153 - Earth's Tree News

[Guest guest]

Today for you 41 news items about Mama Earth's trees. Location, number and subject listed below. Condensed / abbreviated article is listed further below.Can be viewed on the web at http://www.livejournal.com/users/olyecology or by sending a blank email message to earthtreenews---British Columbia: 1) Great Bear Rainforest has been lost, 2) Powell River Community Forest Corporation, 3) Online TV episodes, 4) Measuring ecosystem services, 5) Voicing our concerns about log exports,--Washington: 6) Proposal to build a highway--Oregon: 7) Oregon Wild's Erik Fernandez, 8) Save the Wild and Scenic Rogue River, 9) Gas company pledges millions for salmon in trade for eco-destruction,--California: 10) Al Gore speaks out for Santa Cruz Redwoods, 11) Ancient Juniper theft,--Idaho: 12) Governor's road building plan for roadless areas, 13) Champion trees,--Colorado: 14) Tree-killing bugs prevent wildfires, 15) Colorado Forest Restoration,--Minnesota: 16) Forest Certification challenged--Texas: 17) Rayonier acquires and will log a 55,000 acre forest preserve--Indiana: 18) German Ridge logging plan tries again--Virginia: 19) Save the Goshen-Little North Mountain Wildlife Management Area--Delaware: 20) Report on health and sustainability of Delaware's forests--USA: 21) Roadless protections shut down 340,000 acres of gas and oil leasing 22) National Land Trust Census, 23) Forest Service is an abused pony,--Canada: 24) How they define and find old growth, 25) North American boreal forest, 26) Spiders and forest restoration, --European Union: 27) EU builds headquarters with illegal rainforest wood--Scotland: 28) Direct Action for Middle Meadow Walk--Greece: 29) Academics call for immediate creation of a registry of forestland,--Bolivia: 30) Sweeping land-reform Bill--Madagascar: 31) 3 new species of primates in threatened forest, 32) Witnessing logging--China: 33) Old growth soil uptakes carbon, 34) Senator ask for illegal logging study,--India: 35) Huge demonstration of forest dwellers, 36) Poor people living in India's tiger reserves, 37) Forest officers are looting the forest,--Bhutan: 38) Planning for more firewood harvests,--Malaysia: 39) Mode of seed dispersal shapes placement of rainforest trees--Australia: 40) Demanding government ban logging, 41) Breaking an election promise,British Columbia:1) " I haven't seen anything like it in16 years. They're logging like there's no tomorrow. Everything we've been fighting to protect is being hit harder now than it ever has at any other time. " McAllister, a conservationist, writer and nature photographer, has oodles of Great Bear credibility. In 1997, he and his wife, Karen, produced the only in-depth book on the Great Bear, one that helped galvanize the international campaign to preserve it. So when Ian McAllister says the Great Bear Rainforest is under siege, he's not easily dismissed. And in his view, the same agreement that is supposed to save the Great Bear is enabling its ruin. As a result, says McAllister, forestry companies have logged an average of two previously intact large valleys in the Great Bear every month since spring. " You just can't believe the destruction. It's to the point that we almost don't know what to do. " During our week-long trip through the region on the 71-foot sailboat Ocean Light II, we saw evidence of what is distressing McAllister. Within hours of boarding, we passed several fresh clear-cuts, pimples on Pooley Island's green face, at James Bay. Overhead, a logging helicopter disappeared behind a ridge, emerging later to deposit a massive tree trunk inside a boom beside a floating logging camp. " It's just heartbreaking, it really is. The whole thing should be a world heritage site, it's so spectacular. " That very morning, McAllister had walked into Salmon Bay, on the mid-coast, an area thick with massive cedars. " They just flagged it (for logging) last month. It's just full of fish and bears and wolves. " Many companies are targeting and " high-grading " western red cedar, he says -- taking out whole stands of some of the largest and most valuable trees, often using helicopters. " It's like Vietnam up in Mathieson Inlet right now with all the helicopters flying over. " http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/index.html2) Powell River residents delivered three main messages to the board of directors of the Powell River Community Forest Corporation: involve the public, protect the watershed and be transparent. About 80 people crammed into a small room at the Powell River Town Centre Hotel on Thursday, November 23 to attend an open house. An impromptu question-and-answer session developed after Rod Tysdal, vice president of the board, welcomed people to the open house and introduced board members. The City of Powell River was awarded a community forest licence for up to 25,000 cubic metres annually of timber from the Haslam Lake and Lang Creek watershed area, encompassing about 6,500 hectares last July. The Powell River Community Forest Corporation was incorporated and the city appointed a board of directors to manage the licence. The company is applying to the province for cutting permits for up to 13 blocks, or about 100,000 cubic metres, to take advantage of the stumpage reduction the government has offered community forests. The company has moved quickly because of the special stumpage rates are available for lots that are approved in 2006, Tysdal said. " Instead of paying stumpage rates that were $30 or $40, we'd be paying stumpages of $6 or $7 a cubic metre, " he said. " At the $30 or $40 level, it's hard to make a lot of profit. " The company purchased old forest development plans from Western Forest Products and hired a local contractor, Shearwater Services Ltd., to plan and layout the blocks to the cutting permit stage. " It's a win-win for us in our community, because we have control of a fairly significant part of our watershed and we're going to receive funds from it. " http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17534167 & BRD=1998 & PAG=461 & dept_id=221589 & rfi=6

3) 12 online TV episodes about: Vancouver's Clayoquot Sound. Manitoba's boreal forests. The Central Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. These picturesque locales have served as the battlegrounds over the controversy of clearcutting — the logging practice that strips a forest bare by cutting every single tree down. On one side are the environmentalists. On the other, logging companies. In the middle are native people. The fate of Canada's old-growth forests and the forestry industry as a whole rests in the balance in the 'war of the woods.' http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-75-679/science_technology/clearcutting/

4) To some people the sight of a meadow, a stretch of river or a stand of leafy trees swaying in the breeze on a hilltop might signify beauty, spirituality or perhaps an opportunity to make money by " improvement " or " development. " Ecologist Kai Chan looks at such things from the dollars-and-cents standpoint of what he calls " ecosystem services " -- the value of the natural environment to humans. As head of a research team that includes a fisheries economist, an anthropologist and the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Dr. Chan is identifying marine zones off the B.C. coast for in-depth study. The coast is rife with conflicts between competing demands on resources -- such as those between fishermen harvesting wild fish and fish farmers, or foresters who have an impact on watersheds and recreational users, Dr. Chan says. The Canadian ecosystems project, still in its infancy, is an offshoot of an ambitious global project Dr. Chan has been involved with to develop a new scientific model to measure the value of defined regions of forests, grassland, waterways -- even the air -- to human communities. The B.C. ecosystem research is part of a growing trend among scientists and economists to measure the natural world in economic terms. Other examples are the British report by Nicholas Stern, former chief economist of the World Bank, that estimated global climate change will cost as much as $7-trillion and turn 200 million people into environmental refugees. Another is New York City's purchase throughout the 1990s of land in the watershed that provides its drinking water. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061128.BCENVIRO25/TPStory/Science\5) On May 17, 2006 SOVA met with Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests and Range, to voice our concerns about log exports and the impacts of the private land removal from Tree Farm License 44. It was during that meeting that he committed to the Log Export Review which is due to report on November 30. Minister Coleman also committed to establishing a review of the forestry challenges we are facing in the Alberni Clayoquot Region. That review process is due to begin in a matter of weeks. While we await the outcomes of these initiatives the government has appointed Ken Dobell to the Coastal Forest Industry file. Given his history as an in house confidante and go to guy for Gordon Campbell from back in his days as Mayor of Vancouver this is not a breath of fresh air but more of the same.We do not need any more backroom deals between government and industry. Communities have to be at the table too. The next big idea to be sold to the public as a solution is the privatization of crown lands or cutting rights. This is being touted as an inevitability by people like Reid Carter who is an architect of the restructuring play in our region by Brascan/Brookfield. Sova has a different idea. We believe that it is necessary that government should govern in the public interest and that the needs of the wider community and the environment must trump the avarice of the absentee owner. http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload & name=News & file=article & sid=6097 & mode=thread & order=0 & t

hold=0Washington:6) TACOMA -- A coalition of environmental groups is challenging a proposal to build a highway near McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis. The groups filed a 60-day notice of intent on Tuesday to sue the Federal Highway Administration, the state Department of Transportation and Pierce County over plans to build the new six-mile, four-lane highway. The $289 million highway would connect Interstate 5 to state Route 7 in Spanaway along the border between Fort Lewis and McChord. Much of the money necessary for the project hinges on passage of a regional " Roads & Transit " ballot measure next November. The Cross Base Highway Coalition argues that the project will destroy rare oak prairie, damage wildlife habitat and force the closure of equestrian facilities. Opponents also argue that it won't ease traffic problems in Pierce County. Officials with the Federal Highway Administration did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The state DOT referred calls to the attorney general's office, which did not immediately return a call. Supporters argue the highway is being carefully designed, and would improve mobility between south-county neighborhoods and Interstate 5, as well as connecting the two bases. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/294187_highway30.htmlOregon:7) As you may have already read, Oregon Wild's Erik Fernandez received a 2006 Skidmore Prize for his outstanding work to protect Oregon's wildlands and wild rivers. Erik is Oregon Wild's Wilderness Coordinator, and serves as our point person on our campaign to protect Oregon's last pristine areas, including our campaign to protect more of the wildlands and rivers around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge. If you missed it, check out the write up in Willamette Week newspaper's GiveGuide at http://giveguide.wweek.com/erik.htm8) The Bureau of Land Management recently auctioned off hundreds of acres of old-growth forest near the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. On November 16, 2006, the BLM sold " Upper East Kelsey, " part of the enormous Kelsey-Whisky timber sale. The timber company plans to log this spring. By pushing forward with this deeply controversial timber sale, the BLM is ignoring the requests of Representative Peter DeFazio, Senator Ron Wyden, the Environmental Protection Agency, local businesses and hundreds of citizens from across the country. Upper East Kelsey proposes to log more than 500 acres within the Zane Grey Roadless Area, virtually all of it centuries-old forest. The Zane Grey is the largest forested roadless area on BLM land in the nation. This roadless area protects important tributaries to the Rogue River, safeguarding water quality and important habitat for salmon and steelhead. Every year, thousands of people from around the world travel to southern Oregon to float the Rogue River and take pleasure in the pristine landscape, and in doing so contribute millions of dollars to the local economy. The area is widely enjoyed for wildlife viewing, hiking and fishing. The Zane Grey and nearby Whisky Creek Roadless Areas should be protected as wilderness. Due to the ecological and economic importance of these wildlands, and their suitability as potential Wilderness, we urge you to take action! Please write a letter to Representative Peter DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden requesting they protect the Wild Rogue River for future generations. The Wild Rogue needs our help! For a sample letter and addresses, please visit: http://www.kswild.org/congresssletter9) A natural gas company this week pledged $50 million toward salmon recovery efforts on the Columbia, but there's a catch. The gift from Northern Star Natural Gas Co. is contingent on the company getting approval to build a proposed liquefied natural gas facility at Bradwood Landing, 38 river miles up from the Columbia River's mouth. The project is one of five LNG terminals being considered in Oregon and the furthest along in seeking federal approval. Three other proposed terminals are on the Columbia River and a fifth is in Coos Bay. Northern Star wants to build two LNG storage tanks at the Bradwood Landing site, with the capacity to pump about 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day - enough to meet about a third of the needs of the Pacific Northwest. Officials with the company have said the promised $50 million is " above and beyond " the company's legal requirements to offset the impacts of the LNG project. The $50 million wouldn't come in one big dose. Instead, it would be spread out over 35 years, with $7 million promised between the start of construction and operation of the facility in 2010. Building the natural gas facility would mean dredging at least 12 acres of the river, to make way for LNG ships, as well as building a berth, filling wetlands at the terminal site and installing a 36-mile pipeline to deliver gas. Environmental mitigation could involve purchase and restoration of 150 acres of an island in the Columbia River adjacent to Svensen, plus work on hundreds of acres of habitat for chinook, coho and chum salmon, steelhead trout and Columbia white-tailed deer on several sites in Columbia County. The Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, which was created by Washington state and developed the first federally-approved recovery plan for endangered fish in the Northwest, said it will work with Northern Star on its proposed mitigation efforts. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_LNG_TERMINAL_OROL-?SITE=OREUG & SECTION=HOME & TEMPLATE=DEFAUL

TCalifornia:10) Foes of a controversial logging plan in the Santa Cruz Mountains have enlisted global warming crusader Al Gore in their fight to save a 1,000-acre patch of redwoods and Douglas firs. The property straddles the Santa Cruz/Santa Clara county line. It was a local-level critique atypical from one of the world's most recognizable environmentalists known for activism on a much broader scope. " Forests like these are worth fighting to save, " Gore said in the statement released Monday by Neighbors Against Irresponsible Logging. " As one of the largest stands of coastal redwoods in Santa Clara County and adjacent to Silicon Valley, this healthy forest is performing many vital unseen functions including storing carbon dioxide, which reduces global warming. " Gore has said deforestation will hinder the planet's ability to regulate heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Many residents there don't want logging because they fear it will affect the quality of water for some 100,000 residents, and will not offer fire protection, as promised by San Jose Water Company, a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Gore, vice-president under Bill Clinton and creator of the environmental film " An Inconvenient Truth, " lent his voice to the campaign of Neighbors Against Irresponsible Logging, which is using it to promote opposition to San Jose Water Company and its intention to log land near the Lexington Reservoir. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/November/30/local/stories/04local.htm11) Green juniper trees that are hundreds of years old are being cut down, says Chon Bribiescas and Rocco Terracciano of the Forest Service. Cutting down junipers in the San Bernardino National Forest is illegal. It is a federal offense, and it's not the fine that will impact the person who is caught. It's the cost to replace the tree, Bribiescas says. The cost to replace a 900-year-old juniper tree is very expensive, he says. The junipers are being cut down in the forest off Forest Road 2N27. There are many threatened and endangered plants in the area and Pebble Plains. In addition, the juniper trees are homes to many forms of wildlife and the berries are food, Bribiescas says. Most of the wood thefts occur at night after regular patrol hours, he says. Terracciano says the poachers are cutting through a fence line and moving boulders to get to the trees. Three nights in a row the poachers moved the boulders installed by Forest Service personnel, and it resulted in fewer trees in the forest, Terracciano says. The thieves are marking the trees and Terracciano has found flashlights and solar lights left behind that mark the area where the junipers once stood. At least a dozen trees have been lost, the oldest about 600 years old, Bribiescas says. The patrol officers have caught some people suspected of being involved. Through interviews of the suspects, it's been learned the trees are being used for carving and furniture, Bribiescas says. The cutters are being contracted to steal the trees, Bribiescas says. He says that unfortunately, those apprehended are cutting to pay for other illegal habits. Finding the junipers after they've been cut and delivered is difficult, Bribiescas says. That's where the public's help is needed. Bribiescas says to be suspicious if told that a carving or piece of furniture is made from juniper from the local forest. Juniper has a tight grain, is heavier and darker than pine and has a distinct smell. http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/articles/2006/11/30/news/junipers.txtIdaho:12) Gov. Jim Risch plans to present his petition to manage Idaho's 9.3 million acres of roadless U.S. Forest Service land on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.. The plan has been praised by the timber industry as sensible even as environmentalists say it would open great swaths of pristine forest to destructive development. Risch planned to defend his 69-page plan before the Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee that advises Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on such petitions. Johanns oversees the Forest Service. The governor aims to ban road-building on about 3 million acres, while allowing some development on the rest, including roads for timber harvests aimed at removing beetle-killed trees some fear boost the danger of big wildfires. Groups including Trout Unlimited, a fishing and hunting organization, fear Risch's petition -- should it win favor -- will adversely affect important wildlife habitat. Trout Unlimited members planned to testify Wednesday against the petition. http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP & Date=20061128 & ID=6229770

13) " Most of the people in Idaho came here from somewhere else, and they brought trees to bring a little bit of their home with them, " Mahoney said. " An awful lot of them are the eastern deciduous species -- the oaks, walnuts, and hickories. " But the largest tree in Idaho is a native, a massive western red cedar near the town of Elk River east of Moscow in northcentral Idaho. A state champion, it is 177 feet tall and 56 feet around at its base. In big tree hunter numbers, it scores 867 points. The conservation group American Forests, based in Washington, D.C., tracks national champions with its National Register of Big Trees. All of Idaho's national champion trees are natives, Mahoney said. The largest Idaho national champion tree is an Engelmann spruce in the Lowman Ranger District in Boise County in central Idaho. It scored 486 points after being discovered just two years ago. " People are fascinated by really large specimens, " said Mahoney. " We have a lot of champions that are not big, but are big for their species. When you get to the trees that really get big, it's an amazing thing. " The smallest of Idaho's national champions is a beaked hazel in Moscow that scores a modest 38 points, and has held the record for just a year. Mahoney said more state champions are out there, and perhaps even a few more national champions. " One year we replaced the (state) champion ponderosa pine twice because of forest fires, " Mahoney said. " Some of the champions are enduring and last a long time. But there's still room to find more. " http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/11/29/news/regional/6626d31c1abaa8bb87257234006d47b8

..txtColorado: 15) The infestation of tree-killing bugs sweeping through millions of acres of forests in the West might help prevent wildfires rather than fuel them as feared, according to a new study. The outbreak of beetles that burrow under the bark, eventually killing the tree, might reduce wildfire risk by naturally thinning forests, according to the report released Tuesday by researchers from Colorado State University, the University of Colorado and the University of Idaho. " We are suggesting that the supposed fire risk is probably overblown, " said Bill Romme, professor of fire ecology at Colorado State and the lead researcher. " It's possible the insects are doing the forest thinning that we would never be able to afford. " State and federal land managers have become more alarmed about swaths of dead trees turning into fuel for wildfires as the beetles have fanned out through Western forests. Beetles have destroyed more than 7 million trees in Colorado over the past 10 years, said Joe Duda, forest management division supervisor for the State Forest Service. Congress appropriated $1 million this year to help remove dead or dying trees. The new study cautions that removing trees won't stop the spread of the beetles. Dead or dying trees don't mean the forest is unhealthy but " may instead reflect a natural process of forest renewal, " according to the study. Similar outbreaks have occurred in the past. " Pine beetles killed millions of lodgepole pine trees over thousands of square miles in the Cascade and Rocky Mountains in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, " according to the report. The study notes, though, that infestations at the current altitudes of 9,000 feet and higher are unprecedented and may be the result of warmer weather. Drought and denser forests because of decades of fire suppression have also contributed to outbreak, the report says. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Beetles_Wildfire.html16) An independent group of scientists from the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University, the University of Colorado and the University of Idaho, have reached a consensus about some of the critical ecological information needed for forest management in Colorado. The group developed a report that provides forest managers and policymakers with information about different kinds of insect outbreaks occurring in Colorado forests as a basis for making decisions about how to manage forests that are going through substantial changes. This information is essential, as Colorado recently experienced severe and extensive insect outbreaks. The primary insects attacking and killing trees in Colorado forests are bark beetles and defoliators. These insects are Colorado natives and have co-existed with their host tree species for thousands of years. The insects typically are present in a forest in low numbers, killing the occasional weak tree. Periodically, insect populations grow rapidly and kill large numbers of trees over large areas. Insect outbreaks are a natural occurrence and happen in nearly all forests. Major outbreaks do not happen often, and typically decades pass before another insect outbreak affects a forest. Researchers believe that recent insect outbreaks in Colorado are particularly widespread and severe due to several factors. The past decade has brought severe drought to many parts of the state accompanied by relatively warm temperatures in both summer and winter. The combination of drought and hot summers probably stressed the trees and made them more susceptible to bark beetles. Additionally, warm summers may have accelerated the growth and reproduction of some bark beetle species, and mild winters allowed the survival of beetle larvae. Landscapes dominated by large, old trees may also be particularly susceptible to beetle attacks. http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20061128/NEWS/61128003Minnesota:

16) The Minnesota DNR achieved certification last year from the Forest Stewardship Council for using best practices in managing state forests. But two environmental organizations are challenging that status. The issue is important because certification makes Minnesota's forest products more valuable. There's nothing in the FSC principles about all terrain vehicles. But that's where environmental activist Matt Norton thinks the Minnesota DNR is falling down on the job. " Free reign for motorized vehicles on public lands is not a manageable situation, " he says. " And it does not merit certification as meeting the highest land management standards. " Norton is with Minnesota Citizens for Environmental Advocacy. His group, and the Izaak Walton League, have appealed the DNR's certification. They say when four-wheelers and dirt bikes and off-road trucks travel cross-country or blaze their own new trails, they cause environmental damage. Not only do they contribute to erosion and poor water quality in streams, Norton says they can bring invasive species into pristine forests, disrupting whole ecosystems. The DNR planned to limit off-road vehicles to designated trails, until last year. That's when the legislature allowed looser regulations north of Highway Two. It runs from Duluth to Grand Forks, and Minnesota's largest state forests lie to the north. The organization that certified the DNR's land management is Scientific Certification Systems. The firm's Robert Hrubes says it is possible to allow off-road vehicles to travel where they want, and still be a responsible land manager. But he says it's a very difficult policy issue. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/28/forestcertification/Texas:17) I am 99% certain that this article is about the Gibbs Forest that had been managed in a system that preserved the native forest gene pool for at least 100 years. It is indeed tragic that the family did not place restrictive covenants on their timberlands when they first sold it a few years ago. I am confident that the Gibbs family legacy will be liquidated and destroyed within 5 years based on what I have witnessed on the Champion/IP lands. ghr JACKSONVILLE -- Rayonier announced today it has agreed to acquire 55,000 acres of high-quality timberland in Texas for $121 million from an investment fund advised by Global Forest Partners LP. The transaction is expected to close by year-end. The well-managed timberland has an unusually large percentage of immediately harvestable, high-value pine sawtimber. In addition, the property is located approximately 70 miles north of Houston along Interstate 45 in an area with good demand for rural land. " This property is an excellent fit for Rayonier, " said Lee Nutter, Chairman, President and CEO. " Because of the very high percentage of mature timber and its exceptional quality, the transaction will be immediately cash accretive. The property also complements the 31,000 acres of timberland we recently acquired in Texas. In addition to increasing our timberland base, this purchase provides very significant like-kind-exchange tax benefits, giving us further opportunity to efficiently develop our high-value real estate business along the I-95 coastal corridor in Georgia and Northeast Florida. " http://biz./bw/061130/20061130005929.html?.v=1Indiana:18) The proposed " German Ridge Restoration Project " would clearcut 355 acres; shelterwood cut 120 acres, and thin 215 acres for a total of 685 acres of logging. The proposed timber sale also authorizes the building of two miles of new roads, the building of two miles of temporary roads, and the reconstruction of nine miles of existing roads. The project further authorizes prescribed burning of 2,170 acres, in one of the most popular recreation areas in the forest, an area known to be used by Indiana bats, and would likely add even more pollution to an area of Indiana that is already a " nonattainment area " for particulate matter. The German Ridge project has been stopped two times in the past ten years; the first time in the late 1990's due to the discovery of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) in the project area, and the second time, in the summer of 2006, due to the Forest Service's appealing officer's decision that the environmental impact statement did not include an adequate " cumulative impact analysis, " and that the costs of the road building were not included in the economic analysis. This is the third time, then, that the Forest Service is attempting to recycle this same, environmentally and economically destructive project. The Forest Service is refusing to throw this project out, but instead, has merely changed its paperwork. The public needs to comment on this new SDEIS. There is a 45-day comment period on this new Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) that ends Monday, Dec 4, 2006. Please fill out all blanks in the form and then press the " send comments " button. http://www.heartwood.org/alerts.phpVirginia:19) CRAIGSVILLE — When at least 40 hunting enthusiasts discuss clearcutting in the presence of exactly one salaried forester, they don't beat around the bush. Norris Campbell, the host of the informal gathering near Craigsville, said it was an easy walk from his house to several 8-15 acre swaths of clearcut forest, and hard to endure disruptions to his four-legged neighbors in the nearby Goshen-Little North Mountain Wildlife Management Area. " It's too much, too quick and too close, " said Campbell, who gathered more than 500 signatures in a petition opposing policies of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which owns and manages the land. Complaints and accusations flew across the well-lit room, most of them targeting Ken Mohler, a technician with the Virginia Department of Forestry. Mohler said that a growing body of science recognizes the value to wildlife of trees maintained at different levels of maturity. He likened selective clearcutting to fire, ice storms and other natural calamities: They reduce the threat of rampant disease and pest damage. He invited his inquisitors to visit nearby Jump Mountain, which was stripped of 1,300 acres in the early 1970s following an ice storm — and whose oak forests bounced back. " It looked bad, it looked ugly, " Mohler said. " It was brushy for 10 years. But look what's growing today: Nobody planted it; God planted it. " http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS01/611290332/1002

Delaware:20) The Delaware Forest Service has issued a comprehensive report on the health and sustainability of Delaware's forests. While the report finds the state's forests generally in good health, Delaware's trees are being lost to development at an increasing rate. In addition Delaware's forests are also increasingly being threatened by invasive insects and diseases. The report is issued every five years. http://www.wgmd.com/newspost/fullnews.php?id=2124USA: 21) A federal judge ruled that a Clinton-era ban on road construction in national forests applies to hundreds of oil and gas leases sold by the Bush administration. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte's ruling Wednesday means that holders of more than 300 leases that permit oil and gas exploration in national forests cannot build roads to access those areas. Laporte's order follows her September ruling that reinstated the 2001 " Roadless Rule " that prohibits logging, mining and other development on 58.5 million acres of pristine wilderness in 38 states and Puerto Rico. In that earlier ruling, Laporte said the Bush administration had failed to conduct necessary environmental studies before it replaced the rule in May 2005 with a process that required governors to petition the federal government to protect national forests in their states. She sided with 20 environmental groups and four states - California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington - that had sued the Forest Service over the changes. On Wednesday, Laporte ruled in favor of the plaintiffs who argued that her ruling should apply to all actions taken since the Roadless Rule was issued in January 2001. The Bush administration had argued that it should only apply to actions taken after she reinstated the ruling in September. The oil and gas leases cover more than 340,000 acres in seven Western states, including 179,000 in Utah, 87,000 in Colorado and 55,000 in North Dakota. Hunting, fishing, hiking and conservation groups had opposed the sale of many of the leases, fearing they would open wilderness to road construction. Laporte ruled that leaseholders cannot build roads in those areas, but did not rule out other ways to access the land. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/1613467

5.htm22) Growing efforts to save privately owned farms, ranches and forests from industrial and residential development now preserve about as much open space each year as is lost to sprawl, according to a report out today. The National Land Trust Census, conducted every five years by an umbrella organization for land conservation groups, says private land under protective trusts and easements now total 37 million acres, a 54% increase from the last count in 2000. Conservation of private land from 2000 to 2005 averaged 2.6 million acres a year — about half the size of New Jersey, according to the Land Trust Alliance, which represents 1,200 of the USA's 1,667 local, state and national land trusts. This means additional land protected each year exceeds the 2.2 million acres that the Agriculture Department has estimated is converted annually to "developed land." Most of the growth was in action by local and state trusts. Unlike larger national trusts, many of these groups are run primarily by volunteers. Yet such trusts tripled the average acreage they were able to set aside annually compared with the previous five-year census. The results "took my breath away," says Land Trust Alliance president Rand Wentworth. "They showed that a movement of local volunteer groups is making a huge difference in conserving places they love." The biggest acreage is in conservation easements, legal pacts between landowners and trusts or government agencies that permanently limit the land's use. The land census says easements have risen 148% since the last count. An easement preserves open space permanently as scenic landscape, watershed or wildlife habitat from other development. The landowner, often a rancher or farmer, receives a tax credit in exchange and can continue to graze livestock or grow crops on the property. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061130/1a_bottomstrip30.art.htm

23) In Jack Ward Thomas' eye, his beloved Forest Service is like an abused pony - cross hobbled, blindfolded, spurred on one side, reins yanked hard on the other. It just doesn't know which way to turn. That's a far cry from its storied past when the first rangers provided a stewardship role to the thousands of acres set aside for the public good. When World War II ended, the agency stepped forward to help provide the timber necessary to house the hordes of returning servicemen. On Wednesday, Thomas joined Mark Rey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's undersecretary for natural resources and conservation, and others to discuss the hurdles the Forest Service will face during its second century at a conference at the University of Montana. A confusing mix of environmental laws coupled with "environmental warriors" willing to take the agency to task has impacted the agency's ability to actively manage national forest lands, Thomas said.That's resulted in smaller work forces and shrinking budgets, which in turn makes it more difficult to get work on the ground accomplished, he said. "When do the environmental warriors take responsibility for the consequences of their victory?" asked Thomas. Things are changing and people are beginning to find common ground, said Maggie Pittman, the Lolo National Forest's Missoula district ranger. "On the local level, it is a new day," Pittman said. "In Missoula, Montana, we're working collaboratively with a lot of different groups. Both sides are looking for ways to find middle ground. "We're not at the same place we were 10 years ago," she said. That thought was echoed by another conference presenter, Mitch Friedman, executive director of Conservation Northwest. Friedman, who claims to have been amongst the first tree sitters, said Conservation Northwest used to be in forefront in filing appeals and lawsuits against proposed Forest Service actions. These days, you might find Friedman sitting across the table from old adversaries searching for common ground. "Once you get past the old culture wars, there are lots of new opportunities out there," Friedman said. http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/11/30/news/mtregional/news07.txtCanada:24) The Department of Natural Resources defines old-growth forests as forest stands containing climax type species, such as hemlock, red spruce, sugar maple or yellow birch, that are at least 125 years of age. The department has implemented a program to identify at least eight per cent of old-growth and potential old-growth stands on Crown land. Foresters and ecologists are acutely aware that old-growth forests are a critical component of any forest landscape, and that there is a shortage of such areas in this province. Certain plants, insects and birds require old-growth forests for food and nesting. The Nova Scotia section of the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) recently sponsored workshops where the idea of old-growth forests was explored and selected sites such as Oakfield Provincial Park and North River in Cape Breton were visited in order to better understand their role and purpose. In healthy forests across the province, there should be a variety of age classes with significant representation in the various development stages, ranging from young and regenerating to older and mature forests. In Nova Scotia, however, it is estimated that less than three per cent of our forests are in the old-growth stage. Historians now postulate that prior to Europeans coming to North America, old-growth forests made up about 20 per cent of the total forest area and some would say that this is a conservative estimate. Using the Department of Natural Resources' score sheet, which helps to classify areas as potential or existing old-growth areas, workshop attendees studied and classified several forest stands. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/9002022.html25) The North American boreal forest stretches from Newfoundland to Alaska. In it: 5 million square kilometres. One quarter of the earth's original forest. 80% of the world's unfrozen fresh water. 136 Billion tons of sequestered carbon. Three billion migrant landbirds every summer. But with the easy sources of energy disappearing and the insatiable demand for Kleenex, there are also scary numbers. Two hectares are clearcut every minute. In Ontario alone, 4400 mining claims have been staked. 1,000 square kilometres are staked for coal bed methane production. 62,000 kilometres of logging roads run through it. According to the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, the portion that should be park and preserve: 50%. The portion that should be managed sustainably: 50%. Portion that actually is protected, notwithstanding the Government's pledge to "institute meaningful planning": 5%. Scary. Read the Fight for the Forest by Tim Tiner in ::On Nature magazine, unfortunately not online. http://www.treehugger.com2006/11/by_the_numbers_1.php26) There are 1,500 to 1,600 species of spiders in Canada, of all shapes and sizes. To earn his PhD in biology, Shorthouse is examining the diversity of spiders in the Clear Hills forest in the Peace River and Hinton areas of Alberta, as a way to help forestry companies find the best methods to reclaim harvested land. By determining how many different spider species are living on reclaimed land, companies can work on a plan on how to best harvest their timber, Shorthouse said. In his research, Shorthouse worked on lands that had been set aside for research purposes by Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd. He set 850 plastic beer-style cups 14 centimetres deep into the forest floor in an area that spanned an area 10 by five kilometres. He found that 183 different species tumbled into his cups - that's an astounding 45,000 spiders, which sounds like a lot, but is really " just a drop in the bucket, " Shorthouse said. He also discovered after counting and identifying the spiders, that there was less diversity in clearcut forest. The creatures tended to run in circles in these areas as Shorthouse learned when he went back into the field to track them. " In undisturbed forest, they moved in more of a linear direction. " He's unsure why this is the case, but says this change in behaviour helps explain why there is a low diversity of spider species. " I found a prevalence of three or four different species in clearcut forest where there should have been 100 species. It's no good to have half a dozen species, but thousands of one and very few of another. " It's believed that high diversity is linked to high productivity in a habitat, " a place where species can flourish, " he said. Spiders, which sit at the top of their food chain, not only control insect populations in a healthy forest community, but they also serve as food for birds. http://www.physorg.com/news84034974.htmlEuropean Union:27) The European commission has admitted using illegal rainforest timber to build its headquarters in Brussels, say Greenpeace. The environmentalists say commission vice president Siim Kallas has admitted to them that uncertified plywood was used to renovate the 13th floor of the Berlaymont building. " The plywood was used despite the fact that the commission required the contractor to use only certified timber, " Greenpeace declared in a statement . " This story illustrates the extent to which the European market is saturated with illegal and unsustainable timber. " As part of its programme to tackle illegal logging, the European commission pledged to launch a public consultation on the issue in 2004. But the public is yet to be consulted and environmentalists accuse the EU executive of not doing enough to tackle the problem. " It is appalling to think that commissioners are walking on the debris of one of the most precious forests on Earth while leading a prominent public relations campaign on the need to halt biodiversity loss, " one Greenpeace campaigner said. " If the European commission wants to show that it is serious about preventing forest ecosystem breakdown, it must put forward legislation to ensure that all timber products on the European market come from legal sources and responsibly managed forests. " http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200611/0ac08e86-ec86-42eb-9c66-24b941dd1bb4.htm

Scotland:28) PROTESTERS have targeted Edinburgh's prestigious Quartermile development after builders began felling trees in the Meadows. Around 12 campaigners arrived at Middle Meadow Walk yesterday as work started to cut down six mature trees - a move that will allow pipes to be installed at the development. One protester was reported to be carrying climbing equipment in an attempt to scale one of the trees and hold up work. The impromptu protest was halted after police were called to monitor it. Developer Gladedale has promised to replace the felled trees and Friends of the Meadows chairman Peng Lee Yap said: " I understand that they are cutting down six trees and will be replacing them either in the same place or nearby after the work has been done. " http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1770592006Greece:29) Academics yesterday supported calls by the Ombudsman for the immediate creation of a registry of forestland to prevent Greece's natural beauty from being destroyed by land-grabbers and illegal construction. During a conference yesterday, the citizen's advocate highlighted the fact that even though a law was passed 30 years ago to officially chart Greece's forests, the maps that have been drawn up so far only cover 6 percent of the country. The Ombudsman argued that a forest registry should be drawn up before the delayed land registry is completed. Official figures made public earlier this year showed that in 1945, just over 75 percent of the country was part of a forest or valley, compared to about 61 percent now. The Ombudsman fears that property developers will continue to take advantage of the lack of a forest registry to build on public land and claim the tracts as their own as long as efforts to register the land are not sped up. The watchdog also wants more forest rangers to be hired to protect the areas. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100022_29/11/2006_77156Bolivia:30) The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, has secured the passage of a sweeping land-reform Bill with the help of thousands of peasants who marched on La Paz. He signed the Bill into law at a midnight ceremony on Tuesday, prompting jubilation from his supporters, after overcoming fierce resistance from senators representing large landowners. The law is intended to reverse centuries of discrimination against the indigenous majority by seizing almost 200 000 square kilometres of land deemed unproductive or illegally owned and redistributing it to the poor. " This is the struggle of our ancestors, the struggle for power and territory, " he said. " Now the change is in our hands. " It was another victory for Latin America's first indigenous president, who has persuaded oil and gas multinationals to give most of their Bolivian revenues to the state. Morales's land reforms had already passed through the Lower House, controlled by his Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party. But they stalled in the Senate, where the MAS had just 12 out of 27 seats. An opposition boycott prevented the Assembly reaching its 14-seat quorum. Morales threatened to bypass the senate with a presidential decree and the pressure increased when 3 000 peasants marched into the capital to back him. On Tuesday the opposition buckled. A senator from the conservative Podemos party and assistants representing two senators from smaller parties voted with the MAS to pass the Bill 15-0. Large landowners vowed to resist the redistribution. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/118276.htmlMadagascar:31) Deep in the forests of Madagascar German scientists have discovered three new species of the world's smallest primate, the mouse lemur. But the habitat these tiny creatures call home is now being threatened by mass deforestation. Three years have passed since three new species of mouse lemur -- mircocebus bongolavensis, microcebus danfossi and microcebus lokobensis were discovered by German scientists in the forests of Madagascar. Nevertheless, a lot of time can pass before an animal species is officially " baptized " with a scientific name. The road to obtaining an official Latin name is a long one -- filled with pitfalls and hurdles that involve a painstaking research process into the new species that ends with a peer-reviewed study published in a scientific journal. Only after other scientists review the research, corrections are made and it is successfully defended can the scientific baptism finally be completed. Three species of mouse lemurs have now put this procedure behind them and they are officially the newest species of the primate world. " The forests there are shrinking and we had difficulties working out where the mouse lemurs were, " TiHo's Ute Radespiel told SPIEGEL ONLINE. http://monkeydaynews.blogspot.com/2006/11/three-new-species-of-worlds-smallest.html

32) " Hell just started here, " said Eric Mathieu (www.marojejy.com), a French conservationist who has lived in Andapa in northeast Madagascar for 13 years while working to preserve Marojejy National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve. " The slash-and-burn is far worse than usual this year. With presidential elections coming, there is no control. You just have to sit and watch as a useless witness as the forests burn. Large portion of primary forests outside protected areas have been destroyed on the road from Sambava-Andapa. While the politicians campaign, the forests burn. Lemurs are losing habitat " http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com/2006/11/madagascar-presidential-election.html

China: 33) Researchers have found soils in an old-growth forest in southern China are storing carbon at a rapid rate. If common to the soils of other old-growth forests, the finding could add combating global warming to the reasons for preserving them from logging, some scientists say. The finding from soils in southern China goes against the generally accepted idea that old-growth forests are in balance, giving up as much carbon through decomposition as they take in from falling leaves and dying roots. Why the soils act as a carbon sink remains unknown, but the study in the Friday edition of the journal Science gives a new way to think about how carbon works in old-growth forests, said Xuli Tang, a scientist with the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou, China, and co-author of the study. " No country in the world has been trying to (preserve) old growth forest from carbon sink perspective because of the existence of the traditional paradigm, " although China is doing some large-scale forest restoration projects that could serve as significant carbon sinks, he said by e-mail. http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-17/116493176042520.xml & storylist=o

rlocal The driving forces for this observed high rate of SOC increase in the old-growth forests are not clear at present and deserve further study. This study suggests that the carbon cycle processes in the belowground system of these forests are changing in response to the changing environment. This result directly challenges the prevailing belief in ecosystem ecology regarding carbon budget in old-growth forests (1) and supports the establishment of a new, nonequilibrium conceptual framework to study soil carbon dynamics. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5804/141734) A Democratic senator Wednesday called on the Bush administration to investigate alleged abuses by the Chinese logging industry that he said have damaged U.S. producers of hardwood used in furniture. In letters to the U.S. trade representative and other officials, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon urged the administration to investigate practices such as subsidies of China's timber industry, possible fraudulent labeling of Chinese hardwood plywood, and illegal logging of Asian and African forests. " Over the past few years, the U.S. hardwood plywood sector has experienced a dramatic downturn, which has put the entire U.S. industry in jeopardy, " Wyden wrote, citing declines since 2003 in U.S. production, shipment volume and market share. " At the same time, the Chinese hardwood plywood sector has been surging, " Wyden said. " This dramatic growth in the Chinese industry - at the apparent expense of U.S. industry - is extremely troubling because it may be based on a number of illegal trade practices. " Wyden, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said he would seek a hearing on the issue next year after Democrats take control of Congress. A spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said her office had just received the letter " and will review it carefully. " http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_CHINA_ILLEGAL_LOGGING_OROL-?SITE=OREUG & SECTION=HOME & TEMPL

ATE=DEFAULTIndia:35) Thousands of India's poorest and most marginalised people gathered in the heart of New Delhi and other cities on Wednesday demanding rights over the remote forest land where they have lived for centuries. Women in brightly coloured saris and men in turbans from far-flung rural areas waved banners and punched their fists in the air calling on the government to quickly pass a law recognising their rights. " Who will look after the forests? We will. We will, " they chanted. " Who do the forests belong to? They belong to us. " More than 40 million people live in India's resource-rich forest areas including protected wildlife reserves and dense woodland, eking out a meagre living from simple farming, picking fruit and collecting honey. For generations they have had no legal right to the land or the use of forest resources. They say they have been treated as " encroachers " and " criminals " on their own land and forced to leave it by forestry officials, mining and logging companies. " Millions of impoverished people ironically live in the richest lands in India, but they have not been able to benefit from the land, " said Shankar Gopalakrishnan from the Campaign for Dignity and Survival, a union of forest community groups. " Every year, hundreds of thousands are forcefully evicted, beaten, tortured and their homes are demolished by officials and businessmen who want to use the land for their own purposes. " Similar protests took place in the eastern cities of Bhubaneswar and Ranchi, where thousands of forest dwellers gathered, beating drums and chanting slogans. Fifty-four-year-old Rambati Bai said despite spending more than 60 years living in Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in the eastern state of Orissa, she and her family were not allowed to call the forest home. " Last year, the forest officials came to my village and told us to leave the forest. Is it that easy? How can we live in another place? " said the woman, clad in a shabby, crumpled white sari. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL305886.htm36) Hundreds of thousands of poor people living in India's tiger reserves must be involved in conservation efforts and benefit from them if the endangered big cat is to survive, a leading environmental group said yesterday. India has half the world's surviving tigers, but experts say the country is losing the battle to save the big cats, citing one of the main causes as inability of authorities to get local people living in forest areas involved in conservation. " One of the most important things that must be done is to link the local people living in reserves with tiger conservation efforts, " said Sunita Narain, director for the Centre of Science and Environment. " The fact that we have neglected this issue is a key part of the crisis we are facing with our tigers today. " There were about 40,000 tigers in India a century ago, but decades of poaching and depletion of their natural habitat have cut their numbers to 3,700. Some wildlife experts say their number could be as low as 1,200. http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/11/28/10085671.html37) The Zilla Panchayat member M M Naik alleged that the officers of Forest Department who are supposed to protect forests in the taluk, are looting forests and supporting encroachment. Speaking at the taluk panchayat general body meeting held under the presidentship of Jayalakshmi Gonda, he said that when recently it was brought to the notice of forests officer about forests being destroyed and encroached in Jali panchayat limits, no officer took any action against this. TP member Jagadish Jain, who too shared the same opinion, said that even in Bengre region, such incidents of encroachments were going on unabated. The villagers have revealed that forest officers and staff are involved in all this, he added. They demanded that a resolution be passed that such officials are not wanted in Bhatkal taluk. They also expressed displeasure over their absence from the meeting. Answering to the questions, TP Vice-President Parameshwar Devadig said that though the forest officers have been given information and warnings about forest looting and encroachment many times, they act irresponsibly without giving head to people's representatives. They have remained absent to the meeting purposely, he said. A resolution was taken at the meeting that they should be transferred. A copy of it would be sent to the deputy commissioner. http://www.sahilonline.org/english/contactus.aspBhutan:38) Halfway down the steep slope a lone figure, 56-year-old Karchung, is at work quite oblivious of the surrounding as the power chain saws at an enormous trunk of a felled oak tree. A few more trunks of similar size lie scattered. "It never seems to become easy," Karchung said shutting up the only source of sound, the power chain, in the deep forest of Jedekha, 16 kilometres from the Gidakom forest management unit office. The man responsible for the felling trees and cutting logs to feed Thimphu's demand for firewood and timber was covered in a thin film of sawdust, a safety helmet, a patang (knife) across the waist and the power chain in one hand. Karchung has been chopping wood for more than 36 years. He has lived in the forest since he was 20. " For me it is a habituated job now because I cannot do anything else," he said mentioning over a dozen other places where he had been engaged including Chamgang, which today has been stripped of all its fuel wood. Karchung chopped about two truckloads of fuel wood each day and Thimphu consumed about 3,500 truckloads a year according to records maintained by the forestry development corporation limited. Each month more than 13 truckloads each went to the armed forces, about 10 truckloads to the dratshang and a similar amount to urban Thimphu, more especially during winters. Despite the increase in power consumption and the use of alternative heating sources like kerosene and LPG the demand for fuelwood has continued to increase according to forestry officials. "The current location will hardly last till next year," said B. B. Gurung of forest management unit at Gidakom. "Eight line-corridors have been designated for next year and there are three left with the present location." The wood was extracted using a 1,500 metre long cable-line that went deep into the forest from the approach road. And after 2007, the operation will be carried out at Tsaluna, also in Gidakom. The operation at Siluphu had been completed and had moved towards Jedekha. Fuel wood from Changkhaphu had been completely exhausted and the additional supply was being extracted from Khariphu working scheme. http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News & file=article & sid=7778

Malaysia:39) U.S. scientists say the mode of seed dispersal shapes placement of rainforest trees, perhaps explaining how many plant species coexist in dense forests. " Overall, there is a highly significant relationship between mode of seed dispersal and the clustering and arrangement of mature trees in the rainforest, " said Joshua Plotkin, a junior fellow at Harvard University, and co-author Tristram Seidler. " This strong correlation demonstrates the long-term impact that these dispersal methods have on the organization of the large-scale forest. " Plotkin and Seidler studied a 120-acre plot of lowland tropical forest at Pasoh Forest Reserve in peninsular Malaysia. They analyzed the dispersal mechanisms and spatial distributions of 561 tree species found in the plot. What they found was that species clustering was strongly correlated to the species' mode of seed dispersal. In addition, the study also found trees with smaller fruit tended to be less widely dispersed than trees bearing larger fruit, suggesting larger-bodied birds and mammals, in eating larger fruit, carry the seeds of these plants over larger distances. The results -- the first experimental evidence of their kind for an entire forest community -- appear in the November issue of the journal PLoS Biology. http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science & article=UPI-1-20061129-13373100-bc-us-rainfor

ests.xmlAustralia:40) The Wilderness Society is demanding the Victorian Government ban logging in areas it promised to include in new national parks at the state election. Forest protesters were arrested at a blockade yesterday in old-growth forest north of Orbost, in the state's south-east, and the protesters are back in the area today. Gavin McFadyen from the Wilderness Society says most of the area is due to be included in the Snowy River and Errinundra national parks. He says the Victorian public voted for the forest to be protected. " While the Bracks Government needs to protect these areas under the National Parks Act, and we believe that'll happen early next year, there should now be an immediate moratorium on logging any areas that the Government has proposed and promised ... to be protected for their old-growth values, " he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1799328.htm41) The Greens party says the Victorian Government is already breaking its election promises by allowing logging at Goongerah in far east Gippsland. The Labor Party promised to protect the area as part of its re-election platform. But timber contractors are trying to log a 30 hectare coup in the block this week. Five protesters have been arrested at the site since the election. The Greens' candidate for the Upper House Eastern Region, Louis Delacretaz, says the Victorian Government must order a moratorium on logging in the area. " The Bracks Government on the 17th of November said that if they were re-elected they would immediately protect the old-growth forest that's currently available for logging, so obviously that includes trees that haven't been cut down at the moment ... if they're going to keep that promise that they made in good faith, they have to stop the logging. " The Government says timber harvesting at Goongerah will be limited to coupes currently being logged, despite an election promise that harvesting in the area would stop. Environment Minister John Thwaites was not available for comment on the issue. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1801271.htm