139 Earth's Tree News

[Guest guest]

Today for you 38 news items about Mama Earth's trees. Location, number and subject listed below. Condensed / abbreviated article is listed further below.--British Columbia: 1) culturally modified tree policy, 2) chief forester slashes annual cut on islands by 26-percent, 3) Demise of BC's forest industry, --Washinton: 4) geriatric forestry--Oregon: 5) sawdust and wood chip shortage, 6) Huge land swap falls apart,--Colorado: 7) Pinon Pellets heat homes--Missouri: 8) First Lady Laura Bush plants trees for Enterprise rent-a-car,--Minnesota: 9) 10 square miles protected--Wisconsin: 10) Restoring the Scuppernong River--Texas: 11) Mesquite harvesting machine invented--Louisiana: 12) Save the cypress, 13) River roots to be killed in New Orleans, --Ohio: 14) Power companies to poison trees to slow their growth into power lines--Virginia: 15) relentless pace of development replacing greenery--Vermont: 16) unhappy with city's decision to auction 12 acres of neighborhood forest--Pennsylvania: 17) Court hears of trees stolen from Gunter Valley reservoir,--New Jersey: 18) Old growth maples vs. widening Main Street--South Carolina: 19) South to South solidarity campaign against GE trees--Tennessee: 20) Secret land swap and stadium deal that neighbors found out about--Florida: 21) 1,200 acres of forest lost every week, 22) Save Trees blocking billboards,--Maine: Quimby is very focused on forest preservation--Canada: 24) Church to cut trees to prevent cemetery vandalism, 25) Ms. May found time for eco-work, 26) 21st century will be known as the era of environmentalism, --UK: 27) Castle Howard Estate to restore 600 hectares of ancient woodland, --Scotland: 28) Long-term strategy, 29) Trees planted as tax dodge are felled,--European Union: 30) performance assessment of five "giant" tissue manufacturers--Lebanon: 31) Save Lebanese Cedar Forest--Ghana: 32) scandal: 500 hectares of forest plantation given away--Angola: 33) forest guards need equipment--Brazil: 34) 70 million hectares (173 million acres) of the forest set aside--India: 35) Trees as part of many cultures, 36) State has permitted felling of trees,--Thailand: 37) Save the Banthat mountain, 38) worst-affected area: Chao Phraya basin,British Columbia:1) Husby Forest Products has cutting permits on two blocks, known as Stanley 28 and Naden 120. Ten years ago a culturally modified tree policy was drawn up by industry, the province and the Haida which laid out management guidelines for trees that have been scarred or modified by traditional practices, such as bark stripping and plank removal. Since that time no culturally modified trees have been cut or impacted, except for the odd one with the CHN's approval, says Mr. Munt. Mr. Munt says the policy aims for consensus agreement on management of CMTs, but the policy also states: "In the event resolution is not achieved on specific issues, provincial legislation will be adhered." His decision allows for 20 of 82 CMTs in Naden 120 to be impacted and 18 of 63 CMTs in Stanley 28. Mr. Munt is well aware of the contentious nature of his decision. "It is very difficult to make these decisions," he said. He says archaeological sites are very important to the Forest Service, but he also has to balance that with socio-economic needs. Husby has a volume license and the company's areas of operation have already been limited by a variety of conservation measures, he says. "If it is not within area identified for conservation, then licensees say it is reasonable to consider the area for operation," he says. Mr. Munt also took into consideration that areas of archaeological and cultural importance have been set aside by the province and the CHN to provide options for the future. The Haida, on the other hand, have consistently said that impacting CMTs is not acceptable. http://www.qciobserver.com/articles.aspx?article=23502) BC's chief forester has temporarily slashed the annual cut on the islands by 26-percent to bring it in line with government orders protecting 83,000 hectares while land-use planning is underway. The reduction affects the Queen Charlotte timber supply area, and parts of tree farm licences 39, 25, and 47. The new combined allowable annual cut for these areas is now 1.2-million cubic metres, compared to the previously allowed 1.7-million cubic metres. Chief forester Jim Snetsinger told the Observer Tuesday afternoon that the reduction was required so that companies wouldn't over-harvest on the remaining land base. "I'm looking at it purely on a sustainability basis," he said. He said it's important to note that companies have not been cutting anywhere near the allowable cut in recent years. The average annual harvest during the past six years has been just under 1.2-million cubic metres, he said. The Timber Supply Area is the most affected by the reduction. Its annual cut now stands at 255,000 cubic metres, down from 475,000. The government's decision to protect 83,000 hectares is a temporary order, which will expire on May 31, 2007 for some areas and Dec. 31, 2008 for other areas, Mr. Snetsinger said. http://www.qciobserver.com/articles.aspx?article=23523) BC's forest industry is not glamorous. It's hard hatted workers carrying lunchpails, snorting logging trucks roaring down backroads, whining saws and smelly pulpmills. It's falling trees in minus 30 degree temperatures or planting them in the heat of summer surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes. It's 90,000 direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs. It's little towns and villages like Burns Lake, Fort St. James, Houston and Mackenzie, and bigger ones like Quesnel, Prince George and Kamloops. Not a movie star, celebrity or foreign dignitary anywhere in sight.One thing is for sure – the forest industry is definitely not the Olympics. It is something else entirely - the bread and butter of the BC economy and has been so for the last 100 years. Indeed, our region is a world centre for forestry production. But this industry is descending into a crisis that could end up in a permanent decline of forest manufacturing in this province. Inflammatory words? Hardly. Listen to what Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president of the BC Business Council, has to say: " We've got this so-called boom going on in the BC economy yet the largest industry here is not booming …. It's facing some very, very tough business conditions " (Vancouver Sun, Sept. 23, 2006). Indeed, the pine beetle problem in the BC Interior has been described as the biggest natural disaster of its kind in recorded North American history. But besides the pine beetle, the forest industry in BC is facing a host of other problems, ranging from the tariffs imposed under the new softwood lumber agreement, global competition, the plunging U.S. housing market, and so on. Other parts of Canada are facing similar problems with mill closures in Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario, and most recently, Quebec http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/3786/7/olympic+dreams,+forest+industry+realityWashington:

4) Saving individual old trees is criticized by some tree experts, who deride it as "geriatric forestry." Rescues are labor-intensive and expensive, at prices that can run up to $30,000 per tree. Whether to save old trees comes down to measuring their value, and that's a tough call, says David Nowak, a forestry expert with the USDA Forest Service in Syracuse, N.Y. Forestry experts agree that some old trees—especially those with historical significance—are worth saving at almost any cost. Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Foresters, says such trees can be "living landmarks.It's like paying to make sure the Liberty Bell or the Bull at Wall Street are maintained," she says. Dr. Ribeiro believes people pay too much attention to what they can see, so when a tree appears to be dying, they rush to cut it down before it falls and causes damage. Lately, he has focused his attention on the venerable old trees of the state capitol in Olympia. In 2003, he got together with Rob Lloyd, owner of Lloyd's Arboricultural Consulting in Battle Ground, Wash., and Neal Wolbert, president of Landscape Health Care in Olympia, to save a dying Norway Maple at risk of being cut down. The team relies heavily on the air spade, a long-handled tube with a half-moon shield connected to an air compressor. The tool, designed to help excavate trees for moving, blasts away the dirt with high-pressure air that leaves roots undamaged. It allows Dr. Ribeiro to pinpoint root problems with surgical precision. The team rescued another Norway Maple nearby. Mr. Lloyd designed a steel pole to suspend cables for supporting the tree's huge, majestic limbs, which had been weakened by rot and posed a risk of falling on passersby. Some arborists might have recommended cutting it down. But now, " this one will go forever, " said Dr. Ribeiro. Finally, the team noticed a young sequoia, planted in 1980 in honor of Dixy Lee Ray, Washington's first woman governor. It needed help. Though the tree looked green and healthy above, mushrooms sprouting at its base signaled trouble below. Air spading revealed extensive, treatable root rot that was spreading to another nearby tree. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116067823679190943.htmlOregon:5) A sawdust and wood chip shortage? In Oregon? Who'd have thought? But shortages of those lumber-making waste products is exactly what the owners of plants that produce fiberboard are beginning to worry about, according to Random Lengths, a forest products trade publication in Eugene. The plants, including seven in Oregon, have long produced fiberboard that other manufacturers then fashion into kitchen countertops, cupboards and ready-to-assemble furniture. But now the drive for renewable energy spurred by incentives from the Oregon Energy Trust, a nonprofit organization funded by power companies, is creating competition for the sawdust. Plants are burning the material to produce heat used in industrial processes and to make steam-generated electricity. And just over the horizon is the prospect of a " biorefinery " that can turn plant fiber, including sawdust, into ethanol - or fuel for cars and trucks. Fiberboard mills already are feeling the supply pinch, said Pete Malliris, associate editor at Random Lengths. " Earlier in the year, when the market was screaming (for fiberboard), you had some (fiberboard) mills who could not increase production. They wanted to add new shifts and hire more workers, but they were unable to do it because they couldn't get enough raw material, " he said. A limited sawdust supply eventually could hurt fiberboard manufacturers in Springfield, Eugene, Medford, Albany, Roseburg and Klamath Falls, Malliris said. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/10/11/b1.bz.biomass.1011.p1.php?section=business

6) An eight-year effort to swap nearly 50,000 acres in northeast Oregon between the U.S. Forest Service and private landowners collapsed Thursday when the U.S. Forest Service said the trade no longer served the public interest. The $41 million trade -- known as the Blue Mountain Land Exchange -- would have been the largest Forest Service land swap in Oregon and Washington. It was designed to consolidate the government's landholdings and seize riverfront property while offering its fragmented hard-to-manage parcels -- some of them prime old-growth timberlands -- to private parties that could log them. The failure cost the Forest Service at least $1.4 million and a private real estate company $1 million, according to private and federal estimates. Blame went to escalating land prices, declining lumber values and frustration by landowners with how long the deals were taking. Critics of such " assembled " land exchanges, however, say the deals are done in secret and are too complicated for the public to understand, a circumstance that makes it difficult for citizens to challenge the deals. Often, such critics maintain, taxpayers are the losers. " The lust to do land deals just never seems to fade, " said Janine Blaeloch of the Seattle-based Western Lands Project, a watchdog on federal land trades. The Forest Service would have deeded 16,473 acres of federal land valued at $20.1 million in six counties to 32 private owners, largely timber and ranching interests. It expected to get in return 30,837 acres valued at $20.8 million, including coveted land in the Hells Canyon area, the Eagle Cap Wilderness and parcels spread along premier fish streams in northeast Oregon. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1160717144292170.xml & coll=7

Colorado:7) Forest Energy Corp. of Show Low, Ariz., recently began producing what are believed to be the first pellets made from piñon. The trees were harvested on Bureau of Land Management property on the Uncompahgre Plateau. Salazar poured a bag of the pellets into a 65,000-BTU wood stove used to heat the 2,500-square-foot first floor of the historic hotel. " That truly is a Colorado resource heating Colorado, " said Rob Davis, president of Forest Energy. Davis said the pellets were whole-tree pellets that incorporate needles, cones, bark and whatever else comes along with the trees. " Anything that gets into the truck, we make a pellet out of it, " Davis said. Officials involved in the piñon project said it required a great deal of cooperation, from the prison crew that cut the trees, to the BLM that allowed the project to go forward, to Forest Energy for producing the pellets and even ZE Supply in Silverton for selling them. " Making a pellet out of piñon wasn't without difficulty, " said Davis. " It took us a while to figure out what we were doing. " Piñon burns cleaner than other wood pellets but produces more ash, Davis said. http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news & article_path=/news/06/news

061014_4.htmMissouri:8) ST. LOUIS — First Lady Laura Bush will be in St. Louis Thursday to plant the first of 50 million trees as part of a 50-year, $50 million effort, funded by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to replenish national forests. St. Louis-based Enterprise, the nation's largest rental car company, is funding the project through a donation to the National Arbor Day Foundation. Each year for the next 50, the company will give $1 million to fund tree-plantings in national forests in the U.S., and in forests in Canada and parts of Europe where Enterprise does business. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4252359.htmlMinnesota:9) SILVER BAY - Almost 10 square miles of forest in Lake County will remain undeveloped and open to logging and public recreation, under a $3.3 million deal. The deal will keep 6,200 acres north of Silver Bay from being sectioned off and sold as recreation or retirement properties. The agreement announced Thursday is between the county, the Nature Conservancy, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Conservation Fund, Minnesota Power and Wolfwood Corp., a timberland owner that's selling the land as one parcel. Lake County will own and manage the land, while an easement prohibits development. The easement also requires that the land remain open for hunting, berry-picking and other public access. " It's still a mostly unfragmented block of land that's big enough to be managed for big wildlife like moose and for sustainable forestry, " said Doug Thompson, director of the Nature Conservancys Duluth office. " This land has the Manitou and Baptism rivers on it and has some ecologically important characteristics that would have been lost if it went into development. " Hundreds of thousands of acres of privately owned forest and some state- and county-owned land has been sold for development across northern Minnesota. Lake County plans to sell an equally valued amount of county land in already developed areas to pay for the deal, said Clair Nelson, Lake County Board chairman. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/15760487.htm

Wisconsin:10) Eagle - Restoring the Scuppernong River to its original path from the 1800s, building an extension to the Ice Age Trail and planting about 50 acres of trees next spring are among the plans for the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The nearly 22,000-acre forest stretches 30 miles from the Village of Dousman to Whitewater, in the counties of Waukesha, Jefferson and Walworth. More than a million people visit the park each year for such recreational purposes as hunting, fishing, camping, mountain biking, cross country skiing and snowmobiling. The forest features more than 300 campsites, 160 miles of hiking trails and four lakes with a total of 860 acres of water. Ron Kurowski, state forest park naturalist, said ongoing management work will be done in the Scuppernong River Habitat Area - a 3,500-acre wetland complex that hosts a wide variety of habitats, including sedge meadows, cattail marshes and oak savanna. Mike Sieger, from the DNR forestry division, said that regular tree plantings continued primarily last spring, with about 55 acres of new trees planted, including white pine, spruce and white oak. Another nearly 45 acres of trees is expected to be planted in spring 2007, he said. Almost 300 acres of primarily pine forests are in active harvest, to clean out trees that have died because of insects and disease, or to thin them out to promote more-healthful growing conditions, Sieger said. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17312902 & BRD=1400 & PAG=461 & dept_id=173209 & rfi=6

Texas: 11) Knocking down Restoring the Scuppernong River hasn't been a problem in the past. Picking it up and getting it off the land has, said a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher. That will change with a new mesquite harvester for use in wood-to-ethanol production, said Dr. Jim Ansley, Experiment Station rangeland ecologist. The only one of these machines in existence was demonstrated at the 2006 Range and Wildlife Field Day on Oct. 5 in Vernon. But Ansley said it won't be the only one for long with commercial production expected soon. A combination of the U.S.'s dependency on foreign oil and a growing problem for producers with brush encroachment, which reduces grasses and production and water availability, has driven his recent work. " We're emphasizing mesquite and we're targeting ethanol conversion, although there are other bioconversions that could take place, " Ansley said. He said there are an estimated 51 million acres of mesquite in Texas, with 30 million acres of moderate to dense mesquite in Central Texas. Mesquite is drought hardy, fixes its own nitrogen, requires no seeding, fertilization or irrigation, resprouts vigorously after topkill and grows on dry, nutrient-poor soils, he said. Finding a profitable use for it is a win-win situation. A conventional brush-cutting machine such as the Barko 775C or HydroAxe is used to fell or rough cut the trees. These brush cutters have a large rotor in front with what are called hammers on it to knock down the brush The new harvesting machine is not self-powered and is pulled through the felled trees with the HydroAxe, Ansley said. It is powered by the HydroAxe with a hydraulic system. With another rotor and more hammers, the felled wood is further broken up and then sucked up a chute and into a hydraulically hinged bin. From there, the wood can be dumped into trucks and hauled to an ethanol plant, where it would be further ground into a sawdust and entered into the ethanol-production system, he said. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Harvesting_Machine_Driving_Mesquite_to_Ethanol_Potential_999.html

Louisiana:12) Governor's Advisory Panel to the Science Working Group on Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use. The advisory panel is composed of 35 individuals who represent a variety of entities, including state and federal agencies, foundations, the private sector, agriculture and the forest industry. A Science Working Group, consisting of environmental scientists from federal agencies and universities, was established to provide scientific guidance and recommendations to the governor. Among the recommendations offered by the Science Working Group was a definitive need for the governor to place a moratorium on the logging of cypress trees in both state-owned and privately owned lands that are characterized by heavy flooding. The moratorium would be maintained until the environmental conditions are sufficient to permit the sustainability of cypress forests. The cypress tree, an icon of wetland ecosystems in Louisiana, is a very sensitive environmental subject because of its significant economic value. The rapid and dramatic degradation of the wetlands in southern Louisiana has threatened the sustainability of cypress forests. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to protect cypress trees in those regions of the wetlands where the generation of new forests is very unlikely. Unfortunately, the advisory panel was unable to reach a consensus regarding a recommendation for the governor to implement a moratorium on the logging of cypress. The inability of the advisory panel to support such a moratorium is truly tragic and, in my opinion, irresponsible because of the devastating consequences that are associated with extensive logging. http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/4389971.html13) New Orleans - Data glitches have delayed the process of cutting more than 300 trees on private property along the London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, but a corps project manager hopes the work can begin during the last few days of October and wrap up by year's end. The dragnet aims to remove all trees and bushes growing within the levee proper, as well as those inside newly announced safety zones that extend six feet from the landside toes of the levees that line the outfall canals. Corps officials say that a combination of sound engineering, lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, and the corps' own regulations -- often ignored before Katrina struck -- dictate that vegetation cannot be allowed to grow where roots disturbed by tropical weather could create paths for water to undermine levees or floodwalls. Most of the trees and shrubs scheduled for removal on the London and 17th Street canals are on the backyard fringes of homes that abut the levees. It is anticipated that another 200 or more trees and shrubs will be removed east of the 17th Street Canal, but a tree count in the New Orleans neighborhood that backs up to the canal hasn't been finalized. In the name of increased levee safety, the corps began removing vegetation and trees on public property and levee rights of way this summer, but none has yet been cut on private property. Corps representatives had hoped to start cutting along the London Avenue Canal by the middle of this month, but project manager Michael Stout said two private contractors working in the field had some problems transferring tree inventory information among themselves. http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/eastjefferson/index.ssf?/base/news-4/11605481176210.xml & coll=1

Ohio:14) American Electric Power regularly receives complaints from residents who hate the way their trees look after the company's contractors prune them to keep them away from power lines. But the alternative, a chemical that stunts tree growth and lessens the need for pruning, also is making some people uneasy. AEP spends tens of millions of dollars a year to prune in Ohio to prevent power outages during ice, snow- and windstorms, utility officials say. A lesser-known remedy includes injecting the soil around trees with the growth inhibitor Paclobutrazol. The chemical limits the growth of tree cells, particularly in branches, said Rich Simpson, forestry supervisor with AEP Ohio. Sold under the brand name Cambistat, the chemical has been around for about 15 years. AEP last used it in the area five years ago. The program resumed last month in parts of Dublin and on Columbus' Northeast Side, and will continue through November in other Columbus neighborhoods, Simpson said. Forestry experts agree that Paclobutrazol is relatively safe when used correctly. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/14/20061014-C1-01.html

Virginia:15) What's happening in northeastern Spotsylvania County is typical of the relentless pace of development replacing greenery in fast-growing Northern Virginia, according to a new report, " The State of Chesapeake Forests. " Published last month by The Conservation Fund, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Chesapeake Executive Council, the study is the first in-depth look at deforestation in the bay watershed. " With the loss of approximately 750,000 acres--equivalent to 20 Washington D.C.'s--to development within the last 25 years, the forests of the Chesapeake Bay are at a crossroads, " says Larry Selzer, the Conservation Fund's president. According to the report, the watershed, which includes Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, loses 100 acres of woodland every day. Jena Thompson, spokeswoman for the Conservation Fund, said the phenomenon is apparent in the Fredericksburg area. " We're seeing the greatest loss from Richmond, along the I-95 corridor, up to Harrisburg, Pa. " For Virginia, the report examines the period from 1984 to 2002, using Forest Service data and estimates based on satellite images. Spotsylvania tops area localities in the amount of forest lost over the 18-year period, with a decrease of 6.5 percent. The county had 185,000 acres of forest in 1984, and 173,000 acres in 2002 for a net loss of 12,000 acres. Orange County was next, with a 6.1 percent loss of forest over the period, according to the report. Acreage decreased from 121,000 acres to 113,000. King George and Stafford counties' forest acreage dropped 5.3 percent from 193,000 acres to 183,000. The two localities were combined by the Forest Service in its sampling data. Caroline County lost 3.3 percent of its forest, from 263,000 acres, to 254,000 acres. Louisa County's total dropped 0.5 percent from 232,000 acres in 1984 to 231,000 acres in 2002. Surprisingly, some localities' forest increased over the survey period. Westmoreland's acreage, for example, grew by 7 percent, from 77,000 acres to 82,000 acres. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/102006/10122006/228300Vermont:

16) PITTSFIELD — Cascade Street residents are unhappy with the city's decision to auction 12 acres of unused neighborhood forest during today's surplus land auction. About 20 of them gathered on the side of the narrow country road yesterday afternoon and met with Mayor James M. Ruberto and Deanna Ruffer, community development director, to air their concerns. This parcel, the largest of 45 lots to be sold today at 2 during the auction at City Hall, has a listed starting bid of $104,500. It is the former site of a stone quarry, but is mostly pristine forest land heavily used by the neighborhood for horseback riding and hiking. " This land needs to be kept preserved, " said Kate Kirchner. " We have horse trails and walking trails in there. It's very special, and it would be awful if it was developed. I guess it all amounts to dollars and cents. It's very sad. " Neighbors also were concerned about traffic problems, saying that there is too much traffic for the narrow road already, and that many drivers are moving too fast. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/localnews/ci_4492460Pennsylvania: 17) CHAMBERSBURG - Trees were the topic in a Franklin County courtroom yesterday -- thousands of trees Shippensburg officials claim were stolen from Gunter Valley Reservoir in the early 1990s. They were taken by fired borough water superintendent Richard C. Kelley Sr. and Orrstown sawmill operator Donald Johnson, the borough claims in a lawsuit against the two. The oaks, ash and other hardwoods were worth more than $300,000, borough witnesses told the jury during the second day of the civil trial. The trial is occurring 10 years after the borough filed suit and 11 years after state police first charged Kelley and Johnson with the thefts. The initial criminal counts were dropped, but Kelley was charged again, and in 2003 a Cumberland County jury convicted him of taking more than $40,000 in bribes from Johnson to allow illegal timbering. Kelley served a 6- to 23-month prison term. Johnson wasn't prosecuted because the time limit for prosecuting him expired. It was longer for Kelley because he was a public official. Hay testified yesterday that he called police after finding many trees missing from Gunter Valley in northern Franklin County in 1993. Borough officials ordered timbering to stop in 1990, he said. Attorneys for Kelley and Johnson questioned Hay's claim that the missing trees were valuable. They argued that many were killed by gypsy moths, a contention that Hay disputed. Borough officials claim they weren't sure timber had been stolen until the 1995 arrests. Kelley's and Johnson's lawyers insisted rumors of timber thefts had emerged years earlier. Mike Horn, a witness called by Sharpe, said he saw Johnson leave Gunter Valley with a load of timber in late summer or early fall of 1994. The trial is to resume today in Judge Douglas W. Herman's courtroom. http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1160532626203150.xml & coll=1 & thispage=2

New Jersey:18) FAIRFIELD TWP. -- Over a century-old trees in Fairton standing in the way of a proposed project to widen Main Street are healthy, according to a New Jersey certified tree expert. The project may be put on hold until engineers find a way to preserve the trees. Mark Demitroff of Buckhorn Garden Services in Vineland analyzed the over 150-year-old maples on Tuesday, which would stand in the right-of-way of the county road if its shoulders are widened from 6- to 8-feet. Freeholder Director Doug Rainear called Demitroff " a renowned expert " and said while the Department of Transportation will still proceed with the project, he will ask them to grant an exception to save the trees. " If (Demitroff) says they're healthy, we will do everything possible to save those trees, " he remarked. http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/local/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1160731503206630.xml & coll=10

 

South Carolina:

19) Charleston --This morning, the Charleston front of the South to South solidarity campaign went to the Double Tree Hotel to continue this weeks protest around the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). They used guerrilla theater to call for a halt of deforestation and expose the social impacts in Chile, Brazil and the US South caused by timber plantations. The campaign also demands a global ban on the new threat of genetically engineered (GE) trees. " Short term profits at the expense of future generations of all species is not acceptable " declared Mother Earth, to the crowd of scientists and corporate executives. People dressed as a GE tree, an ArborGen CEO, and forest critters, showed the dangers of GE trees, while a hazmat team secured the contaminated area. The industry conference was organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations and co-sponsored by Summerville, SC-based ArborGen. ArborGen leads the world in research into genetically engineered trees and the IUFRO will be organizing another similar conference next week in Chile. ArborGen works in both in the US South and in Brazil. Massive tree plantations in Chile and Brazil have forced both the Mapuche of Chile and the Guarani and Tupinikum of Brazil off of their land. Plantations decimate huge areas of forest, cause sickness in nearby villages and increase global warming. Using genetically engineered trees will only worsen these impacts. http://www.stopgetrees.orgTennessee:20) A neighbor of mine who was approached by the survey crew for access to his property says they first said they were surveying for a controversial sewer line but he has since discovered that actually it involves a secretive " land swap " between a private landowner in the vicinity of " umbrella rock, " a well known landmark at the point where Sequatchie, Marion and Hamilton counties meet. The swap would exchange a tract of existing Prentice Cooper State Forest land near Nolan Elementary School that is apparently desired by the county and connected with undisclosed plans for construction of a major sports stadium for the new high school and middle school complex. My neighbor doesn't think this is right and neither do I. But this is typical of the way our neighborhood has been treated for the last 15 years. Nothing is done openly and honestly with proper notice to residents - it's all kept quiet until development is seemingly a foregone conclusion. The land swap is apparently an attempt to " mend some fences " after extensive walking trails and recreation areas in the Shackleford Ridge Park were either destroyed or made a part of the Hamilton County schools developments with no notice to residents. Signal resident Sam Powell, who has worked for 30 years to promote the Cumberland Trail and had worked hard to develop an extensive walking trail system in the Shackleford Ridge park area, was totally blind-sided when the school development plans were revealed, as we all were. I think the Cumberland Trail is a great asset, but we don't need to destroy all the natural amenities within our community as trade-offs for it. Further, this involves state land - the people's land. The people should have a voice in its stewardship. Rumors abound that a $60,000 stadium, somehow quietly negotiated by Dick Casavant, is in the works to be built at Shackleford Ridge Park right adjacent to private homes. While this might be seen as a good thing to have, for it to be plunked down right next to residences with no prior notice is just not right. http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_94575.aspFlorida:21) Florida loses about 1,200 acres of forest to development per week, but a new program launched Wednesday is designed to slow the loss by helping private landowners become aware of the benefits and opportunities for managing forest land. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services calls the initiative the most comprehensive outreach in the Division of Forestry's 79-year history. The program is designed to help Florida's 45 county foresters connect with landowners in the 15 districts they serve. Agriculture department specialists said that more of the state's estimated 14.5 million acres of forest land is being sold off in smaller parcels and many newer landowners need tools to help them make sound decisions about the property. In Seminole County, Gallagher estimated, at least 10,000 acres of forested land are in private hands, and perhaps another 15,000 acres in Brevard. Hundreds or thousands of individual owners control the property, but probably less than 5 percent are participating in any kind of forest-management program. One such program, he said, is called Forest Stewardship, and is aimed mainly at new landowners. A free custom-designed five-year land management program is developed for participating landowners. It not only explains what the property owner can do to enhance wild life or timber production, but " explains why it's a good thing. It's soup to nuts, " Gallagher said. Another free service is called the Tree Farm program and is designed for more experienced landowners to help them become " certified " forest owners and operators, for profit. Relatively few small landowners of 10 acres or more take advantage of logging opportunities, but they are options even in relatively urban areas, Gallagher said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-forestland1206oct12,0,927951.story?coll=orl-business-he

adlines22) KISSIMMEE -- Trees blocking billboards on West U.S. Highway 192 have won a reprieve -- at least for now. " This is like waiting for a stay of execution, " said Hector Lizasuain, coordinator of the West 192 Redevelopment District. " I feel like these trees are strapped in, and they're looking at the clock, and it's ticking. We're waiting for the governor to call and say the trees are saved. " On Tuesday, Lizasuain had a crew begin cutting back a stand of crape myrtles but halted the work after learning Wednesday that billboard owner Clear Channel Outdoor was willing to negotiate how many trees would be cut down. The state Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the highway right of way, told Lizasuain it was trying to work out an agreement with the billboard company. Clear Channel said the trees never should have been planted because they violated a state law protecting the viewing zones of advertising signs. The DOT only stepped in after Clear Channel wrote to the agency in July demanding the removal of the " offending vegetation. " The Orlando Sentinel reported Saturday that the DOT ordered the trees removed by Oct. 17. The news sparked outrage from readers. " Hwy 192 was awful before the beautification came along. Now after it's completed billboard companies can butcher it. Something is wrong, " wrote James Browski, director of Indian Ridge Oaks homeowners association off U.S. 192, in an e-mail to a reporter. Craig Swygert, general manager of Clear Channel Outdoor's Orlando division, said he was busy answering a barrage of angry phone calls and " hate mail. " http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-trees1206oct12,0,6047901.story?coll=orl-news-

headlines-osceolaMaine:23) OLD TOWN - Roxanne Quimby agreed to allow continued public access to 23,000 acres she owns near Katahdin Lake after a 2-hour meeting Friday that raised hope for eventual peace among warring sportsmen, environmentalists and loggers. As part of the agreement, hunting, ATV riding, snowmobiling and other activities allowed on the land before the wealthy conservationist's $10 million purchase last month will continue until Sept. 1, 2007. The agreement temporarily alleviates sportsmen and logger concerns that the purchase deprived them of access to land they have used for decades and opens the door to further talks. It also shows Quimby's willingness to address critics who have claimed that her endeavors threaten the Katahdin region's way of life, participants said.. A seasonal resident of Winter Harbor, she is already unpopular with many rural Mainers because of her long-standing opposition to hunting and mechanized recreation on the 90,000 acres she owns in northern Maine. She has been a proponent of creating a national park near Baxter State Park. Katahdin region officials have said that continued purchases such as Quimby's decrease room for economic growth, forestry industry and tourist dollars in a rural area already suffering from heavy unemployment and poverty. For two of those officials, Millinocket Town Manager Eugene Conlogue and Town Councilor Wallace Paul, the meeting was their first with Quimby. " It was a very cordial introductory meeting, " Paul said Friday. " She was described to me in the past as a very focused person. I agree with that. " There was a lot of thoughtful discussion and ideas. I think all parties left happy and intrigued, " Paul added. " We're all interested in where this can go. " Quimby's agreement negated the need for state officials to build a new 4,000-foot-long road connecting about 1,750 acres owned by H.C. Haynes-Crawford to about 10,000 acres of WT Gardner & Sons land, Meyers said. The road would have been needed to bypass Quimby's recent purchase had she banned sportsmen and loggers from her land. Republican gubernatorial candidate Chandler Woodcock agreed the road is unnecessary. He called for an end to plans to build the road, which has an estimated cost of about $30,000, and for a re-examination of the proposed Katahdin Lake deal. http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/statewide.aspx?articleid=141812 & zoneid=500

Canada:24) An Anglican church on Newfoundland's west coast has taken drastic measures to halt vandalism at its cemeteries, cutting down the trees that surround gravestones. In the most recent incident, vandals toppled and smashed headstones three weeks ago at two cemeteries owned by St. Mary's Anglican Church of Corner Brook. The church hopes vandals will be deterred by being in plain view. " What else can we do but cut the trees down and hope to keep them away from here? " asked caretaker George Sheppard. " If they've got no place to hide, then they can't be here, I guess. " One of the cemeteries, in the neighbouring town of Curling, has been vandalized four times in recent years. Sheppard said the vandals were not casual in their destruction. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/10/13/cemetery-vandalism.html

25) When not cooking, waiting tables or begging neighbors for vegetables that missed a supplier's weekly shipment, Ms. May found time for environmental work. Gradually she become noticed, not just in Cape Breton but nationally, for organizing a campaign against aerial spraying by the pulp and paper industry, which spread a toxic cloud over the entire island. It was a difficult crusade. The closing of coal mines and the decline of fishing had brought unofficial unemployment levels in Cape Breton to over 30 percent. For many people, work meant cutting spruce trees or leaving the island. But the province eventually banned all aerial spraying of insecticides. With credit for her work experience, Ms. May was admitted to law school in Halifax without even an undergraduate degree, and won scholarships that paid her living expenses and tuition. After practicing advocacy law for a while, she accepted a post in 1986 as special adviser to the environment minister in the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney. But that ended two years later, when the government allowed a province to build two dams in Saskatchewan without an environmental assessment, and Ms. May quit in protest. A court later found that the government had acted improperly, though the dams were ultimately built. In 1989, she started the Sierra Club of Canada and, as in Cape Breton, took on unpopular causes — in particular, Alberta's oil sands or, as she prefers, "tar sands." While they are a source of wealth for Western Canada and oil for the United States, they require tremendous quantities of natural gas in the extraction process — a huge contribution to the greenhouse gases that are widely believed to be contributing to global warming. "So we've got a huge amount of energy being consumed in order to produce the oil, which we then sell to the United States for cars that don't have proper energy efficiency standards," she said. "This is an appalling megaproject." http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/14/world/americas/14green.html?ex=1318478400 & en=953df2a017d1920a & ei=5

088 & partner=rssnyt & emc=rss26) The 21st century will be probably known as the era of environmentalism, natural capitalism, scientific integration, globalization, and participatory governance. Naturally, in this new era, the conceptual framework of forest resource management will be different than its existing framework. Hence, the Faculty of Forestry, on the occasion of its Centennial Celebrations, has taken up a challenge to develop a comprehensive Global Vision of Forestry in the 21st Century. The vision will be developed through an International Congress on this subject, and the Congress will be held on September 30-October 3, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. The Congress organisers would like to have inputs from every one who is concerned with the future state of our global forests, environment, and society. The organisers aim to bring invited speakers, poster presenters, and participants from all interested groups such as policy makers, forest managers, judges and legal experts, Aboriginal people, scientists, and forestry experts from forest industry, and international and non-government organizations. The congress discussions will be organised under the following 3 themes: 1) Global Challenges, Responsibilities and Leadership in Forestry, 2) Frontiers of Science and a Healthy and Diverse Forest Environment 3) Cultures, Markets and Sustainable Societies. http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/centennial/int_congress.htmUK: 27) The Forestry Commission and Castle Howard Estate have sealed a far-reaching agreement which will restore up to 600 hectares of ancient woodland, including oaks more than 500 years old. The five-year plan was sealed with money from the English Woodland Grant Scheme. Work will take decades to complete and involves gradually removing non-native species, like conifers and sycamore, from key sites identifies as ecological hotspots. It will allow trees including oak, rowan, birch and alder to flourish, as well as wild flowers. Iwan Downey, operations manager with the Forestry Commission, said: " The Forestry Commission is restoring all of its ancient woods in Yorkshire, but the private sector is also playing its part. " This work will restore their vigour and character. Not only will wildlife benefit, but also flora like bluebells. It will also ensure a sustainable supply of valuable hardwood in centuries to come. " Woods are classed as ancient if they appear on the earliest reliable maps – dating to around 1600. But some at Castle Howard are believed to be much older. Nick Cooke, Forestry Manager at Castle Howard, said: " These are really exciting times on the estate. We are compiling a database of veteran trees and using forestry grants to speed woodland restoration. The revitalised woods will offer a glorious natural counterpoint to the house. " The Forestry Commission has also saluted Castle Howard for achieving a " green bill of health " for its eco-friendly woodland management. http://www.maltontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=806 & ArticleID=1814134

Scotland:28) A long-term strategy for Scottish forestry was published yesterday by the Scottish Executive. Rhona Brankin, forestry minister, said the aim was to ensure that Scotland's trees had a central role in the battle against climate change and the efforts to improve public health, support the economy and enhance Scotland's environmental quality. A tall order, some critics suggested, but Brankin insisted: " Our forests are wonderful resources and have far-reaching benefits including helping in the battle against climate change, transforming urban and industrial areas and providing spaces for healthy activities. " Responsibility for much of the strategy - in preparation for more than a year, with the aid of two public consultations - will be with the Forestry Commission. David Crichton, chief executive of the private forest industry organisation ConFor (Confederation of Forest Industries) said: " I'm delighted the Foresty Commission has responded to industry comment and has emphasised the important economic, social and environmental roles of forestry. The benefit of an expanding sustainable supply of wood from Scotland's forests is also recognised. " http://business.scotsman.com/agriculture.cfm?id=149732200629) TREES planted as a tax dodge are being felled to help restore an area of bog to its natural state. A £135,000 funding package was announced yesterday by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to carry out the work at Altnabreac in Caithness. The money has been awarded to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to remove the conifer plantation due to its damaging impact on the underlying blanket bog and potential effects on peatland that is of international importance. During the 1970s and 1980s, non-native trees were planted in the area in a tax loophole created under the Thatcher government. Until 1988, any investment in woodland could be written off against personal income tax. Among those who bought land were celebrities such as Cliff Richard and Terry Wogan. The loophole was closed after pressure from environmental groups, concerned that the peatlands were being destroyed. The 365-acre forest block now being cleared was planted in the 1980s. It has just been bought by the RSPB, which plans to start tree-felling this month. Drains were cut into the deep peat prior to tree planting. In addition to the damage caused by the drainage, the growing trees dry out and further damage the peatland habitat. Lesley Cranna, SNH's area manager, said: " The felling and restoration of this block is just like slotting in an important piece into the peatland jigsaw. It takes us nearer to our goal of re-establishing a healthy peatland ecosystem. " http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1497882006European Union:30) As part of its annual environmental performance assessment, five "giant" tissue manufacturers that make up 75 per cent of the European market — Georgia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark, Metsa Tissue, Procter & Gamble and SCA Tissue — were scored by WWF across a range of criteria, including their levels of recycled content, wood sourcing practices, pollution control and transparency. This year, two of the five companies achieved a score of over 50 per cent, compared with none in 2005. Metsa Tissue received a 53 per cent score, while SCA Tissue achieved 69 per cent, the only company to get a "green mark". SCA Tissue, the producer of such brands as Danke, Edet, Zewa, Cosy and Velvet, is the only surveyed company that is able to ensure that wood fibres used in its products don't come from poorly-managed forests. This manufacturer also promotes the highest environmental and social standards in forest management, reaching 89 per cent of the achievable scores on sourcing. Metsa Tissue is the only company to increase recycled fibre levels in its consumer products. http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=82120Lebanon:

31) Another quite visible difference in the North is the lack of Lebanese Army check points, with only one or two stationed along the way, compared to four or five along various routes in the South.But the biggest hint of all? Not a single billboard of Hizbullah's " Divine Victory " or blown-up images of the war. No pictures of wounded children and demolished homes or images of past and present Hizbullah leaders. Instead, the usual pictures of scantily dressed women promoting makeup or clothes and those of artists and other marketing images dominate the roadside billboards. Perhaps the most symbolic area in the North was that of the protected Lebanese Cedars Forest in Bsharri, where a nationalistic symbol has become a historical symbol as well. " Watch your step, as there are new cedar trees growing, slowly but surely, " warned one of the forest's guard as new vulnerable cedars were seen growing about the forest, with protective metallic bars planted around them like cradles. " This is Lebanon, " said the guard, pointing to a grand tree over 2,000 years old, over 40 meters high, and with many of its branches broken. " Broken many times, but still living, " said the guard, adding that it probably witnessed the passage of Jesus himself through this area. The cedars of Lebanon are cited 75 times in the Bible. As a result of over-exploitation, very few old cedar trees remain in Lebanon, but there is now an active program to conserve and regenerate the forests. But there is one catch. As with a large number of programs currently afoot in Lebanon, this one is based on " generous donations " of the visitors, and a sign at the entrance of the forest reads: " Please donate to save Lebanon's cedars. " http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1 & categ_id=1 & article_id=76060Ghana:

32) The scandal is specifically about the controversial grant of 500hectares of forest plantation to a timber company, Pans Sawmill Ltd, as a replacement for the loss of its natural concession, which was developed by the state to become Kakum National Park. The paper has been informed that what was so hazy about the transaction was that Pans Timber was not the only company that petitioned the government over the loss of its concession to the state since several other companies who had suffered a similar fate had previously appealed to the government for replacement way before Pans did but had all been refused on the grounds that there was no natural concession for replacements to be made. The Chronicle gathered that a prominent Non-Governmental Organization in the Forestry Sector, Environmental Monitoring Foundation, which assists the government in plugging revenue leakages in the timber sector, smelt something fishy and drew the attention of the Ministry of National Security to the transaction, which was considered questionable and unbeneficial to the state.The NGO had written to the National Security, drawing its attention to the fact that FC had issued 100,000m3 permit valued at $35million (¢326billion) to Pan Sawmill Ltd under mysterious circumstances. The NGO went further to allege that, Pans Ltd had transferred the concession to another company called Fortuna, which had started felling trees from the plantation with arrangements afoot at the Takoradi Port for shipment of the timber felled from the concession. The concerned NGO appealed to the Ministry to stop the company from further loading until full-scale investigation, was conducted to ensure that all revenues due the state had been paid and all Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) procedures and documentation followed. However, sources at the port had informed the paper that a vessel had already departed fully laden with timber. http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/thestory.asp?id=12230Angola:33) According to Cabinda's provincial director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Alector Araújo, the local forest guards need adequate equipment such as binoculars and modern communication radios. He added that the installing of cameras and alert systems in game parks to detect the actions of poachers are also means that might favour a good and efficient control of the fauna and flora. The director general of the Forest Development Institute (IDF) of eastern Moxico province, Isaac Víctor said that his department needs to increase the current number of guards (40) to the double, in order to fight against poaching and cutting down of trees to manufacture coal and wood. " Although hunting has been prohibited nationwide since 2005 due to the killing of various endangered animals, most hunters violate this regulation as a result of deficient supervision " , he stressed. http://allafrica.com/stories/200610100734.htmlBrazil:34) More than 70 million hectares (173 million acres) of the forest legally will be either off-limits to development or reserved only for sustainable use by the end of the year, said Tasso Azevedo, director of Brazil's Forest Service. Only about 30 million hectares (74 million acres) had been declared protected before 2003, when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office pledging to decrease deforestation, Azevedo said. The federal government has since declared the protection of almost 20 million hectares (49 million acres), while state authorities protected an additional 8 million hectares (19 million acres). " We need to give credit to the government because it really increased the protected areas in recent years, " said Paulo Adario, director of Greenpeace's Amazon campaign. " They did it in great part because they were being pressured by the society and by environmental groups, but they did it. " Many environmental institutions, including Greenpeace, have criticized the government, however, saying the protected areas were announced but very little was done to ensure they were not abused by loggers, farmers and cattle ranchers. " They were created only on paper, " Adario said. " They help, but more needs to be done. " Azevedo said Brazil has spent about 200 million Brazilian reals (US$93 million; €74 million) fighting deforestation, including hiring agents for Brazil's environmental protection agency. Azevedo also said Brazil would present a proposal at the next international environmental meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in November, to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/14/america/LA_GEN_Brazil_Amazon_Protection.php

India:35) The tress like Bargad, Peepal, Sal, Mahua, Aonla, that used to adorn India's wilderness have grown old and cry for re-generation. Appreciably some Indian states are planning to grow species of such traditional trees. Economic value of the green cover in India and other nations is increasing but biotic pressures, insensitivity and lack-lustrous approach to plantation portend dangers. Swelling human habitations have led to shrinkage of forest areas threatening the resources of livelihoods. Resorting to regeneration of forest wealth is the only alternative in sight. Younger generation must know the importance of Neem Anola, Peepal, Bargad, Mahua and other traditional trees. Renowned scholar and poet R.W. Emerson once asked his disciple David Henry Thoreau to learn profusely from the oriental mystic perception of environment. Thoreau followed his teacher and produced his immortal work " Walden " after experiencing the divine life cycles of the Nature. Obviously, the urgent need in to have a spirited perception of environment economy. Trees have a special significance in the life of an ordinary Indian citizen. Many fasts and rituals are observed in the name of trees like Vat Savitri, Kevda Teej, Shitla Pooja, Anola Ekadashi, Ashok Pratipada, Amra Pushpa Bhakashan Vrat. The " Manu Smirty " saya trees have a consciousness and they could feel joy and agony. Bramha Puran mentions that the Neem tree sheltered the sun God to escape the sight of Danavas of Devils, hence the Neem tree is full of energies. Those who speak ill under the Neem tree falls sick and finally go to Hell. Mahua is an elixir for tribal communities. Their life revolves round Mahua tree. Every God has a special liking for a tree. Lord Hanuman dwells in Mango tree, Kadamb tree is closely associated with the life of Lord Krishna. Lord Shiva loves Rudraksha tree, Kamdeo resides in Ashoka and Lord Varuna in coconut tree. http://www.centralchronicle.com/20061014/1410302.htm36) Bangalore: The State Government has permitted felling of trees on the large extant of Bane lands, also known as jumma lands, in Kodagu district. This category of land exists only in Kodagu district and these lands were made over to the people by the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore and other rulers. People of Kodagu have been fighting for the ownership of the trees on their Bane lands over the past four years. The ban was introduced following a circular issued by the Forest Department, which stated that owners of such lands enjoyed limited privileges and could not claim ownership over the trees. The Forest Minister immediately directed the withdrawal of the order issued in 2004. Mr. Ramachandra Gowda said the Government had also decided to shelve the proposal for formation of a Greater Talacauvery National Park. Under the plan, several forest belts including the famous Nagarahole National Park were to be merged into a giant national park. The formation of such a park would have resulted in the Government taking over a large number of coffee estates and hence the local Kodagu population was against the park.The State Government has also decided to relocate over 700 families of tribal people residing in the peripheral areas of the Nagarahole National Park. They would be provided all facilities. Mr. Ramachandra Gowda said the authorities would speed up the applications pertaining to regularisation of encroached lands and around 34,000 acres would be made over to the people shortly. To prevent elephant menace, the District in-charge Minister said the Government would look into erecting solar fencing around the forest areas. http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/13/stories/2006101314590300.htmThailand:37) Phatthalung - Stringent action is needed to save the Banthat mountain range from deforestation, which could lead to flash floods and mudslides affecting more than two million people in four southern provinces, a wildlife official said yesterday. Around 60,000 out of 805,000 rai (1,288 sq km) of the forest area has been destroyed so far, sparking concerns about possible ''catastrophic effects'' in Satun, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla provinces, said Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary chief Sanit Ongsala. Though the deforestation in the South was less severe than in the North, this should not provide an excuse for taking no action, he said. The forest on the Banthat mountain range, which stretches out to the four provinces, has served as a natural barrier against powerful torrents. Without trees to hold the soil, rainfall could easily trigger devastating mudslides that could affect up to 61 villages down below. ''Coastal fishing in the Andaman sea as well as in Songkhla lake would also bear a severe impact [of the mudslides],'' Mr Sanit said. Deforestation on the Banthat mountains is most severe in Manang sub-district and Langu, Thung Wa, and Khuan Ka Long districts of Satun province, where log poaching is rife and vast forest areas have been turned into rubber and fruit plantations. Provincial officials are empowered by the Interior Ministry to take strong legal action against log poachers and forest encroachers. However, Mr Sanit said, some state officials were reportedly involved in forest destruction themselves. The wildlife sanctuary plans to appoint village volunteers, 10 people for each village, to help it crack down on log poachers, he said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/14Oct2006_news05.php38) The immediate crisis the newly-installed government of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont faces are the floods, which have ravaged farmland, residential and commercial areas in 46 provinces. The worst-affected area appears to be the Chao Phraya River basin _ including Ang Thong and Ayutthaya provinces _ which is absorbing excess water from the overflowing river and its tributaries. As usual, the best the government could do now is to resort to stop-gap measures to deal with the problem. The provision of food, medicine, drinking water and other necessities to the victims will mitigate their suffering. But there seems to be little that the government can do to prevent flooding in the rural areas, or more flooding in the affected areas _ a feat which requires long-term planning and proper water management. Also, it could do a lot more in the rehabilitation of affected areas after the waters recede. The average farmer blames the severe flooding this year on too much rain, to the extent that the country's major dams have filled up to capacity and excess water had to be drained, thus swelling the rivers downstream. But for a top-notch water expert like His Majesty the King, it is not the rains that should be blamed for causing the flood problem. He said that the amount of rainfall this year has not been that much different from the previous year's. The main problem lies in improper management of rainfall. But more importantly, as recently stated by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Kasem Sanitwong Na Ayutthaya, deforestation must be addressed in earnest and extensive reforestation should be implemented so that excess rainwater can be absorbed and thus mitigate the problem of flooding. http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/12Oct2006_news15.php