forester News
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Old rural parks can provide important refuges for forest biodiversity
Woodlands in the grounds of old manor houses or castles can provide high quality habitat for numerous forest species, a recent study from Estonia concludes. The researchers found that, compared to nearby forests, old rural park woodlands appeared to be better at supporting biodiversity. Logging and commercial plantations have degraded many ancient European forests, and now only small fragments ...
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New schemes look to protect Irish woodlands
Government ministers have revealed details about a new scheme designed to improve the quality of Ireland's woodland environment. Mary Wallace, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, announced the launch of the new Native Woodland Scheme and a programme of called NeighbourWood for the country's forests. She said: 'The NeighbourWood Scheme is aimed at developing ...
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Top ten counties losing forests to development in the U.S. South
Today, WRI releases a new map that identifies the hotspots where urban and suburban development are putting forests at risk in the southern United States. Areas experiencing the most forest loss to development between 2001 and 2006 (the most recent years for which data are available) were counties near Houston, Atlanta, Raleigh, and Charlotte. Counties around San Antonio, Jacksonville, and ...
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Hitachi Showcases New Foresters at DEMO International 2016
Anything and everything to do with forestry operations was found at DEMO International, one of North America’s largest and most distinctive outdoor equipment shows, held Sept. 22-24, 2016. The flagship event of the Canadian Woodlands Forum, DEMO International is held every four years in a different location. For the first time in 16 years, the show returned to Western Canada and was hosted ...
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Controlled forest fires could kill invasive tree disease
In a new study, researchers examined the potential influence of human-driven changes in land-use on disease establishment in forests. The research suggests that changes in forest management, which encourage greater and more dense forest cover, are creating environmental conditions that promote disease. The invasive, fungal-like Phytophthora ramorum causes Sudden Oak Death (SOD), which is ...
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Choice of tree species and site can increase plant diversity in plantation forest
Careful choice of tree species and sites could transform plantations into refuges for woodland plant diversity, new research from Ireland suggests. Plantations of native species on or near historic woodland and those with adequate light levels below the tree canopy were found to support more plant species. Europe’s forests cover 45% of the land area, and provide important habitat for many ...
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Stabenow, Braun Introduce New Bipartisan Bill to Help Family Foresters Develop Climate Solutions, Access Economic Opportunity
Today, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources, introduced the bipartisan Rural Forests Markets Act to help small-scale, family foresters access new economic opportunities through climate solutions like carbon ...
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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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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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What Woodland owners should know about forest carbon offsets in the U.S. South
A new issue brief, released today by the World Resources Institute and the Pacific Forest Trust, looks at the economic opportunities for southern landowners created by emerging forest carbon offset markets. This new revenue stream can offer real rewards to landowners who steward their forests for climate benefits. Original economic analysis done by the authors suggests that under current market ...
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Carbon canopy initiative aims to sustain Appalachian forests for climate and certified timber
While much has been written from a theoretical perspective about markets for ecosystem services, few on-the-ground projects currently exist. Yet the projects that do exist provide one of the best windows onto what actually works in practice. That’s why WRI has issued a new brief, Insights from the Field: Forests for Climate and Timber to discuss an innovative initiative called the Carbon ...
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Restoring forests: an opportunity for Africa
New research shows that Africa offers some of the greatest opportunities globally for restoring forests. This post originally appeared on Mongabay. Tropical forest news last week was dominated by Indonesia and Brazil. Forest clearing has surged over the past year in parts of the Amazon, the Brazilian Government reported. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s President signed a moratorium on cutting some ...
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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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High-yield crops have curbed agricultural land expansion, but care needed to avoid negative biodiversity effects
The widespread use of higher-yielding improved varieties of crops as part of the Green Revolution’ has averted the conversion of between 18 to 27 million hectares of forests, woodlands and pastures in the period 1965 to 2004, according to a recent study. However, its authors caution that the relationship between these crops and land use change is complex, and good governance is needed to ...
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ArborGen Continues Support of “Plant a Tree at Flight 93” Reforestation Efforts
ArborGen, the world leader in the development and commercialization of technologies that improve the productivity of trees, announced that for the second consecutive year it has supported the “Plant a Tree at Flight 93”reforestation efforts at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Led by the National Park Service and the Office of Surface Mining – ...
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PEFC Chairman Peter Latham appointed as Commissioner of the Forestry Commission England
“On behalf of the whole international PEFC community, we are honoured and proud that our Chairman, Peter, has been appointed as a Non-Executive Commissioner to the Forestry Commission in England,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International. “His wide ranging expertise in all aspects of the international timber trade, combined with his skills in leading and achieving ...
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How to Make Green from Your Woods, Keep Them Green in the Future
Most woodland owners will sell timber from their land only once, maybe twice, in their lives, said Kathy Smith, forestry specialist with Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. So they should learn all they can before they decide to do it. “They should make sure the choice they make is both good for them and good for their woods, both today ...
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Kielder becomes ark site for threatened arctic char
A refuge has been established to preserve an endangered species of arctic char fish. The Environment Agency in partnership with Northumbrian Water is stocking 10,000 juvenile fish into the giant Kielder Water, the largest man-made reservoir in Northern Europe. 48 adult char have already been released into the reservoir in April this year. Threatened species Stocks of a rare strain of arctic ...
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Cranfield launches European project to promote the use of trees in farming
The first meeting of ‘AGFORWARD’, an exciting EU funded research programme on agroforestry, was held at Cranfield University this week. The 4-year 6 million Euro project will be working with farmers and land owners in 15 countries across Europe to identify how agroforestry practices – farming with trees – can create profitable, productive, and environmentally ...
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Grazing land has scope for biofuel surge
Converting grazing land into fields to grow crops for biofuels could provide up to 30 per cent of the world’s energy needs, according to a report. The report says at least 500 million hectares are available for sustainable biofuel production even when rising food demand, growing urbanisation and the desire to preserve forest and protected lands are taken into account. Most of this land is ...
By SciDev.Net
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