397 - USA-EU-Africa Tree News

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In this issue:

 

PNW-USA

EU-Africa

 

Index:

 

--Oregon: 1) State Loggers say increasing logging will protect

wildlife habitat, 2) Revised HCP for Elliott State Forest released, 3)

Let the Boulder Creek wilderness fire go burned and unlogged! 4)

Logger talks about roads

--California: 5) Post-fire exploration of a loved place, 6) Write a

letter to the state to protect trees before 5pm today! 7) Carbon

sequestration blunders into unknown value of logging what they say

needs 'protecting' 8) Redwood forest mega-transect completed, 9) Last

trees of Berkely treesit still standing & treesitters still unwilling

to come down, 10) Cont. 11) No landmass on Earth quite like

California,

--Idaho: 12) South Barker Fire allowed to burn

--Montana: 13) More loggers calling themselves woodland restorationists

--Colorado: 14) County will be able to treat only about a third of

most fire-prone forests

--South Dakota: 15) Eyeing beetle killed trees in preserves and wilderness

--Wyoming: 16) Epidemic of pine, spruce, and douglas fir beetles

--Tennessee: 17) Some of the most affordable and attractive real

estate left in the country

--USA: 18) What Salvage logging¬ means, 19) Continent wide: oak trees

in decline, 21) U.S. imports nearly $25 billion worth of timber, 22)

Drug cartels on 57 national forests, ---EU: 23) Pine forests'demise,

24) preventing import of illegal timber,

--UK: 25) Save Grove woods, 26) The great Yews of the UK, 27) Cont.,

--Iceland: 28) There is a need for increased forestation in the Arctic regions

--Poland: 29) Huge mural over 60 metres high encourages destroying

forests to save 'em,

--Spain: 30) Unbridled building boom

--Niger: 31) Tracing changes in deforestation, soil erosion, pond

water level over time

--Kenya: 32) Save Mau Complex

 

Articles:

 

Oregon:

 

1) Oregon Department of Forestry leaders are challenging the notion

that increasing timber harvests in the state forests means cutting

into habitat and other forest resources. At a tour with members of the

Oregon Board of Forestry and about 40 guests Thursday, ODF staff

presented an on-the-ground look at the economic, social and

environmental values of the Clatsop State Forest and explained their

new approach to finding the forest's " greatest permanent value. " The

Forest Management Plan of 2001 redefined the " greatest permanent

value " of the forests as a balance of environmental, social and

economic goals. It also introduced a management model that keeps set

percentages of young, middle-age and older trees on the ground. Since

it was created, the state's Forest Management Plan for Clatsop and

Tillamook forests hasn't produced as much timber revenue as initially

projected. Clatsop and Tillamook county leaders have pressured the

state to increase long-term harvest levels to produce more revenue for

local governmentsTimber sales in Clatsop and Tillamook state forests

produce revenue for local schools, governments and taxing districts.

Declines in timber revenue often force the counties to tighten their

belts.The outing was organized for the seven-member board of forestry,

which held its regular meeting in Astoria Wednesday, and featured

several local tree stands, the Gnat Creek Hatchery and presentations

from Clatsop County commissioners, Jewell School District

Superintendent Jerry Jones, local watershed council members, Diane

Berry of Oregon Equestrian Trails, Steve Lloyd of the neighboring

landowner Weyerhaeuser Co., Oregon State University Extension Forester

Glenn Ahrens and multiple Astoria District foresters. In November, the

Oregon Board of Forestry directed department staff to look at the

possibility of boosting the timber revenue from the North Coast's

510,000 acres of state forestland by up to $20 million - a 35 percent

increase from the current $58 million income - over a 10-year period.

But the board set a goal of preserving 17 to 20 percent of the stands,

up to 100,000 acres, as mature forest habitat to serve threatened and

endangered species and other wildlife. Over the past year, foresters

have studied the proposed targets and built models of existing

forestland to figure out whether the state can do both while still

maintaining other forest benefits mandated by the state's " greatest

permanent value " forest management guideline.

http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2 & SubSectionID=398 & ArticleID=541\

34 & TM=57233.32

 

2) The Oregon Department of Forestry, along with the U.S. Fish &

Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, recently

released a revised habitat conservation plan and draft environmental

impact statement for the Elliott State Forest. The 93,000-acre state

forest is in the Coast Range between Coos Bay and Reedsport. The

revised conservation plan has been several years in the making and

uses the best science available — including northern spotted owl and

marbled murrelet research done on the Elliott State Forest.

Professional foresters and biologists participated in developing a

thoughtful plan that considers economic, environmental and social

issues, and seeks to reach an appropriate balance of these values.

Currently the revised plan is open for public comment until Nov. 20.

Most of the Elliott is common school forest land and is managed by the

Department of Forestry to meet the legal mandate to maximize revenue

to the common school fund over the long term. The department also is

obligated to comply with the Endangered Species Act and has developed

the revised habitat conservation plan to insure compliance and provide

the greatest benefit to the people of Oregon. The Department of

Forestry holds itself to the highest standards in meeting both of

these obligations. In my opinion, the revised plan does achieve an

appropriate balance among economic, environmental and social values.

Consider the following: Harvests are well within sustainable levels.

Under the revised plan, the timber harvest will increase from about 28

million board feet per year to about 40 million board feet per year.

The forest grows approximately 75 million board feet per year. (A

board foot is a unit of wood that measures a foot square and an inch

thick. As a point of reference, there are about 13,000 board feet of

framing lumber in an average house, and 7,000 board feet of plywood. A

log truck carries about 4,500 board feet.) The plan provides increased

revenue for schools. Revenue will increase from about $10 million per

year to about $15.5 million per year. Most of this money goes into the

common school fund — a portion of which is distributed to all school

districts in the state twice each year. Threatened species are

protected. All current spotted owl sites and most marbled murrelet

sites on the forest will be protected in conservation areas where

little or no harvest will occur. Owl habitat will increase from about

39,000 acres to about 42,000 acres over the 50-year term of the plan —

nearly half the forest.

http://www.registerguard.com/rg/EditorialsLetters/story.csp?cid=129513 & sid=5 & fid\

=1

 

3) The Boulder Creek Wilderness was burned in 1996 by the Spring Fire,

with two-thirds of the 16,000-acre blaze consuming large swaths of

wilderness. The rest burned in late successional reserves — as drawn

out by the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan — outside of the Boulder Creek

Wilderness. Forest officials figured there was 4 million board feet of

timber waiting to be salvaged outside of the wilderness. Logging is

not allowed in wilderness areas. Ostby decided the small amount of

timber outside the wilderness area was not worth the time it would

have taken for the Forest Service to plan a timber sale that

environmental groups likely would have appealed, and then for timber

companies to go in and carefully extract it — most likely by

helicopter. Today, the timber industry points to the dead trees still

standing from the Spring Fire — snags — as a hindrance to firefighting

activity because of the hazards they present. Miller, a 15-year

veteran Hotshot, was a seasonal firefighter long before he became

superintendent. And the John Day native had also fought the Spring

Fire. Miller's return to the Boulder Creek Wilderness and its

boundaries a few weeks ago caught him completely by surprise. " I

figured over the last 12 years a lot of these trees would have fallen

on the ground by now, " Miller said. Many people who stand behind

issues touted by environmental groups, however, say fire in wilderness

areas is good for burning up fuel loads. In fact, Francis

Eatherington, conservation director for Umpqua Watersheds, wonders why

any suppression of fire in wilderness should happen at all. " Why are

they spending all that money? " she asks. At the same time,

Eatherington said the Forest Service should focus more on leaving

burned areas that are open to logging alone, because snags provide

beneficial habitat to wildlife. In 2006, the Bybee Wildland Fire-Use

Complex burned over 1,000 acres in Crater Lake National Park.

Firefighters managed it only at its south and west borders so it

wouldn't escape the park. Early snow, because of the park's high

elevation, extinguished it by September. " Why can't they do that in

the Boulder Creek Wilderness too? " Eatherington

said.http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080907/NEWS/809076582/1063/NEWS & ParentProf\

ile=1055

 

4) OK, we've mentioned some of the individual activities that occur on

woodland properties. But in a larger context, here are some reasons we

should care about our woodland roads. Consider them in terms of: 1)

Capital investment: Roads can cost as little as a few thousand dollars

per mile, or upwards of $100,000 if the land is steep and rocky. The

ability to prevent damage to your roads requires a routine inspection,

maintenance and repair regime to reduce the money invested in roads.

2) Management access: A well-constructed and properly maintained

woodland road enables landowners to access their woodlands in terms of

harvesting operations, reforestation, timber stand improvements, fire

protection and recreation opportunities. And the list goes on. 3)

Operational features: The basic requirements of a planned and

functional woodland road should meet the needs of the individual

landowner for the intended use by incorporating a properly designed

grade and curve alignment. Based on the planned usage, the

requirements of a planned and functional road should include an

adequate width and clearance, stable surfacing, and most important,

whether a dirt or rock surface, the ability to drain and dispense

water. 4) Return on investment: An all-season road system will allow

woodland owners to extend the operating season for harvesting

activities. Historically, this has often resulted in the ability of

operators to capture better log markets during the " off-season " of

winter and early spring months. A growing interest and potential fee

operations based on fishing, hunting and other recreational activities

during wet weather is made possible by all-seasoned, durable rocked

roads. 5) Environmental issues: There is a connection between woodland

roads, the quality of aquatic habitat, and fish. The direct physical

alteration of streams from road construction and repairs can affect

fish passage. The indirect physical alteration of these activities can

also affect aquatic habitat. And, finally, no woodland owners are

excused from complying with the Oregon Forest Practices Act. 6) Social

responsibility: Woodland owners need to understand the social context

of owning and managing private woodlands in Oregon. Sound land

stewardship and the sustainability of our woodlands are important to

private landowners and to society as a whole. Managed protection of

water quality and aquatic habitat on private woodlands has positive

social, environmental and economic benefits. If you would like

additional information on managing your woodland roads, the Douglas

County Extension Service is here to help. " Managing Woodland Roads: A

Field Handbook " is available through your local Extension office.

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080907/GUESTCOLUMNS/809059906/1058/rss

 

California:

 

5) Going back to Whiskeytown Lake for the first time after the fire

this summer felt like visiting a dear friend in the hospital. Still a

beautiful, familiar face, but painfully scarred. So it is for many of

our favorite spots in these mountains as a summer of unprecedented

fire comes to a close. I hadn't actually been out Highway 299 since

the smoke cleared. Paddling the kayak out twice last weekend, we had

time to really absorb how much the fire had taken, particularly on the

lake's north side. It's like some giant hand peeled off the skin of

those hillsides, leaving them raw and bare Yet, amazingly, it does

little to detract from the serenity of the place. The mountains still

rise abruptly from the water on all sides, the fish still swim lazily

away from our paddle strokes, the sun still filters through the leafy

branches at the water's edge. It's hard to imagine the place ever

being exactly the same, but it's far from spoiled by the trial it's

been through. I remember now that I've had this experience before. My

hometown, the tiny mountain community of North Fork near the southern

entrance to Yosemite, lies in a natural bowl in the Sierra foothills.

The property I grew up on, and the family home I helped build, sit

well up the mountainside and against U.S. Forest Service land. Going

home is always emotional for me in a relaxing, unexplainable way. The

last big fire came through several years ago. My parents were

evacuated, along with many others, and a shift in wind direction saved

the house. The first time I went back, I expected the burnt hillside

to change the place. It didn't. Much has regrown. Some trees have

survived. And the mountains are still the powerful, comforting

presence they've been all my life. Fires pass.

http://www.redding.com/news/2008/sep/07/lyons-scarred-forests-beauty-endures/

 

6) I ran into one of my favorite dreadlocked biologists today, who

gave me a disturbing flier during a break in her renaissance flute

concertizing. My blood began to boil, as I pictured the redwood

forest's destruction being cooked up by the clearcutters and their

friends in California government. Added to the form letter I signed

and gave her for delivery at the hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday

morning was this line: " It is imperative that road building be ended

in the forests for the sake of wildlife and future generations. " (Or

something like that; it's at the beach now while I'm still in cyber

caffeinville. Make that a pilsner.) Please add anything to the form

letter below; it makes it more authentic. Send to

board.public.comments. This email address is being

protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it If

you are reading this after the 5 PM California-time deadline of Monday

Sept. 8, please email after that to this address until late Tuesday:

noel " at " wildcalifornia " dot " org. FACSIMILE: (916) 657-5386. Thanks

on behalf of the poor owls and all creatures, including us, for we are

all connected.

http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=209 & Itemi\

d=1

 

 

7) He used a screwlike device to remove a thin wood sample from the

trunk so he could measure its rings. The bigger the fir, the more it

would be worth to Smith. But not as lumber - as carbon. Tree 10525 is

part of the Garcia River forest in Mendocino County, one of two

privately owned California forests that have been recruited into the

war against climate change as certified sources of carbon offsets.

Most U.S. offsets so far have supported technology-based projects such

as solar power. But California broke new ground this year by including

forests as carbon reduction projects - with the result that forest

owners can potentially earn some money not just by cutting timber but

by leaving it standing. Some wonder whether the benefits of forest

offsets could be more hype than reality. " Carbon offset forests are

kind of an iconic solution that gets a lot of press because trees are

cool, " said Bill Stewart, a forestry specialist at UC Extension

School. Because the offset system is so new and complex, the first

sellers were not typical private timber owners but environmental

nonprofits. The Garcia River forest was purchased four years ago by

the Conservation Fund and the Nature Conservancy, with some financial

help from the state. The Van Eck forest, meanwhile, is privately owned

but managed by the Pacific Forest Trust. Both Garcia River and Van Eck

are working forests - meaning that, unlike a state or national park,

they are being logged on a regular basis. Both forests are now also

being managed with a goal of increasing their carbon density over

time. That means allowing trees to get bigger than usual before they

are cut, or thinning out smaller trees so their neighbors can grow

faster and larger. " This is a fairly dense stand, " said Smith, a Yale

forestry school graduate who works for the Conservation Fund, as he

strolled through redwoods in the Garcia River forest last month. " If

we take out some of the trees, the growth rates will go up. ... A lot

of trees grow fast, but redwoods store a heck of a lot more carbon on

a given acre than almost any other species. They're taller, dense,

more closely spaced. " Forest owners can still make a lot more money

selling logs than selling carbon offsets, particularly if they have

high-value wood like redwood. Smith estimated that 1,000 board feet of

Garcia River timber would sell for about $350 after logging costs,

while those same trees would bring in about $120 as carbon offsets.

The biggest single buyer so far has been PG & E - which contracted for

200,000 tons of Garcia River offsets over the next five years. PG & E

made its purchase as part of its ClimateSmart program, in which

homeowners and businesses can choose to add a small fee to their

monthly utility bill to counterbalance emissions from their gas and

electricity usage.

http://www.sfchronicle.us/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/09/07/MNQN11LLL6.DT\

L

 

8) On July 30 2008, after 333 days and over 1000 miles on the Redwood

Transect, Lindsey and I reached the northernmost redwood tree on the

Chetco River in Oregon. We would have written to you all earlier but

we were following events in Scotia. When we walked through on the

transect it was Palco, now its Humboldt Redwood Company. Thanks to all

of you, who welcomed us on your land, answered relentless questioning,

and gave us food when we were hungry, we accomplished the first part

of our mission: to assess the state of the redwood forest, not by road

or books, but with out own eyes and on foot. Every step we made

observations and picked the brains of everyone we had the pleasure to

meet along the way. We learned a lot about silviculture, roads,

watersheds and wildlife management, economics, regulation and the

practices of the past that have led to the forests of today. We were

able to observe the human footprint, and the growing network of

protected areas. People asked us what our biggest surprise was. I

would say for me they were three. This first was the vast and

beautiful network of riparian old growth redwood forests in Big Sur.

The second was what amounts to the beginnings of a Marshall Plan of

road and creek restoration that is happening on the ground. The third

was the young age of the majority of redwood forest in the range.

People also asked us what people agree on. There was one thing we

found that everyone agreed on: The redwood is a wonder tree. So now

what? We have tons of notes and photos to integrate into our geoblog

at in preparation for what should be a big spread in National

Geographic next year. Importantly we would like to follow up with many

of you in the coming months to visit, recap our discussions and

explore more conclusively the over-riding question that we hope you

aren't too sick of hearing from us by now: how best do we maximize

productivity in the redwoods while preserving the values we all enjoy?

Sincerely, Mike and Lindsey http://www.redwoodtransect.org/

 

9) BERKELEY - Crews began cutting down trees next to Memorial Stadium

at UC Berkeley late this afternoon, 21 months after activists climbed

into the trees to protest the university's plan to raze them to build

a $140 million sports training center center. Work crews with

chainsaws and bulldozers arrived at the university grove Friday and by

4 p.m. six trees had been chopped down. Clad in black ski masks, the

four remaining tree protesters who were driven into a single redwood

several months ago, remained in the tree today at at times sparred

with arborists, tossing a bottle and branches toward the crews.

Arborists trimmed most of the branches from the redwood, leaving the

few tarps and wooden platforms and the tree sitters alone before

moving on to other trees on the south side of the grove.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10392970?nclick_check=1

 

10) UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison spoke to tree sitter

spokesman Erik " Ayr " Eisenberg Sunday morning about negotiations to

bring four remaining protestors down from this redwood tree. " It's

very clear to me that negotiating with you guys really doesn't get us

anywhere, " said Harrison. The university hopes to encourage that by

cutting off deliveries of food and water to the tree sitters tomorrow.

" We're discussing with them how to safely get them down. We'd prefer

that they come down on their own accord, " said Asst. UC Berkeley

Police Chief Mitch CelayaTree sitters hope to wrangle concessions from

the university in exchange for an end to the protest. " Let's set up a

conservation land trust of some sort, " said Amanda " Dumpster Muffin "

Tierney. " Or let's go out and plant more trees somewhere else where it

can actually create an ecosystem for wildlife to thrive. That's what

we're looking for. " But cal police say they're ready to physically

remove the protestors if necessary. " I'm not going to share what our

tactics will be so they can prepare for that. But it's inevitable, and

that's what I've shared with them. It's inevitable- you will be coming

down. You will be coming down on your own accord or you will be coming

down with us assisting you, " said Celaya.

http://www.foxreno.com/news/17415566/detail.html

 

11) There is no landmass on Earth quite like California. Here one

finds the world's most ancient trees, bristlecone pines, more than

4,700 years old, in the White Mountains; the tallest and largest

trees, the coast redwood and giant sequoia, respectively; the highest

point in the lower 48 states, Mount Whitney; the lowest and hottest

place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley; the largest western

hemisphere estuary, the Bay Delta; an 800-mile coastline; the most

irrigated acres; the most endangered species in the U.S.; the most

diverse geology and biodiversity in the U.S.; and the greatest, most

ecologically destructive water projects on Earth. California has

spared no expense to either taxpayers or natural ecosystems to attain

its status as the most hydrologically altered landmass on the planet.

It would surprise few that California was built on gold, greed,

extraction, depletion, extinction, dubiously acquired large-landed

semi-desert agricultural empires, well-gifted railroad land grants

fueling speculative growth, and highly subsidized stolen water -- all

comprising a tunnel vision for overextended populations and infinite

growth in a world utterly finite. The incomprehensible vulnerability

of California's over-reaching population centers (Los Angeles, San

Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose), the projected urban expansion of

the Central Valley, and the weight of climate-warming models leaves

one haunted by civilization's lack of respect for a river's

entitlement to its water and the food systems that it naturally

perpetuates. There's only so much natural wealth covering the 158,302

square miles of California's ten hydrologic regions. When a region

overextends its local resources, it must take from another. More than

water is diverted; it drains the very wealth of the food chains these

waters support in aquatic, terrestrial, and ocean basins.

http://www.alternet.org/story/97610/

 

Idaho:

 

12) What the South Barker Fire is not: a wall of flames barreling

through the wilderness, incinerating anything in its path and leaving

a blackened moonscape in its wake, hundreds of years away from

rejuvenation. What the South Barker Fire is: creeping flames

meandering through dead pine needles, built-up underbrush and small

saplings, mostly leaving larger trees unscathed. Forest managers hope

that by allowing this low-intensity fire to burn away shrubs and dead

trees, they can protect the area from larger, catastrophic fires for

decades to come - lessening the risk to recreation areas, private

property and lives. The fire in the Fairfield Ranger District of the

Sawtooth National Forest - which started Aug. 7 - is being managed as

a " fire-use " fire. This means that fire officials have outlined a safe

perimeter within which they will allow the fire to burn. When the fire

exceeds those boundaries, immediate suppression actions are taken.

Wildlife biologist David Skinner walks through part of the 34,000

acres that have burned in the South Barker Fire to show how much of

that land actually hasn't burned at all. On the right is land that has

burned, but the left is untouched by fire. This kind of " mosaic " burn

pattern, he says, is healthy for forests. The next fire that burns

through these patchworked areas will have a harder time finding the

fuels to grow in intensity. When flames spotted into the Boise

National Forest, that part of the fire was immediately attacked.

Within 48 hours, the northwest flank of the fire was fully contained

by seven hot-shot crews, helicopters, airplanes and engines. " We threw

everything we could get on it, " said Val Norman, logistics chief for

the fire. Fire information officer Chris Wehrli emphasizes that " fire

use " does not mean fire has free rein to go wherever it wants. " There

are 200 firefighters out there who monitor this and are actively

managing it, " he said. " We're not just standing back and watching it

burn. " Some of those firefighters, like Patrick Ahrnsbrak and Sally

Averette, are clearing away years' worth of dead pine needles from

around the base of large Ponderosa pine trees, to protect them if the

fire passes by. http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/496526.html

 

Montana:

 

13) When Matt Arno heads into the woods to work, he doesn't see all

the trees he's going to log - he sees the trees he's going to leave.

And that's just what a lot of private woodland owners prefer. " Private

landowners recognize the value in low-impact techniques, " said Arno,

who owns Woodland Restoration with his brother Nathan and a third

partner, Bert Nilson. " We're not just about sustainability. We want to

leave the forest in better condition. That means that we are often

leaving more value than we are taking. " For landowners like outdoors

writer Peter Stark, value means more than just getting timber receipts

every few years. Stark first contacted Arno's company when he bought a

piece of Montana forestland and found that his chunk of paradise was a

forester's nightmare. The trees were densely packed, spindly and

clearly not thriving. The acreage presented a real fire hazard and

offered little in the way of wildlife habitat. Stark heard about Arno

and contacted him, but the long-time environmentalist writer didn't

like the idea of heavy equipment trundling over his land. But Arno,

who also considers himself an environmentalist, offered the

appropriate technology. Arno's company runs a cut-to-length system

that uses a mechanical harvester and a rubber-tired forwarder that

loads logs. A chipper disperses wood residue on the forest floor or

for commercial sale. Although a self-avowed " eco-freak, " Stark agreed

to let Arno work on his acreage. Arno and his partners thinned the

timber, piled the limbs and debris using a grapple to avoid skid

trails, and used a modified skyline-logging machine to selectively cut

the steeper and more sensitive slopes. The company routinely uses

rubber-tired machines instead of tracked machines to further reduce

soil compaction and disturbance. The crew also sets low-intensity

fires to reduce slash, imitating nature's patterns.As the job wound

down on Stark's land, he was impressed at how untouched the forest

looked.

http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67 & SubSectionID=782 & ArticleID=44\

220 & TM=44642.1

 

 

Colorado:

 

14) Timber crews have treated about 400 acres of potential wildfire

hot spots locally in the last three years, but they still have 8,600

acres to go — at an estimated total cost of $38.7 million — according

to the Summit County Wildfire Council. Realistically, the county will

be able to treat only about a third of most fire-prone forests around

neighborhoods where trees and brush need to be thinned and removed,

officials said at a council meeting this week. Those limited efforts

would cost about $13.3 million, said assistant county manager Steve

Hill, who outlined a 12-year funding plan based partially on the

passage of a county ballot measure that would raise $500,000 annually

for reducing fire risks. The wildfire council reviewed 28 completed

projects and issued a report card of sorts, grading them according to

their cost-effectiveness and on the basis of how well the work helps

protect the areas. Nine projects were rated as " good, " 14 received a

" fair " grade, while five projects were described as " poor, " according

to Paul Cada with the Colorado State Forest Service. One of the

biggest problems in terms of cost is having to go back and treat the

same area more than once because property owners have removed only

some of the fire-prone trees and vegetation, said wildfire-mitigation

officer Patti McGuire. She said, however, that she is seeing steady

improvements in the quality of work. " The projects getting larger and

better, " she said. Using satellite mapping and the latest fire-risk

models, the local wildfire council has identified 27 areas of concern.

Among particularly high-risk areas are the Acorn Creek subdivision in

the Lower Blue valley, where there are pockets of heavy fuel, and the

Ptarmigan neighborhood near Silverthorne, where homes are spread

across a steep hillside connected by a network of relatively narrow

dirt roads. " That continues to be problematic, in our view, " McGuire

said. Fueled by additional sunlight reaching the ground because of the

death of pine trees, vegetation growth has increased the fire risk in

some neighborhoods over the past three years, said U.S. Forest Service

fire expert Ross Wilmore. " The grass is starting to come in, and the

shrub layer is starting to thicken, " he said. " For me, the main driver

is what's going on at the surface. "

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080907/NEWS/809069974/1078 & ParentProfile=10\

55

 

South Dakota:

 

15) The latest surge in the beetle spread was documented recently

during an aerial survey of storm damage to trees in parts of the

forest. The photographers also captured images of expanded and in some

cases new areas of bug damage. Those include ongoing damage in the

Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and Black Elk Wilderness as well as more

recent explosions of bugs in the Medicine Mountain Scout Camp area

near Spring Creek and south of Deer Park. There also are new outbreaks

between Spearfish and Sundance, Wyo. It's especially difficult to

fight the bugs in the Black Elk Wilderness because of prohibitions

against manipulating the environment there. " I don't think the Black

Elk will be treeless, because nothing in nature works that way, "

Carroll said. " But it'll be extremely different than it is now. You

can look at the slopes now and see them turning red. " Female pine

beetles tunnel into pine trees, lay their eggs and begin a life cycle

that is usually deadly to the trees. The eggs hatch, and the grubs

burrow and feed under the bark and continue to develop, finally

emerging as adults the following July and August, when they fly to

other trees and begin the process there. As the bugs kill, pine trees

turn from green to red to gray, a process that is becoming familiar to

Black Hills residents with an eye for forest changes. Carroll said

there is no way to predict a slackening of the bug assault, which has

become " like a slow-burning, spreading wildfire " of insect damage in

forests across the western United States. But it is certain that the

Black Hills National Forest beyond Black Elk will be a dramatically

different place because of the beetle. That will be good in some ways,

because much of the 1.5 million-acre forest -- a mix of 1.2 million

acres of public ground and 300,000 acres of private property -- is

choked with an overgrowth of pine trees that limit wildlife

productivity and plant diversity, suck up moisture and increase the

threat of catastrophic wildfires. But the fast spread of the bugs,

which can kill pine and spruce trees within a year of infestation,

will diminish what most people consider to be the aesthetic beauty of

the hills. And because the dying trees have wood unsuitable for the

timber industry, the bugs are running ahead of cooperative control

work by the Forest Service and private loggers. The Forest Service is

able to work with the timber industry to direct logging operations

under contract with the agency to help fight the spread of beetles and

to use trees before they go bad. But much potential lumber is still

being lost to beetle damage, a fact that worries timber industry

representative Tom Troxel of the Black Hills Forest Resource

Association.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/09/07/news/local/doc48c30ca38bb0f2\

68106462.txt

 

Wyoming:

 

16) DUBOIS - Millions of trees are dying in the forests surrounding

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. An epidemic of pine,

spruce, and Douglas Fir beetles are killing the trees. They're also

threatening a system that supports grizzly bears and other wildlife.

Pine Beetles are attacking here in the Union Pass area of the Wind

River mountains. Where a lush green forest once stood, an aerial view

shows huge patches of red mark dying pines. Most are lodge pole pines.

But, the high mountain stands of white bark pine are dying, too in

large numbers here. As a scientist cuts the bark off a tree, he

announces, " This is a dead tree. Attacked this year. " A group of

scientists examine the trees. They find pine beetle tracks under the

bark of dead white bark pines, and nearby they find dead beetles.

Then, they find beetles and tracks in a big green tree. They call this

tree a zombie. While it's needles are green now, they'll be brown

soon. An Entomologist from the University of Montana, Dr. Diana Six

said, " We're seeing effects all over the world. We're seeing effects

in Mexico, Canada, all over the western U.S. " Six explained the beetle

populations are exploding because the winters are warmer, and summers

are longer and warmer. " We're seeing the beetles having large effects

in an ecosystem where they previously did not. " The ecosystem she's

describing is the white bark pine system. It supports grizzly bears

fattening up for the winter. They eat the fat and protein rich cones

red squirrels stash in middens. Ecologist Dr. Steven Running says

global warming is a result of human acitivies creating too much carbon

dioxide. Running said, " We are instigating changes in a matter of

decades that normally would have occurred over thousands of years. "

But, a geologist in Cody says dramatic climate shifts have occurred

many times throughout earth's history. Leighton Steward said after

much study, " I cannot find evidence that CO2 has been one of the major

drivers of climate. " http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/27977304.html

 

 

Tennessee:

 

17) There's a land rush happening in Tennessee. Land in Tennessee

currently represents some of the most affordable and attractive real

estate left in the country, with development and investment dollars

pouring in to take advantage of the great potential for profits. At

the same time, this major shift in property ownership has also opened

doors of opportunity, making it possible for Swan Conservation Trust

to purchase the land now known as Big Swan Headwaters Preserve. Now

for a limited time, people seeking a rural lifestyle are also able to

acquire land and gain all the benefits of a slower pace that is more

connected to the earth next to The Farm and the Preserve. By

comparison, the timber companies at least maintained large tracts of

wild land, providing habitat for wildlife and hunting opportunities

for the public. In contrast, many of the new owners were investment

groups or small logging companies, often with leveraged loans that

required rapid harvest of all marketable timber. Over the last several

years, trucks loaded down with logs have dominated the highways,

feeding the numerous pulp mills scattered throughout the region. Once

the trees have been harvested, the land is put back on the market in

order to wring out the last bit of value and cash return. Often this

is when a developer will move into the picture, taking advantage of a

cleared tract's emptiness to lay out streets for subdivisions. At the

same time, as the stock market goes soft, land represents a more solid

investment, causing property values to double every few years. Still,

compared to other parts of the country, rural property in Tennessee

represents some of the best value available…and here lies the door of

opportunity. Swan Trust's most recent 125 acre purchase was one

section within an 1800 acre tract that is currently being subdivided

and with many tracts for sale. Directly adjacent is another 4000 acres

that is also being divided and sold in tracts as small as 25-30 acres.

Several parcels have been purchased by friends of Swan Trust and The

Farm, people seeking to build homesteads or retirement cabins near Big

Swan Headwaters Preserve and our community. Currently Swan Trust and

its neighbors own or control over contiguous 4000 acres, most in

forest or open, undeveloped meadows fields. In addition, countless

additional acreage is in the hands of people who have chosen to live

or own property in this area because of its natural beauty and

peaceful surroundings. Over the years we have found one of the best

way to protect land is by keeping it in the hands of conservation

stewards. Anyone who would like to be part of a growing " green "

community should seriously consider purchasing land in the vicinity of

Big Swan Headwaters Preserve. http://thefarmblog.org/?p=25

 

USA:

 

18) Salvage logging¬ means removing trees from a forested area in the

wake of a catastrophic event such as a wildfire or hurricane ¬is

highly controversial. Policymakers and those with an economic interest

in harvesting trees typically argue that damaged areas should be

logged so as to avoid " wasting " resources, while many forest

ecologists contend that removing trees following a disturbance is

harmful to a variety of forest species and can interfere with the

natural process of ecosystem recovery. Salvage Logging and Its

Ecological Consequences brings together three leading experts on

forest ecology to explore a wide range of issues surrounding the

practice of salvage logging. They gather and synthesize the latest

research and information about its economic and ecological costs and

benefits, and consider the impacts of salvage logging on ecosystem

processes and biodiversity. The book examines: 1) what salvage logging

is and why it is controversial, 2) natural and human disturbance

regimes in forested ecosystems, 3) differences between salvage

harvesting and traditional timber harvesting, 4) scientifically

documented ecological impacts of salvage operations, 5) the importance

of land management objectives in determining appropriate

post-disturbance interventions. --Brief case studies from around the

world highlight a variety of projects, including operations that have

followed wildfires, storms, volcanic eruptions, and insect

infestations. In the final chapter, the authors discuss policy

management implications and offer prescriptions for mitigating the

impacts of future salvage harvesting efforts. Salvage Logging and Its

Ecological Consequences is a " must-read " volume for policymakers,

students, academics, practitioners, and professionals involved in all

aspects of forest management, natural resource planning, and forest

conservation. http://www.islandpress.org

 

19) Regarding oak trees in North America. Based on a recent survey of

plant life in several forests that were surveyed in detail in 1950,

researchers concluded that (1) oak trees are in decline; (2) smaller

plant species that depend on the oak forest environment are fading out

in favor of intrusive species; (3) human activity is the primary cause

of this change. There really shouldn't be anything all that surprising

about that, it sounds like just another human-caused environmental

tragedy in the offing, where human beings upset the natural order.

However, the concept of " natural order " is something that pulls random

philosophizers' chains. What the heck is " natural order " if it doesn't

include human activity? Aren't humans " natural " ? Well, the story of

the oaks is a pretty interesting example of why the idea of natural

order is overly simplistic. It turns out that one of the major

mechanisms whereby human activity is killing off the oak forests is

the control of forest fires. Oaks, it seems, need fire to succeed.

They are capable of surviving most forest fires, and after a fire,

less fire-resistant vegetation, including maple trees, their primary

competitor for life giving solar radiation, is thinned out, allowing

the hardier oaks to thrive. This is also a reasonably familiar

theme--we have heard, for example, that fire control in the West

causes the buildup of thick forests filled with flammable underbrush,

so that when a fire does come, it is much more difficult to control.

Once again, human beings, messing with the natural order. But here is

where the article spins into random philosophizing territory: it turns

out that Indians, over hundreds of years, had depended on the oaks for

acorns, one of their primary food sources. No dummies, they figured

out about oaks and fires, so for hundreds of years, they had been

deliberately setting fires in North American forests to bolster the

oaks, thereby increasing their own food supply.

http://randomphilosophizing.blogspot.com/2008/09/human-beings-oaks-seeing-forest\

s-and.htmlhttp://randomphilosophizing.blogspot.com/2008/09/human-beings-oaks-see\

ing-forests-and.html

 

 

20) The U.S. imports nearly $25 billion worth of timber products

annually, and it is certain that a large portion of this contraband

timber is headed for American ports. Illegally traded timber is not

subject to taxation or duties resulting in a loss of $15 billion

globally, with the U.S. taking a hit to the tune of about

$1billion.Last year, mahogany was going for around $52/cubic foot, yet

logging crews in Peru received less than $0.07/cubic foot. The lion's

share of the profit went into the pockets of the black market barons.

Profits like these are guarded intensely, and in Honduras, 2 local

forest preservationists were killed for their efforts. The majority of

the world's tropical hardwood trees such as teak, ramin, mahogany and

merbau come from Latin America, West Central Africa, and Southeast

Asia, which are also the home to the majority of illegal loggers.

Peruvian government figures indicate that nearly 95% of Peruvian

logging is done illegally, and about 90% of the wood ends up in the

U.S. The export of milled and unmilled wood has been banned in

Indonesia, but customs data indicates that the U.S. imported more than

6700 tons of Indonesian logs and sawn timber in 2005. The Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species, (CITES) estimates that

99% of imported wood products are not from species protected by CITES,

and unfortunately, unless the species is on the CITES list, it's

importation into the U.S. can't be stopped. Even worse, trade

agreements with the countries where illegal logging is most rampant,

are actually increasing the amount of illegal wood being imported.

Ultimately, the American consumer will be responsible for restricting

the market for illegal wood.

http://www.ecospace.cc/business/illegal-logging.htm

 

22) " Mexican drug cartels today are on 57 national forests, in 15

states, that we know of, and they operate in every region with the

exception of Regions 1, 2, and 10. A large grow operation today would

be 125,000 plants plus, on 2 to 10 acres of land. The growers today

are armed, often with automatic weapons, and violent. Given the right

situation they will protect that plantation and they'll shoot at you.

It's a very rapidly expanding, dangerous situation. " " The issue at

hand is the illegal occupancy of your National Forests by armed

foreign nationals who will hurt you if you threaten their income

stream - and it doesn't matter who you are. " From An Interview with

John Twiss, the Director of Law Enforcement and Investigations, US

Forest Service. The entire interview is posted below:

http://westinstenv.org/sosf/2008/09/05/an-interview-with-john-twiss/

 

EU:

 

23) Manuel Coimbra watches in silence, his hands on his hips, as a

lumberjack saws down one of his pine trees to stop a killer bug that

experts say could wipe out large belts of European woodland. The dense

forests that blanket the hillsides of this rural area of west-central

Portugal are the latest international conquest for the pest, which has

caused ecological catastrophes in East Asia. Thousands of trees here

are already dead, according to locals. " It makes me sad, " Coimbra

says, leaning against a vehicle on a shady dirt road as experts bag

shavings from the felled tree for testing at a local lab. " Future

generations probably won't know what we're talking about when we tell

them about pine forests. We'd better start taking some photographs to

show them, " says Coimbra, a soft-spoken middle-aged man who owns about

20 acres of local pine forest. His land is on the front line of

Europe's attempt to check pine wilt disease, which is spreading out of

control in this southwestern corner of the continent and is a menace

from Scandinavia to Italy and Greece. Two species of pine are

susceptible -- maritime pine, which accounts for almost one-quarter of

Portugal's forest, and Scots pine, the most widespread pine species in

Europe, which is frequently used for Christmas trees. The concerns are

not just environmental. Europe is the world's largest importer and

exporter of forest products. The European Commission last month

tightened restrictions on the export of Portuguese pine, which must be

disinfected and given a clean bill of health before leaving the

country. The bug, called a nematode, is a worm invisible to the naked

eye which swarms through a pine tree's innards and kills it within

weeks by choking off the flow of sap. It gets around by hitching a

lift in the respiratory system of a flying beetle that looks a bit

like a cockroach.

http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=106041

 

 

24) The European Union has reached a new agreement aimed at preventing

import of illegal timber from Africa, but environmental campaigners

believe bolder action is needed to curb deforestation across the

globe. Under a deal reached with Ghana Sep. 3, the EU has undertaken

to establish border controls to prevent unlicensed wood from the West

African state entering the Union's 27 countries. Known as a Voluntary

Partnership Agreement (VPA), the deal also commits the EU to aiding

the Accra authorities in developing an improved system for monitoring

a wood trade worth 400 million dollars per year. More than half of

Ghana's annual timber exports are destined for Europe. The accord has

been given a guarded welcome by conservation groups. Kyeretwie Opoku

from the organisation Forest Watch Ghana said that it could help to

crack down on such problems as corruption and in ensuring a more

sustainable management of the country's natural resources. But Opoku

expressed concern that the agreement would be separate to other

anti-deforestation schemes operating in Ghana, such as one financed by

the World Bank, and says that proper links need to be established

between the various programmes and donors involved. Ghana is one of

several countries involved in negotiating VPAs with the EU; others

include Cameroon, Congo, Indonesia and Malaysia. Russia and China have

not yet entered such talks, though they are reported to be two of the

largest suppliers of illegal wood to the EU.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43790

 

 

UK:

 

25) Nearly 900 people have signed an online petition urging Bristol

City Council to save a piece of woodland from development. Fears are

still rife among residents in Stapleton that the owner of Grove Woods

plans to build residential property at the beauty spot. They want the

city council to place a compulsory purchase order on the woodland, to

protect it for public use. Developer Lord Houshang Jafari bought the

woods, which border the River Frome opposite Snuff Mills Park, for

£39,000 at an auction in November. Since then he has cleared the banks

– much to the dismay of nature lovers who said they were home to

otters and kingfishers – and cut back trees and undergrowth. He has

since lodged an application to fell a row of trees next to the road

but he has already promised the Evening Post that he only plans to

make the plot of land into a deer park. But residents, including the

Save Grove Woods campaign group, harbour grave concerns about the

woodland's future. They have launched an e-petition, already signed by

870 people, to ask the city council to buy the woods back. They cite

the example of Royate Hill in Eastville, which was bought by the

former Avon County Council following a public protest when developers

bulldozed five acres of it. The spot is now a nature reserve and is

home to a variety of wildlife – campaigners want the same thing to

happen in Grove Woods. The e-petition runs until September 17, ending

at the same time that the city council's planning committee for east

Bristol is due to hear a report about the woods. Campaigner Steve

Micklewright said: " The conservation area status that the land already

enjoys is obviously not enough to stop speculators and developers

wanting to ruin it.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Hundreds-rally-fight-Grove-Woods-Stapleton/a\

rticle-312075-detail/article.html

 

26) They are never tall so they have a much better chance of surviving

storms and living to great ages. After 24 years of investigation by

the Conservation Foundation and the Ancient Yew Group, the oldest

living organism in London has been dated at 2,000 years old, making it

a contemporary of Jesus Christ. The yew tree in the churchyard of St.

Andrew in Totteridge, north London, has a girth of over eight metres,

over 26 feet. It's been a focal point for the community for centuries

- a baby was found abandoned under its shelter in 1722, and court

hearings were held in its shade. The Totteridge tree is a mere shoot

alongside Britain's oldest yew in Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland.

It's between 3,000 and 5,000 years old, making it one of the world's

oldest living things. It was already 56 feet, or over 17 metres, round

the trunk in 1769, and was so famous that visitors cut chunks off it

as souvenirs. Llangernyw, near Conwy in Wales, has another churchyard

yew estimated by the UK's Tree Council to be between 4,000 and 5,000

years old. Other ancient yews include the 1,600 year old, 24-foot-wide

tree in the churchyard at Lytchett Matravers in Dorset. Many have been

lost in wartime, through natural disaster or human intervention.

Thirty-nine huge yews were recorded in the churchyard of Strata

Florida Abbey, Cardiganshire, Wales, in the reign of Henry VIII

(born1491, died1547.) Only two remain today. At Fountains Abbey in

Yorkshire, seven yews of incredible size were recorded by John Lowe in

The Yew Trees of Britain and Ireland in 1798. Two survive today . Many

of the trees monitored by the Ancient Yew Group have been shattered by

lightning, damaged by man and even moved to accommodate new buildings.

The yew at Buckland-in-Dover, Kent, was moved in 1880 to allow the

church to be enlarged. One of Britain's most threatened trees, the

Harlington Yew in the churchyard of St. Peter and St. Paul, is in the

path of a proposed airport runway. It first appears in records in

1729, already very large, and was cut into decorative topiary balls

from 1770 until around 1825. Because they live so long, many yew trees

support ancient ecosystems of birds, plants and insects.

http://ukirishhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_yew_trees_of_britain

 

27) Britain is home to about a thousand living creatures born in the

1500s, and some born before the Normans invaded in 1066. One or two

are contemporaries of Christ. They're yew trees. Yews have effective

survival strategies. Secondary shoots grow at the base and merge with

the main trunk, giving the tree a ridged appearance. When the main

trunk decays the new trunks keep the tree alive. Branches can put down

roots into the decaying central trunk, literally growing new life from

its own decay, or can take root in surrounding soil. The roots can

also send up new shoots, and the tree's slow decay gives them time to

establish. Yews have very few parasites, perhaps because most parts of

the tree are toxic. Taxine, ephedrine, and taxiphyllin are all

present. Only the fleshy fruit is safe to consume, and yew berries

look unappealing to humans. The seeds are toxic, the leaves more so -

50-100 grams of chopped yew foliage is considered a fatal adult dose.

Human poisoning is rare. According to Fred Hageneder of the Ancient

Yew Group, a study published in 1992 found 10 fatal cases of human yew

poisoning.

http://biology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_survival_of_yew_trees_in_britain

 

Iceland:

 

28) The Nordic ministers of forestry held a meeting in Iceland last

week to discuss climate change and concluded that increased

forestation in the Arctic regions could prove an important tool in the

fight against global warming. " I believe forestry in the northern

hemisphere is definitely a powerful weapon in the fight against the

warming of the earth, " Brynhildur Bjarnadóttir, an expert at the

state-run Iceland Forest Service, told Morgunbladid. " The government

is aiming at reducing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, "

Bjarnadóttir said. " Research by the Iceland Forest Service in Iceland

shows without a doubt that binding of carbon dioxide increases in a

country where forests are growing. " Other experts have pointed out

that it would be more sensible to concentrate on the preservation of

rain forests because they grow faster than forests in the northern

hemisphere and thus bind carbon dioxide more efficiently. Bjarnadóttir

said that preserving rain forests and growing new forests in the

Arctic regions is equally important and that both strategies should be

implemented in the fight against global warming. An average vehicle

which drives 30,000 kilometers per year emits about 4.6 tons of carbon

dioxide (CO2) in that time. To offset that carbon dioxide, one hectare

of forest, around 2,500 trees, has to be planted. The average binding

for carbon dioxide in Icelandic forests is estimated at 4.4 tons per

hectare per year over the forest's 90-year growth period.

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539 & ew_0_a_id=31\

1474

Poland:

 

29) Ecologists painted a huge mural over 60 metres in height in Warsaw

last weekend. This original work of art aims at encouraging people to

cut down Beskid spruce forests. Such drastic measures are needed as

forests in the Beskids are facing an environmental catastrophy. At

present forest rangers and ecologists continue felling trees in state

forests while tourists look on in shock and confusion. " People do not

understand the reasons behind our actions. This is a rescue mission to

avert a real calamity, " says Wojciech Owczarz from the Ecological

Foundation Arka. The Beskid spruces are infected and need to be cut

down. The major obstacle is the fact that one third of the Beskid

forests belongs to private owners who in many cases ignore the danger.

Others are not aware or do not even remember that they have a patch of

forest. Meanwhile, the disease is incessantly spreading and infecting

more and more trees. The mural is a means of reaching people with the

message: " cut down your trees before it is too late. " " We are also

trying to persuade forest owners to plant new trees and recreate the

original Beskid forests that had a wide variety of trees. In the 19th

century, the coal industry was in need of lumber and as a result

beech, sycamore and fir forests were cut down and replaced with

fast-growing spruce. This led to the creation of a monocultural forest

susceptible to diseases and pests such as bark beetles. Today, rangers

and ecologists are doing their best to halt the infestation and plant

other species of trees to prevent similar problems in the future. In

addition, a more varied forest will have a positive effect on the

prevention of erosion. Additionally, trees store large amounts of

rainwater lessening the threat of floods. The Beskid forests are also

a natural habitat for many rare animals like the wood grouse, lynx,

wolf, bear and dormouse.

http://newzar.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/not-seeing-the-forest-for-the-trees/

 

Spain:

 

30) TOLEDO -- A frayed copy of " Don Quixote " was tucked under the

front seat of Roberto Oliveros' battered white truck as he sallied

forth through the fast-changing plains of central Spain.Where the

addled Cervantes hero tilted at windmills, Oliveros and his

environmentalist friends see another towering enemy dotting this La

Mancha landscape: construction cranes. An unbridled building boom,

which first turned much of Spain's once captivating coastline into a

mile-wide belt of shopping malls, vacation homes and sunburned

foreigners, has more recently spread deep into the country's

heartland, endangered some of the most precious and diverse flora and

fauna in Europe and sucked an already arid region dry of water. Nearly

30% of Spain is in the process of becoming desert, according to a

report by Adena, Spain's branch of the World Wildlife Fund. " We have

tried to raise the alarm, before everything goes to hell, " said

Oliveros, from the Toledo office of Ecologists in Action, Spain's

largest consortium of environmentalist groups. Fueled by corruption,

speculation and a hot market that only recently cooled, vast patches

of regions such as Castilla-La Mancha are being swallowed up by

enormous housing developments, often on land designated as national

parks or as protected zones because of delicate ecosystems and

near-extinct wildlife. Once a quiet countryside of gentle hills, olive

groves, medieval castles and cattle ranches, the land is now pocked

with patches of cookie-cutter condos, golf courses and prefab swimming

pools. And billboards: " Get your chalets now! " " Easy credit, no money

down! " " A new way to live! " And the most bitter twist for

environmentalists is that an abrupt downturn in the Spanish economy,

not unlike the current U.S. financial crisis, means that most of the

tens of thousands of new houses will go unsold. Spain caught a roaring

case of property fever a few years ago; owning a home became part of

achieving the European dream in a nation catching up with the rest of

the West. Compounded by an influx of British and other foreign

second-home buyers, demand soared, prices soared even higher, and

greed infected the boom. Backroom rezoning has stolen property from

under the feet of small landowners and farmers. Building permits have

been granted where there is no possibility of water or sewerage

infrastructure.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-boom8-2008sep08,0,226980\

1.story

 

Niger:

 

31) The study area covered 500 km2 in south-west Niger and was chosen

because its rural environment was representative of a rain-fed mode of

agriculture practised by farming communities throughout the Sahel.

Four time series of photographs taken in 1950, 1960, 1975 and 1992,

gave the opportunity to trace highly accurately changes in such

factors as deforestation, soil erosion or pond water level. A fifth

time series for the study area, obtained this time by the SPOT

satellite, was added to complete the date set. Additionally, field

surveys conducted in which farmers were asked to recollect their

experience of the changes in the Sahel landscape yielded information

for comparison and integration with aerial observation data. The

photographs' good resolution, down to a few metres, made possible

quite clear identification of borders of cultivated plots or of the

gullies that cut into the landscape. Image analysis revealed that

between 1950 and 1992, 80% of the study area was cleared for expansion

of millet cultivation and, to a lesser extent, to provide firewood for

local communities Advantage was also taken of these shots to measure

the intensity of the deforestation according to the type of terrain.

Thus, hillslopes showed as the most strongly affected by clearance

(87%), followed by the plateaux (59%) and then the valley bottoms

(42%) which remained the best conserved environments. Removal of the

vegetation led to loss of soil rainfall infiltration capacity. This

indirect consequence of forest cover could be visualized on aerial

photographs which, as the time series progressed, depicted an

increasingly extended gully network. The process ended with a

landscape resembling an oilcloth. Here, strong runoff means that

rainwater rushes down to the valley floors where it accumulates to

form ponds which act as temporary retention ponds. They eventually

empty thereby charging the groundwater. The aerial photographs gave

the possibility to track the progress of this phenomenon. Between 1950

and 1992, the research team thus recorded a 2.5-fold multiplication of

the drainage capacities of the regions observed.

http://www.innovationsreport.de/html/berichte/geowissenschaften/aerial_photograp\

hs_sahel_land_change_observation_117454.html

 

Kenya:

 

32) After a decade of rampant destruction of the Mau forest water

catchment in western Kenya, the country's coalition government seems

firmly united in trying to save the complex before more serious damage

is inflicted on the economy. U.N. officials say this is no longer

simply an environmental issue but something that has huge importance

for the whole country. Already two of the top three foreign exchange

earners — tourism and tea — are feeling the impact of falling water

levels which have also forced the postponement of a major

hydro-electric project. Prime Minister Raila Odinga describes the

forest's destruction as a national emergency. Both foreign and local

officials say there is no gap between Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki

on the issue. Saving the forest will involve huge costs to resettle

and compensate some of the thousands of people living illegally there

and restore tree cover which produces vital supplies of water.

Officials say they expect international donors to provide major

financial help. Until a few months ago, the destruction of the forest

was a familiar story of land grabbing, illegal logging and the

allocation of government land to try to win votes. It began in 1997

when the government of Daniel arap Moi gave large plots away in

exchange for electoral support. Then, this year, the United Nations

flew Odinga and other officials over the forest to show them the

extent of the destruction, shocking them into urgent action. The

government is pushing ahead despite the fact that many of the area's

MPs and voters belong to Odinga's ODM party. Unlike the past,

political considerations are being pushed to one side in the national

interest. U.N. officials call this process unique for a country long

blighted by the depradations of powerful and greedy politicians.

http://blogs.reuters.com/africa/2008/09/03/saving-kenyan-forest-is-it-a-turning-\

point/