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Table of content:
LOGGING IS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF FLOODINGS
An estimated number of the victims of flooding in the North Caucasus is up
to 300 thousand people, 109 of them were killed. The government plans to pay
to all the victims 2 thousand rubles ($65) each, also to the families that
lose their possession partially 20 thousand rubles ($650) each, and to the
ones that lose it totally - 50 thousand rubles each ($1600). The final
amount of payments probably will be increased several times after the end of
disaster.
The humanity is accompanied by flooding during centuries - in the Caucasus,
the Far East and many other regions. But last decades consequences become
more and more disastrous.
Showers are not the only cause of flooding. Among the causes logging should
also be named - both legal and illegal. Loggers have no enough money (or,
concerning illegal ones, don't want to spend it) to build forest roads or
ropeways and skid timber by riverbeds. It worsens their environmental
condition and increases a power of mudflows. So destructive consequences in
general are human-made.
Water that does not drop into soil during showers in mountains begins to
stream down, creating mudflows. Science confirms that flows at the clear
cuts are 100 times more intensive than in conifer forest.
There are many other causes of the tragedy. Among them is neglected
hydro-tech management, building of living houses in the areas exposed to mud
flows, a long-time usage of slopes as pastures etc.
These flooding are surely not the last. Georgia and Western Ukraine face the
same scenario. Extraordinary situations specialists won't became jobless.
The World Meteorological Organization reports that the average global
temperature now is 0.42 degrees of Celsius higher than in period assumed to
be basic (1961-1990). WMO representatives foresee extreme weather conditions
but stress that it's impossible to predict where, when and what exactly
would happen.
Now we have enough confirmations of meteorologists' forecasts. But it's
unknown if non-sustainable agriculture and destructive logging were
considered as causes of the tragedy. Maybe it's better to arrange land use
in a long-term perspective than call for military forces to fights
consequences of repeated disasters?
Vladinir Zakharov, SEU Forest Campaign, www.forest.ru
AMOUNT OF ILLEGAL LOGGING INCREASES
Loss from illegal logging in Khabarovsk territory discovered by militia is
43.4 million rubles ($1.4 million). It's 7.4 per cents more than last year.
According to territorial internal affairs department, this year 58 crimes
related to illegal logging were revealed. Forest "poachers" were sentenced
to pay 25 million rubles.
Almost all the timber cut illegally was to be exported.
FORRESTERS OF VOLOGDA REGION LEARN TO DEFINE OLD-GROWTH FORESTS
June 25-27 collective training of Vologda-based Northern Forest Enterprise
personnel took place at Udor model forestry division (Autonomous Republic of
Komi). The Northern Forest Enterprise is responsible for forest stocktaking
in Komi.
Vologda and Udor representatives together trained to estimate environmental
values of old-growth forest massifs. Economic consequences of virgin forests
examination and stocktaking were a point of special interest of trainees.
New ways to attract investors - a voluntary forest certification - require
professional old-growth forest management.
Old-growth forests inventory measures are foreseen by republic-level program
of virgin forests sustainable management program signed by the head of Komi
Yury Spiridonov.
Ekaterina Osipova, e-mail: EOsipova@komimodelforest.ru
KOREAN PINE IN RUSSIA CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY AUTHORITIES
Each year through Japanese ports 1,5-2 billions of cubic meters of pine has
been transported from Far East. Market is getting ready to process more and
more. If Primorskiy regional government doesn't take urgent measures, pine
forests will be completely destroyed very soon with no chance for
restoration.
Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), or cedar is one of the key variety of the
place and mostly grows in Primorskiy Kray. Pine nut is a very important
source of food for many animals in Ussury taiga. It is also called "bread
tree" because of that. Broad leave and pine and pine - conifirous forest
covered mountain slopes and river valleys in the past.
During the last 50 years more than a half of Far East pine forests was
eliminated. Part of the remained woods has degraded because of fires. Some
forests were destroyed for agricultural purposes.
Local scientists and ecologists suggest to ban the export of raw pine trees
and to keep it for domestic processing. It will stimulate national timber
processing industry because we will be able to supply international markets
with less expensive processed wood. And it will also help to employ more
people and to increase budget payments.
Yuriy Sudakov, Ecological Fund of Sikhote-Alin', Vladivostok, e-mail:
ginseng@mail.primorye.ru http://personal.primorye.ru/ginseng/forest
FORESTS OF EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN CAN BE SOLD TO AUSTRIAN INDUSTRY
It became known from the letter of regional governor of Eastern Kazakhstan
(region of Kazakhstan, Central Asia) to the prime minister of Kazakhstan
that Austrian company "Worldinvest Ltd" is planning to rent the territory of
7 forest units (1,380,000 ha) for 50 years.
Company is suggesting construction of the timber-processing factory in the
region that will be one of the steps to revive furniture industry in the
country. But the company still didn't say anything about its plans of forest
restoration and ecological programs. According to vice-minister Iskakov it
doesn't meet sustainable forestry principles.
Forests cover 4,2 percents of total square of the country and in Eastern
Kazakhstan they still cover 48 per cents of the area.
All decisions about Austrian-Kazakh cooperation are taken by the government
and even parliament have not been informed, the process is absolutely
non-transparent, - comments Inna Antashkevich, local environmental activist.
Government doesn't care what even its ministers think about new forest
initiative, e.g. Minister of Nature Resources Shukputov is protesting
against the project.
Inna Antashkevich, Kazakhstan, e-mail: inna_bars2001@mail.ru
NOVGOROD REGION: PLANT YOUR OWN OAK GROVE
Legendary oaks have been reintroduced in NorthWest of Russia.
Oak seedlings that were planted this spring by the students of pedagogical
college from Velikiy Novgorod together with their teacher Marina Mitchik now
grow on the banks of the river Veryazska in the Novgorod region (North-West
of Russia).
The Novgorod region is one of the northern locales in Russia. Several
centuries ago oak forests grew everywhere in the northwest areas. There are
numerous aboriginal oak names on the map of the region such as Dubrovka,
Dubky, Dubtsy, Poddubiye ("oak" sounds like "dub" in Russian), that confirms
that oaks were broadly dwelled there.
Now almost nothing remained of those magnificant forests in suburbs of
Novgorod. Big age-old oaks were saved in villages, preserved and honored by
local people.
According to legends, long times ago variags (Normen) had floated there, on
the Veryazska river, and so it received its name from them. Maybe variags
saw mighty oaks growing on its bank.
But now the river flows straight inside the city, its banks are deprived of
trees, therefore in the spring, when the snow melts, the bank of river
starts to slip down and to ruin. So the purpose of oaks planting is not only
to increase the number of trees, but also to improve the river and to
strengthen its banks.
The students who took part in the action have planted several hundreds of
oak seedlings on the banks of Veryazska River.
Oak planting campaign has also took place in Okluovsky area of the Novgorod
region.
Several thousands of young oak trees were planted on places of clear-cuts in
agricultural woods. Young trees were grew up by "Novgorodselkhozles"
association.
Also in local agricultural timber enterprise of Okulovsky area mini-nursery
of oaks will be constructed.
And in neighbour area of the Novgorod region - Borovichi - was invented a
new method of growing of oak sprouts. Using this method one can not keep
acorns during all the winter, and mice can't eat acorns which were planted
in autumn. Now since late autumn till spring young oaks grow together with
roses in the hothouse. And when it will be warm, oaks will be planted into
the open ground.
Young oaks planted into the soil are threatened with many dangers. One of
the greatest dangers are spring fires (which for the most part start because
of human activity).
In the spring many people set fire to a dry grass. Many agronomists instead
of mowing down a grass, simply burn it.
But the fire falls outside the fields, burning huge spaces, not giving
quarter neither insects, nor frogs, nor birds' nests. The adult trees which
have been under fire can perish. If you come there you will see what
remained from oak groves, destroyed by fire. A small oak sprout is not able
to survive in fire.
It is one of the causes, why oak forests cannot be restored without human
participation in their regeneration.
Now more and more people join trees planting. There is a hope, that they
would try to save from fire at least the oak groves planted by them.
For details: http://oaks.forest.ru/eng; oaks@seu.ru
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