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The power of the human alimentary tract to act as the final resting place for non-human life-forms is not to be underestimated. Perhaps it’s time to put all of those grumbling stomachs and gnashing teeth to work in a way that benefits biodiversity conservation. To this author Joe Franke has provided gourmet recipes from some…

The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe and quantify likely family forest owner enrollment in Minnesota’s Sustainable Forest Incentives Act (SFIA) under a range of annual incentive payment levels;(2) identify the characteristics of those family forest landowners most likely to enroll in the SFIA; and (3) identify the most and least desirable SFIA…

This 182-page book contains chapters by a variety of scientists and others with expertise in climate change and the role of forests in storing atmospheric carbon, a greenhouse gas. Topics include forest management strategies for carbon storage, the role of wood products in storing carbon and new markets based on carbon storage and carbon accounting.…

A group of North Carolina lawmakers called on the North Carolina Utilities Commission to enact a 90-day suspension of the permitting process for Duke Energy’s proposed 1,600 Megawatt expansion of it’s Cliffside Power Plant near Charlotte. Critics contend that the plant will not only create a significant increase in global warming pollution (the proposed plant…

[Washington, DC] In a decision broadly affecting field trials of genetically engineered crops a federal district judge ruled yesterday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must halt approval of all new field trials until more rigorous environmental reviews are conducted. Citing potential threats to the environment, Judge Harold Kennedy found in favor of the…

[HUGE thanks to Lowell at RaisingKaine.com. Orginial piece here] Dominion Virginia Power is about to get a lot richer, you’re about to get a lot poorer, and the environment is about to get a lot dirtier. That is, at least, the analysis of Margaret Edds in today’s Virginian-Pilot, the Virginia Conservation Network, and the Washington…

[England] Timber was overwhelmingly voted the most sustainable construction material over steel, concrete, masonry and PVCu at ‘The Great Materials Debate’ at Ecobuild…Through photosynthesis, trees draw in energy from sunlight, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, take in water from the soil and then release oxygen back into the atmosphere. Timber is also a local…

Imagine a world in which farmers and ranchers were paid to generate … ecosystem services such as water filtration, carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat. Imagine a world in which carbon and water-quality credits traded on a commodities exchange alongside oat and wheat futures. Sound crazy? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) doesn’t think so. In…

[Wisconsin] Efforts to responsibly manage Wisconsin’s forest resources will be shifting into a higher gear in 2007… according to the new coordinator of the state Forestry Certification Program. Forest certification is a systematic process to promote responsible resource management, according to Paul Pingrey, a 32-year-DNR veteran recently appointed to the Bureau of Forest Management position.…

As many of you know, Kentucky State Represenative Don Pasley has introduced a bill aimed at stopping the dumping of mining waste into streams and rivers in Kentucky. This would curb many of the large mountaintop removal sites in the eastern part of the state. The bill was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee,…