Guest guest Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Today for you 37 new articles about earth's trees! (305th edition) Subscribe / send blank email to: earthtreenews- Weblog: http://olyecology.livejournal.com To Donate: Click Paypal link in the upper left corner of: http://www.peacefromtrees.org --British Columbia: 1) Inland wet temperate rainforest, 2) Forests and Range Statutes Amendment Act, 3) Save Pitt Meadows, 4) $116,000 more to save Salt Spring island forest, 5) Wood volume given to tribes doesn't create very many jobs, 6) --Washington: 6) Mycorrhizal revolution to reduce road silt, 7) Weyco to sell forests to Chevron, 8) Moreon state land trade near Galbraith Mountain, --Oregon: 9) Building political clout to oppose changes in forest protections, 10) Eight Dollar Mountain saved, 11) Cherry Mill & Better Butte Timber Sale, --California: 12) Leader of future Tahoe NF debacles, 13) All 31 million acres of forest changed by humans 14) Save the Valley oak, 15) ogging planned for San Vicente creek, --Arizona: 16) Higher ed. says most all forests can be cut, 17) Warm Fire recovery, --Colorado: 18) New experimental poison by Syngetna will save trees? --Michigan: 19) 100 year-old street trees lost to safety precautions --Minnesota: 20) Don't sell your walnut tree! --Missouri: 21) Planting trees doesn't mean the trees will grow --Massachusetts 22) Post storm salvage logging of state forests --Nebraska: 23) Students protest tree cutting --Virginia: 24) Top 5 invasive trees --Hawaii: 25) Remote sensing invasive species --USA: 26) Sawdust scarcity, 27) Book use up to 20 million trees a year, --Canada: 28) Emerald Ash Borer fanaticism, 29) Standing Tall: Forests for Life, --UK: 30) 900 objections to Pollok park development --Wales: 31) production stats --Ireland: 32) Not enough inspectors and self-inspection is problematic, 33) FSC --Malta: 34) Italian word Boschetto means a small wood --Finland: 35) Government plans to harvest as much forest as rapidly as possible --Russia: 36) Forest industry here is the opposite of Canada --Tanzania: 37) Save the eastern tree hyrax, British Columbia: 1) The University of Northern British Columbia in partnership with FORREX Forest Research Extension Partnership invite you to attend a conference (May 21–23, 2008) which will highlight the results of the latest research with the aim of improving sustainable management of this ecologically important ecosystem. B.C.'s inland wet temperate rainforest is a globally rare ecosystem which exhibits tremendous ecological diversity, including lush riparian zones adjacent to salmon streams, and impressive groves of western redcedar. Portions of this ecosystem provide important habitat for many threatened or endangered species, ranging from mountain caribou to canopy lichens. Since the last Inland rainforest conference at UNBC in fall 2000, ongoing research has yielded many new insights into the ecology, conservation biology, and management needs of BC's inland rainforest and the perception of these values in local, national, and international communities. The conference will also examine the social and community values associated with these ecosystems and discuss the various perspectives and visions for the future of B.C.'s inland temperate rainforest. http://wetbelt.unbc.ca/2008-conference.html 2) VICTORIA - Bill 8, the Forests and Range Statutes Amendment Act, 2008, proposes amendments to strengthen wildfire protection for communities by ensuring that strong local bylaws or the Wildfire Act apply in areas regulated by local governments. The bill also updates the Forest Act's provisions for free use permits to assist First Nations in accessing timber for domestic purposes, a right established by the Supreme Court of Canada. The proposed amendments also provide updates in a number of operational and administrative areas: 1) supporting the Coastal Forest Action Plan's objective to streamline requirements for the marking of timber transported by water; 2) furthering the objectives of the Forestry Revitalization Plan by giving BC Timber Sales greater flexibility to pursue new opportunities; 3) ensuring forest licensees consistently report to government in a timely manner all cost information necessary to support the market pricing system; and 4) strengthening sustainable forest management provisions in the Forest and Range Practices Act by updating rules for forest stewardship plans; for example, requiring entire plans to undergo public review and government approval every five years. http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/1st_read/ 3) A proposed power project near Pitt Meadows cutting through a provincial park brought out plenty of opposition at a public meeting Thursday evening. Too many, in fact. The Upper Pitt River Water Power Project would include seven small run-of-river hydro-electric components and send a powerline through Pinecone-Burke Provincial Park near Pitt Lake. But, hundreds of people packed a public meeting to oppose the plan because of environmental and First Nations concerns. So many, the Fire Marshall was called in and the meeting was shut down. The company behind the project, Northwest-Cascade Power, promises to schedule another meeting. The company thought that it would be better to let the issue die down and then not advertise or give little notice of the next public meeting. In the meantime, the company can re-group by setting up a list of hired company supporters on a speaking list. This would bore the few environmentalist and first nations people having to wait in order to speak, these anti-company waiters just happen to hear about the secret public meeting (the tactic is to give no more than 24 hours notice) and after a few hours, they would leave in disgust. http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428872912 & rem=86849 & red=80187223aPB\ Iny & wids=242 & gi =1 & gm=news_local.cfm 4) Residents of B.C.'s Salt Spring Island are trying to save a temperate rainforest that's slated to be cut down soon so a subdivision can be developed. Maureen Moore, a spokeswoman for Save Salt Spring Island's Creekside Rainforest, said a private company plans to develop eight hectares of the island located on the east side of Vancouver Island. " It's important because temperate rainforests store more carbon than tropical rainforests. And therefore, it is a carbon sink. It helps to mitigate global warming, " Moore told CBC News Friday. Local residents sprung into action and created a grassroots committee four months ago, taking pledges, holding fundraising dinners and concerts. Moore said they want to raise about $1 million to buy the pristine forest from the company. " We've had four months and we have raised over $800,000, " she said. " We now have to raise $116,000 more to reach our goal and pledges are still coming in. " Biologists and wildlife experts have volunteered to come to Salt Spring Island to help the committee identify the trees, moss and fish, as well as other animals that depend on the rich, damp area, Moore said. While Feb. 29 is the deadline to raise the money, the group still has another few weeks to call in all of the pledges. The committee believes it can and will raise $1 million in time, Moore said. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/29/bc-salt-spring-island\ ..html 5) The B.C. Liberals have often touted the effort to put more timber into the hands of first nations as a way of creating jobs and economic activity in native communities. But they won't find much to boast about in the first comprehensive survey of the results of their " forest and range opportunity " agreements. The report was produced by a well-qualified trio -- professional forester Bill Dumont, native logging contractor Dan Hanuse and native forestry management consultant Keith Atkinson. The authors contacted some 99 aboriginal bands that had, among them, gained access to almost 27 million cubic metres of timber. That is " close to half wood harvested and processed by the entire forest industry in a given year, " they noted. But the survey turned up no corresponding surge of forest-related employment. The first nations on the receiving end of all that wood have created a total of 934 jobs in all categories of forest employment, including harvesting, processing, reforestation, road-building and support jobs. This after the authors adopted a " generous definition " of full-time employment, meaning " six months of continuous work in the last two years. " Fully half the bands " had not reached any level of actual production. " For them, the only increased activity involved planning work with outside consultants. Most of the others had commenced joint ventures of some sort with non-native operators. Less than half the resulting jobs were at the high end of the skill set -- mechanized falling, engineering, management, training, mapping and so forth. Most were in tree planting or basic harvesting. The report reckons that the forest industry delivers 1,000 jobs for every million cubic metres of timber harvested annually. The survey group of first nations has to date reaped just 35 jobs for every million cubic metres of their timber allocation. The report offers reasons for the disappointing results, some not flattering to government. The forest agreements were mainly undertaken for " political reasons " and under pressure from the courts. The allocations included " unmarketable species, " including substandard grades, remote stands, and beetle-killed wood. Government financing was " inadequate. " The tenures were only for five years and not renewable. " Non-replaceable timber rights are not much of a financial asset. " http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=3282edd6-e64e-462a-b936-65\ 1eedaf0f12 Washington: 6) The building of roads and the resultant compaction creates an environment absent in mycorrhizal fungi (Amaranthus & Trappe, 1993; Amaranthus 1996), hindering recovery of native flora, and thus habitat restoration. Should a new forest practices model be established which would provide a value-added incentive for the woods product industry to leave or return this waste-wood back to the lands from which they came; many problems could be addressed with one practical solution. Such an approach has been explored in British Columbia, which has modeled a decision-making tree for evaluating sites. (Allison & Tait, 2000). The novelty of mycofiltration is the purposeful introduction of fungi, saprophytic and mycorrhizal, to the wood chip buffers, enhancing effectiveness by accelerating decomposition. Spores infused into chain-saw bar oil or into the lubricating oil for chippers expose the wood immediately upon cutting to fungi that can begin the decomposition sequence. Or once in place, spores or spawn can be broadcasted onto the chipped wood as shown. In either case, accelerating the sequence of decomposition is essential for habitat evolution. Our method jump-starts the process of recovery, allowing nature to steer the course of species succession after inoculation. The benefits become soon apparent after application. The advantages of using mycofiltration mats upon logging roads compared to the use of heavy equipment to achieve the tank-trap, scarification or 'terra interruptus' approach are listed below. Obviously, we cannot perpetually draw from the ecological bank of forestlands without returning nutrition back to the system. We urge the establishment of a team to investigate and propose the concept of mycofiltration within a new economic model that synergistically combines the needs of Washington States' schools, timber harvests, fisheries, road reclamation, habitat recovery, and accessibility for recreational use. Although Fungi Perfecti LLC is a small company, we have sufficient experience to launch this concept at several test sites. However, we lack the economic muscle to do so beyond a few demonstrations. Deactivation of roads is also a concern for arid lands, especially those bordering rivers, which also benefit from habitat buffers. (Bagley, 1999.) No matter what the location, we can utilize native species of fungi to help Nature recover. http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/roadrestoration.html 7) Washington lumber giant Weyerhaeuser and California's Chevron Oil and Gas Company have announced a partnership to develop a new bio-fuel. The planned fuel would be created out of wood fiber--something we imagine Weyerhaeuser has plenty of. The 50-50 partnership was announced on Friday afternoon in a joint statement. The venture has been named " Catchlight Energy. " The new company will use staff and resources from Weyerhaeuser's Federal Way office and a number of Chevron's plants. First on the new project's checklist? Creating and demonstrating the technology which could convert the wood fibers into a viable fuel. This seems to imply such a thing has yet to be done. (We might have waited on the announcement until that little tid-bit was smoothed out.) Seattlest wonders what the logic is of creating an alternative fuel from another finite and precious resource. What do you think about Weyerhaeuser and Chevron's new partnership and plan? http://seattlest.com/2008/03/03/my_chevy_runs_o.php 8) The soils at the north end of Galbraith Mountain are thin with significant stretches of bare rock ridges. Although it's been reforested there are significant bare areas. That doesn't provide a timberland owner with any argument for development, it doesn't mean they won't be logging that land, it means they won't be growing as many trees in some areas of their commercial forestland. Kirsch tries to cast confusion but here are the facts: there's no relationship between Galbraith and moving DNR lands into park status. None. No trade-off, no discussion is occurring. The land trade is only among DNR trustlands to make a better park and a better area to log. All the maps, all the public statements, the MOA, everything backs that up. Someone made the statement that logging is better for the lake than a park. I'd like to see the science to support that claim as the scientific record showing that mature forests are better for the watershed than logging – any kind of logging – is long and conclusive. Lake Whatcom is degrading because of phosphorus: it feeds the algae and increases the aging process. Soil carries phosphorus into the lake. Stream flows from clear cut areas is increased causing faster erosion and sediment transport. Logging and logging roads increase the risk of landslides from 10 to 100 times over natural conditions. Landslides and debris flows put massive amounts of soil into the lake during episodic events and fill stream valleys with sediment that is then transported to the lake at much higher rates. With steep slopes and thins soils found in many parts of the watershed as well as forest areas in the rain-on-snow areas, landslide risk from logging activities is relatively high. By contrast, old growth forests stabilize the slope, intercept as much as 40% of the rain, filter water and retain nutrients. http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/index.php?blog=8 & title=one_man_s_conspiracy_th\ eory_is_another _s & more=1 & c=1 & tb=1 & pb=1#c8380 Oregon: 9) Local forest advocates will ask the City Council Monday to join them in criticizing federal forest management plans. Members of the Coast Range Association will present a resolution to the council on Monday aimed at building political clout to oppose changes in forest protections. " We're urging our Congressional leaders to come up with a more sustainable program to manage our federal lands, " said Reed Wilson, a spokesman for the association. Opponents such as Wilson argue that revisions being considered by the Bureau of Land Management could increase logging, especially in areas of old-growth, while reversing wildlife protections. The time for public comment on the plan passed in January, but the decision process is continuing. The proposed resolution is the same as one adopted by the Eugene City Council in mid-February. It calls for the federal government to reject changes to its policy. It also asks Congress to protect mature and old-growth trees while adopting forestry projects aimed at restoring forests. One-half of Oregon's U.S. Senate delegation, Sen. Ron Wyden, already has announced plans to support increased logging as a way to reintroduce some form of timber payment to Western counties that rely heavily on harvesting timber grown on federal land. During a Corvallis town-hall meeting in January, Wyden said he expected any change to federal lands policy to languish in federal court for years while counties continue to struggle with shrinking budgets and increasingly destructive forest fires. Wyden suggested legislation to encourage thinning sales and more logging of federal forests to fund such thinning projects as a way to break the impasse. Meanwhile, Wilson said the Coast Range Association has been taking groups of people out to see ancient forests near Alsea Falls that, he said, are likely to be logged should the BLM follow through with changes. Members of the Coast Range Association approached Ward 3 Councilor George Grosch with the resolution. He encouraged them to bring it before the full council. http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/03/03/news/community/7loc05_council.tx\ t 10) Near the California border, cone-shaped Eight Dollar Mountain is one of the most important botanical hot spots in Oregon. Of the 3,370 plant species in the state, nearly half are found in the Klamath and Siskiyou mountain region. The area includes the most diverse conifer forest in the world, with 14 species, many of which are found on Eight Dollar Mountain. The mountain, never logged because of its steep terrain, is the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department's latest land buy. The $849,000 purchase from the Oregon Division of State Lands of 651 acres conserves an important resource that eventually could be home to a system of hiking trails, officials have said. The money from the sale, which will be final in April, will go into a state account set aside for real estate investment, proceeds from which help fund K-12 education. The purchase continues the parks department's aggressive decadelong campaign to buy more parkland while eliminating a maintenance backlog that once totaled $120 million. Today, two-thirds of the crumbling rooftops, roads, sewers and sidewalks have been repaired. In an era in which government budgets seem increasingly tight and most agencies are looking for areas to trim, the 100,000-acre state parks system is flourishing. Before voters approved spending lottery money for state park expansion and upkeep in 1998, 60 parks in the aging system faced closure. Since 1999, the state has spent $367 million to buy land, build parks, maintain existing ones, make grants to cities and counties and operate day to day. The state expects to take care of its $40 million in overdue maintenance by 2014, when the initiative expires. Shane Jimerfield, executive director of conservation group the Siskiyou Project, applauds the effort. He said Eight Dollar Mountain is an important purchase for the state, one that provides a place where people can learn about plant diversity while conserving an important resource. " It's a gem and it absolutely needs to be protected, so that's wonderful, " he said. Four new parks have opened since 2004, offering a diverse experience. They include L.L. " Stub " Stewart State Park in Washington County and Thompson's Mill State Heritage Site near Albany. Stub Stewart's 1,654 acres include camping near 15 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/120451471387460.xm\ l & coll=7 11) It's been years since the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Salem District has proposed clear-cutting mature or old-growth forests. Like many National Forest and BLM units in Oregon, the Salem District seemed to be making a transition towards more responsible management - restoration-based thinning projects that both harvested timber and added structure and diversity to even-aged plantations. The newly proposed Cherry Mill & Better Butte Timber Sale Projects, however, prove that it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. These two projects together propose 500 acres of " regeneration harvest " (euphemisms are so much fun) in 70-140 year-old forests, an undisclosed amount of thinning in Riparian Reserves, and an undisclosed amount of road construction . Located north of Mill City in the Pudding, Molalla, Little North, and Middle North Santiam watersheds, these destructive projects have the potential to harm fish and drinking water quality, wildlife habitat, and public trust that has found a tentative foothold.This type of project is clearly a step in the wrong direction, and we need YOU to speak up about it. Tell the BLM that you oppose these projects, and want to see them move in a better direction. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1780/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23395 California: 12) Controversial environmental issues on the Tahoe National Forest don't stop Tom Quinn from appearing relaxed and comfortable in his new Nevada City office. Quinn, 53, began his tenure as forest supervisor last week, replacing Steve Eubanks. He already has started meeting with local environmental, timber and off-road vehicle groups. " I'm a big proponent of working with communities. I like to think of national forests as the public's lands. I want to work directly with them to make things happen, " Quinn said. Quinn spoke with familiarity on issues ranging from the re-routing of OHV trails, logging forests to prepare for wildfire and making the best use of waning federal dollars. Forging partnerships with timber industries is big on his to-do list. In Arizona, the timber industry all but disappeared and now the Forest Service is struggling to pay for vegetation management projects using limited public tax dollars. In San Bernardino, logs were taken to landfills because sawmills were no longer available to process them, Quinn said. He wants to prevent such scenarios from occurring here. " We have an important partnership with the timber industry. They need us as much as we need them, " Quinn said. With federal support for recreation on the decline, all options need to be looked at to keep areas open, Quinn said. http://www.theunion.com/article/20080304/NEWS/157975944 13) A California researcher said nearly all of California's 31 million acres of forest have been changed in some way by humans. Pollution, roads, mining, logging and development have left obvious marks on the California wilderness but urbanization and fire suppression are the greatest threats to forest health, the San Francisco Chronicle said Friday. Forest fires near homes have to be controlled, removing fire as a natural method of keeping the forest understory -- the area of a forest which grows in the shade of forest canopy -- from becoming overgrown. State fire officials said development in " wildland-urban interface zones " contributed to the devastation from last wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service said the overly dense forests combined with drought have played a part in recent bark beetle infestations. Studies have shown that 25 percent of California's forestland, close to 4.9 million acres, are at risk of deadly insect infestations and disease during the next 15 years. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Researcher_Wild_California_just_a_memory_999.h\ tml 14) " Valley oak has got a double whammy, " said Bill Tietje, an area natural resource specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension office in San Luis Obispo. " Because the valley oak grows best in fertile soil, it has competed with agriculture. The tree is also having some regeneration problems. " Today, their numbers are only a fraction of what they were 200 years ago. " The large valley oaks are a key player in the ecosystem, said Tietje, who works in the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program. The oak's foliage harbors insects for woodland birds to eat; the large acorns the tree produces in abundance feed several kinds of creatures; and about a dozen species of birds carve their nests in the oak's bark. Moreover, the tree's roots grab the soil firmly, preventing it from eroding. Varian, who has also planted hundreds of willow and cottonwood trees along the creek that meanders through his 17,000-acre ranch near Parkfield, said that in the fall of 2006, he asked the students at Parkfield Elementary School to harvest oak acorns for him. The kids picked up thousands of fruits, which he took to a nursery run by San Luis Obispo County. In October, the greenhouse called Varian to tell him they had grown 2,500 saplings; he took 1,000 of them and the nursery sold the rest. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency, paid for half of the cost to plant the oak trees. Varian paid the remaining $5,000 out of his own pocket. Tietje said the planting day " couldn't have been more perfect. " About 75 people showed up to help, and the weather was ideal. " We had a good rainfall before the planting followed by a sunny day to plant, " he said, " and then rainfall that night to water (the saplings) in. " http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080302/NEWS01/80302012/10\ 02 15) If you have concerns about additional logging in the upper watershed of San Vicente Creek, plan to attend the Waterboard Hearing in Salinas on March 21. And/or submit comments in advance to: Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board 895 Aerovista Place, Suite 101 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Individual Waiver for RMC 2006 - 2007; Order No. R3-2008-0013 Comments submitted by Close of Business, March 7 will get into the Board agenda packet. Comments after that date will go into a supplemental packet. Unfortunately, the Agenda is not yet posted and the Board website is under construction. For more info or questions, contact Julia Dyer at: 805-594-6144 or Jdyer. For location and directions, and hopefully to review the agenda, check: www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb3/ " The RMC 2006-2007 Timber Harvest Plan (THP) lays out a 535-acre selective harvest to take place over two harvest seasons within the San Vicente Creek Watershed, using a combination of tractor, rubber tired skidder, and skyline cable yarding. San Vicente Creek is listed on the 303(d) list as impaired for Sedimentation / Siltation, with silviculture listed as a potential source. " This plan ranked as Tier IV requiring an Individual Waiver issued by the Board, rather than a General Waiver issued by Staff. The plan had a high Cumulative Effect Ratio, with 39% of the watershed harvested in the past 15 years, a high Drainage Density Index as a result of perennial and ephemeral streams in and adjacent to the plan area. It also ahs a Medium Soil Disturbance Factor. Staff is recommending some additional requirements, in addition to the usual monitoring and reporting program. Such as: q. The Discharger shall evaluate all existing through cut roads. Any through cut road identified during the evaluation to pose a potential threat for discharge of sediment or siltation to waters of the sate, shall be realigned and properly drained. r. All trees marked for harvest near wet areas shall be directionally felled away from the wet area. Jodi Frediani, Central Coast Forest Watch JodiFredi Arizona: 16) Northern Arizona University has released a report that identifies the potential volume of wood resources available from more than 2 million acres of Arizona forests, representing the first major agreement among groups typically at odds over the issue of forest thinning. The " Wood Supply Analysis " report identifies a potential supply of up to 850 million cubic feet of wood and 8 million tons of biomass from branches and timber residue for such commercial uses as pallets, firewood, poles, lumber, mulch and stove pellets. A group of 20 stakeholders representing forest wood-product businesses, local government, environmental groups and public land and resource management agencies worked with scientists from NAU to build agreement about the amount and type of wood supply that could be available from the thinning of Arizona's ponderosa pine forests to promote ecosystem health and reduce the risk of unnaturally severe wildfire. " Even the best science and the best of intentions are of limited value if they cannot inform decisions and appropriate action, " said NAU professor Tom Sisk, founder of NAU's Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis Project, which led the effort. The group evaluated 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest stretching from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, across the Mogollon Plateau, to the New Mexico state line. The area primarily encompasses the Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests, a small portion of the Tonto National Forest and some private and state lands. The group agreed that the identified wood and biomass resources were available from 41 percent of the area studied. They also agreed that 26 percent of the area was not appropriate for thinning for commercial wood byproducts. Some participants felt that an additional 33 percent of the landscape might be an appropriate source of additional wood byproducts. http://yubanet.com/enviro/Stakeholders-use-science-to-find-common-ground-on-wood\ -supply-from-for ests.php Note: The Wood Supply Analysis report is available online at www.forestera.nau.edu/project_woodsupply.htm 17) The Warm Fire Recovery Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement notification letter came in the mail today. The Warm Fire (2006) was a whoofoo (Wildland Use Fire) that blew up and burned 60,000 acres of the Kaibab NF, two-thirds of which were old-growth ponderosa pine. You can read about it [here]. The DEIS lists three different " action alternatives " for recovering economic value from the burned timber, reforesting burned conifer stands, and breaking up the fuel continuity in the burned areas. The goal is to " move " the incinerated stands toward the " desired future condition. " The EPA will soon publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the DEIS in the Federal Register. All comments must be received within 45 days of the NOA. Only those persons providing timely comments to the Kaibab NF Supervisor's Office will have eligibility to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR 215. No doubt, whatever alternative is chosen, there will be a lawsuit filed. The irony is that the whoofoo that destroyed the Kaibab NF was planned and carried out with absolutely no EIS, no action alternatives, no public comment, and no NEPA process at all. Destroying the forest, burning it to a crisp, was done with no legal guidance or authority required. Is irony the right word? It's a very Post Modern word. All is irony in PoMo World. There are other words, like deliberate forest destruction, that seem to fit but elicit frowns. Don't say that, Mike. And don't call the USFS and the eco-nazis arsonistic. Very mean spirited of you. Let's just leave it at ironic. Take an priceless, heritage forest and burn it to tick brush, on purpose, without hearing number one, and then leave it to rot by order of the federal judiciary. That's irony for you. http://westinstenv.org/sosf/2008/03/03/the-ironic-warm-fire-recovery-project-dei\ s/ Colorado: 18) It will cost $20 to treat each tree, and they will require several treatments over the years. The Environmental Protection Agency has to approve the plan because of the known toxicity of the chemical. Syngenta, the manufacturer, says in a fact sheet that it is only mildly toxic if ingested by humans. But it can be " very toxic to aquatic organisms. Toxic to bees. may cause long-term effects in the environment. " The repellent, manufactured in Switzerland, already is being widely used in California. Vail will use it at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone. The company says it recognizes that trees not only have their aesthetic value – highly valued by guests – but also provide necessary windbreaks and visual definition during whiteouts. Arborjet has an exclusive deal with the Swiss agricultural pharmaceutical firm Syngenta to distribute an internally administered repellent call emamectin benzoate. " First of all, you cannot save the forest, but what you can do is you save individual trees and microcosm forests around homes, and you can save the basic blueprint of a ski area – clusters of trees that continue to add character to the resort, " said Arborjet CEO Peter Wild. Last year Rocky lost 500,000 of the distinctive, skinny trees and the total since the mid-to-late 1990s is 1.5 million. Other methods, including spraying and thinning, haven't stopped the infestation, which has now spread across the Continental Divide to the east. " It's a very sensitive issue because (ski areas) lease land from the feds, and it's a very unique relationship that they have, " Wild said. " It's going to be interesting to see how many trees on federal or state land end up being treated as compared to private lands. " http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080301-1306-wst-beetles-injections.ht\ ml Michigan: 19) The Lapeer County Road Commission has jurisdiction over all property within 33 feet from the center of the road. Many of the large trees in their authority, some more than 100-years-old, are slated for removal, or are already gone, with funds from a High Risk Rural Road Safety grant. " The intent of this program is to reduce fatal or incapacitating injury crashes, " said assistant highway county engineer Ryan Doyle. " The almost three miles of road was determined to be a high risk area with 20 reported accidents from 2001-2005. Two were fatalities, and five were serious injuries. We received $217,000 to make the roads safer. Our responsibility is to the motoring public. " In a failed last ditch effort to recall the looming chain saws, three families appealed to the Lapeer County Road Commission at its Wednesday meeting. " In the last two years, the value of the house I own went down, " said Dave Johnson, who attended the meeting with his wife Terry. " These trees are the curb appeal to my home. It's an old farm house, that was built close to road. They're the only protection my home has from a car that leaves the roadway. " " A car would have to fly up my ditch to hit the trees in front of our house, " said Debby Wyman, who attended the meeting with her husband Scott. " They block out sound from the road. I want to save my trees. " Silverwood Road resident David McInally angrily addressed the county road commissioners. " Yesterday I had 200-year-old maple trees, " McInally said. " I left to buy firewood and when I got back, all I had of my trees were two stumps and some dust. Every stick of firewood from my trees was gone. " McInally asked if crews intended to remove the utility poles on each side of the road. " One utility pole is 24 feet from the center of the road, and the other is 25 feet, " McInally said. " Nobody logged them out. " We gave them the right to put the poles in, " said Douglas Hodge, vice chairman of the road commission. " We do have empathy, but we're doing this for safety reasons. " http://www.countypress.com/stories/030208/loc_20080302005.shtml Minnesota: 20) With at least one company in Rochester offering residents money in exchange for their walnut trees, city forester Jacob Ryg is urging residents to think carefully before selling. The practice of buying trees isn't illegal, Ryg said, but trees are far more valuable to residents than the money they can make by selling them. Besides the shade they provide, mature trees on an urban property can add up to 10 percent of a home's value, Ryg said. Urban trees also contribute to air and water quality, and lawns have to be watered more after a tree is removed, Ryg said. " People need to make sure they make the right decision and be informed in that decision, " Ryg said. With the price of walnut timber high right now, Ryg said, people hope to sell the lumber for profit. Companies offer people money for walnut trees every year in Rochester, Ryg said. He said the practice of buying walnut timber should be " out in the woods where this belongs, not in people's backyards. " Even though a company claims to be licensed and insured, residents should ask for a copy of the license and a list of references because the license could be forged, Ryg said. Legitimate companies typically don't go door-to-door seeking business, Ryg said. People with questions about whether a company is licensed may call him at 328-2515 to find out. http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=331085 & z\ =2 Missouri: 21) Planting a tree is an expression of hope. However, hope alone cannot ensure that seedlings and saplings fulfill their promise. Healthy, beautiful trees take years to grow. The care they receive between planting and maturity is critical to how long they survive and how well they serve their owners. " People invest a lot in trees, " said Forestry Field Programs Supervisor Justine Gartner with the Missouri Department of Conservation. " Balled and burlapped trees are not cheap, but aside from that, you have a pretty big emotional investment in something you plant yourself, even if it is just little seedlings. It really hurts when a tree that you imagined growing big and beautiful dies. " http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/27279/ Massachusetts: 22) State forestry officials are urging islanders to stay out of the State Forest for the next two weeks while heavy machinery clears deadfall caused by remnants of Tropical Storm Noel. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has contracted with Nantucket Tractor to clean up trees that were blown over in forest from tropical storm Noel late last year. The clean-up work will begin at the end of this week or beginning of next week and consist of removing and/or chipping logs, tops and branches. The area to be cleaned is in the South Pasture area of the forest bordered by Lover's Lane, Tacoma Way, Sand Path and Rugged Road. The contractor will be operating heavy equipment in the forest, and the DCR is asking the public to avoid this area during the next two weeks to allow the contractor to work safely. The goal of the work is to remove blown-over trees that could pose a fire hazard to the forest and the surrounding areas. The DCR is hoping this effort, which is a continuation of the restoration work over the past three years, will also increase safety and access to the Nantucket State Forest. http://www.ack.net/ForestCleanUp030308.html Nebraska; 23) Lincoln - School stops cutting down trees after student protest: Lincoln High School has stopped cutting down trees around the school after students staged a walkout. More than 200 students walked out of class Thursday afternoon to protest the removal of campus trees for a construction project. LHS Principal Mike Wortman says he'll work with students and parents to talk about the project next week. Information from: Lincoln Journal Star: http://www.journalstar.com - http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=7950671 Virginia: 24) The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage and the Virginia Native Plant Society listed as invasive five alien (nonnative) tree species: 1) Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-heaven), 2) Albizia julibrissin (Mimosa or Silktree), 3) Melia azedarach (Chinaberry, Pride-of-India, Persian Lilac or Bead-tree), 4) Paulownia tomentosa (Princess Tree, Royal Paulownia or Empress Tree), 5) Morus alba (White or Common Mulberry). In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine established a thirteen member Invasive Species Working Group and a nineteen member Invasive Species Advisory Committee. These groups are responsible for efforts to: 1) Prevent invasive species from entering Virginia, and 2) Manage problem species already established in the Commonwealth. 3) Implement a state invasive species management plan, 4) Develop a list of high priority invasive species, and 5) Maintain a website. http://trees.suite101.com/article.cfm/five_invasive_trees_of_virginia Hawaii: 25) The research team, led by Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, used innovative remote sensing technology on aircraft to survey the impact of invasives on more than 220,000 hectares (850 square miles) of rainforest on the island of Hawaii. Previous studies of the impact of invasive plants on forests were limited to small areas. Instruments aboard the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) penetrate the forest canopy to create a regional " CAT scan " of the ecosystem, identifying key plant species and mapping the forest's three-dimensional structure. " Invasive tree species often show biochemical, physiological, and structural properties that are different from native species, " says Asner. " We can use these 'fingerprints' combined with the 3-D images to see how the invasives are changing the forest. " This is the first use of this approach to track invasives in Hawaii, where roughly half of all organisms are non-native, and approximately 120 plant species are considered highly invasive. Undisturbed Hawaiian rainforests are often dominated by the ohia tree (Metrosideros polymorpha), but these slow-growing native trees are losing ground to newcomers, such as the tropical ash (Fraxinus uhdei) and the Canary Island fire tree (Morella faya). CAO surveys of rainforest tracts on the Mauna Kea and Kilauea Volcanoes found that stands of these two invasive tree species form significantly denser canopies than the native ohia trees. Less light reaches lower forest levels, and as a result native understory plants such as tree ferns are suppressed. Introduced trees can also pave the way for more invaders by altering soil fertility. The Moluccan albizia (Falcataria moluccana) " fixes " atmospheric nitrogen, concentrating it in the soil, which speeds the growth of a smaller invasive tree, the Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum). The guava trees form a dense, mid-level thicket that blocks most light from reaching the ground and stifles young native plants. " All of our invasive species detections were made in protected state and federal rainforest reserves, " says Asner. http://www.physorg.com/news123787905.html USA: 26) Since 2006, sawdust has gone up more than oil – from twenty-five dollars a ton to over one hundred dollars a ton in some areas. Sawdust was plentiful when the housing industry sent chips flying, but now that suburbia is no longer oozing out into the wilderness, there aren't enough wood chips. One enterprising fellow, Mr. Johnson, mines old homes for lumber that he can grind up to sell. I once told James Howard Kunstler that abandoned suburban homes would someday be used to house goats, perhaps because I once saw an old school bus with a goats sticking their heads out of every window, as if they were all going to goat school, so I figured they'd do just fine in abandoned homes. But I was wrong, old homes will be ground up to make horses comfortable, since a big use of sawdust is for horse beds. And there's nothing wrong with that, a well-rested horse might obey your commands instead of trying to throw you or rub you off his back on tree limbs like sleepless horses I've ridden in the past. But poor, poor dairy cows. They won't be sleeping in sawdust beds– they're going to sleep in their own manure – after it's been processed to create methane, you're practically back to the original hay ingested, according to Lee Jensen of the Five Star Dairy in Elk Mound, Wisconsin. Sawdust is also used to make pellets for stoves, to flavor wine, and burned in biomass plants. Who knew it had so many uses? Though for me, the most interesting is the role of sawdust in oil drilling – some oil –rigs in Wyoming and Colorado pour sawdust into underground caverns to give drill bits something to bite into. Now they're dumping whatever they can find in, things like almond and walnut shells. The people who make a living creating from logging " slash " are doing well. Downed trees eventually are recycled into the soil to provide nutrition and soil tilth for the next generation of trees, but who needs trees? Mr. Market will always come up with something. Alice Friedemann c/o sfbayoil 27) US book readers cost the earth some 20 million trees every year. The virgin paper that is produced for books cost that many trees. Two environmentally aware publishing houses, Eco-Libris and the Seattle publisher Kedzie Press have joined ranks to combat the problem. Their solution is simple: they plant a tree for every book they sell. The Million Tree-A-Thon, is run by Eco-Libris and the aim is to plant one million trees by December 2009. Everybody that buys a book automatically enters the program, but not only book lovers are targeted. Eco-Libris works with publishers, writers, bookstores, and others in the book industry to balance out the paper used for books by planting trees. The Million-Tree-A-Thon operates in Latin America (Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Belize, and Honduras) and Africa (Malawi). The trees will grow in areas where deforestation is a crucial problem. In addition to combating deforestation, the trees will improve crops and provide food and income for local populations. http://amplifiedgreen.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/kedzie-press-and-eco-libris-plant\ -a-tree-for-eve ry-book-sold/ Canada: 28) Ed Czerwinski was stopped at a North York traffic light last Halloween when he spotted a stand of dying ash trees that made his stomach drop. The 47-year-old forest health technician pulled over to investigate, and ripped back the bark on one of the trees. As he feared, the trunk was riddled with emerald ash borer, a pernicious alien beetle that has killed more than one million trees in Southwestern Ontario, but which officials then believed had spread only as far as London. " Your gut says, oh my goodness this is not good, " Mr. Czerwinski recalled in an interview. " You realize the implications of it. It's huge. " In terms of the potential loss of trees and money, the emerald ash borer's arrival in Canada's largest city is indeed huge news. Although the emerald ash borer has been confirmed only in the clump of 35 trees Mr. Czerwinski identified at Sheppard Avenue East and Highway 404, Toronto's half-million ash trees are now vulnerable to the bug's attack. In a bid to slow the insect's spread, Ottawa last week took a drastic step: It placed Toronto under an ash-wood quarantine. Chopping down and replacing just the 27,000 ash trees on city streets will cost an estimated $40-million over 10 years -- never mind the cost of replacing 180,000 ash trees in parks and ravines and an untold number on private property. Ash trees make up about 6% of Toronto's tree canopy. " This is wiping out a whole genus. We haven't really experienced anything like this since the early 1900s and chestnut blight, " said Richard Ubbens, Toronto's director of forestry, referring to the alien fungal disease that eradicated the American chestnut tree. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=344757 29) " We're at the crossroads in terms of Nova Scotia's natural resources, " says Joanne Cook, former coordinator of the Ecology Action Centre's 'Standing Tall: Forests for Life' campaign.' That's what she told an audience at the Dr. Arthur Hines School in Summerville last Thursday night, Feb. 28. Around 30 people came out on a wintry evening to attend the Citizen Action to Protect the Environment (CAPE)-sponsored presentation. She said the N.S. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is planning a new 10-year Natural Resources Strategy that will determine what we do about forestry, mining, parks and biodiversity. After strenuous lobbying from many interested environmental and citizens' groups, the government has agreed to let the public have direct input into the process through presentations to a Voluntary Planning Committee, which will hold consultations throughout the province between April and June of this year. Focusing on the forestry sector, Cook said the province's forests are in bad shape because the native Acadian Forest - once a healthy and diverse mix of hardwoods and softwoods - has been systematically cut and replaced by spruce and balsam fir farms. " We've put all our forestry eggs in the softwood basket, " she said, " and now, because of global economic and market forces, the industry is teetering on the brink of disaster across Canada. In Nova Scotia, Mactara is bankrupt and other major players are on the edge, with a 35-40 per cent job loss in the forestry sector. " http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-189559-Provinces-forests-are-in-bad-shape.htm\ l UK: 30) Tomorrow Glasgow councilors will see for the first time the details of the Go Ape plan for Pollok Park which has led to almost 900 objections. Steve Inch, development and regeneration executive director, has recommended it gets the go-ahead and dismisses the vast majority of objections raised by opponents young and old. Go Ape intends to fell 27 trees, seven of which are dead, to allow for five zip lines and to plant 54 trees elsewhere in the park. Mr Inch says in a report: " There has been tree removal within the park amounting to approximately 500 trees during recent thinning operations with the Forestry Commission and the intention is to remove a further 500 trees. " In this context, the quantity of the trees to be removed is considered negligible. " Campaigners also claimed trees would be damaged by the Go Ape plan and that there is a problem with lack of toilets. But councillors will be told special batons will ensure cables needed to support the walkways and zip slides will not come into contact with trees. And a 5m by 5m cabin, to be used as a reception area, will be built from logs and will include a toilet. Objectors have also claimed consultation with the public has been " woeful " and have demanded a new consultation exercise be launched. But Mr Inch stated that a six-week consultation was undertaken, including a public meeting, direct mailing and website posting. Environmental groups have claimed the development would affect protected species such as bats, and bluebells which it is illegal to uproot. But again their claims have been dismissed by Mr Inch, who said no bat roosts would be affected and officials will ask to replant the bluebells elsewhere in the park. The Garden History Society, whose aims include protecting historic parks, has said it is satisfied Go Ape is unlikely to have a significant detrimental impact and has not objected. The director also dismisses the parking concerns saying Go Ape will be used by a maximum of 14 people every half hour and noise fears adding that, given the recreational nature of the park, it was not unreasonable to expect noise from patrons. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2087430.0.go_ape_plan_to_fell_tre\ es_will_have_neg lible_effect.php Wales: 31) Wales produces around 1m tonnes of softwood timber of the UK's annual production of around 8.5m tonnes of softwood timber. Britain is only around 30% self sufficient, with most of the imports coming from Sweden, Finland and Latvia. The demand for timber is insatiable, with the coniferous forests providing the lifeblood of the industry with a constant supply of quick-growing raw material. But the industry is wary of increased demand for timber as a biofuel. The biomass power station being built at Port Talbot, could use 30,000 tonnes of timber a year – the entire throughput of Teifi Timber – and more biomass power stations are at the planning stage. The Wales Forest Business Partnership, a voluntary group of businesses and other organisations across the forestry sector, aims to ensure that Welsh wood-based industries are competitive. The WFBP receives £250,000 a year from Forestry Commission Wales and the National Assembly's Department for Economy and Transport and wants to expand and develop the market for higher value wood products by encouraging a wood-using culture in Wales and the UK so that wood becomes the first choice of customers. Ms Jones said the Assembly was looking to the WFBP to take a lead role in delivering the recently refreshed Wales Woodland Strategy over the next five years. " We will try to reduce imports in the long term by bringing under-managed woodland in Wales into active management, " said the Minister. " And FC Wales and others will be charged with developing programmes that support the wider forestry sector to bring more woodland into active management, improve the return to the grower, add value to Welsh timber products and improve supply chains. " http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/countryside-farming-news/countryside-news/2008/03\ /04/praise-for-f amily-trees-91466-20552901/ Ireland: 32) The Forest Service does not have enough inspectors on the ground to properly check on the quality of the work on every plantation. Because of this, the practice of some contractors being allowed to sign off on their own work was established. I have always been concerned about the concept of allowing any company or contractor to be in charge of assessing the quality of their own work, regardless of what tasks are involved. At present, we have a number of companies who will carry out all the tasks associated with establishing and maintaining a forestry plantation. There are also a number of private consultants and foresters who provide a similar service. The vast majority of these companies, contractors and consultant foresters do excellent work and will, normally, properly establish and maintain a plantation in return for the grant monies available. But as always, let the buyer beware. There have been too many instances in the past of poorly established plantations and insufficient maintenance work, although it must be said that the standard of work overall has improved greatly over the past decade. However, I have also heard a few disturbing stories concerning poor establishment, dead trees not replaced, little or no vegetation control and a general disregard for the requirements of the scheme. If the legal profession and the Garda are having doubts about the wisdom of 'self policing' then why should we have this practice in forestry? A poorly-established plantation will never reach its full potential and is quite simply a total waste of land and money. There are ample funds available in the current grant schemes to pay for quality work and materials, so never settle for less. http://www.independent.ie/farming/seek-advice-when-you-establish-a-plantation-13\ 04964.html 33) FSC-Watch has reported many times on the FSC credibility disaster that has been allowed to persist in Ireland for nearly a decade. Tellingly, despite the glaring failures, neither the FSC Secretariat, ASI, the international Board nor the national initiative itself have had to competence to put 'FSC Ireland' onto a credible path. Unsurprisingly, local NGOs are now totally exasperated. Even some parts of the private sector that entered the FSC process in good faith are now de-camping to PEFC instead. We have now been asked to post the following by several excluded Irish environmental and social stakeholders. We fully support their call for FSC Ireland to be completely scrapped, and the process restarted with proper multi-stakeholder input and balance. In order to give it a chance of success, we believe that the WoodMark-issued certificate of the state forestry company Coillte should be suspended and their influence expunged from the national FSC process. http://www.fsc-watch.org/archives/2008/02/19/Ireland___Remove_FSC Malta: 34) The name Buskett is derived from the Italian word Boschetto, which means a small wood. A part of Buskett is called il-Bosk – the wood. Buskett is the only locality for Aleppo Pine woodlands, besides having a variety of habitats ranging from maquis, forest remnants, different levels of garigue, and woods typical of watercourses. The English reference to Boschetto, Buskett Gardens, have misled many, not least some politicians lacking ecological background, to conclude that this a garden, as much a garden as San Anton Gardens. One of Malta's past colonisers who without doubt were the best that had environmental vision, were the Knights of St John. Without the rich heritage they left us, we would definitely be so much the poorer. Unfortunately, much of this historical heritage is abandoned, neglected and/or vandalised. Buskett is one of the heritage site left to us by the Knights of St John, and was further enhanced by the next colonisers – the British. Today Buskett is protected with a number of regulations. The first legal protection for Buskett for avifauna was published as far back as 1932. This was strengthened throughout the years and today Buskett is still protected under the current Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations. In 1933 a number of trees in Buskett were protected by GN 269, as historical trees of antiquarian importance. In 1996 Buskett was scheduled under the Development Planning Act as an Area of Ecological Importance, a Site of Scientific Importance, an area of high landscape value and a scheduled woodland, by Government Notice 403 of 25 June 1996. A site plan attached to this Government Notice showed the different levels of protection (level 1, 2, or 3) of Buskett and its surroundings. During 2001 Buskett was also protected by the regulations for the protection of trees as a tree protected area. Buskett is also an Important Bird Area endorsed by BirdLife International. http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=65819 Finland: 35) Securing wood supplies for the Finnish forest industry is a key priority for the government. He says that a million cubic metres more of wood need to be harvested rapidly from Finnish forests. " We won't need to go into protected areas " , Vanhanen insists. He says that key measures would include recent proposals by a working group headed by Esko Aho. The team proposed measures, including lifting taxes from income from the first thinning of a forest. Vanhanen says that the government will also decide on improvements to transport arteries with the needs of the forest industry in mind. Aho's working group also proposed improvements to three rail lines which are important for pulp and paper mills, as well as repairs for public highways and private roads used by the industry. " The transport network capable of carrying millions of cubic metres from the depths of the forests to the gates of the industry is important for wood acquisition. " Vanhanen adds that finding enough workers for felling, and for getting the wood out of the forest " at a reasonable price " is a problem. According to Prime Minister Vanhanen, a national spirit of a working together is needed. " Forest owners should be persuaded to sell wood even at fluctuating stumpage prices " , he says. http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Prime+Minister+Structural+change+continues+but+\ Finland+will+ma nage/1135234514359 Russia: 36) " Last September, we had a job available to us to fabricate equipment for Russia, " said Brian Fehr of BID Group, Del-Tech's parent company. " The Russian forest industry is the opposite of the Prince George forest industry. It's expanding, they've set rules against exporting logs out of Russia. They're going to be growing, so we had an opportunity to bid on a contract for $4 million, and we got the project. The difference between making money and not making money was the freight. " On Wednesday, Del-Tech shipped 60 containers from its Vanderhoof and Prince George shops out of the River Road intermodal terminal. " We really appreciate CN's involvement with that, " Fehr said. " The numbers are staggering. We save about $3,000 a container. " The difference means doing the job in the North as opposed to a port city like Vancouver. " It's a huge difference that we can ship those containers out of CN, " Fehr said. " We think it's a fantastic first example of how this partnership can grow into a more competitive manufacturing environment and really grow the wealth of northern B.C., " said Kathie Scouten, director of economic development at Initiatives Prince George. " http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=119\ 307 & Itemid=556 Tanzania: 37) A small screaming mammal that may be the closest living relative of the elephant is threatened by logging and bushmeat hunting in East Africa, according to a study published in the inaugural issue of the open access e-journal Tropical Conservation Science. Surveying populations of the eastern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax validus) in the montane forests of Tanzania, Elmer Topp-Jørgensen and colleagues found a correlation between hyrax density and the amount of forest disturbance. " We estimate densities of 17.3 calling individuals ha-1 in a little-disturbed forest, 12.1 in a lightly disturbed forest, and zero in an intensely hunted and formerly logged forest, " write the authors. Topp-Jørgensen and colleagues say that in degraded forests, hyrax may find fewer tree cavities for shelter, increasing their vulnerability to predators and snares set by hunters. The findings suggest that current conservation strategies for the poorly-known species may fall short of protecting it from growing threats from hunters and loggers. " It has been suggested that selective logging could help finance tree hyrax conservation by logging only tree species not used for shelter or food, " write the authors. " However in light of the D. validus relationship with canopy cover, the role of forest structure should be investigated more closely. This is particularly important in areas with significant ground trapping, where the resulting forest structure change (regardless of the species logged), may reduce hyrax density and thus counteract conservation efforts. " Topp-Jørgensen and colleagues suggest that active management of forest reserves could improve the outlook for hyrax and other forest-dependent species. " Typically, forest reserves are not considered part of the global protected area network... Here we have demonstrated the major reason why, i.e., forest reserves are protected by legislation but not by active management. As a result illegal activities such as hunting and pole-cutting can continue unabated and unquantified. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0303-tcs_yopp-Jorgensen.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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