Guest guest Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 329 - Earth's Tree News Today for you 35 new articles about earth's trees! (329th edition) Subscribe / send blank email to: earthtreenews- Weblog: http://olyecology.livejournal.com --Alaska: 1) Indian Creek timber sales planned on Prince of Wales Island --British Columbia: 2) Failure of a forest minister does PR stunt for reforestation, 3) Marbled Murrelet still doesn't have protection? 4) Resource Road Act might actually create rules for roadbuilding? 5) Great Bear Rainforest deadline nears, --Washington: 6) Annual arrests at Weyco headquarters, 7) Weyco genocide in Canada, --Oregon: 8) Restoration of Fremont-Winema NF, 9) Oregon wild lobbies for eastside forest restoration, 10) The juniper wars, 11) Landslide liars, --California: 12) Legal update: 1999 Headwaters Deal --Montana: 13) Corporate welfare History of Plum Creek Timber --Colorado: 14) More subsidies for beetle caused clearcutting --New York; 15) Ithaca college's forest preserve to be logged at any moment --USA: 16) Terminate the Federal Timber Sale program, 17) Potlatch's plan, --Canada: 18) Timber industry tries to discredit carbon bomb truth, 19) Protesting BP, --Germany: 20) Demo in front of Brazilian Embassy, --Sweden: 21) World's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce --Greece: 22) Climate change instead of Arson will lead to more Mediterranean fires --Cameroon: 23) Logging creates 40 million euros in tax revenues annually --Kenya: 24) Officers who collude with timber traders, 25) Furniture seller makes 5 billion tree promise to Wangari Mathai, --Congo: 26) Where our fine hardwood dining tables and coffee tables come from --Mexico: 27) Jalisco has seven million hectares of pine, oak, eucalypts --South America: 28) Speak out against the Roundtable on Responsible Soy --Brazil: 29) More proof measures to limit logging aren't working, --Indonesia: 30) Wild west of carbon trade begins, 31) Research of palm oil scourge begins, 32) Police chief investigated, 33) Sarawak's enforcement against illegal logging, --Australia: 34) 4,000 year old trees to make way for windmills? 35) Save Red Gum with new national parks, Alaska: 1) KETCHIKAN - The state Division of Forestry has released a preliminary use plan decision for Indian Creek timber sales. The state is proposing to offer nearly 13,500 board feet of timber over 466 acres on Prince of Wales Island. The sale consists of Western hemlock, Sitka Spruce, western red cedar and mixed species utility logs. The plan proposes constructing just over five miles of new road for the sale. Public comment is being accepted on the plan until May 5. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8172666 British Columbia: 2) KELOWNA - Premier Gordon Campbell and Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman were joined by local community and industry leaders in a ceremony today to celebrate the planting of the six billionth tree in British Columbia since reforestation programs began in the 1930s. " This tree represents an incredible milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainable forest management here in British Columbia, " said Campbell. " British Columbia's forests are a critical economic engine for our province, a treasured part of our natural heritage and a powerful ally in our fight against climate change. Since reforestation began in the 1930s, we estimate the seedlings planted have sequestered two billion tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime. As we move towards our goal of net-zero deforestation in B.C., we'll further build on this legacy of reforestation, and further strengthen our forest resource. " Premier Gordon Campbell announced almost $25 million for reforestation, forest health initiatives and to market British Columbia's forest products in B.C., across Canada and around the world today at the Council of Forest Industries annual meeting. " The future of British Columbia's forest industry is dependent on both the health of our forests and how we market and promote our world-class forest products across Canada and around the world, " said Campbell. " The funding announced today will not only help grow our forests, but also help develop new markets to sell B.C. products. " http://www.gov.bc.ca 3) B.C. still doesn't have a clear plan for protecting the threatened marbled murrelet, a small seabird that nests in old-growth coastal forests, the province's forestry watchdog says. In a report released yesterday, the Forest Practices Board says the province has yet to set goals for how many birds would constitute " recovery " or how much habitat needs to be set aside. " The bottom line is we really don't have a target and we really don't understand what we really need to do to conserve the bird population, " board chairman Bruce Fraser said in an interview. Agriculture Minister Pat Bell expressed surprise at the board's findings, noting that census figures show the bird's population jumping from 66,000 in 2002 to 106,000 last year. Bell said there has been talk of removing the bird from B.C.'s " red list " of species that are threatened or endangered. " Our sense was the species is actually well on its way to recovery, " he said. But Fraser cautioned against assuming that a jump in the birds' population suggests everything is fine, particularly when so little is known about what influences their numbers. " If you get a micro-fluctuation in the population of birds, do we step back and say, 'OK, everything's fine,' and then go on and log their nesting habitat? What's the right answer here? The fact is that the answer isn't very clear. " Fraser said the province's current guidelines are based on limiting the impact of conservation efforts on the timber supply. " Which doesn't tell you anything about how well that will do for the birds, " he said. Fraser said the province's current guidelines are based on limiting the impact of conservation efforts on the timber supply. " Which doesn't tell you anything about how well that will do for the birds, " he said. The board's report, which examined marbled murrelet habitat on the Sunshine Coast, concluded that forestry company Interfor is taking pains to protect the bird's habitat in that region. But the company isn't getting much government direction and as a result struggles with whether it's doing enough. More troubling, the report says, " unless the province sets aside designated areas in a timely manner, this licensee's efforts won't protect habitat from future harvest by other licensees. " http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=9d24fd23-3a41-485\ 8-9642-a18ee5708 3fa & k=96938 4) The new Resource Road Act will consolidate existing regulations in five separate acts as well as introduce consistent standards that all resource road users -- whether loggers, miners or guide-outfitters -- will be required to follow. " This looks like a good start to help set up the framework for what we need to do to make our resource roads safe, " said MaryAnn Arcand, of the safety organization TruckSafeBC. The problems, she said, are that there are few standards that all industrial users must follow. Mining, oil and gas, and logging all have different standards of construction and maintenance and use. " There's a growing mix of users on the roads now, using a system that was designed over 50 years ago primarily for the use of the forest industry, " she said. Safety advocates have been calling for new legislation for several years, but Arcand said the recommendations from an inquest into the 2006 death of a logging truck driver in the Mackenzie area were critical in giving the issue a higher profile. Logging roads were identified by Forest Safety ombudsman Roger Harris as the No. 1 killer of forest workers in a report he released in February. Neufeld said it will take up to a year to develop the regulations to govern resource roads. http://www.canada.com/ch/cheknews/news/story.html?id=394479f8-5df8-4cd6-bf46-8a9\ 5e938e29a & k=772 28 5) We need your help to make sure that Campbell and his government are still standing with us. There is less than one year left for the BC government to develop and implement an overall regional plan to ensure ecological integrity and human wellbeing in the Great Bear Rainforest -- one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. Tell BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell to keep their promises! On March 31, 2008, ForestEthics and its allies unveiled a billboard on a main stretch of highway in BC that will count down the remaining months that Campbell and Bell have to live up to their commitment. The billboard message is clear -- we're closing in on the deadline to save the Great Bear Rainforest. Send a message to BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/281/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24260 Washington: 6) Federal Way Police have arrested four protesters who chained themselves to a flower pot in front of Weyerhaeuser Co. headquarters, as shareholders were streaming into an annual meeting. The Rainforest Action Network says the one woman and three men went to the meeting Thursday morning with the expectation they would be arrested. The group wants to draw attention to a situation in northern Ontario, Canada, where indigenous people are trying to stop the forest products company from logging in their territory. One of the people arrested is from San Francisco, the others are from Washington state. Brant Olson of Rainforest Action Network says the group had about 20 protesters in front of the building, including five shareholders who went inside to the meeting. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_weyerhauser_arrests.html 7) Canada's new logging frontier is Ontario, where vast swaths of boreal forest are under assault. One particularly violent section cuts across a 2,500-square-mile stretch in northwest Ontario that is home to the Grassy Narrows First Nation. Twenty-eight hours by car from Toronto, the Grassy Narrows traditional territory is off the beaten track. Washington-based Weyerhaeuser Corp. has used that geographical remoteness as cover for business practices that most Americans condemn. Weyerhaeuser is the primary purchaser of wood from Grassy Narrows, where heavy logging violates the land and the human rights of its indigenous residents. Canadian First Nations have a constitutional right to maintain their territories for traditional activities such as hunting and fishing. The provision is not merely a nicety: Many First Nations rely on these activities for food and cultural expression. Unfortunately, provincial laws that govern permitting for logging and mining companies have not kept pace with Canadian and international law, allowing companies to strip First Nations of their natural resources and force them into legal maneuverings few can afford. As Weyerhaeuser conducts its annual shareholders meeting this week, it is important to remember that the company profits heavily from this legal loophole. Logging in Grassy Narrows, which supplies a Weyerhaeuser mill, has continued for nearly a decade since the community first sued to stop it. Weyerhaeuser continued to buy wood from Grassy Narrows after the community established a peaceful blockade in 2002, which is still in place today. It continued to buy wood after Amnesty International issued a report last year concluding that logging in Grassy Narrows violates the community's human rights. Amnesty's report was enough to prompt Boise Inc., the other major U.S. buyer of Grassy Narrows wood, to commit to suspending its logging contract for the area unless community consent can be established. Weyerhaeuser continues to buy wood from Grassy Narrows to build Quadrant Homes throughout the Puget Sound region even now that the Ontario provincial government has intervened, appointing a former Supreme Court justice to negotiate a solution to the community's predicament. In fact, community members report that logging has accelerated since they began negotiations. Weyerhaeuser seems intent on collecting every splinter of wood it can before its activities in Grassy Narrows are officially deemed illegal. Nor is Weyerhaeuser's exploitation of the Grassy Narrows people the only example of its rapacious forestry. The company is appealing a court ruling requiring it to stop logging the old-growth forests that provide habitat to the endangered spotted owl. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/359512_weyer18.html Oregon: 8) The Fremont-Winema National Forest is currently planning a fuels reduction project to " enhance old-growth forest characteristics " on the slopes of one of Oregon's most beautiful mountains. Long prized by recreationists, Pelican Butte is a haven for Northern spotted owls, bald eagles, and a key watershed for recovery of at-risk fish populations. For years the Forest Service has constructed logging roads, removed old-growth trees and suppressed fires on and around Pelican Butte. Large Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees made the easiest pickings and the largest profits. Less than half of the once-plentiful " late-successional " old-growth trees in the area remain. Dense second-growth white fir stands have benefited from the combination of logging and fire suppression and now present a dangerous fuel hazard. The forests and watersheds of Pelican Butte could greatly benefit from a restoration proposal that (1) thins small-diameter white fir stands; (2) retains existing large-diameter old-growth trees; (3) avoids the excessive use of tractors and bulldozers; and (4) decommissions unnecessary logging roads. The Forest Service is in the process of developing its " proposed action " for Pelican Butte. Now, before the agency has committed to a specific restoration plan, is the time when your letters can make the most difference. Please submit a letter prior to the April 21st deadline. Click here for a sample letter and email address: http://kswild.org/GetInvolved/ActionAlerts/pelicanbutte 9) In recent years, the Bush administration and other logging-industry-supported politicians have attempted to exploit past mismanagement in our forests to justify future clear-cut logging. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the subject of fire. For a century, federal land management agencies have suppressed fire in our dry eastern Oregon forests, leading to dense, overgrown, and fire-prone underbrush that threatens old-growth trees and the communities that neighbor them. The Bush solution to this problem has been typically wrongheaded, arguing that chopping down the oldest, most fire-resistant trees far away from homes would somehow lead to increased " forest health. " Here at Oregon Wild, we just couldn't stand it anymore. We had to show the folks in the Bush administration the right way to restore a forest. Our work on the Siuslaw National Forest and with the award-winning Clackamas Stewardship Partners has shown us that the best way to convince the Forest Service to protect old growth and manage the land responsibly is to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Our Eastern Oregon Wildlands Advocate, Tim Lillebo (pictured), set about designing a restoration plan for 1,200 acres in the Deschutes National Forest adjacent to Black Butte Ranch. Initially a partnership between the Warm Springs Tribe, Oregon Wild, and the Forest Service, the project has expanded to include input from local residents, birders, loggers, and plant and wildlife advocates. Tim has led over 20 tours of the project area, helping to refine the plan. the three main goals of the Black Butte/Glaze restoration project have been to protect all old growth, reduce the risk of fire for homes, and restore a more natural landscape where low-intensity fires can once again play a natural role in maintaining the health of the land. Along the way, we have made sure that the area's wildlife will see the greatest possible benefit. It is exciting that this project is now so close to fruition. Please let the Forest Service know that you support their efforts to restore the natural landscape in eastern Oregon. Now, it's time for the Forest Service to execute that plan, but first, they need to hear from the public. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1780/t/430/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24273 10) For 20 years, the Foster family has been fighting to keep Western juniper trees from taking over their rangeland and causing streams and pastures to dry up. Like many ranchers across Eastern and Central Oregon, Don Foster, along with his father, Wayne, and brother, Cal, have logged many hours using chain saws to cut down invading juniper trees. Don Foster said removing the trees restores streamflows and revives pastures that sustain cattle as well as deer, elk and other wildlife that frequent the family ranch in Bowen Valley a few miles south of Baker City. On Tuesday, about 60 ranchers, agency representatives and others from Baker County and as far away as Bridgeport, Bend, John Day, Ontario and Kennewick, Wash., gathered for the Baker County Juniper Management Workshop. The workshop and field trip to the Foster ranch included presentations on juniper management options ranging from prescribed burns and chain saws to mechanical harvesting. Ed Akers, a retired rancher who makes his living bulldozing juniper trees, said that within 8 hours after he cleared 10 acres of juniper near Kimberly, in Grant County, water was running in a draw that had been dry for years except during winter runoff. " A fellow who lived in the area said that was the first time he'd seen water in that creek year-round, " Akers said. While fire is considered the most economical method of controlling juniper, Akers said it's also the most risky, due to the potential for a fire to spread out of control and damage neighboring property. Joe Hessel of the Oregon Department of Forestry warned those attending the workshop that burn permits are required for most areas of Baker County for prescribed burns and use of power machinery for juniper management projects. http://www.bakercityherald.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=6364 11) Expert reviews of the December landslide that inundated U.S. 30 and homes west of Clatskanie found that the chain of events started on slopes clear-cut by Oregon State University's College of Forestry but no evidence the logging caused the collapse. Instead, the reviewers said extremely heavy rainfall reactivated ancient, deep rifts in the ground that existed prior to the logging and had slid long ago. Clear-cutting has been found to increase the risk of rapidly moving landslides, also called debris flows, and the state enacted rules to limit logging on slide-prone slopes. The OSU land above Woodson was not steep enough to trigger those rules. Another examination by Department of Forestry geotechnical experts did not say so clearly that logging did not contribute to the landslides. It said some research shows that logging can increase the risk of deep landslides like those above Woodson. The reviews highlighted weaknesses in Oregon planning that leave homes in danger zones such as the area west of Clatskanie, where landslides have struck before and probably will again. A separate administrative review by the Oregon Department of Forestry, almost finished, has found that when reviewing the OSU logging the state should have better recognized the history of landslides in the area and the homes in danger below. " Clearly we didn't capture that -- our tools weren't strong enough, " said Mike Cafferata, policy unit manager at the Department of Forestry. Even if logging did not contribute to the slides west of Clatskanie, state foresters might have identified other factors that raised the risk in different ways, he said. Either way, both Schlieder and the Forestry Department team concluded that debris from the OSU land plugged the culvert intended to let water pass beneath the railroad crossing. That turned the crossing into a dam that caused water and debris to back up into a lake about 1.5 acres in size that finally broke loose, the Forestry Department team wrote. The lake held enough water to fill about 10 Olympic-size swimming pools, plus logs and tree root wads carried from the logged lands. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1208487309210950.x\ ml & coll=7 & this page=3 California: 12) Oral argument in the Headwaters litigation is scheduled before the California Supreme Court on Thursday, May 8 at 9:00 a.m. at the State Building, located at 350 McAllister Street San Francisco in the courtroom on the 4th floor. The 1999 Headwaters Deal, while promising to ensure sustainable forest practices and protection of fish and wildlife resources, did just the opposite. Since the deal was inked, EPIC and the Sierra Club have pursued litigation challenging its state approvals, including the Sustained Yield Plan, a state Incidental Take Permit, and a Streambed Alteration Agreement. We won in the trial court, and are now asking the California Supreme Court to uphold that decision. Meanwhile, Pacific Lumber's unsustainable practices have forced it to bankruptcy. This case is critically important to how forestry is practiced in California, for protection of California's timber, water and wildlife resources, and to require agencies to maintain their obligations under the law. This is true no matter what happens in the Pacific Lumber's bankruptcy. We are the first case on the calendar for that day. Generally it is a good idea to get there at least a half hour early, as you have to go through separate security before entering the court room, and the courtroom may be crowded. scott Montana: 13) These lands that are now owned by Plum Creek were originally public land that belonged to all Americans. However, between 1850 and 1970 the Railroad Land Grants gave the equivalent of 10% of the entire land base of the lower 48 states to railroad companies to help finance and operate the transcontinental railroad and telegraph systems. The largest of the Railroad Land Grants was to the Northern Pacific Railroad: 40 million acres in a 100-mile wide band running 2,000 miles from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound. A century later, much of this land is controlled by Plum Creek Timber, Weyerhaeuser and other timber and mining corporations. It's interesting to note that President Abe Lincoln had been a lawyer for the railroads before becoming president. The Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant (again, the one that covers Plum Creek lands here in W. Montana) was signed by Lincoln on July 2, 1864. To learn more about this issue, go to www.landgrant.org/. Also, a good book on the subject is called Railroads & Clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864 Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant. But make no mistake, Plum Creek Timber Co selling off these former public lands for real estate development is one of the biggest multi-billion dollar boondoggles in US history. Millions of acres of public land intended for homesteaders was instead given to timber, mining, and real estate corporations. The failure of the railroad land grant policy is the cause of many of today's economic, political, and environmental problems, including deforestation, toxic waste, and taxpayer subsidies. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/forest_service_plum_creek_conspire_on_road_u\ se_for_real_est ate/C8/L8/ Colorado: 14) A Senate committee voted for the measure (House Bill 1269) Friday, moving it on to the full Senate for debate. The House has passed the bill. It would exempt all lumber, furniture and wood chips made from infected trees from the 2.9 percent state sales tax. Cities and counties could also waive their sales tax on such products. Democratic Sen. Dan Gibbs of Silverthorne said there are 1.5 million acres of dead pine trees in the state, many of them near populated areas and watersheds. If they're cut down within five years of dying, Gibbs said the blue-stained wood from the trees is just as strong as wood from trees that haven't been infected. http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080418/NEWS/705139793 New York: 15) Ithaca College's gorgeous Robinson Preserve (towards West Danby) is slated to be logged, supposedly just for diseased trees, at any time. This 78 acre woodlands with year-round stream valley is one of the most undisturbed mature woodlands with great native biodiversity in the area. Some of us have walked here for 15+ years, and we're very sad that logging machinery will be going where no log roads yet exist with the threat of bringing in invasive plant seeds that are proven threats to native biodiversity, like garlic mustard. IC's " reserve " across the road was already commercially logged last spring. Some of us neighbors living next to the preserve are gathering next Sunday April 20 at 12:30 p.m. to bless and honor the forest, much of which will look very different once logging begins. Beautiful walking routes will be torn up by machinery dragging out around 150 trees. Although glad that the Robinson Preserve will not supposedly be commercially logged over the years, we're disappointed that IC is allowing logging, unlike Finger Lakes Land Trust and Cornell preserves, which contain diseased trees, too. If you'd like to join us, drive south from Ithaca on Routes 34/96, turn right on Piper Road and go sever-tenths of a mile (bearing left at fork). Park along the road at mailbox 149. Drums and voices welcome. If logging hasn't begun, you can check the logging route. http://theithacan.org/am/publish/letters/200804_Celebrating_the_college_s_forest\ s.shtml USA: 16) Native Forest Council and our 2,000 national members know that public land logging provides short-term financial benefits for industry at the expense of economic and ecological benefits for the rest of the citizenry; it is therefore in the American taxpayers' best interest to terminate the Federal Timber Sale program. Recreation's economic benefits alone are worth dozens of times the value of logging, while the publicly-owned asset value of nature and nature's services is worth hundreds of times more than that. With the 21st century understanding we have of unlogged forests' vital roles of attracting, storing and filtering clean drinking water; regulating rainfall and moderating regional climate; storing and sequestering carbon to combat climate change (northeast forests store the 2nd greatest levels of carbon of any forest region in the US); creating fertile topsoil and preventing erosion; ensuring the survival of fish and wildlife, etc., there is no honest justification for further asset stripping and logging in our public forests. If we had not liquidated all but 5% of our nation's native forests, with over one-third permanently deforested for cities, agriculture, roads and other development, logging might still have had a small role in our public forests today. But the liquidation of our country's 1.082 billion acres of native forest over the centuries demonstrates a clear need to place our publicly owned national forests (and many other forest lands) under the strongest protections possible, banning all forms of resource extraction, as a form of " ecosystem insurance. " http://www.forestcouncil.org/tims_picks/view.php?id=1320 17) Potlatch owns 1.65 million acres of forestland in Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and operates 12 manufacturing facilities that produce lumber and panel products and bleached pulp products, including paperboard and tissue. The company, which employs 3,600 people, also conducts a land sales and development business. Potlatch, a verified forest practices leader, is committed to providing superior returns to stockholders through long-term stewardship of its resources. Chairman, President and CEO Michael J. Covey of Potlatch, said, " If pursued, a spin-off would provide shareholders with direct ownership in two public companies, each uniquely focused on different businesses. One would be essentially a pure-play timber REIT and the other would be an independent, solidly positioned pulp-based manufacturing company, consisting of our Consumer Products and Pulp & Paperboard segments, businesses which continue to generate historically strong operational results. We are excited about the prospect of evaluating this potential opportunity for shareholders, customers and employees and intend to move as expeditiously as possible. We are confident that this is the right time to seriously consider this strategic move. " http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1390697/ Canada: 18) A spokesperson for the forest products industry said it agreed that there was a need to protect more areas of the forest from climate change, but disagreed that it was contributing to the problem, noting that it has adopted sustainable logging practices. " Our report refers to almost 200 peer-reviewed science papers and it's been reviewed by outside scientists that are independent and it has been validated, " said Christy Ferguson, a Greenpeace forests campaigner. " Logging can continue in Canada, but it should be kept out of the intact areas. " Sean Thomas, an associate professor and Canada research chair for Forests and Environmental Change at the University of Toronto, said that he wasn't entirely comfortable about endorsing the strong language and warnings in some parts of the Greenpeace report, but said that there was a lot of uncertainty regarding the impact of logging activity in new regions which has not been adequately addressed by government and the industry. " If you go in and you use the wrong kinds of (logging) methods in the wrong places, there's a serious worry and there's not enough known, particularly about the far northern systems sitting on peat, " said Thomas. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4e704453-a5c9-40ce-bb19-59\ 3bf70a456d & k= 12540 19) Environmental groups will join the chorus of voices against BP Whiting's air permit with a Saturday event in Whiting. Capitalizing on the upcoming celebration of Earth Day on Tuesday, a Canadian activist and members of the Global Community Monitor and the Rainforest Action Network will highlight their concerns Saturday over BP's $3.8 billion expansion. Dissension is growing among the groups over BP's plan to refine Canadian crude and increase greenhouse gas emissions, said Denny Larson, executive director of the Global Community Monitor. " And Greenpeace isn't far behind, " Larson said. Larson said a chief problem with BP's project is the Canadian tar sands from which the company will extract oil, which he called destructive to the environment. Larson and others say they've lost hope that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will fix what they deem are problems with BP's air plans, accusing the agency of being irresponsible and rushing the permit. BP spokesman Tom Keilman said the groups have not shared their concerns with the refinery, and called their complaints about IDEM's permitting inaccurate. " The process has not been rushed, " Keilman said. " We believe we have followed all the necessary and required regulatory requirements to move forward with the permit. " IDEM spokesman Rob Elstro said the agency's process, including its responses during comment periods, has followed state rules requiring the agency to issue permits within a set time frame. " The agency responded to those requests by extending the comment period to give the public more time to review the permit and submit appropriate comments, " Elstro said. Larson said BP could increase its production and lower its effect on the environment by not refining the harder crude. He recommended its new permit include using a flare recovery system that would capture gas and help minimize vapor emissions. Keilman said officials have discussed installing such a compressor system and other ways to help reduce overall flaring at the plant. http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/04/17/news/top_news/doc5f102d756c263\ c128625742e00 088a8a.txt Germany: 20) On Monday, April 14, Greenpeace organized a demonstration outside the Brazilian embassy in Berlin to protest over-exploitation of tropical rainforests. According to a recent Greenpeace study, five hectares (12.4 acres) of forest are destroyed in Brazil per minute, with every hectare of forest burnt down releasing between 500 and 1100 tones of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The problem of illegal logging is particularly acute in Indonesia, allegedly the world's third largest producer of greenhouse gases. Once hailed as one of the best solutions to saving the planet from greenhouse gases and global warming, rising demand for palm oil has resulted in local companies burning woods and peat lands to make way for palm oil plantations which supply European markets. It's a similar story in South America, spurred on by the biodiesel boom in Europe and the EU's controversial 2003 Biofuels Directive, which requires all member states to have 5.75 percent of transportation run by biofuel in 2010. " This leads to further destruction of the rainforests, " argues Celia Harvey from Conservation International. Earlier this month, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel scrapped government plans to raise compulsory bioethanol blending levels in fossil gasoline, citing the fact that the bioethanol used for blending in Germany was imported largely from third-world countries where deforestation may have taken place to expand farmland. Less well-documented is the destruction of Scandinavia's forests, where logging is generally legal. The World Bank, however, estimates that approximately 50 percent of worldwide logging is illegal, while a recent report by Friends of the Earth also asserted that " half of the timber imported by the EU from high-risk areas [including Central Africa, the Amazon, Russia and Indonesia] has been logged illegally. " With the EU being the biggest importer, environmental groups are calling on Brussels to introduce a tropical rainforest conservation law. " European governments have to ensure that only legally sourced timber and timber from sustainable forestry reaches the markets, " said Corinna Hölzel from Greenpeace. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3273972,00.html Sweden: 21) The world's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. The spruce tree has shown to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between erect trees and smaller bushes in pace with the dramatic climate changes over time. For many years the spruce tree has been regarded as a relative newcomer in the Swedish mountain region. Scientists found four " generations " of spruce remains in the form of cones and wood produced from the highest grounds. The discovery showed trees of 375, 5,660, 9,000 and 9,550 years old and everything displayed clear signs that they have the same genetic makeup as the trees above them. Since spruce trees can multiply with root penetrating braches, they can produce exact copies, or clones. The tree now growing above the finding place and the wood pieces dating 9,550 years have the same genetic material. The actual has been tested by carbon-14 dating at a laboratory in Miami, Florida, USA. In the Swedish mountains, from Lapland in the North to Dalarna in the South, scientists have found a cluster of around 20 spruces that are over 8,000 years old. Although summers have been colder over the past 10,000 years, these trees have survived harsh weather conditions due to their ability to push out another trunk as the other one died. " The average increase in temperature during the summers over the past hundred years has risen one degree in the mountain areas, " explains Leif Kullman. Therefore, we can now see that these spruces have begun to straighten themselves out. There is also evidence that spruces are the species that can best give us insight about climate change. The ability of spruces to survive harsh conditions also presents other questions for researchers. Have the spruces actually migrated here during the Ice Age as seeds from the east 1,000 kilometres over the inland ice that that then covered Scandinavia? Do they really originate from the east, as taught in schools? " My research indicates that spruces have spent winters in places west or southwest of Norway where the climate was not as harsh in order to later quickly spread northerly along the ice-free coastal strip, " says Leif Kullman. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416104320.htm Greece: 22) Greece's lethal forest fires of last year are set to become the norm across the Mediterranean thanks to climate change, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned Thursday. Nearly 70 people were killed and 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) of forest burnt to the ground in last August's fires, which were exacerbated by failings in the Greek firefighting emergency services. " The most immediate and obvious repercussion of climate change for the Mediterranean forests is an increase in fires, which will also become more intense and widespread, " a regional official from the WWF, Nora Berahmouni, said at an Athens conference. The meeting of more than 30 experts on the subject agreed unanimously that higher temperatures, prolonged droughts and fierce storms would leave the forests more combustible. Berahmouni called for action before it was too late to halt a " vicious circle " where less forest coverage due to climate change risks exacerbating the effects of global warming. " Protecting forests must also now mean allowing them to adapt to global warming, " said Greek forester Aristotle Papageorgiou, pleading for both more money and a root-and-branch reorganisation of the entire system of fighting forest fires. Serious failings in the Greek system were blamed for not extinguishing the fires sooner, although a dry winter and a succession of heatwaves were contributing factors. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hBwFCPsh30VU--CldXPLJhrJ6DTg Cameroon: 23) The logging industry is a mainstay of Cameroon's economy, generating nearly 40 million euros in tax revenues annually. Timber exports are valued at 120 million euros. And the sector provides employment to 25,000 people. But these benefits are offset by the impact logging is having on Cameroon's forests, believes Samuel Nguiffo. " My sense is that the trees have less value than the rest of the forest, " he says. One of the other reasons for the high levels of illegal logging in Cameroon is corruption. Even logging permits that appear to be legitimate are often fake, says Samuel Nguiffo, the director of the Centre for Environment and Development. " You may have the right signature and the right stamps, but the permit is still illegal. The system is so corrupt that it's difficult to say what is legal or illegal. " In recent years, there has been growing talk of sustainable logging, but this is an illusion says Samuel Nguiffo. " What we understand as sustainable logging is logging where the operations can be carried out on the same scale, while preserving the same species forever and ever. And this doesn't exist in any tropical forest in the world. " One of the main ways of extracting timber illegally is through short-term logging permits. These are granted by the authorities for development projects such as building a country road or a palm oil or pineapple plantation. The companies that clear the land for the project can then sell the timber. But often times, the development projects don't materialise. In fact, says Albert Barume, " people are using these permits simply to access timber. " http://www.radionetherlands.nl/radioprogrammes/earthbeat/080416eb-deforestation Kenya: 24) The government will take stern measures against officers who collude with timber traders to destroy forests. The deputy PC Nyanza province Mrs.Asha Indiaha told a stake holders meeting on environment at Kisumu hotel that some government officials have allowed destruction of forest cover in their areas and they will not be spared. The officer singled out Rachuonyo district where she claimed wanton destruction of forests was going on unabated and urged the area district forester to take charge. The government forests were destroyed during the post election period when people descended on the trees which they later sold to brick makers in the region. http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/pc-decries-wanton-depletion-of-fore\ sts-in-nyanza/ 25) ABC Home, the ne plus ultra of New York furnishing stores, is ramping up its environmental stewardship by partnering with 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement on its Carbon Poverty Reduction Program. The outreach is part of an international effort to measurably reduce global warming by planting five billion trees over the next 50 years. For every piece of furniture purchased from ABC Home's Goodwood furniture program, a tree will be planted in Kenya to help replenish rapidly diminishing biodiversity. " For hundreds of years, when farmers cut down trees, they planted new ones with the intention of replenishing natural resources and restoring natural balance, " says Paulette Cole, CEO and creative director of ABC Home. " Inspired by the wisdom of our forefathers, we seek to continue and maintain the practices embedded in our culture's heritage. " The Goodwood program, originally developed over two years ago in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, seeks to protect against illegal logging practices by requiring that wood be sourced from responsibly managed forests and reclaimed salvaged sources that protect old growth and endangered forest species. Today ABC Home offers more than 650 Goodwood furniture options and each participant in the program will receive a certificate to acknowledge their support of responsible sourcing practices and recognize their effort to replenish depleted forests and offset carbon emissions. http://www.interiordesign.net/id_newsarticle/CA6552529.html Congo: 26) The storm was right on top of us. A flash of lightning illuminated the Niari River and the railroad bridge we had driven across earlier that afternoon in stark black-and-white. The thunder that followed almost instantly was not a rumble or even a clap, but the sharp crack of a whip. Rain came down in sheets, clattering onto the tin roof with enough noise that we had to shout to be heard over it. We were a group of nine overlanders, traveling the length of Africa in our own vehicles. We had made contact with Alan, the owner of a logging company in the Republic of Congo, who had generously offered us a place to stay. Normally we would have been content to sleep in our vehicles, but tonight we were very happy to be watching the storm play out from the dry verandah of the company's guesthouse. Alan's Congolese chef, Luc, had even prepared an excellent meal for us. Alan's company has concession from the Congolese government to log about 50 square kilometers, or 300,000 hectares, of the Congo River basin. The company harvests an average of one tree per hectare and takes about 40 trees per day generating 2500 cubic meters of hard and soft woods per month. Because of the high cost of transporting the timber 150 kilometers to the coast for export, only species that fetch high prices on the world market are exploited. The next day dawned clear and Alan offered to take us to the forest for a firsthand look at where our fine hardwood dining tables and coffee tables come from. We followed him in our vehicles as we made our way slowly up into the concession along muddy, water covered roads. Alan employs Congolese pygmies to identify trees for harvest based on type and size. He introduced us to a team of five laborers who were about to fell a tree that had been previously identified. They hacked a footpath through the forest with machetes for us as we followed them for about 30 minutes into the forest. At one point I looked back and realized that even with the crude path, I would be hopelessly lost without our guides to show us the way back to the road. Our group looked on quietly as four of the team used machetes to clear the bark around the base of the tree so that it wouldn't foul the chainsaw. One man, wielding the chainsaw instead of a machete, sat quietly on the ground with a file sharpening the blade of the saw. http://achirricishmael.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/a-travelers-perspective-selectiv\ e-logging-the- congo-rainforest/ Mexico: 27) Jalisco has seven million hectares of native pine and oak forests and extensive plantations of eucalypts, several national and state parks, and is the only place where tequila is produced in the world. Guadalajara is also the home of the mariachis (groups of Mexican string and brass minstrels) and a thriving cultural centre for the performing, visual and fine arts. " If successful, the exchange program would see short and longer term visits at UNE by employees of the Ministry for Rural Development of the state government of Jalisco, and UNE student and staff opportunities to work and study in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, and Mexico's second city, " Professor Reid said. While Walcha's timber industry is primarily made up of softwood plantation and native eucalypt forest, in the State of Jalisco they manage native pine forest and eucalypt plantations. " The group were impressed when they were shown native forest harvesting at Doyle's River State Forest that is certified to the Australian Forestry Standard, producing a range of certified sustainable forest products including sawlogs, salvage and pulp, " Mr Fuller said. http://walcha.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/forestry-delegation-looks-at-l\ ocal-industry/1 225057.html South America: 28) One week before the third meeting of the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Global Forest Coalition, a worldwide coalition of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Indigenous Peoples Organizations, have published an open call to NGOs to withdraw themselves from the RTRS process. " Soy monoculture covers 21 million hectares in Brazil, the second largest world producer and exporter of soybean, soybean oil and soybean meal, and the largest exporter of value added soy as poultry, pork and beef. Soy also accounts for 80% of the raw material used to produce biodiesel in Brazil to date, " said Camila Moreno from Terra Di Direitos in Brazil. She adds: " Soy is indisputably recognized as the main driving force of deforestation over the Amazon and Cerrado and a root cause of the escalating rural violence and human rights violations associated to land issues in our country. Soy expansion and soy greed has allowed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) illegally into the country, smuggling seeds from Argentina. That gives precedent to the legalization of other GMOs leading to peasant and family farm indebtedness in southern Brazil. " The standards for " responsible " soy as currently proposed do not even exclude genetically modified soy, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of consumers in Europe rejects genetically modified crops. Elias Diaz Peña of Sobrevivencia in Paraguay adds: " We entirely reject the irresponsible insistence on such an oxymoron as sustainable soy. Soy is the cement of an all western way of life and diet, and as we see all around, there is no criteria but profit to its expansion. Even more scandalous than soy's devastating effects over biodiversity and traditional food cultures is the hypocrisy of northern consumers and their governments that refuse to accept the bare truth. " According to Dr. Miguel Lovera, the chairperson of the Global Forest Coalition, " The support of civil society organisations to this Roundtable is legitimizing a corporate-dominated process that attempts to give a green veneer to further soy expansion in South America and other regions instead of promoting more sustainable consumption patterns that would take away the need for further expansion. " info Brazil: 29) Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon may be on the rise, according to high-resolution images released by an agency of the Brazilian government. The images suggest an end to a widely hailed three-year decline in the rate of deforestation and have spurred a public controversy among high-level Brazilian officials, writes Tim Hirsch, author of " The Incredible Shrinking Amazon Rainforest " in the May/June 2008 issue of World Watch magazine. Deforestation accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for significant species loss worldwide. Recent anti-deforestation measures under the administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have led to a marked drop in the rate of forest loss over the past three years. " What matters most to people is whether deforestation is coming under control, or whether this magnificent ecosystem is doomed to relentless decline, with all the implications for the millions of unique species it harbors, for the survival of precarious indigenous cultures, and for the global climate, " writes Hirsch. Using satellite imaging, the Brazilian National Space Research Agency (INPE) estimated a probable rainforest loss of 7,000 square kilometers between August and December 2007, a figure on track to surpass last year's total of 11,000 square kilometers. The announcement by INPE garnered conflicting reactions from government officials. President Lula expressed doubts regarding the validity of the findings, while Governor Blairo Maggi of Mato Grosso, the state which accounted for more than half the deforestation registered by the images, accused the INPE of releasing false information. Discussion of financial incentives to reward developing countries that protect their forests suggests that a downward trend in deforestation may one day prove profitable for Brazil. As an emerging economic force, and as a candidate for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, Brazil has much to lose if the rate of deforestation increases. " It is too soon to judge whether the emergency action taken by the Lula government in the Amazon will be sufficient to do what it claims is possible: bear down strongly enough on deforestation to keep the annual rate below last year's figure, " wrote Hirsh. " One thing is certain: this is a crucial turning point for the Amazon, and the outcome matters hugely to us all. " http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5708 Indonesia: 30) Sun, a former Internet entrepreneur, is frank about his motives. " The more hectares we manage, the more land we 'farm' carbon on, the more money we make, " he says. " Our goal is to be the amazon.com of the Amazon. " This week, Merrill Lynch (MER, Fortune 500) announced that it will invest $9 million to help save a tropical forest in Aceh, Indonesia. It's the first time a Wall Street firm has invested in carbon farming, and let's be clear: this isn't philanthropy of public relations; it's strictly business. Speaking by phone from Jakarta, Dorjee Sun says he has pitched large-scale avoided deforestation projects to more than 200 banks, hedge funds, pension funds and conservation groups. He's working with governors in Indonesia and Brazil, and came to the U.S. last fall where he pitch deforestation projects to Howard Schultz of Starbucks and investor George Soros. In fact, the man who put the deal together to save the 1.9-million acre forest, called Ulu Masen, believes it could be a very big business. " It will be the biggest carbon project in the history of the world if we can pull it off, " says Dorjee Sun, the 31-year-old founder of an Australian startup company called Carbon Conservation. " This is uncharted territory, " says Abyd Karmali, global head of carbon emissions at Merrill Lynch. " That's part of the risk that Merrill is taking. How much appetite will there be for credits from projects of this type? " Here's how the deal will work: Merrill will pay villagers in Aceh, a province on the island of Sumatra, to stop logging their forests. Aceh, of course, is the place that was devastated by a tsunami in 2004 and, before that, wracked by civil unrest. It's also home to Sumatran tigers, clouded leopards and orangutans, and therefore of special interest to environmentalists. The money will be used to train the villagers in alternative livelihoods, like growing coffee, cocoa or palm trees for oil. In exchange, Merrill will get carbon credits, which are also known as carbon offsets -- that's the " crop " in carbon farming. The credits will meet quality standards set a group called the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), whose members include environmental groups Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and the Rainforest Alliance, and companies as BP, Intel and SC Johnson. The alliance functions as a regulator, albeit without legal clout. Merrill will pay about $4 per credit for 500,000 credits per year over the next four years --$8 million in all. (The other $1 million buys an option to acquire more credits.) Merrill then hopes to sell them for a profit to companies that want to voluntarily offset their carbon emissions. http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/17/technology/carbon_farming.fortune/?postversion=2\ 008041810 31) I just arrived in Kuching, Malaysia, after 20 grueling hours of travel from San Francisco. I'm here to take part in a fact finding mission organised by Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Tenaganita, People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and Pesticide Action Network Asia-Pacific (PAN AP). Over the next week, we'll be visiting communities threatened by proposed palm oil plantations to learn more about what's happening and find out what we can do to help. During my trip, I had time to do some background reading. Here's what I found out: 1) Between 1990 and 2000, Malaysia lost an average of 78,500 hectares of forest per year. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest destruction increased by 85.1%. 2) Malaysia is one of the world's leading carbon emitters – not because they're a major industrial power, but because the rapid rate of deforestation is releasing all of the carbon that those forests had captured for centuries. 3) The state of Sarawak is the largest state in the Malaysian federation located on the island of Borneo. Of the 2.2 million people in Sarawak, 60% belong to Indigenous groups collectively known as the Dayak people, who have settled in the area for centuries. 4) The way that land rights work in Malaysia, Indigenous groups must prove that they have used the land continuously since 1958 in order to establish their right to the land. With the current interpretation of the land rights law, the state government has stopped approving applications for Communal Reserves and has granted 60 – 90 year leases and concessions known as Provisional Leases to logging and plantation companies; usually closely related to people in the governing elite. 5) The Dayak people won a victory last year when the Federal Court in Kuala Lumpur (the highest court in Malaysia) recognized the pre-existence of native customary rights over land before any statute or legislation. Despite the Federal Court decision, the state government continues to grant Provisional Leases to logging and plantation companies. 6) Native communities and leaders who act to protect their land rights are persecuted, arrested and imprisoned to try to get them to give up their claims to the land. The industry also sends thugs to industry to harass the local community. Tomorrow, our delegation will head out to some of these threatened communities and find out more about what's going on. http://understory.ran.org/2008/04/17/on-a-mission-to-expose-the-human-costs-of-p\ alm-oil/ 32) The National Police will launch an internal investigation into the possible role of former West Kalimantan Police chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak in several illegal logging and timber smuggling cases in the province. " We will go ahead with the investigation, but as of this moment, we have yet to find any convincing evidence of his involvement in the cases, " National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. National Police chief Gen. Sutanto on Tuesday replaced Zainal with Brig. Gen. Natakusumah, former head of operational control at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. Zainal was removed from his post following police investigations into illegal logging in Ketapang regency, which ended with the detention of three officers, including former Ketapang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Akhmad Sun'an. Zainal has been accused of negligence that allowed illegal logging and timber smuggling to flourish in the province. " This (replacement) is punishment for Zainal. The National Police chief will not accept regional police chiefs who are unaware and have no grasp of what is happening in his or her jurisdiction, " spokesman Abubakar said. Zainal has been transferred to National Police Headquarters, where he will serve as an expert staff member. " The replacement is expected to encourage a new monitoring system in West Kalimantan to prevent further cases of illegal logging and timber smuggling there, " Abubakar said. " The National Police chief hopes the cases in Ketapang are the last to happen in the country. " http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20080417.A08 & irec=6 33) Sarawak has beefed up its enforcement efforts against illegal loggers, said newly appointed state Forest Department director Datuk Len Talif Salleh. He said this was done by consolidating the resources of Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC). " Illegal logging is still a concern. We're trying to miminise it, " he told reporters after opening a seminar on STIDC Industry Updates at Wisma Sumber Alam here on Thursday. Sarawak police have said that local criminal gangs were involved in illegal logging activities. Len Talif, who declined to say where most unlawful log extractions have taken place, said the state authorities had set specific targets to reduce illegal logging. He said a special 24-hour toll-free hotline would be set up soon to enable the public to report illegal logging activities, the hunting of protected wildlife and other timber-related offences to the authorities. " With the people as our ears and eyes, we will be able to act promptly, " he said. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/17/nation/20080417120510 & sec=n\ ation Australia: 34) A stand of ancient trees, some up to 4000 years old, is under threat by a proposed wind farm development by AGL at Mount Bryan. The Eucalyptus bicostata trees, growing in a small circle, form the only known patch of this species in South Australia and west of the Murray-Darling drainage system, making them geographically unique. Although these trees are widespread in Victoria and southern New South Wales, the age of the Mt Bryan stand is significant. AGL has acquired the development rights to their third South Australian wind farm, planned for Mt Bryan, comprising about 30 wind turbines with a capacity of up to 90MW. The company already owns two other wind farms in the area at Brown Hill (95MW) and Hallett Hill (71MW). When fully operational AGL anticipate the Hallett 3 (Mt Bryan) wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power about 43,000 average Australian households, avoiding up to 265,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. My Bryan, which gets snow most winters, has five distinct ecosystems, plus local springs which are important to the town, according to Hallett resident, artist and gallery owner Felicity Martin. She said she believed a tree within the stand of blue gums may be one of the oldest in South Australia. " … and provides an important link in the formation of this continent, with this tree providing a link to Tasmania, " Ms Martin said. " It is now under serious threat due to a large wind turbine development, which is going to have one turbine placed right next to it. " She said the consequent damage done by extensive earthworks impinging within 10-20 metres of the tree stand was also a significant issue. Researchers from the University of Tasmania School of Plant Science visited the Mount Bryan site about eight years ago to study the trees. Rebecca Jones from the University visited Mount Bryan in December 2006 as part of her PhD work and supports the consideration of the significance of the trees by the wind farm developers. " My PhD work (unpublished) has shown that it is genetically deviant from other populations and therefore of high conservation value, " she said. http://clare.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/ancient-trees-under-threat/1224\ 692.html 35) An environmental conservation group wants the New South Wales Government to commit to protecting the river red gum by creating more national parks. The newly signed Murray-Darling Basin agreement includes the protection of the trees as one of its outcomes. A spokeswoman for National Parks Association of NSW, Georgina Woods, says the red gums in the state's Riverina region should be preserved. " There are internationally significant wetlands in the Barmah-Millewa Forest and the Koondrook-Pericoota in particular, but there are there are a number of other red gum forests in the region, " she said. " At the moment, we're just looking for the State Government to make some indication that they will create large new national parks. " Ms Woods says the protection of river red gums is the easiest part of the Murray-Darling Basin agreement for the NSW Government to fulfil. " We don't want to take anything away from the really important water initiatives that have to be gone through as part of this agreement also, " she said. " But as a first step, protection of the flood-plain river red gum wetlands forests in the region is actually quite a simple measure. " http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/17/2219986.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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