Forest Monitoring News
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Katam launches the world’s first service for capturing tree trunk data using camera drones
A new service offered by Katam Technologies utilises autonomous drones to complement manual measurements of tree trunk diameter. With this new solution, forest owners and field personnel can avoid entering inaccessible, hilly, thorny, and even dangerous forests, such as tropical environments that are home to spiders and snakes. Traditionally, drones are used in forestry by flying above the tree ...
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Developing a digital tool for forestry planning
Planning for continuous cover forestry takes longer because the transport roads must be planned extremely carefully. Otherwise, there is a risk of blockages in waterways or damage to the roots of the unfelled trees. Having the machines going into the forest several times quickly inflates the budget. Furthermore, many people think they will need to use smaller machines, but this is not the case. ...
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Peroxide UltraPure™ produced directly on site improves growth and yield in super-intensive olive plantation
The Alentejo region in Portugal is known for its long sunny days, which create ideal conditions for the growth of high-quality olives. Irrigation water in the region is sourced from the Alqueva dam, and especially in the summer months it accumulates a high quantity of organic matter (algae, bacteria). This caused a problem for growers in the region specifically with drippers clogging, irrigation ...
By HPNOW
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UPM joins PEFC as an international stakeholder
After many years of collaboration and joint efforts to promote sustainable forest management, UPM-Kymmene has been accepted as PEFC’s international stakeholder member. PEFC (The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is an international organisation with the main focus of endorsing national forest certification systems to ensure the verifiable, sustainable use of forests. ...
By UPM
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Drones effective tools for fruit farmers
People have used the phrase “drone on and on” for a long time. Webster’s dictionary defines this figure of speech as “to speak for a long time in a dull voice without saying anything interesting.” Yet, in agriculture, drones aren’t dull, at all! Farmers use drones to be more efficient. Drones help farmers improve yields and stay ahead of problems before they ...
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Presentation: Forest Health Monitoring in the Oil Sands - Update!
On June 18, 2019, the WBEA presented findings from over a decade of the Terrestrial Environmental Effects Monitoring (TEEM) Program. The WBEA has monitored forest health in the RMWB for the past 20 years, and recently completed a publication project to summarize findings in key areas. The publication project involved the development and submission of nine manuscripts to an open-source scientific ...
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India drives forestry sector forward through PEFC endorsement
India has become the latest country to achieve the PEFC endorsement of its national forest certification system. “PEFC endorsement is a landmark achievement for India, as we have long felt the need for such a country specific and internationally benchmarked forest certification system,” said Vijai Sharma, Chairman of The Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF), ...
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Forest Soil Carbon Flux Measurement and Applications
Measuring forest soil carbon flux gives an insight into the health of forest ecosystems and provides feedback on the effects of global warming. This article outlines how soil CO2 efflux is determined and the applications of soil carbon flux research. The Earth’s carbon cycle maintains a steady balance of carbon in the atmosphere that supports plant and animal life. In recent years, ...
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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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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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Rising heat brings earlier vintage
Global warming has begun to change the conditions for a fine wine harvest. The grapes are blooming earlier in Burgundy. The vintners of Vaud in Switzerland have a new harvest timetable. And the conditions for fine claret have altered in Bordeaux. Two US scientists have analysed 400 years of harvest data from France and Switzerland to confirm that, while climate change has not yet created ...
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Land users are positive about long-term benefits of sustainable practices
The costs and benefits of sustainable land management have been collated in a new review. Data from a global archive was analysed for the costs of sustainable practices and technologies and for land users' perceptions of cost–benefit ratios. Most respondents had a positive view of the short-term cost-benefit ratio, and a strongly positive view of the long term. Low upfront costs, long-term ...
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New method may help detect avocado pathogen earlier
University of Florida researchers have found an algorithm to help them detect laurel wilt, the deadly pathogen that threatens Florida’s $100 million-a-year avocado industry. Reza Ehsani, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, said the algorithm finds laurel wilt-infected avocado trees before symptoms are visible to the naked eye. About 500 growers produce ...
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EPA awards Loudoun Valley High School teacher with Presidential Innovation Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Liam McGranaghan of Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Va. with the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). “Liam McGranaghan’s dedication to developing a stimulating environmental science curriculum inspires students to get involved in community environmental projects,” said EPA Regional ...
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Forest Certification to Help Ensure the Sustainable Use of Southern Mediterranean Forests
Desertification is one of the major environmental problems faced by Maghreb. The sustainable use of forests in these countries would help to mitigate and adapt to this global change. This is why MENFRI, the Mediterranean Network of Forestry Research and Innovation, gathered together forestry experts in Barcelona this summer to discuss opportunities and challenges brought by innovative solutions ...
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Management Strategies to Reduce Catfacing in Peaches
For producers of peaches and other orchard-grown produce, managing the orchard floor can present challenges. Unwelcome vegetation on the orchard floor competes with trees for water and nutrients reducing tree growth and productivity, and can be a host for pathogens and insect pests. Utilizing best practices for irrigation and vegetation management in the orchard helps growers to optimize tree ...
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Forest Chemistry: `Political Support Measures Essential to Commercialisation of Green Chemicals`
In terms of technology, the chemical industry at Stenungssund, Sweden, could make the switch today to a renewable raw material as a partial base for its production, according to a recent report from a Swedish national Forest Chemistry project, using existing technology for making plastics from petrochemicals. However, for the industry to achieve a level of profitability when using wood or woody ...
By Bio4Energy
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New WWF Study Highlights Strength of PEFC in Sustainable Forest Management
A new report released by WWF last week clearly shows that PEFC forest management requirements are to a large extent aligned with WWF’s own vision and objectives, demonstrated by PEFC meeting more than two-thirds of the WWF CAT indicators. The WWF Certification Assessment Tool (CAT) is a formalized methodology to evaluate and compare standards and certification systems based on WWF’s ...
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Bees in the city: urban environments could help support pollinators
Urban areas may support higher levels of bee diversity than expected, new research has shown. The UK-wide study compared three different habitat types — nature reserves, farmland, and urban areas — and found a higher number of different bee species in urban areas than farmland. However, the overall pollinator diversity, which included species of bees, flies, hoverflies and ...
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Careful urban tree planting and pruning needed to reduce trapping of air pollution
Careful planting and pruning is needed to ensure that air pollution in tree-lined streets is minimised, new research suggests. While planting trees in urban areas can have many benefits, such as enhancing biodiversity, trees can trap particulate matter pollution, say the study’s authors. Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is a component of vehicle exhaust emissions and PM2.5 (particles ...
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