November 08 

Welcome to this month's E-news.

It is good to see so many members contributing articles and commentary to the industry's leading magazines and journals. However, we're struck by the lack of letters after ICF members' names. The first three articles in one of this month's publications are written by chartered foresters yet not one has FICFor or MICFor after the author's name. It is important that we reinforce the authority that chartered status carries, so use your "letters" with pride - you've earned them! 

And, as always, please do use the ICF Members' Area Discussion Forum to exchange views with fellow members or alternatively email ICF.

shortcut to sections - click on headings below:

ICF News | General News | Developments

Consultations  | Events & Training

Congratulations to
ICF Honorary Fellow Jeff Burley, on his award of an honorary doctorate from the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) at Turrialba, Costa Rica for his services to international forest research and education.  Also to Sandy Greig FICFor (pictured left with Royal Forestry Society President John Bessant), joint winner of the RFS's 2008 James Cup for his review of the role of UK forestry in carbon use and storage, and its effects on climate change published in the RFS Quarterly Journal of Forestry.

ICF National Conference 2009 and AGM
Timber, Mutton or Fuel? Debating the economics of land use and forestry. That's what we will be discussing at next year's conference in Cardiff. Booking details will be available next month so be sure to put the dates - 22nd to 23rd April - in your diary and to check out the ICF website for the conference outline. The AGM will follow the conference on the afternoon of 23rd April.

Vacancies 
Check the ICF Members' Area for the latest job vacancies. 

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Mayor announces next phase of 10,000 street tree programme
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has published the first 20 London locations which will benefit from his election pledge to fund 10,000 street trees. Organisations who want to bid for funding in the first year of the programme are now encouraged to do so.  The Mayor wants the new trees to be planted in 40 residential areas where few street trees exist and which would most benefit from them. Additional areas will be announced early in 2009. 
The areas are: Dagenham, Barking, Stepney, Bow Common/Bromley by Bow, Camberwell, Borough, Seven Kings and Goodmayes, Forest Gate, Mitcham Road, Caledonian Road/Kings Cross, Yiewsley, Havering Riverside, Haringey East, Hammersmith and North Kensington, Downs Park vicinity, Shoreditch, Penge, Neasden, Kilburn and central Camden. More

East England receives £4.3m wood-based energy boost
Woodlands in the East of England are set to provide fuel for the future after a new project received one of the largest funding awards of its kind in England. The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has awarded £4.3 million to increase the use of wood-based energy production. The £10.7 million Woodfuel East project will help cut carbon emissions by providing locally produced and sustainably sourced fuel. It will also help create jobs and businesses in the rural economy and improve biodiversity. The award has come from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is a combination of European funding and money from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, delivered regionally by EEDA.
Woodfuel East initiative is a partnership governed by representatives of 25 organisations from across the region, co-ordinated by the Forestry Commission. More

BBC needs your brains
The BBC must have heard about the success of the 2008 Study Tour quiz. Soon after returning from the successful event, ICF received an invitation from BBC2 seeking teams of seven quizzers to take part in the next series of "Battle of the Brains"! It's down to the skill and judgement of the captain to cleverly assemble an intellectual fighting force to win the game. Teams will be challenged on subjects such as the Arts, Entertainment, History, Sport and Culture. It would be great if we could field an ICF team. Surely we must have some quizzers out there?
Deadline for entries is the end of November but do apply sooner. More

Forest Enterprise Scotland to get new look
Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) will restructure next year as the result of a recent review of their organisation. The shake-up will result in a new structure at forest district level to manage the national forest estate. The review was undertaken to ensure that Forest Enterprise Scotland was able to operate more effectively and deliver a wide range of social, economic and environmental forestry policies. The number of forest districts (but not staff) will be reduced from 14 to 10 across Scotland and the new boundaries phased in from April 2009. View the new forest districts  

European bat rabies confirmed in Shropshire
Tests have confirmed the presence of European Bat Lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2), a strain of bat rabies in a Daubenton's bat that was submitted to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, Surrey. The bat carcase was sent for routine testing after being found dead at premises in Shropshire. There is no evidence that anybody was bitten or scratched by this bat.  EBLV has previously been isolated from seven UK bats since 1996, the last case occurring in May 2008.  Anyone finding a sick or ailing bat should not approach or handle it but seek advice from the Bat Conservation Trust Helpline on 0845 1300 228 or, in Scotland, SPCA on 0870 73 77722. Further information can be found at Defra.

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility participants list grows
The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, a World Bank programme that partners developing countries with industrialized countries and The Nature Conservancy, a non-governmental organization, in an effort to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, convened its first operational meeting from 20th-22nd October 2008, in Washington, DC, USA. During the meeting, it was decided that the programme should be expanded and that ten new developing countries would be added to the 20 that had originally been selected. More 
 
Scottish Forest Alliance announces annual statistics and major project successes
The Scottish Forest Alliance (SFA) has released annual statistics showing the successes of the project so far. The project, which is supported financially by BP and is Scotland's biggest ever corporate commitment to the environment, is helping to regenerate some of Scotland's fragmented native woodlands, to restore the rich diversity of flora and fauna that once flourished in these woodlands, and is promoting community involvement in local woodland sites. Across the fourteen sites, an average of 443,000 visitors are being exposed to the SFA project and its aims each year - an average of 1,215 visitors every day of each year. More

New policy document from the Landscape Institute
The Landscape Institute (LI) launched its Climate Care Position Statement during their two day conference in London in October. The statement is the first in a series of policy documents from the LI that will also cover green infrastructure and housing. More

Forest Research Wales to develop its profile with new appointment 
Dr Hugh Evans, head of the Tree Health Division at the Forestry Commission's Forest Research agency based at Alice Holt Research Station in Farnham, is to lead the development of Forest Research's profile and business opportunities in Wales. His appointment is part of developments by Forest Research and Forestry Commission Wales to establish a research base in Aberystwyth, where the Commission has its National Office for Wales. He takes up his post on 5th January 2009.   

Have you got green hands?
Project Greenhands is seeking partner organisations to help support developing world reforestation initiatives as part of their response to Climate Change. The project has planted 6 million trees in 3 years in Tamil Nadu, India and aims to plant 114 million further trees within 3-10 years to raise the green cover of the entire state to 33%. More 


Deer on a diet at Scottish estate
The feeding of deer in winter on a Highlands estate is likely to be phased out and more of the animals culled to help the regeneration of woodland. Trees for Life want to reconnect forested areas from the River Moriston floodplain up into the hills on Dundreggan Estate in Glen Moriston. The charity will consult with deer management groups on its plans to control the large mammals. The estate includes some of the last stands of ancient Caledonian Forest.
Trees for Life, based in Findhorn, Forres, took over the 4,000ha in a £1.6m deal. The charity wants to revive riparian forest to tackle erosion around the River Moriston but also to provide leaf litter which creates food and habitat for invertebrates. As many as 500,000 native trees may also be planted.

Society for the Environment gets royal Fellow
The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) has announced that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has accepted an Honorary Fellowship. SocEnv recognises The Prince of Wales as "an outstanding ambassador for environmental matters across the many disciplines represented by SocEnv's membership, from ecology and resource management to engineering and the built environment. He has demonstrated a tireless commitment to issues of sustainability, and has promoted innovative, practical solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges."  Since attaining its Royal Charter in 2004, over 5,000 Chartered Environmentalists have registered through SocEnv's 23 licensed member bodies, ICF included.    

PM's special envoy calls for international help for the sector 
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's special envoy on deforestation has produced a report calling for international help to make the forest sector carbon neutral. In his review, Mr Eliasch called upon the international community to enable rainforest countries to halve deforestation by 2020 and make the global forest sector "carbon neutral" by 2030. The review also states that reducing emissions from deforestation should be fully included in any post-2012 global climate deal at Copenhagen. More  

A new advisory service for foresters
AA International Ltd, a spin-out company from the University of Wales, was launched in 2005 by Dr Ian Robinson to offer technical assistance services in marginal, disaster prone and conflict/post conflict zones worldwide. AA International has recently established a new service called TechTalk©, a personalised, web-based, E-advisory service designed to give project managers, farmers, land managers and others involved in the management of natural resources, rapid access to an expert practitioner who will answer their individual technical questions.
AA International is happy to welcome experienced foresters onto their panel of experts. More

Drax to invest £2bn in renewable energy
Drax, the owner of western Europe's largest coal-fired power station, unveiled a £2bn
renewable energy investment plan in an effort to diversify its business and benefit from 
government subsidies. Drax said it planned to build three 300MW power plants that
would burn biomass, including energy crops and agricultural or forestry waste. More
The ICF North England Regional Group will be visiting Drax at Selby on 19th November (see Events). 

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Amendment to Citrus Longhorn Beetle Emergency measures bulletin
Defra information bulletin 335/08 (21st October 2008) - "Emergency measures announced to prevent spread of Citrus Longhorn Beetle" - had an incorrect date. The coming into force date of the amendment to the Plant Health (England) Order 2005 which will enforce these measures in the UK should have read 10th November 2008 (not 4th November).  Emergency measures to prevent further introductions of the Citrus Longhorn Beetle to the UK have been approved, reflecting conclusions agreed by the Standing Committee on Plant Health. 
The measures include restrictions on the import of a wide range of plants from countries where the beetle is known to be present. Only plants that have been grown in a pest free environment and that have been monitored for at least two years prior to import will be allowed to enter the UK. Consignments arriving in the UK will have to declare this information on the phytosanitary certificate and will be subject to inspection at import, including some destructive sampling as the pest is difficult to detect without cutting open the plant itself. More 

Forest guidance plan update for Scotland
Forestry Commission Scotland's Grants and Licences department has advised that the Forest Plan Guidance has been updated and the first of the Forest Plan Examples (Upland Mixed Conifer Woodland) is now available on their website. The updates are in the following areas: Forest Plan Process Chart (pg 4), Inclusion of Woodland Removal (pg 13), Recommended Felling and Restructuring Map Legends  (pg14), Production Forecasting (pg 16) - a customised Excel spreadsheet and guidance is now available, and Inclusion of Indicative Forest Strategies and Local Forestry Frameworks (Appendix 1)

ZSL announces squirrelpox breakthrough
Scientists working for the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have found eight cases where free-living red squirrels have survived a dose of the deadly squirrelpox virus. Their unexpected immunity suggests that it should be possible to develop a vaccine to help eradicate the disease. More

Town and Country Planning (Trees)(Amendment)(England) Regulations 2008
In response to the recurring queries raised regarding the regulations which came into force on 1st October, a "frequently asked questions" guide has been produced by Communities and Local Government (CLG) to assist. It includes help related to the revised model form of tree preservation order, transition arrangements and compensation. Download

£3m targeted at Yorkshire and Humber 
LandSkills, part of the Rural Development Programme for England, has £3m of funding available in Yorkshire and Humber over the next three years to deliver a range of sibsidised activities to help forestry, horticultural and agricultural businesses improve the skills and knowledge needed to enhance their efficiency and potential. For more information email Lantra or visit their website .

Tackling Rhododendron in West Argyll
The advance of Rhododendron Ponticum across parts of western Scotland could soon be halted and reversed. From last month Liz Poulsom, a woodland ecologist with Forestry Commission Scotland, is leading a two-year partnership project advising land-owners and managers on rhododendron elimination and control.
The project will focus on several sites in West Argyll and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The project will be managed through a partnership steering group including Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park and the Argyll and Bute Biodiversity partnership/invasive species forum.

New Publications
Forest Commission Research Note 3 (FCRN003), "Benefits of improved Sitka spruce: volume and quality of  timber' by S Mochan, S Lee and B Gardiner explains that an increase of up to 29% timber (by volume) could be gained by planting improved stock. ISBN 973-0-85538-766-2. Order
"Carbon Futures", from global management consultancy Arthur D. Little looks at the future of carbon markets post-2012.  It seeks to map a path forward for tomorrow's carbon winners by considering market scenarios and how these will impact business post 2012. Download
"Forward looking baselines" by Böttcher, H. W. A. Kurz, A. Freibauer, 2008. Accounting of forest carbon sinks and sources under a future climate protocol - factoring out past disturbance and management effects on age-class structure. Environmental Science and Policy 11: 669 - 686, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2008.08.005. More 
"Protected Trees - A Guide to Tree Preservation Procedures", a new edition of the leaflet is now available on the CLG website. It picks up the new application requirements and other consequential amendments. Orders may be placed for copies of this leaflet at DCLG Publications on 0870 1226 236 or by email. 
"The Red Squirrel, Redressing the Wrong". Charles Dutton describes the plight of the red squirrel in Britain and Ireland and tells us what we should be doing to save our native squirrel from extinction. More 

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Wales Woodland Strategy Consultation
The ICF rsponse to the Wales Woodland Strategy can be found in the Members' Area of the ICF website. ICF would like to thank all those who responded.

Consultations still open
Skills to grow: seven priorities to improve urban green space skills. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment consultation. Ends 12th November.  Online feedback .

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"Adding Value and Marketing" event at ICF member's woodland
Chris Yarrow MICFor and his wife Anne have developed Wilderness Woodland as a very popular visitor attraction and produce a wide range of products from the timber on the site which they market to visitors and via their website. This meeting, on Saturday 29th November from 1.30-4.30pm, will discuss their management of the woodland and how they balance this with public access, and how they make and market their produce. See events list. 

National Tree Week 
The Tree Council's National Tree Week runs from 26th November to 7th December. It is the UK's largest annual tree celebration and launches the start of the winter tree planting season. Anyone organising an event can list it for free on the Tree Council website where you can get a list of all the activities taking place. More

Update from UK Woodfuel Expo Iginition09
Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the UK Governments Sustainable Development Commission, will deliver the keynote speech at the Ignition09 launch event. He will debate key issues facing the industry with a panel of experts from across the wood fuel sector including: Angela Duignan, Head of Wood Fuel Implementation, Forestry Commission; Jonathan Scurlock, Chief Adviser, Renewable Energy & Climate Change, NFU; Chris Miles, Managing Director, Econergy and Sam Whatmore, Owner, Forest Fuels Ltd. Ignition09 takes place at The Sage Gateshead on 11th-12th March. Morefluence tree health. More

Pesticides and consumer risk
The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) will be holding a training event on consumer risk assessment in York on 11th December. It aims to provide guidance in the appropriate use of residue values in risk assessment models and highlight commonly encountered problems. It will be held at the PSD, York on 11th December. Register on the PSD website by 7th December. More

Date set for National Forest Wood Fair 
The 2009 National Forest Wood Fair will be held on Monday 31st August 2009 at Beacon Hill Country Park, Leicestershire. Plans are already underway to expand the Wood Fair programme including the Grand Auction which proved a hit with this year's 3,400 visitors. More

Spring in the CCF group's step
The Continuous Cover Forestry Group is supporting a Spring Study Tour to Denmark and Germany from 31st March to 7th April 2009. The tour is specifically designed for UK foresters and will focus on stands/conditions similar to those in the UK, especially those where wind is a major disturbance factor. Included will be technical sessions in the field, lectures at some of the top forestry institutions and a dedicated "tree marking" training event.
The hosts will include regional and district foresters, practitioners and academics. The programme coordinator and leader is Dr Arne Pommerening, Bangor University, who has successfully run similar tours in North Germany in previous years. Full details on the CCFG website. 

Forest Research Update Meeting:  Aviemore Highland Resort, 6th November. More
Wood Futures Conference 2016 - Countdown to Zero: Royal Festival Hall, London, 6th Nov. More
Continuing Cover Forestry Course: Wilderness Wood, Hadlow Down, 7th Nov. More 
Survival of the Fittest - How to Succeed in a Recession: Arboricultural Association & Lancashire County Council, Chorley, Lancashire, 10th Nov. More
Marketing for Small Wood-Based Businesses: Free evening seminar, Myerscough College, 11th November. More 
Trees, Roots, Fungi, Soil: Below-ground eco-system & implications for tree health: TEP seminar XII, Cardiff National Museum, Cathays Park, Cardiff, 23th Nov. More
ICF South East England Regional Group Meeting & AGM: Alice Holt Research Station, Hampshire, 19th Nov. More 
ICF Midlands Regional Group Meeting and AGM: Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel, Donington, 19th Nov. More
ICF North England Regional Group Woodfuel Discussion Meeting & AGM: Drax Power Station, Selby, North Yorkshire, 19th Nov. More
ICF Wales Regional Group AGM and Winter Conference on Forestry and Europe: The Dragon Hotel, Montgomery, 21st Nov. More  
Arboriculture and Bats - A Guide for Practitioners: Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Cambridgeshire, 21st Nov. More
Forest Education Initiative National Networking Day 2008: Pioneer Centre, Wyre Forest, 25th Nov. More
National Tree Week: various locations, 26th Nov - 7th Dec. More 
Adding Value and Marketing: Small Woods Association event, Wilderness Wood, Hadlow Down, Uckfield, East Sussex, 29th Nov. More 
ICF East England Regional Group Meeting and AGM: Marston Vale Community Forest, 8th Dec. More

Find details of Royal Forestry Society November events at: RFS website

View full events list

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