View From The Canopy #41
Hello and welcome to issue #41 of View From The Canopy newsletter. Enjoy this week’s selection of tree and forest news!
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News articles 📰
[CANADA]
Inside the Pacheedaht Nation’s stand on Fairy Creek logging blockades
Catapulted into the spotlight amid B.C.’s new war in the woods, Pacheedaht First Nation is asserting its right to decide how resources on its territory, including old-growth forests, are managed.
[CAMBODIA]
Carving up the Cardamoms: Conservationists fear massive land grab in Cambodia
Conservationists have expressed concern over a recently published regulation that makes nearly 127,000 hectares (313,800 acres) of previously protected land potentially available for sale or rent to politically connected businesses.
[AMAZON]
Deforestation soars 40% in Xingu River Basin in Brazilian Amazon
An area of forest twice the size of New York City was cleared in Brazil’s Xingu River Basin between March and April this year, a rate of deforestation 40% higher than in the same period last year, a new report shows.
Toronto startup Flash Forest aims to regrow world’s forests with drones
Across the world, forests are destroyed much quicker than they are replenished. Flash Forest wants to help fix that. The fast-growing Toronto-based startup aims to plant one billion trees by 2028, and has assembled a team of botanists to develop optimal seed germination rates, and engineers to build and program drones to deliver them.
Opinion 💬
This Was Always Bigger than Old-Growth Forests
Why we can, and should, care about the various ‘issues of the day’ — at the same time.
Research & Reports 🔬
Economic Valuation of Old-Growth Forests on Vancouver Island
This economic study, conducted by environmental consulting firm ESSA Technologies and co-authored by Simon Fraser University associate professor Duncan Knowler, reveals old-growth forests are worth more standing than logged when considering the many economic benefits their ecosystem services provide.
read at Ancient Forest Alliance
Global Forest Resources Assessments 2020 Report
The FAO report “Global Forest Resources Assessments 2020” presents facts and figures about the World’s forests. Where the forests are and in what shape they are. The report is almost 170 pages long so, you can either read it all during your summer vacation, or you can see the most important figures in this article.
Global network transforming tropical forest research
A huge global network of researchers is working together to take the pulse of our global tropical forests. ForestPlots.net, which is co-ordinated from the University of Leeds, brings together more than 2,500 scientists who have examined millions of trees to explore the effect of climate change on forests and biodiversity.
Featured Forest ✨
Colchic Forests, Georgia
Photo © Irakli Dzneladze
This weeks featured forest is the Colchic Forests in Georgia. The Colchic or Colchian forests are found around the southeast corner of the Black Sea in Turkey and Georgia in and around the Machakhela National Park. The Colchian forests are mixed, with deciduous black alder (Alnus glutinosa), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus and C. orientalis), Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis), and sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), together with evergreen Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana, the tallest tree in Europe at 78m), Caucasian spruce (Picea orientalis) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The Colchic region has high rainfall, averaging 1,500-2,500 mm annually, with a maximum in excess of 4,000 mm, and is home to some of Europe's temperate rain forests.
Miscellaneous 🍂
In Finland, Sami people protect native land against logging
In the northern forests of Finland, the semi-nomadic Sami people's way of life is under threat. Under a draft revision of Finland's main forestry certification program, logging could increase by 30%, shrinking the forests that the Sami depend on for reindeer grazing.
read at The Christian Science Monitor
How America’s treeless streets are fueling inequality
Rich Houston teems with greenery and public parks. But unfair zoning laws mean its poorer communities of color bake in the hot sun.
These Superheroes Could Sharply Reduce Heat Deaths
At a time when climate change is making heat waves more frequent and more severe, trees are stationary superheroes: They can lower urban temperatures 10 lifesaving degrees, scientists say.
The Unlikely Survival of the 1,081-Year-Old Tree That Gave Palo Alto Its Name
A redwood tree called El Palo Alto has long served as the 120-foot-tall symbol of Palo Alto, but a project to help it thrive has been delayed.
Selected Book 📚
And the Trees Crept In
by Dawn Kurtagich
When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?
Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, And the Trees Crept In is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.
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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