246 - Earth's Tree News

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Today for you 34 new articles about earth's trees! (246th edition)

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Weblog: http://olyecology.livejournal.com .

 

--British Columbia: 1) Selling stolen land that's illegal to sell, 2)

No loss to loggers means extinction for caribou, 3) Law Clinic to

investigate Western's Swindle, 4) Tribes have been protesting these

Swindles for a long time,

--US Pacific Northwest: 5) 80,000 Spotted Owl comments requires

outside contracting,

--Washington: 6) Earth Tree News down for the count, but makes it back

to its feet

--Oregon: 7) Measure 49

--California: 8) Thinning limits fire Damage, 9) Fires take Avocados,

10) Maxxam scam,

--Montana: 11) WildWest Institute has been working with forest ecologists

--Arizona: 12) Badly needed thinning scrapped in favor of old growth logging

--Colorado: 13) 20-foot pipeline corridor snaking through a wilderness

--Arkansas: 14) Evaluating techniques for rehabilitating degraded forests

--Virginia: 15) Virginia Ridge and Valley Act of 2007

--North Carolina: 16) Logging controversy in Waynesville

--Georgia: 17) Plans for largest woodland garden in the nation

--USA: 18) National forest meet green standards, 19) Houses to

surround NFs, 20) Building Leadership Skills in the Natural Resource

Professions and Beyond, 21) GAO on forest thinning challenges, 22)

Pygmies visit Wash. DC.,

--Canada: 23) Canadians will pay $53 per year for new parks, 24)

Watershed management plan in W. Newfoundland,

--UK: 25) Prince Charles want to save world's old trees,

--Brazil: 26) New oil and gas exploration planned, 27) Croton

palanostigma trees for RX,

--Guyana: 28) Tree origin of Arawak people, 29) Loggers challenge fine,

--Sumatra: 30) Forest Defenders Camp

--Indonesia: 31) Opposition to pulp schemes, 32) Carbon financial

incentives not enough,

--Asia-Pacific: 32) Where deforestation is predominant, corruption is very high

--New Zealand: 33) Small scale loggers lose viability to large scale loggers

--Australia: 34) Still plenty of Old growth chip exports

 

British Columbia:

 

1) Financially troubled forest company Pope & Talbot has put more than

6,400 hectares of private land in the Kootenays up for sale, even

though much of it is part of a tree farm licence and can't legally be

sold. The company has advertised the land through Colliers

International on the uniqueproperties.com website. The offering

includes " significant lake frontage and some development potential "

along the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes and Kettle River, according to

the ad. But more than 70 per cent of the land offered for sale is part

of tree farm licence 23, said NDP forests critic Bob Simpson. And in

order for it to be sold for development, that land would first have to

be released from the TFL by the provincial government. Yesterday,

Forests Minister Rich Coleman said he hadn't even seen Pope & Talbot's

request to have the land removed. He said First Nations are being

consulted on the issue and that ministry staff will eventually make a

recommendation to him. Until then, no decision will be made, he said.

But Simpson thinks there is an " understanding " between the government

and Pope & Talbot. " I believe there's a wink and a nod. Otherwise, why

would you take the risk? " Simpson said in an interview. " Why would you

put your neck out and go and put all those [hectares] up for sale? "

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=f37bfdcc-98da-45d\

6-800e-ae3c202

394cf

 

 

2) Today in the Arrow Lakes News the president and CEO of the Council

of Forest Industries is quoted as saying " There'll be little, if any,

impact on harvesting levels " due to the government's secret and still

unfinished plan to save the mountain caribou. Here's an animals that

is being sent to extinction by old-growth logging, mostly at low and

middle elevations, and they are proposing to save it without

appreciable impact to the AAC. This is an ecologically incompetent and

fraudulent plan. This is what ForestEthics' Candace Batycki says in

the same article: " Candace Batycki of environmental organization

ForestEthics said the plan was a victory for those who've worked

towards protecting mountain caribou, 'These new commitments are

critical for the survival of one of North America's most endangered

mammals, and have raised the bar for future forest protection across

Canada. Today's announcement is a victory for the thousands of

citizens from BC and beyond who made their voices heard about the

critical role old growth forests play in endangered species protection

and climate change mitigation. For environmental organizations it's

never enough, but we think this is a giant leap foreward ... for the

mountain caribou I think this is going to do the job. " The article

also has a photograph of Tzeporah Berman and Paris Hilton and a whole

article about Tzeporah and ForestEthics. It describes FE as " the

environmental group that got the biggest nod from Minister of

Agriculture and Lands Pat Bell on the conference call las week

announcing plans to recover the mountain caribou. " Question: Why is it

that our most anti-environment government ever, LOVES ForestEthics?

Why is it that the Council of Forest Industries LOVES this mountain

caribou plan? And what will the ten environmental group partners of

these logging and winter recreation interests do for an encore in the

ensuing years when it is experienced that their support and signature

has underwritten the logging of thousands of hectares of prime

mountain caribou forest? wildernesswatch

 

3) The University of Victoria's Environmental Law Clinic has asked the

provincial auditor general to investigate the government's decision to

allow Western Forest Products to take private lands out of tree farm

licences on Vancouver Island without public consultation and without

demanding compensation. The law clinic, acting for the Sea to Sea

Greenbelt Society and supported by organizations ranging from unions

and First Nations to ratepayers and recreational groups, wants an

opinion from Acting Auditor General Errol Price on whether the public

has suffered an economic loss and whether environmental protection and

public recreation is being compromised. " On the face of it, it doesn't

seem to be very prudent management, " said Calvin Sandborn, the

clinic's legal director. " It doesn't seem to serve the public

interest. It's great for Western Forest Products, but not for the

workers and local residents and environmentalists and people in urban

planning and surfers and First Nations. " Since WFP has taken those

lands out now, the law clinic suggests it should be forced to

financially compensate the government for that privilege. Pope and

Talbot is in default on its secured loan agreements and exploring

options for improving its balance sheet, including the sale of company

assets. The forest lands in the Kootenays are one of those assets up

for sale. The real estate boom has prompted other forest companies

with lands that never were in tree farm licences to also put acreages

on the market. They include: 1) TimberWest Forest, with 5,500 hectares

for sale through an online auction and 1,200 hectares for sale though

Colliers. 2) Tembec, which recently sold 345 hectares at Fernie. 3)

Merrill & Ring with five properties, from 50 hectares to 160 hectares,

for sale on islands in the Campbell River region.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=f37bfdcc-98da-45d\

6-800e-ae3c202

394cf & k=36100

 

4) First Nations have been the first communities to protest against

this profiteering. The government announced the removal of 28,283

hectares of private land from three coastal tree farm licences held by

Western Forest Products on 31 January 2007. The land includes some

16,100 hectares from Tree Farm Licences 6 and 19 on northern Vancouver

Island. This is 1852 Douglas Treaty protected land and the Kwakiutl

Band Council wrote a letter to the government on 5 February 2007

protesting: " Your perceived " partnership " with Western Forest Products

has allowed the company to largely ignore their obligations to the

Kwakiutl First Nation community, thus disrespecting our treaties and

Aboriginal rights and title as Western Forest Products' are lawfully

required to do so. " On 12 February 2007 the Kwakiutl held a protest

demonstration at the Legislature. Photos and the Kwakiutl letter of

protest can be seen here:

http://www.firstnations.de/03-0-intro-1.htm

 

US Pacific Northwest:

 

5) Unprecedented public comment on a draft recovery plan for the

northern spotted owl has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

to call for reinforcements. In order to meet its April 2008 deadline

for a final plan, the agency responsible for conserving and protecting

the nation's flora and fauna announced Wednesday it will hire outside

help. Fish and Wildlife must process and analyze the more than 80,000

comments it has received since it invited public input in April. The

plan spells out how best to help boost the population of a species

first listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.

Besides the public comments, the plan also hasbeen scrutinized in a

half-dozen scientific peer reviews, mostly critical of gaps in the

plan's science. To address the comments and reviews in time for the

agency's deadline, the agency will need outside expertise, Fish and

Wildlife spokeswoman Joan Jewett said. The agency expects to hire a

firm within the month, she said. The outside firm will include

scientists who can help not just process the comments but assist with

analysis, Jewett said. Fish and Wildlife will also convene several

work groups to focus specifically on habitat management, competition

from barred owls and fire. " The service is committed to developing the

best final recovery plan possible for the northern spotted owl, one

that incorporates the latest science and most effective current

management practices, " said Ren Lohoefener, the agency's Pacific

regional director, in a prepared statement. But those familiar with

the plan and the scientific peer reviews say the process has been so

flawed that the agency should scrap the current recovery plan and

start over. " To now outsource to a private contractor is just a

continuation of a bad pattern, " said Dominick DellaSala, executive

director of the National Center for Conservation Science & Policy.

" The consequence is removal of protection for old growth. It's the key

domino to topple the Northwest Forest Plan and protections for old

growth forests. "

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?mid=6857

 

Washington:

 

6) This is to let you know that after 2 1/2 years of providing you

uninterrupted access to news about Earth's Trees my hard drive died

last night and I lost the past 5 days of tree news stories... This

project has been a labor of love that takes many daily hours to

assemble and distribute. And right now I could really use some

encouragement and understanding, and especially some $$$ to help me

get a new hard drive and get back to work again. In the past, the

funding for this project has been via my personal student loans, as

I'm in the Master's in Public Administration Program (Evergreen State,

Olympia, WA.), yet that money is not currently available. So if anyone

can hire me for research work, or if you can simply donate what you

can afford to give I'd very much appreciate it. Please! ---> If you've

ever benefited from this news service let me know about it with an

email reply, or a phone call (1-360-789-7843), or especially some

money. If I get enough money I'll be able to afford put the data base

of these newletters online in a coherent searchable format. My hope is

that this data set will ultimately lead to a world-wide grassroots

forest protection movement that thrives on a web-based network of

interaction and communication that's based on not just the existing

data I sent out, but also on additional data readers from around the

world will add, especially via Google earth. To make this dream come

true please donate money by going to my website

http://www.peacefromtrees.org and clicking on the paypal link in the

upper left hand corner. Also you can mail checks and money orders to:

Deane Rimerman PO Box 2640 Olympia, WA 98507 Thank you for taking the

time to consider my circumstances and if you have any feedback at all

that would make this news service better, please let me know? Be well,

Deane

 

 

Oregon:

 

7) " If you follow the money, it's clear that the real opponents of

Measure 49 are timber companies that want to pave over Oregon's

forests with housing subdivisions, " said Liz Kaufman, head of the Yes

on 49 campaign. But timber companies contend they have no immediate

intention of turning vast tracts of their holdings into subdivisions,

and are just keeping their options open. Considered the

farthest-reaching statute of its kind in the country, Oregon's 2004

law allows property owners to seek compensation if land-use actions

imposed after they bought the property reduced its value and

restricted its use. Cities and counties facing Measure 37 claims must

either pay the compensation sought or waive the regulations. Since the

2004 law passed, property owners have filed more than 7,500 claims on

750,000 acres - mostly on rural farm or forest land. They've demanded

billions in compensation or the right to build everything from a

single home to subdivisions with dozens or even hundreds of homes.

Measure 49, the measure on the Nov. 6 ballot, is intended to bring

order to land-use rules. It would allow rural landowners to build a

few homes - three in most cases and as many as 10 for some - but curb

larger subdivisions and industrial development currently allowed under

the 2004 law. Many Oregonians who voted for Measure 37 regret doing

so, saying they didn't realize it would go so far in opening up areas

for development, or that it would turn out to be so unclear and

flawed. But there also those who say Measure 37 corrected injustices

within existing land-use rules and should be left as it is. The timber

industry, owners of vast acreage in Oregon, is among the most powerful

of the ballot measure's opponents. The largest single contributor to

the anti-Measure 49 campaign so far is the Stimson Lumber Co., which

has chipped in $375,000. The Portland-based company has filed the

largest development claims under the 2004 law's provisions - a total

of at least 57,000 acres in six counties, which the Yes on 49

Committee says signals Stimson's intent to convert forests into

subdivisions. The property rights group leading the charge to defeat

Measure 49 notes it's being outspent by a 2-to-1 margin. More than

half of the $4.23 million raised so far by supporters of the measure

has come from two sources - Yamhill County vineyard owner Eric

Lemelson and the Nature Conservancy, which usually works behind the

scenes buying property to preserve as wildlife habitat.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_PROPERTY_RIGHTS_OROL-?SITE=OREUG & SECT\

ION=HOME & TEMPL

ATE=DEFAULT

 

California:

 

8) As flames ravage surrounding communities, this resort town high in

the San Bernardino Mountains emerged largely unscathed, an island in a

sea of destruction. The credit for that isolated victory, federal

officials say, should go to firefighting tactics, shifting winds and

favorable terrain -- and a sometimes controversial U.S. Forest Service

effort to eliminate the tinder that fuels forest fires. Since 2002,

the Forest Service has removed millions of trees, thinned brush and

cut low-hanging branches, creating fuel breaks around almost 80% of

the community. Fires don't spread quickly or easily through such

areas, instead burning lower to the ground and with less intensity.

" The fuel breaks saved Lake Arrowhead, " said Randall Clauson, the

Forest Service's division chief for the San Bernardino National Forest

and incident commander earlier this week on the two biggest wildfires

still burning in the mountains. He said he believes that, without the

breaks, " the fire would have run right through Lake Arrowhead and gone

to Highway 18, cutting off the evacuation route and probably resulting

in the loss of hundreds of lives. " But not everyone was convinced that

forest-thinning itself played such a pivotal role. " Thinning and

cleanup of surface fuels really does help, " said Ken Larson, a fire

behavior analyst with the Forest Service, stationed at the fire

command post in the San Bernardino Mountains. " But there are many

variables at play. Even that may not save structures in the face of

extreme winds and extreme conditions. " Still, evidence was dramatic in

the thinned forest areas. In one cluster of Lake Arrowhead

neighborhoods protected by fuel breaks, only a few stumps were burning

and no trees were lost. Hundreds of surrounding homes were untouched.

Some of the worst-hit areas like Running Springs don't have fuel

breaks. Just 20% of Big Bear is protected by breaks, fire officials

said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-arrowhead25oct25,0,180\

5511.story?co

ll=la-headlines-pe-california

 

9) The deadly brush fires raging in Southern California have destroyed

thousands of acres of avocado trees and it will take years for the

area's crop to recover, said state and county agriculture officials.

" We know we've lost thousands of acres of avocados. That will be one

of the big losses, " Jay Van Rein, spokesman for the California

Department of Food and Agriculture, said of the avocados in a

telephone interview with Reuters. In addition to avocados, other

agriculture in the fire areas includes citrus groves, egg farms, and

plant nurseries. More than 500,000 people have been evacuated from the

fire areas, most of them in the San Diego area, the largest number in

California history. Seven Southern California counties have been

declared major disaster areas. There are 18 active fires from Los

Angeles County to the Mexican border, which have burned 426,000 acres,

or 666 square miles. Six deaths and about 40 injuries have been

attributed to the blazes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2422540420071024

 

10) The federal Bankruptcy Court judge presiding over the Pacific

Lumber Co.'s Chapter 11 process told the bitterly divided parties

Tuesday to pick a mediator by Friday and present a unified plan within

30 days. That order, issued by Judge Richard Schmidt in Corpus

Christi, Texas, left unsettled the issue that had been the subject of

a seven-hour hearing in his courtroom Tuesday: whether Pacific Lumber

or its creditors should control the reorganization of the troubled

company. Pacific Lumber, which is ultimately controlled by Houston

financier Charles Hurwitz's Maxxam Corp., filed for bankruptcy

protection in January when it was unable to make payments on what was

then $714 million in bonds secured by the company's timberland. Under

bankruptcy law, Pacific Lumber got the first shot at proposing a plan

to reorganize the company and pay off its debts. It did so on Sept.

30, when it made a proposal that included selling 22,000 acres of its

most valuable redwoods as 160-acre timber farms. But the Humboldt

County Board of Supervisors, which would have to approve housing

permits so the owners of these tree farms could live there, earlier

this month approved a move designed to prevent just that - a fact that

Schmidt noted Tuesday. " The county is so incensed, they passed a

resolution (so) that you couldn't do this plan, " the judge said,

according to Dow Jones News. Pacific Lumber has been a flash point for

environmental protests ever since Hurwitz, with help from former junk

bond king Michael Milken, acquired the company in a debt-leveraged

takeover in 1986 and more than doubled its cutting of old-growth

redwood trees.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/24/BUM6SV2KB.DTL

 

Montana:

 

 

11) A widespread notion is that fire suppression has greatly altered

fire regimes across the West and is therefore largely responsible for

the large, severe wildfires witnessed in recent years. This logic even

lies at the base of national policies such as the Healthy Forests

Restoration Act (HFRA) and Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI) which

emphasize widespread logging and prescribed fire to ameliorate the

effects of fire suppression and reduce the likelihood of large fires.

However, significant scientific debate exists about the historical

causes of forest change and the best management responses to these

changes. Recent studies have begun to highlight many potential dangers

of rushing headfirst into widespread logging and burning practices, as

is currently advocated by national policies. Just as fire suppression

was thought to be a beneficial policy for forest health and public

safety and yet we now find ourselves in part the victim of a century

of fire suppression policies, we need to be sure that current thinning

and burning policies do not, in the long run, actually worsen the very

problem they aim to solve. In order to avoid such an outcome, solid

scientific principles must exist as the foundation of management

policy and practice. Over the last several years, the WildWest

Institute has been working with forest ecologists at the University of

Montana to help fill the scientific gap at the base of current

national forest policies. The following is a brief review of our

research and other relevant scientific findings that should help to

form the basis for forest management policies and practices on public

lands. At the heart of the scientific debate about the causes of

recent large wildfires is whether they are climate driven or the

result of altered forest conditions due to past human influences. With

increasing certainty, new studies suggest that climate change is

driving wildfire behavior, with warmer springs, earlier snowmelt, and

longer, drier fire seasons contributing to the increased size and

severity of wildfires.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/WildWest/blog/comments.jsp?bl\

og_entry_KEY=22

975 & t=

 

Arizona:

 

12) Rejecting a decade of restoration-based forest management, the

U.S. Forest Service has unilaterally revised its guidelines for

management of wildlife on national forests in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a formal objection to

the first logging project to be proposed under the new guidelines. The

Jack Smith/Schultz timber sale on the Coconino National Forest near

Flagstaff, Arizona, would log more than 8,000 acres, including an

undisclosed number of large, old-growth trees. It is the first project

to explicitly implement the agency's major changes to the Northern

Goshawk Management Guidelines, which the Forest Service developed in

1996 in response to litigation by the Center over the agency's poor

record of protecting the imperiled species. In the spring of 2007, the

Forest Service made major changes to the 1996 Northern Goshawk

Guidelines, which affect management of all ponderosa pine forest on

national forests in the Southwest. The new guidelines could signal a

new round of timber wars in the Southwest. " The Forest Service has

illegally amended every forest plan in the Southwest Region by failing

to involve the public and state agencies prior to implementing this

substantial weakening of the Goshawk Guidelines, " said Todd Schulke of

the Center. " The new Forest Service guidelines will spell disaster for

the goshawk, and for southwestern old growth forests. " The Goshawk

Guidelines require the Forest Service to leave a specified percentage

of the forest as canopy cover to provide habitat for goshawks and

their prey. The changes will significantly weaken this requirement,

and could lead to dramatically increased logging of large, old-growth

trees. Despite the significance of the changes, the Forest Service

provided no public notice prior to revising the Goshawk Guidelines

across the region. The public and other agencies were provided no

opportunity to provide official comment or otherwise be involved in

the controversial revisions to the guidelines.

http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/4308

 

Colorado:

 

13) When a 20-foot pipeline corridor snaking through a wilderness

threatens to become a 100-foot-wide swath, environmentalists become

indignant. If the proposed Bull Mountain Pipeline is allowed to

penetrate three large roadless areas around the eastern reach of Mesa

County, it could provide an excuse for energy companies to enter

roadless areas with their pipelines all over the West, Wilderness

Workshop Director Sloan Shoemaker said Tuesday. " Then we can do other

stupid things in roadless areas, " he said. Shoemaker sat in the

copilot's seat of an EcoFlight Cessna as it seemingly skirted the tops

of aspen trees over the proposed pipeline route east of Battlement

Mesa on Tuesday morning. The pipeline could violate the federal

Roadless Rule, prevent wilderness designation for the area and

critically damage elk, lynx and deer access to Grand Mesa and

Battlement Mesa, he said. The problem, he said, is that it's not just

a matter of putting a pipe in the ground. Building the Bull Mountain

Pipeline would require at least a 100-foot swath of range and forest

to be denuded, according to a Forest Service draft environmental

impact report. The proposed pipeline would be a 25-mile-long, 20-inch

pipe slated to carry natural gas from a Gunnison Energy and SG

Interests coalbed methane field in Gunnison County to a compressor

station in Garfield County south of Silt via the far eastern tip of

Mesa County. It would roughly follow the path of a decades-old, 5-inch

pipeline whose narrow, lightly forested scar can still be seen from

the air. A decision about whether Bull Mountain will be built and what

route it will take is expected sometime early next year, Forest

Service spokeswoman LeeAnn Loupe said. Other proposed routes would be

longer, but would take the pipeline along roadway corridors. The

Forest Service prefers the route through the roadless areas. Gunnison

Energy officials say the pipeline scar will be reclaimed quickly after

construction, but environmentalists say they fear it will take much

longer for the scar to disappear, and they argue it will require the

company to build temporary roads that are prohibited by the Forest

Service's Roadless Rule.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/10/24/102407_1a_BullMou\

ntainPipeline.

html

 

Arkansas:

 

14) The quality of oak stands in Arkansas forests can be degraded by

pests or by " high-grading " — a timber practice in which the best or

biggest trees are removed, leaving only inferior or undesirable trees.

Scientists in the University of Arkansas' Division of Agriculture are

evaluating techniques for rehabilitating degraded forests to increase

the value of timber and improve wildlife habitat. Matthew Pelkki,

forest economist at the Arkansas Forest Resources Center in

Monticello, Ark., is lead scientist for the study. He said the goal is

to evaluate the effectiveness and economics of techniques that remove

less desirable trees that compete for soil, sunlight and other

resources needed to establish healthy oaks. The study is being

conducted in forest plots at the Savoy Research Unit, west of

Fayetteville, Ark. Chris Stuhlinger, forest manager, said high-value

trees were harvested from the area several years ago, leaving only

poor-quality oaks and other species with little or no commercial

value. In some plots, controlled burns kill undesirable trees and open

the canopy for new growth of oak seedlings. Pelkki said only one burn

is used in some plots, and others will have multiple burns about three

years apart. In other plots, low-value trees will be killed with

herbicide. Some tests will include a combination of single- or

multiple-controlled burns and herbicide application. " Prescribed fire

offers a number of benefits, " Pelkki said. " Oaks are particularly well

adapted for fire. The stem may burn up or die, but the root system

survives and a new tree will sprout from the roots. " All the

controlled burns in the study are conducted under supervision of the

Washington County office of the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Pelkki

said a burn costs about $20 an acre, and herbicide application costs

about four times more. Initial results show that oaks are responding

better to a single herbicide application than to a single burn or

combination of burning and herbicide. A combination treatment with a

single burn followed by herbicide application to kill non-oak regrowth

costs about $100 an acre. Other elements of the study include studying

the effects of varying fire temperatures on different species and

diameters of oaks. Temperatures can vary widely in different areas of

a burn, Pelkki said. The study uses temperature-indicating liquids —

disks of paint in varying colors that melt at different temperatures.

http://deltafarmpress.com/news/071023-rehabilitating-forests/

 

Virginia:

 

15) The U.S. House of Representatives gave its approval Tuesday to the

Virginia Ridge and Valley Act of 2007. The legislation, which has been

introduced in the U.S. Senate and referred to committee, would create

more than 53,000 acres of new wilderness or national scenic areas, as

well as expand six existing wilderness areas in portions of Bland,

Craig, Grayson, Giles, Lee, Montgomery and Smyth counties within the

Jefferson National Forest. The designation of land as either a

wilderness or a national scenic area aims to protect it and help

preserve its natural, historic and recreational resources.

Recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, kayaking

and horseback riding are encouraged in both wilderness and national

scenic areas, although motorized traffic and mechanized equipment are

banned from wilderness areas. Non-motorized mountain biking and

limited motorized access are permitted in certain portions of national

scenic areas. The new wilderness areas proposed include Stone Mountain

in Lee County; Raccoon Branch in Smyth County; Brush Mountain in

Montgomery County; Brush Mountain East in Craig County; and Garden

Mountain, Hunting Camp Creek and Lynn Camp Creek in Bland County. The

proposed national scenic areas listed in the legislation are Seng

Mountain and Bear Creek, both in Smyth County. In addition, the

Virginia Ridge and Valley Act would expand six existing wilderness

areas. Among them is the Mountain Lake Wilderness Area in Giles and

Craig counties, which would gain 5,476 acres.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/137000

 

 

North Carolina:

 

16) An issue that caused a firestorm of controversy for Waynesville's

current town board is rearing its head in this election cycle — and

may prove to be a defining factor in how voters cast their ballots.

The debate over whether to allow forest management in the town's

watershed divided the aldermen in 2004, when a 3 to 2 vote was cast

before a jam-packed, highly emotional town audience in favor of a

conservation easement that would allow management. Now, candidates are

once again being forced to choose a side — and they're divided. Some,

like mayoral candidate Gavin Brown, are backing the town board's vote.

For Brown, who voted in favor of the conservation easement as an

alderman, it's simple. " The facts prove our ability to maintain our

watershed and actively manage it, " he insists. Others, though, aren't

convinced. Alderman candidate Charles Miller has made it clear that

forest management in the watershed is the issue he's running on. " I

feel that over 90 percent of people in the town of Waynesville are

opposed to cutting any timber on that watershed and certain members of

our town board have ignored these people and ignored petitions with

almost 600 names opposed to the cutting of any timber, " says Miller.

The town's leaders began buying up pieces of Waynesville's watershed

in the early 20th century to protect the creeks and streams that

comprise the town's drinking water source. It took nearly 100 years,

but in the late 1990s, the town bought the final 690 acres to complete

protection of the watershed. The watershed spreads over 8,600 acres of

a bowl shaped mountainside above Allens Creek reaching all the way to

the Blue Ridge Parkway.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/10_07/10_24_07/fr_watershed_logging.html

 

Georgia:

 

17) A leading landscape architect unveiled plans Thursday at Smithgall

Woodland Garden to create what he says will be one of the largest

woodland gardens in the nation. Principal designer Herb Schaal

presented the final garden design for Phase 1 and said he does not

want to change what is already here. " We're not going to change that

quality, we're going to enhance that quality, " Schaal said. Developers

and supporters plan for the garden to become a major tourist magnet

for Gainesville when it opens in the spring of 2010. Schaal is the

principal designer and said plans call for blending horticulture, art

and education by saving the large trees on the site and including a

road through the forest that will pass a woodland pond. The Woodland

Garden will feature an entry drive, a visitor center as well as a

woodland garden trail. Lessie and Charles Smithgall donated the

185-acre forest at Lake Lanier to the Atlanta Botanical Garden in the

year 2000. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is developing the site and has

launched a $10-million fund raising campaign called 'New Seasons'.

With $5-million already committed for endowment, current fund raising

is aimed at $5-million for the Phase 1 development now in progress.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=118767

 

USA:

 

18) A new study says national forests generally meet " green

certification " standards for sustainable management to ensure they

remain healthy but balancing the demands for logging, recreation and

conservation remain a challenge. The 2-year study was conducted to

help the U.S. Forest Service decide whether to join private timber

companies seeking independent certification of sustainable management

practices to boost forest product sales to gren-minded consumers. The

Washington, D.C.-based Pinchot Institute for Conservation studied five

national forests, including the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.

Overall, the forests rated well for planning, community involvement

and for identifying threatened or endangered species. But the study

indicated improvement was needed in various areas, including old

growth timber management and a backlog of road maintenance.

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=7268462

 

19) Americans are moving closer to national forests and other public

lands because of the amenities they provide. As a result, housing

density is expected to increase on more than 21.7 million acres of

rural private lands located within 10 miles of national forests and

grasslands by 2030, according to a recent study from the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. " Forests, farms, ranches,

and other open spaces are rapidly being developed as more people are

choosing to live at the urban fringe and in scenic, rural areas, " says

Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell. " This development is affecting

our ability to manage national forests and grasslands as well as our

ability to help private landowners and communities manage their land

for public benefits and ecosystem services. " The recently released,

National Forests on the Edge: Development Pressures on America's

National Forests and Grasslands, provides information on rural

residential development to private landowners and communities as they

work to manage and conserve open space. Some of the findings in the

report are: Nine national forests and grasslands are projected to

experience substantial increases in housing density on at least 25

percent of adjacent private land; the Bitterroot National Forest in

Idaho and Montana ranks highest in this category. Almost all eastern

national forests are may experience high to moderate increases in

adjacent housing density. Private lands bordering national forests in

Colorado, northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, California, and Oregon

are also projected to experience moderate to high increases. Thirteen

national forests are projected to experience substantial residential

development on more than ½ million acres of adjacent, currently rural,

private lands. Most of these national forests are located in southern

states and in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions. Lead authors of

the report include Susan Stein, a private forest land studies

coordinator, State and Private Forestry, Forest Service, Washington,

D.C.; Ralph Alig, a research forester and team leader; and Eric White,

a research economist. Alig and White are both scientists with the

Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Study_Shows_Housing_Development_On_The_Rise_Ne\

ar_National_Fo

rests_999.html

 

20) " It is estimated that 75 percent of the leaders in this profession

will retire in the next decade, and TWS feels strongly that we have a

responsibility to prepare our members and others to fill this void

with a new generation of leaders. " The Wildlife Society (TWS)

announced publication of " The Leadership Workbook: Building Leadership

Skills in the Natural Resource Professions and Beyond " authored by

Michael Morrison of Texas A & M University, Laura Bies of TWS, and

Cherrie Nolden of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

" Leadership is key if we hope to advance understanding and

conservation of our natural world, " concluded Hutchins. " In fact, our

vision is to use this workbook, and its many attractive features, to

enhance our Leadership Institute, a unique and inspirational training

program focused on promising young wildlife professionals with

demonstrated leadership potential. " This innovative instructional

volume is aimed at natural resource professionals at all levels of

training, from university students to early- and mid-career

professionals to volunteers. Employees of government agencies,

non-profit organizations, and private industry will also find useful

information about how they can effectively improve their interactions

with colleagues, peers, and the public, all necessary skills for

reaching one's professional and organizational goals. " It is our

intention to help already motivated people to increase their

effectiveness as leaders, which, in turn can ultimately result in more

insightful management of our valuable natural resources, " stated Dr.

Michael Hutchins, executive director of TWS.

http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2217

 

21) The GAO [General Accounting Office] examined 762 U.S. Forest

Service (USFS) proposals to thin forests and prevent fires during the

past two years. According to the study, slightly more than half the

proposals were not subject to third-party appeal. Of those proposals

subject to appeal, third parties challenged 59 percent. Appeals were

filed most often by anti-logging groups, including the Sierra Club,

Alliance for Wild Rockies, and Forest Conservation Council. According

to the GAO, 84 interest groups filed more than 400 appeals of Forest

Service proposals. The appeals delayed efforts to treat 900,000 acres

of forests and cost the federal government millions of dollars to

address. Forest Service officials estimate they spend nearly half

their time, and $250 million [of your money] each year, preparing for

the appeals and procedural challenges launched by activists. " The

report demonstrates that the appeals needlessly delay federal efforts

to prevent wildfires, and if the process is not streamlined, millions

of acres will be lost this summer, " said Senate Energy Committee

Chairman Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico). " The American people will no

longer tolerate management by wildfire, " Domenici added. " This finding

is nothing short of appalling, especially when you think of the

catastrophic losses suffered in last year's horrific fire season

alone, " said House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo

(R-California).

http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2007/10/runaway_wildfir.html

 

 

22) " They bring with them huge machines which go deep into the forest

and make noise which frightens all the game animals away, " says Adrian

Sinafasi, the man seeking to alert the outside world to the plight of

central Africa's pygmies. " When the loggers arrive, they bring with

them many workers who are needed to fell the trees. They also need to

eat and start hunting but, rather than use traditional weapons in the

right season, they hunt with firearms and don't care about seasons or

how much food they take. " Mr Sinafasi, who was displaced from his

ancestral home in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is leading

a delegation of pygmies to meet the new head of the World Bank in

Washington this week. He hopes the talks could lead to deal to

safeguard the world's second-largest rainforest. There is mounting

optimism that when the representatives of some of Africa's most remote

tribes arrive in the US capital today, they can capitalise on

international outrage over the bank's plan to turn 60,000 sq km of

pristine forest over to European logging companies. Forty million

people in the Congo depend on the rainforests for survival. Among them

are up to 600,000 pygmies who are engaged in a David and Goliath

battle over plans to allow millions of hardwood trees to be felled,

many to make garden furniture and flooring for European homes. As well

as retaining nearly eight per cent of the world's carbon dioxide, the

rainforest is home to a vast biodiversity, including the bonobo apes

unique to the Congo river basin. The indigenous tribes scored a

victory last month when their complaints about logging were upheld by

the bank's independent experts. Observers believe the bank's board of

directors is poised to accept the principle that forest peoples should

have a final say in any future development. The panel, which visited

Congo to investigate the pygmies' claims, accepted evidence that the

economic value of the trees had been wildly overstated and officials

had failed to consider other sustainable uses for the wood. It also

concluded that locals were not consulted and the necessary

environmental checks were not carried out before the chainsaws started

buzzing. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article3061147.ece

 

Canada:

 

23) Canadians are willing to pay more out of their own pockets to

preserve national parks, a new study by a University of Guelph

researcher has revealed. In a first-ever survey examining the economic

value placed on Canada's national parks by the general population,

Will Wistowsky found that 61 per cent of Canadian households were

willing to contribute additional funds to help maintain and complete

Canada's national park system. When people were asked how much more

they'd be willing to pay, the average amount was $53 per household,

with 47 per cent saying they'd be willing to contribute that amount

annually. Multiply that amount by the Canadian population and it adds

up to $374 million in one-time funding plus an annual benefit of $176

million. " This shows how much all Canadians – both park visitors and

non-visitors – value their national parks, " said Wistowsky, a doctoral

student in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.

While his research is not intended to put a price tag on national

parks, dollar figures allow officials to talk about the benefits of

national parks in comparable and concrete terms, he said. Previous

studies have looked at the value of national parks based on gate

receipts, said Wistowsky. But that puts pressure on the parks to focus

on boosting revenues by increasing the number of users, which will

come at the expense of environmental damage. " This shows how much

Canadians value their national parks regardless of whether they visit

them. " Despite Canada having one of the world's oldest national parks

system there is little information on their actual economic value to

Canadian society, said Wistowsky. His findings are based on questions

added to Parks Canada's 2005 national public opinion poll. He was able

to survey more than 1,300 respondents. When asked why they would

contribute more, a majority of people said they wanted these areas

protected and available for future generations, said Wistowsky.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/news/2007/10/canadians_willi.html

 

24) The public forum — led by Western Newfoundland Model Forest and

the City of Corner Brook — was held at the Greenwood Inn and Suites on

Tuesday evening. Only a few people from the general public trickled in

throughout the evening, leaving representatives from the model forest,

the City, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, Western Newfoundland

Environment Centre, and the Department of Environment mingling among

themselves. " It's unfortunate people haven't come out, but I think it

demonstrates that people have confidence in this council moving

forward, " Mayor Charles Pender said. " I think some of the things we

have done have taken care of some of the issues that were dogging the

last council. We have put a moratorium in place on new permits, we've

contracted Model Forest to do this watershed management plan, so we

are moving forward on our commitments and I think people have

confidence we are putting their best interests first. " The mayor still

feels avenues to exchange information are of an importance as the

process of establishing the plan proceeds. " I think if people came

here tonight and listened to how Corner Brook Pulp and Paper works in

our watershed — the things they have done and how they have managed to

do it in an environmentally friendly way, while still meeting their

needs, I think people would be very impressed, " he said. Meanwhile,

Tina Newbury, watershed planner, said the lack of public participation

has been common throughout the process as they move towards

establishing a preliminary plan by spring.

http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=73888 & sc=23

 

UK:

 

25) The Prince of Wales has launched a global private-sector

initiative dedicated to find ways of keeping the world's old-growth

forests standing and providing " essential public services to

humanity. " He did so in a keynote speech in which he said that the

burning of rainforests was responsible for more global greenhouse gas

emissions than any activity other than power generation. Prince

Charles announced that a consortium of companies - including Sky, Sun

Media, Rio Tinto, KPMG, Deutsche, Morgan Stanley and Barclays - has

undertaken to work with him over the next 18 months on ways to make

old-growth forest more valuable alive than dead. His announcement, in

a keynote speech before a WWF event at Hampton Court, was seen as

creating momentum for moves to place value on standing forests in the

successor to the Kyoto climate change treaty, talks on which begin in

Bali, Indonesia, in December. Prince Charles said the world's forests

needed to be seen as what they were: " giant global utilities,

providing essential public services to humanity on a vast scale.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/10/25/eacharles125.x\

ml

 

Brazil:

 

26) This week Brazil announced it is seeking approval to explore for

new oil and gas reserves near the Jurua River in the Amazonian state

of Acre. The government will set aside US$35.5 million for the

National Petroleum Agency (ANP) to begin exploration, while the Acre

State Industrial Federation has promised to raise US$15 million.

Officials cited the economic benefits the project will bring to a

neglected part of the country but raised concerns among local and

international environmental groups who worry that the exploration will

damage sensitive ecosystems. Commenting on the proposed project,

Environmental Ministry Executive Secretary, Joao Paulo Capobianco, is

reported as saying, " It's necessary to examine how this will be done,

on what scale and in what areas. In theory, there are methodologies

and technologies that allow this activity without environmental

damage. " For his part, Acre Congressman Marcelo Serafim said that,

" development brings damage, it destroyed the Atlantic forest, it

ruined much of the Pantanal (wetlands), and that's not what we want or

defend. " But, he added, " If the Brazilian government and the world

want the Amazon preserved, the world has to give us conditions to

preserve the Amazon. And it hasn't. " The ongoing debate over resource

extraction in the Amazon Rainforest is controversial. Governments and

citizens have a number of conflicting interests between increased

energy demands necessary to fuel development and their desire to

protect the rainforest. Current and expected energy shortages

complicate matters. For example, Chile and Argentina are in the middle

of an energy crisis while Brazil is expected to face shortages by

2010.

http://southaffairs.blogspot.com/2007/10/brazil-announces-new-oil-exploration-in\

..html

 

27) U.S. scientists have discovered an extract from an Amazon rain

forest tree is a potent antioxidant that can prevent human cartilage

destruction. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University's School

of Medicine said the discovery's unique actions suggest a broad set of

applications in various joint, skin and gastrointestinal diseases,

including osteoarthritis and irritable bowel syndrome. The new

product, now named Progrado, is an extract from Croton palanostigma

trees that prevents cartilage destruction by molecular scissors called

matrix metalloproteinases. The researchers said the enzymes cut

collagen, which forms the backbone of the cartilage, into tiny pieces

during states of inflammation and alter the fabric that holds tissues

together. " This is an exciting finding, " said Professor Tariq Haqqi,

the lead investigator and senior author of the study. " This is the

first time a natural product has been shown to directly block these

molecular scissors, while showing potential to stimulate repair. This

is a testament to the wound healing properties of this traditional

medicine and the distinctive therapeutic opportunities that nature

offers. " Haqqi and his research partner -- Paul Bobrowski of

Rainforest Nutritionals Inc., in Raleigh, N.C. -- reported their

findings in the Journal of Inflammation.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/10/25/rain_forest_tree_makes_potent_an\

tioxidant/1897/

 

Guyana:

 

28) Plenty, plenty moons ago, them Arawak people used to live in the

sky. Then one day, they come across a big hole. In the hole had a tree

going down. Of course, them Arawaks had to climb down this tree to see

what been underneath. They discover earth. Oh my! What a splendiferous

place, what fruits, what colours, what plants and animals and sweet

water. Them Arawaks feast and feast until they get drowsy. They settle

in the soft grass and the breeze lullaby them to sleep. And while they

doh-doh...nap...the hole in the sky close up. And that is how them

Arawaks end up staying on earth. Whatever version, one truth

remain...the Arawaks descendants, the Amerindians, was the first

people of Guyana. They live in the interior, in the rainforest, using

the land without destroying. Then along come Modern Man. He tear down

them trees, gouge the land for diamonds and gold. I remember a young

fella me and my mother did meet in the late nineties. He used to work

a drudge...a dredging machine...for he older brother. He say, with

naive pride swelling he malaria-thin chest, that this machine been so

powerful, it dig out massive trees like they was matchsticks. Today,

if you fly over the hinterlands you might see red scars here, there,

earth bleeding in the middle of dark-green forest. I ain't never see

this, the last time I fly over the interior was the mid-nineties, and

the bleeding didn't show then...or at least, where I fly didn't have

any. But my cousins from Canada who visit in May this year see them

red wounds; they say they heart weep as they fly above. But all ain't

lost, I tell meself again on Friday evening. On Friday evening me and

Auntie H. been to see a short film, Iwokrama, The Untold Story.

http://sapodilla.blogspot.com/2007/10/rainforest-people.html

 

29) A Malaysian timber company fined by Guyana for allegedly

underreporting its harvest of trees announced Wednesday it will seek

international forestry experts to back its claim that the penalty was

excessive. The chairman of Barama Company Limited, Girwar Lalaram,

said a $500,000 fine imposed Monday against the Malaysian company by

Guyana's forestry commission was extreme and would force the firm to

fire local workers. " The penalties imposed by the forestry commission

are severe, unclear, and in our opinion, arbitrary, " Lalaram said in a

statement. " (Barama) is prepared to engage internationally recognized

auditors, forestry consultants and other experts to investigate the

issues. " Guyana has accused the timber company, owned by Samling

Global Limited of Sarawak, Malaysia, of failing to report some of the

trees harvested in northwestern Guyana, near the border with

Venezuela, and illegally excluding logs it purchased from its total

production report. Two Guyanese field monitors have been dismissed and

others are under investigation for possibly turning a blind eye to

Barama's operations, according to the forestry commission. Barama, one

of several Asian timber companies logging in Guyana, was awarded the

concessions nearly 20 years ago. Part of its forestry area includes

land in what was the notorious settlement of Jonestown, where U.S.

cult leader Jim Jones led more than 900 followers to their deaths in

1978. The Forest Stewardship Council, which sets international

standards for sustainable logging, suspended Barama's certification

for its 1,408,470-acre section of western Guyana in January after

concerns were raised over its practices. But certification was

reinstated in August after the company made adjustments, according to

FSC records.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5242646.html

 

Sumatra:

 

30) Climate change and deforestation are inextricably linked. Forest

destruction contributes around one-fifth of all man-made greenhouse

gas emissions, more than the entire global transport sector, and the

problem is so severe that Indonesia and Brazil are ranked third and

fourth respectively in the list of top emitting countries, mainly

because of deforestation. It's against this background that our latest

Forest Defenders Camp opened a couple of weeks ago on the Indonesian

island of Sumatra, located on the frontline where the peatland forest

is being cleared for palm oil plantations. Palm oil is used in

hundreds of food and cosmetic products, as well as biofuels. There are

two reasons Indonesia was picked for this project. First, the forests

of South East Asia are being destroyed faster than anywhere else on

the planet. Industrial logging plus the expansion of the palm oil

industry and the pulp and paper sector are to blame, which affects not

only the people who live there and the biodiversity that the forest

supports, but also the global climate. Both the forest itself and the

thick layers of peat lying beneath it store millions of tonnes of

carbon. The peat is cleared and drained to make the land suitable for

palm oil plantations and, of course, this releases vast quantities of

greenhouse gases. The second reason is that in December Indonesia will

play host to the United Nations Climate Change conference, the next

round of international climate talks that will begin negotiations on

an extension to the Kyoto Protocol. Strong measures to prevent

deforestation have to be included as an essential part of any

international climate change agreements, and the forest camp is the

first stage in our plan to ensure that happens. As the Stern Review

noted almost a year ago, " curbing deforestation is a highly

cost-effective way to reduce emissions. "

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/indonesia-gets-its-own-climate-change-\

camp-20071024

 

Indonesia:

 

31) Opposition to the government's industrial forest scheme (HTI) from

various quarters is hindering the efforts of the Forestry Ministry to

have industrial plantations covering 9.5 million hectares by 2009. general of forest protection and nature conservation at the

forestry ministry, I Made Subadia, said Wednesday that the resistance

occurred because people were looking primarily at the early stages in

which the ministry logged forest areas before replacing the trees with

ones having more industrial potential. Currently, Indonesia has around

3.7 million hectares of HTI area providing logs for paper and several

other timber-based industries in the country. The ministry is now

focusing on planting eucalyptus, albazia falcataria and acacia, which

are the varieties most in demand on the market. " They are protesting

because they realize that this was just an early part of the process

that will make the forests more useful, " Subadia said " Our main

concern now is how to change people's perspective of the land clearing

method, so we can prevent unnecessary problems in the future. "

Currently the ministry is involved in a dispute with the Riau

Provincial Police over forest concessions to Riau Andalan Pulp and

Paper and Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper. The Riau Police have accused the

two paper giants of illegal logging in Riau's protected forests and

confiscated thousands of cubic meters of timber from them.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20071025.H02 & irec=1

 

32) Financial incentives for forest protection should consider the

value of the natural resources inside to motivate local residents to

protect the area, the government said Tuesday Forestry Minister Malam

Sambat Kaban said the incentives should also count potential losses if

the people stop exploiting the forest. " If we get only US$100 per

hectare as a financial reward, it will not resolve poverty problems

for communities living in forest areas, " Kaban said. He said

Indonesia's forests had extensive natural reserves, including trees

and mineral resources. " A cubic meter of meranti tree wood, for

example, is priced at $150. A hectare of land could produce 70 cubic

meters of meranti timber. The reward must consider this, " he said. " In

Bengkulu, 80 percent of the forest is protected... where many precious

minerals such as iron, gold and coal are found. But what will the

world give us for protecting it? " Kaban also said other countries had

paid little attention to Indonesia's efforts to protect its forests.

" Our forests trap tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every day but no

country appreciates this, " he said. He said that only since the issue

of climate change became important had the international community

paid attention to Indonesia's forests. " But they accuse Indonesia of

being the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases due to

forest fires, " he said. Kaban said that the government had carried out

several actions to help protect forests. " We have reduced logging from

27 million cubic meters before the 2000s to only 9.1 million cubic

meters per year. We have also intensified efforts to fight illegal

logging, " he said. " We have designated 40 million hectares of

protected and conservation forest but we never get rewarded for our

efforts. " http://www.thejakartapost.com/misc/PrinterFriendly.asp

 

 

Asia-Pacific:

 

33) And as the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) notes, in

countries where excessive corruption prevails, the destruction of

natural resources, such as local forests, for private gain is not far

behind. ''Illegal logging is a symptom of the disease of corruption,''

says Lisa Elges, TI's senior programme coordinator for the

Asia-Pacific region. ''In countries where deforestation is

predominant, corruption is very high.'' What has fuelled such abuse is

the political climate that shrouds the forestry sector in the region,

she explained to IPS in this northern Thai city, where a conference on

the future of forests in Asia and the Pacific was held last week.

''There is a great deal of lack of accountability and transparency in

the forestry sector. Forests are held under the authority of

governments, so there is no one to check the abuse by relevant

ministries, politicians and local officials.'' In fact, TI estimates

that if left unchecked, the current pace of illegal logging in the

Asian region could result in a loss of 6.6 million hectares by 2020.

The affected countries range from Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia to

Burma, Laos and Papua New Guinea. Currently, Asia and the Pacific have

700 million ha of forestland out of the world's 3.9 million ha, or

some 30 percent of the earth's landmass. In the past 15 years,

however, this region lost 10 million ha of its forest cover, according

to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the U.N. agency that

hosted the conference on forestry, which drew 250 experts, policy

makers and activists from 39 countries. Other international

non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have expressed similar concerns

about rampant corruption fuelling the destruction of pristine forests

across Asia. According to a speaker from the Rainforest Alliance at

the conference, illegal logging in developing Asia ''results in the

loss of assets and revenue of over 10 billion U.S. dollars annually.''

In June this year, another NGO, Global Witness, shed light on the dire

situation in Cambodia, one of South-east Asia's poorest countries

afflicted with the twin evils of corruption and illegal logging. The

illegal logging trade in the country was estimated to be 13 million US

dollars annually, said the London-based group in its report,

'Cambodia's Family Trees'.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39742

 

New Zealand:

 

34) Nelson logging company Heartland Logging Ltd was put into

liquidation by the Nelson High Court last week. Company director

Michael Ewers of Wakefield said he had been in the industry for 25

years but had effectively been forced out by large forestry companies

awarding large contracts, and exporting logs at cheap prices without

having confirmed contracts. " They are just screwing the prices down. "

Running the business had been particularly hard in the past four

years, and he had resorted to getting work in Marlborough. " It seems

to be getting worse. " The cost of fuel and rise in average wages had

also made survival in the industry tough. " We've lost everything. "

Financial pressures were being felt by other smaller businesses too,

he said. Heartland Logging had 12 staff, most of whom were fortunate

to have found work either in New Zealand or Australia, he said. The

High Court appointed David Crichton and Keiran Horne from Christchurch

firm Crichton Horne and Associates as liquidators of the company. Mrs

Horne said Inland Revenue had applied to have the company put into

liquidation. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/4251532a6510.html

 

 

Australia:

 

35) The Tasmanian Greens today obtained an admission from the Premier

that old growth woodchip exports will still be exported in the

quantity of half a million tonnes every year once the pulp mill is

built, as part of an ongoing native woodchip trade, despite attempts

by government to imply that the pulp mill would somehow end old growth

wood chipping. Greens Opposition Leader Peg Putt MHA also pointed out

that the wood-fired power station co-located with the pulp mill will

burn old growth material, and that the pricing of plantation wood

compared to native forest trees is set so as to discourage a

transition to a plantation-based pulp mill. " What Tasmanians were not

told in the carefully pitched announcement on the pulp mill wood

supply is that Tasmania will continue its disgraceful trade in export

of old growth forest woodchips at the level of half a million tonnes a

year even if the pulp mill is built. And native forest woodchip export

levels will be even higher. Also very carefully glossed over by the

Lennon Government is that old growth material will be burnt on the

pulp mill site in the co-located forest furnace which was approved as

part of the pulp mill development application. Don't fall for the

political trickery that implies old growth logging for woodchip will

cease if the pulp mill is built, when it won't, and be aware that old

growth will be burnt on the pulp mill site as well. "

http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=2635