Trees Forests

  • It is land clearing for livestock- Despite some recognition today, just one tree is being planted in Queensland for every one hundred cleared to increase livestock grazing. Yes, it rained a lot for a long time, but cows on huge tracts of “cleared” land made the disaster. Video. http://suprememastertv.com/save-our-planet/?wr_id=1659

  • It releases a great deal of carbon and produces much less new food than more intensive use of existing croplands- Lose-lose . . . sounds like a Western land use issue. Clearing tropical forests is a lose-lose. Michael Marshall. New Scientist.

  • The first large scale planting blight resistant chestnut is done- When the chestnut blight hit in the 1950s, there were probably 3 billion American chestnut trees in the United States. Now there are perhaps only about a hundred trees in its natural range. The demise of the chestnut was a blow to wildlife that ate…

  • “We don’t know what’s going to happen without whitebark.”- I know it will soon be functionally extinct, although no doubt some token remnants will be protected from beetles and blister rust. Ecologically speaking, it is already almost gone. Here is a long essay on its demise and the effects. Feature article in New West. Grizzlies…

  • Very important. Interesting post by NRDC’s Louisa Wilcox about how the science shows how critical whitebark pine nuts are for grizzlies and how the managers talk out of both sides of their mouth. “In its August 9th legal brief challenging the 2009 ruling by Federal Judge Donald Molloy that required relisting of the Yellowstone grizzly…

  • Tree, important for grizzly bears, affected by global warming, insects, and fungus The whitebark pine is a tree that lives at high elevations and was historically unaffected by pine beetles but due to global warming this has changed. Also, blister rust, an introduced fungal infection has taken a large toll on the trees. The pine…

  • Trees to receive ” ‘verbenone pouches’ that contain a synthetic pheromone to trick beetles into thinking the trees are already full of beetles”- Fighting pine bark beetles is very expensive, but these giant, ancient trees have been determined to be worth it. Good news! Whitebarks in Pioneers [Pioneer Mountains] get protection from beetles. Associated Press.

  • Conservation deal for Canadian forest the size of Texas- Although the first article below has a somewhat pessimistic tone, this certainly seems better than the current trend in boreal Canada. There is more value to the vast boreal forest than caribou. Caribou still at risk under historic forestry deal. Industry, environmentalists band together for sustainability.…

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