FORESTRY & DEVELOPMENT

A recent study published in the scientific journal “Nature” shows that regional rainfall is reduced by deforestation. The Congo Basin is projected to experience a 10% reduction in rainfall by the end of this century due to deforestation. The interplay between deforestation and rainfall reduction is a vicious cycle, as revealed by a recent study published in the journal Nature. This mechanism was highlighted during the One Forest Summit, an international conference aimed at protecting the forests of the Congo Basin, which took place in Gabon. The study suggests that if deforestation rates continue as expected, the Congo Basin could experience a 10% decline in rainfall by the end of…

It is hard to imagine: the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var are two-thirds covered by forests. In these departments among the most wooded in France, 64% of the territory belongs to the kingdom of trees. They represent 400 million “stems”, at least 1.3 meters high and 7.5 centimeters in diameter. This resource is also the least exploited in France. Difficult access for cutting and transport, species that are less easy to recover, are the main causes. But the diversity of our forests, their resilience and a few changes in thinking can be game-changing. Extensive forests Forests are the pillar of rich ecosystems, threatened every summer by forest fires, in the southernmost…

The European Union has finally agreed on the draft regulation aimed at combating imported deforestation. The final text is hailed as “historic” by many observers, but several challenges remain unresolved. Deforestation has started to rise again in recent years, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon. To no longer participate in this disaster, the European Union has been working for more than a year on a draft regulation aimed at banning the import of products resulting from deforestation on its soil. After tough negotiations and compromises, a trilogue between the Parliament, the Commission and the Council was held on 5 and 6 December 2022. It resulted in an agreement, making Europe the…

Four types of birches grow in Germany. One of them – downy birch – became the German tree of 2023 Around the world, there are a total of about a hundred different types of birch. In the wild in Germany, four species are common – dwarf, low, drooping and fluffy birches. Now birches occupy only about five percent of the forest area here. Nowadays, the once widespread distribution of these trees is reminiscent of numerous place names – about five hundred German cities, villages and other places with birch roots on the map of Germany: Birkenfeld, Birkenhof, Birkendorf … A lot of different traditions are also associated with birches in…

Over the past year, Latvian forests have again become like local dumps. If for 8 months of last year 588 tons of waste were collected, then this year – already over a thousand tons. Today, the company Rīgas meži, in cooperation with the State Environmental Service, announced the launch of a social campaign, the purpose of which is to once again urge the people of Latvia to treat nature more carefully, informs lz.lv. In 8 months of this year, Rīgas meži has more than doubled its expenses related to the disposal of waste collected in the forests compared to last year: last year it cost about 49 thousand euros, this…

The 100-kilometer public forest in the Zambezi region is threatened daily by illegal loggers, with the main intruders entering the Namibian region from neighboring countries, in particular Zambia, Romeo Muyunda, spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, said on Monday, 22 November, according to The Namibian newspaper. A spokesman for the ministry told the publication that regular patrols and targeted operations are carried out in the state forest to protect the country’s natural resources. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, illegal logging continues. We confiscated logs that had been cut down and left there to dry so the smugglers could come back for them. We also encourage our Zambian…

Every year, millions of tons of green waste are collected in recycling centers, in France as in other European countries. Danish researchers have calculated that by leaving garden waste in place, Denmark could store 600,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. While the figures in this study are only applicable to the case of Denmark, the practices to be put in place are nevertheless universal. In the fall, many gardeners rake up fallen leaves, pick up dead twigs and branches, and fill their trailers with them. In addition to being a chore, this practice is not the most virtuous, vis-à-vis biodiversity and the climate. It is urgent to let go In…

The Amazon rainforest stores about as much carbon dioxide as humanity emits in three years. Therefore, her behavior is crucial in the fight against the climate crisis. The presidential election in Brazil and the defeat of Jair Bolsonaro give hope that the destruction of the world’s most valuable tropical forest will be stopped. Since the far-right Jair Bolsonaro took power in Brazil, Amazon deforestation has increased by 73%. In 2021, the world’s largest tropical forest lost its largest area in 15 years, and preliminary data for the first nine months of 2022 indicate that this year will be even worse. Dubbed the “Trump of the tropics,” the populist has lifted…

Periods of drought and heat waves have an impact on the health of forests planted a few decades ago. It will therefore be necessary to find more resistant species and also to review certain silvicultural methods. Report in Haut-Languedoc. Haut-Languedoc is a mid-mountain region located south of the Massif Central, between the departments of Hérault and Tarn, in the Occitanie region. It has 117 municipalities and extends over approximately 300,000 hectares, two thirds of which are covered with forest. Hardwoods, holm oaks, deciduous oaks, beeches and chestnuts, and conifers, firs, spruces, Douglas firs and pines. Relatively diversified forests since they are located at the confluence of three climates: Atlantic to…

Before considering any reforestation, the race against time is on to prevent the plots damaged by the summer fires from falling victim to insect attacks. Burned wood is not necessarily unusable. This is good news for the Landes massif due to forest fires during the summer. “In reality, there are two types of plots, specifies Stéphane Latour, director of the Fédération des industries du bois de Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Fibois Landes de Gascogne. Surfaces made up of young stands are not recoverable, but for the others, it is still possible to use the wood for the sawmill, papermaking, panel and wood energy industries.» The areas burned this summer are made up…