[MPWG] North American medicinal plants, non-timber forest products and trees in the news...

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

Articles from latest FAO INFOSYLVA (2008-14)...-Patricia

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
- - - - - - - - - - - 

Canada

Advocating an Unusual Role for Trees 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/science/12prof.html?ref=science

Purposeful plantings of medicinally-active trees - Somewhat reminscent of 
traditional forestry or agrofrorestry, but with a twist! 

"Diana Beresford-Kroeger pointed to a towering wafer ash tree near her 
home...The tree is a chemical factory, she explained, and its products are 
part of a sophisticated survival strategy. The flowers contain terpene 
oils, which repel mammals that might feed on them. But the ash needs to 
attract pollinators, and so it has a powerful lactone fragrance that 
appeals to large butterflies and honeybees. The chemicals in the wafer 
ash, in turn, she said, provide chemical protection for the butterflies 
from birds, making them taste bitter."

Mexico

Refuerza Semarnat programas de conservación forestal
http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/ElFinanciero/Portal/cfpages/contentmgr.cfm?docId=137035&docTipo=1&orderby=docid&sortby=ASC

"Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, titular de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y 
Recursos Naturales (Semarnat) señaló que en Michoacán, a través del 
programa Proárbol, se ha logrado impulsar la producción y productividad 
del sector forestal, así como elevar el nivel de competitividad de las 
empresas establecidas...Asimismo, 294 se refieren a programas de manejo, 
estudios técnicos y manifestaciones de impacto ambiental para el 
desarrollo de aprovechamientos de madera, recursos no maderables y manejo 
de vida silvestre." 

Rough translation: Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, of SEMARNAT, indicates that 
in Michoacán, the Proárbol program has increased foresty sector 
productivity and raised the competitiveness of established businesses...
294 projects are looking at the management and study of the impact of 
developing the forest sector, non-timber forest products and wildlife 
management. 

USA

Landscape changes for area forests
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/LOCAL/808030403

"...The latest generation of Hoosiers who own forestlands are either 
selling them to residential subdivision developers or are far less 
interested in letting loggers slice into what's left of their little 
pieces of heaven in the woods...The resistance by private owners to cut 
down their trees, loggers say, is one of the biggest threats facing 
Indiana's hardwood lumber industry, a $17 billion-a-year business that is 
bigger than corn.  And because there's less harvesting or replanting 
occurring, Indiana's privately held woods, after years of growth, may be 
shrinking."

 What Is Red Is Dead
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/08/04/couricandco/entry4319142.shtml

"In Canada, the pine beetle has taken out huge swaths of land in British 
Columbia. Check out Google Earth over parts of our own western states in 
the U.S. What is red is dead. It is the worst beetle infestation in 25 
years according to the Forest Service. Trees that sprouted around World 
War I or before are the ones most at risk, in fact the beetles can't even 
burrow deep enough into fresh young and strong trees. It is why as you're 
in these forests, you'll see young saplings nice and green as all their 
grand old cousins around them turn red and die. "

Conference to look at urban forests
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1173988.html

"State forestry officials, academics and interest groups will hold a 
conference in Greensboro next month to address the effects of North 
Carolina's rapid population growth on urban forests...Conference agenda 
and registration information can be found at: 
www.ncsu.edu/feop/urbanforest/ conference.html."

American Forests Nominated for American Express Members Project
http://www.americanforests.org/news/display.php?id=191

"American Forests is again in the running to receive American Express 
Members Project funding to plant 1.5 million trees in areas of California 
that have been devastated by recent wildfires.  Now in its second year, 
the American Express Members Project is a large scale initiative that 
allows American Express cardholders to nominate projects that inspire 
passion and create positive change. The winner will receive $1.5 million 
to implement their project."






-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20080820/bfbaf3d6/attachment.html>