Region Archives: International

SYDNEY, Australia — State government agencies are amplifying bushfire risk in south-western Australia, say scientists, who further say that government efforts to discredit their research have backfired, resulting in newer and even stronger research. The original paper… published in 2022, examined 55 years of WA’s fire history data. Research lead, Curtin University Associate Professor Philip Zylstra, a former remote area firefighter in New South Wales, said their analysis of records kept by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions concluded that prescribed burning makes the bush more flammable. The research was dismissed a few months later without explanation by then-WA minister for the environment, Stephen Dawson. In 2023, the department finally provided its reasoning to Zylstra, who used this information to re-analyse the data. This re-analysis has now been published in the journal Environmental Research Letters and Zylstra said it found the results were actually more compelling once the department’s concerns were accounted for.

NEW ZEALAND — A two-year research project has shed light on the promising opportunities for regional New Zealand to adopt short rotation forestry (SRF) for bioenergy production. The findings are said to show that leveraging short rotation forestry will not only diversify regional economies, but also contribute to sustainable land management and generate environmental benefits as New Zealand looks for ways to meet its netzero emissions targets by 2050. Silviculture and forest carbon scientist Alan Jones says Scion’s modelling shows that short rotation forestry as a feedstock for bioenergy has the potential to replace 6% of New Zealand’s annual fossil fuel demand from less than 1% of the land area. …A key outcome from Scion’s research is a ‘how to’ guide for short rotation forestry targeting landowners, forest investors, and government agencies. It not only outlines the feasibility of SRF but also identifies specific regions most suitable for it in New Zealand.

In 2013, if you wanted to include forest loss numbers in your reporting, your options were limited to annual reports that used oft-dubious data self-reported by governments and the occasional peer-reviewed unicorn. Regardless of source, this data was a year old at best. But in 2014 the fog began to lift when the World Resources Institute released Global Forest Watch, an interactive, free-to-use online platform that visualizes and analyzes land cover change datasets around the world. Debuting with its flagship tree cover loss dataset and a smattering of context layers, the platform has blossomed into a comprehensive portal that connects the public to more than four dozen global, national and regional datasets. As an editor who specializes in data-driven coverage of land cover change, I’ve been using Global Forest Watch in my work at Mongabay since its debut 10 years ago.

Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta

A Tasmanian Aboriginal elder says he has no intention of appearing in court — or participating in the “colonial” judicial system — on a charge of trespass for taking part in a protest against native forest logging. A magistrate issued an arrest warrant for 81-year-old Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta on Monday morning, after he failed to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court. …”I’m not going to be running and hiding from them. If they want to arrest me and bring it on, well yeah, that’s good,” said Mr Everett. He was arrested and charged on March 19 in a native forest coupe in Tasmania, and was bailed to appear on June 3; a hearing he did not attend. …The question of Aboriginal sovereignty, lack of treaty, and the jurisdiction of Australian courts over Aboriginal people are central to Mr Everett’s argument. …Mr Everett said treaty with Aboriginal people would help to clarify these matters.

Have you ever noticed this little symbol? Chances are you’ve seen it in passing, perhaps when you were out shopping for groceries, office supplies or furniture. Well, it turns out this little symbol makes a big difference—for people and the planet. It signifies Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which lets consumers know that a product, or even the packaging it’s wrapped in, supports responsible forestry. But what does a responsibly managed forest mean? FSC, a nonprofit cofounded in 1994 with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other partners, mobilizes markets, including forest managers, manufacturers, traders and end users of forest products like consumers, to support responsible forest management that delivers environmental and social benefits. Those benefits include protecting the rights and resources of millions of people who live in forests and rely on the services they provide. Numerous studies have underscored the indispensable role FSC certification plays in ensuring forests around the globe thrive. 

With summer just around the corner, we’re all dreaming of sunshine and swimming in the sea – but with the hot weather comes the risk of wildfires. That’s where the European Union comes in. From June, they’re putting in place measures to bolster firefighting efforts in order to better protect communities across Europe – and the surrounding environment. Following devastating fires in 2023 – recorded as some of the very worst this century – the EU has put together a team of 556 firefighters from 12 countries. They’ll be strategically placed across key locations in Europe this summer, including in high risk areas like France, Greece, Portugal and Spain. Local fire brigades can find themselves overwhelmed when the scale of a wildfire outsizes the response capabilities of a country. The EU are also introducing a dedicated rescue fleet of firefighting aircraft, which will consist of 28 aeroplanes and 4 helicopters stationed in 10 of the bloc’s Member States.

Assumptions that tropical forest canopies protect from the effects of climate change are unfounded, say researchers. Crucial strongholds for biodiversity are under threat as temperatures are rising in tropical forests, the world’s most diverse terrestrial ecosystems, a new study reveals. It has been long assumed that the forest subcanopy and understorey – where direct sunlight is reduced – would be insulated from the worst climate change impacts by the shielding effect of the forest canopy. A new study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, used a microclimate model to examine temperatures beneath the rainforest canopy across the global tropics. This showed that between 2005 and 2019, most of the world’s undisturbed tropical forests experienced climate conditions at least partially outside the range of historic conditions. Many areas had transitioned to almost entirely new temperature averages.

What did Australia’s forests look like in 1788? …There has been much debate about the state of tall wet forests when the British first arrived in Australia. This matters for several reasons. First, the condition of forests 236 years ago is linked to how they were managed by First Nations people. An open and park-like forest would develop if it was subject to repeated, low-intensity cultural burns and “farmed” by First Nations people. Conversely, in the absence of repeated fire and farming, the forest would be dense and wet with many large trees. Second, understanding what forests were like when the British first arrived provides crucial insights into how best to repair these ecosystems to their “natural state” and conserve the species dependent upon them. …The management for mountain ash forests is to leave them alone. Let them mature and recover from the almost 120 years of logging that has dreadfully degraded them.

AUSTRALIA — After reading Mark Poynter’s critique of The Forest Wars and the David Lindenmayer response, a few points—Mr Poynter noted that: “Arguably, the book’s doubling-down on some obvious misconceptions and errors reflects a tendency to ignore or dismiss valid (and more advanced) forest science research, knowledge and advice, especially in relation to assumptions and concepts.” David Lindenmayer’s immediate reply was: “But readers should be acutely aware of Mr Poynter’s strong connections to the native forest logging industry. The implication would seem to be that anyone, like me, who has “strong connections” to the native forest industry could not possibly have a reasoned argument informed by a scientific education and decades of real-world experience to dispute opinions that do not make sense in the Australian forest environment. Communication of the differences of opinion to the general public, is a key component of a well-informed as opposed to a poorly informed public.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has made a “dodgy backroom deal” to support loggers, angry environment groups claim, after an announcement that logging could go ahead in forests known to be safe havens for greater gliders. The groups claimed only minimal daytime searches were made to avoid killing the endangered nocturnal marsupial. In a joint statement, the groups claimed the announcement by the EPA drew a “road map to extinction” for the species. …Kita Ashman, a forest scientist with World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Australia said instead of protecting an endangered species, the EPA was protecting the timber industry. “It’s extremely clear we have an endangered species whose sole requirement is trees, we also have an industry whose sole requirement is trees,” Dr Ashman said. …The EPA has strengthened rules for protections around areas where greater gliders have been spotted. …Environment groups said the protection rules were not enough.

Dana Kirkpatrick and Curtis Hawkes

NEW ZEALAND — The Eastland Forestry Awards were presented in Gisborne on Friday night and the top award went to Curtis Hawkes, of Hawkes Logging. A crowd of about 500 celebrated the numerous nominees and winners put forward by their peers and their companies. Hawkes Logging came to the region from Northland, and Curtis Hawkes leads his crew on the extreme terrain of the East Coast. He took away the Skilled Professional of the Year 2024 trophy as well as Harvesting Excellence, Crew of the Year and Outstanding Health & Safety awards. East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, who presented the top award, said Hawkes had shown a high level of professionalism and work ethic in all aspects of the job. He was recognised as a true leader by example, “not asking anything of anyone that they themselves will not do”.

New Zealand’s wood processing sector is trying to work out how those sending product to prove their supply chains are free of deforestation. …New Zealand exported $100 million worth of wood products like wood chips to Europe last year – with more than half going to the Netherlands. Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association chief executive Mark Ross said there was some confusion around the new rules, tipped to be implemented in late December, and how they would play out. …He said processors would need to provide documentation detailing where the trees came from before products were processed, and if the forest site was replanted. “They’ll need to have geolocation data that shows where those forests have come from when it comes to wood products,” he said. “We will need to have satellite images like GPS co-ordinates showing where those trees were harvested before they were processed.”

As our planet warms, many species are shifting to different locations as their historical habitats become inhospitable. Trees are no exception… A study published in PNAS shows that trees, especially those in the far north, may be relocating to soils that don’t have the fungal life to support them. …Most large coniferous trees in northern latitudes form relationships with a kind of mycorrhizal fungi called ectomycorrhizal fungi. “As we examined the future for these symbiotic relationships, we found that 35% of partnerships between trees and fungi that interact with the tree roots would be negatively impacted by climate change,” says lead author Michael Van Nuland, a fungal ecologist at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN). The trees most at risk of this climate mismatch in North America are those in the pine family… The study sheds light on how climate change might be affecting symbioses.

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New Zealand Forest Owners Association says a new report is a promising step towards addressing complex land use management issues in New Zealand but needs to recognise the value of forestry in building a more resilient environment. The report, Going with the Grain: Changing land uses to fit a changing landscape, was released by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE). It acknowledges the longstanding complexities of land use management in New Zealand and the need to shift to a more granular, mosaic approach in the face of a changing climate.  The association’s chief executive, Dr Elizabeth Heeg, says forest owners are supporters of an integrated land use conversation but says forestry must first be recognised as a valued part of that land use mosaic.