295 – Earth’s Tree News
Today for you 33 new articles about earth’s trees! (295th edition)
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–British Columbia: 1) Carbon shenanigans
–Oregon: 2) Tune in to “Ax Men”
–California: 3) 2 forests on the California Climate Action Registry, 4) Bankrupt redwoods company gets out of lawsuits,
–USA: 5) Campaign to save trees is getting out of hand says Georgia Pacific
–UK: 6) Six police officers and 13 security guards stood guard as trees are cut down
–Scotland: 7) Significance of commercial forestry in Scotland
–Armenia: 8) Widespread practice of privilege granting
–Kenya: 9) Aerial survey of the Mau Complex forest blocks
–Congo: 10) Forest biodiversity is at the heart of Baka community subsistence
–Cameroon: 11) Your dining room table use to provide food for 100 people
–Costa Rica: 12) 5 million trees planted
–Peru: 13) New College students reflect on visit to rainforest
–India: 14) Forest Secretaries and officials meting tomorrow, 15) Illegal mining, 16) Miners by everything the forest departments, 17) More forest cover? We’d rather make money, 18) Major power project proposal times need to be shortened, 19) Forest dwellers take land and attack foresters, 20) Road widening a threat to Western Ghats, 21) satellite images, 22) Axing more than 100-year-old trees in the Pingalwara, 23) Jhuming practice,
–Malaysia: 24) Gliding mammals equipped with high-tech “backpacks”
–Penan: 25) Cooped up in a longhouse –Sumatra: 26) Destruction of high biodiversity forest in Bukit Tigapuluh
–Indonesia: 27) Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK, 28) Pine sap culture, 29) tricked out of their land by corrupt officials,
–Australia: 30) Forestry union condemns plans for a possible Gunns blockade, 31) Little remnant cool-temperate rainforest, 32) Awildlife corridor at Paddington Grove Estate? –World-wide: 33) Cutting down trees is one of the worst things you can do,
British Columbia:
1) Canada’s westernmost province plans to recruit its vast forests to help in the battle against climate change, with the goal of no net deforestation by 2015, British Columbia said on Tuesday. The province will also use its planned Pacific Carbon Trust to offer carbon offsets for purchase by private citizens, companies or other governments, the Liberal government government of Premier Gordon Campbell told the legislature in its annual policy speech. It marked the second consecutive year the government had used the Speech from the Throne to focus on climate change. Last year Campbell promised the province would but emissions of greenhouse gasses 33 percent by 2020. British Columbia’s huge forest regions produce about half of Canada’s softwood lumber exports, but the province also has to increase the number of trees it plants annually in urban areas such as Vancouver, the speech said. The trees, which naturally trap carbon dioxide, would be planted in schoolyards, parks and other public spaces. “Those new trees will help clean out air and lock away carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to global warming,” the government said. British Columbia also renewed its pledge to join a regional cap and trade system on carbon emissions with U.S. states and other Canadian provinces, but did not say if it plans to enact a carbon tax. More information on a carbon tax may be release next week, when the provincial budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year is unveiled. http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKN1225734820080212
Oregon:
2) Tune in to “Ax Men,” a 13-part History Channel series that follows four Northwest Oregon logging crews through a season on the job. The series makes its debut at 10 p.m. March 9. Last August, dozens of local loggers showed up for a casting call at the Lone Fir Bar & Grill in Castle Rock, hoping to catch the eye of producers from Thom Beers’ Original Productions of Burbank, Calif. Many of the loggers said they were fans of the shows “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel and “Ice Road Truckers” on The History Channel, both of which were created by Original Productions. Ultimately, though, “Ax Men” producers decided to use Pihl Logging Company of Vernonia, J.M. Browning and Gustafson Logging, both of Astoria, and Stump Branch Logging of Buxton. But that’s not because producers didn’t like the pickings at the Lone Fir. Monday, Eric Krume, owner of Krume Logging in Castle Rock, said producers had wanted to cast him for the show, but plans went awry at the last minute. A camera crew from California showed up Sept. 20 to shoot preliminary footage of him tower logging in Morton, Krume said. Producers wanted to start Krume’s story with him moving equipment to his next job site, which was in Cowlitz County. That’s when Krume, 40, got a phone call from the timberland’s new owners saying they didn’t want cameras on the property, he said. He’d gotten prior clearance for the film crews, but then the land changed hands. According to Krume, “Ax Men” producers even visited the new company’s headquarters to convince officials to allow them to film, but they didn’t succeed. As a result, Original Productions editor Mark Marriott had to revise his vision for the series, which had involved contrasting the loggers of Oregon and Washington and perhaps setting up competitions, Krume said. “When I couldn’t do it, I think they just stuck everything in Oregon,” Krume said. “Ax Men” camera crews filmed in Northwest Oregon throughout the brutal storms and flooding of late 2007, said Krume, who remained in touch with Marriott to clarify information about the logging industry. “They filmed every inch of the disasters around here,” Krume said. “(Marriott) called me and said, ‘How do you survive the winters down here?’ ” http://www.history.com
California:
3) Using sustainable forestry practices, the nonprofit owners of two North Coast redwood forests have met the state’s new verification standards for greenhouse gas reductions from timberlands, according to California Climate Action Registry officials. The two certified projects are on the 24,000-acre Garcia River Forest in Mendocino County, owned and managed by the Conservation Fund, and the 2,100-acre Van Eck Forest in Humboldt County, owned by the Pacific Forest Trust. The owners are voluntarily reducing emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by slowing the rate of logging. The longer the trees stand, the more they absorb carbon dioxide, the main global warming or greenhouse gas emitted by human activities. “It’s like rebuilding the principal in your bank account,” said Laurie Wayburn, president of the Pacific Forest Trust in San Francisco. “Over time, you’ll have greater yields of timber and greater stores of carbon.” The practice, called sustained yield, qualifies under the state’s new forest carbon-crediting rules so long as the amount of carbon stored in the forest can be independently verified. In meeting the verification standard, the greenhouse gas reductions from the two forests become the first to be counted toward the statewide rollback in global warming emissions required under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, according to the state Air Resources Board, which is charged with carrying out the measure. The law, also known as Assembly Bill 32, caps greenhouse gas emissions from all sources at 1990 levels by 2020. The stretch of redwoods and Douglas firs has a state-certified capacity to store more than 77,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to the state climate registry. That’s the equivalent of removing 51,700 cars from the road ever year, the Conservation Fund said in a press release. Pacific Trust reported its annual carbon emission reductions on the Van Eck Forest at 29,251 tons a year. Natsource Asset Management LLC, a New York firm that deals in credits for greenhouse gas emission reductions, recently bought 60,000 tons of reductions from the Van Eck Forest for an undisclosed price. http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/705333.html
4) The deal was made public in documents filed Friday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Corpus Christi, Texas. The lawsuits stem from a 1999 logging pact Pacific Lumber company negotiated with California and the United States. Two California forestry officials sued Pacific Lumber and its parent, Maxxam Inc., in December 2006, accusing the companies of defrauding taxpayers. While the claims against Pacific Lumber will be dropped, the two lawsuits — one in a California state court and another in federal court — will go forward against Maxxam and its chairman and Chief Executive Charles Hurwitz. An attorney for the plaintiffs declined to comment on Monday. A spokesman for Maxxam could not be reached for comment. Pacific Lumber is asking the court to sign off on the settlement, saying it eliminates costly litigation that threatened its bankruptcy case. The company, based in Scotia, Calif., said in court papers that even if the plaintiffs were “modestly successful” in asserting their claims, a claim for any amount “could prevent the feasibility of any Chapter 11 plan and thereby doom” the company’s reorganization. Under the settlement, the claims filed against Pacific Lumber will be resolved for $1. Pacific Lumber will eventually be dismissed from the state and federal lawsuits, according to court documents. Pacific Lumber, which owns more than 200,000 acres of timberlands in northern California, has been in bankruptcy since January 2007. It has filed a plan to repay creditors by selling and developing some its timberlands, but it is also facing competing plans filed by two other creditors — the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and hedge fund Marathon Asset Management. In 1999, Pacific Lumber and Maxxam finalized the so-called Headwaters agreement with California and the federal government. Under the deal, Pacific Lumber sold 5,600 acres of redwood trees for $380 million. The company also won approval for a sustained yield plan, or SYP, that would regulate logging on its remaining land. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8UOD5FO1.htm
USA:
5) One of America’s biggest forest-product companies says the campaign to save trees is getting out of hand. Georgia-Pacific LLC turns trees into everything from lumber to toilet paper. Now, in new comments it has submitted to the federal government, the Atlanta-based company is shouting from the treetops about what it gripes is tree-hugging run amok. Georgia-Pacific is swinging its axe at what it calls “outrageous” claims made by some other companies about the supposed environmental purity of their products. Manufacturers of recycled or non-wood products often market them as having saved a certain number of trees. Georgia-Pacific calls that sort of claim so vague as to be meaningless. “What is the species? What is the size of the trees? What was the pulping process used and its yield?” the Atlanta-based company asks in comments submitted last week to the Federal Trade Commission. Without such details, Georgia-Pacific says, a corporate claim that a product is saving trees “appears as a crude example of political correctness.” All this comes as the FTC is putting corporate green-marketing claims under a new microscope. It’s updating its “Green Guides,” guidelines about what environmental claims companies can make, such as for recycling. The FTC last updated the guides in 1998; since then, corporate green marketing has surged. It isn’t just the FTC scrutinizing forest-product companies. As the Journal has reported, Staples Inc. last month became the latest office-supplies retailer to sever contracts with Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. over APP’s alleged destruction of natural rainforest to feed its mills. One new issue the FTC is looking into is claims about carbon offsets. These are the paper instruments said to represent greenhouse-gas emission reductions somewhere on the planet. They’re being sold to both businesses and consumers looking to make a statement about their environmental commitment. The trade in these offsets is booming – but so are questions about whether they’re more than hot air. Where the FTC’s probe will end up is anyone’s guess. But comments like Georgia-Pacific’s show that environmental regulation can be a company’s friend – when it potentially hits that company’s competitors. http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/02/12/georgia-pacific-vs-the-tree-huggers/?mod=g
ooglenews_wsj
UK:
6) Six police officers and 13 security guards stood guard yesterday as three trees in the centre of Oxford were felled ahead of redevelopment work. But the operation to remove London Plane trees in Norfolk Street alongside the Westgate car park passed off peacefully, with no sign of protesters. When work at the site began last month, county councillor Deborah Glass Woodin was arrested by police on suspicion of aggravated trespass during a protest. Thames Valley Police refused to say how much it had cost to have six officers guarding the area. Miriam Hadcocks, who supported Bruce Heagerty’s sit-in protest in one of the trees last month, said: “I think the developers have pulled a fast one here. “People who have protested against the tree felling have jobs and unfortunately can’t be there to keep a 24-hour watch on the developers.” Ms Hadcocks, 34, of Cowley Road added: “We will be keeping a closer eye on the remaining trees from now on. This isn’t a victory for the developers.” Fellow campaigner Jess Worth, 33, of Iffley Road, said: “The people I’ve spoken to are shocked and outraged by this. We would have thought they would have learned from last time that it isn’t acceptable to go ahead and cut down these trees.” Green Party city councillor Nuala Young said: “I’m horrified. It was a surprise to everyone that they were cut down. It’s really disappointing. We should be working with our natural resources not cutting them. http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2036167.0.ring_of_steel_as_trees_cut.php
Scotland:
7) I welcome the chance to debate the position and significance of commercial forestry in Scotland. Many people throughout the country will not realise the significance of the industry, but the minister and others have set out its importance. Forestry and wood processing provide thousands of jobs and are worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the Scottish economy. The industry currently produces some 6.8 million tonnes of softwood round timber a year, which is forecast to rise to more than 8 million tonnes a year over the coming two decades. We are currently pretty good at sourcing material from indigenous sources: it is important that we maintain that, given the forecast rise in production. That is one of the reasons why I welco me the Government’s commitment to increasing forest and woodland cover within 25 years. There are other reasons to welcome that commitment, to which I will return. As the industry grows and production increases, it is vital that we ensure that more raw materials for the forestry industry are secured by way of greater forest cover. The environmental angle is important. Our forests and woodlands are important tools in mitigating the effects of climate change. Crucially, the industry itself recognises the importance of that. The Confederation of Forest Industries estimates that tree planting is now offsetting around 8 per cent of Scotland’s carbon emissions. I accept that carbon-emissions offset is not in itself going to win the climate change battle, but it has an important part to play, so the Scottish Government’s commitment to increasing forest cover within 20 years or so is important in that regard. The more trees that are planted, the greater will be the carbon-emissions offset. According to the Confederation of Forest Industries, Scotland has 17 per cent forest cover, which compares favourably with the UK figure of 11 per cent, but lags significantly behind the EU25 average of 36 per cent. At one stage, Scotland was almost entirely covered by forest. http://520votes.blogspot.com/2008/02/debate-on-commercial-forestry-7th.html
Armenia:
8) While accusing the present authorities in the widespread practice of privilege granting, Ter-Petrosyan cites several examples where natural resources and green spaces have been privatized, particularly, “Practically all the mines operating in Armenia and even those only being investigated that have been sold to high-ranking officials and foreign investors for a mere pittance…All suitable land for construction purposes, including park land and open spaces, in the cities, especially Yerevan…recreation areas in the country, particularly in Tzaghkadzor, Sevan, Dilijan, Hankavan, the forests and timber facilities in Aghveran, etc…” Vazgen Manukyan devotes a separate portion of his program to the environment entitled, “Issues Regarding Normal Development, the Utilization of Resources, and the Environment”. Here he writes, “The government must draft a long-term program designed to utilize the resources’ potential in the production sector in stages, taking into account consumed supplies, the demand for metals and their market prices and all the while introducing the latest environmental friendly technologies into mining operations. In this regard the government’s decision for the mining operations at Teghut must be reviewed. It’s vital to improve the extractive process of all beneficial elements and to substitute their exportation with the production of finished products.” The country’s economy is dependent upon the conservation of the country’s natural resources and their correct utilization. It appears that many of the candidates either do not comprehend this reality or if they do they turn a blind eye because it’s to their advantage to do so. Given that some of the presidential hopefuls have precious little to say regarding the environmental issues confronting Armenia, the average voter has much to seriously ponder. On the other hand, the question remains to what extent will those candidates who speak out on these issues honor their pledges and actually translate the words they’ve written down on paper into reality. http://www.hetq.am/eng/politics/7552/?printable=1
Kenya:
9) On 23rd January 2008, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG) and the Ewaso Ngiro South Development Authority (ENSDA) conducted an aerial survey to determine the status of some of the Mau Complex forest blocks following complaints that there was increased forest destruction after the disputed 2007 December presidential elections. he aircraft flew over four forest blocks namely: Maasai Mau, Ol Pusimoru, Transmara and South West Mau. Government officials from Narok North District, Narok District Forest Office, Narok District Environmental Office, Ewaso Ngiro South Development Authority, accompanied officers from UNEP, KFWG and the Narok County Council participated in the aerial survey. The survey consisted of flying at low altitude above the southern and eastern Maasai Mau boundary, the Maasai Mau/Ol Pusimoru boundary, the north-eastern and south-western Transmara boundaries, the 2001 excision boundary in South West Mau, and the western part of Maasai Mau in Narok South District. All forest destructive activities were recorded by GPS, digital camera and video. Results of the aerial survey can be found in a report posted on the Kenya Forests Working Group website. In brief the survey revealed that there is increased intensity in settlement and logging particularly of Podo within the Maasai Mau, which has also increased encroachment through settlement into Ol Pusimoru along the Ol Pusimoru/Maasai Mau forest boundary. A large section of S W Mau forest degazetted in 2001 is now completely settled and there is encroachment beyond the boundary. The Transmara has had incidences of fire, some limited logging of Podo is taking place and in some cases nearby tea plantations are encroaching into SW and Transmara forests. The above report was presented to partners in Narok and to the Director and senior staff of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). In response, the Narok County Council has allocated Kshs 4 million to start demarcation of forest boundaries of the Maasai Mau forest (the most affected forest block in the Mau complex, which is managed by the council). The KFS agreed to send 200 forest guards to the gazetted Ol Pusimoru Forest Reserve that is managed by KFS. Further aerial assessments of the forests are being arranged. http://wildlifedirect.org/blogAdmin/kenyaforests/2008/02/11/kfs-and-county-council-react-to-de
struction-in-mau-complex/
Congo:
10) Forest biodiversity is at the heart of Baka community subsistence, and Congo Basin forests are widely recognised as a global asset. The UK government has committed more than £50m ($25m) towards protecting them. The wealth of the basin’s rainforests is also targeted by big business. Logging and mining companies are legally entitled to exploit millions of hectares. Only two kilometres from Ngola Baka, for example, the community forest gives way to an industrial logging concession. The Moabi tree found there is particularly favoured by loggers for its hard, dark wood and high market price. The Moabi’s fruit is also a key component of Baka subsistence, especially for the rich oil pressed from the nut. People rely upon it for their survival. Last year, it was harvested by Baka women in a forest grove 12km from the village, in the middle of the logging concession, as has been done seasonally for years. But those trees are now gone, cut down during 2007 and exported to Europe to make garden furniture and coffee tables. Ngola Baka is a poorer, hungrier place as a result of European tastes for luxury. Last week I saw once again – like a scratched record repeating a verse – how the systematic exploitation of such areas by industrial loggers progressively undermines the welfare of indigenous forest communities. New forest-use maps, created by local Baka communities with the support of the UK Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and the Centre for Environment and Development in Cameroon (CED), illustrated the huge overlap between Baka traditional lands and the legal boundaries of neighbouring logging concessions. We discovered that up to 40,000 hectares of forest used by Ngola Baka are now being logged. Moabi are targeted along with a host of other tree species used by Baka. The future of the community is at stake as its forest is stripped of trees. This should be stopped, but who on Earth is going to do that? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7239328.stm
Cameroon:
11) What about the recently purchased hardwood table and chairs? Did these come from a 300-year-old tree that, until cut down for export to Europe, supplied a hundred poor people in Cameroon with oil, protein and medicine? Armed with this knowledge, would the customers’ new furniture be quite so comfortable? Ngola Baka typifies Pygmy hunter-gatherer communities in Cameroon; it is small, remote, cash-poor and surrounded by small fields of manioc and plantain to supplement a varied and healthy forest diet based upon meat, fish, fruits, nuts, honey, leaves and mushrooms. Since there is no dispensary, and little money, medicines are found in the forest, in the barks, roots and leaves gathered during hunting and gathering excursions up to 20km (12 miles) away. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7239328.stm
Costa Rica:
12) Costa Rica, a leader in eco-tourism and home to some of the world’s rarest species, planted its 5 millionth tree of 2007 on Wednesday, December 19 as it tries to put a brake on global warming. President Oscar Arias shoveled dirt onto the roots of an oak tree planted in the grounds of his offices, reaching the milestone in the Central American nation’s efforts to ward off what some experts say are the first signs of climate change. By the end of the year, Costa Rica will have planted nearly 6.5 million trees, which should absorb 111,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, Environment Minister Roberto Dobles said. The country aims to plant 7 million trees in 2008 as part of the newly launched program. Along with other green-minded nations like Norway and New Zealand, Costa Rica is aiming to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero, and has set a target date of 2021. “I don’t know if we will end up being carbon neutral in 2021 as we have proposed, but the important thing is the audacity of the goal and the work we have to do,” Arias said. Costa Rica is a magnet for ecology-minded tourists who come to visit the lush national parks and reserves that cover more than a quarter of the country and are home to almost 5 percent of the world’s plant and animal species including exotic birds and frogs. Over the last 20 years forest cover in Costa Rica has grown from 26 percent of the national territory to 51 percent, though environmentalists complain that loggers continue to cut down old trees and that the national park system is under funded. Costa Rican authorities have blamed the loss of more than a dozen amphibian species, including the shiny yellow “golden toad,” on higher temperatures caused by global warming. http://ecopreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/costa-rica-plants-five-million-trees/
Peru:
13) In January, a group of 27 New College students, nature-lovers and aspiring scientists traveled to the upper Amazon River outside Iquitos, Peru, where we lived in the forest for eight days and learned about its wonders from locals who grew up there. One of us counted 128 mosquito bites; another fell in love with a baby monkey; one experienced bat poop in her bed; but all of us rejoiced at sunrise in the tropical rain forest treetops. It was a wonderful rebirth of our five senses, made possible only through the eyes of the local people who shared their world with us. The Amazon rain forest represents the largest remaining expanse of tropical rain forest on Earth. It provides livelihoods for diverse indigenous peoples; homes for millions of species; an enormous heat-engine to maintain regional and global precipitation patterns; and a massive storage of terrestrial carbon that slows the rapid buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Despite their essential services critical for human life on our planet, most rain forests are under siege by industrialized countries seeking timber, oil, or large-scale agriculture. In the Brazilian Amazon, 80 percent of the logging is illegal. Of those contraband logs, an estimated one-third end up in America, Brazil’s largest importer of Amazon booty. A hectare of tropical rain forest contains approximately 200 tons of carbon, representing one of nature’s most efficient storage areas for carbon dioxide on the planet. Currently, one quarter of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere result from clearing rain forests. Leaving a hectare of tropical rain forest intact for sustainable harvest and carbon storage may prove more economically sound than clear-cut for timber, fossil fuels, or large-scale agriculture. http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080211/COLUMNIST18/802110580/-1/newssitemap
India:
14) Forest Secretaries and officials of Forest Departments from all over the country are meeting tomorrow to discuss issues relating forest areas, management of protected areas, man-animal conflicts and other forest and wildlife related issues. This two-day Conference has been organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Forest Secretaries, Principal Chief Conservators of Forests and Chief Wildlife Wardens from all the States and Union Territories will participate in the Conference. They will discuss issues relating to increasing forests and tree cover in the country. To achieve the target of National Forest Policy 1988 to increase the forest cover of the country, radical reforms and concerted actions will be discussed. The Conference will deliberate on a unique proposal to develop plantation banks to facilitate the compensatory afforestation through Green Credit Scheme. Besides this, implementation of scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, Tiger Conservation, Man-Animal Conflicts, better facilities for front-line staff, recommendations of National Forests Commission and Forest Protection including wildlife conservation will be discussed. The main thrust of the Conference will be on progress of the implementation of the management plans of Protected Areas and man-animal conflicts. The management plans are important tools for scientific management of protected areas. If they are based on sound scientific and ecological data, they help in augmenting water resources of respective region. The National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) has also emphasized this. The Man-Animal conflicts spread over the country in a variety of forms, including monkey menace of the urban centers, crop raiding by ungulates and wild pigs, depredation by elephants and cattle and human lifting by tigers and leopards. These are results of degradation of habitats, depletion of the natural prey base, changing crop patterns and others. The Conference will disucss on various aspects and management interventions to mitigate these conflicts. http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=35287
15) GURGAON: Five years after the Supreme Court banned illegal mining in the Aravalli hills in 2002, the unlawful activity has resumed in Gurgaon district, thanks to the alleged connivance of some forest officials with the mining mafia. Last week, a team of senior forest department officials found the presence of over a dozen roads leading from the mining prohibited area to the stone crushing zones, also located adjacent to the forest area. Sources said these roads have been constructed for carrying rocks on trucks from the mining area to the stone crushing zones, which according to a Haryana Pollution Control Board notification are running in violation of the law. The officials discovered that trees were cut off to pave way for the roads, a clear violation of a series of SC orders. “Construction of all these roads is a clear sign of illegal mining. We will dig up at strategic locations of the roads to stop the plying of truck carrying stones,” said conservator of forest R P Balwan. The forest department’s suspicion was confirmed on Thursday when a team surveying the area spotted a truck and a few men with equipment for carrying out mining. But by the time they reached the spot, all the men fled from the spot. “They even took away the truck battery to ensure that the truck could not be moved from there. It’s tough to identify the culprits since the trucks they use don’t have registration numbers,” Balwan said. The violation is largescale in Raisina, Gairatpur, Pandwala and Naurangpur areas of the Aravallis. Alarmed by the illegal activity, Balwan wrote a letter to the district forest officer asking him to explain about the lapse and expressing his apprehension about the possibility of some department employees being hand-in-glove with the mafia. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Crushing_Aravalli_forests_to_dust/articleshow/2771881.c
ms
16) NEW DELHI: Gleaming Scorpios, Boleros and Ambassadors, glitzy motorcycles and gadgets to make an office comfortable – ACs, faxes, photostat machines, computers and almirahs. These are what keep the Orissa forest department running and what it receives on a regular basis and in good numbers from select mining companies. Needless to say, it’s a quid pro quo compromising its role as an arbiter. The department decides if a company can mine in the out-of-bound forests, and what makes its role critical is the fact that the richest mineral deposits are buried underneath the green belt. In what is unprecedented even in government annals, Orissa forest department has for years been “officially” asking mining companies to “provide” everything from SUVs to bookshelves. And, the companies have obliged. Documents accessed by TOI show that the head of the state forest department – the principle chief conservator of forests (PCCF) – still drives around in a Scorpio provided by Jindal Steel and Power Limited and an Ambassador gifted by Nalco. He is not alone in this blatant violation of government rules. In just two years, 2005-2007, senior officials under the PCCF received 12 vehicles from companies like Tata Steel and even state-owned Orissa State Mining Corporation. While the senior officials got their four-wheeled gifts, their subordinates had to make do with motorcycles. Range officers – field level staff involved in patrolling the forests – records with TOI show, had a thing for Yamaha motorcycles. But the spree of gifts does not end at motorbikes and expensive cars. Various officials in the Orissa forest department have demanded and received air conditioners, fax machines, photostat machines and radio communication equipment. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Orissa_forest_department_runs_on_gifts_by_mining_firm
s/articleshow/2771917.cms
17) MIDNAPORE – Ignoring the state finance minister’s suggestion to increase state forest coverage to 33 per cent from the existing 27 per cent earlier this month, a CPI-M-run Bural gram panchayat in Sabang block in Midnapore West has aimed to increase their revenue by felling trees reared by a group of tree-huggers. Mr Asim Dasgupta, the state finance minister, had made this suggestion while discussing the environmental impact of degrading trees at a function in Kolkata. Mr Krishnagopal Ghoroi of Rambhadrapur Paschim and his co-workers, at whose initiative approximately 3,000 trees of different varieties were planted on 3 km stretch along the Kakardaha-Thakurboni Road in 1983, are awaiting the day some trees will be felled by the panchayat. Mr Ghoroi has been actively working to preserve the trees since September 2006 when a large number of trees were felled by the locals. He brought the matter to the notice of the district magistrate, divisional forest officer (Kharagpur division), chief conservators of forests and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board in writing but to no avail. Later, he submitted a mass petition to the higher echelons of the government, including the state governor, chief minister and the forest minister, urging them to step in to protect the remaining trees . But that too fell on deaf ears although they used to deliver sermons on the necessity of plantation, he regretted. Around 1,000 trees which survived man’s and nature’s vagaries are lying at the mercy of the panchayat. Considering their timber value to the tune of Rs 10 lakh, the local panchayat could not resist their temptation to fell the trees for inflating their revenue packet. But they have neither cared nor invested anything for the plantation. Recently, 700 of them have been marked by the panchayat to fell them in a few days, disregarding his lone feeble voice for the sake of the environment, Mr Ghoroi said.
Fed up with the inactive administration, Mr Ghoroi and his co-worker, Mr Bhim Chandra Jana, have written to the chief justice of Calcutta High Court and the chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission on 3 February as their last resort to rescue the trees before being axed by the panchayat. http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190068
18) At present, the Ministry of Environment and Forests takes around 550 days to grant major power projects different stages of environment clearances, including no objection for use of forest area. The private and public sector power developers had expressed concern over the prolonged time schedule for granting such clearances which in turn affected the work on important projects. They had urged the Government to look into the entire issue and bring down the time by at least a half. “We are working on bringing down this period for environmental clearance to around 225 days. We will soon formulate a new policy for approval at the appropriate level. This will help in putting the entire issue on fast track and reduce the long delays taken to complete the projects or start them,” the official said. http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/10/stories/2008021059500900.htm
19) Gandhinagar – In a bid to occupy land forcefully, forest dwellers, predominantly tribals, had attacked foresters in the woods of Vijaynagar taluka in Sabarkantha district bordering Rajasthan. The attacks around Vajaypur village of Dholavani range of Gandhinagar Forest circle had begun on Thursday night. As per forest department estimates, the tribals occupied upwards of 100 hectares of land, clearing trees in the region during their raids in the past couple of days. The mob of about 300 tribals had begun clearing the area. On Friday morning, local Range Forest Officer (RFO) and an Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) were assaulted, prompting the department to lodge a criminal complaint with the Sabarkantha Police. The area is thickly wooded with teak and comes under the dense forest category under the Forest Act. On Saturday evening, Anil Johri, Conservator of Forests, Gandhinagar Circle, said the forest officials were trying to have a dialogue with them, “but the fact that they were motivated and drunk was hampering any sort of reasoned communication and the situation had turned volatile.” But later in the night, Superintendent of Police, Sabarkantha, PRB Brahmbhatt, said the issue has been resolved through dialogue. “The police were informed about the incident. Police reached the spot along with forest officials and brought the situation under control. No complaint has been registered yet,” the SP said. The forest officials are not sure whether the tribals are being backed by some Left leaning organisation or the Congress. The Congress MP from Sabarkantha, Madhusudan Mistry, has been leading a campaign for the tribals’ rights over forests and the traditional ownership of minor forest produce by them. When contacted, Mistry, however, expressed surprise over the developments. He said although he did address a tribal meet in Vijaynagar earlier this week, there was no indication, or incitement, as alleged by the foresters, to occupy land. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Armed-tribals-try-to-encroach-on-forest-land/271314/
20) Despite two existing and well maintained routes connecting Goa and Belgaum, there is an attempt to upgrade another one between Panaji and Belgaum via Chorla. This route runs through pristine forests of the Western Ghats and has been in existence for long. Last year the Government came up with a plan to double the width of this road. The present road is quite competent, if repaired well, to carry the present load of traffic. These are the last tracts of forest remaining with a good amount of trees and wildlife. The elephants use this stretch of land as a corridor to go from one part of the jungle to another in search of water. Because of encroachment in their habitat, there have been several confrontations between elephants and the villagers and as water becomes scarce in summer, these animals are forced to come to areas with thin forest cover in search of water. At a time when depleting forests and human interference are driving to extinction our co-citizens (wild animals), where is the need for another road? What is the harm in travelling an hour extra, if needed at all, through some beautiful forests rather than speeding in the desert? Wider roads will lead to increase in traffic, cutting of innumerable trees on the 65 km path, confrontation with wild animals and, above all, increased pollution (noise, air, water). Studies show that there is a direct correlation between the felling of trees and the rainfall pattern in that area. Rather than bigger roads, why not smaller vehicles? We cannot replace a forest by plantation; we cannot recreate a waterfall or nature. Therefore, we have no right to destroy it. Global warming is high on every country’s agenda. We should not cut down our forests in the name of development in emulation of the West at a time when the US and Europe are reeling under the effects of global warming for want of forest cover. http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb122008/environmet2008021151714.asp
21) AHMEDABAD: Forest officials believe that satellite images may prove to be their saving grace from the precarious situation created by rebellious tribals, who have stormed the Polo forest, cut over 1,000 thousands and built bamboo huts to prove their ownership of forest land. “Tribals in Maharashtra had claimed ownership of forest land in the Borivalli National Park in a similar fashion, but recently the forest department won the case in court with the help of satellite images taken by ISRO, which proved that there were no tribal settlements in the forest till some years back before the tribals illegally laid claim,” a senior forest official told TOI. On Monday, the situation was tense in Polo Forest in Sabarkantha district as SRP personnel guarded the forest while the rebellious tribals moved backwards into the forests. There was fear that the tribals on a rebellious rampage inflamed by activists with communal leanings, may strike again at night. The ISRO has satellite images of forests of the state dating back 30-40 years which will prove that most of the claims are illegal. “Most of the tribals cutting trees and building make-shift huts and those who have been evicted from the forest as part of a special anti-encroachment drive between 2003-2006. These people, if they lay claim now, can be easily proved wrong with the help of satellite images,” said another forest official. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Satellite_can_supervise_Polo_forest/articleshow/
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22) The Pingalwara Society here today received flak from the general public and various social organisations for axing more than 100-year-old trees in the Pingalwara complex. The society has chopped four trees, including a peepal and a banyan, in the front courtyard of the complex for constructing waiting rooms for donors of the charitable society. Some of the leading NGOs and social workers associated with the society said they were shocked that the very institution which had launched a campaign for planting trees to make the environment clean, besides establishing a nursery of its own at the Mannawala complex and other areas, were brutally cutting century-old trees. They said these trees had heritage value for the esteemed institution. Even some of the employees who had been associated with the society for the past couple of decades were shocked over the decision of the society. However, Padma Shri Inderjit Kaur, president of the society, said due to scarcity of space in the complex the trees had to be cut to make way for the rooms. She said there was pressure on the society for constructing the rooms as the NRIs who had generously donated funds for the institution wanted that there should be some place where they could take rest after travelling from far-off places. She said the society had a nursery of its own and distributed more than 50,000 plants every year. She added that she too felt pained at the felling of the trees. But social activists opined that instead of cutting the trees, the society should have converted the present dispensary for the stay of the donors and shifted the dispensary to the backyard of the complex by constructing a new building. http://www.punjabheritage.org/material-heritage/100-yr-old-trees-cut-to-make-way-for-rooms.html
23) IMPHAL – Shifting cultivation (jhuming practice) which is directly linked with deforestation, is one of the main causes for extreme weather changes in the state despite steps being taken to wean the practices of the same by the state forest department. This is amidst the environmentalists projection of increased landslides, flooding in Manipur and other north eastern states by the impact of global warming. Analyst Dr. Tourangbam Brajakumar of the state environment and ecology wing agrees that there is sharp decline in the reserved forest area in the state. His analysis revealed speedy increase of deforestation in the state since 2000, he said. No physical fruitful result has been seen in the efforts of the forest department as increase in the practice of shifting cultivation in the hill areas which is directly related with the reduction of forest cover area in the state has been observed in the last few years. A report of the state forest department indicating gaining of forest cover in its reporting period seems to lack ground reality. Analysis reports of the state environment and ecology office observed that the total forest area covers about 67.7% of the geographical area of Manipur. In 1990, it was 17,679 sq. km that is about 79% of the total geographical area of the state. While it was 17,558 sq km in 1995, the total geographical area dropped to 17,418 sq km in 1997. Out of this only 22.11% represents the dense or true forest and the rest are designated as `scrub` or grassland dominated areas which in the true sense can hardly be regarded as forest. On the other hand, reports of the state forest department said that the forest cover of Manipur is 17,219 sq kms which is 77.12% of the total geographical area of the state as against 16,926 sq km in 2001 stating that it indicates a gain of 293 sq kms (1.13%) in forest cover during the period. More than 83 thousand families are reportedly practicing the shifting cultivation or jhuming in the state which covers vast areas of forests of Manipur. The total area under jhum cultivation was around 1,832 square kilometer in 1976 which gradually increased to 3,600 sq.km in 1983 and 4,905 sq.km. by 1990, according to reports of FSI and NRSA. According to Brajakumar`s observation, Churachandpur with 34% of the total area covered by jhum was highest among the hill districts. The next one being Chandel with 25 %. http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=41090&typeid=1
Malaysia:
24) Gliding mammals equipped with high-tech “backpacks” chock full of sensors are giving scientists new insights into aerial maneuverability, a new study reports. The study focused on the Malayan colugo, a cat-size animal commonly called a flying lemur—even though it is not a true lemur, nor does it technically fly. Instead the animal coasts between trees using a skin membrane attached to its hands and feet called a patagium. Colugos can glide for the length of two football fields (360 feet, or 110 meters), maneuver around obstacles, and execute 90-degree turns in midair. To learn the secrets of the creatures’ agility and how they can land safely after long glides, researchers glued small packages of sensors to several animals’ backs. The packs—each about the size of half a stick of gum—included motion-detection technology similar to that found in the remote control for the Nintendo Wii video-game console. The findings shed new light on the biomechanics of gliding animals and could aid in the design of flexible-wing aircraft such as hang gliders, the study authors say. “By studying how gliding animals control their membrane, we can learn more about how to control flexible wings,” said study team member Greg Byrnes of the University of California, Berkeley. The scientists caught adult colugos in the forests of the Singapore Zoological Garden as the nocturnal animals rested during the day. Patches of fur were shaved off the animals’ backs, and surgical glue was used to attach the electronic backpacks. Included in each pack were a motion-sensitive accelerometer, a Flash hard drive to store data, and a radio receiver to allow the researchers to locate the devices after the glue wore off. The study also revealed that the animals change their postures in a very precise way to slow down before landing. In addition, they reorient their bodies so that all four limbs help absorb the impact. “When they’re gliding normally, they’re pretty close to parallel to the ground,” study author Byrnes said. “But before they land, they pitch upward and use their patagiums like the parachute on the back of a race car to slow their momentum.” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080212-lemur-backpacks.html
Penan:
25) En-route back to camp, we stopped by a Penan settlement and I was interested to see these typically semi-nomadic people cooped up in a longhouse. Apparently they do sometimes head off into the jungle for a few days at a time but on the whole, they are happy to have a government-built roof over their head and an easier lifestyle. That evening I am told I can do a night walk with a park ranger and I jump at the chance. We start at 7pm in the pitch black, heading out onto a planked walkway that loops. We start walking very slowly shining our torches high into the trees and into the bushes. Almost immediately we spot a western tarsier – one of those cute little mammals with the huge, doll-like eyes. It leapt like a champion long-jumper out of way and into the bush but I was delighted to then hear that the guide has not sighted a tarsier in about seven years! Over the course of the next two hours, we also saw a wild tarantula, bats, crickets and mating stick insects and a sleeping black-back crested kingfisher. I was amazed at how different the rainforest is at night and the noises were incredible. A very worthwhile addition to my Mulu time. Whilst I was in Mulu, I was given a different guide and I was fortunate enough to be assigned Joseph, a local from the Penan tribe. With a soft manner and shy nature (Penan people are typically bashful) Joseph enchanted me with stories of the forest, his tribe and his life to date. http://www.adventuredirect.com.au/blog/?p=208
Sumatra:
26) The destruction of high biodiversity forest in Sumatra’s Bukit Tigapuluh landscape – including the extinction of the endangered Sumatran tiger, elephant, and orangutan- is now in front of our eyes. The Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape is severely threatened due to on going massive clearance and a future plan by the Ministry of Forestry to convert the expired Selective Timber Concession (HPH) through the giant pulp and paper company Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and its partners. The Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape, located in Jambi and Riau Province, is one of the last remaining areas of relatively large contiguous dry lowland forest in Sumatra. Five environmental NGOs that work in the landscape strongly criticize this conversion plan. The plan will systematically threaten the habitat of endangered species; environmental services provided by watershed Indragiri and Rateh rivers of Riau and watershed Batanghari and Pengabuan rivers of Jambi; and the livelihood of forest-dependent local communities, including indigenous tribe of Talang Mamak and Orang Rimba. WARSI, PKHS, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Zoological Society of London and WWF-Indonesia call on the government to take real action in protecting the remaining forest in Bukit Tigapuluh landscape from forest conversion done by APP and its partners. Natural forests in Jambi have became a new target for APP to source its materials to produce pulp and paper as its conversion activities in the neighoring Riau have been stopped due to a police investigation of illegal logging there. Inactive logging concession areas in Bukit Tigapuluh forest block have become the target of forest clearance to plant accacia by APP partners PT Arara Abadi of Riau and PT Wirakarya Sakti of Jambi. Both are very expansive in clearing forests to provide material for the pulp and paper industry. APP partners have cleared about 20,000 hectare of natural forest in part of the Bukit Tigapuluh lanscape, particularly in the area surrounding protected forest Bukit Limau. The forest clearence was done to supply material for pulp production at APP’s PT.Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper in Riau and PT.Lontar Papyrus Pulp and Paper in Jambi. Field investigations done by environmental organizations in Riau and Jambi and released today found indications of illegal logging and logging highway construction by APP and its partners in the location of inactive ex PT IFA and PT Dalek Hutani Esa. The highway has created access for further conversion and sped up the loss of natural forests, while the legality of the highway construction is still being scrutinized. http://eyesontheforest.or.id/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163&Itemid=6
Indonesia:
27) The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK would like to offer you the chance to participate in our exclusive online auction on eBay to support orangutan conservation.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150214754385 This beautiful framed photograph kindly donated by Thomas Marent with a view to raising funds for the rehabilitation of the orangutans of Nyaru Menteng is up for grabs! A copy of Thomas’s photographic biography “Rainforest” will also be sent to the winning bidder. We hope you will have a bit of fun and excitement joining in on the bidding, while knowing you are helping us raise the funds required to sustain the sanctuary. So get in on the act and happy bidding! Michelle Desilets, Director Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK “Primates Helping Primates” http://www.savetheorangutan.org.uk
28) The sun was just beginning to set when a man in his 30s climbed a Damar pine, carrying a rattan basket on his shoulder. He climbed quickly, with a rattan rope, while carefully checking every cut on the tree for sap.On finding the thickened, dried sap, he would collect it and put pieces into his basket. Such sights are common in Pahmungan village, Krui, Lampung. For the people of Krui, collecting resin is not just a job for men but women also. The Damar pine (Shorea javanica) has been cultivated in Krui since hundreds of years ago. The area’s natural tree resin has been well known abroad for a long time. Dutch rulers used it as raw material to produce various products like varnish, paint, ink, incense and cosmetics. Until now, the people of Krui continue protecting their legacy amidst flourishing new rice fields and plantations. Green Damar pines fill the hills and farms in the coastal area. The Krui people, who call Damar plantations repong damar, have customary law to protect the pines. The pine cannot be cut and any person who violates the law receives punishment in the form of planting new Damar trees. Even would-be bride and grooms must plant trees before getting married. Some Krui people even believe they can talk to the Damar pine. For many years, parents have told their children, “if you need to pay for your childrens school fees, talk to Damar trees”. Lampung cultural observer Anshori Djausal said the custom has no denotative meaning. “It’s actually a message for Krui children to continue protecting Damar trees, and it has been successful — many Krui people have become successful and have attained high levels of education since their parents cultivated Damar pines,” he said. The trees are the main source of income for the people of Krui. Each week, farmers collect the sap and when they have enough, they sell it to collectors. Threats are looming from the opening of palm oil plantations, which have loosened the customary law. In the late 1980s, many Damar trees were cut down for palm oil plantations, and illegal loggers who used the pines to cover up stolen logs. The police would not stop them because they would not realize the loggers had mixed illegal logs with Damar pine logs. http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20080212.Q01&irec=0
29) Native peoples who depend on the rainforest for survival are being tricked out of their land by corrupt officials so they can grow lucrative biofuel crops, according to environmental groups. Forests that have supported generations of native peoples are being snatched and levelled for palm oil plantations, says Friends of the Earth. Unscrupulous companies are using force or conning families in the Indonesian rainforests into giving up their rights to the land by promising jobs and new developments. In its report Losing Ground FoE claims people end up in poorly paid work and locked into debt while the companies profit from palm oil plantations which destroy the forest and pollute village water supplies. It blames the rush to biofuels for fuelling demand for the huge amount of land needed to grow oil palm and calls on the EU to scrap its 10 per cent target for road transport biofuels by 2010. The report claims that although the EU wants to use biofuels sustainably it has not addressed the problems caused by its production and this will lead to more of the types of problems seen in Indonesia. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/11/eaindo111.xml
Australia:
30) The forestry union has condemned plans for a possible blockade to halt construction of the Gunns pulp mill at Bell Bay. Opponents of the mill have started holding workshops to prepare people for peaceful protest. They say their campaign will be the biggest blockade since the Franklin River dam issue. The Secretary of the CFMEU, Scott McLean, says he expects police will deal with any moves to blockade construction. However he says Gunns and the entire forest industry also have an interest in the situation. “We will continue and hopefully the pulp mill will commence construction soon,” Mr McLean said. “And the sooner the better from our point of view and from the forest industry’s point of view and from the thousands of people employed in the forest industry’s point of view,” he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/10/2158701.htm?section=business
31) Mr Appleton has a little remnant cool-temperate rainforest on his property at Balook, in that misty part of the Strzelecki Ranges where even in summer a persistent drizzle can feel like a sponge bath. The rainforest has nowhere to run, he says. This is its final refuge. But the fact that it has survived at all is reason for hope. It could have disappeared during the wholesale (and many now say mad) clearing of Gippsland’s Great Forest, which began in the 1870s, when settlers decided ancient stands of glorious mountain ash should make way for crops and cattle. Richard Appleton’s parents bought the 40-hectare Balook property in 1953. They cleared a few patches to grow potatoes and ride horses. But when the Forests Commission came knocking, Mr Appleton’s mother refused to sell. The area was beginning to recover from the 1944 bushfires. When Mr Appleton acquired the property in 1997, he sat down to plan not just its preservation, but a replanting scheme. He wanted to recreate the biodiversity that would have existed 200 years ago, when the tree canopy protected a dense understorey, and animals and birds had a symbiotic relationship that contributed to their survival. An environment, that is, that did not need human tampering. Today, Mr Appleton’s property is a little native oasis flanked by the Tarra Bulga National Park and the Merrimans Creek headwaters. The leeches cling like limpet mines as you gingerly pick your way through gullies where Mr Appleton has loosened the formidable grip of blackberry infestation, allowing native shrubs and ferns to reclaim their rightful place. He is putting in sassafras, beech and, of course, eucalypts — but it’s a hell of a task. He turned to Trust For Nature for help. Like many Victorian landowners developing an eco-consciousness, Mr Appleton signed a covenant, protecting the land from opportunistic development. He is putting in sassafras, beech and, of course, eucalypts — but it’s a hell of a task. He turned to Trust For Nature for help. Like many Victorian landowners developing an eco-consciousness, Mr Appleton signed a covenant, protecting the land from opportunistic development. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/of-his-own-tree-will-one-man-grows-back-to-the-future/20
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32) A touch of paradise is just around the corner, with tree varieties that were cleared from the Woongarra Scrub more than 100 years ago set to flourish again. Bundaberg Homes director Bill Moorhead has begun planting a wildlife corridor at Paddington Grove Estate using plants from the Woongarra Scrub. The developer said his plans to create a rainforest in the heart of the Kalkie development is a way to uphold and preserve some of nature’s finest gifts. “Rainforest is the most interesting vegetation on the planet, and yet it is the most threatened,” Mr Moorhead said. The corridor will be home to some of Australia’s most vulnerable plants providing homes for many species of birds and insects. “We are planting a very rare tree called the Wedge Leaved Tuckeroo, which will allow for endemic butterflies and dragonflies to call home,” he said. “I’m into native wildlife and trees and one of my biggest concerns is the lack of attention towards these species.” Boylans Garden World manager Melissa Boylan said the rainforest was a perfect haven for native creatures benefiting the environment and its surroundings. “It’s a great idea and the Wedge Leaved Tuckeroo is a very versatile plant that will provide food and shade for birds and insects,” she said. http://www.news-mail.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3763390&thesection=localnews&t
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World-wide:
33) Cutting down trees is pretty much one of the worst things you can do when it comes to climate change. Deforestation, by varying accounts, contributes anywhere from 20 percent to 30 percent of all carbon dioxide (C02) emissions — around 1.6 billion tons. When you cut down trees you get a double whammy. First of all, they are not called the lungs of the Earth for nothing — we clearly need trees so that we and other animals can breathe. Trees also are in the front line against pollution, breathing in millions of tons of greenhouse gases a year that they store in their trunks. According to the United Nations’ Environmental Programme (UNEP), trees store a staggering 283 gigatons of carbon in their biomass. When that is combined with the carbon found in the surrounding deadwood and soil, the result is 50 percent more carbon than is currently found in the atmosphere. When those trees are felled or burned — trees that are comprised of 50 percent carbon — that carbon is then released into the atmosphere. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, the 2007 forest fires in the United States — a relatively minor incident on a global scale — contributed as much as 6 percent of North America’s total greenhouse gas emissions that year. But burning trees isn’t always a phenomena directly controlled by humans. Many believe that global warming is exacerbating the rate of naturally occurring forest fires around the world. “Natural variation suggests the Amazon should have serious drought-led fires at 400- to 700-year intervals, but today, they are happening every five to 15 years,” the Independent recently reported. “It’s a vicious cycle: cutting back the forests causes more global warming, which then burns up more forests, which causes more global warming, which burns up the forests even more, and on and on.” http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/10/eco.carbon/