Forests in the News©
NATIONAL NEWS
Blaming the Owl, BlueOregon
NFMA animation, Buckeye Forest Council
Looking closer at EMS: Environmental Management System, EcoWatch Forum for discussion of EMS in the Forest Service
'Green Energy Resources' To Recognize US Forest Service Plan; Establishes Lead American Role In Emerging Renewable Energy Market, Green Energy Resources
Partners in Recreation: Conference 2005, National Forest Recreation Association
Friends of the Forest program, National Forest Foundation
National Forests Face Significant Threats in 2005, Unified Forest Defense Campaign
"Preventing Flowering in Transgenic Trees": GE Trees Will Spread Mutant, Allergenic Pollen Over Long Distances, Ecological Farming Association

Cadre grows to rein in message - Ranks of federal public affairs officials have swelled under Bush to help tighten control on communiques to media, access to information, Newsday
Counties need timber payments - Logging has dwindled, but the reasons for the payments haven't, Mail Tribune editorial
Selling the slopes: On the right path or a 'Downhill Slide'? - Why The Corporate Ski Industry Is Bad For Skiing, Ski Towns, And The Environment, Sierra Sun
White River NF: Studies show lynx inhabiting Independence Pass area - Bush administration removed regulations protecting lynx on the forest, Aspen Times
On different frequencies - Radio-collared Canada lynx are stuck in the middle as the USDA, forgoing state data, is ordering strong protections scrapped, Denver Post
Boom in Herbal Products Depleting Resources- USFS concerned for ginseng, Wichita Eagle
New diseases arise as environments destroyed, says UN - Bat virus spreads to humans as bats' forests are decimated, UK Independent

Forest Service Becoming Rogue Agency - Forty-Four Recent Court Rulings Find Environmental Lawbreaking, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Environmentalists Sue Bush Administration Over Forest Guidance Rules - Activists argue managers can too easily bypass environmental reviews, SF Chronicle AP
Lawsuit Filed Against New National Forest Rules - Bush Administration Regulations Reverse Decades of Progress in Forest Management, Eliminate Wildlife and Natural Resource Protections, Earthjustice: Newsroom
Forest Service should embrace century of restoration, National Forest Protection Alliance at Headwaters News
Budget helps, but results essential - Forest restoration deserves support - on the ground, not just on paper, Missoulian
Investigative arm of Congress says wildfire strategy needs focus - Wildfire study says strategy is incomplete, Union Tribune AP
Beyond Boycotts - Harnessing market forces to get corporations to do the right thing, The Nation - op-ed
Environmental History Without Historians - WHAT IS the future of environmental history?, RedNova News
Poor old 'enviros', Aspen Times column
Rhetoric Reaction, Yankton Press & Dakotan letter
Disney takes its business outdoors - The company will test guided tours through Wyoming and Hawaii, Orlando Sentinel
Mexico Reports 75-Percent Drop in the Number of Monarch Butterflies - Mexico blames U.S. for plight of the monarch butterfly, ENN AP
Could the monarch butterfly be on its last wings? - Poor weather among reasons insect population down 75 per cent, The Globe and Mail

Nation lacks strategy for fighting forest fires - But Inland officials say that hasn't stopped them from making their own plans, Riverside Press-Enterprise
I'm proud to be a tree hugger, Post-Intelligencer column
Wilderness Land Trades, Alicia Patterson Foundation
WORLD NEWS
Bushmeat on the Menu, Science News

Tiger, tiger burning bright: only in forests of government files - The crisis of the tiger is a crisis of governance at all levels and a shocking neglect of the natural world, Indian Express
Global forest jewel in Northeast, The Calcutta Telegraph
Council to shame tree vandals - Killing trees to improve the view, ABC News

Haida say they were ignored in TFL sale, Prince Rupert Daily News
Owners of Skeena assets get talking, Prince Rupert Daily News
Forestry agreements inked - Lil'wat, N'Quat'qua deals to see timber, revenue sharing accrue to aboriginal bands, Whistler Question

Plans to harness the wind divide the moors - Ae Forest: Some Scots see turbines as costly blight, International Herald Tribune
Monarchs rule sky in sublime spectacle, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Man admits killing Brazil environmentalist - Ribeiro spent 15 years defending an Atlantic rain forest reserve from poachers and illegal palm tree cutters, Reuters AlertNet

In Mexico, the waning reign of monarchs - Man, nature thought to be conspirators in butterflies' devastation, The Washington Post at MSNBC
Cheap land endangered after tree species listing - Spotted Gums listed as an endangered ecological community, Maitland News
Tasmania's saw point, The Australian
Logging not clear-cut issue, The Courier-Mail

Brazil's Silva vows to catch nun's killers, end illegal logging - Silva calls nun's killing a wake-up call, Centre Daily News- Siquera AP

New diseases arise as environments destroyed, says UN - Bat virus spreads to humans as bat's forests are decimated, UK Independent
Movements Toward Responsible Timber Sourcing, Ethical Corporation - GreenBiz News
Furniture makers reel from log ban, Philippine Daily Inquirer

World's Biggest Wood Smuggling Racket Exposed - Racket trail could lead to Glasgow, The Herald
Papua's pirated timber going to China: activists - Massive timber theft uncovered in Indonesia's Papua, Port Vila Presse AFP
Timber smuggling ring exposed, Vanuatu: Port Vila Presse
Papua: Illegal Logging 'Rife', SBS - The World News
Chinese growth cuts into Papua wood - Hardwood trees of Indonesia's Papua province are being felled and smuggled to China, The Age
Prawns: Bangladesh's mixed blessing - Tiger prawns are Bangladesh's second biggest export earner, but as the industry grows, so too do allegations of displacement, violence and environmental destruction, BBC News

Brazil declares forest havens after nun's killing - Shooting of elderly activist leads to move against 'agrobandits', The Guardian
Murdered nun spoke for justice, Cincinnati Enquirer editorial
Childhood lessons led nun to missionary, San Luis Obispo Tribune AP
Cincinnati nun slain in Brazil - Sister Dorothy Stang challenged corruption, befriended poor, The Catholic Telegraph
Blood Wood, Outside magazine

Mexico Reports 75-Percent Drop in the Number of Monarch Butterflies - Mexico blames U.S. for plight of the monarch butterfly, ENN AP
Could the monarch butterfly be on its last wings? - Poor weather among reasons insect population down 75 per cent, The Globe and Mail
Resource investments lauded for their potential - Forestry, energy and mining industries predict long-term benefits from provincial money, Vancouver Sun

Slain Nun's Advocacy Remembered in Brazil - Missionary's death could strengthen rain forest protection, Miami Herald - Astor AP
Nun killed in Brazil an unflinching advocate - Peasants' defender buried in Amazon, San Francisco Chronicle
State of Conflict, Greenpeace

All aboard for Alishan - The Alishan Forest Railway was built for logging the giant hinoki, cedars and hardwoods that canopy the mountain, Taipei Times
Greenies block wood mill access, The Daily Telegraph -AAP
Mangrove areas lost to fishponds, Philippine Daily Inquirer
It's much too late to sweat global warming - Time to prepare for inevitable effects of our ill-fated future, San Francisco Chronicle
CONGRESS & WASHINGTON

For the Sake of Our Children, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
New Report Raises Questions About 9th Circuit Nominee; Inspector General Slams Sleazy Grazing Deal That Myers Commissioned, PEER

Oversight Hearing on GAO Five Year Update on Wildland Fire & Forest Service / BLM Accomplishments in Implementing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, Committee on Resources, Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health
Forest subcommittee cheers agencies' efforts to cut fire risk - Healthy Forests Restoration Act works, Walden says, Salem Statesman Journal
NASCC honors Walden, congressional champ - Award given for legislation engaging youth in forest management, developing future skills, Bend Bugle
Nev. Senate protests president's attempt to claim Nevada land money - Proposed federal budget would take 70 percent of the land sale revenue, Nevada Appeal
Senate panel OKs Wild Sky - Lawmakers begin 3rd push to create new state wilderness, Post-Intelligencer

Wilderness Land Trades, Alicia Patterson Foundation
NORTHERN REGION (Region 1):
Montana and Northern Idaho
Final Agenda - 2005 Annual Conference of the MT Chapter TWS - Theme: The Influence of Politics on Wildlife Management, The Wildlife Society
Missoula home to big game authority - Boone and Crockett Club keeps the flame, Helena Independent Record

Locals richly deserve Fire Plan Award, Ravalli Republic editorial
Helena NF: A cabin by the creek, Helena Independent Record

Budget helps, but results essential - Forest restoration deserves support - on the ground, not just on paper, Missoulian
Forest Service should embrace century of restoration, National Forest Protection Alliance at Headwaters News
Forest road gates ineffective, report finds - Flathead forest agrees only full-scale reclamation works, but delays implementation, Missoulian
Flathead NF: Salvage timber: Too little, too late?, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake editorial
Markets trump Bush's Yellowstone politics, Headwaters: Idaho Falls Post Register editorial
Norton's Yellowstone snowmobile tour, Washington Post at Seattle Times
Norton visits Yellowstone, Casper Star-Tribune AP

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION (Region 2):
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Pine beetles multiplying, Rocky Mountain News
Ferret recovery still a fight - Plague-free South Dakota sites most successful in the nation, Rapid City Journal
Panel OKs prairie dog plan, Rapid City Journal

White River NF: Studies show lynx inhabiting Independence Pass area - Bush administration removed regulations protecting lynx on the forest, Aspen Times
On different frequencies - Radio-collared Canada lynx are stuck in the middle as the USDA, forgoing state data, is ordering strong protections scrapped, Denver Post
Glenwood fears impacts of drilling trucks, Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Seismic-test questions asked, Billings Gazette- Wyoming News

Rhetoric Reaction, Yankton Press & Dakotan letter
Senate Approves Prairie Dog Relief on Federal Land - Prairie Dog Encroachment Battle Won for Ranchers, Black Hills Portal - News
Prairie-dog control plans OK'd, Rapid City Journal
Bighorn may add wilderness, Casper Star-Tribune
Feds deep-six water use penalty, Rocky Mountain News op-ed

Denver company looks to expand forest drilling, Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Do Black-Footed Ferrets, Prairie Dogs Have a Place in S.D.?; Meeting to Discuss Solutions to the Controversy Over These Two Species, U.S. Newswire
South Dakota Ranchers Blame Government for Prairie Dog Damage - Prairie Dogs bane to ranchers existence, Casper Star-Tribune
SOUTHWESTERN REGION (Region 3):
Arizona and New Mexico

BLM, Forest Service raise grazing fees, Eastern Arizona Courier
Sanctuary in peril - The bosque in Corrales would be ruined if the governor's proposed paved bike trail crosses it, many say, The Albuquerque Tribune
Refugee Manager Charged for Saving Threatened Frogs; First Case of Refuge Manager Facing Criminal Charges for Wildlife Offense, PEER

Help Protect Mexican Gray Wolves! - Write the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today, Forest Guardians: Action Alert
Water, ag officials express concerns about proposal - Fish and Wildlife Service wants critical habitat for endangered SW willow flycatcher bird, Prescott Daily Courier
Climate Change: Ecosystem Impacts in Southwestern Forests and Woodlands - Workshop ponders how to get people to care, Prescott Daily Courier
New Prescott NF trail will offer different views to users - Volunteers hope to finish work by end of summer, Prescott Daily Courier
Forest Service grapples with Valle Vidal future, The Sangre de Cristo Chronicle
Drilling economics debated, Albuquerque Journal at Macon Telegraph KRT Wire

Forest Service plans to hire New Mexicans, New Mexico Business Weekly
Airport closed briefly after hard landing - Pilot testing fire tanker airplane for USFS forgets to lower landing gear, slides 2000 ft, Casa Grande Valley News
INTERMOUNTAIN REGION (Region 4):
Southern Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and SW Wyoming

Utah is battleground of backcountry skiing - "The Forest Service is sacrificing the backcountry for commercial recreation", USA Today
Forest Service kicks off centennial, Twin Falls Times-News

Saving Baldy's forests a priority - Proposal made to cut and plant trees in ski-area woodlands, Idaho Mountain Express
Parks chief defends upgrade project, urges limit on fees - Lawmakers urged to avoid relying on visitor fees in order to pay agency operating costs, The Idaho Statesman
Kidder planners view proposed logging law - A developer recently removed trees before plan approval, The Mcall Morning Call
Nev. Senate protests president's attempt to claim Nevada land money - Proposed federal budget would take 70 percent of the land sale revenue, Nevada Appeal

Machine helps forests become energy source - 'The Harvester' bundles logging slash, The Chadron Record
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST (Region 5): California
Tribe sees dam plan as cultural genocide - Raising Shasta lake level would drown sites sacred to the Winnemem Wintu in Shasta-Trinity NF, San Francisco Chronicle
State's forest reseeding operation at risk - Budget cuts force state seed bank closure; merge with federal forestry agency planned, San Francisco Chronicle
Annapolis Controversy: Grower plans grapes, timber- Coastal parcel's proposed transformation raises environmentalists' hackles, The Press Democrat
Sustainable-ag advocate joins state conservation panel - "This is a good thing to do – to put this land back into forest, to restore what I had a part in chopping down", Capital Press Ag Weekly

Angeles NF: Funding lost for bighorns, San Bernardino County Sun
Pacific Lumber: A Titan of Logging Threatens to Topple - Maxxam driving Palco's liquidation, Los Angeles Times
New momentum gathers for juniper control, Klamath Falls Herald and News

Lost Coast Finds New Guardians - Natural forces have limited man's intrusion in the rugged landscape. Now a federal bill aims to keep it untrammeled, Los Angeles Times
FS to prepare EIS for Browns Project, Shasta-Trinity National Forest -- "to improve fuel condition through commercial timber harvest and closing of some unneeded roads," Federal Register
Plumas NF will prepare an EIS on a proposal to build a Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (DFPZ), harvest trees using group-selection and individual tree selection silvicultural methods, and perform associated road-system improvement work in forested areas of public land northeast of Quincy, California, Federal Register
Plumas NF to prepare EIS on a proposal to construct approximately 24 miles of defensible fuel profile zones (DFPZs), harvest trees from approximately 260 acres using group selection silviculture methods, and perform associated road-system improvements within the pilot project area defined in the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery Act, Federal Register
Sculptor insists on being a purist in his art and life - Reclusive driftwood artist from Humboldt County refuses to use power tools, even lacks electricity, Los Angeles Times at SF Chronicle

Palco's bad deal is everyone's bad deal, The Eureka Times-Standard
Palco employees thank supes for water board letter, Times-Standard at Lake County Record-Bee
PACIFIC NORTHWEST (Region 6):
Oregon and Washington
Blaming the Owl, BlueOregon
Forestry Skills, KVAL 13 - Eugene
DNR suspends tree planting, The Longview Daily News

Counties need timber payments - Logging has dwindled, but the reasons for the payments haven't, Mail Tribune editorial
Diamond Lake: Groups oppose plan to lower water level - They favor other methods to help control tui chubs, Salem Statesman Journal
Fire plan takes shape, Medford Mail Tribune
A vision to share logging's history - Sculpture to memorialize the thousands who have died while logging in Washington, Seattle Times

Forest subcommittee cheers agencies' efforts to cut fire risk - Healthy Forests Restoration Act works, Walden says, Salem Statesman Journal
NASCC honors Walden, congressional champ - Award given for legislation engaging youth in forest management, developing future skills, Bend Bugle
Senate panel OKs Wild Sky - Lawmakers begin 3rd push to create new state wilderness, Post-Intelligencer
Stewardship workshop targets thinning - BLM project will bring together forest experts to discuss handling of land near rural homes, Mail Tribune
Timber's best practice, Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial

When you can't see the forest for the symbols, Los Angeles Times at Decatur Daily Democrat
Stop Wild Forest Logging In Oregon, Heritage Forests Campaign
Laudable logging, but defer to science, Seattle Times editorial
I'm proud to be a tree hugger, Post-Intelligencer column
Supporters of Wild Sky try again - Despite broad support, Pombo remains skeptical, Post-Intelligencer AP
SOUTHERN REGION (Region 8):
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Chesapeake Bay cleanup could take a hit under proposed Bush budget - $950,000 to support U.S. Forest Service activities in the Bay watershed, down from a request of $1 million last year, and considerably less than the $1.23 million Congress approved, Chesapeake Bay Journal

Shade tree panel returning to Wilkes-Barre - Using grant money, the group plans to plant about 100 trees as a gateway to the city, Times Leader

Fire scorches 300 acres of forest - Low levels of rain create ripe conditions, Tallahassee Democrat