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☆ How to Revive a Burned Forest? Rebuild the Tree Supply Chain
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Lydia Depillis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the smoke cleared, Mr. Harland found creeks running black with soot and the ground hardening more with every day that passed. A former timber industry executive, Mr. Harland knew the forest wouldn’t grow back on its own. Nor did he have the money to carry out a replanting operation, since growing for timber wouldn’t pay for itself; most of the nearby sawmills had shut down long ago anyway. Then a local forester Mr. Harland knew suggested he get in touch with a new company out of Seattle, called Mast. After visiting to scope out the site, Mast’s staff proposed to replant the whole acreage, free, and even pay Mr. Harland a bit at the end.

Persons: Don, Harland Organizations: Montana : Flames Locations: Montana, Long, Seattle

☆ Homeowners spent $600,000 on a sand dune to protect their homes from coastal erosion. It collapsed after just 3 days.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Salisbury Beach residents pooled funds for a sand dune to protect their homes from coastal erosion. But "king" high tides washed away half of the human-made dune after only three days. The project, organized by the community nonprofit Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change, built a human-made sand dune along the beach to block floodwaters from reaching homeowners' properties. This video posted on the SBCFC facebook page shows the final stages of construction for the Salisbury Beach human-made dune. Seeding sand dunes with grass anchors sand in place, fortifying dunes against erosion from waves and wind, according to UMass Amherst.

Persons: Mary away, Tom Saab, SBCFC, Jens Figlus, They're, Figlus, DCR, Healey, Driscoll, Gary Miles, Ken Wiedemann, — you've Organizations: Service, Salisbury Beach Citizens, Salisbury, SBCFC, Business, Saab, Homeowners, State, Texas, M University, Massachusetts Department of Conservation, Driscoll Administration, Salisbury Beach, Coast, UMass Amherst Locations: Salisbury Beach, Salisbury Beach , Massachusetts, Salisbury, The Massachusetts, State, Massachusetts, Sandwich

☆ National Park Service set to remove nearly 160 cherry trees in DC to repair seawall
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Shania Shelton | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The National Park Service is gearing up to remove nearly 160 cherry trees in Washington, DC, in an effort to repair the city’s deteriorating seawalls, the agency announced Wednesday. More than 450 trees, including 274 cherry trees, will be replanted in the area when the project is finished, the NPS said in a statement. “And there will be an enormous increase in the number of trees that are out there.”Rising sea levels and warming temperatures threaten the thousands of cherry trees in Washington, DC. Construction around the Tidal Basin will remove about 140 cherry trees between the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The tree removal effort comes as the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival is set to take place from March 20 to April 14, bringing crowds to the area.

Persons: we’re, ”, Mike Litterst, ” Litterst, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, weren’t, Litterst, “, Derek Van Dam Organizations: CNN, National, Service, West Potomac, Cherry Blossom, NPS, National Mall, Memorial Parks, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Seaboard, DC, Great American, Fund Locations: Washington , DC, Potomac, West, West Potomac Park, Washington ,, —, “

☆ Clean energy stocks have fallen out of favor. They face more challenges ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Plug Power shares have slipped 63% this year, Enphase Energy shares have plunged 60%, SolarEdge Technologies shares have declined 71% and NextEra Energy shares have slid 29%. Yet clean energy stocks haven’t recovered, despite hopes that an influx of US government spending on climate solutions would help revive the sector. The culprit behind clean energy stocks’ poor returns? Krull sees the current rut in clean energy stocks as a buying opportunity for investors. Clean energy stocks also aren’t the only way investors are putting their cash to work with a sustainability mindset.

Persons: Biden, Todd Jones, Jean Rosenbaum, Andrew Poreda, That’s, Peter Krull, Krull, ” Krull Organizations: New, New York CNN, Clean Energy, Enphase Energy, SolarEdge Technologies, NextEra Energy, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Gratus Capital, Sage Advisory, Earth Equity Advisors, Nvidia Locations: New York, Paris

☆ Why environmentalists are suing the National Park Service to prevent it from planting trees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Jonathan Park | Janna Van Vranken | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The National Park Service wants to replant sequoia groves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where wildfires in 2020 and 2021 inflicted lasting damage on the iconic sequoia forests. Sequoias are among the species of trees that actually “depend on high-intensity fire in order to reproduce effectively,” said Hanson told CNN. In this September 2021 photo, the Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near the Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Forest. David McNew/Getty Images“The Park Service has to abide by the 1964 Wilderness Act,” said Kevin Proescholdt, conservation director at Wilderness Watch. “The more that agencies will allow natural fire to burn and perform its role, the better these wilderness forests will be,” he said.

Persons: ” Chad Hanson, John Muir, ”, Hanson, ” Hanson, “, replanting, David McNew, Kevin Proescholdt, Proescholdt, ” Proescholdt, what’s Organizations: CNN, National Park Service, National Parks, NPS, John Muir Project, Wilderness Watch, Sequoia, Conservancy, sequoia, Giants, Sequoia National, Service, National Forest Service Locations: Sequoia, California, sequoia

☆ How AI could power the climate breakthrough the world needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Clare Duffy | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The tool uses data on the climate, water and soil of a particular location to measure how viable the landscape will be for growing in the coming years. “The way we think about AI is it’s a time and effectiveness multiplier to the solutions for climate change,” Gupta told CNN. But for all of AI’s promise, the infrastructure that supports the technology — data centers filled with rows of powerful, energy-sucking computers — could itself be a strain on the environment. For now, the amount of energy used to power AI is relatively small compared to what’s consumed by transportation or buildings. Data center operators like Google are already thinking about how to reduce the resources needed to power the computing behind their AI models.

Persons: David Rind, ClimateAi, Himanshu Gupta, ” Gupta, ”, Fengqi, “, Kara Lamb, Aditya, Dan Keeler, ” Keeler, Anna Liljedahl, ” Liljedahl, Keeler, Daniel Leal, ClimateAi’s Gupta, Anna Robertson, ” Robertson, Alex de Vries, Alex Kraus, Adam Selipsky, —, Gupta Organizations: David Rind . New York CNN, Farmers, CNN, Cornell, Getty, Technology, Climate Research, Google, Bloomberg, Web Services, —, “ Regulators, ” Tech Locations: David Rind . New York, India, Maharashtra, Columbia, American, Ireland, Oregon, United States

The Vegetation Health Index (VHI), a U.S. government product, suggests vegetation in Mato Grosso may be in the worst state since 2015, which preceded one of the state’s worst growing seasons. The other comparable one was in 2020, though the following soybean crop was normal. Soils in Mato Grosso lack in nutrients and quality as compared with the best U.S. The state is expected to grow 27% and 38% of Brazil’s total 2023-24 soy and corn crops, respectively. Nationally, Brazil’s soybean planting was 68% as of last Thursday, the lowest rate since 2019-20 and behind the year-ago 80%.

Persons: Rio, Mato Grosso, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Lucas, El Nino, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mato Grosso, Brazil, NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Mato, U.S, Mato Grosso’s

☆ Why apple prices plunged in October
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But apple prices plunged 7.9%. A Goldilocks year for applesIn general, apple prices dip in the fall, because that’s when they’re harvested and flood the market. An apple orchard near Leavenworth, Washington state. “We have a lot of volume, but I don’t know if we’re gonna be making any money this year.”Though gas prices have fallen, apple farmers have other rising costs, including labor. To cope with rising costs and improve sustainability, many farmers have been making adjustments to how they operate, said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, which promotes the state’s apple industry.

Persons: it’s, ”, Chris Gerlach, ” Gerlach, “, Jon DeVaney, Gerlach, Lynsee Gibbons, we’ve, Association’s DeVaney, …, Craig Campbell, Campbell, DeVaney, “ I’ve, Jonathan Haines, Todd Fryhover, “ We’re, “ They’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Apple Association, Gro Intelligence, Tree Fruit Association, USDA, “, ” Farmers, Harmony Orchards, Washington Apple Commission Locations: New York, United States, India, Leavenworth , Washington, Washington, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, East, South Asia, Yakima, Wenatchee

View of the Cobre Panama mine, of Canada's First Quantum Minerals, in Donoso, Panama, December 6, 2022. Panama has a long mining history but Cobre Panama is the first major new investment this century. There are now calls not just for the Cobre Panama mine to be closed but for Panama to shun all future mining as well. By the time detailed negotiations on a new contract started in 2021, the mine was already ramping up to full production. The tale of Cobre Panama is an object lesson in getting it wrong.

Persons: El Salvador, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Minerals, REUTERS, Aris, Quantum, Environmental, Panama's, Justice, Supreme, Canada, Swedish Sámi Association, European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Panama, Donoso, Rincon, Cobre Panama, Canada, American, Europe, Serbia, Scandinavia, Russia, Panamanian

“It was really beautiful native forest,” said JC Watson, the manager of the Koolau Mountains Watershed Partnership, which helps take care of the land. Hawaii’s native plants evolved without encountering regular fires and fire is not part of their natural life cycle. There are cultural losses when native forest burns. They'll devise a restoration plan that will include invasive species control and planting native species. “There has been a huge uptick in the last 10 years, largely in Waianae range, which is the western and drier portion of the island,” Gon said.

Persons: ”, JC Watson, “ It’s, ” Watson, Sam ’ Ohu Gon III, Kristen Oleyte, Velasco, Watson, Gon, “ It’ll, “ It's, — Organizations: Conservancy, Wildlife, U.S ., Fish, Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Firefighters Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Oahu, Lahaina, U.S, Honolulu, Central Oahu

“One of the biggest problems is the fragmentation of the forest,” said Luís Paulo Ferraz, executive director of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, known by its Portuguese acronym AMLD. In the canopy above, the small golden monkeys with long tails were jumping from one branch to another. In the specific region of the Atlantic forest where golden lion tamarins can be found, the forest is down to just 2% of its original size, Ferraz said. In the 1970s, when scientists began efforts to save the species, there were just 200 golden lion tamarins left, according to AMLD. And in spite of a bad bout of yellow fever in 2018 — when the population dropped more than 30% in a matter of months — there are now more golden lion tamarins than at any time since conservation efforts began.

Persons: replanting, ”, Luís Paulo Ferraz, Sarah Darwin, Charles Darwin, “, ” Darwin, Ferraz, tamarins, Diarlei Rodrigues Organizations: RIO DE, Lion Tamarin Association, Nature Conservancy, AMLD, Associated Press Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Rio de, Forest, British, Portuguese, Brazil’s, Brazil, —

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — For people around the world, the green leaves that sprouted from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree in the heart of devastated Lahaina symbolized hope following Maui’s deadly wildfire this summer. Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina; the fire charred all but two of the dozen or so that remained. By contrast, researchers believe breadfruit and kukui nut — now the state tree of Hawaii — were among the many edible plants Polynesian voyagers brought around 1,000 years ago. Efforts to revive the banyan and other important surviving trees have included trucking in water, applying compost extract and testing soil. But replanting breadfruit in urban areas comes with challenges, said Steve Nimz, an arborist on Oahu who has been helping restore Lahaina’s trees.

Persons: landscapers, ”, Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, King Kamehameha, ulu, ” Kekona, Lahaina’s, replanting, Steve Nimz, “, Hokuao Pellegrino, ” Pellegrino, replant, Pellegrino, he's, reintegrating breadfruit, ___ Komenda Organizations: University of Hawaii, Development Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina, ulu, Maui, Manoa, U.S, India, Lele, Hilo, Lincoln, Oahu, Waikapu, West Maui, “, Tacoma , Washington

☆ 3,000 snails travel 3,000 miles in an effort to save a species
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“When we started the program with the Bermuda snails at the zoo, we were just on the edge of extinction of the species,” says Garcia. The greater Bermuda land snail, whose shell measures up to 2.5 centimeters in diameter, shown alongside the lesser Bermuda snail. The hope is that the lesser land snail will follow the greater’s slimy trail. “We’ve been using the greater Bermuda land snail as the surrogate, or the research proxy, assuming that if they do well, the lesser Bermuda land snail will do as well,” says Outerbridge. Scientists have been reintroduced the greater and lesser Bermuda land snails across different islands in the archipelago.

Persons: Gerardo Garcia, Mark Outerbridge, CNN Garcia, ”, Garcia, “, ‘, Outerbridge, Garcia –, CNN “ They’re, We’ve, Pepper Organizations: CNN, Chester Zoo, “, Bermuda’s Department of Environment Locations: England, Bermuda, Lesser Bermuda, Port, Hamilton, “, Chester, Trunk, Brazil, palmetto

☆ Opinion | I Pledged $1 Million to Plant New Trees. I Wish I Could Invest the Money in Saving Old Ones.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Roger Worthington | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most of that money went to reforestation projects on national forest land carried out by a nonprofit I began. The agency manages its lands for multiple uses, including timber harvesting, and has allowed the cutting of carbon-rich, old-growth forests whose destruction contributes to global warming. But overcome, I suppose, by pie-in-the-sky do-gooderism, I pledged the money anyway. Over the next few years, over 650,000 trees were planted. Today, with a balance of over $250,000 remaining, we’re on track to exceed the target of one million trees.

Organizations: U.S . Forest Service, Forest Service

☆ Replanting the Amazon could slow global warming. Here’s why it’s hard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +24 min

Milton da Costa Junior nosed his pickup through a remote stretch of the western Brazilian Amazon to check on his babies. Local authorities said the September 2021 incident, which Da Costa outlined in a police report that was reviewed by Reuters, is being investigated. Out of dozens of reforestation initiatives in the country, Rioterra and The Black Jaguar Foundation, a Brazilian-European group, are among the largest. Illegal invaders destroy in hours what it takes Rioterra or Black Jaguar a year to plant. In all, Black Jaguar has signed contracts with 26 farms and planted 326 hectares (806 acres) to date.

Persons: Milton da Costa, Da Costa, Carlos Nobre, Alexis Bastos, Rioterra, ”, Nobre, “, Bastos, Jamari, Dejesus Aparecido Ramos, it’s, ” Bastos, Jair Bolsonaro, Germany –, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Black, Ben Valks, Valks, Leandro Silveira, Silveira, São, ” Valks, aren’t, Cristina Banks, Leite, Marcos Mariani, Araguaia, Mariani, Tânia Irres, ” Irres, Regina Molke, I’ll, Clovis, Black Jaguar, Aquaverde, Renato Franklin, “ Ben, ” Franklin, L’Oreal, da Costa, ” Da Costa, da, Spring, Clare Trainor, Catherine Tai, Lais Morais, Ilan Rubens, Lucy Ha, John Emerson, Marla Dickerson Organizations: Milton da Costa Junior, Toyota, Reuters, Black Jaguar Foundation, National Institute for Space Research, Rioterra, Cultural, Environmental Studies, Petrobras, “, Amazon Fund, Environment Ministry, United, United Arab Emirates, São Paulo, Global, Farmers, Brazil’s Central Bank, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Imperial College London, Santana, Bolsonaro, United Nations, Space Agency, Copernicus, Sentinel Locations: Machadinho, Rondônia, Brazil, Germany, Brazilian, European, Manhattan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Bastos, Porto Velho, droves, Rio, Black, Itapuã, Oeste, Norway, United Arab, Pará, Caixa, “, Costa, Syria, Paris, Santana, Araguaia’s, Clovis, Regina, United States, South, Geneva, Rio Preto, da Costa

☆ Podcast: Inside the race to replant the Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Listen to Jake Spring’s special report on replanting the Amazon with host Kim Vinnell. As the climate clock ticks down, it's fallen to non-profits to restore vast portions of Brazil's decimated Amazon Rainforest. But they're battling illegal land grabs, tight budgets, and some botanical mysteries. Further ReadingReplanting the Amazon could help save the world’s climate. Here’s why it’s so hard to doThe Amazon’s little tipping pointsAmazon rainforest: jungle labOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jake Spring’s, Kim Vinnell, it's Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Amazon, Thomson

Palm oil prices have fallen some 49% from last year's record, but the tight supply means they are expected to stay above pre-pandemic levels. Another palm oil giant, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLKK.KL), told Reuters it plans to replant 10,000 hectares this year, up from a lower-than-usual 6,000 hectares in 2022. The scheme targeted replanting of 2.4 million hectares but only managed to replant around 278,000 hectares by February, partly due to land legality issues. We are ageing faster than we are replanting," Malaysia Palm Oil Association chief executive Joseph Tek told Reuters. In Malaysia, replanting costs doubled to around $4,500 per hectare after the pandemic inflated prices of fertiliser and labour.

☆ Indonesia pledges more ambitious carbon emission cut
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Indonesia has revised up its carbon emission reduction targets, pledging more effective land use and better energy policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions more than its 2015 Paris Agreement commitment, a minister said on Tuesday. Indonesia is one of the world's biggest carbon emitters, with much of its pollution coming from forest and peatland clearance. The government has set a new target to cut emission levels by 31.89% on its own or 43.2% with international support by 2030. That is more ambitious than its Paris Agreement pledge, which was to cut emissions by 29% or 41% with international help, its chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said. A plan to start levying carbon tax this April has been delayed due to high global energy prices.

Crop Watch producers have been evaluating yield potential for their corn and soy fields on a weekly basis since early July. CORNThe third and fourth harvested Crop Watch corn fields, Indiana and southeastern Illinois, were both completed on Sunday, and the results diverged. Indiana was among the driest Crop Watch locations this summer, but soil moisture was high at the start of the season, delaying planting. Crop Watch corn fields could be completed this coming week in Nebraska, eastern Iowa and North Dakota. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx.

☆ Shares of this bioenergy play could rally more than 50%, Raymond James says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wood pellet producer Enviva' s environmental attributes are being misunderstood – and that's unfairly harming its share value, Raymond James said. The company makes wood pellets that can be burned for energy instead of coal. That has made the entry point even more attractive as it stands to gain value with the value of wood pellets becoming increasingly understood. He also clarified wood pellets are cleaner-burning than coal, thus making their use better for air quality compared to coal. Molchanov pointed to wood pellets' role in Europe's clean energy transition, while calling Enviva "the world's largest player in this space."

Worker loads palm oil fresh fruit bunches to be transported from the collector site to CPO factories in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia, April 27, 2022. The momentum in shipments could help to bring Indonesia's palm oil stocks, which ballooned to 6.69 million tonnes by end-June from around 4 million tonnes at end-2021, back to 4.5 to 5 million tonnes by end-September, said Eddy Martono, Secretary General at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI). Malaysia has also displaced Indonesia so far in the 2021/22 marketing year to end-October as the top palm oil supplier to India, according to SEA data. "Indonesian sellers are now trying hard to regain the lost market share by offering discounts," a New Delhi-based palm oil dealer said. "Palm oil is big contributor in its tax kitty.

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