On The Warpath

They prefer to be called the 'forest castes'. They are the 2,000,000-odd villagers living in some 10,000 villages across Orissa. After …

Logjam

Whenever the Supreme Court pulls the trigger, why does it miss the target? Because governments like those of the seven Northeast states work …

Forest war

Naxalism started as a movement against land alienation. Today it has become a popular movement against natural resource alienation, …

Why pruning of timber tree species is a strict no-no

Pruning of timber tree species harms both the quality and quantity of wood and needs to be checked immediately

Only 30% of tropical timber products in EU market are sustainable

Sustainable timber sourcing can protect over 5 million hectares of tropical forest, says a new report on sustainability of Europe’s timber …

A tree grown outside forest is a tree protected inside forest

Can we do away with permits, allow forestry-based economy to grow and still increase forest cover, protect wildlife and conserve our ecology?

Applying science to tackle illegal timber trade

Illegal trade of timber is worth US $30-100 billion annually. Scientists have developed some innovative methods to curb it

A motley crew of forest protectors

In Karnataka's Kodagu district, a group of people battling timber traders trying to exploit their region's virgin forests has earned the wrath of …

Shifting under a colonial past

A Myanmarese shifting cultivation technique, once perverted by British colonisers to maximise teak exploitation, is still valued for its benefits

The amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 will create new markets & jobs for poor communities

After amending Section 2(7) of Indian Forest Act, 1927, bamboo is no longer a tree. This enables the livelihoods of forest communities as well as …

Community-based natural resource management in Himachal still weak

A host of measures are needed to ensure community-based natural resource management and better provisioning of ecological services for the …

New model agriculture law aims to increase farmers’ income

The draft law proposes to ensure profitable returns to farmers through features such as electronic registration, direct sale to buyers and …

Forest productivity - Lumber slumber

Forest Development Corporations are yet to keep pace with the rising demand for timber, though cultivable lands exist

When alienation ruins

Sandalwood smuggling, epitomised by Veerappan, has become a collective phenomenon involving entire villages, which even the ban on sandalwood …

Making furniture from eucalyptus wood

Though scientists have developed a way to saw eucalyptus wood without cracking or twisting it, furniture makers aren't convinced of its utility.

Tokyo’s gamble with its Olympic architecture needs to be appreciated

This first of a two-part series examines the use of timber in designing the games village and venues rather than concrete

Forest-risk goods

Export-oriented commercial agriculture is the single largest driver of tropical deforestation, argues a new book

Fall of the poplar

In the backyard of Asia's largest poplar market, farmers are being forced to quit growing the soft wood as its price crashes because of overproduction

EcoCheck: Australia's Southwest jarrah forests have lost their iconic giants

When Europeans first arrived in Australia's Southwest, they found vast tracts of huge jarrah trees. Now, after logging and dwindling rainfall, …

Indigenous tree species can meet growing demand for wood

The ever-expanding population requires an enormous amount of wood, which in turn, puts intense pressure on the existing forest wealth of India

Timber trouble

Malaysia is infuriated by Australia's moves to ban logging by foreign companies in South Pacific countries

Unkindest cuts

Large-scale smuggling of timber from Nepal to Tibet threatens the pristine forests in the northern Himalaya

Painful cuts

Timber companiesfrom Asia stand to lose millions of dollars if a proposed law is passed by two cities in the US

US wildfire act could aid timber industry

On December 3, US President George W Bush gave the green light to the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, declaring that it would "help to prevent …

Turn off taps on poachers: Financial crimes linked to illegal wildlife, timber trade in EU going unpunished, flags report

Criminal assets remaining in the hands of poachers, giving them the liberty to invest in more illicit operations