View From The Canopy #39
Hello and welcome to issue #39 of View From The Canopy newsletter. Is there anything more satisfying than planting a tree? Probably, but it is definitely something that is high on my list. This week I planted a Japanese Maple tree in my garden and every morning I look at it with delight as the leaves glow in the sunshine.
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News articles 📰
[CANADA]
Is the feds’ two billion trees program simply a path to more logging?
Advocates are concerned provincial tree-planting goals are too forestry-focused and are calling for more information on the locations and end use of the trees being planted.
[CANADA]
Ontario fights back against California boreal logging bill
The Ontario government is crying foul as a bill taking aim at logging in the boreal forest moves through California’s state house.
[WORLD]
Banks increased deforestation-linked investments by $8B during Covid-19
The world’s 50 largest financial institutions increased their investments in deforestation-linked commodity companies by more than $8 billion since the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report has found.
[EU]
Forest advocates press EU leader to rethink views on biomass and energy
EU officials are currently working to finalize REDII renewable energy policy revisions and amendments by mid-July for EU parliamentary review. One component of that review is to determine whether forest biomass burning will continue to be considered carbon neutral by the 27 EU member states.
Forest Fires Updates 🔥
[CANADA]
Forest fire season in Canada set to get worse — along with the health implications
With forest fires set to increase by 74 per cent across the world by 2100, health issues are also set to go up significantly. A new report from international environmental organizations in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) found the full breadth of health impacts haven’t been adequately studied or prepared for.
[US]
Washington heads into wildfire season with a drought and 410 blazes so far on state land
Every Washington wildfire season brings a reckoning with the tea leaves to get a lead on what the summer and fall might bring: snowpack levels, weather predictions, drought conditions. Right now, a widespread drought is raising fears about the months ahead.
Opinion 💬
Ending Horgan’s War Against Old Growth
Let’s call Premier John Horgan’s forest policies what they are — a colonial defence of talk and log and a moral failure to protect the province’s remaining old-growth forests.
Research & Reports 🔬
Half the trees in two new English woodlands planted by jays, study finds
Former fields were naturally regenerated with oak trees growing from acorns buried by the birds
Researchers identify genes for drought resistance in some, but not all European beeches
Which trees will survive dry, very hot summers and which will suffer severe damage? Regarding European beech trees, this question may now be answered by genome analyses.
Featured Forest ✨
Agumbe rainforest, Karnataka, India
Photo © Roy Brophy
This weeks featured forest is the Agumbe rainforest in Karnataka, India. The thick rainforests of Agumbe receive the second highest rainfall in India, and is home to the elusive and mysterious King Cobra.
Miscellaneous 🍂
Why We Find Rainforests in Unexpected Places
Many of us are familiar with rainforests; lush and exotic environments that serve as the pinnacle of life on Earth. For the most part we assume these only occur throughout the tropics, but as it turns out certain areas in the temperate latitudes can receive just as much rainfall, creating a number of rainforests in unexpected places.
The birthplace of the modern apple
When a Russian scientist identified the Malus sieversii as the progenitor of the domestic apple, harvests in Kazakhstan’s forests were bountiful; now this wild fruit is threatened.
The Quiet Strength of an Old-Growth Forest
When you have survived for hundreds or even thousands of years, there’s a strong chance you have seen it all before.
Selected Book 📚
My Forests: Travels with Trees
by Janine Burke
The narratives in My Forests are a pleasure to read; like strolling down a meandering track through the trees, you never quite know what you'll discover around that next bend. Travel the ancient Incense Road with the Biblical Magi. Enjoy the dancing Olive groves of Tuscany and read of 'sleeping' Silver Birches. Witness the spectacular tree houses of the Korowai of West Papua. Visit tree sitter Miranda Gibson, whose 449-day protest against clearfelling in Tasmania's Tyenna Valley led to a World Heritage listing. In this enlightening and entertaining book, Janine Burke invites you to accompany her through forests, art and writing, cities and parks, deserts and gardens, rainforests and wetlands, exploring the connections between trees and civilisations, past and present. My Forests: Travels with Trees presents the role of trees in contemporary life in a world where most people don't live in the wild, and their acquaintance with nature comes from many sources.
Until next week ✌️
I hope you enjoyed the view from the canopy. If you've come across any interesting articles or you've written something yourself please hit reply and let me know about them.
See you next week!
Cheers,
Johan
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