The International Forest List Weekly News Digest - September 14, 2024

[IFL Owner]

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” - Albert Einstein

‘Sustainable’ logging operations are clear-cutting Canada’s climate-fighting forests
With its vast expanses of forest, Canada has the most “certified” sustainable timber operations of any nation, according to the nonprofit organizations that attest to the environmental soundness of logging practices…
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/canada-forests-climate/

Inflation Reduction Act helps Alaska Native producers implement climate-smart forestry practices on Afognak Island, Alaska
Thanks to historic federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Alaska Native landowners are managing their privately-owned forestland to mitigate climate change while also supporting local economic development…
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/inflation-reduction-act-helps-alaska-native-producers-implement-climate-smart-forestry

Wildfires are spreading fast in Canada — we must strengthen forests for the future
At the end of July, a wildfire driven by extreme winds blazed through Jasper National Park in Canada, forcing the evacuation of 25,000 citizens and visitors. For a month, more than 350 firefighters worked to control the fire, which grew to cover 33,000 hectares, making it the…
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02919-z

Reduced productivity and carbon drawdown of tropical forests from ground-level ozone exposure
Elevated ground-level ozone, a result of human activity, is known to reduce plant productivity, but its influence on tropical forests remains unclear. Here we estimate how increased ozone exposure has affected tropical-forest productivity and the global carbon…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01530-1

Ozone pollution reduces yearly tropical forest growth by 5.1%, study finds
Ozone gas is reducing the growth of tropical forests—leaving an estimated 290 million tonnes of carbon uncaptured each year, new research shows. The ozone layer in the stratosphere shields our planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation—and protecting it is…
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-ozone-pollution-yearly-tropical-forest.html

Advancing forest carbon stocks’ mapping using a hierarchical approach with machine learning and satellite imagery
Remote sensing of forests is a powerful tool for monitoring the biodiversity of ecosystems, maintaining general planning, and accounting for resources. Various sensors bring together heterogeneous data, and advanced machine learning methods enable their…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-71133-8

Community Forestry: Restoring Forests and Storing Carbon in Central America
Mesoamerica is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots—with only half a percent of the world's land area, it is home to seven percent of the world’s biodiversity. It is also home to the Five Great Forests: the Maya Forest in Guatemala and Belize, the Moskitia in…
https://www.fws.gov/story/2024-09/community-forestry-restoring-forests-and-storing-carbon-central-america

Niche-dependent forest and savanna fragmentation in Tropical South America during the Last Glacial Maximum
The refugia hypothesis, often used to explain Amazonia’s high biodiversity, initially received ample support but has garnered increasing criticism over time. Palynological, phylogenetic, and vegetation model reconstruction studies have been invoked to…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44185-024-00056-4

USU Researchers Pair Tree Rings With Climate Data to Understand Forest Climate Adaptation
Climate change is expected to impact forests worldwide, according to the EPA — in some ways to the benefit of a forest, in others to its detriment. Regardless, it will likely cause disturbances to, and within, their ecosystems. To help understand how we can…
https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-researchers-pair-tree-rings-with-climate-data-to-understand-forest-climate-adaptation

Spatial pattern of forest aboveground biomass and its environmental influencing factors in Qinling-Daba Mountains, central China
Accurate estimation of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial for understanding and managing forest ecosystems in the context of global environmental change, and also provides a scientific basis for national and regional ecological planning and carbon…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-72351-w

Potential economic and climatic impacts of windstorms in forests
Windstorms are extreme climatic events: rare occurrences with high environmental and economic costs. INRAE and AgroParisTech researchers used foresight modelling to simulate the effects of windstorms on French forests—important carbon sinks—and…
https://www.inrae.fr/en/news/potential-economic-and-climatic-impacts-windstorms-forests

Biogeochemistry scientists from around the world publish position paper on tackling 'hidden' phosphorus
As the world tries to mitigate agriculture's effect on the environment, much of the story can be found in soil, which stores and cycles nutrient elements of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Biogeochemists such as Andrew Margenot, Associate Director of the…
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-biogeochemistry-scientists-world-publish-position.html

UMass Amherst scientists to explore role soil and its microbes play in helping hemlocks survive the woolly adelgid
A non-native, hemlock-loving invasive species known as the hemlock woolly adelgid is wiping out stands of Eastern hemlock throughout the East Coast of the U.S. Though no trees survive completely, some stands are able to resist the invasion for longer than…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1057663

Growing key biomethane crop on peat emits 3 times more CO2 than using natural gas
There has been a rapid expansion in growing crops such as maize to produce biomethane as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, to help reach Net Zero. But some of this increased cultivation, on drained peat, is emitting three times more carbon dioxide than it is…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1057211

Perspective of soil carbon sequestration in Chilean volcanic soils
We analysed a large dataset consisting of 457 soil profiles of Andisols and Ultisols of volcanic origin compared to 60 non-volcanic soils. We hypothesised that soil pH has a greater impact on the development of Al-organomineral complexes in volcanic soils…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44296-024-00038-4

Getting down and dirty in the National Soil Archive
It's the ground beneath our feet and the source of our food. It filters our water and regulates our atmosphere. And getting down and dirty in the garden is said to be nature’s medicine. But did you know contact with soil can actually release your 'happy hormone…
https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/2024/September/soil-archive-research

Nurturing the next generation of soil scientists
On November 11, 2022, Leigh Ann Winowiecki, a systems scientist and leader of the soil and land health theme at the Center for International Forestry Research and the WorldAgroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), had just wrapped up a side event on soil health at the…
https://www.cifor-icraf.org/news/corporate-news/nurturing-the-next-generation-of-soil-scientists/

Buried treasures: how seeds help us learn about fire in the Australian landscape
Fire is a natural part of Australian ecosystems. Many plants have developed ways to adapt and even thrive after fire. They may store their seeds in the soil, ready to sprout after fire. Or they may flower after fire, which helps them to produce the next generation of seeds…
https://theconversation.com/buried-treasures-how-seeds-help-us-learn-about-fire-in-the-australian-landscape-235788

Dal researchers to lead national team to modernize Canada's soil data infrastructure
As the largest terrestrial store of carbon, soils are a critical nature-based solution for combating climate change by sequestering carbon into our soils. However, the data required to support mitigation strategies and the infrastructure to enable…
https://educationnewscanada.com/article/education/level/university/1/1100174/dal-researchers-to-lead-national-team-to-modernize-canada-s-soil-data-infrastructure.html

How Can Tidal Forested Wetlands Help Address Climate Change?
Tidal forested wetlands, including brackish tidal swamps, are important ecological transition zones between land and sea. Influenced by tides and freshwater, these ecosystems feature woody plants that sequester “blue carbon”—carbon captured…
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/events/2024/how-can-tidal-forested-wetlands-help-address-climate-change

Interior Department Announces More Than $157 Million in Funding for Wetland Conservation Projects and National Wildlife Refuges
The Department of the Interior announced that more than $46.2 million in grants was approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission today, which will conserve or restore 91,425 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl…
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-announces-more-157-million-funding-wetland-conservation-projects

With the right plants, wetlands can recover, says researcher
Wetlands, such as bogs and marshes, have largely disappeared in the Netherlands. With humidification and the growth of the right plants, wetlands can be restored. This is evident from research by Renske Vroom, who will receive her doctorate on this subject at…
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-wetlands-recover.html

High-Andean wetlands release more CO₂ under short-term warming, study suggests
The high-Andean wetlands of the Argentinean Puna region, called "vegas" by local inhabitants, although covering less than 1% of this arid mountain region, are important ecosystems as they support biodiversity and provide local people with fresh water…
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-high-andean-wetlands-co8322-short.html

Wetland project to help protect Palo Alto from flooding
Coastal waterways face numerous threats – from sea level rise and storm surge flooding to pollution. So Palo Alto, California, is working on a pilot project to help address some of these problems together. The city plans to create what’s called a horizontal levee on San…
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/09/wetland-project-to-help-protect-palo-alto-from-flooding/

Man hopes to plant 1 million mangroves to combat coastal threats, climate change impacts
Inspired by Hurricane Irma, Will Charouhis is planting mangroves to combat the impacts of coastal development. He hopes to restore habitats and educate others one mangrove at a time — and has founded an organization that is working to plant a million mangroves by…
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/man-hopes-to-plant-1-million-mangroves-to-combat-coastal-threats-climate-change/

In line with the Year of Sustainability, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi to host world’s first International Mangroves Conservation and Restoration Conference
Aligning with 2024’s theme of The Year of Sustainability, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced it will be organising the first edition of the International Mangroves Conservation and Restoration Conference (IMCRC), taking place from…
https://www.mediaoffice.abudhabi/en/environment/in-line-with-the-year-of-sustainability-environment-agency-abu-dhabi-to-host-worlds-first-international-mangroves-conservation-and-restoration-conference/

Microsoft’s 234,000 Carbon Credit Purchase Restores Mexican Rainforest
Microsoft has once again extended unwavering support for carbon removal by announcing the purchase of 234,000 rainforest restoration credits from Mexico-based company Toroto. It creates a win-win situation, allowing Microsoft to both offset its carbon…
https://carboncredits.com/microsofts-234000-carbon-credit-purchase-restores-mexican-rainforest/

Rainforest carbon loss: Aerial scans reveal degradation key trigger of Amazon forest emissions
Scientists using high-resolution aerial scans and computational modeling concluded that wildfires, storms and selective logging have become key drivers behind rainforest carbon emissions, outpacing clear-cutting practices…
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-rainforest-carbon-loss-aerial-scans.html

The local cooling potential of land restoration in Africa
Land restoration is becoming increasingly popular as a climate change mitigation and adaptation measure. It is suggested that resulting vegetation changes can impact the local surface temperature through biophysical processes such as albedo warming and…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01650-x

High-resolution mapping of carbon dioxide emissions in Guizhou Province and its scale effects
Accurate spatial distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is essential information needed to peaking emissions and achieving carbon neutral in China. The aim of this study was to map CO2 emissions with high spatial resolution at provincial scale and then…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-71836-y

How scientists debunked one of conservation’s most influential statistics
The statistic seemed to crop up everywhere. Versions were cited at UN negotiations, on protest banners, in 186 peer-reviewed scientific papers – even by the film-maker James Cameron, while promoting his Avatar films…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/13/indigenous-factoid-nature-80-percent-false-biodiversity-aoe

Nigeria is the world’s 2nd biggest plastic polluter: expert insights into the crisis
Plastic pollution is a major problem in Nigeria. Recent research identified the country as a plastic pollution hotspot, second to India. India emits 9.3 million tonnes of plastic into the environment each year – one fifth of the global total. Nigeria emits 3.5 million tonnes…
https://theconversation.com/nigeria-is-the-worlds-2nd-biggest-plastic-polluter-expert-insights-into-the-crisis-238799

Get set for more extreme weather across Australia this spring and summer
Australia is no stranger to extreme weather. From heatwaves and droughts to flooding rains, hailstorms or fire weather, our continent experiences it all. To help Australians prepare for these hazards, the Bureau of Meteorology…
https://theconversation.com/get-set-for-more-extreme-weather-across-australia-this-spring-and-summer-238985

What Greenland’s nine-day mega-tsunami tells us about climate change
A seismic signal heard across the world last September for nine days has been traced back to a trapped tsunami triggered by a landslide in the remote fjords of Greenland. Climate scientists say that the collapse seems to have been set off by melting glaciers…
https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20240913-what-greenland-nine-day-mega-tsunami-tells-us-climate-change-climate-crisis

From ‘local threat to valuable resource’: Could Iceland’s lava be a sustainable building material?
An architecture studio in Iceland is proposing the use of lava as a building material. Arnhildur Pálmadóttir of s.ap architects is presenting her project Lavaforming at the Venice Architecture Biennale next year. Her team, which specialises in sustainability and…
https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/09/13/from-local-threat-to-valuable-resource-could-icelands-lava-be-a-sustainable-building-mater

Central Europe braced for worst flooding in years
Sandbags are being prepared in Austria, reservoirs have been emptied in the Czech Republic and flash floods are expected in Poland, as forecasters warn of days of "potentially catastrophic" rainfall…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l1l8ng2edo

Brazil asks EU to hold off on implementing deforestation law
Brazil on Wednesday asked the European Union not to implement regulations in its deforestation law at the end of the year as scheduled and asked for it to be revised to avoid hurting Brazilian exports. In a letter to the European Commission seen by Reuters, the…
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-asks-eu-hold-off-implementing-deforestation-law-2024-09-11/


Compiled by:

Nelson Wong

IFL Owner