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The November 2006 issue of Science Findings, a newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS), focuses on changing land use patterns, forest fragmentation, and conservation. Ralph Alig, a researcher with the PNWRS in Corvallis , OR , has studied rates of development over time since the 1980s. He found that regionally, the largest increases…

The Rainforest Alliance has now certified more than 100 million acres (40 million hectares) of forestland in 58 countries. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), with its multi-stakeholder approach, is the global standard setter for responsible forestry. The Rainforest Alliance is accredited by the FSC, which we helped to establish in 1993. We have since become…

[Sweden] Genetic tests of North American birds show what may be 15 new species including ravens and owls — look alikes that do not interbreed and have wrongly had the same name for centuries, scientists said on Sunday. If the findings from a study of birds’ DNA genetic “barcodes” in the United States and Canada…

A new study shows that screening for potentially harmful foreign plant species before they are imported is more economically beneficial than fighting them after they take root in new areas. Because the United States has no screening program for invasive species, the study focuses on Australia and finds that their prevention efforts pay for themselves…

State trying to restore pine forests that once blanketed the southern U.S. [ Virginia ] longleaf pines …once covered more than a million acres in southeastern Virginia and for years were pillars of the region’s economy. Virginia now has only about 200 individual pines with the genetic makeup of the native trees designed by nature…

[ Oregon ] Conservation groups are moving beyond the courtroom into the marketplace to pressure two of the nation’s largest timber companies to green up their acts on private forest lands and challenge the timber industry’s sustainable forestry standard. In separate actions, Seattle Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Council of Maine are challenging green…

[Canada] International environmental groups and Canadian officials said Sunday they have struck a C$120 million ($103 million) deal to help fund environmentally friendly businesses in Canada ‘s Pacific coast rainforest. The deal comes nearly a year after environmentalists, the timber industry and aboriginal communities in the coastal region reached a landmark agreement to end a…

[ Minnesota ] A lot of people are trying to buy locally-produced food. Some look for locally-made clothing. But how about buying a house made of locally-produced timber? That’s just what the builders had in mind when they started this house: improving markets for small local businesses. Timber is an important part of the economy…

[Georgia] Comments from the public are being sought by the Georgia Forestry Commission on a plan designed to help protect Georgia ‘s environment through a new Carbon Registry. “The Registry plan we’ve developed describes the standards for project eligibility, registering projects, processes and procedures. It also describes the accepted methods for calculating carbon sequestered in…