Forestry Research News
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Revitalising rural areas through innovation
The European Union has launched the project Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA) in order to explain what is needed to make good ideas succeed in underpopulated territories or in areas of difficult access. Nowadays, the main challenges for rural areas include the decline and aging of the population, as well as increasing pressure faced by the agricultural and environmental ...
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Vast forest fires in Indonesia spawn ecological disaster
For farmer Achmad Rusli, it was a season of smoke: Ten weeks without sunlight for his oranges, guavas and durians, thanks to deliberately set forest fires that burned a chunk of Indonesia the size of New Jersey. The fires have finally died down with the arrival of monsoon rains, but too late for his crops, which are far too measly to sell. "We had not seen the sun in a two-and-a-half months," ...
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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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Working Together for the Development of Sustainable Forest Management in the Mediterranean Basin
The development and extension of sustainable “Mediterranean forest” management is set to be the focus of a new collaboration between PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and MENFRI, the Mediterranean Network of Forestry Research and Innovation. At last year’s PEFC Forest Certification Week held in Paris, France, representatives from PEFC ...
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New research project addresses national priorities in combating the threat of tree diseases
New diseases are posing significant risks to tree health and plant biosecurity.UK Government Research Councils, DEFRA, Forestry Commission and Scottish Government, are together investing £7M to fund seven new projects to help address threats to UK forests, woods and trees. Bangor University is a partner in one of these projects in collaboration with the Universities of Stirling and ...
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France to collaborate on FAO strategic objectives
FAO and French research institutions will step up cooperation in key research areas and coordinate their actions within the global framework of FAO’s renewed strategy. Two agreements signed today cover a broad spectrum of joint activities, including agro-ecology, biodiversity, animal health, food loss, agrarian reforms and genetic resources, which will contribute to FAO’s Strategic ...
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FAO to partner CBD on biodiversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will work together on programmes that address climate change, food security and biodiversity loss. Two memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed last week (11 Oct) on the sidelines of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) of the CBD in Hyderabad, India, aim to promote partnerships covering research, ...
By SciDev.Net
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Arcadia Biosciences Takes Next Step to Enable Farmers to Receive Carbon Credits for Reduced Nitrogen Fertilizer Use
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, today announced that the company has submitted a carbon credit methodology to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The methodology would allow ...
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Root-imaging technology could improve crop resilience
Mexican researchers have welcomed a breakthrough in imaging plant roots, saying it could help breeders develop new varieties of crops that can thrive in harsh conditions. The technique uses X-ray computed tomography to build up a three-dimensional image by scanning through 360 degrees, a technology commonly used in hospitals to diagnose soft tissue damage. Scans of plant roots in soil show the ...
By SciDev.Net
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Attack of the Asian longhorned bettle Invasive exotic species threatens northeastern Canada and U.S. forests
Ottawa, Canada – Previously found in urban areas, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has moved beyond the confines of our cities and into natural forested areas, where its impact could be devastating. Recent research published in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research (CJFR) confirms this disturbing trend and calls for immediate action. Authors Dr. Kevin Dodds of the USDA Forest ...
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Forests and REDD+ in COP17 Durban
With all its complex processes and acronyms, it’s easy to forget that the international climate change negotiations are supposed to lead to changes on the ground. There have been several developments this year, however, which should remind us of the urgency of the task and the importance of getting each piece of the puzzle right, including incentives for developing countries to reduce their ...
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Alcoa Employees Join Expedition to Brazil and China as Earthwatch Fellows
Alcoa Foundation announced today thatit will sponsor25 employees from the Company’s operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Spain, Suriname and the United States on Earthwatch Institute expeditions to Brazil and China. The employees, who volunteered to become Earthwatch Fellows, will venture to Rio Cachoeira Natural Reserve in Paraná State, ...
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Sub-Saharan Africa news in brief: 7–20 April 2011
Below is a roundup of news from or about Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 7–20 April 2011 Solar powered farms on the way Kenya is pioneering a solar powered 'green farm' — which would be the continent's first. Ephraim Mukisira, director of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) said that all farm activities, including the growing of crops and the rearing of livestock, ...
By SciDev.Net
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Reality check for `miracle` biofuel crop
The hardy jatropha tree as a biofuel source may not be the panacea for smallholders that some have claimed, say Miyuki Iiyama and James Onchieku. It sounds too good to be true: a biofuel crop that grows on semi-arid lands and degraded soils, replaces fossil fuels in developing countries and brings huge injections of cash to poor smallholders. That is what some are claiming for Jatropha curcas, ...
By SciDev.Net
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Frontier forest science for carbon solutions
Under the agreement, a software model referred to as CABALA, which can be used to model forest growth over time, has been licensed to CO2 Australia to assist it in the design and management of tree plantings for use in large greenhouse gas abatement projects. Based on inputs like rainfall, temperature, and data on the particular tree species of interest, CABALA can estimate the amount of carbon ...
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