Sustaining aboriginal forests has become a critical cog in the effort to fight climate change. These old growth forests are the great repositories of biodiversity for the planet, as well as forming the largest carbon sinks in the world. Human beings cut down more than 15 billion trees each year, equaling 10 to 15 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions. There are, however, a number of promising strategies to combat deforestation including enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, eco-certification, and remuneration from rich to poor countries for maintaining the forest canopy. Project Drawdown lists forest protection as the 38th best solution to combat climate change and will result in more biodiversity, promote pollination, enhance ecotourism, and provide additional ecosystem services.
This collection contains stories (see below) which articulate a number of forest management solutions. In Oregon, prescribed burns are returning the forest to a natural and healthy state. Across the West, natural burn patterns are being encouraged as a cost-saving measure, and the Forest Service is compiling a DNA database for trees that will allow tracking of illegal logging. And in the tropics, researchers are using bio-acoustic monitoring to track how the forest evolves against the pressures of logging and burning. This solution is one of the Drawdown Ecochallenge actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/eavesdrop-on-forest-sounds-to-effectively-monitor-biodiversity-researchers-say
Shreya Dasgupta
Mongabay
3 January 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Bioacoustics, a method for studying sound in forests, has some powerful implications for conservation. For example, the U.S.-based non-profit Rainforest Connection used a remote smartphone network to discover logging and poaching in rainforests. The science is ongoing, but some promising applications are clear.
https://interactive.pri.org/2018/10/amazon-carbon/guardians.html
Sam Eaton
Public Radio International (PRI)
4 October 2018
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
Illegal logging and land clearing are destroying much of the Amazon forest which is impacting the livelihood of the indigenous people living there. The Guajajara tribe is taking an active stand against these activities by joining forces to stand guard against intruders.
https://youtu.be/MXBSXY1Ox8s
Delaney Young
University of Oregon
7 June 2018
Video / Under 3 Minutes
With climate change warming the planet, wildfires are becoming an increasingly worrisome issue. In Ashland, Oregon, fire crews are working to reintroduce fire to forests through prescribed burns in order to mitigate the growth of wildfires and make the forest healthier.
https://www.dailyyonder.com/exploring-solutions-economics-managing-healthier-forests/2018/12/12/29314
Bryce Oates
The Daily Yonder
12 December 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
In the western United States, a couple nonprofits are working to kill two birds with one stone: reducing catastrophic wildfires while creating a profitable (yet sustainable) market for harvested wood. Yet these management techniques have yet to prove economically viable.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40586162/this-dna-database-for-trees-will-help-track-illegal-logging
Adele Peters
FastCompany
18 June 2018
Text / Under 800 Words
The west coast of the United States is taking a stand to stop the poaching and selling of trees from prohibited areas in the region. By creating a DNA database that can be used to determine the specific genetics of trees as they relate to different regions, the Forest Service will be able to tell if wood is being illegally harvested.
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