254 - Earth's Tree News

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Today for you 38 new articles about earth's trees! (254th edition)

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Weblog: http://olyecology.livejournal.com

 

--British Columbia: 1) Salt Spring Island Conservancy, 2) Coast forest

plan a sham, 3) Logging at Qualicum Beach and Coombs, 4) Huge timber

donations to liberal party, --Pacific Northwest: 5) US Representatives

demand rewrite of Spotted Owl plan,

--Washington: 6) Colville National Forest Coalition, 7) Island Center

Forest logging,

--California: 8) Building moratorium allowed to expire, 9) Stop Sierra Pacific,

--Arizona: 10) 307 palms destroyed for construction

--Colorado: 11) Making money off beetle wood

--Minnesota: 12) Itasca State Park

--Kentucky: 13) Student Senate votes to log forest without a plan

--North Carolina: 14) Comment on the Shope Creek Project

--New York: 15) Emascualting RAN

--Appalachia: 16) Google maps changing how activism is done

--USA: 17) Trees and golf courses

--Canada: 18) Sharon Temple Tree Massacre

--Ireland: 19) .08 per cent of Northern Ireland is forested, 20)

plantation lore,

--UK: 21) What's a veteran tree? 22) Wood burning power station needs

lots of wood,

--Tanzania: 23) Stringent steps to enhance the management of forests

--Gambia: 24) Three Chinese get a year in jail for timber theft

--Brazil: 25) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits, 26) Rainforest

is irreplaceable,

--India: 27) 24,000 hectares of forest encroached upon, 28) Tadoba

Wildlife Sanctuary, 29) Vandalization of dense forests in Doda,

--Philippines: 30) After 18 years logging resumes in Samar

--Indonesia: 31) At least seven years to halt illegal logging, 32)

Improve logging regs,

--Australia: 33) Deforestation hypocrisy, 34) protection promises

unfulfilled, 35) Threat to pulp mill, 36) keep State out of nation's

clearcut agenda, 37) Save the Chester block,

--World-wide: 38) Carbon stats,

 

British Columbia:

 

1) An agreement to purchase the 19.5-acre Creekside rainforest lot was

signed on Friday, and the Salt Spring Island Conservancy wasted no

time lending the campaign support to the tune of $25,000. " We think

it's fine land and a great potential acquisition, " said conservancy

president Bob Weeden on Monday after the conservancy board made its

decision. " The big trees certainly stand out, but all of it has great

potential for conservation. " On Friday, November 9, The Land

Conservancy of British Columbia announced it had reached an agreement

to purchase the environmentally sensitive property for $975,000. Funds

must be in place by December 31. " During the Texada logging dispute,

Salt Spring was able to pull off a miracle and we can do it again, "

said Maureen Moore, the campaign's coordinator. " We plan to host as

many events as we can organize. " With nearly $200,000 already pledged

or in hand, Moore said she is hopeful Salt Springers' generosity will

help raise the funds needed to preserve a rare piece of coastal

temperate rainforest by the end of the year. " We have to take the long

view. The numbers sound overwhelming, but in 100 years, the price will

seem small, " she said. " Imagine how precious this forest and the

salmon stream will be to Salt Spring Island in the future. " Preserving

the property, Moore added, is important for saving the biologically

diverse array of plants, animals, birds and fish that depend upon

Cusheon Creek. If the land is subdivided and developed for residential

use, the significance of the stream and the valley as a wildlife

corridor will be compromised or even destroyed, she said.

http://www.gulfislands.net/news.asp?ID=1865

 

 

2) On October 29, 2007, the BC Liberal government announced a new plan

for BC's coastal forests, the " Coastal Forest Action Plan " The crux of

the plan is to speed-up the logging of second-growth forests on public

(Crown) lands, dropping the harvest rotation age from 75 years down to

an average of 50-55 years. Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests and

Range, is spinning the plan as a " shift " away from the logging of

old-growth forests to second-growth forests, which the Wilderness

Committee has been advocating for years, albeit at a sustainable rate.

However, in reality the plan places no new restrictions on the logging

of old-growth forests. Without new restrictions, timber companies will

not only log the second-growth forests, but also continue to log the

old-growth forests, in particular the largest, high-value species -

red and yellow cedars, and any pockets of the rare, ancient Douglas

firs and Sitka spruce they can find. It is true that increasing the

harvest of second-growth Douglas fir and redcedars could shift logging

away from the smaller, lower value old-growth species, that is,

western and mountain hemlock and amabalis fir (ie. " balsam " ). In

short, as it stands the BC government's new Coastal Forest Action Plan

is simply a " log it all " policy for the old-growth and second-growth

forests of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The report states

that " old-growth forests are in no danger of disapperaing " and that

only 769,000 hectares of over 4 million hectares of old-growth forests

on BC's coast are available for logging. They fail to mention that the

vast majority of the 4 million hectares are low-productivity forests

with smaller trees (ie. bog forests, stunted trees on rocky sites,

subalpine snow forests) that generally cannot be logged economically,

or are in protected areas in the northern rainforests (Central and

North Coasts and Queen Charlotte Islands where land-use negotiations

between environmentalists, First Nations, and companies have resulted

in much more extensive protected areas) but that have nothing to do

with the scarce and endangered southern old-growth forests of

Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland where only 6-8% of the

productive forests (old-growth and second-growth) are protected.

http://www.wcwcvictoria.org

 

3) I just walked through the 'not-a-clear-cut' logged area between

Qualicum Beach and Coombs. The second growth forest, once considered a

buffer from previous logging, has just been leveled. 'Single stem

variable retention logging' at its finest. Like sentinels left

standing on a bleak and desolate landscape, a few deformed trees

remain. A jumble of stumps, exposed root-balls, shattered trunks,

branches, and exposed ground cover are all that remain. Water from

Hamilton Marsh flows directly into this wasteland on its way into

French Creek. Heavy rains are flushing the silt, mud, and debris

exposed by this logging operation into the tributaries of French

Creek. Down stream are salmon enhancement projects, community water

intakes, housing for thousands, and banks subject to erosion and

collapse when run-off swells the creek. This area is owned by Island

Timberlands, which is owned by Brascan, which has changed its name to

Brookfield. This " Global Asset Management Company " has just come out

of a long strike with local forestry workers. Having logged this area

they will be selling the land to a real-estate firm. In order for the

unnamed developers to sub-divide and sell this land for residential

and commercial uses they will have to apply to the Regional District

of Nanaimo for rezoning permits to take this land out of its forest

management designation. This will likely be approved unless the public

takes a stand. According to the Official Community Plan, established

by the RDN and dedicated members of this community, this land is

specifically reserved for forest management. The logged area closest

to the Inland Highway is part of the RDN Area " G " while the clear-cut

along what was once the 'Coombs cut-off' is in Area " F. " Rezoning

would have to be approved by the RDN Board of Directors, which

includes both local mayors. The forest around Hamilton Marsh is also

owned by Island Timberlands, which recently rejected a fair market

value offer from the Regional District of Nanaimo in partnership with

Ducks Unlimited Canada to purchase the land and protect it as park.

Based on the direction Brookfield is taking, all forestland in the

area will be logged and sold to real estate developers.

rcboyce

 

4) Huge political donations by forest companies to the B.C. Liberal

Party are compelling reasons for electoral finance reform in B.C., New

Democrat MLA Bob Simpson says. Elections B.C. filings show that over

the past decade, the B.C. Liberals got close to $6.5 million in

political donations from forestry companies, including all of the

companies involved in the controversy surrounding the release of Tree

Farm License lands. " When people look at these donation numbers from

the forest sector and then see how the Campbell government's forest

policy favors large corporate interests over smaller operators,

contractors, workers and communities, it's very hard for people not to

wonder if this large sum of money influenced public policy, " said

Simpson, the NDP Critic for Forests and Range. Since 2003, over

120,000 hectares of land has been released from Tree Farm Licenses.

The major forest companies have also been paid over $250 million by

the Liberal government in cash compensation for the take back of

harvesting rights on publicly owned forest lands. " The Leader of the

Opposition has called on Gordon Campbell to ban corporate and union

donations and put reasonable limits on third-party donations. The

public's questions about the relationship between political donations

and favorable public policy decisions for the forest sector are yet

another compelling reason to reform our election finance laws as soon

as possible. " Simpson said he isn't drawing a direct correlation

between the donations and the release of lands or the large sum of

money paid out to forest companies over the past three years. But he

says that workers, contractors and communities are expressing concerns

to him about the relationship. " Quite frankly, people are telling me

they believe there's a connection and they feel that's why the needs

of independent operators, contractors and workers are being ignored by

the Campbell government, " said Simpson. " In a progressive society we

shouldn't still be wondering if money buys influence over our

democratic process. There's an easy fix to this, reform our election

finance laws. "

http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/en/huge_donations_should_spur_electoral_finance_reform\

_simpson

 

Pacific Northwest:

 

5) On October 2, 23 Members of the US House of Representatives, led by

House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Representative

Jay Inslee (D-WA), sent a letter to Secretary of Interior Dirk

Kempthorne demanding that the draft Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan

be redrafted and the new recovery plan be based on the best available

science, not political interference. As the plan is currently written,

the letter states, it will not lead to the recovery of the species, is

not based on the best available science, and fails to protect much of

the old growth forest that is the owl's primary habitat. By proposing

to lift protections from the owl's critical habitat, the Fish and

Wildlife Service (FWS) is putting into action the Administration's

plan to dismantle the protections under the Northwest Forest Plan and

pave the way for increased old growth logging in the Pacific

Northwest. Unfortunately, noticeably absent from the letter were the

following Members from the forested states where the spotted owl

lives: Representatives Norm Dicks (D-WA), Darlene Hooley (D-OR), David

Wu (D-OR), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rick Larson (D-WA), and Mike Thompson

(D-CA). The Fish and Wildlife Service, under the Department of

Interior, on October 24, dismissed the Northern Spotted Owl Recovery

team, and proposed hiring an independent contractor to review the

80,000 comments that the flawed plan elicited. They also promised to

pull together working groups to study different components of the

plan. However, the draft plan has been studied by six independent peer

reviews and over 100 scientists and the consensus is clear: the FWS

needs to go back to the drawing board and re-do this scientifically

flawed plan. Apparently, the Fish and Wildlife Service has chosen to

ignore the call of Congress and scientists. http://americanlands.org

 

Washington:

 

6) REPORTER: One especially vocal critic of the coalition is ferry

county commissioner Mike Blankenship. I met him at a café near the

town of kettle falls. BLANKENSHIP: " You've put the weasel and the fox

in the henhouse. You're going to put them together and let them

develop a plan for the Colville National Forest. Absolutely not. Not

unless you're a damn fool. " MCGEE: " There is accusations out there

that we've gone to the dark side or that we're selling the farm, we've

given away the farm. " COLEMAN: " In my case as a conservationists that

we're giving life support to an industry that otherwise would vanish

and deservedly so. " REPORTER: Today, not only have these men buried

the hatchet. McGee says they consider each other friends. MCGREE: " We

are finding so much more in common than we ever thought and it all

started with not waving a white flag but just saying hey let's just

have a peace summit you know? " REPORTER: Out of that peace summit – in

2002 – was born the northeast Washington forestry coalition. The

members are people with a stake in what happens in the million acre

Colville national forest. Similar groups have formed in national

forest–dependant communities in Idaho and Oregon too. But the

northeast Washington forestry coalition stands out as a model – in

large part because logging on the Colville has doubled in recent years

with no appeals or lawsuits by environmentalists. on the drive back

from the logging site, Coleman says his days of fighting in court are

over. COLEMAN: " I've put down the litigation pen and the appeal pen

and I've said let's work on this from a point of cooperation and

shared interest. " MCGEE: " There is accusations out there that we've

gone to the dark side or that we're selling the farm, we've given away

the farm. " COLEMAN: " In my case as a conservationists we're giving

life support to an industry that otherwise would vanish and deservedly

so. " http://kuow.org/DefaultProgram.asp?ID=13803

 

7) Years of planning and negotiation culminated last month with the

start of logging operations in Island Center Forest, an effort to

marry forest conservation and resource development in Vashon's largest

expanse of publicly owned land. King County, which owns the 363-acre

property, hired a logging firm to cut trees at two different sites in

the much-loved forest — a 17-acre stand of Douglas fir and three acres

of alder, both near the center of the property. The county expects to

net $30,000 from the operation, proceeds that will go back into the

forest, enabling the county and a consortium of Island groups to

steward the property. According to backers of the approach, the

forestry operation will not only bring in revenue but also improve

forest health in the densely planted woodland, where a naturally

occurring root rot threatens some of the Douglas firs. They say the

logging operation will enable managers to bring greater diversity to

the forest, providing the kind of mosaic in both tree size and species

that reflects a healthy ecosystem. " If I wanted to purely restore this

forest, thinning would still make sense, " says Derek Churchill, who

specializes in sustainable forestry. Churchill wrote the Island Center

forestry plan, which recommends thinning on 250-acres over the next 20

years. " Leaving these stands alone is not the best thing

ecologically, " he said. In late October, trails were closed to allow

the logging to begin. And while it's called ecological forestry, the

operation isn't pretty. The woods already show the scars of a logging

operation: wclearings and skid trails where none existed, slash piles,

leftover stumps of highly valued trees.

http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=90 & cat=23 & id=110170\

9 & more=0

 

California:

 

8) All the 80 or so speakers who signed up to speak to the extension

of the TPZ building moratorium first sat through a curious hearing in

which the board deliberated whether or not to issue an abatement order

concerning a development on land out near Hoopa that once belonged to

Eel River Sawmills. That land, which is still zoned for timber

production, was once owned — and seems still to be owned, at least on

paper — by a limited liability company called Vilica LLC. If the

county wanted to display a poster child for their case that the county

needs to tighten up its regulation of timber production lands, there's

two possible ways it could go. On the one hand, it could point to the

original casus bellifor this battle — Pacific Lumber's proposal to

divide a big tract of its land into 130 or so " kingdoms " for the

mega-wealthy. On the other, it could point to Vilica LLC. According to

documents submitted to the Board of Supervisors by the county's Code

Enforcement Unit, Vilica did all the following on its Hoopa land, all

without the proper permits: built homes, put in roads and building

pads, installed an illegal septic system and put in numerous buildings

that were used in a large-scale marijuana growing operation. None of

which immediately strikes one as land uses essential for the

harvesting of timber. Who is Vilica LLC? That question was never

really answered at Tuesday's hearing, but it had been established that

one of the principals is Arcata attorney Steve Schectman. Yes, the

same Steve Schectman who campaigned for district attorney in the 2004

DA recall election, and who subsequently appeared in court as a

volunteer prosecutor for District Attorney Paul Gallegos. The same

Steve Schectman, incidentally, who sued Pacific Lumber and its parent

corporation, Maxxam Inc., on behalf of the residents of the Stafford

area and again on behalf of the family of forest activist David

" Gypsy " Chain. Schectman didn't appear at the hearing.

http://www.northcoastjournal.com/110807/towndandy1108.html

 

9) California's Sierra Nevada forests are under threat from logging

giant Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI). They have clearcut tens of

thousands of acres and have plans to log up to a million acres. The

majority of trees are going into new home construction, lumber yards,

and do-it-yourself hardware stores. We are looking to the business

community to help stop SPI. We're demanding that SPI: 1) Identify and

stop logging of all Endangered Forests in your tenure in the Sierra

Nevada. Endangered Forests are some of the most important unprotected

habitat remaining, and include intact forest landscapes and areas for

conservation of endangered species 2) Stop clearcut-style logging 3)

Obtain Forest Stewardship Council certification, the only credible

standard for sustainable logging, for your forests. As a business

leader, we need your voice to show that businesses value this national

treasure. Please add your company to the group sign-on letter below.

For more than a year we've been working hard to stop Sierra Pacific

Industries (SPI), the largest private landowner in the Sierra Nevada

and the single greatest destroyer of its forests. While sustainable

logging options exist, SPI is recklessly clearcutting the Sierra,

single-handedly ruining one of one of North America's most iconic

places. We are looking to the business community to help stop SPI's

destructive ways. Can you help get businesses or get your own business

to sign our letter urging SPI to log in a more responsible,

sustainable manner? Destroying the Sierra Nevada isn't good for anyone

-- people, businesses, or the environment. Add your company to our

business letter!

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/forestethics/petition.jsp?\

petition_KEY=79

8 & t=savethesierra.dwt

 

Arizona:

 

10) Now, he says at least half of the 307 palms destroyed farther

south to make way for the downtown light-rail segment known as Line

Section 3 were healthy enough to be salvaged. Metro's original Section

3 general contract with Archer Western Contractors had called for a

registered consulting arborist to assess the condition of each palm

and facilitate their removal, storage and replanting. That's where

Johnson, president of Artistic Arborist Inc. of Phoenix, was supposed

to step in. But Johnson says Metro and its contractors didn't seek his

expertise before chopping down the palms in the $95 million Section 3

project. " I was never part of any of the discussions, " says Johnson,

who relocated his first palm in 1967. " I've never had it where a

project's called for an arborist in the contract and they've

completely ignored me. " Both Archer Western and landscaping

subcontractor Recon Inc. declined to comment for this story, referring

all questions to Metro.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1114palms1114.html

 

Colorado:

 

11) " I've staked my whole career, everything I own on what you see today.

It's all a big gamble, " he said, looking over a cavernous warehouse

for a new computerized sawmill that will soon be used to create log

homes. " What you see is three-quarters of a million dollars' worth of

equipment. ... It's all gambled on people, it's all gambled on the

market. " And it's all gambled on the pine bark beetle. As countless

bark beetles the size of this " i " ravage the state's ample stands of

lodgepole, dozens of big and small dreamers are vying to eke their

fortune from the state's surging tide of beetle-ravaged timber. Their

efforts won't come close to using up the acres of deadwood. But it is

a start. Some of these entrepreneurs are felling trees, seeking to

revive the state's timber industry. Others use the wood, tinted blue

from a fungus the beetles inject into the pine, for cabinets and trim.

There is an effort to burn shredded beetle kill to generate heat and

electricity in small-scale " energy parks. " And in Kremmling, Mark

Mathis is pressing energy-saving pellets from the wood. " It's

unfortunate, and I'd just as soon have a healthy forest, " Mathis said

as a trio of earthmovers scraped dirt where he is erecting a $9

million, one-of-a-kind plant that will ball heat-producing pellets out

of beetle-killed trees. Mathis admits he is overbuilding to meet

demand for pellets, which burn in special stoves more efficiently than

logs and emit little smoke. " Our intention is to build it and they

will come, " he said. " In my opinion there is opportunity in every

natural disaster. You just have to ferret it out. "

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7464882

 

Minnesota:

 

12) Itasca State Park, cradle of forest conservation, recently

unveiled a new interpretive panel entitled, " Forests for the Future. "

The panel documents and commemorates the successful progression from

timber extraction to sustainable forest management in Minnesota.

Fittingly, the display has been placed at the Mary Gibbs Mississippi

Headwaters Center near the historic site where Mary Gibbs, Itasca

State Park Commissioner, stood up against big timber interests in 1903

and saved the majestic pines and lakeshore of Itasca State Park.

" Countries worldwide are reawakening to the need for sustainable,

well-managed forests to mitigate the impacts of global climate

change, " commented Mike Carroll, Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Regional Director, and long-time forester. " Visitors from across North

America and countries worldwide can now read about how sustainable

forest management and forest certification can ensure our forest

resources for future generations. " The panel is sponsored by the

Society of American Foresters and the Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources.

http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/index.php/2007/11/14/itasca-state-park-unveils-fores\

ts-for-the-futu

re-display/

 

Kentucky:

 

13) The University of Kentucky should have a policy on how it manages

land, but shouldn't stop planned logging research in Robinson Forest

while the policy is being developed, the University Senate said

yesterday. The non-binding " sense of the senate " recommends that the

board of trustees develop guidelines " with ultimate acknowledgement of

the educational, conservation and ecological resources of each

property. " The original motion dealt only with " undeveloped " lands,

but was amended to include all land the university owns. A second

motion calling for a moratorium on Robinson Forest logging was

defeated, 38-8. The Senate debated the issue for more than an hour,

with the discussion often centering on who should get involved in

approving or stopping research. UK Provost Kumble R. Subbaswamy urged

senators to vote against a moratorium, calling it a " pernicious and

dangerous " move. The university plans to cut trees on as much as 1,000

acres of the 10,000-acre " core " of Robinson Forest, which sprawls

across a rugged portion of Eastern Kentucky where Breathitt, Perry and

Knott counties meet. The school's forestry department says it is

research that will test various methods of protecting streams during

logging. But the project has drawn protests from environmental groups,

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler of Versailles, and the writer Wendell Berry. In

2003, the trustees approved a management plan that started the

project. A group of trustees visited the forest last month, and seemed

pleased with the explanation of the pending research.

http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/229232.html

 

North Carolina:

 

14) The U.S. Forest Service is asking for public comment on an

environmental analysis of the Shope Creek Project. The agency is

weighing different options for the 1,500-acre forest. Their initial

plans included logging 68 acres of forest, clearing five mile of roads

and improving access to the area, which is located five miles east of

downtown Asheville in the Pisgah National Forest. The forest service

said the project is part of a national Forest Service management plan

that calls for creating wildlife habitats through tree harvesting. The

environmental assessment outlines three options, including one

developed by forest watchdog group Wild South with community input

from an online survey. The agency is accepting comments on the

proposals until Dec. 5.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/71114033

 

New York:

 

15) On Saturday night at Chris Noth's Plumm Club, Rainforest Action

Network teamed up with Mr. Big himself to raise funds and awareness.

While party-goers were sipping organic Square One Vodka, Noth's Law &

Order: Criminal Intent co-star Alicia Witt got the crowd swaying to

some of her songs. The entertainment didn't stop there…she was

followed by Jimmy Webb. Of course, the evening's purpose was to raise

money…and Chris started off the silent auction at $1,000 for a night

at The Plaza, including a dinner with himself and Patricia Clarkson.

It finally sold for $10,500. Not bad. Other notables at the event

included Richard Belzer and Dann Florek of Law & Order: SVU, Paul

Blackthorne of Lipstick Jungle, and Sex and the City's Charlotte,

Kristin Davis. This is Noth's second year hosting this event, and the

timing couldn't have been better for RAN. His " gossip stock " is

currently through the roof as he is currently filming the much

anticipated Sex and the City: The Movie. The buzz doesn't stop, and

that's just great news for Rainforest Action Network.

http://www.ecorazzi.com/?p=4402

 

Appalachia:

 

16) The new service uses the mapping and aerial imagery provided by

Google Inc.'s Earth and Maps offerings to show actual pictures of the

mountaintops. The Google services are popular for providing free

detailed aerial images of most places in the world, allowing computer

users to easily zoom in for a peek. Google Maps can be accessed over

the Web, and Google Earth requires special software be installed on a

user's computer. Now those Google programs are making possible efforts

to raise the awareness of Americans to the impact of their consumer

choices, even if it is felt primarily in other states or across

oceans. Google, Mountain View, Calif., says other groups are preparing

projects that show consumers their impact on climate change. Some

green businesses are developing similar applications as well. The

latest efforts are nascent, and it remains unclear whether they will

reach people who aren't already sold on the underlying causes. But the

theory is that consumers will be less likely to buy lumber from

clear-cutting operations or jewels from mines that pollute surrounding

areas, for example, when confronted with images of the specific

impact. Appalachian Voices is providing individuals with links to

protest to their legislators or power companies about the mining,

which it says is bad for the environment, miners and the local

communities. " When you can show people they have a direct connection

to it, it makes it that much more relevant to their day-to-day life, "

says Mary Anne Hitt, Appalachian Voices' executive director. Using the

nonprofit's new service a person in Washington, for example, might

learn that there are four power plants feeding his electricity

provider that use coal mined with mountaintop-removal methods. A

satellite map shows their locations and the mines they draw from,

which the individual can zoom in on. The Appalachian Voices site --

www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection2 -- provides related data, such as

photos, videos and information about the mines and local communities.

A user can download data about the mines he is connected to and zoom

around them in the separate Google Earth software.

http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/21409

 

USA:

 

17) We can all think of memorable holes where a majestic Oak or Maple

sets the corner of a dogleg. As a golf course architect I have spent a

great deal of time looking for these specimens to design a hole around

them. Muskoka Bay was cleared to establish nearly 100 specimen trees

just inside the tree line of the holes. Yes, the rumour that I hate

trees is in fact untrue. We are awed by the scale of those trees and

the importance that they have for those holes. It's exciting to play a

tee that flirts with the trees in order to gain an advantage on the

hole. The basis of Parkland Golf is as much the setting of golf in

tress as it is the need to work the ball around a well placed one

during the round. As Tillinghast stated the trees can have strategic

value " as long as it does not interfere with the sound play of the

game. " The problem I run into time and time again in my work with

existing courses is that too many trees are playing too large a role

in the way holes are played. The majority of these trees are not

encroaching at the edges but instead acting as sentinels blocking the

path. For a large tree to be used architecturally it should be

isolated. This means that no other trees are inside the drip line

which allows alternative shots to get around the tree or recovery from

underneath. The hole must have enough width between trees so that a

player can play to the other side to avoid the specimen tree

altogether. When you think about the tree as a golf courses hazard, it

represents the only vertical hazard in the game. Even a perfectly

struck shot can be knocked down by the branching and redirected into

deeper trouble. Only a hazard that can be flown should be used in the

direct line of the hole. Where committees make the most mistakes is

when they place a tree that in the short term can be flown or avoided.

They forget with growth that their small tee will eventually block all

play and remove all the options on the hole.

http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/2007/11/10-things-i-hate-6-trees-directly-in.h\

tml

 

Canada:

 

18) Call it the Sharon Temple Tree Massacre. When chainsaw-wielding,

goggle-attired Mayor James Young showed up at the historic Sharon

Temple last month it took the museum curator by surprise. " Very

peculiar, " thought curator John McIntyre, after arriving site to

witness the mayor of the Town of East Gwillimbury – of which Sharon is

a part – amputating tree branches in the heavily treed culvert next to

Young's own office at the civic centre. But McIntyre was under the

impression that the mayor and the town crew were just trimming the

branches. The mayor even handed the curator a can of orange paint and

asked him to mark trees whose branches could be cut, ostensibly for

better maintenance access to the culvert, recalled McIntyre, an

architectural historian who lectures at Seneca College. Little did

McIntyre dream that he was signing a death warrant for 50 to 75 mature

trees and bushes, many of them towering pines. When he returned

several days later and saw stumps where white pines once towered, the

horrified curator immediately phoned the Ontario Heritage Trust for

advice. The temple – and its lands – is one of 30 sites in Ontario

that are protected by the three levels of government – federal,

provincial and municipal – said Sean Fraser, manager of conservation

services at the Ontario Heritage Trust. The trust has a conservation

easement that protects the site. " The unauthorized removal of trees is

certainly a rare occurrence on a conservation site, " said Fraser.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/276349

 

Ireland:

 

19) In Northern Ireland, the Woodland Trust's work showed that only

0.73 per cent of the land is covered with woodland that has been

continuously present since at least 1830, when the first OS maps were

produced. Only 0.08 per cent of Northern Ireland (just over 1,000 ha)

is woodland that can be shown with certainty to be ancient. Around a

third of ancient and long-established woods is now conifer or mixed

plantations. Increasingly our ancient woods are small islands within a

hostile landscape of intensive agriculture and urban sprawl. Only 617

ancient woods in GB exceed 100 hectares (one square kilometre) and

only 46 ASNWs exceed 300 hectares. Of the ancient woods recorded on

the AWIs in Britain, 48 per cent are smaller than five hectares9.

Given that there is likely to be a substantial number smaller than two

hectares, this means that most ancient woods may have no core area

unaffected by edge effects from surrounding land use10. Most may also

be too small to sustain healthy populations of many woodland species,

and too isolated to allow migration, particularly given that many

ancient woodland species are relatively immobile. As climate change

accelerates, species that are unable to relocate to occupy suitable

climate space may face local extinction11. More species have become

nationally extinct in the last 100 years from broadleaved woodland

than any other habitat (46 species), and it also has the most globally

threatened and rapidly declining species (78 species)3. The Institute

for Terrestrial Ecology's Countryside Survey 90 showed that between

1978 and 1990 losses in species richness of woodland (14 per cent)

from plots located at random exceeded that for all other semi-natural

habitats. And in 2000, a pilot re-survey of 14 of the sites last

looked at in 1971 revealed a range of potential issues, including a

striking general decline in the variety of woodland plants, with those

characteristic of ancient woods suffering most12.

http://alanindyfed.blogspot.com/2007/11/bring-back-ancient-woodlands.html

 

20) Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were established

throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic

clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties, but principally in the provinces

of Munster and Ulster. The lands were then granted by Crown authority

to colonists ( " planters " ) from Britain. This process began during the

reign of Henry VIII and continued under Mary I and Elizabeth I. It was

accelerated under James I, and brought to perfection under Charles I

and Cromwell.The early plantations in the 16th century tended to be

based on small " exemplary " colonies. The later plantations were based

on mass confiscations of land from rebel Irish landowners and the

subsequent importation of large numbers of settlers from England,

Scotland and Wales The final official plantations took place under

Oliver Cromwell's English Commonwealth during the 1650s, when

thousands of Parliamentarian soldiers were settled in Ireland. Outside

of the plantations, significant migration into Ireland continued well

into the 18th century, from both Britain and continental Europe. The

plantations changed the demography of Ireland by creating large

communities with a British and Protestant identity. These communities

effectively opposed the interests of the original inhabitants, who had

an Irish and Roman Catholic identity. The physical and economic nature

of Irish society was also changed, as new concepts of ownership, trade

and credit were introduced. These changes led to the creation of a

British Protestant ruling class, which secured the authority of Crown

government in Ireland during the 17th century.

http://islesproject.com/2007/11/10/1530s-1700-settling-in-ireland-and-the-demise\

-of-gaelic-irish

-culture-and-its-woodland-ecology/

 

UK:

 

22) 'Veteran tree is a term used in the United Kingdom to mean a tree

which, because of its great age, size or condition is of exceptional

value culturally, in...' Veteran tree is a term used in the United

Kingdom to mean a tree which, because of its great age, size or

condition is of exceptional value culturally, in the landscape or for

nature conservation. Veteran trees vary in age depending upon their

species and location, but may be several hundred years old. Smaller

and shorter-lived tree species (such as orchard trees) may begin to

develop some veteran features when only a few decades old. Veteran

trees often have features of particularly high nature conservation

value, such as dead limbs, hollows, rot-holes, seepages, woodpecker

holes, splits, and epiphytic plants and lichens. Few of these features

are found on younger trees, and they provide habitats for very many

species of animals and fungi, some of which are rare. Many of the

oldest trees are pollards, as pollarding removes the weight and

windage of the upper trunk and so reduces the chances of major damage,

and it also maintains the tree in a vigorous state. Veteran trees

occur in many situations, occasionally in dense woodland, but more

commonly as hedgerow trees, on village greens, and in ancient parks

and other wood pasture. They are more frequent in Great Britain than

in many other parts of Europe. http://tubious.com/veteran-tree

23) The plant is the UK's first large scale wood burning power

station, and will use 300,000 tonnes of sustainably harvested biomass

a year to generate 30 MW of electricity – enough to power 30,000

households. Moreover, the plant is the UK's first power plant entirely

fuelled by a renewable energy source, without any inputs of fossil

fuels. The biomass for the power station comes from four separate

sources: 1) Recycled wood (80,000 tonnes) - this is received, stored

and chipped at the UK Wood Recycling site at Wilton. 2) Sawmills

(80,000 tonnes) – the wood comes to the site already chipped as

offcuts from sawmills. 3) Managed forests (880,000 tonnes) - Sembcorp

is working with the Forestry Commission of Great Britain and leading

forestry company UPM Tilhill to utilise small roundwood logs from

north east forests – items sometimes left on forestry floor after

normal tree felling operations. 4) Specially grown energy crops

(55,000 tonnes) - Sembcorp is working with farmers and other

landowners locally for the supply of energy crops, specifically a type

of willow known as short rotation coppice. The plant would eventually

require the growth of around 7,500 acres (2830 ha) of coppice in the

region. --- The fuels are mixed together to create hot gases, which

are then passed over water to produce steam which turns a turbine to

create 30MW of electricity a year to be sold to power giant EON, the

UK's largest energy company.

http://biopact.com/2007/11/uk-opens-first-large-scale-30mw-biomass.html

 

Tanzania:

 

23) The government recently took stringent steps to enhance the

management of vast forestry resources of Tanzania. The interventions,

including a ban on the export of logs to check forests plunder that

had reached obscene proportions, was long overdue and was well

received. However, some quarters feel the Government might have shot

itself in the foot by significantly cutting down the budget

allocations for the ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources. Poor

funding was a potential factor that could bog down the envisaged

operations, they cautioned. The concerns about effects of under

funding of the ministry's operations not surprisingly came up during

the just ended General Budget Support review between the government

and donors. Their main concern was shortage of critical staff to

monitor the resources, collect revenue and oversee other planned

activities to raise its contribution to national development.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200711080480.html

 

Gambia:

 

24) Banjul Magistrates' Court, presided over by Magistrate B.Y.

Camara, on Thursday convicted and sentenced three Chinese nationals

for unlicensed exportation of Gambian forest resources. The three,

Cheung Hung-on, Tsaihan Sheng and Yili Yu Serenagu, were each

sentenced to a fine of D2000 in default to serve one year

imprisonment. According to the facts of the case, the new Secretary of

State for Forestry and Environment set up a task force led by the

Permanent Secretary, to check the use and movement of forestry

products. The facts further stated that the task force, in the course

of their findings, had a meeting with log dealers. Among the issues

discussed, he revealed, was the massive logging of forestry products.

The facts added that the task force visited the Gambia Ports Authority

(GPA), where they found some containers loaded with logs in readiness

for export. When the suspects were requested to produce documents such

as clearance certificate from the Department of State for Forestry and

Environment, they admitted not being in possession of any. The matter

was thus reported to the police and suspects were arrested and charged

with the offence committed, the facts concluded.

http://www.thepoint.gm/headlines2480.htm

 

Brazil:

 

25) Climate change remained the focus today as United Nations

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon concluded the South American phase of

his latest tour with a visit to the Amazon rainforest and meetings

with local indigenous leaders. Mr. Ban took a boat ride on the Amazon

River and visited Combu Island, where he met with indigenous community

leaders, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told journalists. Speaking to

reporters at Combu Island, Mr. Ban described the Amazon as a common

asset of all mankind that must be preserved, and he added that the

region's inhabitants are the pioneers in preserving the rainforest.

The Secretary-General has already visited Argentina, Chile and

Antarctica before he reached Brazil, where he held talks yesterday

with the country's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two men

discussed the relationship between the UN and Brazil, Mr. Ban's

appreciation for Brazil's contribution to UN peacekeeping missions,

especially in Haiti, and the plans to hold a high-level meeting next

year on the progress so far towards the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs), the set of anti-poverty targets which world leaders have

committed to try to achieve by 2015. Mr. Ban and President Lula also

talked about climate change, Ms. Okabe said, and the Secretary-General

asked for a greater Brazilian contribution to the UN Central Emergency

Response Fund (CERF), given the growing number of natural disasters

worldwide. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0711/S00494.htm

 

26) Evidence that long established rainforest is irreplaceable has

come from the largest survey ever conducted of species occurring in

any spot on the planet, conducted by a British and Brazilian team in

the Amazon. As world leaders prepare to meet in Bali to discuss using

carbon credit schemes to encourage the conservation of primary

rainforest, and as a regional initiative threatens a new wave of

deforestation in the South American tropics, new research from the

University of East Anglia and Brazil's Goeldi Museum highlights how

primary " old-growth " rainforest, once cut down, is lost forever.

Working in the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon the international team

measured the biodiversity - and thus conservation value - of primary,

secondary and plantation forests, identifying over 60,000 individuals

and 1,500 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects,

spiders and plants, many of which are likely to be new to science, in

all over an area larger than Wales. The team surveyed five primary

rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary forest and five

areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees (Eucalyptus), to evaluate

patterns of biodiversity. " This is the largest ever study of this

kind, " said Dr Carlos Peres, who leads the UEA team. " Regenerating

secondary forests serve an important conservation role but are a pale

shadow of the primary in terms of diversity. And tree monocultures are

far worse. " Today, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences, the UEA team reports the fruits of more than 20,000

scientist hours in the field and laboratory in which they collected

data on the abundance and distribution of 15 different groups of

animals and woody plants, including well-studied groups such as

monkeys, butterflies and frogs as well as more obscure species such as

fruit flies, orchid bees and grasshoppers. At least a quarter of all

species were never found outside native primary forest habitat - and

the team acknowledges that this is an underestimate, suggesting that

at least a quarter of rainforest species and probably a much higher

fraction will be lost, even if cleared rainforest is allowed to grow

back.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS & grid= & xml=/earth/2\

007/11/12/scif

orest112.xml

 

India:

 

27) " According to official records, an alarming 24,000 hectares of

forest land have been encroached upon, " a senior forest official told

PTI, requesting anonymity. " Most of these are fresh encroachments

which have taken place after the UPA government decided to bring in

the Forest Rights Act and give rights to tribal families living in

reserve forests, sanctuaries and national parks, " the official said.

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill was passed in the winter session

of Parliament and received the President's assent on December 29,

2006. However, it is yet to be notified. " Most of these encroachments

took place in the tribal belts in Narmada, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara,

Panchmahal, Dahod, Banaskantha and Sabarkantha districts. " The

district of Narmada is among the worst affected, " he said. " Once the

Forest Act comes into force, it will be a major disaster for woodland

in Gujarat, " the official said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200711141040.htm

 

28) Three days in the core areas of the Tadoba Wildlife Sanctuary and

the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has changed the lives of three

children forever. When the Debi Goenka-run Conservation Action Trust

(CAT) invited Madhav Subramanium (9), Sahir Doshi (14) and Kreena

Desai (15) to work on a documentary Inside India's Forests, it was

just the impending adventure that thrilled them. Soon, however, they

learnt about the tribes who reside in the forests, the guards and

their families and resources that the forest stores-and suddenly they

saw a grave truth. " What will we do without the forests?, " says

Kreena, with a look of concern crossing her face. " I always knew that

two of the city water resources —the Tulsi and Vihar lakes —pass

through our forest. But I didn't know that the forest supplied water

to lakhs of people. They say the forest is the mother of rivers. In

that case, we should preserve these forests, " she adds. Kreena spent

three days in the core regions of SGNP and was hit by the sounds and

the smells of the forest. " We had built a log hut about 24-30 km

inside the forest. Though there were no usual luxuries, it was really

an amazing experience. The air was clean, the water was crystal clear

and our food provided by the forest officials was basic and tasty. It

was here we learnt that we should waste less and preserve more. " In

the documentary, Kreena interviews forest officials, Dr Munde, the

forest veterinarian and journeys through the Tulsi and Vihar lakes

discovering how water is processed and sent to homes. Sahir and

Madhav, who visited the Tadoba were also overwhelmed by the water

sources in the forest. " We went for a walk with forest guards and

officials and explored several water holes. I was amazed how the

forest guards take care of the region — how they, their families and

the villagers have found ways to live in synchronization with the

forest and its inhabitants, " says Madhav. The children said that

contrary to the popular notion that the villagers pollute the forest,

" they love the forest and whatever harm they cause is out of

ignorance " .

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Three-children-visit-state-forests-retur\

n-with-a-message

/238619/

 

29) Some senior officials had alarmed the government last year about

vandalization of dense forests in Doda by unscrupulous officials in

connivance with contractors and demanded immediate action for breaking

the evil nexus. The government, however, did not take any action.

After State Forest Corporation (SFC) suffered huge losses due to

forest fires and untimely ferrying of extracted trees during last 16

years in Doda, the government constituted a committee in 2005 to probe

the matter. The committee, after a through probe, found that the

untimely Mahans and forest fires were managed by the officials in

collusion with contractors. However, when no action was taken against

the accused, the then Commissioner Secretary Forests Najamus Saqib

wrote a letter in January last year to the then Commissioner Secretary

Finance B B Vyas " I am writing this to seek your cooperation in an

effort to bring to book some unscrupulous elements including officials

who have played a role in wanton exploitation of forests wealth in

Doda district since late 80s/early 90s. With ascending militancy and

deteriorating security scenario many opportunists found a haven in

Doda to pursue their vocation of stealing forest wealth and making a

quick buck. These evil deeds are all being attributed to militancy, "

Saqib wrote.

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=15_11_2007 & ItemID=52 & cat=1

 

Philippines:

 

30) TACLOBAN CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources

has allowed a big logging firm to resume its operations in Samar after

this was stopped in 1989 when the government declared a logging

moratorium on the island. Ricardo Tomol, regional technical director

for forest protection and resource management of the DENR here, said

the Timber License Agreement (TLA) of Basey Wood Industries Inc.

(Baswood) was extended by six years to allow it to cut the amount of

trees that it could have cut during the moratorium. Tomol said the

area where Baswood would be allowed to cut trees was reduced by 30

percent. Seventy percent of the area is already under the Samar Island

Natural Park, a protected area. Are there still trees? President

Macapagal-Arroyo had declared on Aug. 13, 2003 the 333,300-hectare

SINP as a protected area. The DENR issued a TLA for a concession area

of 57,525 hectares and effective from January 1971 to June 1995 to

Baswood. Tomol said they received this week a copy of the order for

the resumption of Baswood's operation from the DENR central office,

which stated, among others, that the logging moratorium on Samar

Island has been lifted and that Baswood's TLA has been extended by six

years.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_\

id=100968

 

Indonesia:

 

31) Indonesia may take at least seven years to halt illegal logging

and deforestation in the world's third-largest tropical rainforests,

according to the minister responsible for the trees. Malam Sambat

Kaban, minister of forestry, is seeking additional powers to catch and

prosecute illegal loggers and may grant more rights to indigenous

tribes. The government also plans to prod companies to replant trees

by enforcing the terms of existing plantations licenses, he said. ``We

are committed, we have a replanting program and we are proposing a

law,'' Kaban said in an interview in Jakarta. ``We hope by 2014 the

natural forest will not be disturbed.'' The seven-year target may be

too slow for environmental groups and neighboring countries Singapore

and Malaysia, whose air has been made hazy by forest burn-offs in the

Southeast Asian archipelago. Indonesia has granted logging rights over

some 58 million hectares (143 million acres) of rainforest, an area

bigger than France, and is trying to preserve a similar- sized tract.

``I think the 2014 expectation is impossible,'' said Rully Syumanda, a

member of the Jakarta-based Indonesian Forum for Environment.

``Companies are not fulfilling their promises and there's corruption

in the police and other authorities.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080 & sid=afJ0dng3CjSk & refer=asia

 

32) Legal experts have recommended improvements to the country's

regulations on forestry, saying current laws are contradictory provide

loopholes for illegal logging activities.In a discussion on forestry

laws on Tuesday, experts said improvements were needed " to avoid

misperceptions by law enforcers " around types of forestry crimes and

the implementation of criminal lawsuits against illegal loggers.

" Regulations on forest concession have instead triggered illegal

logging (as well as) different interpretations among law enforcers, "

legal expert Bambang Widjojanto said. " The regulations have caused

(inertia) in (the) fight against forestry crimes. " Bambang said there

were inconsistencies in forestry laws around the definition of

industrial forest areas. And he said this had caused " difficulties in

determining types of charges by law enforcers toward those who

allegedly committed to forestry crimes " . " Changes in the laws have

made it difficult for law enforcers to decide whether a logging

activity ... (is) a violation against the law. " Bambang said the

recent acquittal of logging boss Adelin Lis, along with suspects

involved in similar cases, was disappointing. He said such decisions

breached environmental efforts and would see forest destruction issues

continue to rise. Adelin was freed of all charges by the Medan

District Court in North Sumatra. He was proven not guilty of illegal

logging charges on the grounds his company had obtained a forest

concession permit. But Komariah Emong, criminal law expert from

Padjajaran University, said he agreed with the court's decision.

" Prosecutors and judges have to be certain of their charges, and not

only justify the permit " .

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

 

Australia:

 

33) As a wealthy, industrialised country Australia can afford to

commit $200 million to protect forest in other countries, yet, with

Labor and Liberal forest policy, it appears unwilling to make any

moves to enhance carbon storage and preserve our own carbon-rich

forests. Developing countries, which will forgo their own development

opportunities by preserving pristine forest, will surely see the

hypocrisy on such a stance. Australia's forests are certainly nowhere

near as extensive as those of tropical developing nations. However,

the country does possess considerable areas of carbon-rich old growth

forests, particularly in Tasmania, Victoria and NSW, which are under

threat from intensive logging activities. Australian and international

research has outlined the outstanding carbon storage capabilities of

these forests. The equivalent of 5,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide per

hectare are sequestered in a diverse network of trees, soil and

vegetation. This is the equivalent of the annual carbon dioxide

emissions of 1,300 cars. Logging and conversion to managed re-growth

or plantation, however, leads to a massive loss of carbon storage

capacity. Forests managed on 80-year rotations store as little as one

third of the carbon stored in old growth ecosystems. Pulpwood

plantations managed on a 15-year cycle accumulate very little carbon

dioxide before they are logged again. The time taken to regrow a

forest or plantation is also important – until the carbon dioxide

released by logging or clearing is recaptured decades or centuries

later, it stays in the atmosphere acting as a greenhouse gas, just as

if it came from coal or oil. The Wilderness Society estimates that

annual emissions from logging Australia's native forests are

equivalent to the emissions generated by 8.2 million cars.

http://www.online.com.au/view.asp?article=6615

 

34) The society's Vica Bayley says the Government promised in 2004 to

preserve almost 19,000 hectares in Tasmania's Styx and Florentine

Valleys, but delivered less than 5,000. " This is an incredibly urgent

issue, they should have been protected three years ago, " he said.

" Tasmanians know that that promise was not delivered, that the Prime

Minister failed to deliver on his 2004 election promise to protect

those forest areas, but people in his own electorate do not. " So we're

calling on them to get in touch with the Prime Minister to urge him to

honour his promise. " Forestry Minister Eric Abetz says the Wilderness

Society is peddling untruths. Senator Abetz says the Commonwealth has

exceeded its target for old growth forest lock-ups since the last

federal election. " If the facts get through, the people of Bennelong

will be well satisfied that their local member delivered. " Senator

Abetz says the Government committed to protecting 120,000 hectares in

2004 and delivered 139,000. " An extra 13,000 hectares of old growth

forests and I would have thought old growth forest is old growth

forest, " he said. " But we now have the interesting situation that the

Wilderness Society basically saying that old growth forests in the

Styx is somehow more valuable. "

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/15/2091250.htm

 

35) Out of the shadowy depths of the 'Stop the Mill' campaign there is

an emerging threat to the pulp mill's orderly progress. Once again, up

pop these naysayers who are intent on stopping the mill's progress and

this time trying to stop the pipeline that is vital to everything

crossing their land. How Un-Tasmanian can you get? Apparently Paul

Lennon has allowed things to proceed in such a way as the pulp mill is

no longer a Project of State Significance, which in turn means that

access across private land cannot be guaranteed. Not good enough Paul!

The logging industry is very concerned about this and many of its

members are beginning to think that Paul has let them down and very

badly. He should have seen this coming and since he hasn't he should

move immediately to fix the problem. Private landowners just cannot be

allowed to stand in the way of this pulp mill or the progress it

represents. Certainly there will be ways in which the pipeline will be

able to bypass these naysaying idiots but the cost will be enormous.

That is unless Paul Lennon delivers the laws he needs to in order to

recover his credibility.

http://forestsnowtasmania.blogspot.com/2007/11/out-of-shadows.html

 

36) The Tasmanian Greens today tabled another 100 signatures on a long

running petition, which approximately 1000 Tasmanian and visitors now

have signed, calling on the State government to take immediate action

to save the precious Upper Florentine, with its many world heritage

values, highlighting that the current moratorium will be lifted on the

day of the Federal Election and with that come fears that bulldozers

will be straight back in to extend the roading in coupe 44A off Gordon

River Road, a road which will open up for logging a vast area of

completely unspoilt old-growth forest. Greens Shadow Native Forest

spokesperson and Member for Lyons Tim Morris MHA said it simply

beggars belief that the Upper Florentine, which borders the World

Heritage Area on three sides, has not long ago been protected as it

would provide an obvious and perfect natural corridor between Mt Field

National Park and the South West World Heritage Area, and that it is

very frustrating to have to raise the matter continuously when it

should have been protected years ago. " Over this last winter and

spring many Tasmanians and tourists have visited the Upper Florentine,

including on several community open days, and supporters of these

forests are having to explain to aghast visitors that yes, here in

Tasmania we do allow logging of old-growth temperate rainforest, as is

present in the Florentine Valley, and yes, we also allow for

hot-burning of the forest floor after the logging followed by killing

of our native wildlife – people simply can not believe it, " Mr Morris

said. http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=2675

 

37) " The Chester block was mapped by the 1988 Federal Government

Comprehensive Regional Assessment as having maximum flora species

richness, declared rare flora, and wilderness quality, " Leeuwin

Environment member Rod Whittle said. " A botanist recently identified

over a hundred different plants there in a short walk. " Over a third

of the proposed logging coupe is normally under water for much of the

year. " The swampland contributes to the high biodiversity, but causes

a low timber yield. " Just 800 tonnes of jarrah sawlogs are estimated

to be available in the 830 hectare coupe. " Current logging to the

north of Chester shows that operations would entail intensive cutting

and clearing by machines, heaping of large quantities of unwanted

logs, and post-logging incineration of the 'harvested' areas. " He was

also concerned about the risks of dieback. " It should not be logged, "

he said. Forest Products Commission general manager Dr Paul Biggs said

the area of forest proposed for harvest within the coupe as a whole is

about one third of the total planning area. " Most of it will remain

undisturbed and protected as informal reserves, " he said. " There are

other areas with low timber volumes and these will also be left

unlogged. " He said about 1500 cubic metres of jarrah sawlogs would be

taken. " Other products will be recovered from trees that are removed

to help regeneration, " he said. " The harvest coupe identified as

Chester 01 in the 2007 Harvest Plan, comprises a net planning area of

about 1300 hectares and is a portion of the larger block called

Chester. " The coupe was originally in the 2005 Indicative Harvest

Plan. " The land and its biodiversity are managed by the Department of

Environment and Conservation, while the land is vested in the

Conservation Commission of WA. " Rigorous standards of environmental

planning and protection are applied prior to and during harvesting,

both by DEC and the FPC. "

http://margaretriver.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/dont-chop-chester-block\

/1086356.html

 

World-wide:

 

38) " By burning fossil fuel and clearing forests human beings have

significantly altered the global carbon cycle, " says Chris Field of

the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, one of the

report's lead authors. A result has been the buildup of carbon dioxide

in the atmosphere, but so far this has been partially offset by carbon

uptake by the oceans and by plants and soils on land. " In effect, we

have been getting a huge subsidy from these unmanaged parts of the

carbon cycle, " notes Field. Overall, this subsidy has sequestered, or

hidden from the atmosphere, approximately 200 billion tons of carbon.

In North America much of it has come from the regrowth of forests on

former farmland and the uptake of carbon by agricultural soils. But

these carbon sinks may be reaching their limit as forests mature and

climate conditions change. And some may literally go up in smoke if

wildfires become more frequent, as some climate simulations predict.

Planting forests and adopting carbon-conserving practices such as

no-till agriculture may increase carbon sinks somewhat, but this would

not come close to compensating for carbon emissions, which continue to

accelerate. " There are a lot of good reasons for replenishing our

forests and encouraging better agricultural practices, " says Ken

Caldeira, another author of the report, also at Carnegie's Department

of Global Ecology. " But if we want to mitigate our impact on the

carbon cycle, there's no escaping the fact that we need to drastically

reduce carbon dioxide emissions. "

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114111141.htm