C'mon Let's Plant a Tree

Monks Fight to Get Cambodian Forests on the Carbon Market

2011-05-09T20:12:00.001+05:30

For years, the guardians of Sorng Rukavorn forest have drifted through the muted greens and grays of the underbrush in their saffron robes. In the far north of Cambodia, the monks live in what should be peaceful isolation, but all too often they have had to fend off incursions on this land. Using their authority as holy figures, they've turned away illegal loggers - among them, they say, armed police and soldiers - as well as local officials who have tried to wrestle control of the public land to parcel it out for their own profit.

Now the monks are looking for backup. They plan to institutionalize their communal ownership of the forest and shared profit from its 44,479-acre bounty by demarcating it an international ecological asset. Sorng Rukavorn is one of 13 community forests spreading over 168,032 acres in Oddar Meanchey province that is being registered as a bank of carbon credits. Under this nascent international tool of climate change mitigation referred to as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), governments and companies in industrialized nations can pay developing countries to cut carbon emissions on their behalf by not cutting trees. Deforestation accounts for roughly a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, according to the UN. Trees and plants absorb the gas - produced by a number of natural and manmade processes, from the combustion of fossil fuels by factories, cars and volcanic eruptions, to the flatulence of livestock - and are therefore essential to balancing its levels in the atmosphere.

Full article here

Painting by Ivan Shishkin

Earth could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050

2011-03-12T19:42:00.001+05:30

Earth could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say

The earth could become "unrecognizable" by 2050, if a growing affluent global population keeps consuming more resources, researchers warned at a major US science conference.

"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable" if the global population continues to increase, said Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, "with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.

Meanwhile, as income is expected to rise over the next 40 years -- tripling globally and quintupling in developing nations, people tend to consume more meat, eggs or dairy products, which would cost more grains to produce, adding more strain to global food supplies.

"We want to minimize population growth, and the only viable way to do that is through more effective family planning," said John Casterline, director of the Initiative in Population Research at Ohio State University.

It takes around seven pounds (3.4 kilograms) of grain to produce a pound of meat, and around three to four pounds of grain to produce a pound of cheese or eggs, AFP reported.

"More people, more money, more consumption, but the same planet," Jason Clay told AFP, urging scientists and governments to start making changes now to how food is produced.

Population experts called for more funding for family planning programs to help control the growth in the number of humans, especially in developing nations.

News here

Painting by Ivan Shishkin

Brazil judge blocks Amazon Belo Monte dam

2011-02-27T12:38:00.002+05:30

A Brazilian judge has blocked plans to build a huge hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest because of environmental concerns.

Federal judge Ronaldo Desterro said environmental requirements to build the Belo Monte dam had not been met.

He also barred the national development bank, BNDES, from funding the project.

The dam is a cornerstone of President Dilma Rousseff's plans to upgrade Brazil's energy infrastructure.

But it has faced protests and challenges from environmentalists and local indigenous groups who say it will harm the world's largest tropical rainforest and displace tens of thousands of people.

Judge Desterro said the Brazilian environmental agency, Ibama, had approved the project without ensuring that 29 environmental conditions had been met.

In particular, he said concerns that the dam would disrupt the flow of the Xingu river - one of the Amazon's main tributaries - had not been met.

His ruling is the latest stage in a long legal battle over Belo Monte. Previous injunctions blocking construction have been overturned.

The government says the Belo Monte dam is crucial for development and will create jobs, as well as provide electricity to 23 million homes.

The 11,000-megawatt dam would be the biggest in the world after the Three Gorges in China and Itaipu, which is jointly run by Brazil and Paraguay.

It has long been a source of controversy, with bidding halted three times before the state-owned Companhia Hidro Eletrica do Sao Francisco was awarded the contract last year.

Celebrities such as the singer Sting and film director James Cameron have joined environmentalists in their campaign against the project.

They say the 6km (3.7 miles) dam will threaten the survival of a number of indigenous groups and could make some 50,000 people homeless, as 500 sq km (190 sq miles) of land would be flooded.

Article here

Painting by Ivan Shishkin

New Data Highlights Role of Forests in Fight Against Climate Change

2011-01-01T07:45:00.001+05:30

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2010 - The USDA Forest Service today released new estimates of the total carbon storage of U.S. forests, highlighting the important role America's forests play in the fight against climate change. According to the new data, 41.4 billion metric tons of carbon is currently stored in the nation's forests, and due to both increases in the total area of forest land and increases in the carbon stored per acre, an additional 192 million metric tons of carbon are sequestered each year. The additional carbon sequestered annually offsets roughly 11 percent of the country's industrial greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing almost 135 million passenger vehicles from the nation's highways.

"America's forests play a critical role in combating climate change, collectively capturing and storing significant amounts of carbon that would otherwise pollute the atmosphere," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Forest management on all lands can contribute significantly toward cooling a warming planet, and this new information will assist the public and policy makers as we work to address this significant issue."

Read on

Painting by Ivan Shishkin
View of Valaam Island. Kukko. 1859.

Obama administration reverses Bush wilderness policy

2011-01-01T07:36:00.004+05:30

DENVER (Reuters) - The Obama administration has restored U.S. land managers' powers to curb development on vast tracts of America's back country, undoing what conservation groups called a "no more wilderness" policy put in place under President George W. Bush.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Thursday that the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will again have the authority to set aside large areas of federally owned territory in the West that it deems deserving of wilderness protection.

It would still be up to Congress to decide whether to grant those areas formal wilderness status, putting them permanently off-limits to energy development and other commercial uses.

An official wilderness designation by law prohibits the building of roads or other structures, or any human activities that would alter the natural landscape, such as farming, logging, mining, or oil and gas drilling.

In years past, lands classified by BLM as eligible for such protection were to be protected as de facto wilderness until or unless Congress acted.

Read on

Painting by Ivan Shishkin
View in the Vicinity of St. Petersburg. 1856

Churches Across Faith Traditions Plant 12,000 Trees

2009-04-23T22:30:00.001+05:30

In keeping with the biblical mandate to care for God's creation, thousands of people from ten faith traditions have come together to plant 12,000 trees in northern Michigan.

About 100 congregations from Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist Church, Jewish, and Quaker traditions, among others, and nonprofit organizations are participating in a tree project led by the interfaith coalition Upper Peninsula Earth Keepers.

Volunteers planted the first of 12,000 12- to 16-inch White Spruce and Red Pine trees during the blessing of the trees ceremony on Wednesday in observance of Earth Day.

"This is about more than putting trees in the ground – it’s an expression by the faith communities of love and care for God’s creation," said Kyra Fillmore, Catholic Earth Keeper team member and the project’s communications coordinator for faith communities, according to the Presbyterian News Service.

Thousands of volunteers will be picking up tree seedlings on May 2 and planting the equivalent of a forest across 400 miles the following day.

"Our interfaith tree-planting effort is more than another conservation project," said the Rev. Jon Magnuson, co-founder of the Earth Keeper initiative and executive director of the Cedar Tree Institute, as reported by the Presbyterian News Service. "With prayers, hymns and the blessing of 12,000 seedlings, it's a gentle proclamation of a new consciousness and commitment among our faith communities to care for God's creation."

Being stewards of God's creation has taken on greater significance as more Christians view global warming as a serious problem.

Read on
The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

Volunteers prepare trees and shrubs for Arbor Day sale

2009-04-23T22:27:00.001+05:30

Soil and Water Conservation District workers observed Earth Day on Wednesday by preparing more than 1,000 tree and shrub orders for distribution.

Seedlings and transplants will be distributed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Saratoga County Fairgrounds.

More than 1,000 people have pre-ordered bare root plants. There will also be a variety of evergreen and deciduous bare root trees, shrubs and ground covers available for purchase at low cost on a first come, first served basis.

The species available are well suited for conservation purposes, and provide food and cover for songbirds and other wildlife.

This week is National Volunteer Week and the district relies heavily on such people to accomplish its missions and goals. All board members are volunteers — Ray Bowman, Don Monica, Tom Wood, Richard Hunter, Victoria Garlanda, Jay Matthews and Phil Griffen. These and other people helped prepare the tree and shrub orders for this weekend’s distribution.

Read on
The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

For Md. Grad Student, a Time to Plant

2009-04-23T22:26:00.000+05:30

David Ruppert's approach to preserving family trees is a bit unconventional. He plants them by the hundreds.

The Kensington native's quest to preserve and propagate the seed of local vegetation began years ago on his family's Olney property, when a magnificent white oak began to fail and produced in its death throes an abundance of acorns -- a large yield known as a mast.

"Sometimes, when they know it's the end, they'll produce a last huge one," Ruppert said of the phenomenon. "It was a truly gigantic white oak, probably one of the biggest white oaks in the county."

Read on
The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

Tree planting caps governor's busy Earth Day

2009-04-23T22:21:00.001+05:30

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger marked Earth Day on Wednesday in part by helping one local company reach its goal of planting 1 million trees.

Schwarzenegger, in one of three Earth Day appearances statewide, helped plant the 1 millionth tree at Shaklee. He was joined by company officials and Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Maathai is the "global ambassador" for the company's "A Million Trees, A Million Dreams" campaign. Her group, based in Kenya, started in 1977 with tree plantings and is a way to empower women by getting them involved with the environment.

Shaklee makes items such as vitamins, household cleaners and personal hygiene products. The company said that in 2000 it was the first company in the world to be certified as being "climate neutral" by the Climate Neutral Network, with the tree plantings being counted toward that effort.

Read on
The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

Supervisors protect historic tree in Knightsen

2009-04-22T22:17:00.001+05:30

When George Knight settled in far East County more than 100 years ago, he planted a eucalyptus tree to mark his land.

On Tuesday, Contra Costa supervisors made it possible for the tree to stand tall for years to come in the town named for Knight.

The tree, located on Delta Road near Bartels Drive, was designated a Heritage Tree by supervisors, protecting it from being cut down and preserving a piece of Knightsen's history.

Some say the tree, with a trunk 22 feet round and an estimated height of 50 feet, can be seen from Byron.

The decision was made despite the tree straddling county and privately owned land.

The owner, Huguette Bartels, wrote a letter opposing the designation, but in the end, the community's voice was louder.

"This is something that the community supports," Supervisor Mary Piepho said, "and because of that, this is something the board supports."

Bartels is still responsible for maintaining the tree but does not have any additional obligations, said conservation and development director Catherine Kutsuris. A permit is needed for Bartels to do anything significant to the tree.

In her letter, Bartels wrote that she opposed the designation because it was a "dangerous and very messy tree" that was "not native of California." She also said the cost of upkeep was too much for her to handle.

Read on
The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Enterprise Rent-A-Car continues tree-planting

2009-04-22T22:15:00.002+05:30

For the fourth consecutive year, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will help plant one million trees this year to replace those lost to disease, fire and other natural disasters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The new trees also will help protect watersheds, lessen the risk of infestation by invasive plants and restore wildlife habitat in the forest, the car rental giant said Monday.

The project is part of the 50 Million Tree Pledge, a partnership of Enterprise, the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

Enterprise is paying $50 million over the next 50 years to plant 50 million trees in honor of the company’s 50th birthday in 2007. That’s the equivalent of planting all the trees in New York’s Central Park every 10 days.

Read on
The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Tree care: A do-nothing approach often is best

2009-04-22T22:06:00.002+05:30

Scientists study the reaction trees have to maintenance efforts such as pruning and chemical treatments over the course of time and, in many cases, we have learned to leave well enough alone. A good example of this is the use of pruning paints and sealers. Painting a pruning cut with a black, sometimes tar-based paint was standard 20 years ago. The original intent was to prevent decay from occurring at the pruning site. However, the reality is painting won't prevent decay and can have the opposite effect.

Read on
The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Efforts aimed at boosting tree cover

2009-04-22T22:03:00.002+05:30

As Earth Day and Arbor Day arrive today and Friday, local planning officials are preparing to offer county residents incentives to help restore the area's declining tree cover.

A new program, called Leaves for Neighborhoods, will make $25 coupons available to purchase a shade tree valued at $75 or more from a participating nursery.

Planners say the county has been losing tree cover to infill and denser development for decades, as trees were cut to make room for houses. Also, development has interfered with the root systems of trees and likely caused many to die early, they say.

Meanwhile, the County Council and the Department of Environmental Protection are working toward a tree preservation ordinance and looking at zoning changes that could stem or reverse the pattern of tree losses in residential areas.

Read on
The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

From President Obama to NASA, Americans Are Planting Earth Day Trees

2009-04-22T22:00:00.001+05:30

To mark Earth Day, the top politicians in the US this afternoon rolled up their sleeves and took up their shovels to plant trees at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens along the Washington, DC border with Maryland.

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden planted trees with the Student Conservation Association in a muddy marsh beside the Anacostia River at Kenilworth.

The dignitaries walked up to the planting site with arms around the student workers, who were all wearing T-shirts that said "SCA – Earth Day 09."

Read on
The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Tree planting in the driest place on Earth

2009-04-22T21:50:00.002+05:30

The southern coast of Peru is one of the driest places on Earth. Why would anyone choose this parched location to re-plant a forest?

The strip of desert between the Andean mountains and the Pacific Ocean has an annual average rainfall as low as 1.5mm.

By way of comparison, London enjoys around 650mm a year.

It's not an obvious place to choose if you're looking for somewhere to plant trees, but for restoration ecologist Oliver Whaley the harsh environment of the northern fringes of the Atacama desert is part of the point.

By helping to restore the shrinking native forests, the aim is to benefit local people and wildlife, prevent soil erosion, and help alleviate climate change.

"If we can get trees established here, and learn how to do it with as little water as possible, then it is a model for the rest of the world," he says.

While the plight of the world's rainforests are well known, the same cannot be said of tropical dry forests. These less biodiverse, but equally remarkable forests, face threats every bit as severe as their better known cousins.

The Atacama dry forest "is really an ecosystem on its last legs," says Mr Whaley, of London's Kew Gardens - an internationally renowned botanical research institution.

The tree under threat is the huarango, Prosopis limensis, found only in the Ica region of Peru.

Read on
The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

Amazon Destruction: Why is the rainforest being destroyed in Brazil?

2009-04-20T22:19:00.001+05:30

Between May 2000 and August 2005, Brazil lost more than 132,000 square kilometers of forest(an area larger than Greece)and since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. Why is Brazil losing so much forest? What can be done to slow deforestation?

Why is the Brazilian Amazon being Destroyed?

In many tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from the actions of poor subsistence cultivators. However, in Brazil only about one-third of recent deforestation can be linked to "shifted" cultivators. A large portion of deforestation in Brazil can be attributed to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. For effective action it is imperative that these issues be addressed. Focusing solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local people would neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in Brazil.

Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economic health of the country: the decline in deforestation from 1988-1991 nicely matched the economic slowdown during the same period, while the rocketing rate of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled Brazil's period of rapid economic growth. During lean times, ranchers and developers do not have the cash to rapidly expand their pasturelands and operations, while the government lacks funds to sponsor highways and colonization programs and grant tax breaks and subsidies to forest exploiters.

A relatively small percentage of large landowners clear vast sections of the Amazon for cattle pastureland. Large tracts of forest are cleared and sometimes planted with African savanna grasses for cattle feeding. In many cases, especially during periods of high inflation, land is simply cleared for investment purposes. When pastureland prices exceed forest land prices (a condition made possible by tax incentives that favor pastureland over natural forest), forest clearing is a good hedge against inflation.

Such favorable taxation policies, combined with government subsidized agriculture and colonization programs, encourage the destruction of the Amazon. The practice of low taxes on income derived from agriculture and tax rates that favor pasture over forest overvalues agriculture and pastureland and makes it profitable to convert natural forest for these purposes when it normally would not be so.

Article here
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Mysterious Bee Disappearance Could Disrupt U.S. Agriculture

2009-04-19T23:01:00.000+05:30

Up to a quarter of the nation's commercially raised honeybees have disappeared, befuddling scientists and stirring fears that the country's crops could go unpollinated.

Contrary to the homespun image of rural beekeepers and cottage idylls, honeybees in the U.S. are raised on an industrial scale and used to pollinate crops in areas where monoculture planting and pesticide use have killed off indigenous pollinators

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Corn-Based Biofuels Spell Death for Gulf of Mexico

2009-04-19T22:28:00.000+05:30

If the United States makes corn-based ethanol the centerpiece of its biofuel portfolio, the Gulf of Mexico's vast dead zone will expand and become impossible to control, says a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The United States now produces 6.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels each year -- a number expected to jump to 36 billion gallons by 2022.

Many plants, from switch grass to poplar trees, are potentially good sources of renewable fuel, especially if scientists figure how to process them more efficiently.

Corn, however, is almost universally regarded as an environmentally unfriendly crop that compares poorly to other biofuel sources and requires enormous quantities of fertilizers and pesticides to grow.

But in the United States, corn is king, and a combination of early adoption and agro-industry lobbying made it the most common plant-based fuel. If that trend continues, say sustainability scientists Simon Donner and Christopher Kucharik, fertilizer pollution will expand an oxygen-starved region in the Gulf of Mexico, spelling doom for crustaceans, fish and the people whose livelihoods depend on catching them.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Teen Decomposes Plastic Bag in Three Months

2009-04-19T22:15:00.000+05:30

Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose -- but 16-year-old science fair contestant Daniel Burd made it happen in just three months.

The Waterloo, Ontario high school junior figured that something must make plastic degrade, even if it does take millennia, and that something was probably bacteria.

(Hey, at between one-half and 90 percent of Earth's biomass, bacteria's a pretty safe bet for any biological mystery.)

Burd mixed landfill dirt with yeast and tap water, then added ground plastic and let it stew. The plastic indeed decomposed more quickly than it would in nature; after experimenting with different temperatures and configurations, Burd isolated the microbial munchers. One came from the bacterial genus Pseudomonas, and the other from the genus Sphingomonas.

Burd says this should be easy on an industrial scale: all that's needed is a fermenter, a growth medium and plastic, and the bacteria themselves provide most of the energy by producing heat as they eat. The only waste is water and a bit of carbon dioxide.

Article here
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Japan's Zero-Trash Town

2009-04-19T22:10:00.000+05:30

To reduce the ecological footprint of its residents, a Japanese town has taken a radical step: ending all trash collection.

The BBC reports that residents of Kamikatsu put organic waste into composters and carry the rest to recycling centers. Though sometimes inconvenient -- non-organics are sorted into no fewer than 34 categories -- the scheme appears to be working, and it's cheaper than incineration.

Kamikatsu's a great example of small-scale individual behavior that could have great benefits if practiced widely, and the mayor is urging other communities to follow suit. A question, Would you go along with a system like this in your own town? And if you're already composting, what's your experience been?

Read it here
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Scientists Map Out "Dream Reservoir" for CO2 Storage

2009-04-19T22:06:00.000+05:30

Scientists may have discovered the closet where we can hide the mess that burning fossil fuels creates.

Many have viewed "carbon sequestration" -- taking the CO2 produced by burning coal and burying it underground -- as a major component of combating climate change. However, there are many questions about the plan -- most notably, just where a major emitter like the US could find a safe place to stash gigatons of carbon dioxide safely over hundreds of years.

The answer, say Columbia researchers, lies in huge reservoirs of basalt off the coast of the Pacific northwest. That basalt is buried underneath hundreds of feet of sediment, and that in turn lies thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.

The basalt, located on the San Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, could store about 150 years' worth of the United States' yearly load of 1.7 gigatons of emissions.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

China's 2030 CO2 Emissions Could Equal the Entire World's Today

2009-04-19T21:55:00.000+05:30

If China's carbon usage keeps pace with its economic growth, the country's carbon dioxide emissions will reach 8 gigatons a year by 2030, which is equal to the entire world's CO2 production today. That's just the most stunning in a series of datapoints about the Chinese economy reported in a policy brief in the latest issue of the journal Science.

Coal power has been driving the stunning, seven plus percent a year growth in China's economy. It's long been said said that China was adding one new coal power plant per week to its grid. But the real news is worse: China is completing two new coal plants per week.

That power is being used to drive an enormous manufacturing expansion. China has increased steel production from 140 million tons in 2000 to 419 million tons in 2006, the authors report. Even more recent numbers from the International Iron and Steel Institute show China's production leading the world at 489 million tons, more than double Japan and the US combined. That steel is getting used quickly too. In 1999, Chinese consumers bought 1.2 million cars. That number had increased 600% by 2006, when 7.2 million cars were sold.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

A Cheap, Natural Way of Cutting Greenhouse Gas

2009-04-19T21:47:00.001+05:30

Keeping tropical forests from being cut down isn't cheap, but it's affordable -- and it might be humanity's best short-term climate change solution.

In a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of economists and ecologists calculated a price of keeping CO2-gobbling tropical forests intact.

That's only the first step in conserving them, but it's an important one.

"Nobody knew how expensive or cheap it would be," said study co-author Brent Sohngen, an agricultural economics professor at Ohio State University. "Our results say it's a relatively cheap option compared to storage in deep geological wells, or trying to transform the energy economy. That's a good option in the long run, but expensive in the short term. This is a good option in the near future."

Sohngen's team calculated the costs of paying landowners to say their chainsaws using three different estimates of tropical forest area and carbon sequestration potential.

Slowing deforestation by 10% over the next twenty years would cost between $0.4 billion and $1.7 billion annually, and save about half a gigaton of CO2 yearly. A 50% deforestation drop would cost between $17 and $30 billion, and save more than two gigatons of CO2 each year -- about one-third of total United States greenhouse gas emissions.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Environmental Destruction Could Cost World $5 Trillion -- Each Year

2009-04-19T21:44:00.001+05:30

$700 billion?

That's nothing compared with the $2 to $5 trillion per year ecological damage costs the world each year, according to the preliminary report from an European Union-sponsored group of economists.

The calculation attempts to value the services, such as absorbing carbon dioxide and nitrogen fixation, that natural systems like forests provide for humans.

"So whereas Wall Street by various calculations has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion, the reality is that at today's rate we are losing natural capital at least between $2-$5 trillion every year," Pavan Sukhdev, a Deutsche Bank economist and the study's leader, told the BBC today.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity report uses a similar methodology as the Stern Review, a landmark report by British economist Nicholas Stern, which argued that the cost of doing nothing about climate change outweighed the costs of even strict CO2 mitigation measures. A landmark Nature paper in 1997 estimated the value of the world's ecosystems at somewhere between $16-54 trillion dollars. This type of accounting, in both its general thrust and detail, has been criticized by some economists.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Climate Change Destroying Walden Pond's Flowers

2009-04-19T21:38:00.001+05:30

Climate change is devastating the flowers of Walden Pond, picking off those species that cannot react to rising temperatures.

Comparing data meticulously gathered by Henry David Thoreau more than a century and a half ago with more recent observations, Harvard biologists report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that more than a quarter of Walden's plant species have already been lost. And an additional 36 percent are in imminent danger, including lilacs, roses and buttercups.

"It had been thought that climate change would result in uniform shifts across plant species, but our work shows that plant species do not respond to climate change uniformly or randomly," said co-author Charles Davis, a biologist at Harvard, in a release.

The Walden study shows that even small changes in temperature can have outsized impacts on plants that are evolutionarily adapted to fulfill ecological niches. Together with changes seen in other locations, like the unprecedented pine beetle damage in the West, the new work suggests that finely tuned biological systems are having a difficult time keeping up with the rapid pace of human-induced climate change.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Rainforest Fungus Naturally Synthesizes Diesel

2009-04-19T21:33:00.002+05:30

A fungus that lives inside trees in the Patagonian rain forest naturally makes a mix of hydrocarbons that bears a striking resemblance to diesel, biologists announced today. And the fungus can grow on cellulose, a major component of tree trunks, blades of grass and stalks that is the most abundant carbon-based plant material on Earth.

"When we looked at the gas analysis, I was flabbergasted," said Gary Strobel, a plant scientist at Montana State University, and the lead author of a paper in Microbiology describing the find. "We were looking at the essence of diesel fuel."

While genetic engineers have been trying a variety of techniques and genes to get microbes to create fuel out of sugars and starches, almost all commercial biofuel production uses the century-old dry mill grain process. Ethanol plants ferment corn ears into alcohol, which is simple, but wastes the vast majority of the biomatter of the corn plant.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

The Top 10 Green-Tech Breakthroughs of 2008

2009-04-19T21:27:00.002+05:30

They are

10. THE ISLAND OF THE SOLAR
9. NEW MATERIALS CAGE CARBON
8. GREEN TECH LEGISLATION GETS REAL
7. THE CATALYST THAT COULD ENABLE SOLAR
6. PICKENS PLAN PUSHES POWER PLAYS INTO AMERICAN MAINSTREAM
5. SOLAR THERMAL PLANTS RETURN TO THE DESERTS
4. OBAMA PICKS A GREEN TECH EXPERT TO HEAD DOE
3. SOLAR CELL PRODUCTION GETS BIG, GIGA(WATT)BIG
2. PROJECT BETTER PLACE FINDS HOMES
1. CALERA'S GREEN CEMENT DEMO PLANT OPENS

Read in detail here
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Climate Change Killing America's Trees at Ever Faster Rates

2009-04-19T21:22:00.002+05:30

Trees in western North America are dying at faster and faster rates, and climate change is likely to blame.

The mounting deaths could fundamentally transform Western forests because tree reproduction hasn’t increased to offset losses, according to a new study published Thursday in Science. New seedlings aren’t rising quickly enough to fill the gaps.

“If current trends continue, forests will become sparser over time,” co-author Philip van Mantgem, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said in a press conference call. This would be a setback in the fight against global warming because thinner forests with small, young trees store less carbon, so more heat-trapping carbon dioxide would cycle into the atmosphere.

A large-scale transition to such threadbare woods would have other negative effects as well, van Mantgem said. Species that depend on big stands of old growth, such as marbled murrelets and spotted owls, would have much less room to roam. And the risk of catastrophic fires would go up with more dead, dry wood lying around to fuel them.

Read on
The Painting is by Henri Rousseau

Residents bark over West Acton tulip tree's fate

2009-03-31T20:56:00.000+05:30

A tulip tree on Spruce Street near the intersection with Arlington Street has grown so large that its roots and trunk are damaging the sidewalk next to it to the point that it is impassable for people in wheelchairs, a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. The tree has also made the sidewalk narrow and difficult for children and parents with strollers to pass.

What we knew

Dean Charter, Acton’s tree warden, held off on cutting down the approximately 40-year-old tree after residents objected to a proposal to remove it during a hearing last fall. The level of opposition to removing the tree sent the issue to the Board of Selectmen for a decision.

What happened

Roughly two-dozen residents attended the board’s March 23 meeting to again object to the removal of the tree. No one in the crowd of attendees spoke in favor of cutting down the tree, but officials reaffirmed that the condition of the sidewalk is an obstacle to people with disabilities and will worsen as the tree continues to grow. The Board voted unanimously to continue the discussion at the board’s May 4 meeting.

What’s next

Town staff will look at various alternatives to cutting down the tree, including building a ramp over the its roots, extending the sidewalk further into the street to get around the tree’s trunk or installing a sidewalk made of rubber.

Article here
The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

AEP and Fiserv Team Up To Save Customers Money and Plant Trees

2009-03-31T20:54:00.000+05:30

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 30, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ ----Customers of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP: 24.64, -0.45, -1.79%) utility companies who enroll in AEP's paperless billing program over the next two months will save time and money while helping the environment.

AEP and its paperless billing partner, Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), will contribute $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation for every customer who enrolls during April and May. The funds will be used for reforestation projects in AEP's service territory.

At the end of 2008, approximately 7 percent of AEP's residential customers - 261,350 customers - were enrolled in AEP's paperless billing program, which allows them to receive and pay their electric service bills online. More than 2.9 million paperless bills were sent to AEP customers during 2008.

Customers may enroll for the program at www.AEPPaperless.com. CheckFree, whose name appears on the site, recently became part of Fiserv.

"Our customers who choose paperless billing find they save time and money, in addition to making a positive environmental contribution," said Dennis Welch, AEP executive vice president - environment, safety & health and facilities. "Those who enroll in April and May will make an even greater impact with the planting of trees in our service territory.

Read on
The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

Obama signs protections for Mon Forest acreage

2009-03-31T20:53:00.001+05:30

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester on Monday had a bird's-eye view of President Obama signing into law a bill granting wilderness protection to more than 2 million acres of land, including 37,771 acres in the Monongahela National Forest.

"For some reason, they stuck me in the second row," Manchester said after the signing. "It was a wonderful ceremony, and I got to shake the president's hand and meet a lot of the congressional leaders."

Manchester was among about 150 supporters of various pieces of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 who were invited to attend the bill-signing ceremony at the White House. The legislation protects tracts of federally managed land in nine states, from Oregon to Virginia.

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and a longtime backer of the legislation, was among 13 U.S. senators and representatives in attendance, along with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

"As Americans, we possess few blessings greater than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the breadth of our continent," Obama said. The new law, he added, guarantees that Americans "will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments and wilderness areas for granted, but rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share. That's something all Americans can support."

Read on
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200903300707

Tree planting and reforestation in Lofiriha community, Sudan, East Africa

2009-03-31T20:51:00.001+05:30

Every day in Lofiriha community, an area of forest the size of a football ground is being cut downAims of the project

- To grow 5 million trees by establishing 500 community tree nurseries, each growing 10,000 trees per year to provide a sustainable source of wood for the future.

- To train, educate and empower the local Lofiriha communities to sustainably manage their local environment to reduce poverty.

Budget for Each Nursery

Euro1, 000 pays for setting up and running each tree nursery for one year. This money pays for transport, training, monitoring, polythene tube, and equipment.

Project total cost

Euro 33,577

Project Duration

Ongoing — we will be opening nurseries as funds become available.

Deforestation and Land Degradation

Lofiriha is a poor community and 100% of the people live in rural areas. Wood is a necessary part of daily life, and also there is great pressure to clear forests for agriculture. The present way of life is not sustainable. Wood has always been treated as a free resource, and vast areas of woodland have been cleared carelessly without any replanting for future coming generations. This deforestation also leads to soil erosion, land degradation and ultimately climate change which is and will have a devastating effect.

Read on
The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

Plant a tree for every employee

2009-03-30T22:13:00.001+05:30

Companies have been urged to come on board and plant a tree for every one of their employees. Trees help fight global warming and look good too.

City Parks is urging companies to donate and plant a tree for every employee in support of Joburg's campaign to plant 200 000 trees as a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Jenny Moodley, the utility's spokesperson, says that not only will the tree planting be for 2010, but it will also improve the quality of the environment in under-developed townships before the end of the year.

"An average of 150 trees need to be planted to offset the carbon emissions of one person and City Parks is urging all businesses - including tree growers, cellphone providers, the construction industry, mining houses, financial institutions and vehicle manufacturers - to donate a tree for every employee in your organisation. This programme affords both small and big businesses a platform to offset their emissions based on their employee complement.

"It also encourages organisations to adopt the tree-planting programme as part of their corporate social investment initiative and organisations are further encouraged to use the programme as a team-building exercise to nurture healthy lifestyles," says Moodley.

"City Parks needs to intensify tree planting in areas such as Cosmo City, Ivory Park, Soweto, Eldorado Park, Lenasia, Westbury, Midrand, Roodepoort and Alexandra, with additional trees required to beautify main arterials, including 2010 routes to Soccer City and key tourist destinations ... 1 000 to 10 000 trees need to be planted per suburb."

The tree-planting project started in 2004, and already 136 000 trees have been planted in partnership with government departments, residents and businesses. The programme is transforming dry and dusty streets into tree-lined corridors that "act as a catalyst for environmental enhancement and socio-economic empowerment".

Trees reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They act as coolants, are used for medicinal purposes and as a source of food; they increase property values and the aesthetics of an area, generate civic pride, provide a habitat for valuable biodiversity, absorb car lights at night and act as a barrier against sound.

"The price of a street tree may vary from R500 to R1 200, depending on the species, age, size and girth. Ideally, City Parks aims to plant more established street trees versus saplings, as saplings are more likely to be damaged due to inclement weather and pedestrian traffic. We want interested parties to contact us as soon as possible because there is a limitation on tree planting over seasons. We need a commitment so that we can start planting trees after winter season."

Those interested in participating in the planting of trees, can call 011 712 6600 or send an email to trees@jhbcityparks.com.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Hundreds of trees will green Alex

2009-03-30T22:11:00.001+05:30

Trees are being planted at houses in Alexandra's extension seven, and residents are being challenged to maintain their environment.

Some 600 trees are being planted in Alexandra's extension seven as part of a greening project in the area.

The trees will be planted in residents' gardens; there are 1 400 houses in extension seven. The greening initiative is a joint venture between the City, the Department of Housing, the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), Absa bank, City Parks, Gauteng housing department, the Alexandra Development Forum and extension seven residents.

"The [housing] department has sponsored R200 000 to the greening challenge project; Absa bank has provided over 500 fruit trees and we are waiting for City Parks to give indigenous trees," said Isaiah Mabua, the campaign and project manager in the department of housing.

City Parks provided an aerial map of the area before the project got under way to give direction to where the trees should be planted, according to Kgantse Mofokeng, a stakeholder liaison at City Parks.

Residents and about 40 volunteers from various NGOs attended workshops earlier this month where they learned how to plant trees and how to maintain the environment. The NGOs include Shumang, Tswaranang, Thsogang, Suncross and Rhedi, all found in and around Alex. The workshops were taught by Vic and Dave Garden Plant.

"They taught us how to dig holes and the length and width needed for the different sizes of trees. We first dig the hole, put in some bone-meal, the plant, some soil and then the compost," said Elsa Tladi, one of the volunteers.

"Some of us have been planting our own trees at our homes way before the start of the workshop."

Another aim of the initiative is to teach communities how to look after their environment.

"The department started this greening challenge by supplying residents with grass; they asked us to provide them with flowers or trees and we [decided to provide] them with trees," Mabua said.

He explained that department of housing officials would pay regular visits to the area, checking on the maintenance of people's gardens.

"The families who keep their gardens well-maintained will receive cash prizes of up to R10 000 and gift prizes like stoves, fridges and television sets. We will have as many as nine winners."

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Jozi's urban forest now at 10m trees, and growing

2009-03-30T22:08:00.000+05:30

Proud of its six million trees three years ago, Johannesburg has even more cause to celebrate as the urban forest has now grown to 10 million trees with active planting taking place in the city and on periphery areas.

Since 2001 when the various municipalities combined to form the Unicity, the City has planted around 1,3 million trees, bringing the tally of trees maintained by the City to 2,5 million, with a further 7,5 million trees in residents' gardens.

The 2,5 million trees are situated within parks, cemeteries, nature reserves, conservation areas, roadsides and on the city's pavements. Johannesburg City Parks, the custodian of the trees, estimates that the trees are worth R13-billion

On satellite pictures, the city looks like a rain forest, albeit man-made, but because the city does not get the required amount of rainfall to qualify as one, it passes as an urban forest. In the 1860s, when trekkers first settled on the Witwatersrand, there was not a tree in sight, and the area of rocky grassland was dotted with the odd shrub and several streams.

City Parks' Street Tree Management Strategy originally envisaged planting 10 000 trees per year but because of a mayoral request to plant larger trees, which are less vulnerable to vandalism, theft and destruction by goats and horses, the planting quota has had to be cut back to 2 500 trees per year, for budgetary reasons. Larger trees cost R600, compared with R350 for smaller trees. Larger trees are defined as those of over three metres in height, with a girth of more than 50cm.

A priority is to plant trees in the sparse southern suburbs, and despite having planted 17 000 trees in Orange Farm and 4 000 in Soweto in recent years, around 300 000 trees are still required to green these areas.

City Parks estimates that it would need R180-million over a period of 30 years to do the job. While it has budgeted an amount of R1-million for this financial year for the purchase of trees, additional funding of R6-million is still required.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Joburg's urban forest to grow

2009-03-30T22:04:00.001+05:30

Already the largest manmade urban forest in the world, Johannesburg is planning to add thousands more trees to its landscape, greening the traditionally neglected townships.

Thousands of trees will be planted across Joburg over the next three years under City Parks's new One tree at a time campaign.

Some 100 000 indigenous trees will planted on the streets of new and developing suburbs under the campaign, which will be launched on Monday, 3 September.

According to Prema Naidoo, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, the campaign is aimed at solving greening problems caused by urbanisation. "There is a collective need to accelerate greening programmes to enhance the quality of life of every resident."

One tree at a time is an appeal to individuals and business to work with the City in building a greener and healthier Johannesburg, says Jenny Moodley, the City Parks spokesperson. The agency will plant 9 500 street trees during Arbor Month to add to the 2 100 already planted. Various completed road island initiatives will also be unveiled.

Arbor Day – when people are encouraged to plant trees - is celebrated nationally on 1 September; in 1999, the government extended the celebration for a week, running from 1 to 7 September. City Parks will run its programmes over the full month.

Some R44-million has been set aside for the City Parks campaign. "This is a huge investment in greening and beatifying our city," says Johnny Masinga, the organisational developmental adviser at Equity Aviation, one of the companies that is working with City Parks on One tree at a time. Through supporting the project, companies will have a chance to help fight climate change.

"Residents are reminded that we have a collective responsibility to nurture our greenery, as trees improve air quality, provide a habitat for wildlife and have the potential to increase property values," Moodley adds.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Greening Soweto, tree by tree

2009-03-30T22:02:00.002+05:30

When Executive Mayor Amos Masondo led the planting of 6 000 trees to launch Greening Soweto in September 2006, an ambitious project to beautify the massive township ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, he began what has become Joburg's "biggest greening revolution".

Since then, 51 821 indigenous trees, worth R46-million, have been planted along Soweto's streets and in its gardens. Through Greening Soweto, a legacy project of the World Cup, the City aims to plant more than 300 000 trees in the country's biggest township.

"We are satisfied with the progress of the project," says Jenny Moodley, the spokesperson at Johannesburg City Parks, the agency charged with the mammoth task of implementing it.

With R7,6-million set aside for Greening Soweto, it is the City's biggest greening initiative. "It is by far the biggest greening initiative in terms of implementation. The landscape of Soweto is changing for the better."

In his budget speech for the 2006-07 financial year, Masondo said: "The greening of Soweto will receive R7,6-million, which will primarily be driven by the planting of street trees to enhance the quality of life and the environment; in 2006-07, 5 000 trees will be planted."

Johannesburg Water, City Power and Johannesburg Roads Agency are on board to ensure that there is sufficient water and power, and that roads are in good condition. The World Conservation Union and the national Department of Water Affairs and Forestry have also endorsed the programme.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

It's tree planting time again

2009-03-30T22:00:00.002+05:30

It can be considered an old news. But news about Tree Planting neer gets old.

Another sapling will be added to Madiba's collection of birthday trees in Thokoza Park, Soweto, to mark his 90th birthday, and the 90 990th tree planted for the Soweto Greening project.

Taking place on 4 September, the occasion will also mark the start of a month of tree planting for the City of Johannesburg as part of national Arbor Week.

"On the day, 1 000 trees will be planted at various institutions around Thokoza," says Jenny Moodley, the media spokesperson for City Parks. Madiba will be present to cut the ceremonial ribbon around the white stinkwood that will be planted in his honour.

In July 2007, the City planted 89 trees in Thokoza Park to honour Nelson Mandela during his birthday month, with the promise that a new tree would be added each year.

The tree that Madiba will be planting will be for ceremonial purposes only as City Parks has already planted all these trees, Moodley confirms. The more than 90 000 trees have been planted along main arterials leading into Soweto as well as throughout the township to green one of Johannesburg's most populated, but barren areas.

And it is a landmark target for the Soweto Greening project which is now approaching its third year. The project officially kicked off in September 2006 when Executive Mayor Amos Masondo planted the first 6 000 trees.

The target for the project is to plant 200 000 trees in the next three years. The Soweto Greening project has since also been extended to other marginalised areas, Moodley confirms.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Lionel Richie plants trees in Jozi

2009-03-30T21:58:00.001+05:30

Scores of fans shoved and pushed, desperate to catch a glimpse of legendary singer Lionel Richie, who was at Zoo Lake yesterday to plant five trees.

The trees were planted in honour of his family, as a symbolic gesture of support of City Park's Greening Soweto campaign. The campaign is aimed at transforming Joburg's dust bowels into green corridors.

"I think the Greening Soweto campaign is an important initiative and I have been part of many similar ones," Richie said during the tree-planting ceremony.

City Parks' managing director, Luther Williamson, said the five trees represented the final staging of the greening campaign. These trees brought the number of trees planted as part of the extensive greening project to 20 000, he explained.

After planting the trees, Richie signed a few autographs and promised the ecstatic crowd that he would return to Joburg for another visit.

He is in the country on his Coming Home tour, organised by 94.7 Highveld Stereo, 94.5 Kfm and East Coast Radio. His first concert performance in Joburg last night was sold out. It was "stunning" and well worth it, according to morning callers to local radio stations.

He is performing again tonight, again at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate. Richie has already performed a single concert each in Cape Town and Durban.

Read it here
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Take action and plant a tree

2009-03-30T21:56:00.001+05:30

People from around the world are joining the greenie ranks and investing in the planet, and Joburg is no exception. From the average Joe to corporate giants, everyone is working towards the seven-billion Plant for the Planet goal.

If it takes 16 trees to provide enough oxygen for the lifetime of one individual, it may be time Joburgers join the greenie ranks and donate or plant a tree.

Like most urban dwellers, Joburg residents struggle to lessen the impact of their heavy carbon boots on the environment. Fortunately, there are a number of tree planting initiatives taking off across the world in which residents can participate, some without getting their fingers dirty.

The biggest local project is run by the City of Johannesburg. Its 200 000 Tree Planting Campaign is a mayoral priority, which will plant 200 000 trees in preparation of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ in previously disadvantaged areas, predominantly in the south of the City.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of this project to date has been the township of Soweto. The campaign tally stands on 119 215 trees planted. Companies and individuals can get involved by making financial donations or supplying trees to City Parks for planting.

According to City Parks spokesperson, Jenny Moodley, one of the biggest problems for the organisation is to get suitable stock and suppliers for this project. City Parks only use indigenous species with a height of at least two meters for this project.

visit here
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Tampa Electric Earns Tree Line Certification

2009-03-30T21:51:00.003+05:30

There are Scientific Practices to trim trees above electric lines

TAMPA, Fla., Mar 26, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----The National Arbor Day Foundation(TM: 63.82, -1.66, -2.54%) has certified Tampa Electric a Tree Line USA(R: 26.63, -1.63, -5.77%) utility for its efforts to protect the health of trees the company must trim near power lines. A tree that comes into contact with a power line can create a safety hazard and can also lead to power outages.

The Tree Line USA program is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters. The program recognizes public and private utilities across the nation that demonstrate practices that protect and enhance America's urban forests. To qualify for Tree Line USA status, a utility must demonstrate quality tree care practices, complete annual worker training and participate in tree planting and public education.

"The Tree Line USA designation is an important one for Tampa Electric and our customers," said John Webster, right-of-way maintenance supervisor in Tampa Electric's Line Clearance department. "Our team members work hard to balance our dedication to reliability with our dedication to the health of the trees in the communities we serve. The Tree Line USA certification shows that we're achieving the right balance."

For its tree-trimming practices, Tampa Electric follows the guidelines outlined in the ANSI A300, The American National Standards Institute, A300 Standards for Tree Care Operations: Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Maintenance - Standard Practices (Part 1 & 7). The company trains its team members and contractors who conduct tree trimming to follow these guidelines.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Grand old Central District pear tree now on heritage list

2009-03-30T21:49:00.001+05:30

In late fall, residents of Seattle's Central District feast on the D'Anjou pears that rain down from the towering tree at East Cherry Street and 27th Avenue.

Tom Samuelsen, who owns the corner lot on which the tree sits, believes it is more than 100 years old — possibly part of an orchard that existed when the area was "way out in the country."

On Sunday, a group of tree lovers gathered to raise a cider toast to the grand pear tree and its recent designation as a Seattle Heritage Tree because of its continued production, size, condition and age.

City of Seattle arborist Nolan Rundquist awarded Samuelsen's tree a "Best in City" award. There are about 60 other Heritage Trees in public parks and on private properties across the city, though few are fruit trees.

Dousing the celebration with a bit of cold water, tree surgeon Michael Oxman offered his own diagnosis: "Truthfully, it needs to be pruned."

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Forest owners can sell carbon credits for their trees

2009-03-30T21:44:00.001+05:30

IRVINE — Justin Maxson admits that the concept he's been explaining to Appalachian landowners is a little difficult to wrap your mind around:

"There's an odorless, colorless gas that is sucked out of the air by your trees, and somebody's going to pay you for that."

The gas is carbon dioxide, or CO2, which contributes to global warming. Industries that produce it, and want to reduce their carbon footprint, are willing to pay when healthy trees do what they do naturally, which is absorb the CO2 and store it.

Because the trees must be in forests that are well-managed, a side benefit is that the region's long-abused forests could finally get some respect. That, in turn, is good news for wildlife and water quality.

No money has changed hands yet, mostly because the program is voluntary and the recession has lowered the amount of money that companies are willing to spend. But legislation is looming that could limit CO2 emissions and push up prices.

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

UN lauds effort to reforest Appalachia's mountains

2009-03-27T19:53:00.001+05:30

BLACKEY, Ky. (AP) — Sam Adams laid his tools aside and gently pushed fresh dirt around an oak sapling he hopes one day will be part of a hardwood forest high above this Appalachian community.

He was one of about 70 people gathered in Blackey last week to plant thousands of trees on the barren grasslands left behind by mining companies that have ripped the mountaintops apart to unearth coal, decimating entire forests.

"We've got an estimated 741,000 acres in Appalachia that are barren," said Adams, the Kentucky coordinator for the conservation group Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team. "If we put a dent in that, if we could correct that, I think it's well worth doing."

Adams and the others were volunteering for the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, a movement led by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and several Appalachian states to replace trees uprooted in the search for coal. The campaign is being lauded by the United Nations Environment Programme, which wants to plant 7 billion trees worldwide in the next three years to combat global deforestation.

Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, a staff member of the UN Environment Programme's Regional Office of North America, is scheduled to visit an eastern Kentucky mine site on Saturday to help volunteers plant more trees.

The overall goal is to plant about 38 million trees on Appalachian mine sites.

Read on
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Himalayan Houseboats Shut Down for Polluting Lake

2009-03-27T19:45:00.001+05:30

Adventurous, and eco-friendly, travelers often seek out off-beat lodging options, staying in yurts or on organic farms, both to soak up more local color and to avoid the social and environmental impacts often associated with large hotels. But when the small, local option is polluting the landscape, what's a green tourist to do?

That's the problem facing the (admittedly few) visitors to Kashmir these days, where historical houseboats on Lake Dal and Lake Nagin are being shut down for polluting the water. The area, near the summer capital of Srinagar, has been an oasis in war-torn Kashmir, a place where tourists still ventured to enjoy a restful holiday amid the Himalayas. The historic and luxurious houseboats, originally built during colonial times as holiday homes for officers with the British Raj, were always a draw.

But the State Pollution Control Board has accused operators of the approximately 1,200 boats on the two lakes of dumping millions of liters of raw sewage from the vessels' kitchens and bathrooms into the lake each day, leading a court to shut the boats down until they can install appropriate waste-disposal systems. The Houseboats Owners Association is challenging the court order, saying that residential homes around the lakes are equally responsible for the pollution, and that the ban would devastate the area's economy.

While I'm all for the "polluter pays" principle, the situation in this case seems a bit less black and white. The sewage-treatment units are estimated to cost $5,000 to $10,000, a lot of dough for people already hit hard by the effects of the insurgency. And previous efforts to clean up the lake have been hampered both by violence and corruption. As the BBC reports,

Read on
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Municipalities recognized as Tree Cities

2009-03-27T19:43:00.001+05:30

Several McHenry County municipalities were on the list of 191 communities in the state honored Thursday as Tree Cities.

McHenry has reached the milestone of 15 years of promoting tree planting and care as recognized by the Tree City USA program. The city is in its second year of using computer mapping to create a tree inventory, although it’s a work in progress, said Tom Schmidt, superintendent of forestry and park planning.

“That will tell us the overall health of our trees, how many trees are out there, [and] what species,” he said. “It will help provide more information for better management.”

Many communities, such as Hampshire, have policies set in place for tree preservation when land is developed. The village has been named a Tree City for the fifth year.

“A tree survey must be completed, and if they have any trees to be taken down, they have to be replaced at a certain ratio or a monetary contribution has to be made,” said Eric Palm, Hampshire village administrator.

Read on
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Sidewalk damage in south Salinas leads to tree cuttings

2009-03-27T19:41:00.001+05:30

A minty, medicinal aroma filled a south Salinas neighborhood this week as the city cut down three two-story-high camphor trees as part of its ongoing sidewalk repair efforts.

The cuttings at the intersection of Acacia and Riker streets began Monday and finished Wednesday, with repairs ongoing.

It's the old tug of war between the beauty of the area's big trees and pedestrian safety on sidewalks left cracked and heaving by their spreading roots.

Homeowners said the cutting left them with feelings of regret.

"It's a little upsetting," said Samuel Mora, who's owned a home at the intersection for 14 years. "It was a beautiful tree. My kids grew up climbing this tree."

Manny Rodriguez, a homeowner on the opposite corner, said his family misses its tree already. "It was always green, so it gave us shade all year," Rodriguez said.

The homeowners won't have to pay for sidewalk repairs, though. The city for now is continuing to cover damage caused by city trees. A Jan. 27 report to the City Council from City Manager Artie Fields and Finance Director Tom Kever suggested charging homeowners for sidewalk repairs to help make up for revenue shortfalls, but the idea has not been acted on by the City Council.

Read on
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Tree planting event to be held Saturday

2009-03-27T19:39:00.001+05:30

WINCHESTER -- Spring means time to plant more trees for an area conservation group that plans to host its third such event Saturday.

Opequon Watershed Inc. will hold its third annual community tree planting with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Departments of Conservation and Recreation, Environmental Quality and Forestry, according to Jim Lawrence, watershed coordinator for the Opequon Targeted Watershed Project.

Volunteers will have about 450 trees and 50 shrubs to plant this year.

The group has expanded its efforts to include three sites for planting trees, Lawrence said, and volunteers will be joined by the three state agencies. Organizers try to plant trees along streams and drainage areas to create an important riparian buffer, he said.

"We work with three different state agencies, and all three of them support the notion that riparian trees or a riparian buffer, streamside tree plantings, are beneficial to the water quality problems that we have in the Opequon," Lawrence said.

This year the effort will be to plant trees at Frederick Douglass and Virginia Avenue-Charlotte DeHart elementary schools from 9 a.m. to noon.

Read on
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Arbor week to be celebrated at OU with tree planting

2009-03-27T19:37:00.001+05:30

The University of Oklahoma will celebrate Arbor Week with a picnic and tree planting on the Norman campus Wednesday honoring students, faculty and staff who have helped with the campus reforestation efforts.

Members of the university and surrounding communities are invited to participate. The picnic is scheduled for noon at David A. Burr Park, 1501 Asp Ave., with a tree planting to follow immediately in the housing area west of David A. Burr Park. In the event of rain, the picnic will be held in Couch Center Cafeteria, 309 W. Third St.

During the picnic, President David Boren will talk about the importance of Arbor Week and the tradition of tree-planting at OU. As part of the festivities, members of OU staff will be recognized for their contributions and campus organizations will be honored for maintenance of their "adopted" areas.

OU first recognized Arbor Week in 1997 with the dedication of David A. Burr Park, honoring the late vice president for university affairs. Oklahoma celebrates Arbor Week earlier than some communities nationwide because of different planting times. This year, National Arbor Day is April 24, while Oklahoma's Arbor Week is March 22 to 28.

The picnic is free and open to the public. Call Student Affairs at 325-3161 to volunteer for the tree planting. For more information or accommodations on the basis of disability, call the Office of Special Events at 325-3784.

Read here
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Power e-billing supports tree-planting program

2009-03-27T19:31:00.001+05:30

Dominion Virginia Power customers who sign up for electronic billing and payment can save themselves time and money -- and help teach students lessons in environmental stewardship.

The state's largest electric company is offering customers two paperless billing programs that eliminate the expense of postage stamps and paper checks:

eBills notifies customers by e-mail that their bill is available for viewing online.

BillMail provides an e-mail bill that can be viewed and paid using e-mail alone.

For each new enrollment in April, the companies that operate the two paperless programs will donate $1 to Dominion Virginia Power's Project Plant It! program, an effort to educate children, plant trees and improve the environment.

About 422,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers already have signed up for electronic billing.

Project Plant It! is a partnership between Dominion Virginia Power, the Arbor Day Foundation and local school districts in areas where the company operates.

This year, nearly 29,000 elementary school students in Virginia will learn about the value of trees to the ecosystem and how to recognize and care for them.

Each student who participates in the program will receive a tree seedling to plant on Arbor Day, which falls on April 24.

For more information about Dominion Virginia Power's electronic billing program, go to http://www.dom.com, click on the "Customer Service" link at the top of the page, and then click on the link for "Paperless Billing."

Read here
The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Fund Created for Fighting Wildfires

2009-03-27T19:22:00.002+05:30

The House voted 412 to 3 to create a fund to cover the costs of combating major wildfires. President Obama’s budget proposal included $357 million for a similar fund. The House bill, which now goes to the Senate, does not specify a dollar amount, which would be set later in spending bills. Lawmakers hope a reserve fund will make it less likely the Forest Service and other federal agencies will have to dip into other parts of their budgets that are dear to lawmakers to pay for fighting fires. The Forest Service and Interior Department

Read here

The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Texas is second to Alaska in acres of forest land

2009-03-26T21:58:00.001+05:30

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The first detailed statewide tree count in Texas history is headed toward this conclusion: Texas is No. 2.

The Texas Forest Service said Wednesday initial results of the first inventory outside East Texas indicate that the state has 60 million acres of forest land. That ranks second to Alaska and is about 23 percent of the forestation in the southern U.S.

The state has counted trees in the Piney Woods above the Gulf Coast since the 1930s. But this is the first scientific statewide tally.

"Last one we had was some dude on a horse in like 1904, rode through there and made notes," said Burl Carraway, a forest service department head.

The 10-year study is at the halfway point. But Tom Boggus, the state forester and interim director of the forest service, said he doesn't expect the number to change. The projection was made from 10,000 plots of land scattered from the heavily wooded areas of East Texas to the desert plains of West Texas.

The forest service called the report a baseline for all change — like the U.S. census, but for trees.

Read on

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

Tree lovers have plan

2009-03-26T21:53:00.001+05:30

A London group dedicated to upholding the city's Forest City moniker will focus its efforts downtown this year.

Greening the Core, a three-phase initiative by ReForest London, will see more than 50 trees planted in the city's core, including in two key gateways.

"Downtown needs trees," said Julie Ryan, executive director of the charitable non-profit organization.

"Trees lead to a better quality of life in the core. Studies have shown people are actually willing to spend more shopping on a tree-lined street."

Read on

The Painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman

Climate speeds Japan's cherry blossom season

2009-03-26T21:50:00.001+05:30

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's celebrated cherry blossom, which for millions heralds the start of spring, is under threat from climate change, according to experts, who say warmer weather is causing early flowering.

Cherry blossom season officially began in Tokyo this year on March 21 -- five days ahead of schedule and a full week earlier than the average for the last 30 years of the 20th century.

Far from being a freak occurrence, the phenomenon of early blossoming has been happening for several years, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Traditionally, the first sakura -- cherry tree -- flowers appear in the second half of March on the southern islands of the Japanese archipelago and advance slowly up the central island of Honshu towards the far north.

However, according to the JMA, the "blossoming line" -- the latitude where trees start to flower on a given day -- on April 1, which 40 years ago was in the south of Honshu, is now about 200 kilometres (125 miles) further north.

This change, according to JMA climate expert Takashi Yoshida, is caused "by a warming climate and urbanisation."

City temperatures are noticeably higher than those in the countryside, say experts.

Read on

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

Environmentally-Friendly 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag

2009-03-26T21:40:00.001+05:30

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., March 24, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----New Wave Enviro Products has added a 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag to its line of money saving, reusable, green living products.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/CL88372 )

The Bamboo Lunch Bag is made from 100% Bamboo.
-- Light as a feather.
-- Soft as silk.
-- Strong as steel.
-- Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth.
-- A 60 foot cut takes only 59 days to re-grow.
-- Regenerates without planting.
-- Grows without chemicals and pesticides.

Every day thousands of pounds of plastic end up as litter in our landfills. Much of this litter comes from one time use bottles and plastic bags. The New Wave Enviro 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag is a great addition to any family trying to find ways to live green and do so affordably.

For more information about the 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag, and other New Wave Enviro Products or to find the nearest store please visit www.newwaveenviro.com or call 800-592-8371.

Contact: Dan Dettwiler
800-592-8371, dan.dettwiler@newwaveenviro.com

article here

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

A growing controversy

2009-03-26T21:34:00.002+05:30

ROCHESTER, MN (KTTC-DT) -- Just about everybody loves to walk or drive down a tree-lined street. Now, Rochester's City Council is thinking about changing the ordinance that would "grow" the city's urban forest. NewsCenter's Jennifer Hoff has more on this growing controversy.

City foresters say, there are 30,000 open spaces in Rochester that they want to fill with trees.

These would be along city boulevards.

But homeowners might not be too pleased to know - if they want a maple, they might get a pine tree instead, in front of their house.

Pictures of city streets nearly always show tree-line properties.

Boulevard trees are at the center of those pictures.

Not only are they pretty, but help keep our air and water clean, argues City Forester Jacob Ryg.

At Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting, Ryg and his colleagues proposed the boulevard tree planting ordinance.

This would allow the forestry division to plant nearly 30-thousand trees in developing or already developed areas.

Read on

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

County celebrates 250,000th tree planting

2009-03-26T21:32:00.000+05:30

A CEREMONY took place to mark the planting of 250,000 young trees.

The county council had promised to plant a quarter of a million new trees across Essex and the successful end of the scheme was celebrated at Marks Hall, Coggeshall.

Essex County Council leader Lord Hanningfield said: “I am delighted to mark the successful completion of this terrific project.

“It really has brought so many people together to achieve a common good. I am thrilled many of those partners will be able to enjoy this special event. By planting 250,000 trees we have improved the ecology and enhanced the beauty of Essex, helping to preserve our county’s environment for the younger generation.”

Ten thousand trees were planted at Marks Hall through the work of various partners.

County councillor responsible for environment, Tracey Chapman, said: “The tree pledge has been a remarkable way of bringing so many people who care about the environment together to do something to positive.”

Article here

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

2009-03-26T21:29:00.001+05:30

THE 1,300-square-foot, modern cedar house in the Hollywood hills was starting to feel cramped, so James MacKinnon, 38, decided to build an additional bedroom. But his wife at the time delivered an ultimatum: the 65-foot sycamore tree in the middle of the sloping backyard would have to stay.

“It was her deal breaker,” he said.

Designing around the tree would prove difficult. The trunk grew at a 45-degree angle and a tangle of roots was six feet below grade, according to his architects, Mike Jacobs and Aaron Neubert, who are based in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Plus, it would add an extra $14,000 to the proposed budget of $218,000.

But Mr. MacKinnon, an Emmy-winning makeup artist for actors and television shows like “Nip/Tuck,” happily agreed. He originally bought the post-and-beam home for $940,000 in 2003, a cozy two-bedroom that sits on a steep slope on Runyon Canyon. The tree, which predates the 1957 house, “has more right to be here than me,” he said.

Read on

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

Tree-planting jobs are state’s first funded by stimulus

2009-03-26T21:21:00.001+05:30

CARSON CITY – The Legislative Interim Finance Committee today approved what would be the first Nevada jobs paid for by the federal stimulus package.

At a cost of $700,000, 20 people will be hired to plant trees in state parks and clear brush for fire protection along state Route 319 and in the town of Pioche. The contract is to last 18 months. The workers would be paid the federal prevailing wage in Lincoln County -- anywhere from $30 to $50 an hour.

Assemblyman Joseph Hogan, D-Las Vegas, called the jobs the “first boots on the ground” in putting people to work in a state where unemployment is above 10 percent. In Lincoln County the jobless rate in February was 7.4 percent.

State Forester Peter Anderson said a project must start by Wednesday to receive the funds. Anderson said his division has submitted additional requests for money from the stimulus package and he has his “fingers crossed” that the state will receive millions.

The state Transportation Department will open bids April 9 for repaving 20 miles east of Lovelock on Interstate 80. It will be the first state road building project using the federal stimulus funds and it is estimated to cost $14 to $16 million.

Article here

The Painting is by Frederick William Hulme

Tree planting draws people from all walks

2009-03-24T15:59:00.001+05:30

With seedlings no bigger than school rulers, students from Ben Franklin Science Academy helped prepare an industrial park for potential clients on Saturday.

About a half-dozen members of BFSA’s 4-H Club trudged through the mud and across plowed fields Saturday to help plant thousands of seedlings around Southside Industrial Park, 53rd Street and U.S. 64. The club worked with A More Beautiful Muskogee, Inc., Greater Muskogee Development Corp., the Port of Muskogee and the City of Muskogee to plant the seedlings, which will grow into natural buffers along the industrial park’s west, south and east borders.

“We’re going to plant them in the ground, and this summer they’re going to have leaves,” BFSA sixth-grader Taja Beasley said, holding a scrawny twig with wispy hair-like roots.

“And in five or six years, they’re going to have buds and be 6 feet tall,” said Autumn Nichols, a fifth-grader.

Muskogee Development is working with the port to create the buffer. Executive Director Leisha Haworth said they ordered more than 15,000 seedlings of various types — including loblolly pine, shumard oak, persimmon, sand plum and eastern redbud — from the Oklahoma Forestry Division. The City of Muskogee paid for the seedlings. In addition to the 160-acre Southside Industrial Park, where the students planted, Muskogee Development also is planting buffers at John T. Griffin Industrial Park on Dal-Tile Road.

Workers with the Port of Muskogee helped plant 5,000 seedlings on Friday. Workers with the City of Muskogee Public Works Department mowed about 30 acres before the tree planting.

“This is a project that has involved the whole community,” Haworth said. Other participants include the Cherokee Nation, Love Bottling, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

BFSA recently received a $5,000 Project Learning Tree “Greenworks” grant to help them learn about the environment and develop community awareness.

“A lot of kids do not have the opportunity to do hands-on projects like this,” said 4-H Club sponsor Valerie Ragsdale. “We’re doing so many projects within the club. So far this morning, we’ve identified trees. I picked up a branch that had fungus on it and they identified it. They’re really excited.”

A motorized tree planter from the Cherokee Nation planted seedlings about 8 to 10 feet apart. The kids followed the machine and patted each seedling into place.

“It was pretty easy,” said student Drew Ragsdale. “All you had to do is tamp the dirt down.”

Port Director Scott Robinson said, “It is wonderful the kids are working with us.”

“They are taking responsibility for a more beautiful Muskogee,” he said.

Haworth said she was amazed the kids were willing to work on a chilly day during spring break.

The buffers will help make the property look more appealing to potential clients. Cattle recently grazed on the property, Haworth said.

Article here

The painting is by Francisco Peinado

Garden offers trees, lessons to ice victims

2009-03-24T15:56:00.001+05:30

FAYETTEVILLE - Lured by the promise of a free tree, some 350 people funneled through the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks on Saturday.

Morning showers and cool temperatures forced the program inside the Carl A. Totemeier Horticulture Center but didn't keep people from coming from all over the area to claim their free tree.

The program, Replant Northwest Arkansas, was intended to foster replacement of trees lost in January's major ice storm. Saturday's rainy weather was blamed for a smaller crowd than expected, so some people got more than one tree, said Sarah King, garden spokesman.

King said there were about 100 seedlings left at 1 p.m., but another 500 had gone home with people eager to put them in the ground.

Many among those in attendance were interested in restoring their property to pre-ice storm foliage levels.

"I've got 2 acres of brush," said Gerald Cartar, of Elkins.

Read on

The painting is by Ferdinand Hodler

Public Invited to SMCM Tree Planting

2009-03-24T15:52:00.002+05:30

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association, and others will plant more than 250 trees on Saturday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. The event will take place at 17761 Point Lookout Road, St. Mary’s City (one mile north of the college).

This event is free and open to the public for participation. Parking is limited to along the highway, so carpooling is highly suggested. Please bring gloves, shovels, post-hole diggers, and work shoes, as these items are not provided.

For more information and/or directions, e-mail Lindsay@StMarysRiver.org or call (301) 737-2903. Waivers of liability are required; parents will have to sign waivers for children under 18 years of age.

article here

The painting is by Ferdinand Hodler

Tree planting aims to help rare wildlife

2009-03-24T15:47:00.001+05:30

NEW native trees have been planted in a Northumberland wood to help rare wildlife.

Workers from firms across the North East have given up their time to join staff and volunteers from Northumberland Wildlife Trust for the project.

They have been removing non-native trees from Juliet’s Wood nature reserve in Slaley, replacing them with other species.

The trust has brought in a coppice system using wych elm and hazel which it hopes will attract endangered butterflies and wildflowers.

It is hoped the wych elm will benefit and attract the endangered white-letter hairstreak butterfly.

The butterfly lays its eggs on wych elm which has now largely disappeared from the countryside as a result of Dutch elm disease. The disease is spread by the elm bark beetles which enters the tree via mature stems. By coppicing the elm on a 10-year cycle, no stems should reach a stage where the beetle can invade.

Duncan Hutt, head of land management at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: “Hopefully, our efforts will attract a very rare species of butterfly back to the region as well as a huge array of birds and invertebrates.”

Article here

The painting is by Eduardo Naranjo

Lebanon's cedars threatened by global warming

2009-03-21T17:43:00.001+05:30

BAROUK, Lebanon — There's no escaping the cedar tree in Lebanon.

A cedar is emblazoned on the country's flag, and another on the planes of the national airline. It is on the currency, on passports and on all official documents. It is proudly worn on the uniforms of soldiers and crudely plastered on tourist knickknacks from ashtrays to fridge magnets.

Cedars also have played an integral part in Lebanon's volatile political life. Several Christian factions in the country's civil war adopted the cedar as their emblem; one called itself the Guardian of the Cedars. When Lebanese took to the streets to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005, their protest was dubbed the Cedar Revolution.

And such is the importance of the cedar that onetime Druze warlord Walid Jumblatt, now a leading politician, planted land mines around the trees in his Shouf mountain fiefdom during the civil war era, to protect them from loggers, militias and other marauders.

But the imposing, majestic tree that has defined Lebanon since biblical times now faces a potentially bigger threat to its existence than war or political overkill.

Read on

The painting is by Edward Lear

Tree planting to be held today in Nantou County

2009-03-21T17:41:00.002+05:30

The public were urged yesterday to participate in a tree-planting activity today organized by Cingjing Veterans Farm in Nantou County to contribute to land conservation and environmental protection.

The annual “LOHAS Tree Planting Fun” event was launched three years ago to promote conservation through tree planting.

Organizers said this year’s event will be bigger than ever, with 2,642 cherry, peach, plum, sweet osmanthus, camellia and azalea saplings to be planted in the Little Swiss Garden and an additional 1,000 cherry saplings planted alongside a “natural ecology path” surrounding the farm.

Some 200 staff from 7-Eleven and 80 volunteers will take part, organizers said.

“We hope that this activity will raise public awareness that it is very difficult but absolutely necessary to protect the ecology,” a spokesman said.

“We hope to call on more volunteers to take care of these plants and contribute to conservation,” the spokesman said.

Article here

The Painting is by Edward Lear

Animal-rights group in Spain strip to protest seal hunt

2009-03-21T17:36:00.002+05:30

Around 100 people stripped naked and lay on the ground in a central Madrid square yesterday, pictured, as part of an international day of protest against Canada's annual seal hunt, due to resume next month. The members of animal rights group Equanimal smeared themselves in red liquid to signify a "massacre" of seals by Canada, where the annual seal hunt is due to resume in April. Some wore red underwear, others were totally nude. "We want to sensitize people to the fact that animals are capable of feeling and suffering like us, and to protest against the massacre of hundreds of thousands of seals which is about to begin in Canada," said spokeswoman Silvia Toval.

News here

The painting is by Edward Lear

Chesapeake scout leads tree planting effort at Great Dismal Swamp Refuge

2009-03-20T21:58:00.001+05:30

CHESAPEAKE – Almost 5,000 acres of the Great Dismal Swamp was burned by wildfires last year.

The fires destroyed trees and habitat for the wildlife that live there and too many fires threatens the balance of life.

"In the last five years, we've gone from 300 acres to 500 acres to now almost 5000 acres," Refuge Manager Chris Lowie notes.

He says the changing climate may be partially responsible for the increase.

Working to become an Eagle Scout, Matt Dennison of Chesapeake has raised $500 to purchase 1,000 native Atlantic White Cedars.

On a wet, chilly Saturday morning, armed with planting tools and the trees, the Chesapeake teen, along with scouts volunteering from Troop 234, hiked deep into the swamp.

For hours, the scouts planted tree after tree.

Dennison looks forward to the efforts paying off as animals build new homes and start new habitats.

Lowie says, without the scouts’ project, some of the land might have been left a charred wasteland.

"With Matthew stepping up getting donations, coming out here and planting trees for us. That's an area we probably wouldn't have done. We would have let it go naturally and see what would happen. And we don't know what would happen. But now, with these trees, we know we have a head start on the restoration process," Lowie says.

Dennison and the scouts are taking contributions so they can buy and plant more trees in the refuge.

Read here

The painting is by Denise Sydenham

69 trees to be protected from Howell street reconstruction project

2009-03-20T21:54:00.001+05:30

A week away from bid letting for Phase I of the city's $23 million street project, city of Howell staff is scrambling to save 69 trees initially targeted for replacement or replanting. The move was prompted by a resident's complaint to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

"The city's commitment as part of the (Drinking Water Revolving Fund) was not to touch any tree over 8 inches" in diameter, City Manager Shea Charles told members of City Council during Monday night's special council meeting.

The regulation, according to Charles, was understood, but the MDEQ has allowed larger trees to be replanted or replaced on other (East Sibley Street) projects they've funded because a mitigation plan was in place. "On one project, the rule is applied this way, and on another project, it is applied this way. Both are acceptable," Charles explained.

Read on

The painting is by Denise Sydenham

City tree policy takes root

2009-03-20T21:51:00.001+05:30

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council has adopted the city's first policy codifying the importance of trees to the community, but many details of how it will work remain to be addressed.

The tree policy, approved unanimously Wednesday, is a set of objectives that will guide the planting, maintenance and removal of the 15,700 trees on city land, mostly in parks, street medians and rights-of-way. It won't apply to trees on private property.

A key component is a new “heritage tree” designation, which will protect certain landmark trees by requiring a special permit and public outreach before they can be removed.

Mayor Maggie Houlihan, who participated in Wednesday's meeting by teleconference, said that recent events – such as public protests over the removal of trees in Orpheus Park – show the need for such a policy.

“What we've had is a couple of situations that have highlighted the fact that we don't have policies in place that protect certain trees that people have strong feelings about,” Houlihan said.

Read on

The painting is by Edward Lear

Volunteers needed for tree-planting project

2009-03-20T21:43:00.001+05:30

The Illinois River Watershed Partnership is looking for volunteers for the 2009 Riparian Project set for March 28.

The groups hopes to plant 10,000 native tree seedlings in five area cities across the watershed to improve riparian buffers from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 28.

Riparian zones are land adjacent to the bank of a river.

The projects will take place at Fayetteville's Scull Creek, Springdale's Spring Creek, Rogers' Turtle Creek, Siloam Springs' Sager Creek and Town Branch Creek in Tahlequah, Okla.

Another 5,000 seedlings will be available for pick up at each location.

Five free seedlings will be available per person for those who sign up to receive trees from the Arkansas Forestry Commission.

The Illinois River Watershed Partnership is a membership-based organization working to protect and restore the Illinois River and its tributaries.

Article here

The painting is by Edward Cucuel

Leaders of Hunan Province Planting Trees

2009-03-20T21:41:00.001+05:30

　It is a perfect time to plant trees in March. On the morning of March 18, 2009, Zhang Chunxian, secretary of Hunan Provincial CPC Committee and director of the Standing Committee of People's Congress of Hunan Province, Zhou Qiang, vice-secretary of Hunan Provincial CPC Committee and governor of Hunan province, and other leaders from Hunan Provincial CPC Committee, People's Congress of Hunan Province, Hunan Provincial Government, Hunan Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference and Hunan Provincial Military Area Commnad all came to Hunan Forest Botanical Garden to join in voluntary tree-planting. Zhang said," The forest coverage percentage in Hunan Province must be raised to at least 57 % in 2012, and all the people can enjoy the fruits of greening!" Some other provincial leaders also took part in voluntary tree-planting the same morning.

　　At 9:20 in the morning, all the leaders came to the tree planting base in Hunan Forest Botanical Garden to plant trees together with other officials and citizens. They have planted a forest of various trees of many rare species.

Read on

The painting is by Denise Sydenham

Project aims to plant more viable trees downtown, parks

2009-03-20T21:27:00.002+05:30

Knoxville's Legacy Parks Foundation has created a new Legacy Tree Fund aimed at planting larger, more viable trees in Knoxville's downtown and parks.

For every $300 contribution to the fund, the foundation will plant one tree, holding part of the money for the maintenance and possible replacement of the tree. Contributions for tree care also are welcome.

"We aren't planting the little whips - the things that look like sticks," said Carol Evans, director of the Legacy Parks Foundation.

As a kickoff for the project on Feb. 25, the foundation planted five trees on Union Street near Market Square. The Valynor trident maples donated by Moon's Tree Farm are replacing Bradford pear trees, which Evans said were removed because they were not thriving in the cramped urban environment.

The Legacy Parks Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that operates in partnership with Knox County and the City of Knoxville parks and recreation departments.

Read on

The painting is by Cox David

Tree Planting tips

2009-03-19T19:29:00.003+05:30

Tree Planting tips - by - M.Sundara raman - tree planter and tree seed collector (Founder Trustee of NIZHAL,an NGO ofChennai , SeedEXNORA Senator)

1)Tree-Planting should start with "Selecting the Seeds".(A respectable term for picking)
2)Tree-planting is a long-drawn and continuous exercise.
3)Trees take a long time to grow.
4)Daily watering arrangements are a must ,before undertaking Massive Tree-planting.
5) You should be an amateur and not an expert so that you can be successful.
6) You should enjoy tree-planting , and make Children associate themselves as , for them every little experience is education.and Training
7) You should not be afraid of soiling your hands, fingers and feet
8) The availability of seeds under the Mother trees is a seasonal affair.So you should pick as many as possible in one season.
9) Since there is no will or mind in the minds of Urbanites, as also there is no space, we should try to use Road-sides and Villages.
10) We should co-ordinate with the Civic Authorities for using open places and Parks.
11) As many people should start raising trees in milk-sachets and other PVC packing material like Atta-Bags,Woven sacks etc.,
Contact details of M. Sundararaman: Tel# 044--24461660

Email id: m.sundararaman40@gmail.com

The motto of Sri. sundararaman is

"Until the last tree is cut; Until the last river is dry; Until the last fish is caught; Until the last animal is killed; Man willnot realise that he cannot eat money"

The painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Help flowering tree live the good life

2009-03-06T20:03:00.001+05:30

As temperatures start getting warmer, we are drawn to the outdoors. For many of us that involves sprucing up our yards and planting new plants.

If your gardening plans include planting a new tree, you have a great opportunity today to purchase one at Greenscape's annual Flowering Tree Sale. There will be a variety of trees available, from crape myrtles and hollies to river birches and cypresses. Azaleas and Knockout roses will also be available.

For many people, planting a tree consists of buying the tree, taking it home and planting it. I recommend adding a few steps to guarantee success. They are Planning, Purchasing, Planting and Establishing.

Planning

Planning involves looking over your landscape and answering a few questions.

How much space do you have? A large tree needs a lot of rooting space as well as space for its branches to spread.

Is your planting site in full sun, full shade or somewhere in between? How well drained is your property?

Planning also involves figuring out the attributes you would like to have in your tree. Do you want an evergreen or a tree that looses its leaves in the winter? What leaf shapes are attractive to you?

Your site characteristics should be matched with a tree that meets your criteria. The more planning you put into your purchase, the more satisfied you will be with the outcome.

Read on

The Painting is by Byun Shi Ji

Flowering trees yield great returns in these tough times

2009-03-06T20:01:00.001+05:30

Whether you have a few containers, a small front yard or a large property, planting a tree will improve your outlook, give you something to look forward to (watching it grow and change with each season) and help improve air quality. Not only will you have immediate satisfaction, but you also will be making an investment in your future that won’t depend on the state of the economy.

As for timing, March is an ideal time to plant hardy trees, shrubs and perennials. The trees you select provide the framework for your garden. There are many excellent small- to medium-sized trees that bloom in spring or summer and offer beauty during the rest of the year, too.

Stewartia pseudocamellia, Japanese stewartia is an elegant tree that offers year-round beauty. Its distinctive buds open in summer to reveal white saucer-shaped flowers (somewhat like a camellia, this tree belongs to the camellia family). In autumn, the dark green foliage turns brilliant shades of red and orange, and in winter the bark is like a patchwork quilt of tan, brown and rust.

Last summer, when I visited the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard, many of their stewartias were in bloom, including the tall stewartia, Stewartia monadelpha, Stewartia ovata and Stewartia pseudocamellia. It was hard to pick a favorite, as they were all beautiful. This planting of mature trees in various stages of bloom made for a dramatic scene.

Read on

The Painting is by Byun Shi Ji

Tree-Planting Project Has Threefold Purpose

2009-03-06T19:51:00.001+05:30

HAYSI, Va. – Strip miners and environmentalists are working with schoolchildren to make the world a better place – by planting chestnut trees.

In what once would have been an unlikely collaboration, three very different projects converged in the tree-planting project Thursday on Splashdam Strip. The tiny chestnut trees they placed in the ground are hope threefold: to reforest surface-mind land; to revive a tree that once dominated the forest; and to help youth of the coalfield region build a solid future on their heritage.

Devin Gibson and Matt Blansett, who attend Clintwood High School in Dickenson County, have a stake in all three.

Both work part-time at Paramont Coal’s Deep Mine 26. Both said their grandparents told them about the chestnut forests that once dominated the region. And both see the work they did Thursday as part of a foundation for their futures.

Mining “puts food on the table; you’ve got to work around here,” said Matt, 17. “Mining’s going to go on. We have to power the country, … but also, when you tear things up you’ve got to go and fix them … and that’s what everyone is doing today.”

They were among more than 90 teens from Dickenson County’s three high schools – Clintwood, Haysi and Ervinton – who helped to plant about 2,000 hardwood seedlings on the strip Thursday. About 100 of those trees were American Chestnuts, which no longer populate the region’s forests due to a devastating blight in the early 20th century.

“It’s going to bring future jobs,” Devin, 17, said of the project. “The mines are not going to last forever … but the American Chestnut was a huge tree and such a beautiful tree, and maybe people in the city would like to come here and experience that.”

Read on

The painting is by Byun Shi Ji

It's getting to be a lot like tree planting season

2009-03-06T19:49:00.001+05:30

The City of Detroit might not be the first municipality you think of when it comes to trees, but that is changing. The forestry division, which is part of the general services department, is growing its outlook to include replanting the city -- they'd been stuck in a rut for years of removing dead and diseased trees but not planting them.

But now, a three year partnership with the Greening of Detroit is bearing fruit -- more than 1,000 trees will be planted this spring. The plantings are targeted in communities that have block clubs or community development organizations, as volunteers are needed the day the trees are planted and the trees need water their first two seasons.

The partnership works thusly: The city provides funds for the plant materials and Greening, with its two decades of resources at the table, organizes the manpower. It's like the perfect marriage.

Read on
The painting is by Byun Shi Ji

City welcomes public for meeting on tree-planting project

2009-03-06T19:46:00.001+05:30

VINELAND — The city’s Environmental Commission will hold an informational meeting on Thursday about the next phase of the state’s Cool Cities program.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located on the second floor of City Hall, 640 E. Wood St. It will strictly be a meeting to tell residents more about the program and its goals, said Diane Amico, chairwoman for Vineland’s Environmental Commission.

City officials recently sent blue, orange and yellow notices to the residents living in the area where the next phase of trees will be planted, Amico said.

The Cool Cities program planted about 1,300 trees in the city during a two-month period at the end of 2008 and want to plant at least 500 more this spring, she said.

The new trees will be planted in a residential area between the Boulevard and Valley Avenue and along Park Avenue and Hendee Road, Amico said

Read here
The painting is by Byun Shi Ji

Police cadets’ tree-planting project takes root

2009-03-06T19:37:00.001+05:30

Bid to offset force’s carbon footprint

GRAMPIAN police cadets have spent their week planting 9,000 trees in an attempt to offset some of the force’s carbon footprint.

The 18 youngsters, aged 16 and 17, have been carrying out the initiative at Loch Muick in Deeside as part of the force’s environmental policy and also to help provide a sustainable habitat for local wildlife.

Grampian Police's environmental working group chairman Alastair Graham said: “The force is committed to reducing emissions, energy consumption and waste and actively looks at ways to minimise the impact of Grampian Police's operations on the environment.

“The tree-planting initiative will use some of the force's energy savings to help further improve the environment and we thought it would be a suitable project for our cadets to undertake.”

Inspector Jacqui Campbell, of the HR training unit, said: “We want to impress the need for environmental awareness on our younger staff.

“This week's project will give our cadets a practical team building experience but, more importantly, it will give them the opportunity to contribute to sustainable environmental developments.”

Read here
The painting is by Byun Shi Ji

Arbor Day in March Proposed

2009-03-05T21:48:00.001+05:30

More and more people are calling for the forwarding of Arbor Day to March as climate change is warming the soil and making the environment suitable for planting before April.

However, the central government has yet to make a decision whether to actually advance the planting day. Arbor Day was removed from being an official holiday in 2005.

``It's best to plant trees when the soil has just thawed because trees adjust well and tree sap doesn't leak so much. Since forest fires are frequent in spring, it is better to plant trees earlier,'' Kim Hyeon-shik, an official of the East Regional Forestry Service, said.

Global warming has brought milder winters, and spring is arriving earlier. The average temperature on April 5 was 3.4 degrees Celsius in 1946 when Arbor Day was first designated, but has jumped to 11.3 degrees in recent years.

According to the Forestry Research Institute, the average temperature of urban areas has risen by 1.5 degrees over the past 100 years and spring has come two weeks earlier.
``We found that when the temperature goes up by 1 degree, the date of budding advances by five to seven days,'' institute researcher Lim Jong-hwan said.

Some regional governments claim that a spring drought will make it impossible for trees to grow in April ― South Jeolla Province plans to advance its tree-planting date. ``Such a pattern will show up more often and we need to take measures,'' an official said.

The province's Yeonggwang County held a tree planting ceremony Wednesday, about a month ahead of the April 5 government-designated Arbor Day. ``It has been very warm these days and we thought it's time we planted something,'' the official said.

Jeju Island planted trees in the middle of February.

Goseong, Gangwon Province, in the eastern part of the peninsula, also held a similar event. The local officials said the soil had already thawed due to the relatively mild weather.

Article here
Painting by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Landowners attend tree planting workshop in Strathroy

2009-03-05T07:50:00.001+05:30

Landowners attend tree planting workshop in Strathroy to learn about incentives in place to help reach tree planting goals

Strathroy, ON - March 4, 2009 - Ontarians are enthusiastically stepping up to help the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources meet its 2009 goal to plant 50 million trees by 2020 - the largest single commitment to the United Nations Billion Tree Program.

Last night, over twenty local landowners attended a community workshop hosted by Trees Ontario, the Ontario Forestry Association and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority to learn about tree planting techniques, financial incentives like the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) that can help reduce property taxes by up to 75%, along with ways to reduce their environmental footprint and how to participate in the 50 Million Tree Program.

The 50 Million Tree Program, announced in August 2007 by Premier McGuinty, is the single largest commitment to the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign.

"Landowners see the value in the Ontario government's tree planting incentives and are working with us to green up the province and reduce the effects of climate change while saving a significant amount of money," said the Honourable Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources. "With this growing interest, we should be well on our way to meeting our 50 Million Tree Program goal."

Read on
The painting is by Byun Shi Ji

City welcomes public for meeting on tree-planting project

2009-03-05T07:49:00.000+05:30

Picking a Persimmon Tree

2009-03-05T07:44:00.000+05:30

Q My back yard in Howard County is in full shade, but the front is sunny. Would a persimmon tree grow there, and would it be suitable as a lone specimen in the front?

A Our native persimmon is beautifully adapted to your conditions and is perfectly hardy, or you could find a Japanese persimmon variety that would work.

The native persimmon is a durable and pest-resistant tree that has a very narrow, upright form, even when grown in an open, sunny site. The bark becomes decorative with age, forming blocks framed by deep fissures. The wood resists rot and is heavy. It is still used in the manufacture of golf clubs.

The persimmon is known for its fall color, which ranges from golden yellow to reddish purple, and the fruits are lovely, even if you don't intend to eat them. They are most edible in early December after several frosts have softened them and reduced their astringency. There are a few cultivated varieties of native persimmon, with selections made for larger, tastier fruit that lack some of the tannin found in wild types. Meader is readily available and has both male and female flowers on the same tree, ensuring a more consistent fruit crop.

Read on
The Painting is by Byun Shi Ji

Con Edison Tree Care Blooms With National Award

2009-03-05T07:41:00.002+05:30

Arbor Day Foundation Names Company "Tree Line USA Utility"; National Award Recognizes Tree Care, Planting and Public Education Efforts

NEW YORK, NY - Con Edison has been named a "Tree Line USA Utility" for the first time by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters in recognition of its ongoing tree trimming efforts to improve electric reliability. The award spotlights the company's care and maintenance for trees within New York City and Westchester County along with its commitment to public education programs, all while meeting service objectives.

"We are delighted to receive this recognition. It signifies our continuing commitment to promoting, protecting and enhancing our urban forests," said Louis L. Rana, president of Con Edison. "Regular maintenance and natural pruning of trees improves electric reliability, and the trees in our service area will be with us to beautify our neighborhoods for years to come."

Con Edison trims trees along distribution and transmission power lines to maintain safe and reliable service. Overgrown and fallen tree limbs are the leading cause of power outages during storms. The company's tree maintenance program helps ensure safe, reliable service, carefully trimming branches that may interfere with power lines.

Read on
The Picture is by Byun Shi Ji

Planting adds 141 trees to four Southeast neighborhoods

2009-03-04T20:17:00.001+05:30

Climaxing months of planning, over one hundred volunteers showed up at Holy Family Parish on S.E. 39th Avenue on Saturday, January 24th, to plant 141 trees in four Inner Southeast neighborhoods.

The Woodstock neighborhood planted 60 trees at 31 Woodstock homes — including 26 different species of trees, from semi-dwarf apple trees to native oaks and cedars. Creston-Kenilworth planted another 65, Eastmoreland planted 15 trees, and the Reed neighborhood planted just one this year.

The coordinator for the Woodstock neighborhood, Julie Neburka, was very happy with community participation: “Woodstock neighbors donated generously to both Friends of Trees and to the neighborhood for the planting. Cash donations with matching funds through Friends of Trees totaled $465, and the Woodstock Neighborhood Association contributed $10 per tree. Additional donations of time and the use of pickup trucks made the planting possible. Pots of homemade soup, plates of cookies and brownies, and generous food donations from local businesses kept everyone happy before and after the planting.”

Read on
The painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Indonesia applies for World Bank forest CO2 scheme

2009-03-04T20:13:00.001+05:30

SINGAPORE, March 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia has applied to join a World Bank programme that supports developing nations' efforts to fight deforestation and help them earn cash through the sale of tradeable carbon credits.

The Bank's $350 million Forest Carbon Partnership Facility aims to support developing states design and create projects under a U.N.-backed scheme that could eventually earn poorer nations billions of dollars a year by protecting their forests.

A Bank official in Jakarta said on Wednesday the Indonesian government this week submitted a lengthy submission to apply to join the Bank's partnership.

The Bank backs the United Nations' forest carbon scheme called Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, or REDD, which the U.N. hopes to formally bring into a broader climate pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol from 2013.

Guyana and Panama have already applied to join the Bank's programme but Indonesia is by far the largest to date and among the most crucial nations given the size of the country's remaining forests as well as the rapid rate at which they have been lost.

Indonesia is developing separate REDD regulations and is expected to issue them by mid-year, a top government official has said. About 20 REDD schemes are at various stages of development in Indonesia, the Bank has said, and has become a leader in developing rules governing the scheme.

Read on
The painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Monroe now a ‘Tree City USA’

2009-03-04T20:10:00.001+05:30

WALTON COUNTY — Between Friday’s rain and Sunday’s snow, the Monroe Tree Committee managed to find enough time to have an Arbor Day celebration on the historic courthouse square Saturday afternoon.

Highlighting the event was the City of Monroe being recognized as a “Tree City USA,” one of five cities to earn the accolade this year in Georgia and joining a list of more than 120 others scattered throughout the state.

“On behalf of the city, we are proud to be a Tree City,” Monroe Mayor Greg Thompson said during the presentation of the plaque.

“With the help of folks like (Tree Committee Member Crista Carrell) and the tree board, I hope people will learn the importance of trees and I am proud to be a part of it,” Thompson said.

Weather delayed the event but did not dampen the spirits as the city hosted its Arbor Day event. The event was part of a statewide effort to celebrate Arbor Day with the theme “Plant Your Legacy.”

Read on
The Painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Rancho Cordova Celebrates Arbor Day With Tree Planting

2009-03-03T21:32:00.001+05:30

The City of Rancho Cordova will commemorate Arbor Day a couple days early by planting two Chinese Pistache trees in a ceremony in front of City Hall (2729 Prospect Park Dr.) on Thursday, March 5th at 10 a.m. Participating in the planting will be Council Members Linda Budge and Bob McGarvey with other City officials and staff. Also attending will be Cindy Blain, Greenprint Relations Director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

The City is an active partner in the Greenprint initiative which includes 22 cities, Sacramento County, and three surrounding counties. Greenprint’s focal point is to double the region’s urban tree canopy by planting 5 million new trees by 2025. The four-year-old initiative was the vision of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Council Member Budge was the Tree Foundation’s founding president and currently serves on the Greenprint steering committee.

Rancho Cordova residents have a history of promoting trees. For the last two years, they have more than met the Mayors’ challenges to plant 1,000 trees annually.

Read on
The Painting is by Benjamin William Leader

With Seattle zoo's help, villagers get jump on saving tree kangaroos

2009-03-03T21:29:00.001+05:30

Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo has helped villagers in Papua New Guinea secure permanent protection for 187,800 acres of pristine tropical forest in the country's first-ever national conservation area. The land is owned by villagers who decided to create the refuge for the sweet-faced Matschie's tree kangaroo, an endangered species that lives nowhere else.

Keeping to itself for much of its life in the tropical treetops, the fuzzy-faced tree kangaroo doesn't seem a likely vanguard for a revolution.

But so it is in Papua New Guinea, where conservation biologists from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo worked with residents of some 35 native villages to seal the country's first-ever conservation deal, preserving 187,800 acres of tropical forest stretching from the country's northern coast to the interior mountains.

The owners of the property are indigenous people, who committed for the first time to managing their land as a national conservation area, off-limits to hunting, mining, logging or other development.

The conservation area protects a large, pristine swath of the Huon Peninsula, the only known habitat of the wild Matschie's tree kangaroo, long hunted by the villagers as part of their subsistence economy. The small animal munches mostly tree leaves, flowers and ferns. Only about 3 feet high and weighing as much as a large sack of birdseed, it is one of 54 species of kangaroos, and can leap 60 feet to the ground from a tree without getting hurt.

Read on

The Painting is by Benjamin William Leader

Uganda: Will the Green Crusade Take Off?

2009-03-03T21:26:00.001+05:30

Kampala — WHEN Maria Mutagamba, the environment minister planted a ceremonial tree at Kumi to commemorate the UN World Environment Day two years ago, she did not know that it would be accorded scanty respect. But when she returned to check on her tree, what she saw was not pleasant.

"Can you imagine that the goats had eaten my tree?" says a visibly disturbed Mutagamba. "I could not believe that the place as bare as Kumi could afford to lose a tree carelessly like that."

It is not easy for government officials to promote the national tree planting campaign that is expected to start in March. The campaign is being spear-headed by Mutagamba and her two deputies, Jessica Eriyo and Jennifer Namuyangu to plant trees on International Women's Day (March 8), World Forestry Day (March 21), Labour Day (May 1) and World Youth Day (August 12).

Paul Asiimwe, a land management specialist at the National Forestry Authority (NFA), says: "It is an intervention you have to look at with sustainability in mind. How do you plant the seedlings and leave them to any body to care for them?"

Read on
Tha Painting is by Benjamin William Leader

1,000 volunteers join tree planting in Agusan Norte

2009-03-03T21:23:00.001+05:30

BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte — More than 1,000 volunteers from various line agencies of the government, fraternities, non-government organizations, religious and business sectors, tree farmers and students from various schools trooped to Mount Mayapay, the highest peak facing this city, for a tree planting activity over the weekend.

The activity was in line with “Radyo Bombo’s (dxBR-Butuan) plant a tree project,” where some 2,000 tree seedlings of various species, like mahogany, African tulips and fruit trees, were planted at the mountain.

The project is also in close coordination with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director Edilberto S. Buiser, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Rosendo Asunto and Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Jaime Acebu.

Heading the rehabilitation done by the Mt. Mayapay task force is the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

As this developed, the DENR has allotted R2 million for the rehabilitation of Mt. Mayapay, while Rep. Jose “Joboy” Aquino (Butuan City) also added R2 million from his development fund.

Article here
The painting is by Benjamin William Leader

Arbor Day 2009

2009-03-03T21:20:00.001+05:30

Base leaders, tree-planting volunteers, children from Maxwell Elementary School, and even Woodsy the Owl got down and dirty in honor of Arbor Day on Feb. 19.

Recognition of the day was in the form of a ceremonial tree planting and program at the school, and two days later, 100 base volunteers helped to restore Prattville’s trees hit hard by a tornado in February 2008.

For the sixteenth consecutive year, Maxwell has been named a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service.

Beth Osgood, who works for Maxwell Support Division Civil Engineering, explained that Arbor Day traditionally involves school children and how they learn to promote tree awareness.

Read on

The painting is by Benjamin William Leader

Green City amidst Desert

2009-03-01T21:45:00.002+05:30

Article about the upcoming gree city in Abu Dhabi

The construction is the start of a vast experiment, an attempt to create the world's first car-free, zero-carbon-dioxide-emissions, zero-waste city. Due to be completed in 2016, the city is the centerpiece of the Masdar Initiative, a $15 billion investment by the government of Abu Dhabi, which is part of the United Arab Emirates. The new development, being built on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city, will run almost entirely on energy from the sun and will use just 20 percent as much power as a conventional city of similar size. Garbage will be sorted and recycled or used for compost; sewage will be processed into fuel. Concrete columns will lift the city seven meters off the ground, creating space underneath for a network of automated electric transports that will replace cars. Planners predict that the development will attract 1,500 clean-tech businesses, ranging from large international corporations to startups, and--eventually--some 50,000 residents.

The city will be an oasis of renewable energy in a country of five million, made rich by oil, that consumes the most natural resources per capita in the world. Seen one way, it's just the latest ostentatious project in a country that's been defined by them. Indeed, the UAE is already home to the world's tallest building and an enormous indoor ski facility that features a 200-meter-long black-diamond slope. Real-estate developers have dredged coral and sand from the sea floor, piling it up in the Persian Gulf to create islands in the shape of palm trees and a map of the world.

Read on

Tha painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Cheap Hydrogen from a Stainless Steel Brush

2009-03-01T21:34:00.002+05:30

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been developed over the last few years as a way to produce hydrogen from food scraps and waste water. To put it very simply, the microbes feed on the waste and with the help of electricity and a catalyst, hydrogen is made. So far, expensive platinum has been used as the catalyst in this process, which has been effective, but the cost has held the technology back. Now researchers at Penn State have found a cheap substitute: stainless steel.

A piece of stainless steel works as a catalyst, but is only one-third as effective as the platinum, but researchers found that arranging the stainless steel in the form of a high-density bristle brush upped the hydrogen production to match and even exceed that of the platinum. The best part is that while the platinum part costs 15 cents, the stainless steel brush only costs 3 cents.

The researchers are still experimenting to find the best types and arrangements of stainless steel to maximize the hydrogen production, and even once those things are figured out, scientists will still have to discover a way to scale up this technology to be commercially viable. It seems daunting, but decreasing the cost will go a long way in allowing further progress.

read here

The painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Eco Tech: First Solar brings solar manufacturing below $1/watt

2009-03-01T21:24:00.001+05:30

In bad economic times, a reduction in the cost of products is always a welcome sign. That reduction gets even better if it’s about something we’ve always wished to come cheap. First Solar is again the first in breaking the $1/watt barrier, which has been the goal of the solar industry for a long time. The company has claimed that their newest solar modules cost just 98 cents per watt. Though 2 cents doesn’t make that much of a difference, it definitely does break the records.

The company is now planning to double its capacity to a whopping 1 GW by this year’s end with costs already lowered by 67% in the last five years. First Solar believes that the cost could be reduced even further based on the yet untapped potential of its technology and manufacturing processes.

The Dark Side:

The manufacturing cost of solar panels is definitely reduced, but the installation costs are still the same, which will again bring the end cost to well over $1/watt. If any significant change is to be seen, then the manufacturing costs should be further reduced to about 60 cents/watt.

read on

The Painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

NMPT launches tree plantation programme

2009-03-01T20:59:00.002+05:30

MANGALORE: As part its commitment towards creating a pollution free environment on the port premises, New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) launched a
tree plantation programme at the NMPT nursery school here on Thursday.

Inaugurating the programme by planting saplings, P Tamilvannan, chairman, expressed happiness over the various projects taken up by the NMP Mahila Samaj for the betterment of the society.

A press release from S Gopalakrishna, traffic manager, NMPT, here on Saturday stated that he chairman assured all cooperation from port management for continuing this tree plantation on a massive scale. Maheshwari Tamilvanan, president of NMP Mahila Samaj, members and heads of departments planted saplings at various locations.

Tamilvannan, on Friday reviewed measures taken to arrest pollution in order to maintain a pollution free environment at the port and port premises. Representatives of users assured full support in stopping pollution while handling bulk cargo at the port, which has already taken up various measures to reduce dust pollution by water sprinkling, regular cleaning of roads, putting up barricades, concretization of roads, and so on.

Read the article here

The painting is by Baldomero Romero Ressendi

Bamboo Heritage

2009-02-27T21:49:00.002+05:30

"Before paper-making was invented by Cai Lun in A.D. 105 and the popularization of the use of paper in China in around 4th century, bamboo and wood were the major materials used to write on. Generally speaking, the bamboo strips were called jian and wood tablets were called du.

The research of historians shows that jian was normally used to write books, laws or important official documents, while du was used to write ordinary archives, account books or private letters. Archaeological discoveries showed that jian was very thin and slim with the width less than 1 cm and the length ranging between 10 cm to 70 cm."

Read on this interesting article about Bamboo and its connection to the History of China here

Painting by Benjamin William Leader

Tree planting projects announced for Arbor Day

2009-02-27T21:34:00.002+05:30

OREGON (WKOW) -- Town and Village of Oregon leaders are looking for volunteers to pitch in on a number Arbor Day tree planting projects.

They ask that volunteers bring along if you can: leather gloves, a shovel, pitchfork and wheel barrel if you can, as well as drinking water and a camera.

Organizers suggest wearing solid shoes and dressing for the weather.

Detailed instructions how to plant and where to plant the trees will be provided at the park the day of planting. Basically holes need to be dug, tree goes in hole, soil is broken up and returned to the hole, wall built with soil to hold water, air pockets are eliminated by adding adequate water, tree is straightened, and wood chips are layered on top of soil. Alpine Park will have holes started by machine.

Read on

Painting is by Benjamin William Leader

Tree planting to make Knoxville a greener city

2009-02-27T21:33:00.001+05:30

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- City officials and activists are starting a push to make Knoxville a greener community and the key is planting trees.

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam took part Wednesday in a ceremonial first watering of five trees planted downtown along Union Avenue by Market Square.

The Legacy Parks Foundation is paying for trees to be planted around Knoxville.

Most of the trees in the downtown area were planted for the 1982 World's Fair and Legacy representatives say many need to be replaced.

"So what we want to do is keep downtown as green as possible, but that means long term maintenance," says Legacy Parks Foundation Executive Director Carol Evans.

Legacy hopes to help plant 50 trees around the city by the end of 2009.

A fund is set up through the foundation so you can sponsor or purchase a tree in someone's honor

Article here

Painting by Benjamin William Leader

Tree planting exercise organised in Accra

2009-02-27T21:31:00.001+05:30

In line with its climate change project and school linking programme, the British Council in association with the Forestry Commission has organised a tree planting exercise at the Accra Girls Senior High School in Accra. The Director of the British Council, Moses Anibaba reiterated the Council’s commitment to environmental issues adding that good environmental practices are key to the country’s socio-economic development.

The exercise was undertaken by 22 members of the Interaction Strategic Leadership Programme IASLP and 60 students of the Accra Girls Senior High school.

The IASLP is a flagship programme of the British Council, which offers the opportunity for recognized leaders from the public, private and voluntary sectors in Africa and the UK to explore issues that can help transform organisations and businesses into being productive, globally competitive and socially responsible.

According to Mr. Anibaba, the exercise is aimed at combating the effect of carbon emitted by our daily activities. He gave the assurance that the project will be sustained and preserved through periodic monitoring and provision of logistics to ensure a carbon-free environment.

A District Manager with the Forestry Commission, Felix Brown, who supervised the exercise, explained that the tree planting is essential to the improvement of the environment. He said trees are life and play significant roles in our environment.

One of the participants who is the Director of Science and Innovation, Dr. Sheila Ochugboju, urged the students to raise the awareness of tree planting in their communities. She asked the students to be responsible for the trees they have planted.

The Headmistress of the School, Veronica AKapame, expressed her appreciation to the British Council and the participants and called for the exercise to be extended to other parts of the metropolis.

In all 60 trees were planted at the end of the exercise.

Article here
Paonting is by Benjamin William Leader