EuroForest Portal News selects news items of general interest to the forest and forest products sector in Europe. Sometimes items of narrower national interest, and sometimes items of broader global interest are also selected. http://forestportal.efi.int Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:05:01 +0300 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/266/15/ Successful initiatives to promote sustainable consumption and production are flourishing around the globe, but further efforts are needed to embed such practices in existing policy frameworks, according to a new Global Outlook Report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the European Commission. The Report released at Stockholm+40, an event marking the 40th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Human Environment, presents an overview of efforts worldwide to shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns. The aim is to identify and share promising examples of effective policies and to propose recommendations to help support... News - News Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:06:11 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/265/15/ Environment Action Programmes have guided the development of EU environment policy since the early seventies. During this period, environment legislation was consolidated and completed to cover almost all environmental media, with the exception of soil. With the 6th EAP in its final year, the European Commission continues to pursue an ambitious environment policy aimed at ensuring a high level of environmental protection and guided by the principles enshrined in the Treaty of precaution, prevention, rectifying pollution at source and polluter pays. Against this background, the Commission is considering how a 7th Environment Action Programme could best provide added value in... News - News Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:41:01 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/264/15/ Every two seconds, an area of forest the size of a football field is clear-cut by illegal loggers around the globe. A new World Bank report released on 20 March 2012 shows how countries can effectively fight illegal logging through the criminal justice system, punish organized crime, and trace and confiscate illegal logging profits.The report, Justice for Forests: Improving Criminal Justice Efforts to Combat Illegal Logging, affirms that to be effective, law enforcement needs to look past low-level criminals and look at where the profits from illegal logging go. By following the money trail, and using tools developed in more... News - News Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:20:19 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/263/15/ In adopting a new proposal on accounting of greenhouse gases emissions, the European Commission has taken a first step towards incorporating removals and emissions from forests and agriculture into the EU climate policy. The proposed Decision establishes accounting rules for greenhouse gas emissions and removals in the forest and agriculture sectors, the last major sectors without common EU-wide rules. Forests and agricultural lands cover more than three-quarters of the EU territory and naturally hold large stocks of carbon, preventing its escape into the atmosphere, which makes them important for the climate policy. Increasing this trapped carbon by just 0.1 percentage... News - News Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:22:04 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/262/15/ A new report published by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that the main soil degradation processes are accelerating in many parts of Europe, often as a result of human activities. The report presents an overview on the state of soil in Europe using data from the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) and from research activities within the JRC. It shows that soil resources in many parts of Europe are being overexploited, degraded and irreversibly lost. These trends are accelerated by inappropriate land management practices, industrial activities and land use changes. Bringing... News - News Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:58:41 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/261/15/ EU countries are not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal and unsustainable timber, or regulating its sale, despite the upcoming introduction of two pieces of legislation to halt its import, according to a recent Barometer report by WWF. The 2012 Government Barometer survey found the highest scorers (with 12 points out of maximum 18) were Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The UK has been the most consistent high scorer on performance, but has become one of the slowest in terms of improving its performance. So far only four countries are ready to receive licensed timber, under the... News - News Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:06:05 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/260/15/ A NASA-led science team has created an accurate, high-resolution map of the height of the Earths forests. The map will help scientists better understand the role forests play in climate change and how their heights influence wildlife habitats within them, while also helping them quantify the carbon stored in the Earths vegetation.Scientists from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; the University of Maryland, College Park; and Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Mass., created the map using 2.5 million carefully screened, globally distributed laser pulse measurements from space. The light detection and ranging (lidar) data were collected in 2005 by the... News - News Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:17:50 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/258/15/ A new interactive online database provides access to most of the collected information in FAOs comprehensive and most recent Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2010). The main module has options to use multiple output formats and generate simple diagrams, providing easier and more flexible access to FRA data.The database includes 25 of the FRA 2010 tables grouped into eight categories: Extent and characteristics; Ownership and management; Forest establishment; Volume, biomass and carbon; Forest health; Employment and human resources; Education and research; Revenues and expenditures.Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010: Interactive Database (http://countrystat.org/index.asp?ctry=for HomeFor=for)Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (http://www.fao.org/forestry/fra/fra2010/en/) News - News Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:47:46 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/257/15/ Major forest infrastructure will be opened up to researchers from the public and private sectors across Europe thanks to the newly started project Designing trees for the Future (Trees4Future). For the first time key infrastructures within the European forest based sector, including databases, state-of-the-art analytical tools and predictive models will be integrated and made available via a user-friendly, central access portal. The four-year Trees4Future project aims to integrate major forestry resources and infrastructures, to provide the European forest-based and wider research community with easy and comprehensive access to currently scattered sources of information and expertise. This will make a significant... News - News Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:48:37 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/256/15/ The European Forest Institute has released a new multimedia video on European forests. Called European Forests: Central to the World We Live in, it gives an overall picture of Europe's most versatile ecological infrastructure, tracing a path from south to north and from west to east. As we tour around Europe, we ask why forests continue to be so important to each region, even in the 21st century. But forests face risks. They face threats caused by climate change, such as drought and storms, and we also have to tread a delicate balancing line between the need for more biomass... News - News Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:04:38 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/255/15/ The 4th WoodWisdom-Net Research Programme Seminar will take place on 7-8 February 2012 in Helsinki, Finland. This event will be the fourth in a series of programme seminars that started with the Opening Seminar of the WoodWisdom-Net Research Programme in February 2008 in Berlin. This public seminar will bring together researchers and stakeholders from industry, academia and policy-making organisations in the forest-based sector. It will be the:Mid-term seminar of the of the 2nd Joint Call for Proposals (2009),Opening seminar of the Joint Call for Proposals (2010) of the European Research Area Networks (ERA-Nets) WoodWisdom-Net 2 and ERA-NET Bioenergy, andFinal seminar... News - News Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:40:29 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/254/15/ A new global web service allowing users to create maps and visualise data on environmental issues is now live. The new Eye on Earth global public information service brings together vast amounts of data about the environment in a powerful, visual format. The online service has been developed jointly by the European Environment Agency (EEA), an EU body and a leading environmental network and information partner, the geographic information system developer Esri and Microsoft. The partners are showcasing the new service during the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi from 12-15 December. Organisations across the globe are now invited... News - News Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:31:15 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/253/15/ European Forest Institute (EFI) in cooperation with Alterra / Wageningen University and Research Centre has released a set of 1x1 km tree species maps showing the distribution of 20 tree species (Abies spp., Larix spp., Picea spp., Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris, other Pinus spp., Pseudotsuga menziesii, other conifers, Alnus spp., Betula spp., Carpinus spp., Castanea spp., Eucalyptus spp., Fagus spp., Fraxinus spp., Populus spp., Quercus robur/Quercus petraea, other Quercus spp., Robinia spp., other broadleaves) over Europe. Basic dendrometric data were gathered for 260,000 national forest inventory plot locations from 17 countries to compile these maps. Forest plot data collected in... News - News Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:21:17 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/252/15/ The initial results of the Global Forest Remote Sensing Survey were released on 30th November 2011 in a side-event to the 17th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, being held in Durban, South Africa. New estimates of the area in forest land-use and change rates (deforestation and afforestation) have been calculated at global, region (continent) and ecological zone scales for 1990, 2000 and 2005. The findings of the Survey show the world total forest area in 2005 was 3.69 billion hectares, or 30% of the global land area. The new findings suggest that the rate... News - News Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:37:56 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/251/15/ As defined in Article 4 of the European Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) each European Member State has provided a National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) to the European Commission, detailing projections for renewable energy development up to the year 2020. By that year, the cumulative consumption of renewable energy in all European Member States should result in an overall share of renewable energy of 20% across the European Union (EU).The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), assigned by the European Environment Agency (EEA) has collected all energy-related data in a database and a data report, which are available for... News - News Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:12:00 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/250/15/ Natura 2000, the EU network of protected areas, has undergone a significant expansion. Nearly 18 800 km2 have been added, including a major addition of marine areas covering 17 000 square kilometres which will increase protection for many endangered marine species. The network now covers almost 18% of the EU landmass and more than 145 000 km2 of its seas. The main countries involved in this latest expansion are the UK, France, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania and Italy. Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of Europes battle to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystem services.Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the... News - News Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:49:00 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/249/15/ The Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) was approved on 18 November 2011 by member governments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The full report will be published in February 2012.The report addresses how integrating expertise in climate science, disaster risk management, and adaptation can inform discussions on how to reduce and manage the risks of extreme events and disasters in a changing climate. The report evaluates the role of climate change in altering the characteristics of extreme events.The report was a... News - News Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:59:45 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/248/15/ The first international Fascination of Plants Day will take place on 18 May 2012. It is launched under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO). The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture, in sustainably producing food, as well as for horticulture, forestry, and all of the non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy, and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation will also be a key message.Fascination of Plants Day (http://www.plantday12.eu/ ) EPSO webpage... News - News Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:43:02 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/247/15/ Following a partial recovery of the markets for sawn softwood in 2010, and fairly good sales in the first half of 2011, the markets for sawn softwood production and consumption have slowed down again, tempering the expectations for 2011 and 2012, in particular in Europe, as delegates at the 6th International Softwood Conference held in Copenhagen on 20 and 21 October 2011 reported.Though the statistical data gathered for the conference point towards increasing production and consumption levels for both 2011 and 2012, the participants in the conference did not consider these as satisfactory and probably even too optimistic. The economic... News - News Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:07:33 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/246/15/ A joint meeting of the 36th Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission and the 69th Session of the UNECE Timber Committee was held in Antalya, Turkey 10-14 October 2011. At the Timber Committee meeting an agreed Market Statement was developed and released. The market statement is organised into three main sections: an overview of forest products markets in 2011 and 2012 (including policy developments affecting forest products markets, contribution to the green economy, certified forest products markets); economic and construction developments; Market sector developments (wood raw materials, wood energy, carbon markets, sawn softwood, sawn hardwood, panels, pulp and paper,... News - News Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:19:27 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/244/15/ Forests do not only provide us with food, fibre and medicine, they regulate our climate and improve our quality of life. Human activities and climate change exert increasing pressure on our forest resources and the services they provide. With increasing demand on forests services on the one side, and uncertainty and risks linked to climate change on the other, we need to ensure that forests can continue fulfilling their multifunctional role. A new publication by the European Environment Agency provides a brief overview of forest resources in Europe, the services they provide, and the pressures they are facing.EEA press... News - News Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:13:00 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/243/15/ The growing importance of the bioeconomy, and Europes competitiveness in the light of global development were the focus of the 2nd Koli Forum, which took place from 14-16 September. The forum brought together top politicians, researchers, business leaders and decision-makers from Europe and beyond, to consider the sustainable and innovative use of natural resources.A set of proposals for actions – two theses – were drawn up, which were presented at the World Resources Forum in Davos, Switzerland on 19 September. They will also be presented to the European Commission, the UN Climate Conference in South Africa 2011, and subsequently the... News - News Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:05:47 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/242/15/ Europeans have high expectations of their forests which must meet increasing and sometimes conflicting environmental, social and economic demands. Policy makers must balance the conservation of biodiversity, the need to sequester and store carbon, adaptation to a changing climate and the provision of opportunities for recreation and leisure, while also supplying wood for energy and raw material use. The European Forest Sector Outlook Study II (EFSOS II), which covers the EU 27, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, provides pictures of the consequences of the policy choices of today for the forest of tomorrow. A reference scenario and four policy scenarios have... News - News Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:09:21 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/241/15/ Eighteen young researchers from all around the Mediterranean have taken part in an AGORA workshop in Fez (Morocco), sharing knowledge with scientists from a range of countries. The international workshop, which took place from 12-15 September 2011, discussed New economic approaches in forest goods and services marketing.The main objective of the AGORA is to develop capacity in forest research in strategic areas in Morocco and Tunisia. A key action for this purpose is young, promising scientists sharing knowledge with experts via participative workshops. The Fez workshop, part of the strategic area Economic tools and policies for sustainable forest goods and... News - News Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:22:36 +0300 http://forestportal.efi.int/content/view/239/15/ Environment Online (ENO) is a global virtual school and network for sustainable development. The ENO Programme Association will organize a conference called Act Now! Forests for Future on 13-17 September 2011. This first of the biannual conferences will take place in Joensuu, Finland, and it is featured as one of the key events for the International Year of Forests by the United Nations. The patron for the conference is Dr Jane Goodall. Over 600 teachers and pupils from 70 countries and every continent have registered for this event. Most of the participants come from the developing countries.The main event at... News - News Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:19:52 +0300