151 - 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.The newsletter comes out 2-3 times per week and can be viewed below, or on the web at http://www.livejournal.com/users/olyecology or by email if you by sending a blank email message to earthtreenews---British

Columbia: 1) Log 36 hectares of Clayoquot per year for five years, 2)

Alberni Valley residents must have local control, 3) Long-term

community forestry agreements, 4) Burnaby neighborhood objects to

pipeline, 5) Cave covered in stumps, 6) New forest policy ruined the

industry,--Oregon: 7) State Board plans future of USFS/BLM, 8) Clear Dodger Timber Sale, 9) Neighborhood deforestation,--Wisconsin: 10) Plans for a school forest--Louisiana: 11) Louisiana's cypress/tupelo forest data

--Mississippi: 12) Removing 8,000 dead or dying trees from Buccaneer State Park--Arkansas: 13) 16,000 acre easement for Moro Big Pine Wildlife Management Area,--Ohio:14) Running 50 miles for National Wildlife Federation, 15) Call Before You Cut,

--Vermont: 16) Timber cut on a high elevation 65-acre tract in Mount Holly, --Kentucky: 17) :Logging proceeds buys conservation land,--North Carolina: 18) Pisgah National Forest proposes cutting fewer trees

--USA: 19) Most all Federal logging rights are extended for up to 10 years,--Canada: 20) Illegal Yukon logs confiscated and sold for firewood--UK: 21) Less deforestation means less emissions--Russia: 22) loggers cut over 100 million cubic meters of timber a year

--South Africa: 23) Forestry Company to stay in state hands, 24) Rapid reforestation, --Mexico: 25) Los Tuxtlas reserve is the northernmost Tropical Rainforest--Costa Rica: 26) What's harming the Cloud forest?

--Peru: 27) More on the Achuar tribespeople's victory--Pakistan: 28) Provision of gas would be ensured to avoid the cutting of trees--Vietnam: 29) Vietnam Paper Corporation--Cambodia: 30) Court sentences illegal loggers

--Malaysia: 31) Forest rangers fail to protect Gunung Inas forest reserve,--Indonesia: 32) Who makes forest fires, 33) Wrong for EU to discriminate illegal wood, --Australia:

34) Forest blockade north-west of Dorrigo, 35) Campaign in the Upper

Florentine Valley, 36) Election eve's giant chainsaw-shaped platform,

37) logging has little effect on Catchments,--World-wide: 38) Transitioning from deforestation to afforestationBritish Columbia:1)

Kathryn Willis, a B.C. Timber Sales representative, said the Clayoquot

plans encompass 11,000 hectares of the 20,000 hectare Upper Kennedy

Watershed, and would allow contractors to log 36 hectares per year for

five years for a total of 180 hectares. "That will be the maximum

harvest level in the Upper Kennedy watershed," said Willis. The Upper

Kennedy Watershed is located on the west side of Sutton Pass and is

home to the Clayoquot Valley Witness Trail. So far, Forest Stewardship

Plans do not specify individual cut blocks. Long before any logging

takes place, B.C. Timber Sales, which now manages the Crown land and is

responsible for selling timber, must complete a 60-day review and

incorporate those comments into a final planning document. CRB members

weren't shy on providing feedback. Bruce Frank, a CRB member

representing the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, the band which claims the

land as part of its traditional territory, said B.C. Timber Sales must

meet with his band's council. "I don't think I've ever seen you across

the table," he said. "Your consultation process didn't start at our

table." Frank said the TFN won't treat B.C. Timber Sales any different

than its own company, Isaak Forest Resources. B.C. Timber Sales, he

added, should work with the TFN to conduct cultural surveys. Jim

Lornie, provincial co-chair for the CRB, said B.C. Timber Sales must

follow recently announced watershed plans and the Clayoquot Sound

Scientific Panel, a collection of 170 recommendations developed after

the 1993 logging blockades. "That's what we as a board will be looking

to when we review that document." Mike Kokura, a CRB member

representing the province, said he wants to make sure the logging plans

don't turn into a "free for all." Kokura said some Alberni Valley

residents have been sitting in waist-deep water because of legislative

changes to private forest lands. http://www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=13792)

Save Our Valley Alliance (SOVA) wants to send a clear message to the

community, and to our local, regional, and provincial governments:

Alberni Valley residents must have local control over our water

sources! Our drinking water sources must be protected by comprehensive,

far-seeing watershed protection plans. These plans must have built-in

system-wide resilience. They must be able to account for extreme

events, like the one we've just experienced. These watershed protection

plans must categorically disallow any industrial and commercial

activity to be carried out in community watersheds. This includes

logging, mining, mineral exploration, and even most (if not all)

tourism activities. Other jurisdictions in BC do not allow their

drinking watersheds to be compromised or threatened by these

activities. Many have stringent access restrictions. Why are our water

sources allowed to be so vulnerable? Because they're mostly on or

surrounded by private lands, is what we're told, and local and

provincial governments cannot dictate to owners what they do on private

lands. As it is now, we have no mechanism to ensure sources of healthy

water. When our water source is harmed, we have no alternative sources

because our town is not surrounded by Crown land or TFLs that were

subject to at least some protective regulations. Instead, we all troop

off to local stores to buy bottled water, and spend hours (and money

for increased Hydro bills) boiling large quantities of water for

domestic use. We believe this lack of local control is evidence of a

failure to govern in the public interest. Our governments have

compromised the trust we've placed in them to responsibly manage for

our well-being. SOVA members encourage both the city and regional

district to use this recent event as a lever to demand that Alberni

residents have secure community watersheds, regardless of claims by

private land owners that they have the right to do what they want on

their land. Wishing and hoping that companies will act in our best

interest won't make it happen. http://saveourvalleyalliance.com/3)

Like the little engine that could, the growing community forest

movement in BC is succeeding despite formidable obstacles. This summer,

after many years of hard work by dozens of committed community

activists, both Harrop-Procter and Likely-Xats'ull were offered

long-term community forestry agreements. Robin Hood, manager of the

Likely-Xats'ull Community Forest and president of the BC Community

Forest Association (see our September newsletter) was pleased with the

new licence, proclaiming "our town is alive again." Replacing the

five-year pilots with new 25-year agreements will provide stability for

communities like Likely and Harrop-Procter. The agreement will help

them implement plans to create jobs, build wealth and sustain their

forests. The new, longer-term agreements are great news, but community

forests still face formidable obstacles. Government's forest policies

continue to hobble community forests. BC's forestry laws and policies

are skewed to favour high-volume, low-value industrial logging over

community-friendly and environmentally focused initiatives. Recent

changes to forestry laws have exacerbated this distortion, promoting

more control of public forests by fewer companies, and massive salvage

logging, Community forests do not own their own mills. They are "market

loggers" selling wood to mills and artisans. But without a competitive

log market in BC, most community forests are forced to sell to the

nearest large mill. The consolidation in the industry facilitated by

Liberal policies has worsened this problem—Western Forest Products

controls nearly half the logs on public forest lands; Canfor now

controls almost 12% of the cut. http://dogwoodinitiative.org/bulletins/overcomingobstacles 4)

When pipeline heavyweight Kinder Morgan began felling a thousand trees

along its right-of-way on Burnaby Mountain last September, it touched

off a protest it clearly didn't see coming. Early in the morning last

Sept. 18, a handful of local residents, angry they hadn't been told

about the clearcut being made behind their homes, banded together and

told the loggers and backhoes to stop cutting. The work stopped, and

the residents demanded a meeting with Kinder Morgan and called the

media. CBC and CTV showed up and got some footage and sound bites, and

then the matter seemed to quietly fall by the wayside. Since then, the

National Energy Board has approved the first phase of an expansion

project that seems to guarantee clashes with North America's largest

petroleum transporters will become much more common in the future. In

some cases those firms will be needing rights of way granted by First

Nations and other B.C. communities wary of forest clearcuts, pipeline

blowouts and other heightened risks. Paul Blundin, one of the

protesters and a spokesman for the angry Burnaby homeowners, said

people were upset because the 60-foot wide swath radically ordered by

Kinder Morgan dramatically altered the neighbourhood, which is mostly

strata-owned townhouses tucked into the forested slopes below Simon

Fraser University. " It's [called] the 'Forest Grove neighbourhood' [for

a reason], " said Bill Siksay, the NDP MP for Burnaby-Douglas, from his

cell phone in Ottawa. " When the forest comes down, there are people who

are rightly concerned about that. " Neither Siksay nor Blundin

challenged Kinder Morgan's right to maintain access to its pipeline.

The right-of-way was established in the 1950s and the National Energy

Board (NEB) requires companies to keep the lines clear so they can

quickly respond in the event of a spill. http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/11/23/Pipeline/5)

" It's not realistic that it won't be developed, " said Les Bjola, Bear

Mountain's developer. Mountain Resort CEO Len Barrie said he wants the

archeological evidence, past agreements and general facts presented to

all the First Nation leaders to defuse the conflict. When the

billion-dollar housing and resort project started five years ago,

Barrie said no aboriginal bands or individuals raised concerns about

sacred areas, despite requests for input. " The area was mined once,

logged twice and where was this cave in all those years? " Barrie said.

Cheryl Bryce, the Songhees land manager, disputes the assertion that

adequate consultation was done. Bryce says the Songhees were never

asked to submit comment, and that her first meeting with Bear Mountain

wasn't until February 2006. She, among others, called for a full

archeological assessment of the area. Two different archeological

firms, Millennia Research and Golder Associates, started surveying Bear

Mountain property and around Skirt Mountain. Last week's dispute arose

from the survey of the cave. Both firms did initial testing of soil

inside the entrance for artifacts or evidence of past use. But probing

deeper was deemed too dangerous, and by early November, the archeology

branch gave the OK to remove the cave's roof to complete the study. The

cave was drained of water, and its floor covered in geotextile matting

and tires to protect any archeological evidence from damage in case the

earth collapsed. The roof hasn't yet been removed, but the entrance

hole was plugged with tree stumps to prevent workers from falling in.

Bryce said no First Nations decision-makers were informed on the course

of action, and that damaging the cave was tantamount to desecrating an

aboriginal religious site. She called it the equivalent to " desecrating

a grave to prove it is a grave. …They want to destroy it to prove it

exists. To us the cave is sacred and it is our right to be able to

protect spiritual places. " http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=12 & cat=23 & id=776475 & more

6)

In a position paper delivered to the provincial government Wednesday,

the Truck Loggers Association proposes a " fresh vision " for the coast

that addresses issues set in motion by the province's 2003 Forest

Revitalization Plan. The TLA says the plan was a bold effort but market

forces derailed it. Instead of invigorating the industry, it initiated

a round of consolidation by major licensees to the point that 65 per

cent of the coastal forest is now controlled by four companies. The

independent contract loggers who harvest most of the coast's timber

gave Premier Gordon Campbell a standing ovation when he announced the

original policy changes at their annual convention in 2003. Now, almost

four years later, they say a " systematic reduction of the coastal log

market " has placed many of their businesses in jeopardy. " Today, log

shortages are common across the coast. At the same time, increasing

volumes of exports continue to leave the province while many

independent mill-investors are struggling to secure wood in the

marketplace to sustain their operations. " He used as an example a

policy called " take or pay " that provided flexibility so companies

could react to marketplace more quickly. They were required to pay

stumpage on everything they cut, but could leave timber behind if

market prices did not justify hauling it out. However, the Interior

mountain pine beetle epidemic upset normal market functions. Coastal

pulp hemlock fell in price because of a glut of wood chips from

beetle-killed Interior pine. Hemlock was harvested, but left on the

ground.http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/index.htmlOregon:7)

The Oregon Board of Forestry has launched an effort to give Oregonians

a greater voice in charting the future. The board has named a

broad-based advisory committee to help it develop a vision for how

federal forestlands can better contribute to Oregon's environmental,

economic and social wellbeing. Federal forests cover more than 16

million acres in Oregon - about 58 percent of the forest land base. The

board strives to consider forests of all ownerships - federal, private,

state, tribal and other - in seeking a sustainable flow of

environmental, economic and social benefits for Oregonians. Including

federal lands in the planning mix is a priority for Gov. Ted

Kulongoski, who has directed the board to serve as the state's main

forum for forest policy issues, and to craft a unified vision

describing the role of federal lands in making sustainable

contributions to Oregon's wellbeing. " Make your vision action-oriented

- and comprehensive, " he told the Board. " Don't stop at the first or

second steps. Go all the way to the last step, including

implementation. I believe states must be more actively involved in the

implementation of policy on federal lands. " Forestry board Chair Steve

Hobbs, who also chairs the advisory committee, said lawsuits,

administrative appeals and national policy and budget decisions have

all complicated the management of federal lands. The health of those

lands - and their ability to provide sustainable benefits - are now

threatened, he said. The advisory committee will work with the board

over the next two years, with the board tentatively scheduled to adopt

a guidance document and send it to the governor in early 2009. The

document will state Oregon's interests in forest policy-making at the

national level, and also will be used as input in specific management

planning conducted by federal forest units within Oregon. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1164227423132720.xml & coll=6

8)

The Clear Dodger Timber Sale was just re-released. The original

proposal was reviewed in the context of the elimination of survey and

manage requirements which were recently determined illegal by Judge

Pechman of the U.S. District Court. Bark successfully appealed this

initial proposal to eliminate old-growth stands. However, the Forest

Service came out with a new and slightly improved Clear Dodger Timber

Sale targeting native forests, which happen to be very rare in this

area near Estacada -- Clear Dodger is surrounded by farms on private

land and clear cuts, including other logging projects nearby that Bark

was not successful in stopping (the Unguard, Guard , Artful Dodger and

Clear Timber Sales). We have just received the reissued Final Decision

and Rationale, which makes no revisions to the Clear Dodger

Environmental Assessment in response to Bark's comments. Bark is

planning a Survey and Manage hike to Clear Dodger. The Forest Service

and Bureau of Land Management are required to complete surveys to

determine if rare or sensitive species are present in an area before

logging. Because past experiences with the Forest Service have shown

that they are not capable of doing proper surveys, we invite you to

learn how to become a part of Bark's survey team! The hike will be led

by Bark naturalists John Villella and Jay Scelza, two lichenologists

with many years experience, including with the Forest Service and BLM,

surveying for Survey and Manage species in Oregon forests. Space is

limited, please RSVP by March 2. When you RSVP, please let us know if

you can drive. RSVP to michele bark-out.org or 503.331.0374. Hope to

see you there! http://www.bark-out.org/tsdb/detail.php?sale=clrdgrb9)

For all the reasons that trees are cherished, the clearing of them

elicits similarly powerful feelings. Concerned Salem residents call the

city, the newspaper and their neighbors to lament how tree removal for

development is changing the community's character. " This piece of

property was dense with trees and brush, " Darlene Lunden said about a

piece of property off Rural Avenue and John Street S. " The first thing

they did was cut everything down. " Lunden said she moved to the

Fairmount Hill neighborhood six years ago because of the trees, which

draw birds, deer and other wildlife through the area. Preparations for

a residential development took out most of the trees on a piece of land

that backs up to City View Cemetery. A lone conifer sits in the middle

of the plot. " This changed the whole complexion of this hill, " she

said. " This is the perfect example of the erosion of neighborhoods. "

But development is going in exactly where it is supposed to: within the

city's urban growth boundary. Oregon's land-use laws were designed to

preserve forestland and farmland outside of cities and concentrate

development inside of them. " Under land-use laws, within the urban

growth boundaries, we have to make maximum use of land, " said Ken

Nolan, a homebuilder and former developer. " It's an inefficient use of

land to save trees. The more we do that, the closer the day comes to

expand the urban growth boundary. " http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061123/NEWS/611230340/1001

Wisconsin:10)

They were the kind of plans that dreams were made of — plans tucked

away in a place where Reba thought they would never become a reality.

So when Reba learned that the Stanley-Boyd Board of Education was

looking to buy land adjacent to the school for a school forest, the

fifth grade teacher got excited. "This is a dream to me," she told

school board members last week. The district already owns two parcels

of land it considers school forest, but the closest of those parcels is

located about 10 minutes from the school. "Our forest has tons of

possibilities, but isn't very practical," Reba said. That's because

students are required to be bussed to the property. Once there, they

will find no amenities such as restrooms. The district has considered

buying the potential "outdoor classroom" before, said board president

Steve Hinke. About 2 ½ years ago, the 78-acre parcel was offered to the

school board. Following a discussion, the board made an offer on the

land. "It was flatly rejected," Hinke said. "The school board then

decided to stop pursuing it." But about six months ago, the district

was approached again. "We were told that a buyer had been found for

part of the land and the owners wanted to know if the school district

was interested in the rest," Hinke said. The district appears

interested, but not at the land prices being discussed two years ago,"

Hinke said. Last Thursday, the school board met in closed session to

discuss the issue. No decision was made regarding the land, but that

could come Tuesday when the board is scheduled to meet again in special

session. http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2006/11/21/news/news6.txtLouisiana:11)

Before delving into the issue, I would like to publicly acknowledge The

Advocate's responsible approach to covering the issue, and reporter Amy

Wold is to be commended for her diligence in assuring that all

interests are represented. Now to the facts: 1) Louisiana's

cypress/tupelo forests cover 791,000 acres. 2) Eighty percent of these

forests are privately owned, about 648,000 acres. 3) These forest

contain more than seven billion board feet of cypress sawtimber. 4)

They are growing 222 million board feet annually. 5) Mills are annually

harvesting 30 million board feet. 6) Annual mortality from saltwater,

insect and disease attack, storms is approximately 21 million board

feet. // The citation for these facts: Miles, Patrick D. Oct. 23, 2006.

Forest inventory mapmaker Web-application version 2.1. St. Paul, Minn.:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research

Station. Available only on the Internet at http://www.ncrs2.fs.fed.us/4801/fiadb/index.htm The major threats to Louisiana's cypress forests are altered hydrology, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion. http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/4703881.htmlMississippi:12)

WAVELAND - Workers are removing thousands of fallen trees from

Buccaneer State Park in the first phase of a $14 million restoration

project. Buccaneer, one of the most visited among the state's 24 parks,

was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. Contract workers will spend the

next few months removing nearly 8,000 dead or dying trees. Most of the

reconstruction should be complete in about two years, but park

officials have not yet established a target date for a total reopening.

Named for the pirates who used the area as a retreat in the 1700s,

Buccaneer featured acres of campgrounds and outdoor recreation,

including a Frisbee golf course and a five-acre water park, Buccaneer

Bay. Preliminary studies on the massive wave pool, built in 1978, show

the pool's concrete shell is structurally sound and can be saved. http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/16086781.htmArkansas:

13)

HAMPTON -- Hunters, birdwatchers and hikers will have access to 16,000

acres in south Arkansas through a private-public partnership that will

create a new state wildlife management area, officials say. Among the

wildlife living on the land is the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker,

according to representatives of the agencies participating in the

arrangement along with Potlatch Forest Holdings Inc., owner of the

land. Potlatch, based in Spokane, Wash., agreed to sell conservation

easements on the acreage so it could become the Moro Big Pine Wildlife

Management Area, scheduled to open in July 2007. Potlatch is also

Idaho's largest private landowner. Earlier this year it announced that

it planned to start charging for recreational use on the nearly 670,000

acres in northern Idaho that the company says draws 200,000 visitor-use

days annually from hikers, birdwatchers, hunters, anglers and trail

riders. The $6.7 million purchase of the easements in Arkansas should

be finalized by the end of the year. Purchasing the easements allows

the state to pay about a third of what it normally would to own the

property outright, according to the state Game and Fish Commission.

Primarily loblolly-shortleaf pine flatwoods, the land is considered to

hold one of the least-protected plant communities in the United States.

State agencies would manage the property to increase game species such

as deer, turkey and quail and to protect the red-cockaded woodpecker.

Their plan includes prescribed burns to produce more open space and

grass cover that botanists say will improve the quality of water in the

Ouachita River watershed. Karen Smith, director of the Arkansas Natural

Heritage Commission, said forests across the South are being subdivided

and developed at an accelerated rate. Her agency plans to eventually

include Moro Big Pine in its system of protected natural areas.

Potlatch owns 1.5 million acres in Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota and

Oregon. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_AR_Working_Forest.htmlOhio:14)

Hello again. "Crazy" Craig Tufts here, National Wildlife Federation's

Chief Naturalist and one of the three most exhausted employees in the

entire organization. Last weekend, two of my NWF associates, Dave

Strauss, Andrew Pinger and I, ran a 50-mile race along the Appalachian

Trail and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in rural Maryland. It was

exhilarating, and each of us completed the race in around 10 hours. Not

too shabby for running 50 miles! Along the way, I kept a log of all the

birds I saw or heard and was able to count 33 different species

including mourning dove, barred owl, blue jay, white-throated sparrow

and four different kinds of woodpecker. Seeing all this wonderful

wildlife kept the reason for our run at the forefront: to raise

awareness about the threat of global warming and other threats to

America's precious wildlife. And we knew that although we had to

physically run by ourselves, at no time were we running alone. We had

the support of thousands of NWF members and employees, and they were

counting on us to come through. The race is over now, but the fight

rages on. http://www.nwf.org/15)

The " Call Before You Cut " campaign is coordinated by the Ohio

Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, Rural Action and

The Ohio State University Extension. The campaign features a toll-free

number, (877) 424-8288, with a live operator providing quick answers to

caller questions about how to find an accredited forester to help them

with management options, and in sustaining the long-term health of

their woodlots. " Woodland property owners can yield greater financial

and long-term health benefits from their woods by seeking expert

advice, " said John Dorka, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. " This

project brings together resource and consumer protection experts to

help landowners make informed decisions about their woods. " Surveys

show a full 40 percent of woodlot owners have authorized harvesting on

their lands in the last five years. Yet only 18 percent have sought the

advice of a professional forester. Ohio's nearly 8 million acres of

privately owned forested land makes up a third of the state's

landscape. In the past 10 years, the number of forest landowners has

grown from 320,000 to nearly 400,000. " Woodland owners often don't have

critical information before they contract someone to harvest their

trees. Many don't know how much their timber is worth, how many trees

will be cut, or even what their woods will look like after the job is

done, " said Dave Apsley, Ohio State University Extension forestry

specialist. http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/350952172486069.phpVermont:16)

MOUNT HOLLY — State officials will require a highway access permit and

a plan for protecting mountain streams before giving final Act 250

approval for a selective timber cut on a high elevation 65-acre tract

in Mount Holly and Weston. Robbo Holleran of Chester will be doing the

harvesting on a tract owned by Michael and Jacqueline Ryan, according

to an Act 250 application for the project. As Rutland District

Environmental Commission has developed a draft permit for the project,

access and stream issues have come up, according to William Burke,

coordinator for the commission. " They (state and logging company) are

working on the resolving those issues, " Burke said. Classified as a

minor project, it will not require a hearing. A separate permit for

access from Route 100 will have to be obtained from the Agency of

Transportation. Access to the property will be from Route 100 in

Weston, about 1.2 miles north of the intersection of Routes 100 and

155, according to the application. The logging on 65 acres of alpine

land — at around 2,500 feet and above — is part of a total 230-acre

tract, which will be logged in the two towns. Access to the log landing

will be on an existing truck road through the property, the Ryans wrote

in their plan. http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061121/NEWS/611210368/1003/NEWS02

Kentucky:17)

A decade ago, Norman Wooten and a grandson took to the rugged slopes of

his farm in southwestern Harrison County with a chain saw -- and a

vision. The two men cleared mountains of brush and fast-growing cedar

trees, paving the way for a contractor who planted 30,000 trees, mostly

white and red oaks, yellow poplar and white ash. The trees now blanket

a third of the 183-acre tract, which borders a southern section of the

Harrison-Crawford State Forest. And this month those steep wooded

hillsides and gently rolling fields became part of the state's forestry

properties. The state bought the tract, located east of the town of New

Amsterdam, for $340,000. The acquisition is significant because it's

the first in which revenue from state timber sales was used, said John

Seifert, director of the Division of Forestry. The state historically

had earned about $1 million a year selling timber from state lands. But

at Gov. Mitch Daniels' urging, the department has expanded the program,

earning an additional $2 million a year. The money is dedicated to tree

planting, some forest research and a statewide cost-sharing program for

private woodland management. Some Hoosier environmentalists have

criticized the forest management plan as profit-taking from public

lands. Daniels' appointees see it differently. " We promised to deliver

new undeveloped land for preservation through the sale of timber from

state forests, and this is the first step toward putting those funds to

work and preserving these lands for future generations, " Kyle Hupfer,

director of the Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement

announcing the purchase. In addition to the Wooten acquisition, the

agency is working on five other land-acquisition projects using money

from timber sales. The potential purchases total more than 700 acres,

Seifert said. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061123/NEWS02/611230495North Carolina:

18)

The U.S. Forest Service's new plan for the Globe area of the Pisgah

National Forest proposes cutting fewer trees on each acre and reducing

the number of acres in the forest-management project. But people in

Blowing Rock said yesterday that the changes don't do enough to protect

scenic views. " What we really want is something that'll protect it

forever, " said Blowing Rock Councilman Keith Tester. " It's softened it

somewhat, but it still doesn't get what we want, which is protection

for the area. " The changes came after many people harshly criticized an

earlier plan, saying that the logging would ruin views from tourist

areas. The earlier plan included logging on parts of 231 acres

scattered in an 11,000-acre section of the fo-rest in Avery, Caldwell

and Watauga counties. The new proposed preferred alternative reduces

the project to 212 acres. In some cases, it doubles the amount of trees

on each acre that will be left. Joy Malone, the Forest Service district

ranger who will make the decision on how the Globe project proceeds,

said that the agency is trying to be sensitive to people's concerns,

while still accomplishing the goals of the project. The agency received

more than 1,200 comments about the earlier plan, many from Blowing Rock

homeowners opposed to the logging. Several hundred people turned out

for a public hearing on the issue in August. Forest Service officials

said that the plan has been mischaracterized as being about logging

rather than about managing the forest. Sara Golini, assistant manager

of The Blowing Rock, the tourist attraction at the town's namesake

rock, said that townspeople still want protection of the scenic

overviews. " We don't want a reduction (in the trees cut down), " she

said. " We don't want it to happen at all. " http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle & c=MGArticl

e & cid=1149191806388 & path=!localnews!environment! & s=1037645509115USA: 19)

On November 2, 2006, the Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for

Natural Resources and Environment determined there is substantial

overriding public interest in extending certain National Forest System

timber sale contracts for up to one year, subject to a maximum total

contract length of 10 years. Pursuant to the November 2, 2006, finding,

timber sale contracts awarded prior to January 1, 2006, are eligible

for extension and deferral of periodic payment due dates for up to one

year. The intended effect of the substantial overriding public interest

finding and contract extensions is to minimize contract defaults, mill

closures, and company bankruptcies. The Government benefits if

defaulted timber sale contracts, mill closures, and bankruptcies can be

avoided by granting extensions. Having numerous, economically viable,

timber sale purchasers increases competition for National Forest System

timber sales, results in higher prices paid for such timber, and allows

the Forest Service to provide a continuous supply of timber to the

public in accordance with Forest Service authorizing legislation.http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-19102.htm

Canada:20)

Truckloads of timber seized from a sawmill in southern Yukon have been

sold to a Whitehorse firewood dealer for $4,900, a forestry official

says. The last of the wood was hauled away last week. More than 30

piles of white spruce logs and slabs were confiscated last February

because the government believed they had been obtained without the

proper permits. RCMP forestry experts were called in from British

Columbia to investigate the allegations of wood poaching. However after

no charges were laid, the court ordered that the wood be put up for

sale.Yukon forestry operations manager official Susan Skaalid said wood

is a " pretty hot commodity " in the winter. " We were happy, through the

public tender process, that the wood could find its best value, "

Skaalid said Tuesday. " That company was able to come in and utilize it

to its best use, which is commercial fuelwood. " Skaalid said the wood

dealer cut the logs into stove length. The money from the sale has been

turned over to the court, which will hold it in case any claims are

made by the sawmill owner. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2006/11/22/timber-firewood.htmlUK:21)

The challenge of climate change will not be met unless greenhouse gas

emissions caused by deforestation (forest destruction) are reduced, a

Government Minister is warning on the eve of National Tree Week. Ian

Pearson, UK Climate Change Minister, today told a conference of 50

leading forestry scientists and policymakers from around the world that

the Earth lost an average 7.3 million hectares of forest - an area the

size of Panama - each year during the first six years of the 21st

century. Deforestation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions because

carbon is released into the atmosphere from the trees and plants as

they burn or decompose, and from forest soils as they are disturbed,

for example, when they are ploughed for conversion to farming. The

conference is being hosted by the OECD and organised by the British

Forestry Commission's Forest Research agency. Mr Pearson said:

" Internationally, deforestation is one of the most serious problems we

face in fighting climate change, accounting for around 18% of global

emissions. As well as contributing to emissions, deforestation has a

significant impact on the world's biodiversity and on the people who

depend on forests for their livelihood. " The Stern Review clearly

identified that curbing deforestation would be an effective way to

reduce emissions, but we in developed countries must recognise the

difficulties in achieving this. Last week's climate conference in

Nairobi saw all 189 parties to the UNFCCC working together on this

issue. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/AllByUNID/BEC1120CCAE084728025722900382197Russia:22)

Russia's loggers cut over 100 million cubic meters of timber a year,

the rector of St Petersburg Forest Technical Academy, Andrei

Selikhovkin, told a news conference within the framework of the

international exhibition for pulp and paper products Pap-For Russia

2006. Russia's forest industry has been on the rise of late, he said.

It explores new construction sites and expands production, but the two

key problems - extremely low use of products from felling sites and

illegal logging and smuggling - remains unsettled, Selikhovkin said.

The scale of illegal logging, mainly in Karelia and Russia's Far East

is extremely high, he said. Only the Forestry Code that will enter into

force in January 2007 may change the situation. The news conference's

partakers believe that the concept of Russia's forest industry

development up to 2015 will be effective, mainly in deep processing of

logs, bio-energy and production of coated paper that is now not

manufactured. Russia has 23 percent of the planet's total forests,

while production of wood and timber products make up only 2.3 percent

of the world's output. http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11004472 & PageNum=0South Africa:23)

The National Assembly public enterprises committee will pay " increasing

attention " to the South African Forestry Company (Safcol), in future as

it appears that it will remain in state hands " for now " , the

parliamentary Announcements, Tablings and Committee reports stated. The

report of the committee carried in the ATC said this meant that " we

will also need to better understand Safcol and its role as well as the

forestry industry as a whole. …Obviously the strategic change of

emphasis (of government) will call for an adjustment from Safcol from a

privatisation mindset, " said the report. This was underscored by chief

executive Kobus Breed's report to the committee - chaired by African

National Congress MP Yunus Carrim - that with the focus on

privatisation in the past, Safcol did not invest in saw milling. " But

with its changing mandate, (Safcol) has decided to invest 60 million

rand in the Timbadola Sawmill to upgrade technology, " the ATC reported

the company as saying. It would also invest 1.4 percent of its saw log

sales in research and intended to establish a research and seed centre

on the Nyalazi Plantation in St Lucia which it said would benefit the

industry in general. Safcol was also exploring forestry options in

Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Angola and also further options in Mozambique, the

ATC reported. Breed said about 1.6 million to 1.7 million cubic metres

of logs would be available annually for marketing in the next three to

five years. " The volumes will increase gradually to a sustainable

volume of 1.9 million to two million cubic metres in the next 18 to 20

years. " Safcol posted a net profit of R168.7 million during the

nine-month period under review to March this year - compared to R232.7

million in the previous financial year. Profit before tax was R240.8

million compared to the previous year's R344 million. http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId= & fArticleId=355668324)

The Baartman-Biko Environmental Research Institute presented its

project proposal, based on its project at The Crags, as one of only

three African programes to thousands of delegates from across the world

at a special side event at the conference. Institute co-founder and

environmental scientist Albert Ackurst said the project, based on

nearly three years of research into aggressive reforestation methods,

was used to show what potential Africa had to earn carbon credits that

could ultimately benefit the whole continent financially. " The

institute has for the last 2½ years been experimenting with different

combinations of forest vegetation and growing methods to determine the

fastest reforestation processes. …We have scientifically monitored each

combination block and will be starting a second phase with larger

tracts. …It is still too soon to determine exactly how much faster

forests can re-grow using these methods, but we are confident that we

are well on our way to a significant improvement. There is less than 40

000ha of the original 205 000-plus ha of relatively intact indigenous

forest left in the southern Cape - we need to speed the reforestation

process up significantly if we want it to have any positive effect for

existing communities, " he said. http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/east_africa/454892.htmMexico:25)

In November 2006, Dr. Alejandro Estrada, senior research scientist at

Los Tuxtlas (www.primatesmx.com) and a leading authority on these

forests, answered some questions on Mexico's remaining rainforests and

conservation efforts in the country. Q: How are rainforests in southern

Mexico different from Belize and other parts of Latin America? Estrada:

"It is estimated that between 20-30% of the diversity of bird species

found in the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico is represented by

song birds from the United States, Canada and Alaska that spend the

winter months in these rainforests. Hence, the relevance of these

rainforests for the conservation of wildlife transcends the regions in

which they are found in southern Mexico." Q: Are the forests of Los

Tuxtlas, Veracruz well protected? Are there threats on the horizon? Is

hunting an issue in the area? Estrada: The tropical rain forests of Los

Tuxtlas, like those of the rest of southern Mexico have fallen victim

to pressures derived from human activity, mainly aimed at converting

the rainforests to pasturelands and to other types of agricultural

fields. The Los Tuxtlas region has been severely transformed by human

activity in the last 50 or so years, with the result that currently,

only about 20-30% of the forest originally present (2,500 km2) remains

today. …Currently, the Los Tuxtlas field station (700 ha) is embedded

into close to 15,000 ha of protected pristine rainforest. This status

ensures the integrity of its flora and fauna and the possibility of

continuing the long-term investigations on the plants and the animals,

including the primates, that exist in these rainforests. While hunting

and illegal trafficking were important added pressures upon wildlife in

those decades of extensive loss of forest cover in the region

[19060s-early 1990s], today these are almost non existent. http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1121-interview_estrada.htmlCosta Rica:

26)

Ray et al. (2006) report that " tropical montane cloud forests occupy

approximately 0.4% of the earth's surface, and yet they support about

20% and 16% of the planet's plant and vertebrate diversity,

respectively. " In the case of the Monteverde cloud forest of Costa

Rica, they further note there has been " an increase in the dry season

(February-April) mist free days in the Monteverde preserve region since

the early 1970s, " and that " anuran population crashes and bird

migrations to higher elevations during the same time period have been

attributed to the reduction in the crucial moisture input from dry

season mist. " Originally, Pounds et al. (1999) and Still et al. (1999)

attributed these biological and climatic changes to increasing sea

surface temperatures caused by CO2-induced global warming, which they

suggested should lead to a reduction in orographic cloud formation and

a raising of the cloud base, especially during the dry season when the

Monteverde forest relies heavily on moisture it receives directly from

clouds. A few years later, however, the responsibility for this sad

scenario was shifted to another phenomenon by the impressive work of

Lawton et al. (2001) and Nair et al. (2003), who convincingly

demonstrated that the reduced evapotranspiration that followed on the

heels of prior and ongoing deforestation upwind of the Monteverde cloud

forest decreased the moisture contents of the air masses that

ultimately reached the tropical preserve, while regional atmospheric

model simulations they conducted indicated there should also have been

reduced cloud formation and higher cloud bases over these areas than

there were before the deforestation began. http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/articles/V9/N47/EDIT.jspPeru:

27)

It was by any measure a remarkable protest. More than 800 Achuar

tribespeople from the borders of Peru and Ecuador, headed by their

traditional leaders with their red and yellow feathered headdresses,

arrived last month by the boatload in the twilight hours at four oil

wells in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest. Their faces streaked

with paint and with people carrying hunting shotguns and ceremonial

spears, they formed a peaceful blockade of Peru's largest oil facility.

They stayed for nearly two weeks, shutting down power to most of the

region's oil production, and its road, airport and river access. It was

a desperate attempt by the Achuar to get the Peruvian government to

take notice of their plight. For decades they had been saying that

their land had been heavily polluted and their waters poisoned by oil

exploration, but they had been consistently ignored. The ploy worked.

The loss of millions of dollars in revenue and around 40,000 barrels of

oil per day forced the government and Pluspetrol - Peru's largest oil

and gas operator - to concede to most of the Achuar's demands,

including re-injecting all the contaminated waste water back into the

ground within two years, and building a new hospital with enough money

to run a health service for 10 years. The victory was particularly

sweet for the Achuar - who number around 8,000 in Peru's vast Amazon

region of Loreto - because it was the only time in 36 years of oil

exploration and extraction in their area that the state had intervened.

Companies have long been given a carte blanche to flout international

environmental laws. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,1953510,00.htmlPakistan:28)

BAGH/DHIRKOT -- AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has vowed

that provision of gas would be ensured to avoid the cutting of trees in

the territory. Talking to different delegations in Ghaziabad, AJK Prime

Minister said that the government is determined to make the territory

with full of greenery and would use every inch of land for this

purpose. The government would take different steps to create awareness

among masses regarding plantation of trees and would encourage people

to use their land for planting trees, he added Sardar Attique said that

trees are helpful for preventing the cutting of land and play vital

role for minimum level of loss in case of any catastrophe . http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?160990Vietnam:29)

The Vietnam Paper Corporation (Vinapaco) has planned to build a 250,000

tonne pulp production line at the Bai Bang Paper Factory in northern

Phu Tho province. The corporation will select an experienced foreign

contractor to implement this project in the build-transfer (BT) form.

The line will take materials from eucalyptus, acacia and snowbell

forests in Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang and Son

La provinces, and Vinapaco's 16 plantations. The project aims to meet

the demand of Vinapaco and other units for bleached pulp, accelerate

forest planning and reduce pulp and paper imports .According to a

Vinapaco expert, locally-produced pulp only meets 37 percent of the

factories' demand. Over the past 10 years, Vietnam's paper sector has

seen an annual growth rate of 15-16 percent, turning out 824,000 tonnes

products per year, meeting nearly 62 percent of the domestic paper

demand. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2006/11/635963/Cambodia:30)

A Cambodian court has sentenced eight people, including a former

provincial governor, to up to 17 years in jail for taking bribes to

allow a Vietnamese company to log in a national park. " They turned a

blind eye to the illegal logging companies after taking bribes, " judge

Ke Sakhan told the court. He and environmentalists described the

destruction of more than 5000 hectares (12,000 acres) of Virachey

National Park in the north-eastern province of Rattanakiri as a

" tremendous loss " that threatened species such as tigers, leopard and

elephants. Former Rattanakiri governor Kham Khoeun, who was sentenced

in absentia after going into hiding, received 17 years while the

others, military officers, police chiefs and forest rangers, got

between 13 and 15 years, the judge said. He also ordered them to pay

$US15 million ($NZ22.65m) for the destruction of the forest, a stretch

of jungle that used to be criss-crossed by the myriad paths of the Ho

Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War. The convicted men protested

their innocence and said they would appeal. " There were not many trees

in the area because they had all been destroyed by the US bombardment

during the war, " former police chief Yoeun Banlong said. Experts

believe illegal logging has reduced Cambodia's forest cover to less

than 30 percent now compared to more than 70 percent in the early

1970s, when the country started its slide into more than two decades of

civil war and unrest. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3876205a12,00.htmlMalaysia:31)

What were four State Forest rangers doing while illegal loggers took

off with RM30,000 in timber from the Gunung Inas forest reserve? Why

did they ignore two complaints from villagers of the illegal felling of

timber? It is learnt that State Forestry Department director Kasim

Osman is furious about the felling of 22 trees a mere six kilometres

from their station. Sources said on both occasions, the rangers aborted

their visit to the alleged locations, blaming treacherous terrain and

soggy ground. Kasim was clearly embarrassed today when he and 10

journalists easily accessed the two-hectare site in the forest as

illegal loggers had built a dirt road to it. He confirmed that the

rangers had been told to submit a report on the theft as soon as

possible. " Someone must be held responsible for the theft,'he said,

adding that a police report has been lodged on the illegal logging. He

declined to say if disciplinary action will be taken against the

rangers. He said preliminary investigations showed experienced loggers

were involved as they had carried out extensive land-clearing to reach

the site. Kedah has 190,000 hectares of forest but only about 2,300

hectares are open for logging annually. Earlier this year, the State

Government ordered a stop to logging in the Padang Terap District after

the department found the logger had exceeded the area allocated to him.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/NewsBreak/20061122192955/Article/index_htmlIndonesia:

32)

As Bambang, a fire investigator, hunts for evidence to bring the

arsonists to justice, he is reminded of that greed. The scorched earth

stretches for kilometres on end, testifying to the destruction of

thousands of hectares of forest and peat land in Sumatra and

Kalimantan, much of it by corporations. Bent on maximising profit,

corporations, including Malay-sian and Singaporean firms working with

local partners, use fire to clear land for oil palm and timber

plantations. " It costs 2-3 million rupiah per hectare to clear the land

by burning. If machinery is used, it will cost 20-30 million per

hectare, " said Bambang, add- ing that corporations could still reap

profits if they used machinery instead of fire. Malaysian companies

have denied they were behind the fires. With a doctorate in forestry

from Kyoto University, Japan, Bambang is one of Indonesia's two fire

experts. His testimony can make a big difference to the outcome of

court cases involving big corporations charged with setting the fires.

" I often receive threatening text messages from companies. On other

occasions, I have people coming to my house or to the university where

I teach. There have been times when I had to hide my wife and

children, " he said. Still, the quiet, unassuming Bambang presses on,

believing his work will reduce the pillaging of the environment. " If

more corporations are convicted, the rest will be less bold in burning

the land, " he said. His work hazards highlight Indonesia's difficulties

in stopping the fires as they involve big corporations with the means

to grease the palms of local officials to secure land permits. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Tuesday/Columns/20061121081530/Article/index_html

33)

The Forestry Department is urging European Union countries not to be

discriminative over Indonesian timber products. Boen M Purnama,

Secretary General of the Department of Forestry, said that intensive

efforts to eradicate illegal logging in Indonesia has made European

Union performs excessive in terms of checking on Indonesian timber

products. In fact, this treatment is not being applied to similar

products from other countries. "We hope that European Union is not

discriminative. Products from other countries should be checked as

well," said Boen yesterday (11/21). He explained that Indonesia has

actually set out several measures as regards forest management. These

measures include timber products certifying; timber legalization; and

improving log trafficking. According to him, the European Union as the

largest export market for Indonesian timber products and should provide

fair incentives for the government's efforts. These incentives could

include giving premium prices for already certified Indonesian timber

products. Jean Breteche, the Senior of European Union Representative

for Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and Timor Leste, said he promised to

impose sanction on European Union timber companies that receive illegal

timber products. "We will impose financial sanctions and import bans,"

he said, adding that the sanctions were still being discussed with

Indonesia. Hapsoro, a Forest Campaigner from South-East Asian

Greenpeace, said that the European Union's tightly checking Indonesian

timber products was not discrimination. http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/ekbis/2006/11/22/brk,20061122-88210,uk.htmlAustralia:

34)

There is a forest blockade north-west of Dorrigo, inland from Coffs

Harbour, this morning as members of a small community protest about

logging in their water catchment. Residents of the Wytaliba community

are blockading parts of the Mount Mitchell State Forest. Water from the

Diehard Creek catchment is used by about 50 residents. The group of

residents says logging approved by Forests New South Wales is reducing

the quantity and quality of the drinking water. Spokeswoman Caroline

Joseph says the blockade is to send a message to Natural Resources

Minister Ian Macdonald by disrupting the logging near the catchment.

" Their intention is, well not so much to disrupt the loggers, but to

disrupt the operations of Forests NSW because Forests NSW told them

that the degradation to their water supply and the whole of the

Clarence River system will only last for 50 years. Now that is very

arrogant, " she said. Forests NSW spokesman Bill Frew says buffer zones

are in place to ensure there is no impact on water quality. He says

harvesting will go on for a number of weeks and the protest action by

the Wytaliba community has not disrupted the logging operations in the

forest. Mr Frew says he understands community concerns. " Going back a

couple of years and certainly more intensively in the last couple of

months there's been a lot of consultation between Forests NSW and the

Wytaliba community, " he said. " They've had an opportunity to express

their concern and they've been taken on board. " http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1795291.htm35)

The Wilderness Society has stepped up its campaign in the Upper

Florentine Valley, in Tasmania's south-west. A tree platform 55 metres

high has been set up in the forest canopy, and the society says it will

be permanently staffed by volunteers. The 'watchtower' is located

outside the previous exclusion zone proclaimed by Forestry Tasmania,

when construction of a new logging road began in March. The society

says it will remain in place until January, with the aim of keeping an

eye on Forestry Tasmania's actions and road-building. The society's

Vica Bayley says the action is also aimed at the Federal Government.

" This is an area John Howard promised to protect in the 2004 election

campaign, " he said. " And his own information from the Howard-Lennon

Tasmanian Community Forestry Agreement admits that they've failed to

protect their targets in the Florentine and the Styx Valley. " Mr Howard

promised to protect 18,700 hectares in the Styx and Florentine and

they've admitted they've only protected 4,700 hectares. " http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1795184.htm36)

Victorian conservationists have targeted the major political parties on

election eve with a giant chainsaw-shaped platform on one of

Melbourne's major roundabouts. Overnight, members of the Central

Highlands Alliance, Environment East Gippsland and Goongerah

Environment Centre hoisted the five metre long platform into a gum tree

in Carlton, on the corner of Cemetery Road and Swanston Street. Group

spokesperson Sarah Rees said it was to highlight their concern over

woodchipping in a water catchment area of the Goongerah forest, in

Gippsland, in the state's south-east. " Melbourne loses a thousand

litres of water per second to logging, while Australia faces its worst

drought in 1000 years, " Ms Rees said. " It is time both major parties

act to avert this water crisis and protect our water catchments from

logging, " she said. But voters must decide whether or not to stick with

" Steady " Premier Steve " Bracks after seven years in office, or try his

" pumped " rival Ted Baillieu. While Labor seems assured of victory, Mr

Baillieu has made up significant ground during the four weeks of the

official election campaign. To form government in their own right, the

Liberals will need to retain their 17 lower house seats and seize

another 28 from Labor, requiring a swing of almost 10 per cent. http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Conservationists-protest-before-Vic-poll/2006/11/24/11638715797

14.html37)

Most of Melbourne's forested water catchments are conserved in national

parks. But about 13 per cent — mostly in the Thomson Dam catchment — is

available for sustainable harvesting by the timber industry. About 0.2

per cent of the total catchment area is annually logged and

regenerated. Despite being portrayed as a villain, timber harvesting in

the form of thinning can substantially counteract the impact of fire

regrowth on water yield. The benefits of regrowth thinning have been

widely studied throughout Australia. In Melbourne's catchments,

strip-thinning trials have shown that up to 2.5 million litres a year

of additional run-off can be generated from each hectare of thinned

regrowth. A program of thinning the 1939 regrowth could add billions of

litres of water to our storages. Compared with simply " locking up "

catchments, active management of fire regrowth to increase water flows

potentially offers a range of other benefits, including stronger

imperatives for fire protection and improved stream health. With a

hotter and drier future, management authorities across all public land

tenures may need to seriously consider substantial regrowth thinning in

regions badly affected by fire. For example, future thinning of

regrowth in north-east Victorian catchments burnt in 2003 could

substantially improve Murray River flows. http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/firedup-forests-have-more-impact-than-the-loggers/2006/11/2

2/1163871481690.htmlWorld-wide:38)

An increasing number of countries and regions are transitioning from

deforestation to afforestation, raising hopes for a turning point for

the world as a whole, according to researchers advancing a more

sophisticated approach to measuring forest cover. The novel approach

looks beyond simply how much of a nation's area is covered by trees and

considers the volume of timber, biomass, and captured carbon within the

area. It produces an encouraging picture of Earth's forest situation

and may change the way governments size up their woodland resources in

future. Devised by six distinguished international academic and

non-governmental experts in forestry science and economics, the "Forest

Identity" considers both area and the density of trees per hectare to

determine the volume of a country's "growing stock": trees large enough

to be considered timber. The formula also quantifies the biomass and

atmospheric carbon stored in world forests and will help track those

forest characteristics over time. Forest area and biomass are still

being lost in such important countries as Brazil and Indonesia but an

increasing number of nations show gains. The paper, peer-reviewed by

the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was

created by six experts from diverse academic disciplines (forestry,

environmental technology, ecology, geography, resource economics, and

agronomy) in China, Finland, Scotland, and the USA who, following

independent lines of thinking, came to agree that forest transition on

a major scale is underway and have now collectively demonstrated it.

Earlier research showed farmers have so successfully learned to extract

more crop from a given area that land needed for agriculture is

shrinking, even as people become more numerous and eat better. In many

countries forests have begun to enlarge, as farmers spare land and

foresters also shift from extensive to intensive strategies. Says Mr.

Ausubel: "This great reversal in land use could stop the styling of a

Skinhead Earth and begin a great restoration of the landscape by 2050,

expanding the global forest by 10 percent – about 300 million hectares,

the area of India." Adds Dr. Kauppi. "While complacency would be

misplaced, our insights provide grounds for optimism about the

prospects for returning forests." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061113180213.html