International tree news

1.      In 2008 fires in Macedonia destroyed around 35,000 hectares of forest & woodland.  In response the Macedonian government has established national tree planting days in March & November. The population is given the day off & they all plant trees. The last planting day was last weekend & this time the people of Macedonia planted 7-million trees. Since 2008, they have planted more than 20-million trees across Macedonia. “Experts said that restoring the damaged ecosystem could take up to 50 years.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iIzwn1JeL6NswCTTUwzHYTfIMi7w?docId=CNG.f193bfe068a4a5724570104b03f20f98.951

2.    60 Councils across Portugal are about to plant 100,000 trees this week during National Reforestation Week. Most of the planting will be done by volunteers. http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=1088-18

3.    Research by Wageningen University in the Netherlands found that radiation from Wi-Fi networks is harming deciduous trees by causing significant variations in growth & bleeding & fissures in the bark.  This has affected 70% of urban trees in the Netherlands.  Five years ago, only 10% were affected. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/211219/wifi_makes_trees_sick_study_says.html

4.    Bristol Council in the UK has set up TreeBristol to oversee & manage all

Young grass tree flower stalk

trees in Bristol. They intend to increase the canopy by 30% (10,000 trees) by 2015 to help adjust to the anticipated high temperatures due to climate change.  They have created a map of the area using aerial infra-red photography to find 7,000 tree planting locations & say their preference is for large trees wherever possible. They also intend to plant trees along bus routes saying this will make the area “safer, more efficient & more pleasant.”

“The council also promotes “celebration trees”, where friends & family fund the planting of specimen trees in public spaces in memory of loved ones.”

Residents will be offered a choice of 3 species of tree as they believe this will help lessen vandalism & encourage people to water the trees. They also plan to plant semi-mature trees to lessen vandalism & they will double their watering to ensure there is less tree loss due to lack of water.  http://www.hortweek.com/news/1041320/Bristol-takes-strategic-approach-urban-tree-management/

5.    A 10-storey-tall Redwood that predates the US Constitution by more than 800 years is at risk of being chopped down for a high-speed train track. The El Palo Alto redwood has lived above the banks of San Francisquito Creek for around 1,070 years.  The tree has coped with commuter trains passing within 3.4 metres (10 feet) 90 times every weekday. The California High-Speed Rail Authority wants to widen the rail tracks for the high-speed rail line.  To do this they will need to chop down this 1,070 year-old tree. I find it unbelievable that they are even considering this.  http://www.penipress.com/2010/11/19/historic-tree-stands-in-the-way-of-palo-alto-high-speed-rail/

6.   This is a great article about forest loss worldwide specifically focusing on

Once a tree

Ghana. “At the turn of the 20th Century, Ghana’s forests covered around 8.2 million hectares of land. By the late 1980s, the forest cover has been reduced to less than 18,000 km2, which means a reduction of the forest cover to 2.1 million hectares.
By the year 2007, the forest cover of the country has been reduced significantly to 1.4 million hectares. Forestry sources say since independence from Great Britain in 1957, the annual rate of forest loss has been averaging 65,000 hectares yearly.” The article explains clearly why forest loss contributes to greenhouse gases & why these ecosystems are to replace.  It also talks about the economy of logging & how people all over the world are a part of logging in countries such as Ghana.  http://news.myjoyonline.com/features/201011/56147.asp