166 - 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---Alaska:

1) Aerial Trams for Ketchikan, 2) Management plan for largest forest,

--British Columbia: 3) What's a Karst? 4) Deforestation on the Island, --Washington: 5) Suncadia to build 3,500 homes in Roslyn, 6) Timber theft,--Oregon: 7) Waiting for the biggest tree to fall--California: 8) Loggers file lawsuit so they can log Giant Sequoia monument

--Montana: 9) WildWest and Friends of Bitterroot appeal to 9th Circuit, 10) Kimball,--Minnesota: 11) 120,000 acres for sale--Wisconsin: 12) Forest Crop Laws force bad forestry--Ohio: 13) Tropical rainforest near Lake Erie, 14) Lawsuit to save church trees,

--Georgia: 15) Save Paulding Forest, --Vermont: 16) Logging dispute on Mt. Holly--Maine: 17) Changes in Maine, 18) Largest ever bio-fuel enterprise, 19) Snowmobiles,--USA: 20) unite against evils of tree killing demons, 21) Trees for Newsprint slides, --Canada: 22) Warm temps changing wildlife, 23) Boreal, 24) Hot energy economy, --UK: 25) Senior Citizens make the best protesters--Finland: 26) Lumber industry unravels without annual freeze,--Hungary: 27) Save the old plane-trees,

--EU: 28) Just plant a tree--Lebanon: 29) Treeplanting and new efforts to stop cutting--Turkmenistan: 30) 16,000 firs and cypress planted--South America: 31) Largest wetland in the world,--Ecuador: 32) Trans-amazonian highway

--Brazil: 33) Last stand for Atlantic coast trees, 34) Nat Geo on the Amazon, 35) Insanity,--India: 36) Delhi's trees stressed, 37) New case of illegal felling, 38) First treehuggers,--Pakistan: 39) Lifting the ban on cutting trees

--Tibet: 40) The people have the right to be decision-makers--Malaysia: 41) Palm oil-based food exporters excited about market growth potentialAlaska:1)

Ketchikan - Rain Forest Aerial Trams, has proposed building the tram

from Herring Cove to Fawn Mountain, a distance of about 1 1/2

kilometres. A car would carry eight passengers and a tour guide

explaining the history of the area. The company operates five parks in

the Caribbean and Central America. The company has applied to the

Forest Service for a 40-year special use permit. The company's chief

engineer, John Dalton, said they hope to begin construction by the end

of 2007 with the tram built for the 2008 tourist season. http://www.therecord.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=record/Layout/Article_Type1 & c=Article

& cid=1168642212931 & call_pageid=1024322088824 & col=10243222167352) Federal officials Friday opened public review of the latest management plan for the nation's largest national forest.

http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_5002590

" What we want is to get out of the current mode of litigating every

project that has any type of development, " said Cole. " I hope to

stabilize outputs in the future so that communities can rely on public

lands for their economic well being if they so choose. " In announcing

the release of the plan, Cole also said he was looking forward to

working with the new forest chief, Montana forester Gail Kimbell.

Kimbell's past service included supervising the Stikine area of the

Tongass. She worked on Alaska's Chugach National Forest as well, Cole

said. " I'm thrilled to death to find out that the new chief is going to

have a pretty good Alaska experience and I personally worked with Gail

and I think she will do an excellent job, " he said. http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2007/01/14/news/regional/833cb0ee4b0806a08725726200

2689bd.txt

The plan spells out seven alternatives for balancing logging,

recreation, and other uses of Tongass National Forest in southeast

Alaska. Opposing sides are critical of the choices. The Sierra Club

says the proposals place too much emphasis on timber to the detriment

of the environment and other uses. The public comment period is open

for 90 days. A final plan is due out in late August. The release of the

document is the latest step in a revision of the 1997, Tongass Land

Management Plan. The Forest Service had to revise the plan after a

federal appeals court found the plan was seriously impaired by mistakes

made by the federal agency in projecting timber demand. In the current

revision, alternatives range from allowing 40 million board feet to 420

million board feet of timber a year to be logged. . http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_5002590British Columbia:3)

Karst is formed by water dissolving limestone over many thousands of

years, creating shafts, sinkholes, caves, disappearing streams and

springs. About 10 per cent of B.C. has bedrock that is suitable for

karst formation, largely concentrated on Vancouver Island and Haida

Gwaii. The abundant rainfall of B.C.'s coastal rainforest makes our

karst features among the most dynamic on earth. That's why the Forest

Practices Board has recently published a special report on protecting

karst in coastal British Columbia. The most obvious public interest in

karst is recreational: B.C.'s karst caves attract caving enthusiasts

from around the world to marvel at the stalactites, stalagmites, "moon

milk" and "cave pearls" that are deposited during the cave formation.

Karst caves also have scientific value because they preserve fossil

records from prehistoric times. They have cultural values as well:

karst caves were used by First Nations peoples for shelter, burial

sites and ceremonial purposes. However, karst is significant for many

other reasons. Dissolved nutrients, fractured bedrock and well-drained

soils make karst terrain highly productive for growing forests, as well

as supporting rare and diverse animal and plant communities. Overall,

karst is a valuable resource with direct economic and environmental

values. Karst terrain is particularly sensitive to damage from forest

practices because its fractured nature allows water to move rapidly

through it. Logging debris, sediments and pollutants introduced into

karst by water flows, as well as road building, can all damage karst

features. Heavy equipment and blasting can cause physical damage, soil

erosion and sediment transfer, interrupt natural surface and subsurface

drainage patterns, and collapse caves, especially those with thin

ceilings. To avoid damage, forest practices do not necessarily have to

avoid karst areas, but will often have to be modified. Preventing

damage to karst features is easier said than done. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/training/00008

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/publications/00189/Karst-Mgmt-Handbook-web.pdf4)

The most recent photo analysis based on 2004 satellite images shows

that: 1) 73% of the original productive old-growth forests of Vancouver

Island have been logged. ie. 27% remained by 2004. - 2) 87% of the

original productive old-growth forests on southern Vancouver Island,

south of Barkley Sound/Alberni Canal, have been logged. ie.13% remains.

- 3) 90% of the low, flat (eg. valley bottoms) ancient forests where

the largest trees grow and the greatest biodiversity resides, have been

logged. ie. 10% remains. – 4) Only 6% of Vancouver Island's productive

forest lands are protected in our parks system. - The Western Canada

Wilderness Committee (WCWC) is calling on the BC government to protect

the ancient forests of Vancouver Island by immediately banning logging

in the most endangered old-growth forest types and quickly phasing-out

old-growth logging from the rest of Vancouver Island by 2015, with a

rapid transition to second-growth logging at a slower, more sustainable

rate of cut. Unprotected ancient forests here include the Upper Walbran

Valley, Nahmint Valley, East Creek Rainforest, Clayoquot Valley, Flores

Island, Sydney Valley, Ursus Valley, Nootka Trail, South Cathedral

Grove, Upper Tsitika Valley, Nawitti Lowlands, and hundreds of other

places. Write to: Premier Gordon Campbell Legislative Buildings,

Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Fax: (250) 387-0087 Email: premierhttp://www.wildernesscommitteevictoria.org Washington:

5)

ROSLYN, Kittitas County — Locals say hello to strangers entering a

restaurant; people take their gripes to the mayor's home; icicles the

size of baseball bats hang above storefronts. So the prospect of golf

courses and million-dollar homes rising in the forest above town

rattled Roslyn native Dawn Abourezk. But if the Suncadia resort was

unavoidable, she decided she'd better embrace it. The 31-year-old

mother of two launched Copper Crest Concierge, marketing herself as

one-stop-shopping for wealthy vacation-home owners. She'll buy

groceries, plow snow, solve plumbing emergencies, water plants, book

pedicures. And, like others in this town of 1,000, she'll keep a

watchful eye on the transformation. " There are angry people, " Abourezk

says. " There are excited people. And there are people who really don't

care. " It will be interesting to look back in 10 years and say, 'This

is how it turned out.' " Like dozens of towns across the United States,

Roslyn is being reshaped along with the timber industry. Companies

scour their real-estate portfolios for land to develop. Plum Creek

Timber made way for Suncadia by selling 6,300 acres near Roslyn. A

company representative says the area cried out for a resort because it

offers fishing, hunting and skiing in a breathtaking setting 80 miles

east of Seattle in the Cascades Suncadia is owned by Oregon window

company Jeld-Wen, Sunriver developer Lowe Enterprises and Portland

real-estate company PacTrust. When construction is complete, 3,200

vacation homes will attract buyers from the Puget Sound area, Portland

and beyond. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2003522248_realresort14.html6)

Mount Vernon – A Skagit County man faces charges for allegedly

harvesting timber on land that was not his own. Investigators say it's

part of a growing trend where anyone with the tools and the time can

make a quick buck. Plank by plank, mill owner Jack Knight planes out

custom hardwood boards. " Alder and maple are our two most popular

hardwoods, " he said. Last August, he says a man by the name of Willard

Jarrells came to sell him some logs. " I had just sold a bunch of cedar

lumber and was looking for cedar logs. What he had fit just what I

needed, " he continued. He bought them only to get a phone call from a

landowner in Big Lake saying Jarrells had stolen them. In fact, in the

past six months, Jarrells has been to jail four times for cutting down

other people's trees and trying to sell them. But, because it was just

a property crime, each time he was let go. " How many times you got to

rob a store before you go to jail, right? " asked Knight. This isn't an

isolated incident. Timber thefts across Western Washington are on the

rise in part because of the increase in the price of timber, especially

alder trees. A 20-foot section goes for about $500. " There's a grade of

alder that's going for $1000 - a dollar a board foot, " said Knight.

Alder has become the choice hardwood for many furniture builders. It

grown abundantly in the Northwest, giving crooks many an opportunity to

cash in. Mill owners say it's common practice to buy logs from private

sellers, especially after a windstorm or when someone has a tree

topped. They say there really is not way to tell if a tree has been

stolen. http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_011507WABstolentreesKC.43448094.htmlOregon:7)

How long the record-holding spruce will remain has been an open

question since the storm's powerful gusts opened up an old scar on the

tree's trunk and revealed rot deep inside the 200-foot giant. County

and state officials gathered Friday at Klootchy Creek Park on U.S.

Highway 26 southeast of Seaside to give an update on the tree's state,

the measures taken to protect the public and possible ways to educate

citizens about the tree during this last phase of its long life, and

beyond. Despite the tree's precarious state and advice from tree

experts that nothing can reverse the decay, the county has decided for

the time being to leave it standing and continue to allow the public to

visit the park, although a barricade keeps people a safe distance from

the tree, which draws an estimated 100,000 visitors a year. " This is

our equivalent to the redwoods and sequoias, " said Paul Ries of the

Oregon Department of Forestry, referring to the giant trees of Northern

California. " This is probably the single most visited tree in the

state. " http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2 & SubSectionID=398 & ArticleID=39544 & TM=85591.4

California:8)

Sierra Forest Products, a family-run sawmill in Tulare County, has

filed a federal lawsuit that could lead to the overturning of a court

order halting logging within the Giant Sequoia National Monument. In

August 2006, a U.S. District Court said the U.S. Forest Service had

"trampled the applicable environmental laws " in allowing logging in and

near the monument in Tulare and Fresno counties. The ruling also bans

logging on nearby tracts until scientists determine how logging might

impact the American fisher, a weasel-like animal related to the otter

and thought to need old-growth forests to survive. The Pacific Legal

Foundation is representing Sierra Forest Products in the lawsuit to

prevent the listing of the American fisher as an endangered species,

saying that would impede proper forest management and could put the

company out of business. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=4058 Montana:9)

The WildWest Institute and Friends of the Bitterroot appealed to the

9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday. The groups challenged a

December decision in which U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of

Missoula allowed the Middle East Fork Hazardous Fuels Reduction project

to move forward. The project calls for removal of trees and brush on

about 5,000 acres in a 25,000-acre area east of Sula in the southern

Bitterroot Valley. Bitterroot National Forest officials say the project

will reduce wildfire risk and help areas affected by an outbreak of

Douglas fir bark beetles. Besides appealing to the 9th Circuit, the

environmental groups asked Molloy for an injunction to prevent logging

on 1,252 acres of what the groups consider old-growth forest. The

Forest Service once classified part of the proposed logging area as

old-growth forest, then removed the classification in the wake of the

beetle epidemic. The agency said the timber no longer met criteria

necessary for the old-growth designation. " The (injunction) would

simply allow the court of appeals an opportunity to review the merits

of the case before any previously unlogged, old growth is mistakenly

cut, " WildWest and Friends of the Bitterroot said in a statement

released Friday. The injunction would not affect most of the area

covered by the Middle East Fork Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project.

WildWest and Friends of the Bitterroot say the Forest Service violated

federal law by committing resources to the Middle East Fork project

prior to a final decision on its status. The groups also say the agency

censored scientific findings unfavorable to the project, excluded the

public from discussions and gave potential soil problems inadequate

attention. http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/01/14/ap-state-mt/d8mkmvm00.txt 10)

New Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell has been our regional forester

here in Missoula for the past three years. Just as the previous

regional forester Brad Powell was beginning to take steps to address

our wildlife concerns he was out the door because he was apparently

caught numerous times using his work computer to view pornography.

After that, Gail Kimbell became regional forester and we were

stonewalled by her and the long-standing Regional Counsel. I also

witnessed firsthand this summer Kimbell being pulled from the audience

by Sen. Larry Craig at the Senate's oversight hearing on the Healthy

Forest Restoration Act and sitting before 10 senators and completely

lying about the situation surrounding the Myrtle Creek HFRA project in

the Idaho Panhandle NF and the involvement of groups such as The Lands

Council. It's also ironic to note that on last night's local TV news

coverage of Kimbell's appointment one of the local stations ran the

story showing background footage of a beautiful old-growth forest with

birds in the old-growth and someone walking through the old-growth. It

was actually quite striking to see these beautiful images on the TV.

Well, of course nobody would know this, but WIldWest shot that footage

and provided it to the TV stations last year. It's actually footage

from inside old-growth logging units that are part of the Middle East

Fork HFRA project on the Bitterroot...a project that Kimbell approved

on her watch even going to far as to reject every single official HFRA

objection point brought by not only groups like WIldWest and Friends of

the Bitterroot, but also homeowners/landowners who live up the East

Fork and PhD scientists at the U. of Montana School of Forestry.

--Matthew Koehler koehler Minnesota:11)

Duluth - Potlatch Corp. plans to sell up to 120,000 acres of northern

Minnesota forest land starting this year to take advantage of rising

real estate values. Officials from the wood products company said

earlier this week that unloading the Minnesota land is part of a plan

to sell roughly 20 percent of the 1.5 million acres it holds throughout

the U.S. In Minnesota, Potlatch owns 310,000 acres. Company officials

say the lands to be sold are properties worth more for recreation and

development than for timber management and logging. Potlatch, based in

Spokane, Wash., expects to use tax incentives and proceeds from the

sales to buy lower-valued, lower-cost forest land for logging. " At then

end of the day, we want to own more forest land than we did before we

started, " said Mark Benson, Potlatch's vice president of public

affairs. Benson said the company is going to sell the lands slowly and

that only about 25,000 acres will be put on the market this year. The

sale of more Minnesota forest lands has conservation groups and state

officials concerned. For more than two years, state, federal and

private groups have worked to curtail the amount of forest land being

sold and broken up for cabins and retirement homes. Such groups have

been spending millions of dollars to purchase conservation easements on

private forest land to block development. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/breaking_news/16446243.htmWisconsin:

12)

Wisconsin has a " Forest Crop Law " which allows a private landowner to

manage for timber or pulp (as required by a state forester) at a

reduced tax, something that becomes almost necessary in areas where

there is a lot of public land and relatively little private land to be

taxed (with the result that private holdings can be taxed so high that

it becomes necessary to put the land into the program). But the " Forest

Crop Law " contracts are usually for 25 years, so they are not

permanent. The USFS Legacy Program is described as a permanent thing.

Also, the fact that this USFS Program provides for a greater role for

states (DNRs in our case) is reason to be very wary. On the other hand,

the description is rather open ( " Most FLP ... " ), so it seems each case

might be taken on its own merits. If I were considering putting my land

into such a program, I would start out with an idea and not let the

USFS deter or badger or threaten me. I would definitely get a damned

good lawyer to scrutinize the contract, so that there are no surprises.

-- William Willers willersOhio:13) a

tropical rainforest near Lake Erie, just 40 miles from the Canadian

border. It is a feat accomplished by Cleveland (Ohio) Metroparks, a

recreational authority that provides an "emerald necklace" of

woodlands, golf courses, hiking trails and other attractions

surrounding this Midwestern city -- known as much for its sports teams

as its world-class orchestra and Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Without

state-of-the-art HVAC technology, it is doubtful this unique tropical

habitat -- located within the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo complex -- could

exist; and it continues to benefit from equipment improvements, such as

advanced motor and drive design. The RainForest at Cleveland Metroparks

Zoo contains two acres of plants and wildlife similar to that found in

rainforests around the world. Each year, over one million visitors come

to this two-story, domed, simulated biosphere to experience what it is

like walking through tropical regions of Central America, Africa or

Asia -- and see some 600 animals in a natural setting, including birds,

monkeys, reptiles, and colorful fish that ply lagoons, swamps and warm

rivers. The RainForest enjoy a nearly constant 76 degrees F and

76-percent humidity. This is due to a robust HVAC system that has

evolved over the years to incorporate components that have improved the

system's reliability by 100 percent. Not only does The RainForest, a

$30 million investment, envelope visitors in exotic surroundings, but

it also serves as a reminder of what is being lost -- unless more

rainforest and jungle acreage can be protected from overdevelopment. http://www.drivesmag.com/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=403 & Itemid=2

14)

RAVENNA - A dispute over whether a Roman Catholic church can cut down

trees in a cemetery might be decided by the Ohio Supreme Court. John

Plough and others who have relatives buried in St. Mary's Cemetery are

trying to prevent Immaculate Conception Catholic Church from removing a

200-year-old oak and two Norway spruces. They disagree with the

church's position that cemetery operations fall under church law. The

Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday that the trees can't be cut down until

it decides whether to accept an appeal from those challenging the

church, which is part of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese. The case

began after the Rev. John-Michael Lavelle wrote in the July 2004 church

bulletin that several large trees would be removed from the cemetery

because falling limbs and expanding roots were damaging headstones,

according to court documents. The church also wanted to widen a road

and build a new chapel and maintenance building. It planned to plant

new trees. After he learned trees had been cut, including two oaks that

shaded the plots of his parents and other relatives, Plough sued and

got a court order that blocked cutting the remaining trees. Plough is a

judge for Portage County Municipal Court in Kent who attends the church

on holidays. Plough argues that he and other plaintiffs are

beneficiaries of the cemetery's charitable trust because they are

members of the congregation and their families own cemetery plots. The

church says the beneficiary is the congregation, governed by the

pastor, and not its individual members. "Our contention is that this is

not an internal church matter, " Plough told The (Cleveland) Plain

Dealer for a story Tuesday. http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/16471212.htmGeorgia:15)

" You'd never in your wildest mind expect to see a longleaf pine stuck

up there, but there it is, " said Jackson, pointing to the sentinel

pine. Jackson, a field supervisor with the state Wildlife Resources

Division, has a habit of pointing out the longleaf pine trees he spots

on travels through Paulding Forest, about 35 driving miles northwest of

Atlanta. The once abundant southern yellow pine with long, green

needles is rare enough these days, and rarer still in hilly regions.

Even more unusual is the pine and hardwood forest itself. Nearly 30,000

contiguous acres of towering ridgelines and plunging hollows defy metro

Atlanta's rippling growth. Bisected by the Silver Comet Trail, it's one

of the largest pieces of ripe land left in the extended Atlanta metro

region. Gov. Sonny Perdue called attention to Paulding Forest last week

in his State of the State address, announcing his proposal to spend $50

million this year to protect some of Georgia's disappearing landscapes.

As much as $15 million is expected to be earmarked to help buy the

forest. " In a growing county like Paulding, we may never, ever get the

chance again, " Perdue said. Paulding Forest ranked ninth nationally in

the latest list of areas targeted for federal conservation dollars, a

distinction that's already attracted a $1 million donation from the

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to preserve it. " This has been on our

radar for a long time, " Jackson said. Most of the forest is owned by

the family of Bennie Jones, who started buying up acreage in the

pre-Depression years. The rest — about 10,000 acres — is owned by the

city of Atlanta, a holdover from the 1970s, when city leaders were

casting about for a second airport site. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2007/01/16/0116paulding.html

Vermont:16)

MOUNT HOLLY — Unable to find a clear boundary line between Okemo State

Forest and a 65-acre tract where alpine logging is proposed, the state

wants the landowners to survey their lines and resolve other

differences over specific forestry practices before an Act 250 permit

is finalized. Michael and Jacqueline Ryan are seeking a permit on a

parcel in Mount Holly and Weston in Windsor County. From the outset,

state officials have said they didn't want the logging project proposed

on steep terrain at a high elevation to affect adjoining state land.

" The steep nature of the project site and poor past-practices by the

prior owner(s) taken together create significant potential for

erosion, " said Julie S. Moore, an engineer in the regulatory management

division in a recent letter to officials with District Environmental

Commission 1. All of the logging operations planned on the parcel

should be limited solely to winter (frozen ground) conditions, Moore

said in a letter. The state wants to guard against poor logging

practices that had been done on the site at some point in the past,

officials said. They intend to protect high elevation headwater

streams. http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070115/NEWS/701150379/1002/NEWS01Maine: 17)

One of the main characteristics of Maine identified by the Brookings

Institute in their landmark report on Maine's future was the puzzling

perfusion of pessimism. Aside from our general north-yankee grimness,

Maine is witnessing a drastic change in the character of available

work. Even imagining, for the moment, that you're capable of adapting

to a service-oriented economy, where's the pride in that? Compare

working in a cube farm or for the tourist industry with logging or

fishing, or even working at the mill. Especially for the logger or the

fisherman, those are highly independent careers. Your reward is usually

directly proportional to your capacity for hard work. And the modest

income is augmented by a sense of accomplishment--having wrested

something valuable from the forest or the sea. At the end of the day

you're tired, not just worn down. You can be proud of that work in a

way you just can't feel by looking at a sheet of call statistics. Take

it from someone who has worked in a call center and as a carpenter. The

bigger drama in Maine industry has lately revolved around the fate of

paper mills. Will they stay or will they go? A tip of the hat to the

folks at Thinking Beyond Tomorrow, I'd like to sound the strains of

cautious optimism. (OK, it isn't " Fanfare for the Common Man " or

anything. But it's better than a Requiem, right?) A non-profit

organization based in Rumford is looking for a site to develop a

bio-oil refinery. The refinery would render bio-oil from forest

products to, among other things generate electricity in a symbiotic

plant next door. http://borrowedsuits.blogspot.com/2007/01/jobs-to-take-pride-in.html18)

A nonprofit Rumford company is looking at several sites in Maine for a

refinery that would turn forest products into clean-burning oil to be

used as fuel in electrical plants. The refinery would be the state's

first and the world's largest. The Bangor Daily News reported that

Fractionation Development Center is considering Baileyville in

Washington County, the Down East and Katahdin regions, Madison, Old

Town, Presque Isle and Skowhegan among potential sites for a $45

million refinery, said FDC Executive Director Scott Christiansen.

Christiansen has since told the Sun Journal that Rumford is also a

potential site. The plant would be the first of several to eventually

be built in Maine. Each would create at least 60 jobs for processing up

to 900 tons of wood a day into bio-oil. The oil helps to create

electricity about as cleanly as natural gas in specially designed

plants located near the refineries, Christiansen said. http://www.sunjournal.com/story/193951-3/RiverValley/Refinery_seeks_home/

19)

A group from the Appalachian Mountain Club gazed down on a vast expanse

of rugged forestland in Township 7 Range 10 that, in many ways,

epitomizes the current tug of war over Maine's North Woods. Standing on

a scrubby hillside dotted with moose tracks and droppings, the three

AMC staffers pointed to streams and rivers where wild, native brook

trout thrive in isolation from human-stocked trout waters. The

tree-covered slopes of 3,500-foot Baker Mountain dominated the backdrop

while, far on the horizon, mile-high Mount Katahdin occasionally peeked

through the clouds. This land, known as Katahdin Iron Works, is an

outdoors-lover's paradise. Thousands of hikers, hunters, snowmobilers

and other backcountry enthusiasts use it every year just as they have

for decades. So why is AMC's plan to permanently preserve the

37,000-acre property generating controversy? Like many recent dust-ups

over Maine's woods, it's all about access. AMC does not prohibit

sportsmen, snowmobilers or others from enjoying most of its property.

But the organization's decision to set aside roughly 10,000 of the

37,000 acres as an ecological reserve has angered some snowmobilers who

used trails on the property that are now off-limits. AMC also is

seeking $1.25 million from the Land for Maine's Future board to

establish a permanent conservation easement on the entire 37,000-acre

parcel. Although the 27,000 acres outside the reserve would remain open

to snowmobiling and other activities, local sledding clubs and the

Maine Snowmobile Association have enlisted the support of professional

guides, and some sporting camp owners are petitioning the LMF board to

deny the funding. http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=145184 & zoneid=500USA: 20)

The content in this post do not reflect those of Kyler Ludwig and or

blogger. This post was written at gun-point, Kyler is still the same

old Wal-Mart, arsonist, Republican that you have always known. As a

child, I was forced to wear "save our trees" overalls and other clothes

that hardly reflected on my personality. Because of this, the

environmentalist ways of my parents were scarred into my personality.

Though I don't go protest the large oil fields being created throughout

animal habitats destroying trees; I still care about our brothers of

the forest. So today I have decided to call all men (and women) to

arms. We must unite against the evils of tree killing demons of the

night. Their ways of deceit have taken the lives of millions (oaks,

pines, maple, etc.) All the teachers who give organic matter consuming

assignments STOP! http://ludwig2028.blogspot.com/2007/01/brothers-of-forest.html21)

From 1994 to 2004 more than 90 daily U.S. newspapers closed,

circulation declined 8% and almost 5 million readers have been lost

these last 10 years. The only way to maintain readership and attract a

share of the growing online advertising budgets is, well, to publish

online on the paperless world wide web. Publishers also try to save as

much money as possible on their newsprint paper costs. They are

reducing number and size of pages and using lighter paper. The last 5

years daily newspaper consumption has fallen 1.5 million metric tons (1

metric ton = 2205 pounds) or about 15%. North American newsprint

consumption for all uses declined 5% in 2005 only. Paper industry have

been very disciplined in reducing capacity closing unprofitable mills

or converting newsprint machines to produce other paper grades. Since

2001 output capacity per year has been slashed by 3.5 million tons. At

the end of 2005 total North American newsprint capacity reached 13.2

million metric tons. The result is that newsprint paper prices

increased from $475 per ton in 2002 to slightly above $670 in these

last weeks. However prices increases did not compensate the reduced

volume sold and costs increases notably transport, energy prices and

strengthening of Canadian Dollar. These last issue is not a small one

since about 60% or Abitibi capacity is located in Canada. Bottom line

is that profit margins vanished and the newsprint industry which has

been traditionally a low return/capital intensive industry is trading

at depressed valuation. Despite all negatives listed above, Abitibi

Consolidated, a Canadian company listed both on Toronto and New York

stock exchange (ticker ABY), is a good long term investment due to its

low cost advantage and to inevitable industry restructuring that is

starting to accelerate. http://valueinvestorblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/ugly-paper-ducking-can-become-swan.htmlCanada:

22)

TORONTO -- Critter-wise in Ontario's fields and forests, it's become

crowded out there. Birds that should have gone south. Little animals

that should be snuggle up in their burrows. Insects that shouldn't be

seen at all. They're all out this winter. And the naturalists,

zoologists and animal-health scientists who observe them aren't sure

what they're seeing because, as University of Guelph veterinarian and

epidemiologist David Waltner-Toews points out, " Warm weather and no

snow in winter is uncharted territory, and the bottom line is we

haven't studied this. " Squirrels? Everyone is noticing more squirrels.

And chipmunks are scampering around for days instead of briefly poking

their heads above ground. More vultures, bald eagles, ducks,

yellow-rumped warblers, great blue herons -- to name a few bird

species. There are also more insects, such as midges, when no one would

think of seeing midges. Southwestern Ontario naturalist Alan Wormington

says there is no huge change in animal and bird behaviour. Rather, it's

a case of where one great blue heron might have been seen in winter a

few years ago, now it's not uncommon to see 10. As well, he says, it's

not temperature alone that is keeping migratory birds around. It's

mainly available food and open water. Zoologists aren't sure what the

lack of snow cover will mean for predators and herbivores, or for

little mammals that use the snow as insulation around their burrows.

And Dr. Waltner-Toews says there are concerns about warm winters

aggravating the spread of disease. West Nile virus is already

overwintering. Lyme disease could spread. Ontario's highly effective

wildlife-vaccination program could beundermined by the northern movement of rabies-infected U.S. raccoons. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070113.WINTERCRITTERS13/TPStory/Environment

23)

According to the Boreal Songbird Initiative, only 8 percent of the

Canadian boreal forest has any kind of formal protection. About a third

has been earmarked for logging and energy development; millions of

acres are clearcut every year. The current Conservative government in

Ottawa is likely to exacerbate that trend. Logging aside, there's our

old friend global warming. A 1997 study found that the Mackenzie Basin

in the Northwest Territories had warmed an average of 3.1 degrees F

over the past hundred years, three times the global rate, and that

Great Slave Lake, the deepest lake in North America, had reached its

lowest measured water levels. For more on boreal birds and their

environment, and suggestions for action, check out BSI's website:

www.borealbirds.org. Despite its name, the organization isn't just

about songbirds. Ducks, gulls, and shorebirds are also on its agenda.

Surf scoters aren't considered endangered—yet. But preventing that will

likely take coordinated attention to both their Pacific Coast wintering

grounds and their northern breeding territories. http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=01-16-07 & storyID=26123

24)

Despite a gloomy forestry economy with low prices and an export tax on

lumber, the real job-loss culprit is Alberta's hot energy economy,

resulting in an overall skills shortage. Essentially, log haulers, saw,

pulp and panel board mills and manufacturers are finding that the

energy sector is poaching truck drivers, labourers and tradespeople.

" The oilpatch, they steal people, they pay more, " laments Yad Minhas,

who along with his brother Mohinder runs Minhas Brothers Holding Ltd.,

which operates a log loading and hauling business for mills in Grande

Prairie. The Alberta Forest Products Association sounded a warning in

December of a bleak year ahead, with production curtailments and even

the threat of mill closures due to surging labour, transportation and

energy costs caused by Alberta's booming oil and gas economy. Minhas is

living with the reality. Wages for log hauling are good, at $25 to $30

an hour. But the oilpatch pays $35 to $40, and money-losing sawmills

can't compete. " The problem is the logging industry has limited profit,

" says Minhas. As a result, log haulers are left scrambling. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=78fbe174-1021-434f-b121-e800d5979585 & k=70168

UK:25)

Older people are better known for protesting about pensions and council

tax, but a growing number are setting their sights on protecting the

planet. This month saw the launch of a new transatlantic website,

linking a growing number of grey-haired greens who are making the

environment their cause. One such campaigner is 61-year-old Irene

Willis, who knew she was not cut out for the stereotypical pensioner's

life when she retired. So instead of crosswords and Countdown, she

found another way to pass the time: as a direct-action environmental

activist, chaining herself to fences and breaking in to nuclear bases.

In the four years since she discovered non-violent protest she

estimates she has been arrested up to 25 times, and believes her age

and appearance make her an asset to the movement. Irene is typical of a

new breed of ecology-conscious older people on a mission to save the

world. This month saw the launch of a GreenSeniors.org, a web-based

network for older people set up by activists in the UK and US which

hails Irene as a " green hero " . Her passion for fighting climate change,

pollution and global injustice has seen her landed with £800

outstanding in court fines, which she refuses to pay. In 2004 her

refusal to pay an earlier fine saw her jailed for 10 days in Edmonds

Hill Prison, Suffolk. A former infant school teacher with three

grown-up children, she became hooked on direct action after joining the

protest against nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath. She went on to

campaign against climate change and local developments near her home in

Canvey Island, Essex, and has stood twice for parliament as a Green

candidate. Her militancy is a reaction to ageism, she believes: " When

you get old, suddenly no-one listens to you anymore. Direct action

makes me feel empowered. " I've still got the energy to do all this and

that won't last forever. I know I'm in the final years of my life and I

want to make the most of it. " I can afford to go to prison - I'm not

going to lose my job, I'm not going to lose my house. " http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6256717.stmFinland:26)

HELSINKI - One of Finland's top paper makers warned on Friday unusually

warm weather was threatening production because loggers were waiting

for muddy forest tracks to freeze before their trucks could reach

stockpiles. Many forest tracks -- which are usually frozen solid at

this time of the year -- have been inaccessible to logging trucks

because the ground was too soft, fine paper maker M-real said. Forestry

is a key industry for the Nordic country, making some 20 percent of its

total exports. December was 6-8 degrees warmer than usual in Finland

and the warmest since records began, the Finnish meteorological

institute said. But a thaw in a country renowned for its harsh winters

has been playing havoc with supplies, M-real said. " The company is

living from hand to mouth with its wood supply. Possibly we have to

limit our (paper) production if the weather does not get colder, " said

Juha Mantyla, M-real's director for wood sourcing. http://h2opower.blogspot.com/2007/01/warm-weather-bogs-down-finnish-loggers.html

Hungary:27)

Budapest - Some 100 members of local residents' organisations staged a

heated demonstration in Budapest's central District VI on Saturday,

protesting against a planned underground car park construction, which

would involve cutting down 34 old plane-trees on the site. Zoltan

Bajor, deputy mayor of the district told the crowd that the

demonstration was based on " misunderstanding and misleading, " though he

admitted that local residents had not been given timely information

about the project. He announced that the municipality would hold a

public forum on the initiative in two weeks' time. Bajor's words were

interrupted by boos and whistling. http://english.mti.hu/default.asp?menu=1 & theme=2 & cat=25 & newsid=233476

European Union:28)

There's solar, wind, fuel cells, nuclear, and more. Many of these seem

like viable alternatives to fossil fuels and were part of the sweeping

proposals unveiled on January 11 by the European Commission. But some

experts have a simpler, more direct way to combat global climate

change: planting trees. " To plant a tree for future generations is a

simple gesture, yet a strong symbol of sustainable development, " Prince

Albert II of Monaco said in a statement on the UN website. " The 2007

aim of Plant For The Planet -- The Billion Tree Campaign is to create

an unprecedented mobilization in favor of the environment. " Prince

Albert II is the patron of an initiative begun this year by the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called The Billion Tree Campaign.

It's goal is to at least 1 billion trees in 2007 in a bid to help stem

climate change. http://www.huliq.com/5942/un-program-aims-to-plant-one-billion-treesLebanon:29)

AMMAN — As the country marks Arbor Day today by planting 55,000 trees

across the Kingdom, the Agriculture Ministry will intensify its efforts

to put an end to illegal logging in some areas of the country. Feisal

Omari, director of the forests department at the ministry, said many

residents of the Ajloun and Jerash governorates cut down forest trees

in winter to use for heating or to sell as firewood as a source of

livelihood. " Cutting trees, which is an irresponsible practice,

increased in these two governorates after last year's hike in fuel

prices. This prompted the Ministry of Agriculture to recruit about 650

rangers and engineers at the Jerash and Ajloun agricultural departments

over the past few years, " Omari told The Jordan Times. He added that

cutting trees is a dangerous practice because the Kingdom's forest

areas stand at 1.3 million dunums, accounting for 1 per cent of its

total area. To curb these practices, Omari said the ministry is

planning to increase the number of rangers and intensify monitoring

around- the-clock to crack down on violators. Stiff penalties are in

place against illegal logging and the fine for cutting a tree is JD100

with three months imprisonment, according to the forests department

director. " In spite of the penalties still there are those who cut

down trees, which are a national treasure and the lungs of the

country, " he said, adding that a total of 500 violators were

apprehended last year and referred to the law. http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093138972Turkmenistan:30)

As the Ashgabat correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports, 16 000 firs

and cypress trees were planted yesterday in the park of Turkmen-Turkish

friendship which was founded in the location called Gindivar in the

southwest of the Turkmen capital in 1998. Employees of ministries,

establishments and organizations, representatives of public

organizations, thousands of Ashgabat residents voluntarily took part in

the large-scale action organized by the Ashgabat city administration.

It should be recalled that the program of trees planting " Geok Gushak "

(Green Belt) was initiated by Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov some

nine years ago. Over 2 million trees were planted in the territory of 3

thousand hectares that time. Since then, plantations have been

regularly increased. According to the Ministry of agriculture of

Turkmenistan, some 70 million trees and bushes of different sorts have

been planted in Turkmenistan over recent years. Forest plantations

occupy dozens of square kilometers of land. The largest forest-park

zone was planted in the foothills of Kopetdag near Ashgabat. " Green

belts " have also been planted around all towns and villages of

Turkmenistan. http://www.turkmenistan.ru/?page_id=3 & lang_id=en & elem_id=9143 & type=event & sort=date_desc

South America:31)

The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world and includes parts of

Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Large parts of it are threatened by

deforestation through logging and agricultural activities such as soy

production. One study recently estimated 17% of its native vegetation

had been destroyed. It is home to some 3,500 species of plants, 650

species of birds and hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles and fish.

Rare mammals include the giant anteater, giant otter, giant armadillo,

jaguar and puma. " There are many reasons why we should save the

Pantanal, " said Jose Luis Cartez from Guyra. " Like all the knowledge we

would lose if it disappears. For instance there are more than 300

species of fish that we know very little about. " There are some

reserves and national parks there, but they only tend to exist on

paper. Deforestation there is very high, " he added. The Sid Templer

Reserve, as it is now known, covers 3,600 hectares (about 10,000 acres)

and there are plans to expand it to 10,000 hectares. Although the area

has been bought by World Land Trust, it is owned and managed by Guyra. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6257879.stmEcuador:32)

The history is bad enough in itself, the future even bleaker; the

trans-amazonian highway from Manta to Belém is projected to be a

combined land- and river-road to rival the Panama Canal as a key global

trade route connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific ocean. The asphalt

that is going to cut through the Andes, from the Western Ecuadorian

city of Manta, currently home of a military base for the U.S.'s Plan

Colombia terror missions, to the port town of Coca in North-East

Ecuador, is not a "sustainable project" - it is a venture by global

capital for profit for the few, detrimental to the many. Even though a

large part of the route is already road-connected, some major stretches

are yet to be built through national parks, others need serious

expansion. And the right outfit for the 2.5 billion $ job has been

found in the all-too-well-experienced corporation Odebrecht. The first

step of the plan is a mega-port in Manta, which is contracted to

"Hutchinson Port Holdings." The Port of Manta is the closest port to

Asia on the West Coast of South America, making it an ideal location to

be the first port of call for the global shipping lines." Arriving in

the Amazonian oil town Coca the cargo is then to be shipped down the

Napo river, along which there are many indigenous communities, right

through pristine rain forest and down to Iquitos in Peru, where the

already well established shipping cargo line is hooked up via the free

trade zone of Manaus to Belém on the Atlantic coast of Brasil. Iquitos,

Manaus and Belém are huge cities in the Amazon - with substantially

sized heavy industries, all grown from the massive rubber genocides in

the late 18th century and accelerated by other aspects of the

automobile industry ever since: "In the wake of the rubber boom,

Colombia, Ecuador and Peru became battlegrounds for a war between oil

companies. Subsidiaries of Shell and Exxon fought for exploration

rights in the Amazon, even to the extent of becoming involved in a

border war between Ecuador and Peru in 1941… In Brazil…87 Indian groups

were wiped out in the first half of the 20th century from contact with

expanding colonial frontiers — especially rubber and mining in the

northwest, cattle in the northeast, agriculture in the south and east,

and from road building throughout all regions"http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=66678Brazil:

33)

An island of nature rising above a vast green ocean of sugar cane and

cattle pasture, the Murici forest in north-east Brazil could lay claim

to be the most important patch of forest in the world. It is barely the

size of Manhattan in New York, and despite being protected in Brazilian

law, continues to face severe threats which could wipe out the unique

species it harbours. Packed with a much greater concentration of

threatened species than any similar-sized section of Amazon rainforest,

it is something of a " Noah's Ark " . Climbing into the forest with its

exotic chorus of birdsong, liana vines hanging from the majestic trees

and vast spider webs spanning the trail, I got a taste of the vanished

wilderness which greeted the Portuguese explorers when they arrived in

Brazil 500 years ago. Clinging on to survival are birds such as the

Alagoas antwren, discovered here just 20 years ago, and found nowhere

else in the world apart from one other even smaller fragment of forest

nearby. Murici is the largest remaining remnant of an ecosystem which

once stretched for hundreds of kilometres along the coast of

North-Eastern Brazil, and has very nearly been destroyed through five

centuries of deforestation to make way for sugar planting and cattle

production. http://weazlsrevenge.blogspot.com/2007/01/dying-planet-in-review.html34)

"The market forces of globalization are invading the Amazon, hastening

the demise of the forest and thwarting its most committed stewards. In

the past three decades, hundreds of people have died in land wars;

countless others endure fear and uncertainty, their lives threatened by

those who profit from the theft of timber and land. In this Wild West

frontier of guns, chain saws, and bulldozers, government agents are

often corrupt and ineffective—or ill-equipped and outmatched. Now,

industrial-scale soybean producers are joining loggers and cattle

ranchers in the land grab, speeding up destruction and further

fragmenting the great Brazilian wilderness." Fromt the first Paragraph

of the January 2007 National Geographic magazine: Last of the Amazon.

The article visits the lands around Brazil's BR-163 road (the "soy

highway") and finds a region in transformation from rainforest to

agricultural powerhouse, with soybeans as the main crop. The full

article is not available on-line, but the National Geographic website

has a photo gallery, an interactive map, and other features. http://growersandgrocers.net/2007/01/15/farms-vs-the-rainforest-in-brazil/

35)

REALIDADE — A Brazilian government plan set to go into effect this year

will bring large-scale logging deep into the heart of the Amazon rain

forest for the first time, in a calculated gamble that new monitoring

efforts can offset any danger of increased devastation. The government

of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in an attempt to create

Brazil's first coherent, effective forest policy, is to begin

auctioning off timber rights to large tracts of the rain forest. The

winning bidders will not have title to the land or the right to exploit

resources other than timber, and the government says they will be

closely monitored and will pay a royalty on their activities. The

architects of the plan say it will also help reduce tensions over land

ownership in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical forest, which

loses an area the size of New Jersey every year to clear-cutting and

timbering. In theory, 70 percent of the jungle is public land, but

miners, ranchers and especially loggers have felt free to establish

themselves in unpoliced areas, strip the land of valuable resources and

then move on, mostly in the so-called arc of destruction on the eastern

and southern fringes of the jungle. But the called-for monitoring of

the loggers allowed into the rain forest's largely untouched center

will come from a new, untested Forest Service with only 150 employees

and from state and municipal governments. That concerns environmental

and civic groups because local officials are more vulnerable to the

pressures of powerful economic interests and to corruption. Further,

the new system assumes that the world community will also play a part

and buy timber only from merchants who are properly licensed and will

avoid unscrupulous dealers. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/world/americas/14amazon.html?hp & ex=1168750800 & en=c16fba62f864

2a7e & ei=5094 & partner=homepageIndia:36)

Experts from the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, say trees

at Delhi's prime location, the Central Vista, " give an impression that

they are under stress " . The experts have prepared the health report

card of 1,864 trees in the Central Vista. Of these, 770 are diseased,

566 have physical injuries, 322 are deformed and 107 are dead or

decaying, says their report. A total of 793 trees were found healthy.

FRI's experts, in their interim report to the New Delhi Municipal

Council, have identified the factors leading to the trees feeling

'stressed': fixing electric cables or wires, nailing, de-barking,

scratching names on barks, tugging at branches and seedlings, public

functions or construction activity, dust, vehicular exhaust. Since the

majority of the trees at Central Vista were planted between 1912 and

1930, time too has taken its toll on their health. " The soil has become

very compact due to the heavy movement of people, " says the report.

" The compactness blocks aeration and does not allow water to

percolate... " Apart from recommending that 107 trees in Central Vista

be replaced, the FRI has suggested de-stressing measures like pruning

to increase the trees' life spans. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1902398,0094.htm37)

The Forest department on Thursday evening woke up to a new case of

illegal felling of trees, as several trees in the Moosabagh forest

range on Hardoi road were found to be cut down without any information

to the department or the range officer. According to information, the

trees have been cut down by local colonisers who are encroaching upon

the area to expand their colonies. The Forest department has now

decided to plot the entire area, which belongs to it, and mark the area

through a demarcation trench. The forest range, which is surrounding

the protected monument of Moosabagh Palace, is also used by people for

illegal activities and even drug trade. He added that the senior

officials of the department have also been asked to raise funds to

create a pucca boundary around the Moosabagh range. Singh added that

the department has already reported the matter to the police with an

FIR being lodged against two persons and the department will now keep a

watch on any person entering the range without permission. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=21740638)

For centuries, the Bhil and the Bishnoi cultures have coexisted in the

Rajasthan desert of central India. Though they live diametrically

opposed lifestyles and have vastly different philosophies, they are

drawn together by a bond much stronger than their differences: the

struggle to survive in this harsh and unforgiving land. The name

"Bishnoi" ("Twenty-nine") represents the number of principles espoused

by their prophet, Lord Jhambheshwar. Despite being born a Khstriya, the

second highest Hindu caste, he disapproved of the caste system and

created a classless community into which all were accepted. The only

requirement was to live by his 29 life principles including no killing

or eating of animals, no cutting down of living trees and no alcohol

consumption. It is said that Lord Jhambheshwar attained saintly

enlightenment while meditating beneath a tree in a place that would

later become the village of Jhamba. There, where he discovered a water

source that rescued his people from a 20-year drought, he established

his ideal community, a society of people living in harmony with each

other and with their environment. Many of the rules he imposed are

still followed today. Although the Bishnoi are renowned for dedication

to their faith, one incident in particular ensured their place in

modern Indian history. In 1847, the Jodhpur king sent his army out to

cut trees to build his palace. When his army started to log a Bishnoi

forest, they staged a non-violent protest, offering their bodies as

shields for the trees. The army's axes killed 363 before the king,

hearing of their courage, halted the logging and declared the Khejarli

region a preserve, off limits for logging and hunting. Today, larger

populations and more defined private property boundaries are putting

pressure on the Rajasthan desert dwellers. Years of drought have also

brought additional hardship. As Bishnoi and Bhil communities are forced

to live closer to each other permanently, conflicts are starting to

emerge. http://rajaroaming.blogspot.com/2007/01/village-with-difference-bishnoi.htmlPakistan:39)

"I will take up the issue of lifting the ban on cutting trees with

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, as trees are the only source of income for

the people of the mountainous Kohistan district," said Muqam, who is

the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president, said, while talking to a

60-member delegation of elected representatives from Kohistan. He said

that illegal logging in NWFP's forests was "a great loss" for the

national exchequer, adding that the government should make concerted

efforts along with local communities to eliminate the problem. He said

that the forests in the province were rapidly decreasing due to illegal

logging. "The protection of forests is the collective responsibility of

the community," he said adding that awareness campaigns should be

launched to educate people over the issue. Muqam said that the

government should increase forest-covered areas to prevent soil

erosion, support flood-control measures and restore ecological balance.

Delegations from the Mattani area and Upper Dir also met the federal

minister. He said that the federal government would take steps to

ensure the provision of basic amenities such as gas, electricity and

clean drinking water to the people of the province. "The President and

Prime Minister are taking a keen interest in solving the problems of

people living in far-flung areas," he said. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C01%5C13%5Cstory_13-1-2007_pg7_56

Tibet:40)

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world. It

sustains a unique, yet fragile high altitude eco-system much of which

remains unspoiled due to its remoteness and inaccessibility. However,

human impact is now taking an unprecedented and devastating toll on the

natural resources - the wildlife, forests, grazing lands, rivers and

mineral resources are now at a point where they may never recover.

ICT's Environmental Rights Initiative is based on the belief that

Tibetans have the right to be decision-makers over a range of issues

critical to Tibet's environment, including population resettlement,

natural resource extraction, environmental stewardship, and sustainable

development. http://secrettibet.rsfblog.org/archive/2007/01/16/tibetan-environment.htmlMalaysia:41)

MALAYSIA's palm oil-based food exporters can gain from the US' latest

legislation aimed at eliminating harmful artificial trans fat from

consumers' diet. Since January 1 2006, the US has mandated the

labelling of artificial trans fat on packaged foods. New York City

decided that from July 1 2007 it will ban usage of trans-fat-laden

oils, shortenings and margarine. Bakeries and restaurants will have an

extra year - until July 1 2008 - to stop using hydrogenated oil in

crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods and deep-fried desserts.

Following this development, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) chief

executive officer Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron is optimistic of the US

buying more Malaysian palm oil. " Palm oil is a healthy choice to be

used in processed food compared with other vegetable oils because it is

not genetically-modified and does not contain harmful trans fat at

all, " he said. " With more elimination of artificial trans fat from

consumers' diet, food manufacturers from Malaysia can increase their

exports there, " Yusof told Business Times in an interview recently.

" Malaysia's palm oil-based food manufacturers exporting to the US

should leverage on this health ruling, " he said. Last year, the US

bought 683,650 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia, 22 per cent more than

the 558,492 tonnes in 2005. " With more positive re-education about the

health benefits of palm oil, we hope to see the US buying 20 per cent

more palm oil this year to more than 800,000 tonnes, " Yusof said. " The

US is also likely to buy more Malaysian palm oil as feedstock for

biodiesel because of its lower price and sustainability compared to

other vegetable oils. Asked on allegations by environmental activists

that oil palm plantation expansion causes deforestation, Yusof said,

" About 60 per cent of Malaysia is permanent forest and on the whole, 78

per cent of the country's land mass is covered with trees and planted

forest. " http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Monday/Nation/BT603690.txt/Article/