Earth’s Tree News - 115

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Today for you we have 36 news items from: British Columbia, US-PNW, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts, USA, Canada, Germany, Kenya, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Gambia, Liberia, India, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Australia and World-wide. British Columbia:1) While I have been in custody (jail) now for a week there are still no charges against me, brought by Kiewit and Sons, Sea to Sky Highway or by the Crown. Their object was, and remains, for Madam Justice Brown, to simply put me away without charge. And Madam Justice Brown has obliged Kiewit and Sons and Sea to Sky Highway and the gentleman for the Crown, Mike Brundrett. As there are no charges against me, Madam Justice Brown and Mr. Brundrett are sharing the job of prosecuting me while pretending to serve to course of justice. It is stunning to me that Madam Justice Brown and Mr. Brundrett could both wear two hats - Madam Justice Brown as judge and prosecutor and Mr. Brundrett as Intervenor, as he claims in my case, and as prosecutor. Is there any doubt in anybody's mind how a proposed trial by these two will turn out for me? I do want a trial as that is the only way I can bring Eagleridge Bluffs into the courtroom but not a sham trial like a trial by Madam Justice Brown and Mr. Brundrett would be, Thank you, Betty Krawczyk - CS No. 03793924 savebcforests2) Anderson Lake -- At the end of two days of arguments in Vancouver on Thursday and Monday from lawyers representing the N'Quatqua Band chief and council and a "dissident" group opposed to the logging, Mr. Justice Ian Pitfield ordered a halt to all logging activity until he makes his full ruling either today or Friday. Justice Pitfield on June 2 dismissed an application by Chief Harry O'Donaghey and Council for an injunction restraining the protest group in its anti-logging activities, saying nothing illegal had taken place. This month's court appearances were a chance for the dissidents to have their counterclaim aiming to halt the logging to be heard. According to David Lunny, the lawyer representing some of the dissidents, at the end of Monday's proceedings Justice Pitfield canvassed Chief O'Donaghey and members of Council who were present about how long they thought it would take for a proper referendum on the issue of Cutting Permit 16, an 85-hectare parcel up the Highline Road from D'Arcy, to take place. Carol Thevarge, one of the plaintiffs in the counterclaim, said members of her group "are pretty happy," adding that she feels Justice Pitfield "most likely" will order a referendum. She said that if it is issued, it would be only the third time in B.C. history that a First Nations dissident group had been granted such an injunction. Thevarge said a separate referendum on the Forest and Range Agreement (FRA) — a more sweeping document signed between the band and the B.C. Ministry of Forests — is set to take place this weekend. The dissidents, she said, are urging members to boycott this weekend's referendum vote. "There was no consultation with the community before they signed onto the FRA, so there's no sense in the referendum if they've already signed onto it," Thevarge said. http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/0/216EFAEE83C4F1B9882571B1006251FF?Ope

nDocument3) Jeff Giesbrecht, a hauler in Grassy Plains, said since the new Forest Practices Act came into effect, this is the first year he's noticed a slowdown in summer logging operations. "I'd say about one-third of people are out of work. People had taken advantage of the opportunity to buy more equipment but now the dollar is going up and the price of lumber going down. Shifts will be cut. Right now there's a tremendous amount of trucks parked. "[i work for a] smaller mill. With the price of lumber going below $300 [per thousand board feet], if they shut down then I'm out of work like everybody else. And there is no work out there…. The softwood lumber issue probably has something to do with [the slowdown], but, I mean, the big mills have made it clear over the past ten years that they're going to get rid of the small contractor. However, he adds, "Drivers with the larger contractors don't have it as good as they'd like either... things have been a little slow." http://www.interior-news.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=31 & cat=23 & id=691641 & more=

4) The college owns and leases 1,700 hectares of private and Crown land on the lower slopes of Mount Benson. Miller said the college's logging practices go against the efforts of Nanaimo residents to preserve the mountain. " My question is, why do we have to log this particular forest? Why does Malaspina University-College, if they are so public-conscious, have to log this forest? Why aren't they working to preserve this forest? " The college is following provincial Ministry of Forests and Range rules with its woodlot, counters Toni O'Keeffe, director of media relations for MalU. The forest also provides students the opportunity to learn environmentally responsible logging practices. " We're not doing anything we're not supposed to do, " she said. " The forest serves as a living laboratory for students. We're regulated. " MalU owns Woodlot No. 0020, which is located well below the section that the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust wants to buy to save from logging. The college runs several forestry and forest resource management programs on the lot and also trains loggers for the provincial government, O'Keeffe said. The woodlot is also used by students from the University of B.C. Two professional foresters manage the forest, which is used by 28 first-year and 24 second-year forestry students. " The program is highly regarded by the province, " O'Keeffe said. The college's annual allowable cut - the amount of wood students are allowed to remove from the lot every year - is 4,035 cubic metres, although O'Keeffe said it will increase to 5,500 cubic metres when the college's new management plan is approved. The new plan includes 400 hectares of Crown land that MalU acquired this year in a lease agreement with the province. The college's annual timber yields contribute to the annual provincial harvest, O'Keeffe said. Miller said that translates into " between 30 and 50 truck loads of logs (that) will be removed from this hillside each year. " It is difficult to imagine how this will not have a serious impact on the forest, " he said. http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=51 & cat=23 & id=693284 & more=

5) We hiked up a hillside to visit 900-year-old trees and swam in a glacier-fed river. We discussed " place-based ethics " with an eco-philosopher, heard traditional Squamish stories and songs, and took part in the Uts'am/Witness ceremony. In the closing circle, several participants were overcome with emotion as they tried to express how the weekend had affected them. " When our people go onto the land, they are at home. Their guard is dropped and the willingness to share with the people around them is there, " Williams explained. Unfortunately -- for would-be participants, at least -- all this sharing in the forest is coming to an end. The Squamish, who bought the logging rights to the area in December, 2005, say external witnesses are no longer needed. That wasn't the case 10 years ago, when the old-growth forest three hours north of Vancouver was the scene of blockades, protests and violent confrontations between environmentalists and loggers. Back then, art student Nancy Bleck and legendary mountaineer John Clarke sought a less polarized way to engage the public in the issues. They organized carpools so that people could see the area for themselves. Then Squamish Chief Bill Williams got involved. " We began to take our lead from the people whose land it is, " Bleck says. " That's when the project really came together -- through genuine collaboration and dialogue. " Williams saw a parallel between the fledgling project and the Squamish Uts'am ceremony, in which witnesses are called to experience and remember as a means of documentation in oral culture. That ceremony became the centrepiece of the Uts'am/Witness program. Art, ecology and cultural workshops, from photography to wildlife tracking and aboriginal games, were offered as well to deepen understanding. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060721.REC21VAN/TPStory/TPEntertainment/

BritishColumbia/US – PNW:6) In the Bush administration's second attempt to replace the survey-and-manage provision in the Northwest Forest plan, the Forest Service and BLM have released a new draft supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) to address the concerns of Judge Marsha Pechman, who blocked the administration's first attempt in August 2005. The survey-and-manage provision requires the Forest Service and BLM to survey public lands in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington for about 300 species, including plants, considered to be at risk due to their association with old-growth forests but are not protected under the Endangered Species Act. Survey and manage is one of the important mitigation provisions in the Northwest Forest Plan designed to protect old-growth dependent species, while allowing some timber activity. In 2004, the Bush administration removed this requirement to increase timber production. " It's an example of the Bush administration trying to rewrite reality to meet their expectations, " said Doug Heiken of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. " I don't see how they can adopt a plan that gets rid of the survey requirements unless they choose to protect old growth. If you're going to log old growth there are certain minimum requirements you need to meet. " Last year, Judge Pechman of the U.S. District Court in Seattle ruled that the deletion of the provision violated the National Environmental Policy Act. She called the survey-and-manage provision " a necessary part " in achieving the plan's goal: protecting old-growth species. Judge Pechman directed the agencies to revise the EIS and in January she reinstated the survey-and-manage provision, while a new draft supplemental EIS was completed. The new draft EIS has been submitted for public comment lasting until October 5. Judge Pechman will determine whether the final version addresses her concerns. http://www.reo.gov/s-m2006/index.htm

Washington:7) The 150-acre forest is bordered by three of the city's busiest roads: Highway 410, South Prairie Road East and 214th Avenue East. After hearing about the general plan, some City Council members said they weren't impressed. Councilwoman Cheryle Noble said she wanted more acreage for parks. Others said additional vehicles generated by more homes would worsen already congested traffic on South Prairie Road East and perhaps on Highway 410, already overcrowded at peak commuter times. " You're trying to cram too many homes in this location, " said Councilman Phil DeLeo, adding that the development site is within " the busiest area in the city. " In a July 14 letter to the mayor and the council, Costello said 45 acres of forest given to the city at no charge is worth between $15 million and $20 million. The diseased trees in the stand dedicated to the city would be logged. Trees resistant to root rot would be replanted, he said. The development is proposed on a forest that was managed by Washington State University for more than six decades. The forest was used for educational purposes, but local residents had access and some enjoyed walking and biking there. Others just liked the trees in the middle of the growing city. Thousands of 4-H and schoolchildren visited annually to participate in outdoor education programs, which will be moved elsewhere. Last year, WSU made an agreement with Weyerhaeuser, the original landowner, to develop the land and share the profits. WSU temporarily closed the forest to all public uses last February after a windstorm knocked down trees and made others unstable and dangerous. WSU permanently closed the forest in May after foresters discovered that about 7 percent of the 15,000 trees had root rot or were susceptible to it. WSU said it didn't want trees to fall and injure people. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5966135p-5247406c.html

8) How the state manages 141,000 acres of publicly owned timberland in the South Sound could affect cross-country skiers, trail riders and Tacoma water users. To give the public a chance to comment on the likely environmental impacts of logging and other money-making activities, the state Department of Natural Resources plans a public meeting. They include 27,770 acres on both sides of the Green River surrounding the Howard A. Hanson Reservoir in King County, the 22,161-acre Elbe Hills State Forest in Pierce County and the 32,086-acre Tahoma State Forest in Lewis County. Why log? To produce revenue for construction of schools, colleges and other state buildings and to support local government operations.What else is significant about the forests? The Green River supplies Tacoma water. In the Elbe Hills, horseback riders follow the Nicholson trail system and spend nights in the Sahara Creek horse campground. In the same area, cross-country skiers utilize the Mount Tahoma Ski Trail Association huts.http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5971651p-5250984c.html

Oregon:9) The Bush Administration and the US Forest Service are moving forward with the first Roadless timber sale in the nation since the repeal of the Roadless Conservation Rule. The Mike's Gulch timber sale near the Wild & Scenic Illinois River in the Siskiyou National Forest has been awarded to a timber company and log trucks could be rolling in early August. It's up to us to draw the line and let the world know that " Roadless is Priceless! " Come join us as we strategize, plan, and prepare for our community's response to the the first day of logging. Sunday, July 30th Action Prep 2:00 pm, Non-violence Training to follow Medford Public Library, Adams Room 205 South Central http://www.o2collective.org/California:10) The future of the Cleveland National Forest and its three Southern California siblings is at stake as the U.S. Forest Service starts sorting out at least 15 challenges to its long-term management plans for the region's woodlands. The conservationists said the blueprints allow for too much road expansion, motorized recreation and commercial activities. Hydroelectric projects, cell phone towers, power lines and other developments threaten to urbanize the forest if the plans' ecological safeguards aren't enhanced, the groups said. "There is no assurance to me that they are going to protect soil, water and wildlife," said Monica Bond, a staff biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity and the lead author of the combined appeal. "It's almost like the (Forest Service) is saying 'trust us, we'll do what is right,' when that is not their track record." At issue is whether the agency has balanced demands for recreation, development and natural habitat in the 3.5 million-acre forest complex, the most heavily visited in the country. The forests, which stretch from San Diego County to Monterey County, attract some 8.5 million campers, hikers, off-roaders and other visitors each year. Their widely varied ecosystems are home to dozens of threatened and endangered species. The land also contains important watersheds. Yesterday was the postmark deadline for filing challenges to the plans, which took effect in October. The agency's plans are similar for the Cleveland, Los Padres, San Bernardino and Angeles forests. The Forest Service had received appeals from California's Resources Agency, the Bottoms Family Ranch in central California, the city of Santa Clarita, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Smiley Park Country Club in Running Springs, a lawyer who represents off-road groups and a handful of others. In addition, a coalition of nine conservation groups filed a 250-page appeal yesterday. The organizations – including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council – aim to overturn the plans, which guide forest management for 10 to 15 years. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060721-9999-1n21forests.html

11) Lake Tahoe -- After the Comstock logging era, the Forest Service passed up a chance to buy much of the cut-over forest along the east shore of the lake for a paltry sum, because there wasn't sufficient timber value left. And in the 1930s, the National Park Service decided not to make Tahoe a national park because it was too commercialized. Still, over the years, federal interest in the Tahoe Basin increased in value and wisdom. And now, the Forest Service owns some three-fourths of the land in the Tahoe Basin. They've restored streams, closed eroding dirt roads, and helped TRPA with the 1970 regional plan.The Geological Survey has been a major force in monitoring the Basin's streams and developing the long term water quality database that's been so valuable. And the Science goal is to promote and utilize the best available science in implementation of the Environmental Improvement Program. Focus areas are: Watershed and Habitat Improvement, Air Quality and Transportation, Recreation and Scenic, and Forest Health. The document, " A Federal Vision for the Environmental Improvement Program of Lake Tahoe, " details how this will work and how the federal agencies will coordinate their roles. Federal agencies will continue to be very important in efforts to restore Lake Tahoe and its watershed. It would be easy for them to step on each others' toes and fight for turf. It's heartening to see that they at least have a vision of how to work together toward an important goal - and that science is an important part of it. http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20060721/Environment/107210032

Montana:12) MISSOULA - " We've spent four years working on this plan, " Madison County Commissioner Dave Shulz said. " There's been close to 140 different meetings. It's just a little too late to come up with a different plan at the 13th hour." Seven western Montana counties are asking the Forest Service to consider an alternative management plan for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest proposed by a coalition of conservation groups and timber companies. The compromise proposal was announced in April by four timber companies, Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., the Montana Wilderness Association, Montana Trout Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation. It includes setting aside portions of the 3.3 million-acre forest for wilderness and as suitable timber base. It also calls for using stewardship contracting on most timber sales, which allows money raised by logging to stay on the forest to pay for activities such as weed control, trail maintenance and improving fish habitat. The Missoula County Commission said it realized the agency was too far along in the process to revise the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest plan. So it instead is urging the Forest Service to consider the strategy as an alternative management plan. " Missoula County has a direct interest in the success of the Partnership Strategy, " the commission wrote. " Not only do many of our residents hunt, fish and camp in southwestern Montana, but our mills depend on a steady supply of wood products from the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest. " Commissioners from Beaverhead and Madison counties _ which together contain 2 million of the 3.3-million-acre forest _ oppose reopening the process. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/20/news/state/55-forest.txt

13) Relegated to the background is the surprising scientific truth, summarized in an obscure two sentences in the Forest Service's MEF Environmental Impact Statement: " Generally, for logistical and economic reasons, the larger fuels are treated first and the treatment of smaller fuels typically follows 1 - 3 years later. During that time period, before treatment is complete, fire behavior severity is increased. " Taken together that means Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor Bull's Project actually will increase fire hazard during this " fast approaching fire season " . Plaintiffs asked to delay for sixty days the money-losing commercial logging that causes the quietly admitted increase in fire behavior severity. We suggested that during this time woods-work focused on the community protection zone (CPZ), the only work scientifically shown effective at protecting homes and firefighters.Any court ruling after the big trees and slash are on the ground would be a hollow victory at best. In my view it is unconscionable to increase " fire behavior severity " right as this " fire season is fast approaching " , and to do it without first providing the proven effective home and fire-fighter protection CPZ work. It is profoundly sad to see the short shrift given the damage to the land, water and wildlife that could be avoided while still providing effective fire protection and woods-work jobs. http://lowbagger.org/trojanhorse.htmlOhio:14) BUTLER — Conservation groups are up in arms about a proposed plan by Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. to clear trees in and around the Mohican State Forest. According to Jack Shaner, pubic affairs director for the Ohio Environmental Council, one of every 12 acres of the 4,500-acre state forest, as well as parts of Mohican State Park and Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve, could be permanently cleared of trees. In addition to state land, some private property is also slated to be cleared. Referring to an area around a pipeline that was cleared in April by Columbia Transmission, Shaner said it was a "ribbon of total dead zone, totally devoid of trees, vegetation, even grass." The area referred to was on private land owned by Mohican Outdoor School, which is adjacent to the state forest. "We don't dispute that Columbia [Transmission] has the right to maintain its rights of way," said Shaner. "We do suggest it's not necessary to maintain this swath of destruction. If Columbia [Transmission] carries out its plan to the full extent, there will be 13 miles of this." Columbia Transmission has 13 miles of pipeline and 56 storage wells in the Mohican State Forest and adjoining portions of Mohican State Park and Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve. According to Shaner, 54 wellheads are in the forest, two in the park. According to the plan put forth by Columbia Transmission, the company will clear a 50-foot-wide path for each pipeline, and the company has the right to clear up to a 300-foot radius from each wellhead. The company plans to clear 10 pipeline sections and 10 storage wells in 2006. Plans call for the clearing to begin on or around Nov. 16. http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/06/07/22/mohican.clearing.html

Indiana:15) On Thursday, July 13, an anti-logging occupation outside of Bloomington was evicted by more than a dozen officers from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana State Police. This eviction occurred under the pretext of investigating a supposed " meth lab. " Officers, armed with sub-machine guns, cordoned off the area and temporarily detained everyone present at the blockade. Another person was forced off of a platform that was hanging 30 feet above the ground when the DNR brought in climbers and threatened to pull him down. More than two dozen people set up the blockade, which included a campsite and a 30 ft. tall bipod built across the road. The occupation sought to cut off the logging road to an 89 acre cut, situated on steep hills and including hundreds of oak, maple, hickory, and beech trees, scheduled to be logged by September 22. DNR Response and the Militarization of Law Enforcement The DNR's claim is that they raided the camp believing it to be a meth lab. This allowed the officers to bring automatic weapons and keep the HFDN's supporters out of the area. The DNR has claimed ignorance, however it is clear they were aware of the blockade as there were environmental protest experts and trained climbers on hand. People at the site were forced to the ground under the sights of M-16 automatic rifles, and handcuffed for more than an hour and a half. Upon release, five people received tickets for " illegal camping " and the person on the bipod was forced down by DNR climbers. Nearly 30 supporters responded to a request for help from the forest defenders at the occupation. They were able to help document the eviction and help move supplies into and out of the camp, though this was hampered by law enforcement efforts to close the area around the camp. In fact, one person, Bryce Martin, was arrested for attempting to bring water to detainees. Although he was released the next day, he now owes hundreds of dollars in legal fees. The new state forest plan, outlines a 400% increase in logging. In addition, it permits greater continuity between logging sites, allowing large cuts to be placed next to each other. Furthermore, a DNR spokesman has stated that 40 acre clearcuts will now be allowed, a development which will be devastating to Indiana's state forests. http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060721134620193

16) NASHVILLE - One of the strangest sights in Indiana is no more, but the mystery about it continues. It's a century-old chestnut oak tree that held a giant rock wedged in its branches. The 400-pound sandstone boulder was about 40 feet off the ground. Debbie Dunbar of the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau discovered that the tree had fallen down when she took a travel writer to the site in southern Indiana's Yellowwood State Forest. Known as Gobbler's Rock, it was first spotted in 1998. Since then, a-half dozen others trees containing boulders have been discovered in the area. Forest property manager Jim Allen thought maybe tornadoes were lifting the big rocks into trees, but now thinks somebody with ropes and pulleys is doing it. He says as long as the elevated rocks aren't a danger, he'll leave them up. The question now is who's doing it, and, more to the point, why. http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5179939 & nav=HMO6HMaW

Massachusetts:17) Tsongas, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas, is protesting the private high school's decision to build athletic fields in the woods, adjacent to the school's campus. " People oppose this project and they (the school) have bulldozed forward, disrespecting all parties, including their own community, " said Tsongas, a Middlesex alumna. " We think the school is making an irreversible mistake. " Tsongas, 24, and fellow alumna Rachel Banay, 21, climbed adjacent trees early yesterday morning, using a ladder and rope. Draped between the two trees, close to the school's main entrance on Lowell Road, they hung a large yellow banner that read: Middlesex Do The Right Thing Save Estabrook Woods. Tsongas' tree campaign is the second in the region in recent weeks. In Tyngsboro last month, Melisa DeMauro kept vigil in a 150-year-old pine tree on her property line after a neighbor threatened to cut it down. Middlesex began planning to expand the athletic fields about 15 years ago. The project includes eight tennis courts built last summer, two soccer fields and a bridge to allow emergency vehicles to access the fields. The expansion would use approximately 15 acres of Estabrook Woods. The school owns about 200 acres of the 1,200-acre forest. http://lowellsun.com/front/ci_4065925#USA:18) Pasted below is an electronic copy of a USFS memo. It describes a soon to be implemented Backcountry Roads pilot program and speaks of the creation and designation of a new " SUV Recreation Roads " USFS Partnership. This USFS memo was distributed last month at the American Recreation Coalition's Great Outdoors week. As many will know, the ARC played a crucial role in the formation of the Scenic and Backcountry Byways programs and remains amongst the most active promoters of, and lobbyists for, those programs. The ARC is currently midway though the process of creating a new website to promote both forms of " driving for pleasure " . The url for is: www.byways2021.org It now appears that the ARC is playing a crucial role in the creation of yet another Federally administered program designed to promote driving for pleasure. But this one is different. This one, if it gets beyond the " pilot " stage, will have a significant impact upon the way BACKCOUNTRY forest roads are designated, managed and promoted specifically for SUV driving. OH... you might put another outfit on your radar screens http://www.suvoa.com/ . SUVOA's motto is: " Stand up for SUV, Pickup and Van Owners of America. " They are ugly -- very ugly. ssilverCanada:19) Ontario -.The wood first came to light during March break week, when a construction crew hit something big while excavating the $40-million Malibu at Harbourfront condominium site at the corner of Bathurst St. and Lake Shore Blvd. The crew was digging out the foundation of the 32-storey building with four floors of underground parking. Almost 11 metres below street level, Malibu uncovered a wooden timber structure, running east to west along the full length of the site. More digging eventually exposed a 12.8-metre-wide by 91-metre-long by 4.6-metre-deep pier resembling a wooden box, open at the top and bottom, with two of three internal compartments filled with rocks. These old-growth Eastern white pine timbers, soon to feel the bite of a sawmill blade for the second time, will be cut into boards, then kiln dried before becoming furniture, flooring or lumber. " This region was all white pine in the 15th, 16th and 17th century, " Gorham says. " It was one of the first trees logged because it was easy to cut and it floated very well down rivers. You can see how tight the rings are, so it's very easy to count 200 years on some of these pieces. " As he talked, Gorham touched the rough chop marks carved into one of the logs waiting to be milled, admiring the craftsmanship. " Back then they only used the heart wood of a tree, because it lasted longer. (It was) all done by hand tools ... all chopped by hand, all the holes drilled by hand, it's unbelievable the workmanship that went into it. I couldn't even imagine how long it took to build it, unless they had 300 people working on the project. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1 & c=Articl

e & cid=1153605014236 & call_pageid=968350130169 & col=969483202845Germany:20) Our bark beetle problem is the spruce bark beetle in the Bavarian Forest but maybe some of our experience could be transferred to the mountain pine beetle in BC. I have researched it and I have found some very interesting things: In Germany they have trained dogs to find out infested trees. They can smell them! Bark beetles are not the disease but the symptom. The disease is monoculture of trees which do not fit. A German scientist compared it with herpes. The virus is all over... but you only get it if your body is weak or you are stressed. Bark beetles usually reproduce slowly. A female bark beetle lays about 8 eggs but if you make them " wild " they can even lay 60 eggs! You can make them " wild " by destroying their breeding trees. The more you try to destroy them the more they breed! I guess this is actually done in BC. I think it makes the situation worse. Clearcuts cause fallen trees by storm. These are tidbits for the bark beetles! They love weak trees. I read that the bark beetles carry a funghus with them. Maybe it is the one which makes the timber blue? This funghus is used to tell the other bark beetles that this tree is already " occupied " . My idea is whether there would be a method of vaccination of trees by this blue funghus. I am aware of the danger that the beetles could surmount the Rocky Mountains and will cause trouble in Alberta and all over Canada. Maybe you could try to " vaccinate " trees in a 100 mile zone. So the pine beetle will think this zone is already occupied. Just an idea... please tell me what you think about it! I am not a forester but I know trees and I feel with them. Cheers, Angelika HankoHausKenya:21) Beautiful birds singing in giant trees and butterflies fluttering their wings reduced our anxiety over the danger of wild animals in the dark Arabuko Sokoke forest. We had set out to investigate the destruction of the forest amid warnings from Mijikenda elders that wild animals often attacked those who dared to go deep into the forest without armed guards. But the majority of the elders opposed the idea of getting forest guards since they would have thwarted our mission of investigating the destruction of the forest. " We must gather courage and move on our own if we are to save this earthly treasure. The guards will obviously stop us from investigating the destruction of the forest, " said a daring Samson Katana, one of the elders. Our undercover investigation took us over three hours, revealing a scenario of destruction of mature indigenous trees, most probably for timber. We could not go farther as the elders were worried that we might end up getting into elephant territory.But we had seen what we were looking for: Dozens upon dozens of giant trees cut down with power saws. It looked as if loggers were rushing to cash in on the biting shortage of timber following a Government ban on logging a few years back. Local Mijikenda elders living on the forest edge to protect it from destruction formed Asfada. Baya said illegal loggers penetrated the forest with ease since patrols by forest rangers were not consistent. He said although Asfada members sometimes reported the illegal activities to the forest department, logging continued unabated. " Unless stringent measures are put in place to prevent the felling of indigenous trees the forest will be depleted, " he said. Another elder, Mohamed Omar Thoya, 80, said the endangered birds and mammals risked being wiped out if illegal logging at the forest was not contained. Twenty elders convened a meeting last month at the forest to protest against illegal logging. He suggested that the Government give the elders the mandate to protect the forest if the forest department could not prevent the destruction. " If the officers cannot protect the forest then we elders can arm ourselves with bows and arrows to protect our heritage, " he said. http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143955416Cameroon:

22) I have received so much money and chemicals to spray my farm to plant more cocoa and fruits, " Nanje said. He hoped other logging companies would emulate the example of TRC. Mama Rose Mbole, who took home some money, too, was all praise for TRC and CED. " I am so happy with TRC. I also thank CED for making us understand we must fight for what belongs to us. We shall be alert in future. My cocoa farm was destroyed; they cut a big tree, which destroyed my crops. I will use the money to pay people to clear more farmlands. I will also take care of my grandchild. " A hernia patient, Mama Mbole promised to spend the money to pick her hospital bills. " I will now go to the hospital and buy my medication. " http://allafrica.com/stories/200607210503.html

23) In its thrust to eliminate illegal logging, World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, alongside other conservation organisations, have encouraged a logging company, Transformation Reef Cameroon, TRC, to compensate local people in four villages in the Southwest Province. TRC on June 29 disbursed FCFA 20 million, five years after, to compensate the people of Matondo 1, Matondo 3, Molongo and Ediki villages in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The benefit came within the framework of the Central Africa Forest and Poverty Alleviation Programme, CAFPAP, an initiative of WWF. WWF is sharing its missions of sustainable development, nature conservation, biodiversity, environment and ecological development with the World Conservation Union, IUCN, Regional Office Central Africa and the Centre for Environment and Development CED, Yaounde, Cameroon. According to a release sent to The Post by Molisa Janet Mbella, CAFPAP Intranet Officer, the FCFA 20 million was disbursed as compensation to individuals and the community as a whole. " Illegal logging has for some time been carried out indiscriminately in some parts of the country. In those areas where the residents do not know their rights, logging companies carry out activities leaving the populace in great depression, " stated the release. " This was the case five years ago in some four villages in Meme and Kupe-Muanenguba Divisions of the Southwest Province of Cameroon. TRC reportedly exploited timber in the area, which resulted in far reaching damages to many villagers whose livelihood depends entirely on the forest. Cash crops were reportedly destroyed in the process as logs were cut down and new roads created, " explained the release. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607190906.htmlSierra Leone:24) If you are to take a careful look at our beautiful range of hills overlooking our city that were once green and natural, you will undoubtedly come to terms with the fact that the rate at which we are loosing our forests to deforestation has definitely reached, if not even more than, an alarming rate. Proper planning, it would seem, has been our major weakness and there is a saying which holds: " If you fail to plan then you're planning to fail. As Sierra Leoneans, are we ready to fail? No! I just hope so. Therefore, if we have been turning blind eyes to the dangers of deforestation it's high time we took very seriously, the message of the Minister of Lands, Housing, Country Planning and the Environment, Dr. Bobson Sesay. He once said and encouraged us to be planting trees. Most people I believe are becoming frustrated over the low rainfalls in Freetown while those in the provinces are enjoying the abundance of it. It would rain to water their plantations, but that should not baffle us because massive rainfalls are due to forestation. We have been embarking on the cutting down of trees to make homes for the ever growing number of people in the city and so we could not get rains in abundance. It has now become apparent that deforestation is tantamount to slow killing. It is perceived, though, that some people, if not most, are adamant in adhering to the realities of life. Such people, if I were to decide, should be treated heavy-handedly. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607171183.htmlMozambique:

25) The Mozambican customs service is finally taking action against the illegal export of unprocessed hardwoods. A Monday press release from the customs general directorate said that on 5 June, customs officials at the northern port of Nacala seized 20 containers full of logs intended for export to Singapore. The release did not why customs had waited for six weeks before making this announcement. The seizure consisted of 232 logs of umbila and panga-panga, valued at about 200 million meticais (8,000 US dollars). Under Mozambican forestry legislation these precious hardwoods are classed as grade one timber, which can only be exported after processing within Mozambique.The exporter, who was not named, had tried to deceive customs by mixed the umbila and panga-panga with other, less valuable, tree species, which can be exported as logs. The exporting company must now pay a fine of 110 million meticais. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607170957.htmlGambia:26) Honourable Dawda Manneh, National Assembly Member (NAM) for the Nianija constituency, said the rapid rate of deforestation in the country is a cause for concern. Honourable Manneh made this remark during the second sittings of the National Assembly, quoting an old adage " No tree, No life. " He described trees as a major component of rainfall, emphasing the importance of trees in life. The Nianija NAM, therefore, urged his fellow legislative members to legislate a vibrant law against man's indiscriminate felling of trees in the forest which, he said, is geared towards preserving and developing the forest cover. He however told his collegues to create and promote the spirit of tree planting in their individual constituencies in the interest of the country and for generations to come. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607181010.html

Liberia:27) While Liberia's brutal civil war delayed the commercial exploitation of its tropical forests during the 1990s, " conflict timber " was a key source of revenue for warring factions. The harvesting of this wood, combined with collateral damage from military operations and wildlife poaching, took a heavy toll on Liberia's forests. With the end of the war, Liberia's new government—which took power at end of the war in 1998—immediately established forestry as a national priority and instituted a five-year tax holiday on timber industries. This policy, combined with the return of commercial interests to the country, repopulation, and reconstruction efforts, has put pressure on Liberia's remaining forest resources. Since the close of the 1990s, deforestation rates have increased by 17 percent, and primary forest cover in the country has fallen to just over 1.3 percent of the total land area (or 4.1 percent of the forest cover). After granting large concessions to timber firms, the Liberian government essentially lost control over logging in much of the country. In June 2005, the director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Liberia warned that the forest and its associated resources were at a very " high risk of facing depletion " from illegal logging and land invasions by gold miners. In June 2006, the UN Security Council decided that is was time to allow Liberia again to start exporting timber given certain conditions, namely the passage of appropriate forestry legislation within a 90-day period. The UN has estimate that logging, once resumed, could yield as much as $80 million in sales a year, of which $15 million would go to the Liberian government. Despite these challenges and the resumption of commercial logging, things may be looking up for Liberia's forests. After announcing the expansion of Sapo National Park and the creation of the Nimba Nature Reserve in 2003, the government has worked with international NGOs to monitor and address illegal activities in the country's national park. In November 2005, Conservation International (CI) led a survey to assess Liberia`s remaining biodiversity. At last count, the country was home to 2,200 species of plants, 193 mammals, and 576 bird species. Further, President Johnson-Sirleaf announced that the government was aiming to raise a $30 million conservation fund to protect its rainforests. http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0716-liberia.htmlBrazil:

28) Deep in the heart of the world's greatest rainforest, nine days' journey by boat from the sea, Otavio Luz Castello is anxiously watching the soft waters of the Amazon drain away. Every day they recede further, like water running slowly out of an unimaginably immense bath, threatening a global catastrophe. Nowhere could seem further from the world's problems than the idyllic spot where Otavio Luz Castello lives. The young naturalist's home is a chain of floating thatched cottages that make up a research station in the Mamiraua Reserve, halfway between here and Brazil's border with Colombia. He pointed out what was happening on Wednesday, standing on an island in a quiet channel of the giant river. Just a month ago, he explained, it had been entirely under water. Now it was jutting a full 15 feet above it. It is a sign that severe drought is returning to the Amazon for a second successive year. And that would be ominous indeed. For, as we report on page 12 today, new research suggests that just one further dry year beyond that could tip the whole vast forest into a cycle of destruction. The consequences would be truly awesome. The wet Amazon, the planet's greatest celebration of life, would turn to dry savannah at best, desert at worst. This would cause much of the world - including Europe - to become hotter and drier, making this sweltering summer a mild foretaste of what is to come. In the longer term, it could make global warming spiral out of control, eventually making the world uninhabitable. This year, says Otavio Luz Castello, the water is draining away even faster than the last one - and there are still more than three months of the dry season to go. He adds: " I am very concerned. " It is much the same all over Amazonia. In the Jau National Park, 18 hours by boat up the Rio Negro from here, local people who took me out by canoe at dawn found it impossible to get to places they had reached without trouble just the evening before. Acre, extraordinarily, received no rain for 40 days recently, and sandbanks are already beginning to surface in its rivers. http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1191880.ece

29) LeLaulu said the description of the Amazon as " the lungs of the planet " may not be totally accurate as the region re-absorbs some 80-percent of the oxygen it generates. " Climate scientists, however, have compiled studies which conclude the vast Amazonia is more the " heart of the planet " for its role in pumping moisture and rain to South America and beyond, " asserts LeLaulu. " Basically, the scientists are telling us forest destruction of the Amazon leads to a failure of forest transpiration, the forest pumps, leaving heat in the southern north Atlantic which in turn gives birth to more extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean, " he cautioned. It also means the bread baskets of southern Brazil and Argentina could be turned to desert without the rain generated by the Amazon, he added. Quoting from submissions made by top Brazilian scientists and their colleagues from the leading European and American academies of science to a high-level meeting on the Amazon, LeLaulu asserted, " we are now able to explain why the sea temperature of the southern north Atlantic has been rising, giving birth to more extreme hurricanes which ravage the Caribbean and North America. " Tom Spencer, vice chairman of the Institute for Environmental Security in the Hague, said this is the missing link and holds out the possibility of a new deal in the international climate negotiations such as the Kyoto Protocol. " The scientists are telling us we are running out of time as the forests struggle to survive. We in the political sphere have to approach international meetings such as the upcoming United Nations climate conference in Nairobi this November with a new sense of urgency, " said Spencer former head of the British Conservative Party at the European Parliament. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000024/002420.htm

India:30) Tigers, among the planet's most iconic and secretive creatures, have been near the top of the endangered list for some time. But yesterday, a landmark study by leading conservationists warned that their plight is even more serious than previously feared. The big cat, the report warns, is close to extinction and the area in which it lives has been nearly halved in the last 10 years. The area occupied by tigers is 41% smaller than 10 years ago and is just 7% of its historical " range " before habitat loss and hunting slashed its numbers, according to scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, the World Wildlife Fund and the Smithsonian National Zoological. Tigers once ranged across Asia from eastern Turkey to the Russian far east. In India, for example, where 60% of the world's tigers live, the population fell from 100,000 in the 19th century to 3,600 now. Many researchers believe the true figure is less than half the officialestimate. " The current trajectory will surely cause wild populations to disappear in many places, or shrink to the point of 'ecological extinction' – where their numbers are too few to play their role as the top predator, " the authors write. " Now more than ever, tigers need homeland security. " This grim prediction will come true in 20 years, the authors estimate, unless urgent action is taken. http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=51 & cat=23 & id=693284 & more=

Afghanistan:31) PESHAWAR: Member National Assembly and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Akbar Chitrali Saturday while accusing the chief conservator and other officers of the forests department of committing huge corruption, and called for a high-level inquiry into the matter. He demanded of the government to carry out an operation in Arandu area where hundreds of armed personnel had hijacked the area. Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Abdul Akbar Chitrali disclosed that about 3,500 workers of timber mafia were busy in illegal deforestation, whom he alleged were backed by chief conservator and other officers of forests department. He informed that the workers of timber mafia were cutting trees in Arandu area for the last one-year, saying about 450 mules of wood were being smuggled to Afghanistan and then brought back to Pakistan through Shahi bin Shahi way by presenting it as the wood of Afghanistan. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader informed that from March this year to July, about 0.25 million foot expensive wood were illegally smuggled from Arandu area, in which the incumbent chief conservator of forests department had grabbed millions of rupees as a graft. http://www.chitralnews.com/LN351.htm

New Zealand:32) An article from The Press of Christchurch, concerning " the discovery of several dead sheep high in the trees of Tunnicliffe Forest. " Right away, I said to myself, " Hmm. " I base this statement on the well-known fact that sheep are not tree-dwelling animals. Zoologically, sheep are classified in the same family as cows: Animals that Stand Around and Poop. On very rare occasions, a single sheep or cow will climb a tree in an effort to escape a fierce natural predator such as a wolf or (around lunchtime) Luciano Pavarotti. But the article in the New Zealand newspaper states that " four or five decomposing sheep were high in the branches. " That is too many sheep to be explained by natural causes. Which leads us to the obvious explanation, namely, supernatural causes. I realize that many of you laugh at stories of the paranormal. " Ha ha, " you say. But the truth is that the world is full of strange phenomena that cannot be explained by the laws of logic or science. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16935647 & BRD=1817 & PAG=461 & dept_id=222087 & rfi=6

Australia:33) A group trying to stop the logging of the Arcadia forest near Collie, in south-west Western Australia, says the issue has become the main focus of the region's environmentalists. Parts of the jarrah forest are scheduled to be cut down later this year, with the timber sold to local mills. But the Save Arcadia Forest Ecosystem group is warning the logging will destroy the habitat of a small group of quokkas that live in the forest. In 2004, there were mass protests in the Ludlow tuart forest near Busselton after the State Government approved a plan to mine for mineral sands amongst the trees. Save Arcadia forest group spokesman Peter Murphy says the logging of the Arcadia forest is another issue that could flare up. " We're conducting a street poll in Bunbury later this month, the community would be very concerned that a tourism icon could disappear from the Australian mainland, " he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1693096.htm

World-wide:34) " Virtually all aspects of biodiversity are in steep decline and a large number of populations and species are likely to become extinct in this century, " states the report in the British journal Nature. The issue is crucial, says Robert Watson, the World Bank's chief scientist and one of 19 experts from 13 countries, including Canada, who endorsed the report. At risk are " a whole range of services that we may not be aware of " though they are essential for human survival. They include food, medicines, fibre for construction and clothing, as well as purification of air and water, climate regulation, and control of pests and diseases. Despite its importance, there is no agreement among nations on even the modest action proposed by the scientists: creation of an international group to assess and provide information about the problem, Watson said in an interview from Washington. Some crucial areas for plants and animals have been protected over the past few decades, but " they contain only a small fraction of the world's (land-based) species and ecosystems, and the situation in the oceans is even worse, " the report states. " The forces that push towards biodiversity loss globally are much stronger than the conservation gains, " it adds. Population growth and expansion of such industries as farming and logging destroy forests — three-quarters of Earth's original tree cover is gone — as well as wetlands, grasslands and other important habitat, it notes. Globalization and carelessness spread invasive species that wipe out local populations. Climate change is beginning to take a toll. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1 & c=Artic

le & cid=1153345816300 & call_pageid=968332188774 & col=96835011646735) EVERYONE I meet claims to love trees - I mean really love trees - yet collectively the human race behaves as if it abhors green things. If you take a step back from whatever biome you are in at the moment and look at the entire Earth and its forests through recorded history, you will see that the relationship between humans and trees looks " Strangely Like War " (the title of a recent book on forests by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan). The exact extent of the damage is difficult to discern, because for many years records were not kept, but the estimates are that 75 percent of the world's original forests have been logged or burned by humans. Some of them have grown back, of course, or have been replanted, but it is thought that we now have only half of the amount of forest land we once had on this planet. And here's the part that should bring tears to your eyes: We continue to lose more forest cover every year. The more recent losses are well documented. Every five years the United Nations produces a summary report called the Global Forest Resource Assessment. According to the most recent report, between 2000 and 2005, we lost forest acreage equivalent to the land mass of Panama - more than 77 thousand square kilometers of forest gone, some of it never to return. The next report is due to be released in 2010. I will not be surprised when it is released and I read that the global forest area has continued to shrink. If this happens when we claim to love trees, I shudder to think what would happen if we were ambivalent about them? Or thought we could live without them? Why do humans all claim to love trees, but their actions deny their claim? I think it has to do with fear. We do not fear trees. We do not fear their retaliation. Trees stand mute despite our betrayal. Perhaps that is one of the reasons we really love them. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/07/18/286411/People_claim_they_love_trees_but_act_as_if_

they_hate_them.htm36) Ten global environmental threats and how they can be addressed through treaties, new forms of government and international cooperation are examined in a new book, Global Environmental Governance. The book, written by Yale Dean Gus Speth and political scientist Peter Haas outlines shortcomings of current efforts to address climate disruption, loss of biodiversity, acid rain, ozone depletion, deforestation, desertification, degradation and shortages of freshwater, decline of marine fisheries, toxic pollutants and excess nitrogen -- all of which contribute to creating dead zones in the world's oceans. Deforestation, especially in the tropics where about two-thirds of our planet's plant and animal species live, contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide, desertification and other ecological stresses. Among the many consequences of desertification are huge losses in food production, greater vulnerability to drought and famine, ecological refugees, loss of biodiversity and social unrest. Species loss today is estimated at as much as 1,000 times the natural or normal rate that species go extinct. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/yu-yda071706.php