A PRIMER ON SILVICULTURE FUNDING . . . GLOBAL SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION RISING . . . FLAWED STUDIES SUPPORT BIO-FUELS AS ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES . . . ECUADOR’S ANSWER TO THE GLOBAL COCOA SHORTAGE . . . NOW CLEARED FOR LANDING AT AIRPORTS: BEES . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

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A PRIMER ON SILVICULTURE FUNDING
Source: Association for Sustainable Forestry
Private woodlots can and should be managed for multiple goals, whether those goals are generating timber income, restoring wildlife habitat, enhancing recreation, or just enjoying the beauty and solitude of a peaceful walk through the woods. If you’ve owned a woodlot for long, you’ve probably thought about what you want from the land and set some goals for realizing the values that are important to you and your family. Based on those goals, you may have some idea of what kinds of silvicultural treatments are needed. But how do you fund the work, especially if it doesn't result in any immediate income? (read more)

GLOBAL SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION RISING
Source: The Meat Site
Global sheep meat production has been rising over the last three to four years having seen a gradual slide since heights of 2007. And almost half of global production is found in Asia, Quality Meat Scotland’s head of economic services Stuart Ashworth told the AHDB Outlook 2015 conference in London last week. The other region of the world to show some marked growth is Africa, where most of the production is for the domestic market. (read more)

FLAWED STUDIES SUPPORT BIO-FUELS AS ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES
Source: The Cutting Edge News
Nearly all of the studies used to promote biofuels as climate-friendly alternatives to petroleum fuels are flawed and need to be redone, according to a University of Michigan researcher who reviewed more than 100 papers published over more than two decades. Once the erroneous methodology is corrected, the results will likely show that policies used to promote biofuels – such as the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard and California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standards – actually make matters worse when it comes to limiting net emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide gas. (read more)

ECUADOR’S ANSWER TO THE GLOBAL COCOA SHORTAGE
Source: NPR The world is running out of chocolate. A scientist in Ecuador has come up with a solution. But if you love chocolate, you might not like it. (read more)

NOW CLEARED FOR LANDING AT AIRPORTS: BEES
Source: New York Times
A jet taxied down a nearby runway at Mirabel airport, the roar of its engines merging with the steady buzz of thousands of wings. His head covered with a beekeeper’s veil, Alexandre Beaudoin lifted a frame out of one of five buzzing hives, each housing about 70,000 bees. The bees paid no attention to his intrusion – they were sedated with smoke first – and continued their work. (read more)