In Scotland....
Consensus may be emerging about the need to think long-term about forestry to match the natural cycle of the trees. There is broad support amongst environmental and conservation groups for more tree planting, as long as it targets ‘the right tree in the right place’.
A report by former Scottish Government Chief Planner Jim Mackinnon was referred to by a number of Scottish Parliamentarians as they debated forestry on 24 January. The debate followed an announcement by Roseanna Cunningham that forestry had a big part to play in meeting Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets – the current tree planting target of 10,000 hectares a year (about 22 million trees) would rise to 15,000 hectares (33 million trees) by 2024-25. Scotland has not hit its current targets.
The sector needs to explain modern forestry. It is not the monoculture blocks of Sitka spruce planted in the 70s and 80s. Modern forestry is designed to sit well in its setting and benefit people and wildlife, with buffer zones, open spaces, mixed species, access paths and more. Much of the opposition to planting trees is based on outdated views of forestry and a lack of appreciation of the benefits to society.
There is also an opportunity for sheep farmers who could benefit from planting some trees on their land – something made more difficult by the Common Agricultural Policy. Leaving the EU may provide the opportunity for farmers to enter into a practice common elsewhere in Europe–farm forestry. Read more....
In Ireland....
Young Farmers group (Macra na Feirme) is concerned about the current afforestation programme and questions the potential bubble being created by the current levels of grants available. Macra does not oppose forestry but believes the incentives being offered are not sustainable as they are providing unwarranted competition for land across the country The young farmers’ organisation believes that greater demand for land suitable for afforestation is driving up the price of land.
Macra is also concerned that those who are afforesting their land are not being properly informed that once land is afforested it cannot realistically ever be returned to agricultural use, as there is a requirement to replant.
"Agro-forestry is something which needs to be investigated further, it can deliver economically for farmers and could help address the climate challenges we face. Every farm has a portion of land which could be used for this." Macra Agri-Affairs Vice Chairman Thomas Duffy said.
In Malawi...
Malawi’s department of forestry has been cooperating with the army in a desperate bid to stem the illegal logging that is depleting the country’s forests at a rate of 2.8% per year. Surging demand for charcoal in Malawi’s cities is the prime driver of deforestation.
Under Malawi’s National Forestry Act, businesses are permitted to harvest trees if they then plant indigenous species to offset the loss. But in the 20 years since the law was passed, only one commercial licence for sustainable charcoal production has been issued.
Across the country, women are being trained to make different types of energy efficient clay stoves to replace the traditional three-stone fire. “A 40kg bundle of firewood used to last only three days; now the same size bundle lasts two weeks,” mother of six Astina Nikina, says.
In the US...
A new way of measuring deforestation “forest attrition distance,” reflects a particular type of forest loss: the removal of isolated forest patches. When these patches are lost adjacent forests become farther apart, potentially affecting biodiversity, soil erosion, local climate and other conditions.
The authors calculated the change in total forest cover in the US from 1992 to 2001, and found a loss of 3 percent or 35,000 square miles but over the same time period, forest attrition distance increased by 14 percent. Read more...
In Ukraine...
Foresters take great pride in regenerating forests, helping protect the environment and providing firewood for the local population. Oleksandr, a forester from Pishchane forest in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, has photos from the 1920s which show foresters planting young pine seedlings. One of these is his grandfather, who also worked in the Luhansk region. Local forests protect agricultural land from the dry winds that used to raise sandstorms.
When the armed conflict broke out in 2014, thousands of hectares of forest burned and shells in the forest made it dangerous to reach the fires. According to preliminary 2014–2015 estimates, at least half of the 30,000 hectares of forest suffered damage. A Red Cross programme, that also creates jobs and clears landmines, has become the first step towards restoring forests. The ICRC pays to have dry and burned trees cut and processed for firewood, which is distributed to the population free of charge. Read more...
In Abu Dhabi..
The forests of Abu Dhabi are irrigated with 214 million cubic metres of water each year. This water is made up of 80 per cent groundwater and 20 per cent treated sewage effluent and desalinated water. They are extracting groundwater at more than 20 times the volume that is recharged annually leading to a rapid depletion of aquifers.
In 2014, the Environment Agency established a research programme with the government of New Zealand and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture to study the water requirements of date palm and other native species. It was assumed that forest trees required more water in summer and so irrigation was increased. However, research showed that for some species such as ghaf and sider, higher summer temperatures caused the trees to lose their leaves and adopt a near dormant state, which means they require less water. Read more...
In Eastern Africa....
An agroforestry project to improve food security and small-holder farmers’ livelihoods in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda has been launched by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). The project is in its second phase following the winding down of the first phase implemented since 2012, under funding from Australian Centre for International Research (ACIAR). Tony Bartlett, ACIAR forestry research programme manager said the project would help Rwanda scale up locally appropriate agro-forestry systems.
“We are conducting research to understand the interactions between crops and trees grown by farmers. We are also working out how to effectively get information about agro-forestry systems communicated to farmers in those districts, to help them make decisions about adapting these agro-forestry systems,” he said last week. He added that they have centres in two locations where farmers can go and learn how to propagate tree seedlings, understand what they need to do to manage the trees on their farms in order to get the best outcomes to support their livelihoods. Read more...
In Nepal
Advising a community forest user group that had a dense pole size plantation forest of Utis, Dr. Hemant R Ojha,(an expert on forest governance associated with the University of New South Wales) assessed the forest density. He suggested the group cut several trees (heavy thinning) so that there was enough growing space for the remaining trees. The community leaders did not accept his advice. They said, “If we cut so many trees this year, we will not have enough to cut next year, and this will create the problem of fuelwood shortage in our community. So we will cut only a few poles this year so that we will have some left for several years.”
Dr Ojha's view was rooted in the generic principle of silviculture learned at university- when there are too many trees, they cannot grow well, and timber yield will be compromised. He was imposing a timber production goal, while villagers had a mix of timber and fuelwood objectives.
The villagers were careful in ensuring a steady supply of fuelwood over time, and were happy to trade off some quality and quantity of timber to be produced at the end. Their strategy reflected a delicate balance of intermediate fuelwood needs and ultimate timber demand. In silviculture, there is also a principle that enhances firewood production. However, the community strategy fits neither with timber and firewood silviculture. Read More...
Consensus may be emerging about the need to think long-term about forestry to match the natural cycle of the trees. There is broad support amongst environmental and conservation groups for more tree planting, as long as it targets ‘the right tree in the right place’.
A report by former Scottish Government Chief Planner Jim Mackinnon was referred to by a number of Scottish Parliamentarians as they debated forestry on 24 January. The debate followed an announcement by Roseanna Cunningham that forestry had a big part to play in meeting Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets – the current tree planting target of 10,000 hectares a year (about 22 million trees) would rise to 15,000 hectares (33 million trees) by 2024-25. Scotland has not hit its current targets.
The sector needs to explain modern forestry. It is not the monoculture blocks of Sitka spruce planted in the 70s and 80s. Modern forestry is designed to sit well in its setting and benefit people and wildlife, with buffer zones, open spaces, mixed species, access paths and more. Much of the opposition to planting trees is based on outdated views of forestry and a lack of appreciation of the benefits to society.
There is also an opportunity for sheep farmers who could benefit from planting some trees on their land – something made more difficult by the Common Agricultural Policy. Leaving the EU may provide the opportunity for farmers to enter into a practice common elsewhere in Europe–farm forestry. Read more....
In Ireland....
Young Farmers group (Macra na Feirme) is concerned about the current afforestation programme and questions the potential bubble being created by the current levels of grants available. Macra does not oppose forestry but believes the incentives being offered are not sustainable as they are providing unwarranted competition for land across the country The young farmers’ organisation believes that greater demand for land suitable for afforestation is driving up the price of land.
Macra is also concerned that those who are afforesting their land are not being properly informed that once land is afforested it cannot realistically ever be returned to agricultural use, as there is a requirement to replant.
"Agro-forestry is something which needs to be investigated further, it can deliver economically for farmers and could help address the climate challenges we face. Every farm has a portion of land which could be used for this." Macra Agri-Affairs Vice Chairman Thomas Duffy said.
In Malawi...
Malawi’s department of forestry has been cooperating with the army in a desperate bid to stem the illegal logging that is depleting the country’s forests at a rate of 2.8% per year. Surging demand for charcoal in Malawi’s cities is the prime driver of deforestation.
Under Malawi’s National Forestry Act, businesses are permitted to harvest trees if they then plant indigenous species to offset the loss. But in the 20 years since the law was passed, only one commercial licence for sustainable charcoal production has been issued.
Across the country, women are being trained to make different types of energy efficient clay stoves to replace the traditional three-stone fire. “A 40kg bundle of firewood used to last only three days; now the same size bundle lasts two weeks,” mother of six Astina Nikina, says.
In the US...
A new way of measuring deforestation “forest attrition distance,” reflects a particular type of forest loss: the removal of isolated forest patches. When these patches are lost adjacent forests become farther apart, potentially affecting biodiversity, soil erosion, local climate and other conditions.
The authors calculated the change in total forest cover in the US from 1992 to 2001, and found a loss of 3 percent or 35,000 square miles but over the same time period, forest attrition distance increased by 14 percent. Read more...
In Ukraine...
Foresters take great pride in regenerating forests, helping protect the environment and providing firewood for the local population. Oleksandr, a forester from Pishchane forest in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, has photos from the 1920s which show foresters planting young pine seedlings. One of these is his grandfather, who also worked in the Luhansk region. Local forests protect agricultural land from the dry winds that used to raise sandstorms.
When the armed conflict broke out in 2014, thousands of hectares of forest burned and shells in the forest made it dangerous to reach the fires. According to preliminary 2014–2015 estimates, at least half of the 30,000 hectares of forest suffered damage. A Red Cross programme, that also creates jobs and clears landmines, has become the first step towards restoring forests. The ICRC pays to have dry and burned trees cut and processed for firewood, which is distributed to the population free of charge. Read more...
In Abu Dhabi..
The forests of Abu Dhabi are irrigated with 214 million cubic metres of water each year. This water is made up of 80 per cent groundwater and 20 per cent treated sewage effluent and desalinated water. They are extracting groundwater at more than 20 times the volume that is recharged annually leading to a rapid depletion of aquifers.
In 2014, the Environment Agency established a research programme with the government of New Zealand and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture to study the water requirements of date palm and other native species. It was assumed that forest trees required more water in summer and so irrigation was increased. However, research showed that for some species such as ghaf and sider, higher summer temperatures caused the trees to lose their leaves and adopt a near dormant state, which means they require less water. Read more...
In Eastern Africa....
An agroforestry project to improve food security and small-holder farmers’ livelihoods in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda has been launched by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). The project is in its second phase following the winding down of the first phase implemented since 2012, under funding from Australian Centre for International Research (ACIAR). Tony Bartlett, ACIAR forestry research programme manager said the project would help Rwanda scale up locally appropriate agro-forestry systems.
“We are conducting research to understand the interactions between crops and trees grown by farmers. We are also working out how to effectively get information about agro-forestry systems communicated to farmers in those districts, to help them make decisions about adapting these agro-forestry systems,” he said last week. He added that they have centres in two locations where farmers can go and learn how to propagate tree seedlings, understand what they need to do to manage the trees on their farms in order to get the best outcomes to support their livelihoods. Read more...
In Nepal
Advising a community forest user group that had a dense pole size plantation forest of Utis, Dr. Hemant R Ojha,(an expert on forest governance associated with the University of New South Wales) assessed the forest density. He suggested the group cut several trees (heavy thinning) so that there was enough growing space for the remaining trees. The community leaders did not accept his advice. They said, “If we cut so many trees this year, we will not have enough to cut next year, and this will create the problem of fuelwood shortage in our community. So we will cut only a few poles this year so that we will have some left for several years.”
Dr Ojha's view was rooted in the generic principle of silviculture learned at university- when there are too many trees, they cannot grow well, and timber yield will be compromised. He was imposing a timber production goal, while villagers had a mix of timber and fuelwood objectives.
The villagers were careful in ensuring a steady supply of fuelwood over time, and were happy to trade off some quality and quantity of timber to be produced at the end. Their strategy reflected a delicate balance of intermediate fuelwood needs and ultimate timber demand. In silviculture, there is also a principle that enhances firewood production. However, the community strategy fits neither with timber and firewood silviculture. Read More...