US Forest Services announces plan to save at risk forests

US Forest Service chief Gail Kimbell announced $50 million in grants to permanently protect 24 working forests across 21 States, as part of the  Forest Legacy Program, a USDA press release said.
The programme is designed to permanently protects important private forestland threatened by conversion.
“The Forest Legacy Program conserves open space, which allows us to respond [...]

Tree-killing hurricanes ‘could contribute to global warming’

A first-of-its kind, long-term study of hurricane impact on US trees shows that hurricane damage can diminish a forest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Science Daily reports.
Tulane University researchers examined the impact of tropical cyclones on US forests between 1851 to 2000 and found that changes in hurricane frequency might contribute to [...]

Ancient trees ‘need public funded protection’

One of Britain’s leading experts on trees has expressed astonishment over the lack of public funding to protect ancient trees, reports Horticulture Week.
Ted Green, an adviser to the Queen who was awarded an OBE recently for services to ancient trees, said state cash was needed because of trees’ landscape and cultural importance.
“These trees are old [...]

Blossom amid the gloom for Japan

People in Japan have long celebrated the arrival of the cherry blossom with picnics under the trees and this year is no exception, as the BBC’s Roland Buerk reports.
However, he goes on to add that the worst economic crisis since World War II has taken the shine off the festivities.
The winter was long, cold, grey [...]

Wildlife flee Kenyan forest fires

Hundreds of thousands of flamingos and other wildlife are at risk after five forest fires erupted in Kenya on Saturday, say wildlife officials.
The BBC News website reports that police say they suspect some of the still-raging blazes were started by communities to make space for farmland.
The fires have had an adverse effect on [...]

UK forest agency launches greener towns partnership

Making Britain’s towns and cities greener places to live and work is the aim of a new partnership being launched by the UK Forestry Commission on 25 March, 2009.
The Urban Regeneration & Greenspace Partnership (URGP) will be officially launched at the ParkCity conference in London.
It will work to bring together a range of government departments [...]

New tree species found in car park

Scientists who discovered a new species of tree standing beside a country road have named it “no parking” after a sign that was nailed to the trunk, according to a report in the Independent newspaper.

A team of botanists found the tree in a north Devon lay-by while working on a project in which 14 new [...]

Dangerous climate change ‘to kill Amazon rainforest’

Global warming will wreck attempts to save the Amazon rainforest, reports the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
It says a study presented at a major climate science conference in Denmark has predicted that one-third of its trees will be killed by even modest temperature rises.
The research, by some of Britain’s leading experts on climate change, shows that even [...]

Twiglet: Indonesian newly weds must plant trees

An Indonesian district in West Java, Garut, has started a unique program to support reforestation.
Mongabay.com reports that any couple planning to get married must give 10 trees to local authorities for reforestation efforts before the marriage will be legally sanctioned.
But it’s not just married couples that must support reforestation. Couples filing for divorce must [...]

Old elm ‘may help save other trees’

Experts hope an elm tree that survived the ravages of Dutch elm disease could hold the key to the species survival in the UK, the BBC News website reports.

The elm was discovered in a Worcestershire hedgerow, near Pershore, two years ago.
It had remained unnoticed because it was assumed all elms in the area had been [...]