Ag For News

US Cities Losing 4 Million Trees Per Year

2012-02-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

Trees in US cities are on the decline according to a study published in the latest issue of the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. Using aerial photographs to compare changes over time in 20 major U.S. cities, researchers David Nowak and Eric Greenfield of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service found that tree coverage is on the decline, while impervious cover — roads, buildings, sidewalks, and the like — is on the rise:

Tree cover in 17 of the 20 analyzed cities had statistically significant declines in tree cover, while 16 cities had statistically significant increases in impervious cover. … City tree cover was reduced, on average, by about 0.27 percent/yr, while impervious surfaces increased at an average rate of about 0.31 percent/yr.

Nowak and Greenfield collected recent digital aerial images for at least 1,000 random points in 20 large American cities, and coupled them with images at the same points from roughly 5 years earlier.

Their analysis showed clear trends away from tree coverage and toward impervious coverage. All but three of the cities had a statistically significant loss in tree coverage, with two others showing a non-significant loss (essentially no change). Houston (3 percent) and Albuquerque (2.7 percent) suffered some of the biggest loses. Only Syracuse showed a gain in tree coverage — and that of 1 percent.

Read more in The Atlantic Cities

Shelterbelts will increase yield

2012-02-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

From the Red River Valley Echo

Since the beginning of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Prairie Shelterbelt Program in 1901, more than 600 million seedlings have been distributed throughout the prairies. Shelterbelts have become the most effective, permanent method to protect crops and soil. They serve as windbreaks to reduce soil erosion and help conserve soil moisture by trapping snow, and providing even distribution of snow on adjacent land. With the high value of crops and farmland, the soil is certainly worth protecting with shelterbelts. Today, tree seedlings for shelterbelts are still available to farmers and landowners to protect their valuable farmland.

Shelterbelt planting seems to follow weather trends. In the 1930s, 1960s, and again during the latest dry spell in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a marked increase in shelterbelt planting. In fact, 1990 holds the record for the most shelterbelts planted with trees obtained from the Prairie Shelterbelt Program at AAFC’s Agroforestry Development Centre in Indian Head, Saskatchewan (Indian Head Tree Nursery, formerly the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration Shelterbelt Centre).

Shelterbelts planted during dry years, however, have more difficulty becoming established than those planted in normal or wet years.

In a recent interview in the ”Western Producer,” Henry de Gooijer, of the Agroforestry Development Centre at Indian Head, stated that landowners need to rethink all the benefits that shelterbelts provide in both wet and dry years. If the soil is not actually blowing, the landowner does not see that there could be a problem. “When things are under stress, people again become aware of the fragility or sustainability of their system,” he says.

Farmers are often not aware of the value of the shelterbelts on their land although a significant amount of research has been done on the benefits of field shelterbelts on crop yields. Farmers need to take this data into account. Years of research has demonstrated significant increases in crop yield in sheltered areas. Although the yield adjacent to the shelterbelt may be somewhat reduced, the yield within the area protected by the shelterbelt may realize significant yield increases from five to 40 per cent. The variability in the direct effect of the shelterbelt depends on many factors including the type of crop grown, soil conditions, drought stress, variety and height of the shelterbelt. Even if a shelterbelt takes up two acres on a 40-acre corn field, there is still a net benefit in total bushels harvested with as little as a 5.2 per cent increase on the remaining 38 acres.

Shelterbelts also serve to improve crop yields by providing a habitat for pest-eating insects and wild pollinators. Wild bees are a major contributor to canola pollination, and as a result canola yields.

Shelterbelts are also valuable to society as a whole. They provide a buffer for environmentally sensitive areas.

They protect water quality by reducing nutrients and sediment in larger bodies of water. Shelterbelts contribute to road safety by reducing dust and controlling snow drifting. It has also been documented that shelterbelts around houses and barns can reduce energy use by 25 to 30 per cent.

Read the full article here.

Missouri farmers lay groundwork for truffle market

2012-02-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

The field doesn’t look like much yet. At the flat top of a hill there is a three-fourths acre patch of grass clumps that have been slathered with limestone powder to alter the soil. Deer have left tracks in the soft dirt.

Ozark Forest Mushrooms co-owner Nicola Macpherson gets excited imagining what will come.

“I just dream of having a table here,” she says. “Wouldn’t that be fun? Just to have a glass of wine and a (piece of) truffle toast?”

If everything goes right, in five to six years this square of dirt will be an orchard of oak and hazelnut trees with lumpy black mushrooms growing underneath the soil at their roots. Ozark Forest Mushrooms, located near the Current River in southern Missouri, is preparing to be the first commercial truffle farm in Missouri.

The farm is one of three businesses that are looking to start growing the prized fungus for the first time in the state. The cultivation efforts are a collaboration with MU plant pathologist and agroforester, Johann Bruhn, who has been researching truffles since 1999.

Bruhn is convinced he finally knows enough to help start “truffières,” or truffle orchards. Bruhn and his colleagues have planted a research orchard at the MU Center for Agroforestry at New Franklin to see how the European mushrooms fare under Missouri conditions. He said he hopes the first truffles will develop as early as next year and hopes to use them to propagate more truffles.

There are at least 200 different species of truffle, Bruhn said. But of the three priciest gourmet varieties, the black Burgundy truffle — named after the Burgundy region of France – is best suited for Missouri weather. Burgundy truffles (or Tuber aestivum) mature in autumn, unlike another type of gourmet black truffle, which fruits in the winter and might be damaged by frozen ground or cold weather.

The truffles could fetch a nice price if the commercial operations are successful, Bruhn said. The Burgundy truffle sells for about $400 a pound, he said, or about $40 to $50 for one the size of a golf ball.

With a little luck, each acre could yield 10 to 20 pounds of truffles a year, he said.

In 2010, the U.S. imported more than 132,000 pounds of prepared truffles worth almost $3 million, mostly from France and Italy, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics.

Read the full article at the Missourian

Mushrooms moving to the center of the plate

2012-02-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

From the Chicago Tribune

Meet the newest superfood. It's not a meat, not a vegetable, although it can successfully pass as either. Technically, it's a fruit, although you'd probably never guess it; it is, after all, the fruit of a fungus and looks nothing like any fruit seen on American shores. Still, its earthy, musky flavors delight palates the world over. Remarkably versatile, the mushroom ranges from humble to haute, can hold its own at the table or donate all its taste and texture to plate mates such as pasta and risotto.

To its list of virtues, now add another: The mushroom, even that pale white cellophane-clad staple of the supermarket, is a powerhouse of nutrition and extranutritional goodies.

Over 2,500 species of mushroom grow naturally around the world, but the popularity prize belongs to Agaricus bisporus, the species that yields the most widely consumed varieties: button mushrooms; their more darkly shaded sibling, the cremini; and their fully developed version, the expansive portobello. While A. bisporus lends itself to commercial cultivation, many mushroom types, including morels, porcini, and chanterelles, do not. They must be harvested in the wild, and connoisseurs around the world make a point of knowing--but rarely telling--just where and when to search for them.

Although the exotic species of mushroom attract top culinary billing (and dollars), the common button mushroom turns out to be severely underrated. Ongoing research shows that it is rich in antioxidants and loaded with agents, including beta-glucans, that keep arteries clear and cholesterol-free, help repair damage to body cells, and inhibit tumors.

Read the full article here

US Report Casts Doubt On Palm Fuel Benefits

2012-02-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

The US Environmental Protection Agency has put out a notice that palm oil-derived biofuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel fell short of its threshold for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings of 20 percent compared to regular diesel.

Biodiesel was found to cut GHG emissions by just 17 percent of the life cycle of its production and combustion, while renewable biodiesel rated 11 percent.

“Our analysis of palm oil biofuels ... considers new data for Indonesia and Malaysia, where close to 90 percent of world palm oil is currently produced,” the notice said.

It highlighted two ways in which the palm oil production process was contributing to GHG emissions.

“For example, palm oil production produces waste water effluent that eventually decomposes, creating methane, a GHG with a high global warming potential,” it said. “Another key factor is the expected expansion of palm plantations onto land with carbon-rich peat soils which would lead to significant releases of GHGs to the atmosphere.”

Pine beetle kill less than projected in BC

2012-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

From the Kamloops Daily News

B.C.'s chief forester painted a mountain pine beetle picture both good and bad for silviculturalists gathered in Kamloops.

The good news is the historic infestation that destroyed Interior pine stands through the middle of the last decade wasn't as destructive as first feared.

"In 2006, we were projecting a mountain pine beetle kill of 80 per cent of pine by 2013," Jim Snetsinger told a convention of the Western Silviculture Contractors' Association. "Our 2011 models . . . now tell us mountain pine beetle will kill about 61 per cent of susceptible pine by 2021."

The bad news, Snetsinger said, is that the beetle continues to kill lots of lodgepole pine. More than half of merchantable pine in the Interior has been lost to date, even though the mortality peaked in 2004-05.

The central region of the province, an area extending from the Kamloops forest district north to Mackenzie, was hardest hit; Merritt Forest District to a lesser degree. A more homogenous forest type, less broken terrain and consistent wind patterns are thought to have been key factors here.

"In the southeast, it hasn't materialized the way it was projected," though the infestation continues in the areas of Cranbrook and Invermere, he noted. "The perimeter doesn't seem to be growing that much.

"Mountain pine beetle is increasing further into the northwest, and I think this is just symptomatic of some of the climate change we're seeing."
Other forest pests, such as the spruce bark beetle, spruce budworm and Douglas fir tussock moth, are increasing in the Southern Interior, though to a far lesser degree than pine beetle.

BC Silviculture Sector Labour Market Strategy

2012-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

The Government of BC is granting $550,000 over three years to help the B.C. silviculture industry develop new human resource strategies to meet the challenges of a changing labour market.

The funding will enable the BC Silviculture Sector Labour Market Strategy project to initially develop a human resource strategy to ensure that the industry can continue to develop, recruit and retain reliable and capable workers. The human resource planning committee will be led by the Western Silvicultural Contractors' Association, the principal partner and contract holder.

British Columbia's silviculture sector comprises forestry-related activities including tree planting, cone-picking, silviculture survey work, plantation brushing, spacing and weeding, site preparation, fuels management, eco-system restoration, wildfire fighting, prescribed burning, beetle probing and other practices used to tend forests and range land throughout the province.

Today, the industry is beginning to experience problems recruiting and retaining workers. Never having experienced a workforce shortage before, the industry as a whole and its individual employers have not yet developed overall human resource programs or related labour market strategies to deal with this threat.

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the boreal forest of Canada

2012-02-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

From the current edition of the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

The boreal forest of Canada is home to several hundred thousands Aboriginal people who have been using medicinal plants in traditional health care systems for thousands of years. This knowledge, transmitted by oral tradition from generation to generation, has been eroding in recent decades due to rapid cultural change. Until now, published reviews about traditional uses of medicinal plants in boreal Canada have focused either on particular Aboriginal groups or on restricted regions. Here, we present a review of traditional uses of medicinal plants by the Aboriginal people of the entire Canadian boreal forest in order to provide comprehensive documentation, identify research gaps, and suggest perspectives for future research.

A total of 546 medicinal plant taxa used by the Aboriginal people of the Canadian boreal forest were reported in the reviewed literature. These plants were used to treat 28 disease and disorder categories, with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal disorders, followed by musculoskeletal disorders. Herbs were the primary source of medicinal plants, followed by shrubs. The medicinal knowledge of Aboriginal peoples of the western Canadian boreal forest has been given considerably less attention by researchers. Canada is lacking comprehensive policy on harvesting, conservation and use of medicinal plants. This could be explained by the illusion of an infinite boreal forest, or by the fact that many boreal medicinal plant species are widely distributed.

U.S. and Canada Move Toward Equivalency on Organic Meat Trade

2012-02-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

Organic dairy, beef, sheep, goat, and bison producers in Canada and the United States can now benefit from more streamlined trade.

In the U.S., these animals, referred to as ruminants, must receive 30 percent of their feed during the grazing season from organic pasture and must be out on pasture at least 120 days per year. In addition to these pasture requirements, operations must provide adequate space and living conditions which accommodate the natural behavior of livestock. This includes year-round access to the outdoors.

Canada now considers these U.S. requirements as equivalent to its standards for ruminant stocking rates, or the number of animals in a given area.

This change reflects efforts by both countries to harmonize standards and move toward full equivalence. Products from non-ruminant animals, such as poultry and swine, must still verify that they meet the Canadian stocking rates for those species.

As a result, one of the additional requirements—referred to as critical variances—no longer applies to ruminant animals and animal products traded under the U.S./Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement. Organic operations in both countries must meet each of these critical variances before products can be sold, labeled, or represented as organic across the border.

On June 17, 2009, the USDA and Canada Food Inspection Agency entered into an Equivalence Arrangement. This means that as long as the critical variances and other terms of the arrangement are met, organic operations certified to the USDA organic or Canada Organic Regime standards may be labeled, represented, and sold as organic in both countries.

The updated critical variances in the trade arrangement now include:

Canada Requirements. To be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in Canada, USDA organic products must meet the following additional requirements:

-Agricultural products produced with the use of sodium nitrate shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.

-Agricultural products produced by hydroponic or aeroponic production methods shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada

-Agricultural products derived from animals (with the exception of ruminants) must be produced according to livestock stocking rates as set out in CAN /CGSB32.310-2006 (amended October 2008).

United States Requirements. To be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in the United States, Canadian organic agricultural products derived from animals must be produced without antibiotic treatment.

BC Senator pushes for new maple syrup labeling rules

2012-02-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

A BC Senator thinks it's time to protect a national treasure before it is debased by knockoffs.

Canadian maple syrup.

If the proposal put forward Tuesday by Senator Nancy Greene Raine is sweet enough for her fellow senators, new marketing and labelling regulations could be instituted by this time next year so syrup suckers know that what they're buying is the good stuff.

The Canadian maple syrup industry was the first to push the regulations, but found it buried at the bottom of priorities for Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, Greene Raine said.

"You need to have proper protections on the quality and origins," Greene Raine said. "This is definitely the first step."

In Canada, the maple syrup industry produced $349.5 million worth of maple syrup in 2011, according to figures from Statistics Canada, up from $291 million in 2010, an increase of 20 per cent.
She said her other issue is pushing the syrup as a healthy sweetener, replacing refined sugar.

If adopted by the Senate, there could be four classes of syrup: Golden, which is light with a mild taste; Amber, which is full-bodied; dark, which is has a stronger taste than its lighter-coloured brethren; and very dark, which has a strong taste and is recommended for cooking purposes.

More Govt Support of BC Tree Fruit Growers

2012-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia are providing funding to modernize the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative's storage facility in Lake Country, BC.

Member of Parliament Ron Cannan (Kelowna - Lake Country), on behalf of federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, and B.C. Agriculture Minister Don McRae announced the funding at the 123rd Annual General Meeting of the British Columbia Fruit Grower's Association.

Almost $2.7 million from the Tree Fruit Market and Infrastructure Initiative will help the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative (OTFC) modernize packinghouse controlled atmosphere storage facilities and enhance returns to growers. This is expected to reduce total operating costs by $340,000 annually.

Created in July 2008 through the amalgamation of four tree fruit packinghouses, the OTFC is the largest packinghouse operation in the Okanagan Valley and in Canada. It is a grower-owned co-operative with over 700 members combining their talents to grow, pack and ship over 3.5 million boxes of fruit each year.

"We are extremely grateful in receiving this funding which will really benefit our cooperative and B.C.'s tree fruit industry," said Gary Schieck, CEO of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative.

"These dollars will allow us to leverage new technology in improving our controlled atmosphere storages at our Lake Country plant utilizing a more environmentally friendly, lower cost refrigeration process which will enhance fruit quality and yield to the market place, ultimately leading to increased returns to our growers. This improvement is part of a facility consolidation and technological shift our organization is undertaking."

In July 2010, Governments of Canada and B.C. together contributed $5 million to the Tree Fruit Market and Infrastructure Initiative. The federal funding investment is made through the Agricultural Flexibility Fund (AgriFlex), a five-year fund created to help the sector reduce costs of production, improve environmental sustainability, promote innovation and respond to emerging opportunities and market challenges.

World Bioenergy 2012 - Conference and Exhibition

2012-01-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

Sweden and the city of Jönköping will be the international bioenergy focal point hosting the 5th edition of World Bioenergy 29-31 May 2012.

This major global bioenergy get-together is based on the unique "Taking you from Know-How to Show-How" concept, combining tradeshow, conference sessions, field excursions and match-making into one comprehensive event.

World Bioenergy has successfully evolved during the years. Industrialists are attracted by the opportunities not only to hear about, but also to get hands on experience. Opportunities are provided not only at the fair and demonstration sites but also through daily afternoon tours and the full-day pre- and post-conference transfer tours from the airports in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

For more information visit http://www.elmia.se/en/worldbioenergy/

Province of BC Concerned About Illegal Fire Wood Harvest

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

During these long cold winter nights, people light their fireplaces to stay warm. But do you know where your firewood came from? Was it legally harvested?

Cutting down trees from Crown land without the appropriate permit and selling them as firewood is a serious problem throughout the province. These actions are illegal, and can result in a violation ticket of $173 or more if significant environmental damage is done. They can create safety hazards for professional foresters and recreationalists, and can negatively impact an area's ecosystem.

The Province of British Columbia is encouraging the public can do its part by purchasing firewood from legitimate producers. Ask where the firewood is from and insist on getting a load slip. Firewood bought and sold without the proper documentation can be seized and removed by compliance and enforcement officers.

If you would like to cut firewood on vacant Crown land for personal use, you can obtain a permit by contacting your local Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations office or online at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dsc/Permits/Firewood.htm

9th Annual Diversified Agriculture Conference

2012-01-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

9^th Annual Diversified Agriculture Conference
February 22-24, 2012
Davis Conference Center
Layton, Utah

The Diversified Agriculture Conference is designed to benefit agricultural producers who would like more tools to help manage their business. The conference focuses on more than just traditional agriculture, including recreation, tourism, direct marketing, farmers' markets, further processing, etc. For a closer look at the variety of topics covered, see the 2012 draft program or the 2011 participant proceedings book .

Soil Quality Network 2012

2012-01-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Friday, February 24, 2012 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Doubletree Hotel, Portland, OR

Soil Quality Network 2012 is the first of two workshops planned for agricultural professionals and land managers. Workshop participants will gain an appreciation for the role soil quality plays in crop productivity and the viability of agriculture operations. The workshop will help agriculture consultants and planners develop strategies and actions to support farmers interested in improving soil quality.

On day one, participants will attend a general session plus farm tours and special presentations. Day two includes concurrent sessions where attendees will discover current research, hands-on methods, and state of the art techniques to assess soil quality. Breakout sessions will engage attendees through interactive discussions with researchers, technical specialists and educators, demonstrations of soil assessment methods and experiences with various outreach techniques.

The workshop will include a half-day tour to farm fields where soil management techniques will be viewed and discussed.

For more information click here.

BC sets yearly China lumber export record

2012-01-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

British Columbia has broken another record in lumber exports to China this year - with shipments already surpassing 2010's final year-end record total, announced Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation.

According to the latest international merchandise trade data released this week by Statistics Canada, lumber exports over the first eight months of the year from BC to China, including Hong Kong, total $746 million. For all of 2010, B.C's lumber exports to the country were worth $687 million.

Forests: The Carbon Conundrum

2012-01-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

From the IUFRO In the coming decades, forests will play a major role in our planet’s carbon cycle and in our efforts to manage the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Getting a better understanding of whether that role might be good (a sink, absorbing carbon) or bad (a source, adding carbon to the atmosphere), motivated a study by Yude Pan and colleagues, recently published in Science Express.

The study identifies global forests as the major terrestrial carbon sink (as opposed to grasslands, peatlands or agricultural lands). It is the first such study to base conclusions on forest inventory and land cover data instead of simulation results.

Using data from around the world, the Pan study shows the distribution of carbon sources and sinks, the importance of temperate and boreal forests as sustained sinks and the enormous fluxes (sources and sinks) contributed by tropical forests. But overall, the study shows the forests’ role, at least for now, is positive. They are carbon sinks.

As sinks, they currently absorb about 27% of the 8 billion tons of fossil fuel emissions we emit yearly – giving us an arboreal discount on emissions. Factor in oceans and other terrestrial ecosystems and the total absorption rate goes up to over 50%. Without these natural sinks, the rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere would be substantially higher.

But part of the reason for this forest sink rests with some one-time occurrences: recovery of European temperate and boreal forest following intensive land use; transformation of large tracts of Eastern European and Russian agricultural land that were abandoned and have since reverted to forest and, in China, some 40 million ha of afforestation – land that had been used for other purposes or was just barren and has now been turned back into forest. It would be difficult to find that kind of spare land again, so that situation is not likely to reoccur. That will make it more difficult to maintain the current sink into the future.

And, should climate change advance too far and forests and other terrestrial ecosystems transform from carbon sinks to carbon sources and begin pumping vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, human efforts to mitigate climate change could be overwhelmed.

Read the full article here.

Poor households depend on non-timber forest products in times of crisis

2012-01-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

From the CIFOR Forests Blog

The sale and use of non-timber forest products (NFTPs) is the one of the most common coping mechanisms to help vulnerable households in two of South Africa’s poorest provinces cope in times of crisis, according to a recent study.

The study found that while all of the households that were sampled relied, to some extent, on NTFPs as part of their livelihood portfolio, as many as 70 percent also reported using the safety-net function of NTFPs in response to a range of crises.

Kinship was found to be the top coping strategy chosen by both wealthy and poor households, however poorer household cited the increased use or sale of NTFPs as the second most commonly adopted coping strategy. By comparison high-income households placed NTFPs as the fifth most important coping mechanism in response to crisis.

Woody Biomass Prices Fall in US

2012-01-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

The demand for woody biomass (prices for sawmill byproducts, forest residues and urban wood waste) in the US has decreased over the past three years because fossil fuel prices have stayed ‘relatively low’, says a report from Wood Resources International, although they are still higher at the end of 2011 than they were five years prior.

The fall in demand is mainly due to falling and stable fossil fuel prices, especially that of natural gas, which means there has been a reduced demand for other forms of energy including renewables, which is often more expensive.

Since the beginning of 2010, prices have fallen about 15%-20% in the US south and south central States. However, in regions of the US where the most biomass is consumed, prices have been about $10-$20 per oven dry tonne (odt) higher than national mill biomass average throughout last year.

A contributing factor in the biomass price decline has been log exports to China. All trees need to be debarked before expor to China and this added biomass supply has depressed prices by about 5 - 10%.

Include trees in climate modelling, say scientists

2012-01-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

From SciDev.net

Current climate models and projections may be inaccurate because measurements are based on guidelines that do not include the effects of trees on the local climate, according to agroforestry experts. This in turn may be hindering effective adaptation by local farming communities, as the true effect of climate change on their crops is not accurately captured.

Trees can influence many of the climate factors predicted by modelling, and their effects should be added to climate maps, scientists from the the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) said in a book, How people and trees can co-adapt to climate change, launched in December. According to the book, enhancing tree cover for agricultural purposes is a good adaptation mechanism.

"Modifying tree cover in agricultural landscapes to adjust micro-climates for crops has a long history," the book says, citing examples of Sahel parklands, where trees protect grain crops from excessive heat and maintain soil moisture; South-East Asian coastal zones, where intercropping with coconut has a long tradition; and mountain slopes, where 'shade trees' are used to help with cocoa, coffee or tea farming.

But it adds that "none of this has yet made it into national climate-adaptation planning".
Following the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global weather stations collect climate data on open ground — away from trees, said Meine Van Noordwijk, an editor of the book. The collected data are then used for climate modelling and projections.

But trees can affect the local climate in a region, for example by reducing the maximum temperature and increasing humidity, said Van Noordwijk. Depending on where the weather station is placed, with respect to the tree canopy, the data may be different and this might produce different results, he said.

"Unfortunately … climate scientists have not made much effort to quantify [the effects of trees]. By not looking at that, we are missing a large opportunity to understand how we can adapt." Rizaldi Boer, executive director of the Centre for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said that the logic behind the WMO standards was to avoid tree canopy effects on the measurements. Climatologists still include the effects of land coverage around the station in their models, he added.

The ICRAF book also deals more generally with the importance of tree cover for climate change adaptation and rural livelihoods. This was welcomed by Novrida Masli, a climate change policy specialist from Indonesia, who said it could motivate local adaptation.

"Until now, our government has mostly focused on the mitigation, not the adaptation," Masli said, adding that the ideas in this book may help change that.

Webinar: Regenerating species in 2nd growth stands

2012-01-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

Webinar: Regenerating species in 2nd growth stands - are we getting what we expect?

Thursday January 26, 2012
10:30 to 11:30 AM
Alex Woods & Phil Lepage
BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

Regenerating species in 2nd growth stands - are we getting what we expect?
In this webinar Alex and Phil will be presenting results from some of their research, monitoring work, and observations of species composition and conversions in 2nd growth stands in interior and coastal ecosystems. Species shifts can be a result of management choices or natural causes such as ingress, and insects and disease and can have a profound effect on stand yields as well as on future options for forest products from these stands.

Register at: https://event-wizard.com/STAND/0/register/

UC launches Conservation Agriculture Systems Institute

2012-01-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

A diverse group of public and private sector agricultural professionals are joining the University of California to form the Conservation Agriculture Systems Institute (CASI), an organization that will be formally launched at a public meeting Jan. 27 in Clovis, Calif.

“This is the agronomic and ecological equivalent of the ‘moon race’ back in the early 1960s,” said CASI coordinator Jeff Mitchell, a UC Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist.

The Institute merges two existing University programs – the Conservation Tillage and Cropping Systems Workgroup and the California Overhead Irrigation Alliance – into a single, broad-based initiative.

CASI’s aim is to bring together farmers, business leaders, public agency representatives, university, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and environmental group membership to chart long-term goals for sustainable agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley and to develop appropriate conservation agriculture production systems that will achieve these goals.

Conservation agriculture aims to achieve profitable and sustainable agricultural systems and improve the livelihoods of farmers while conserving natural resources. These goals are met through the application of principles that have been widely documented and demonstrated by research and experience as effective features of sustainable production systems.

These principles include:

Minimum soil disturbance
Preservation of residues that provide permanent soil cover
Diverse crop rotations
Use of cover crops
Integrated pest management
Reliance on precision, highly efficient irrigation
Controlled or limited mechanical traffic over agricultural soils

Together, these practices, when optimally employed within a given cropping context or environment, provide a basis for long-term sustainability and are gaining acceptance in many parts of the world as an alternative to both conventional and organic agriculture.

With Good Job Market, MU Center for Agroforestry Offers Online Master's Program in Agroforestry

2012-01-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

To help put more trained professionals in agroforestry, the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri has added an agroforestry focus option to an existing master of science forestry degree. The course is offered through MU Direct Online and designed to help non-traditional students get a forestry education.

The master's curriculum is a 30-credit, non-thesis degree with a 16-credit required core including a professional paper, optional 3-credit field internship and elective course work. In addition to the students admitted to the agroforestry focus program, which must be done through the MU Graduate School, both graduate and undergraduate students from other disciplines are welcome to enroll in individual online courses for credit.

Getting an online education in this area is an easy way for people who already have a job, other commitments or are overseas to attend MU.

"Hundreds of Peace Corps volunteers, for example, work every year on agroforestry-related projects," said Shibu Jose, UMCA director. "This program could provide them with an opportunity to pursue a degree or certificate in agroforestry while working abroad. We are not aware of any similar program in agroforestry elsewhere in the country."

Jose said the master's in forestry with a focus in agroforestry is designed to be a flexible degree to meet the advanced educational goals of a wide range of students, such as professionals working in natural resources who already have an undergraduate degree in a related field. The online master's is open to individuals holding accredited bachelor's degrees who wish to expand their breadth and depth of knowledge in agroforestry.

"We hope to increase enrollment of graduate students in courses related to agroforestry," Jose said. "The ultimate outcome of this project will be 'society-ready graduates' who are capable of making positive changes in the agriculture, natural resources and environmental sectors in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world."

Course options include a core of four courses: Agroforestry Theory, Practice and Adoption; Agroforestry Economics and Policy; Ecological Principles of Agroforestry; and Agroforestry for Watershed Restoration.

2012 BC Community Forests Assoc Conference and AGM

2012-01-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

2012 BC Community Forests Association Conference and AGM
May 24-26, 2012

The conference will be held in the Kootenays, the home of eight community forests. The BCCFA will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our grassroots organization, so be prepared for some special programming.

Breaking news is that the conference will be held in the Village of Kaslo where the home based offices of the BCCFA staff are located. So plan on joining us and save the dates in your calendars now. Watch for registration and programming details coming in the new year.

For more information click here.

2012 Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival

2012-01-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival

Forest Discovery Centre
Duncan, BC
Saturday February 4, 2012
10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Taste maple syrup from Vancouver Island at the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival!

Visitors are invited to participate in mini-workshops facilitated by experienced maple syrup producers, including tapping demonstrations, presentations, and displays. This year's event features cooking with local maple syrup and maple foods will be available. The festival features a maple syrup competition with judging by celebrity chefs from Vancouver Island. The evaporator will be running all day so visitors can savour the warm maple aroma of sap and see how syrup is made.

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival Schedule:

Explore the sights and aromas of syrup making

Evaporator:
10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Find out more about maple tapping

Tapping Demonstrations:
Every 20 minutes from 10:20 am - 3:20 pm
Approximately 15 minutes long

Maple Syrup Presentations
Approximately 15 minutes long

Taste Local Maple Syrup
10:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Maple Syrup Competition Awards
12:30 pm

Train Rides
10:30 pm - 3:30 pm every half hour
Special Admission Price:
$7 adult/seniors/student/youth
$5 per child (2-12 years)
children under 2 are free