Cambium Global Timberland Share Discussion Threads

[wild bill] 09/4/2009 15:01

you're barking up the wrong tree ;-)

[grupo guitarlumber] 09/4/2009 12:58

you've always been a cut above the rest

[wild bill] 09/4/2009 12:16

all good at this end rocket man

[grupo guitarlumber] 09/4/2009 11:42

trust you are well old chopper

[wild bill] 09/4/2009 11:28

I'll get me axe

[grupo guitarlumber] 22/3/2009 16:24

From The Sunday TimesMarch 22, 2009

British firm barcodes trees to save the world's forests
A system developed by Helveta will prevent illegal logging by keeping track of timberKate Walsh from Liberia
BARCODING every tree in an African rainforest sounds as plausible as counting grains of sand on a beach, but this is exactly what one British company has set out to do. Helveta, a technology firm based in Oxford, is developing a system for tracking timber that will help prevent illegal logging and could become a template for forest management all over the world.

Using a system of barcoding similar to that used by supermarkets for stock control, Helveta aims to tag all 90m trees in 4.3m hectares of rainforest in Liberia. The marking process will allow customers in Britain and elsewhere to trace every timber plank or piece of garden furniture back to its stump. The Liberian government has awarded the company a £1m, four-year contract to implement the system.

A 14-year civil war destroyed much of Liberia's forestry sector, along with the country's infrastructure. At the height of the fighting, the country's fragile forests were being stripped to pay for weapons. Niangon and Lovoa, high-quality timber used in furniture making and worth up to £180 a cubic metre, was sold to buy guns and ammunition.

Helveta claims its system of mapping is the only one in the world that can guarantee the "sustainability and legality" of timber. Climate change is making the protection and management of forests a priority – the provenance of timber is therefore becoming "critically important" to retailers such as B&Q and Habitat, the company said. "Our appetite in the West for ethically-sourced goods – whether it's coffee or chocolate – is growing and retailers are responding to that," said Derek Charter, Helveta's project manager in Liberia. "There is also a raft of different legislation being put in place – at EU and UK-government level – that will enforce the legality of timber on the retailer. In other words, if retailers cannot prove where the timber has come from, they could be penalised."

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The process of barcoding each tree – about 1m of the 90m tagged trees will actually be harvested – is fairly simple. A 4cm plastic tag, which has a unique identity number, is hammered into the tree trunk. Only trees over 40cm in diameter can be tagged; anything smaller than that is protected.

After the tree has been felled, another tag (carrying the same identity number) is hammered into the stump.

"The barcode gives a record of where exactly the tree stands in the forest," said Charter. "Ultimately, it will create a map of the forest. It also records the species and what that tree would be expected to yield. All this information is stored in our database in Reading.

"If you went into a furniture retailer on the high street and asked where a garden table came from, they will look at the ticket and say it is from a forest in Bolivia but they have no proof – that's just where they have been told it is from or where the invoice was paid.

"With our system you could go to our website, type in the tree's identity number and it will show you a map of Liberia and then zoom into the stump where your timber was harvested from. The current principle is that the country can use that information to market its natural resources to the buyer."

The process of tagging trees would be time-consuming in any country, but is even more so in Liberia where the infrastructure is so degraded that roads have to be built to get into the forest. In addition, the level of education in the country is very low – people have to be trained to do the most basic tasks.

The government hopes that the first tagged log will be exported before the end of the year.

Some conservationists have criticised Liberia's plans to cut down trees – sustainably or not – instead of setting aside its rainforest for carbon offsetting. Employment is the government's biggest argument in favour of logging, together with the tax revenues it will generate. It is estimated that the forestry sector could employ 10,000 people directly by 2012 and another 30,000-40,000 indirectly.

US Aid, the American development agency, together with the UN and the World Bank, have invested $20m in the country's forestry sector to prevent a return to the days of illegal logging. The result is that not a single log has been exported from Liberia since the lifting of the embargo three years ago.

Peter Lowe, forestry co-ordinator at the World Bank, said: "Liberia really has bravely taken the challenge to set regional standards in forest conservation. [Barcoding] is the most sophisticated system I've seen because it requires levels of transparency that don't normally exist."

[wild bill] 11/2/2009 14:42

All clear on the beach, forward lads, forward.......

[matt123d] 30/1/2009 16:17

Recent price action / volume looks good.

Added today.

[grupo guitarlumber] 29/1/2009 13:03

EU: UK Should Change "Discriminatory" Inheritance Tax Law





BRUSSELS (AFP)--The European Commission Thursday threatened the U.K. with court action if it doesn't change its "discriminatory" inheritance tax rules.

"The European Commission has formally requested the United Kingdom to amend its legislation which provides for discriminatory inheritance tax relief," the European Union's executive arm said in a statement.

The commission takes exception to the part of U.K. law that grants inheritance tax relief on agricultural and forestry property on U.K. territory, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but not elsewhere in the E.U.

"The limited scope of the relief may dissuade taxpayers from investing in agricultural and forestry property outside the U.K.," the commission said in a statement.

"Consequently, the Commission considers that the United Kingdom's legislation, in its current state, is not compatible with the free movement of capital," enshrined in European law.

If the E.U. executive doesn't receive a "satisfactory reaction" from the U.K. within two months then "the commission may decide to refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Communities," the statement warned.

"The Commission is of the opinion that the U.K. should allow inheritance relief for all agricultural and forestry property situated in other E.U. and EEA (European Economic Area) member states, as is it does for similar property in the U.K.," it said.

[grupo guitarlumber] 29/1/2009 13:03

EU: UK Should Change "Discriminatory" Inheritance Tax Law





BRUSSELS (AFP)--The European Commission Thursday threatened the U.K. with court action if it doesn't change its "discriminatory" inheritance tax rules.

"The European Commission has formally requested the United Kingdom to amend its legislation which provides for discriminatory inheritance tax relief," the European Union's executive arm said in a statement.

The commission takes exception to the part of U.K. law that grants inheritance tax relief on agricultural and forestry property on U.K. territory, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but not elsewhere in the E.U.

"The limited scope of the relief may dissuade taxpayers from investing in agricultural and forestry property outside the U.K.," the commission said in a statement.

"Consequently, the Commission considers that the United Kingdom's legislation, in its current state, is not compatible with the free movement of capital," enshrined in European law.

If the E.U. executive doesn't receive a "satisfactory reaction" from the U.K. within two months then "the commission may decide to refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Communities," the statement warned.

"The Commission is of the opinion that the U.K. should allow inheritance relief for all agricultural and forestry property situated in other E.U. and EEA (European Economic Area) member states, as is it does for similar property in the U.K.," it said.

[grupo guitarlumber] 28/1/2009 08:10

French Storm Razes 70% of Pines in Parts of Southwest (Update2)
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By Rudy Ruitenberg

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The storm that hit France and Spain last weekend felled as much as 70 percent of the pine trees in parts of the Aquitaine region, French forest groups said today.

France's southwest accounts for about a third of the nation's lumber production, and forests cover about 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of Aquitaine, mostly privately owned pine. Large areas are flooded and the priority is to unblock drainage channels and roads to allow felled trees to be moved, French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said.

The storm, the strongest in the region since 1999, killed at least 15 people in France and Spain, toppled walls, overturned trucks and closed airports in both countries. Storms in December 1999 destroyed about 4 percent of France's forests.

"The forest business has been very badly hit," Barnier said at a press conference in Paris. "The urgency in this crisis is to recover the affected timber. We have to recover the lumber and store it, probably for a longer period."

About 1 million hectares of Aquitaine's forest is pine, 95 percent of which privately owned, said Thomas Formery, head of France's National Center for Forest Ownership, in an interview. Of that area, 300,000 hectares have been "seriously hit," with 60 percent to 70 percent of trees felled, he said.

The Aquitaine, Dordogne and Pyrenees regions in France's southwest account for about 30 percent of French timber, Formery said.

Barnier said earlier that the storm felled 60 percent to 70 percent of forests in the southwest region.

'Dramatic Consequences'

Damage is estimated at more than 600 million euros ($791 million), the French Insurers' Association said, according to Le Figaro and L'Expansion.

At least 30 million cubic meters (1.06 billion cubic feet) of timber in the Aquitaine region has been felled, said Henri Plauche Gillon, president of the Private Foresters of France federation, following a meeting with Barnier.

"The storm has had dramatic consequences for certain forested areas," the French Ministry of Ecology said in an e- mailed statement two days ago. "The observed winds were as strong as in 1999, but due to the rain of the past days, the soil is waterlogged and the trees are even more vulnerable."

In the 1999 storms, destruction of forests across France added about 180 million cubic meters of timber to supply, cutting the price of French lumber by about 40 percent in 2000, according to Formery.

Lumber futures traded in Chicago have dropped 32 percent in the past 12 months as the worldwide economic crisis hurts demand for construction materials.

In Aquitaine, the 1999 storms felled about 27 million cubic meters of timber. The forest organizations haven't yet been able to assess the damage in the Pyrenees because of heavy snow, Formery said.

France imports about 5 billion to 6 billion euros of wood a year, Barnier said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at [e-mail];

Last Updated: January 27, 2009 14:57 EST

[wild bill] 17/6/2008 09:56

now that's worrying

[waldron] 14/6/2008 06:43

Gardeners warned over wood mould
Gardeners have been warned about a mould, called Aspergillus, that grows on compost and decaying wood following the death of a middle-aged man.

He developed severe breathing problems after working with rotting wood and plant mulch in his garden.

Medical journal The Lancet reported that the man, aged 47, died despite hospital anti-fungal treatment.

An expert said a dust-mask was a good idea when moving large quantities of mouldy bark chippings or compost.


This should not be a problem for your average small-scale gardener who is using small quantities of compost at one time
Professor David Denning
University of Manchester

The Aspergillus mould is very common in UK gardens and is better known as an allergy trigger, but serious illness linked to it remains relatively rare.

Lung inflammation

The case of the Buckinghamshire man dates from May 2007, when he arrived at hospital with worsening shortness of breath, a fever and muscle pain.

The results of the X-ray meant that doctors at first thought that pneumonia was the problem and gave him antibiotics.

These had no effect and tests suggested the inflammation in his lungs was getting more severe.

By now he had been transferred to the intensive care unit, but even this made no difference, and he was transferred to a bigger hospital for a last-ditch treatment to get oxygen into his body.

At this point, the laboratory found Aspergillus in two samples and talking to his partner revealed that the day before symptoms started he had been engulfed by clouds of dust while he shifted rotting tree and plant compost.

Unfortunately, although anti-fungal treatments were then given, he died a few days later.

The speed of his decline surprised doctors as, apart from smoking and a job as a welder, he seemed to be in good health.

Alerting doctors

David Denning, of the University of Manchester, said that while Aspergillus itself could be found in many gardens, it would generally be dangerous only if disturbed in large quantities and the resulting dust inhaled.

He said: "This should not be a problem for your average small-scale gardener who is using small quantities of compost at one time.

"However, if you are moving it in very large amounts, then perhaps wearing a face-mask would be advisable."

Prof Denning said that the key to recovery in severe cases was rapid identification of the problem, and prompt anti-fungal therapy, as many doctors would not see any cases of "aspillergosis" in their career, and try antibiotics first.

He said: "This article aims to alert doctors that this may be a possibility when patients present with these symptoms."


Story from BBC NEWS:


Published: 2008/06/12 23:03:05 GMT

[wild bill] 12/6/2008 08:35

I'll get me saw.....

[ariane] 24/4/2008 16:30

Plane unlucky

An £80,000 a year banker gave up the high life to become a carpenter - only to discover he's allergic to wood.

Dan Hill, 32, dreamt of a stress-free life after swapping his desk in the City of London for a workbench, reports the Daily Express.

But whenever he was in the workshop, he developed an itchy rash all over his body and his eyes were left streaming. Doctors diagnosed an allergy to dust and wood shavings.

He said: "I was gutted. All my friends thought I was mad giving up my City job. I had given up everything to become a carpenter to find out I'm allergic to wood."

Dan had worked for investment bank UBS for eight years when he moved to Bideford in Devon and began training with a carpentry tutor.

"I had been fine just pottering around on my own but it all started to go wrong when I was doing it all day," he said.

"I was making my first professional piece - a workbench for myself - out of African hardwood when I started to notice this red rash all over my hands and arms.

"My eyes stung all the time and were really sore. They were always red and puffed up and it was really unpleasant."

He tried wearing a mask and gloves, but they offered little respite. Then, he began working with Welsh oak rather than African hardwood and discovered it did not cause the same discomfort.

Now he is moving to Mumbles, near Swansea, where there is a ready supply of the local timber.

[wild bill] 01/4/2008 15:03

yoo hoo you two

[grupo guitarlumber] 01/4/2008 10:36

welcome

enjoy.

hello WB

[pc4900074200] 01/4/2008 10:32

GG hope things are all ok.

I'm having a few days off, so down to posting on a few threads.

Will please WB as he thought I was posting on another site and
given up on ADVFN.

pc

:-]

Edit: Watch him post up on here now?