forest resource News
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New FAO guidelines to help countries better monitor their forest resources
FAO has developed new guidelines aimed at helping countries develop strong National Forest Monitoring Systems, which are key to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To fulfil their pledges under the Paris Climate Agreement and Agenda 2030 countries are expected to collect more detailed forestry data. This not only includes information on the size and growth or ...
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New tool to improve assessment of forest biomass and carbon stocks
A new online platform launched by FAO will allow countries to improve the assessment of forest volumes, biomass and carbon stocks. This data is crucial for climate change research and mitigation activities, such as increasing the carbon stock in forests through reforestation, and bioenergy development. The new GlobAllomeTree, jointly developed by FAO, the French Research Centre CIRAD and Tuscia ...
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Uganda: FAO mapping technologies help fill gaps in forest data
FAO recently introduced new mapping technologies in Uganda that will help the country generate better, more useful forestry statistics and land cover maps. Forests and forest products are important to the livelihoods of many communities in Uganda. The new tools and information will help the government monitor national forest resources and make informed decisions regarding long-term forestry and ...
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FAO sets standards to improve national forest monitoring systems
FAO has launched free software tools that it hopes will improve the way many developing nations monitor the state of their forests to tackle deforestation and climate change. The tools are designed to assist countries through the entire lifecycle of a forest inventory - from assessment, design and field data collection to analysis and reporting. The governments of Finland and Germany have ...
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Unlocking the water held by US forests not so easy, say experts
Can forests, which process nearly two-thirds of the nation’s water supply, be managed to help slake our growing demand for water and avert the worst consequences of climate change? A new report from the National Research Council suggests a need for caution in trying to tap greater water output from forests, and recommends more research and citizen involvement to help protect water quality and ...
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Model predicts shifts in carbon absorption by forest canopies
An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist participated in a project to fine-tune computer models that can indicate when forest 'carbon sinks' become net carbon generators instead. The results will help pinpoint the effectiveness of trees in offsetting carbon releases that contribute to higher atmospheric temperatures and global climate change. ARS plant physiologist Erik Hamerlynck ...
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FAO place the spotlight on forest monitoring
With global concern growing over deforestation, loss of carbon stored in forests and the role of forests in climate change, the spotlight has been turned on forest monitoring in a bid to safeguard forests and monitor emissions from deforestation. Earlier this year, countries and FAO reconfirmed their commitment to jointly prepare the next Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), a comprehensive ...
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African countries agree to curb illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin
Governments from Africa's main timber producing countries, together with timber industry representatives and civil society organizations agreed to jointly combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin, FAO said today following an international wood industry meeting in Brazzaville. Covering an area of 300 million hectares, the Congo Basin harbours the world's second largest tropical forest. It ...
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Sustaining forest ecosystem services: lessons for REDD
A recent report has demonstrated that paying people to avoid clearing forests in developing countries can be a low-cost and effective way to tackle climate change and preserve valuable ecosystem services, providing governments are able to manage their forests effectively. Forests provide a wide range of services: food, fuel, building materials, freshwater, climate regulation, flood control, ...
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An inside look at Latin America’s Illegal Logging – Part Two
This post was co-authored with Eduardo Arenas Hernández Jr. and Ana Domínguez, who work for Reforestamos Mexico. This is the second post in a two-part series on illegal logging in Latin America, with key insights coming from the Forest Legality Alliance’s recent event, “Legal Forest Products and International Trade: A Regional Perspective.” The first installment ...
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How we can make progress on forests during Rio+20
When it comes to the fate of forests, Rio+20 and the official negotiations risk becoming a side event. Instead, the main show is playing out in countless boardrooms, communities, parliaments, and villages around the world. From Brazil to Bangladesh, Canada to Cambodia, these organizations have made dramatic progress with efforts to reverse forest decline. Of course, much remains to be done: ...
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Building the foundation for REDD+: Recommendations for Durban on Forest Monitoring
Though forests play an essential role in international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the development of systems to monitor deforestation and forest degradation has been slow. This is due to the demanding technical requirements and the large capacity gaps in many countries. Measuring and monitoring change on the ground and via satellite in a consistent way is no easy task. Countries ...
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Canada puts oil exploitation before forests
Detailed evidence that Canada’s vast natural areas are undergoing major changes because of climate change is produced in a new report by Natural Resources Canada. The government body describes problems with disappearing glaciers, sea level rise, melting permafrost and changing snow and rainfall patterns. One of the country’s most important natural resources, the forests that cover ...
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Responsible Forestry and CSR – The Business Case
The significance of responsible timber sourcing practices to promote sustainable forest management and combat climate change will be the focus of the keynote speech by Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General at the forthcoming World Engineers Summit (WES) in Singapore next week. Sustainable forest management is key to maintaining the forest carbon stock and has been identified as an ...
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US Forest Service’s Inventory Program Supports Sustainable Forest Management in the US South
FIA Data Confirm Forest Growth in US South Outpaces Harvesting Rates By Kim Cesafsky, Manager of Sustainability You may have noticed a few changes to Enviva’s Forest Trend Map page and Track & Trace (T&T) infographic after the latest T&T web release. Along with the usual details on our feedstock sourcing, we also added updated data from 2016 to the graphs which show forest ...
By Enviva LP
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Big Data Climate Challenge winners show how big data can drive climate action
The winners of the Big Data Climate Challenge have been announced as part of the buildup to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on 23 September at UN Headquarters in New York. The winners include a monitoring system that provides real-time information on forests, and a tool for farmers in Colombia that promotes climate-smart agriculture. The winners will be invited to attend the ...
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