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Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) recently came under heavy fire from some in the environmental community and many in Appalachia for choosing to head up the “Coal-to-Liquids Caucus” with Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY). However, Senator Obama, a Democratic Presidential hopeful, has set himself as a leader of the Presidential pack as far as opposing strip mining…

[ Alabama ] Black bears are regularly appearing in the Talladega National Forest , leading biologists to speculate that the rare animals have moved into north Alabama for the first time in at least a century. It’s unclear if they are becoming what biologists consider permanent residents — mating pairs that are remaining in the…

FSC-US has a new partner in helping to expand the success of FSC certification. “This Alliance offers tremendous breadth and a national level opportunity to work together and share resources to help make certification more efficient and effective for family forest owners,” said Ian Hanna of the Northwest Natural Resource Group and core organizer for…

Four states faced with agribusiness- backed legislation aimed at removing local decision-making authority over seeds and plants rejected those measures in 2006. Unlike 2005 legislative sessions, which saw fifteen (15) states adopt statewide preemption bills, 2006 saw the defeat of bills to strip local decision-making concerning our foods in four states, while only a single…

This 38-page (1.52 mb) Forest Service handbook consists of tables, charts, and formulas for use as a quick reference by foresters. A sampling includes basal area table, weight table for various woods, and a northern hardwood stocking guide. News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes www.southernsustainableforests.org

Tallahassee, FL — A federal judge today issued a decision in a case brought by Earthjustice on behalf of Florida Wildlife Federation to require the South Florida Water Management District to comply with the Clean Water Act. The decision may have significant impact on a pending rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that would allow…

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently published this year’s Annual Market Review, 2005-2006. The publication identifies FSC as the world’s fastest growing forest certification system and confirms FSC’s leadership worldwide. According to the report, FSC is the world’s fastest growing forest certification system.…

A deadly mixture of rampant habitat destruction and global warming is having a catastrophic effect on the world’s waterbird population, says a new study. Researchers from Wetlands International, a Netherlands- based coalition of conservationists tasked with monitoring the state of the world’s wetlands, released the report yesterday which reveals that nearly half the world’s waterbird…

[Kenya] The severe degradation of the environment and its impact on climate change are dominating discussions currently underway at the 24th meeting of the governing council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the Kenyan capital. Delegates at the five-day meeting are in agreement that climate change, which remains the world’s overriding environmental challenge,…

One startup is scaling up experimental techniques to demonstrate the commercial potential of cellulosic ethanol. [ Massachusetts ] Experimental methods for converting wood chips and grass into ethanol will soon be tested at production scale. Mascoma Corporation, based in Cambridge , MA , is building demonstration facilities that will have the capacity to produce about…