While the New York Times puts an anti-profit spin on the operation, the value of thinning forests comes through in an upbeat article by Cara Buckler. The Menominee, Wisconsin, tribe has had a “sustainable” forest for 160 years., she says. A big part of that success comes from culling the weaker trees, providing space for…
Tag: Forests
Please, No More Trees
Drought-resistant trees are replacing grasslands around the world, and, specifically in the western United States. This is a problem? Yes, says Brianna Randall in Wired. “According to University of Montana researcher Scott Morford, who led the study on rangeland forage loss, tree cover has increased by 50 percent across the western half of the US…
Are Wood Pellets Carbon-Free? Of Course Not, But They Are Defined That Way and Here’s Why
The European Union is considering removing a rule that—in the effort to meet international carbon-reduction goals—has been defining wood pellets as “carbon-free” fuels. That special elevation of wood pellets has made their production a thriving industry in the United States, which exports substantial amounts of wood pellets to England and other parts of Europe. However,…
PERC: Slow Environmental Reviews Hold Back Wildfire Prevention
Parts of the West are engulfed by wildfire every year, mostly on U.S. Forest Service land. The Forest Service has two techniques to prevent wildfires: mechanical treatments (usually thinning the forest) and prescribed burns (setting controlled fires to clear brush and shrubs). But environmental reviews are causing drastic delays before the process can even start….
Are You Paying to Save a Forest that Won’t Be Cut Down Anyway?
This blog has long raised questions about carbon offsets. And now the New York Times is ruminating over them, too—in particular, over the amounts of money that airline passengers pay to “offset” their use of jet fuel. Some airlines (such as Air Canada and KLM) allow you to get rid of travel guilt by paying…