In Zambia, the indiscriminate cutting down of trees for charcoal production is common raising fears of depleting forests. Most of Kitwe’s forests have been encroached upon by settlers, who are cutting down trees for charcoal production. Milika Mpandawire of Kakolo settlement said charcoal burners need to develop a culture of planting trees to replace what they are harvesting.
“The problem is that we only know how to cut down trees. We must also learn how to plant trees,” Ms Mpandawire said.
And Forestry Department acting district forest officer John Yowela attributed the practice to the increasing number of people that have settled in the forests.
“In the 1990s, we saw a number of companies being privatised and this led to job losses. That was the period when we also saw a number of people coming to settle in our forests,” he said.
To curb deforestation and protect biodiversity, Government enacted the Forest Act No 4 of 2015 in an attempt to manage forests countrywide with the full participation of community members.In addition, the Forestry Department is expected to train people living near the forests in bee-keeping to dissuade them from charcoal burning. Read more
Zambia's Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation will secure 50,000 hectares of land in each of the 10 provinces for the establishment of plantantions to transform Zambia into a major timber exporter.
Minister of National Development Planning Lucky Mulusa says the forestry industry can significantly contribute to employment and wealth creation if well harnessed.
“According to estimates made by ZAFFICO management, land clearing, preparations and planting of 40,000 hectares of land would provide direct employment opportunities to 40,000 seasonal employees,” Mr Mulusa said.
He said Government will also promote investments in the sector through public-private partnerships in environmental, forestry and other natural resources.
Mr Mulusa said the Patriotic Front (PF) administration remains committed to supporting value addition to wood and non-wood forest products in line with its economic diversification programme through industrialisation. Read more..
A new children's forestry play app has just been released in Stockholm. Developed for ages 3-9 years, Grow Forest is a city builder game and a mini game collection, in which children develop a wonderful, healthy forest community and learn about environmental topics in a simple and entertaining way.
Kids have to plant and chop down trees to create wood that you can use to build houses, roads and renovate buildings. The forest provides a wealth of things to do and produce.
The main purpose of the game is to entertain, but also to pique the player's curiosity of the forest and the part it plays in creating a sustainable society for us all. There are no stressful moments in the game, and children can play at their own pace, never risking getting stuck at any point. Grow Forest is a fun place for kids to learn about sustainable forestry and environmental topics in a simple and entertaining way. Read more...
Vertical forests are spreading to China. Nanjing, Guizhou, Liuzhou, Shijiazhuang, and Chongqing are the Chinese locations where a horde of “Vertical Forests” will soon bloom. These buildings are based on two famous towers in Milan (116 and 85 meters tall) which host 700 trees and more than 20,000 plants.
Two towers will be built in Nanjing: one will become a hotel with 247 rooms (108 meters tall), the other an office building (200 meters tall). They will feature 600 tall trees and 500 medium-sized trees. Once construction finishes in 2018, the vertical forest will absorb 25 tons of carbon dioxide per year, producing 60 kg of oxygen each day.
Liuzhou’s project is even bigger, an entire neighborhood with buildings amounting to 966,000 square meters of space, located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. All of the plants are local and come equipped with a hydration system that recycles water. The buildings’ structures are fueled by solar and wind energy—enough to make them self-sufficient. In Shijiazhuang and Chongqing (the latter of which is the most populated municipality in China), the projects are still undergoing the process of approval. Read more..
People living in proximity to forests and tree-based landscapes have better diets than their compatriots, regardless of poverty says Terry Sunderland of Centre of Interational Forestry Research. The crucial links between forestry, food security and nutrition are examined in a new report, Sustainable Forestry and Food Security and Nutrition, commissioned by the Committee on World Food Security
Across four chapters, the report looks at issues including the types of forest systems; the specific contributions of forest landscapes to food security and nutrition, including influence on agriculture, water systems, fuel supply, and medicine; challenges, threats, and trade-offs for forestry systems as they relate to nutrition; and how governance can support the role of forests in food security and nutrition.
A major goal of this study is to increase cross-sector collaboration in order to address this issue, seeing members of the forestry, conservation, and nutrition communities work together to share and harmonize knowledge and promote good governance. Read more..
Drones to help with reforestation/afforestation. Australian scientist Dr. Susan Graham has developed a pair of drones that have the ability to plant trees in areas otherwise impossible. The drones developed by Dr. Susan Graham work in tandem. The first one scans an area of land searching for suitable conditions for planting. The drone then maps the area and employs specific algorithms to locate optimal planting areas. These areas are identified as places with high soil content, with low obstacles such as water bodies or rocky areas.
The second drone is then sent on a specific flight path informed by the mapping drone with its seed payload. The drone can carry up to 150 seedpods to deliver in a single flight. The drones are being brought to market by Oxford-based company BioCarbon Engineering.
The drones will be used in areas that make planting by hand or ground-based machines impossible. The drones will be able to be used for rehabilitation as well as forestry planting applications.
These aren’t the only drones dropping seeds. U.S based company DroneSeed is working to develop a similar technology to allow mass seeding of forests. Currently, the company provides herbicide and pesticide spraying in difficult to access areas. Read more...
“The problem is that we only know how to cut down trees. We must also learn how to plant trees,” Ms Mpandawire said.
And Forestry Department acting district forest officer John Yowela attributed the practice to the increasing number of people that have settled in the forests.
“In the 1990s, we saw a number of companies being privatised and this led to job losses. That was the period when we also saw a number of people coming to settle in our forests,” he said.
To curb deforestation and protect biodiversity, Government enacted the Forest Act No 4 of 2015 in an attempt to manage forests countrywide with the full participation of community members.In addition, the Forestry Department is expected to train people living near the forests in bee-keeping to dissuade them from charcoal burning. Read more
Zambia's Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation will secure 50,000 hectares of land in each of the 10 provinces for the establishment of plantantions to transform Zambia into a major timber exporter.
Minister of National Development Planning Lucky Mulusa says the forestry industry can significantly contribute to employment and wealth creation if well harnessed.
“According to estimates made by ZAFFICO management, land clearing, preparations and planting of 40,000 hectares of land would provide direct employment opportunities to 40,000 seasonal employees,” Mr Mulusa said.
He said Government will also promote investments in the sector through public-private partnerships in environmental, forestry and other natural resources.
Mr Mulusa said the Patriotic Front (PF) administration remains committed to supporting value addition to wood and non-wood forest products in line with its economic diversification programme through industrialisation. Read more..
A new children's forestry play app has just been released in Stockholm. Developed for ages 3-9 years, Grow Forest is a city builder game and a mini game collection, in which children develop a wonderful, healthy forest community and learn about environmental topics in a simple and entertaining way.
Kids have to plant and chop down trees to create wood that you can use to build houses, roads and renovate buildings. The forest provides a wealth of things to do and produce.
The main purpose of the game is to entertain, but also to pique the player's curiosity of the forest and the part it plays in creating a sustainable society for us all. There are no stressful moments in the game, and children can play at their own pace, never risking getting stuck at any point. Grow Forest is a fun place for kids to learn about sustainable forestry and environmental topics in a simple and entertaining way. Read more...
Vertical forests are spreading to China. Nanjing, Guizhou, Liuzhou, Shijiazhuang, and Chongqing are the Chinese locations where a horde of “Vertical Forests” will soon bloom. These buildings are based on two famous towers in Milan (116 and 85 meters tall) which host 700 trees and more than 20,000 plants.
Two towers will be built in Nanjing: one will become a hotel with 247 rooms (108 meters tall), the other an office building (200 meters tall). They will feature 600 tall trees and 500 medium-sized trees. Once construction finishes in 2018, the vertical forest will absorb 25 tons of carbon dioxide per year, producing 60 kg of oxygen each day.
Liuzhou’s project is even bigger, an entire neighborhood with buildings amounting to 966,000 square meters of space, located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. All of the plants are local and come equipped with a hydration system that recycles water. The buildings’ structures are fueled by solar and wind energy—enough to make them self-sufficient. In Shijiazhuang and Chongqing (the latter of which is the most populated municipality in China), the projects are still undergoing the process of approval. Read more..
People living in proximity to forests and tree-based landscapes have better diets than their compatriots, regardless of poverty says Terry Sunderland of Centre of Interational Forestry Research. The crucial links between forestry, food security and nutrition are examined in a new report, Sustainable Forestry and Food Security and Nutrition, commissioned by the Committee on World Food Security
Across four chapters, the report looks at issues including the types of forest systems; the specific contributions of forest landscapes to food security and nutrition, including influence on agriculture, water systems, fuel supply, and medicine; challenges, threats, and trade-offs for forestry systems as they relate to nutrition; and how governance can support the role of forests in food security and nutrition.
A major goal of this study is to increase cross-sector collaboration in order to address this issue, seeing members of the forestry, conservation, and nutrition communities work together to share and harmonize knowledge and promote good governance. Read more..
Drones to help with reforestation/afforestation. Australian scientist Dr. Susan Graham has developed a pair of drones that have the ability to plant trees in areas otherwise impossible. The drones developed by Dr. Susan Graham work in tandem. The first one scans an area of land searching for suitable conditions for planting. The drone then maps the area and employs specific algorithms to locate optimal planting areas. These areas are identified as places with high soil content, with low obstacles such as water bodies or rocky areas.
The second drone is then sent on a specific flight path informed by the mapping drone with its seed payload. The drone can carry up to 150 seedpods to deliver in a single flight. The drones are being brought to market by Oxford-based company BioCarbon Engineering.
The drones will be used in areas that make planting by hand or ground-based machines impossible. The drones will be able to be used for rehabilitation as well as forestry planting applications.
These aren’t the only drones dropping seeds. U.S based company DroneSeed is working to develop a similar technology to allow mass seeding of forests. Currently, the company provides herbicide and pesticide spraying in difficult to access areas. Read more...