forester News
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Action needed to safeguard genetic diversity of the world`s forests
FAO today urged countries to improve data gathering and research to promote the conservation and sustainable management of the world's forest genetic resources, which are coming under increasing pressure. According to the first-ever edition of The State of the World's Forest Genetic Resources report, half of the forest species reported as regularly utilized by countries are threatened by the ...
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Traditional farming methods in India protect birds
Under the right conditions, traditional agricultural practices can support significant biodiversity in farmed areas over the long term. A new study shows that arecanut plantations combined with forest areas support bird life. The researchers studied bird communities in arecanut plantations found in southwest India to assess whether biodiversity could be sustained in an agriculturally developed ...
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Property tax incentives for forest conservation in the U.S. South
Development pressure on the outskirts of cities throughout the southern United States drives up land values and makes it more difficult for private landowners to keep their forestland. On average, in the South, short term returns for development can be $36,000 per acre. And for private landowners who want to keep their forest, rising property taxes can also provide a perverse incentive, because ...
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Improving livelihoods for poorer forest dwellers in Nepal
Community forestry in Nepal claims to be a successful model of participatory, community-based forest management, and there is considerable evidence that it is improving forest protection and regeneration. However, community forestry makes only a limited contribution to improving rural livelihoods. New research suggests that social factors may be limiting the access of poorer households to ...
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European Farms Growing Slowly but Surely
There are around 14 million farmers in the European Union, and the average size of farms is just 14 hectares. By comparison, the USA has just 2 million farmers, yet the average size of farms is 180 hectares. Just under 50 percent of the EU’s surface area is covered by fields, 30 percent by forests and 20 percent by something other, such as cities. Family farms are traditional in Europe, ...
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Protecting forests alone would not halt land-use change emissions
Global forest conservation measures meant to mitigate climate change are likely to drive massive cropland expansion into shrublands or savannahs to satisfy the ever-growing hunger for arable land. The consequent changes in land use could cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change shows. In contrast to previous assumptions, conservation schemes ...
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AGRITECHNICA 2019
From 10 to 16 November Agritechnica 2019 will take place in Hannover (Germany). TMC CANCELA presents itself with a new brand restyling and with a wide representation of Mulchers at the most important international trade fair for agricultural machinery in the sector worldwide, with a participation of 2,900 exhibitors distributed in 23 pavilions at the fairgrounds in Hanover and with more than ...
By TMC Cancela
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Predicting the spread of plant invasions across Europe
For the first time, a map has been produced that can be used to predict the level of invasion by alien plants across Europe, which could help policy makers design conservation policies suited to different habitats and landscapes. Areas dominated by farming and urban land are among those identified as particularly at risk. Alien plants are non-native species introduced into foreign areas, ...
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Commercial forestry – benefits for biodiversity?
Commercial forestry, often slated as monoculture, may have an important role to play in maintaining biodiversity. This beneficial effect occurs in nearby fields grazed by livestock, rather than the forest itself. This surprising finding could be important for the conservation of grassland species, which have declined dramatically over the past 100 years as agriculture has intensified in Europe. ...
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Restoring the world`s forests while feeding the poor
“We are one shock away from a full-blown crisis,” stated Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, at a recent meeting of the bank and the IMF. He was referring to a critical increase in poverty, resulting from the escalating cost of food. The UN’s food price index has risen 37% since March 2010. Basic cereal prices are up 60% over this period. Wheat is up 63%, and maize ...
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Ethical Corporation Institute reveals that consumers are still putting ethics first
Ethical Corporation Institute (ECI) has found the current economic climate is having little effect on consumer desires to be ethical. Demand for produce certified by organisations like the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade is soaring in 2009. We can expect further growth in the market for industry standards and certification. Rob Cameron, head of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, told the ...
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Gardening and Spring Activities Should Include Learning About Invasive Pests That can Devastate America`s Trees
Now that spring has arrived, and summer is quickly approaching, The Nature Conservancy, along with nursery industry partners and scientists, encourages people to take the time to learn more about tree-killing invasive insects and diseases as they spend more time outdoors. Everyday citizens can help detect forest pests and prevent their spread when are they are observant of the trees and forests ...
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New Jersey forest and farmland to be preserved under EPA settlement with home builder
New Jersey forest and farmland to be preserved under EPA settlement with home builder The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the homebuilder D.R. Horton, LLC for violations of federal regulations that protect against pollution from stormwater runoff. Under the agreement, D.R. Horton will pay a $99,000 penalty. The company will also pay $104,420 to The Land ...
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Climate change to shift global spread and quality of agricultural land
New areas of land suitable for agriculture will open up under climate change’s effects, new research predicts, particularly in far northern regions of the world. However, the overall quality of land for farming will decline and many regions, including Europe, could lose large areas of suitable land. Demand for agricultural products is expected to rise by 70–110% by 2050. This is ...
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Natural Competitive Advantage of Bioregions
PORTLAND, Oregon, October 1, 2007 (ENS) - In the decades ahead, in the face of global warming, increasing energy prices, and a growing global disparity between rich and poor, bioregions have a natural competitive advantage. Everything is changing in the face of global warming. The industrial economy is an artifact of cheap oil. There will be a transition from an industrial to an ecological ...
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Abandoned farmlands are key to sustainable bioenergy
Biofuels can be a sustainable part of the world's energy future, especially if bioenergy agriculture is developed on currently abandoned or degraded agricultural lands, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University. Using these lands for energy crops, instead of converting existing croplands or clearing new land, avoids competition with food production and preserves ...
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Less agricultural phosphorus could be key to cleaner Baltic Sea
Reducing the amount of phosphorus used in agriculture could go a long way in meeting the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)1 targets. A Swedish evaluation of measures for reducing agricultural phosphorus suggest phosphorus inputs to the sea could be cut by 180 tonnes per year, or about two-thirds of Sweden's target. The nations surrounding the Baltic Sea have established the BSAP to restore the ...
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2012 Farm Bill Passes U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate passed the 2012 Farm Bill today, meaning the measure is a big step closer to enactment. The Farm Bill, renewed every five years, is the largest source of funding for conservation on America's working farmland, ranchland and private forestland. In addition to funding federal conservation and nutrition programs, the bill also authorizes risk management and other programs that ...
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Desert plantations could help capture carbon
Planting trees in coastal deserts could capture carbon dioxide, reduce harsh desert temperatures, boost rainfall, revitalise soils and produce cheap biofuels, say scientists. Large-scale plantations of the hardy jatropha tree, Jatropha curcas, could help sequester carbon dioxide through a process known as 'carbon farming', according to a study based on data gathered in Mexico and Oman that was ...
By SciDev.Net
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Hundreds of Organizations Ask Congress to
Today, more than 500 organizations, businesses and individuals signed a letter asking congressional leaders not to further cut funding to the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill. Noting that conservation programs already have been significantly cut in recent years and will bear more than their fair share of deficit reduction in the Farm Bill as currently drafted, the letter asks Congress to "hold ...
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