern Africa. When it comes to God's bounty we in Sierra

Leone are generously blessed; abundant rainfall, lots of rivers running

from the North and emptying into the Atlantic ocean in the South and

West, plenty of sunshine, fertile soil and vegetation etc, etc. I am

writing about the Sierra Leone that used to be 80 percent covered with

forests and high vegetation. Here we are in July; by now we should be

in the second month of the wettest quarter of the year. For a Country

that used to have an annual rainfall of 150 inches, I doubt if the

Meteorological office recorded up to 2 inches of rain in June here in

Freetown. I wonder too whether we shall have such scenes like Samba

Gutter and Bobor Combor, which were an annual phenomenon in the past. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607061188.htmlZanzibar:31)

ZANZIBAR has been very lucky to have most parts of its coastal areas

filled with natural resource of mangrove trees, locally known in

Kiswahili as 'mikoko'. The mangroves are very important to ecosystem

and in recognition of the importance of the mangrove to the

environment; Zanzibar government declared in 1965 that mangrove trees

existing in the coastal areas of Unguja and Pemba were reserved areas.

After the declaration, the government also set up various strategies to

control the destruction of the trees and environment ruin, which

included the introduction of policy. Mangroves are woody plants that

grow at the interface between land and sea in tropical and sub-tropical

latitudes where they exist in conditions of high salinity, extreme

tides, strong winds, high temperatures and muddy, anaerobic soils.

There may be no other group of plants with such highly developed

morphological and physiological adaptations to extreme conditions,

experts say. He stated that there were eleven types of mangroves along

the coastal areas of Unguja and Pemba islands including local names in

brackets: Rhizophora mucronata (mkoko magondi), Ceriopstagal spp (mkoko

Mwekundu/mkandaa), Xylocarpus molucensis (mkomafi mweusi/kijani), and

Xylocarpus granatum (mkomafi wa kawaida) to mention a few. Mr Suluhu

said that environmental degradation especially of mangroves was worse

in the central of Zanzibar in Unguja Island, appealing to the people,

mainly those living close to the mangroves to protect the trees.

According to Mr Suluhu, great destruction of mangroves is done through

charcoal production, making local lime, firewood, and also selling for

different purposes to living expenses, " as many people living in

villages were still poor. " Mr Kassim Hamza said that Zanzibar is having

a total of about 20,000 hectares of mikoko, including 6,000 hectares in

Unguja Island, asking community leaders to advocate for the importance

of keeping mangroves. Major part of Africa's subtropical and tropical

coastline is dominated by mangroves. Estimates are that there are some

16 million hectares of mangrove forests worldwide. http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/news.php?id=2080Malawi:32)

Coupled with the mythical tales of the ancestral spirits on the

mountain, the belief that the mountain is lifeless is deeply rooted in

the core of your heart. That is the mystery of Mount Mulanje. My

perception of the mountain changed the day I hiked it. We never went as

far as Sapitwa, the highest peak which is perched at 3002 metres above

sea level. The most predominant feature at this peak is the presence of

cedar plantations. The Mulanje cedar is Malawi's national tree. This

unique tree species grows to as far as 40 metres long, with a radius of

up to 200 centimetres. Unfortunately, in some areas you find acres of

this unique plant burnt down by carefree mice hunters and other

poachers. What you would find most striking here is the presence of

houses. Some were built as far back as 1939, 12 years after the

mountain was declared a forest reserve. Most of the inhabitants are

forestry workers, who tend the cedar plantations and nurseries. Nearby

is the Chambe Hut, one of the seven huts on the mountain. The other

huts are at Chizama, Sombani, Minunu, Thuchila, Madzeka and LichenyaIn

our walking and scrambling, we encountered men and women coming down

the mountain. On their heads were heavy logs. At least, we could tell

the immensity from the sweat glistening on their faces. Most of them

are barefooted. If hiking Mulanje Mountain is a feat, then coming down

the mountain, barefoot and with a heavy log balanced on your head is,

to say the least, a fearless exploit. If you shout, the echo of your

voice will be heard in the ravine below. Some guide, however, would

deter you from shouting. That would awaken the spirits. "We don't like

the life below (at the foot of the mountain). There is no love there.

There is gossiping there. We make the most of our lives up here, even

spiritually," said one woman. But there are spirits here, so we are

told. The spirits of the angered ancestors who take away those who

break the mountain's unwritten code of conduct. "Yes, there used to be

spirits here. But that was long ago, before people started living here.

Now they moved further up, to Sapitwa," the woman said. One man,

though, felt the spirits still live at Chambe. "The only problem is

that they see us, but we can't see them. When you walk on the path,

they stand aside. When they invite you to eat food, you don't have to

invite a friend. The spirits always watch over us," he said. http://www.nationmalawi.com/articles.asp?articleID=1757033)

LILONGWE - Chopping down the forests for charcoal and fuel wood seems

so shortsighted, but until there are alternative sources of energy for

Malawi's rural poor, the destruction will continue. Malawi loses about

50,000ha of indigenous forest every year - the highest deforestation

rate in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The

government estimates that just 4 percent of the population has access

to electricity; over 93 percent depend on wood fuel. Satellite images

have shown that " deforestation is one of our biggest problems " ,

commented Samuel Kamoto of the Wildlife and Environmental Society of

Malawi. The country has an agro-based economy; the ecological crisis

" reduces productivity " but also affects the fisheries industry, as

water runoff washes more silt into Lake Malawi. Matiyasi sells a 50kg

bag of charcoal for K800 (US$7). " In one month I make about K12,000

[uS$90]. The problem I have is that as soon as I sell a bag of

charcoal, I immediately buy either food or pay [school] fees for my

children. " By Malawi standards Matiyasi is making good money. The

salary of the lowest-paid primary school teacher is around K6,000

(US$45) and that of a nurse about K10,000 (US$75). Mwanza District

Forestry Officer Lano Kanyang'wa nevertheless believes the underlying

issue is that the majority of people " are living in poverty, and until

this problem is addressed we will face the problem of deforestation " . http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=54481 & SelectRegion=Southern_Africa & SelectCountry=

MALAWIKenya:34)

Kakamega Forest, the only remaining tropical rainforest in Kenya, is

threatened with extinction. From the outside, the thick canopy gives

the impression of a forest that has been shielded from destruction.

Don't be deceived; it is a camouflage. A walk through the forest tells

a different story. Wanton destruction of the forest by both large-scale

loggers and charcoal burners has left the foliage of the once

blossoming forest bare. The forest has experienced severe degradation

during the past three decades. Presently, more than half of the

indigenous forest cover is bare. The closed canopy indigenous forest

covers a paltry 25 per cent of the gazetted forest area. The forest is

currently estimated to have over 5,000 hectares of bare patches while

thousands of hectares of the " rehabilitated " sites are under coniferous

trees thus undermining the forest's ecological and biodiversity

functions. Unlike other forests that bore the brunt of illegal loggers,

Kakamega's virgin forest with its rare indigenous mature trees was a

gem that attracted even the Government officials who were supposed to

protect it from loggers. The forest was gazetted in 1932 with an area

of 15,480 ha, of which 13,888 ha comprised virgin indigenous forest

cover. Large-scale logging started in earnest in the late 1980s when

the Nyayo Tea Zones Corporation came knocking with a proposal to create

a buffer against encroachment. A large chunk of the forest came

tumbling down under the guise of clearing way for a 100-metre perimeter

tea plantation around the forest. Residents and leaders alike hailed

the project as a brilliant idea in an area where tea was not widely

grown. Thousands of hectares of indigenous trees were felled

indiscriminately. From then on, it was plunder unlimited. Part of the

forestland was also annexed to Shikusa Maximum Prison and the Western

Kenya Agricultural Society of Kenya Show Ground among other

institutions. Agricultural encroachment, human settlement, forest fires

and indiscriminate logging by small-scale illegal loggers have also

contributed to the degradation. The Forest department is not only ill

equipped to ward off plunderers but also lacks the legal muscle to stop

powerful provincial administrators and politically well connected

loggers. http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=114395508735)

About 12 or more years ago, a part of Karura Forest on Kiambu Road was

grabbed by a politician, and shortly afterwards a bottling factory

nearly went up. However, civic minded Kiambu residents made a fuss and

the factory was never built. Now a bigger eyesore than the factory in

the form of a fairground with brightly painted swings, roundabouts and

other machinery is being developed, and it looks terrible! It would be

better business for the fairground's owner if he or she had this

eyesore in a suburb of Nairobi rather than out on the beautiful,

forested Kiambu Road. In addition, trees are being cut down and it

looks as if houses are about to be built. Before all that happens, can

the Nairobi City Council check whether the fairground operator has

building permission, while the Kiambu forest station makes an effort to

get this land - maybe 50 acres of it - returned to the Forestry

Department. http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=23 & newsid=76892Guyana:

36)

One very viable sector that can generate tons of money is the forestry

sector. The demand for wooden products worldwide continues to grow.

Mouldings, wooden panel doors, parquet tiles are some of the items

wanted in the developed countries. Some of you may recall my letters on

exporting lumber products and the money this can generate. I was

looking for suppliers for my markets in USA/Canada and after several

years of wasted effort, I gave up. Guyana is not ready; several

entities are quite happy selling a few chairs and tables in the local

market. I had told several people in Guyana that a workshop of 10,000

sq ft can generate over US$100,000.00/month profit and it is still

possible. Today some of those individuals have closed their mills or

are cutting firewood; some export logs. http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_letters?id=56498900Nicaragua:37)

The Nicaragua Network invites you to join a team of volunteers that

will be traveling to Nicaragua August 26--September 4, 2006, to assist

with a water restoration and reforestation project that is part of a

campaign supported by the Nicaragua Network called " Let the Rivers Run "

of FEDICAMP (Federation for the Integral Development of Peasant

Farmers). FEDICAMP is a Nicaragua-based organization whose director,

Elvin Castellon, recently toured the U.S. on a Nicaragua Network

speaking tour to discuss the campaign. Members of the brigade will

spend three days assisting with the planting of mango, avocado and

banana trees along existing streams or with other aspects of the

campaign. The trees will serve to prevent erosion and also provide and

food and income for the local people. Decades of unsustainable farming

methods have caused extensive deforestation followed by

" desertification " . This leads to many other problems including loss of

habitat for both wildlife and humans, displacing people from their land

and livelihood. The trip will also include a visit to Miraflor Nature

Reserve, a 206 square kilometer cloud forest and sanctuary for hundreds

of bird and flower species as well as numerous other interesting fauna

such as howler monkeys. In addition about 5,000 people live in the

Reserve and use advanced sustainable farming methods including natural

pest management, crop diversification and worm farming. This will be an

excellent opportunity to learn about these methods and even help out

with their ongoing work. Send an email to nicanet to receive

an application.India:38) Srinagar - British Member of

Parliament, Christopher Chope, has expressed grave concern over the

degradation of famous Dal lake in occupied Kashmir, and has drawn

attention of UK minister for Overseas Development to the deterioration

of the lake, caused by deforestation. A spokesman of the occupied

Valley Citizens Council, in a statement in Srinagar said, Christopher

Chope expressed the concern during a meeting with a member of the

Council recently. The spokesman said, the Council is working round the

clock to highlight the issue both at home and abroad. He said, the Lake

is a natural gift provided by god to us, but regretted that the puppet

regime has taken no steps to protect the beauty of the lake. http://www.kmsnews.org/Kashmir%20News/News090706-01.htm39)

The state forest and environment minister Th Debendra, who was chief

guest at the function said cutting a tree is like killing a living

being and every individuals of the current generation should understand

this and work towards maintaining ecological balance. There has been

drastic climatic change due to deforestation and it could be a serious

threat human existence, Debendra said and stressed the need for a

regeneration or mass afforestation by plating more trees. Observing

that planting trees not only prevent natural calamities, but also help

in economic growth, the minister stressed that there is a need for a

joint effort for afforestation. Disclosing that the state forest

department has more than 10 lakh tree sapling in stock, the forest

minister appealed people particularly younger generations to plant at

least a tree sapling for the sake of future generation. Speaking at the

district level tree plantation programme, the forest & environment

minister said concerned DFOs should keep an eye into planted trees. The

government has declared Langol Reserve Forest as commemorative

plantation centre and the 23 hectares area would be developed as a

tourist spot. Prizes for essay and spot painting competition organised

on the occasion was also distributed to winners. http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline & newsid=32415 & typeid=1

40) Fiji:GREAT

care must be taken to monitor logging activities, particularly in the

sorting out process between relevant authorities and landowners, says

Senator Isaia Gonewai. " Logging is an essential industry that has to be

carried out to serve the need for timber in Fiji. So it is important

that great care be taken to monitor the sorting out process between

tress that need to be logged and those that need to be saved for future

use, " Mr Gonewai said. " The hauling of fallen timber from gullies and

hillsides should be done with great care to safeguard the lives of

young trees that will serve our purpose in later years. " Mr Gonewai

said irresponsible logging caused erosion and landslides during the

rainy season. " As we have heard previously, the island of Kabara is now

aware of the dwindling population of its vesi trees. " Our natural

forest is the home of our indigenous birds. These birds are being

threatened because their habitat, which is our natural forest, is

diminishing in size or area. " http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=44410Vietnam:41)

The latest survey by Vietnamese and international scientists has

verified that Cat Tien national park is home to 1,610 flora species and

nearly 1,490 fauna species, including 103 rare animals such as Javan

rhino, gayal, fresh-water crocodile, white-necked crane, and red-necked

hill partridge. With these natural blessings, Cat Tien has the most

abundant biological diversity in Vietnam, and is a veritable natural

laboratory for natural scientists. However, these treasures are not

protected properly. In early June, a report was dispatched to leaders

of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and to the

Chairman of the People's Committee of central highland's Lam Dong

Province in which the park is located, from the park's director, Tran

Van Mui. His report stated: "Serious deforestation is taking place in

hamlets 3 and 4, Phuoc Cat 2 Commune, Cat Tien District, Lam Dong

Province. All illegal logging is highly organized and the denuded areas

are at the core of the Cat Tien national park." This lack of action and

the environmental impacts on Cat Tien must be dealt with swiftly by the

local government and scientific organizations to ensure not that Cat

Tien can become a world natural heritage site to back greed for tourism

dollar, but rather to ensure the protection of seriously endangered

animal species. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2006/07/588887/