SOUTHEM ONLINE Southern Hemisphere Forest Industry Journal Online news briefs SOUTHEM Online - Issue 275 24 November

r 2011 WA WILDFIRE WELCOMES IN SUMMER: Hi and Hola - Welcome to this edition of Southem Online. The southern hemisphere fire season got off to a bad start. Forecasters are predicting Australia is facing its worst ever bushfire season this summer. Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) launched a programme to raise public awareness but agencies have been on the back foot as wildfires are scorching the Margaret River region south of Perth. Stay safe and survive. Cheers and Saludos from Down Under Mike Smith Editor and Director Email: info@southem.com URL: www.southem.com SOUTHEM COMMUNITY REGISTRATION You can register for this free e-news headlines service. Send an email to subscribe@southem.com LINKEDIN GROUP @ http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2218173 YAHOO GROUP @ http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/southemonline/?yguid=224336867 FACEBOOK @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/southem/33458700993?ref=ts SPONSORS MESSAGES Help keep this publication free please visit our sponsors today! Contact info@southem.com for sponsorship details. SOUTHERN FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GIS CONFERENCE Warnell Outreach Workshops & Conferences presents the Eighth Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference. The 8th SOFOR GIS Conference will encompass topics related to the use of GIS and other geospatial technologies in forestry and natural resource management. Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference. December 11-13, 2011, Athens, Georgia. http://www.soforgis.net/2011/ **************************************** COPYRIGHT NOTICE Items headlined in SOUTHEM Online are drawn from a number of sources. The

source of the item is quoted, either by publication or organisations in line with the practice of fair reporting. Items originally published in Spanish are translated by TMS Ltd. Every effort is made to ensure use of paid wire service material is avoided at all times. Should users wish to utilise SOUTHEM Online on their own web sites, we request that this is done to accurately reflect the current layout to ensure attribution is appropriate. ************************************************ WA WILDFIRE ROUSES RESIDENTS IRE The southern hemisphere fire season got off to a bad start in Western Australia, where a controlled burn off got away on the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), leading to the loss of at least 30 homes in a wildfire spreading through the Margaret River region. The ABC reported an incident controller at Margaret River, Roger Armstrong, as saying the fire was still not under control, and he conceded information to residents during the bushfire had been slow and scarce. Wayne Gregson, the head of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority, said he understood residents were angry. BUSHFIRE ADVICE FOCUSES ON WHAT TO EXPECT The Margaret River wildfire came not long after the launch of a wildfire publication prepared by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) has been distributed to almost 100,000 people living in high bushfire risk areas in the southern half of the state, a media release said. The revised publication places a greater emphasis on what to expect during a bushfire and includes practical advice about how to prepare. ************************************************ NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICES RECEIVE BOOST IN $873,000 EXTRA FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES The Rural Fire Services in the Australian state of New South Wales will receive a chunk of a government A$873,000 boost to emergency volunteers. NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services Michael Gallacher recently announced 35 grants had been approved in this years round of the joint State-Commonwealth 2011-12 Emergency Volunteer Support Scheme, a component of the National Natural Disaster Resilience Program. Thirteen of the grants, valued at a total of nearly A$165,000, will be provided for NSW Rural Fire Service projects, a statement said. ************************************************ CORRIENTES INVITES INVESTMENT IN PULP MANUFACTURING TO ADD VALUE TO WOOD The Argentine province of Corrientes has ratified its interest in supporting the development of pulp-making industry. Governor Ricardo Colombi issued an invitation to "all those who want to come to invest," noting the administration in the region is "open to the country and the world." El Litoral reported via Lignum the governor reiterated a commitment to adding value to wood products in a sustainable manner, a clear reference to the opposition to pulp mill expansion from environmentalists which has hindered the sectors expansion in Argentina.

************************************************ SINO-FOREST SIDE-STEPS INDEPENDENT FOREST VALUATION Claims over the valuation Chinese forestry company Sino-Forest set for its forest assets have been swotted aside. A special committee of the company had found no fraud at the company in an investigation following allegations by a Canadian analyst, which sent Sino-Forest shares into freefall. However, although the Canadian listed company says it will engage an independent valuator, the investigation will not include an independent of trees the company says it owns in southern China. ************************************************ SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT PRESSES ON WITH LOG SALE PLAN The South Australian Government has vowed to press on with a sale of plantation logging rights in spite of a parliamentary report advising against the move. The Legislative Council committee has raised the possibility of logs being sold offshore putting local sawmill jobs at risk. The ABC has reported the State Treasurer Jack Snelling as saying there is no way the sale will be stopped and it will not have an adverse impact on the local timber industry. ************************************************ WOOD WASP CONCERN FOR BRAZILS FUTURE RESOURCE SUPPLIES In Brazil, Embrapa Florestas has raised concerns over the impact caused by wasp infestations in areas of pine plantations. Paran is the only one state where prevention of wood wasp has been relatively effective, CIFLorestas reported. Pine has been widely used in Brazil for the past 50 years, its reported, and there are concerns about the impact on industries regarding future wood supplies. ************************************************ NAMPAK SPENDS US$115M BUYING OTHER 100% OF GERMAN GLASS PACKING BUSINESS South African packaging group has acquired the other 50% share of its glass packaging business from the German glass-maker Wiegand-Glas for R938 million (US$115 million). Engineering News reported Nampak CEO Andrew Marshall as saying the acquisition was part of the companys strategy of investing in its core business, where it believed there were competitive advantages. ************************************************ ANGLO OFFSHOOT LAUNCHES US$12M GREEN INVESTMENT FUND The South African giant, Anglo America, has launched a R100 billion (US$12 million) green investment fund in Johannesburg thought its enterprise development arm, Anglo Zimeler. The fund would target investment opportunities that mitigate carbon, reduce energy and water consumption, as well as improve waste and emissions management, Engineering News reported. ************************************************

ELDERS HITS A$395M LOSS ON BACK OF FORESTRY WRITEDOWNS Forestry asset divestments impacted the financial results of Australian rural services company, Elders. While the company reported an underlying profit excluding nonrecurring items of A$4.7 million in 2011 (a loss of A$15.1 million in 2010), this turned into a statutory loss of A$395.3 million after tax, including non-recurring items of A$400 million, mostly rising from Elders decision to withdraw form the forestry sector, the company said in a media statement. ************************************************ U.S. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY SOCIETY LEADER TO OPEN GLOBAL DEFORESTATION CONGRESS IN N.Z. An international science event being held in New Zealand early next month will feature a speech from the president of the North American section of the Society for Conservation Biology. Dominick DellaSala, based in Ashland, Oregon, will give the opening address at the International Congress for Conservation Biologist on 5-9 December in Auckland. The Mail-Tribune newspaper reported DellaSala will talk about forests in his own backyard during his speech, noting some of the most important forests in the planet were in the area. DellaSala is the chief scientist for the Ashland-based Geos Institute. ************************************************ RAMPANT CLEARING OF PERUVIAN AMAZON AS GOLD PRICES DRIVE UP The spread of illegal gold mining in southern Peru has driven a growth in deforestation so rampant that government officials may declare an environmental emergency, the FAOs Non-Wood Forest Products-Digest-L reports. As the global price of gold has climbed, mining operations in the Amazon have extended into the fringes of Tambopata Nature Reserve, an important region for ecotourism, with miners beginning operations without necessary permits, it says. ************************************************ CHILEAN COMPANY COALA INDUSTRIAL EXPANDS WOODCHIP PRODUCTION Chilean forestry company Coala Industrial Ltda has increased it production over the past 21 years to reach a total output of 700,000 tons per year. The company recently decided to expand further with an investment of US$5 million. ************************************************ CMPCs EARNINGS DROP AS PULP PRICES STUGGLE The large Chilean forest industry group, CMPC, has reported a drop in earning in the nine months September 2011 of 7.6% compared to the same period 2010. While some product sales levels, especially pulp, were slightly up, overall earnings were 14% lower than the same period 2010 and 8% lower than in the previous quarter. ************************************************

RESEARCHERS TO USE FIBRIA EUCALYPT CLONES IN VERSATILITY STUDY Brazils Fibria will donate the first genetic materials for the Center of Eucalypt Research (Cepef) at Capo Bonito (SP). The institution created by the Lumber Industry Association of Capo Bonito. The plan is to evaluate the use of eucalypt clones initially developed for pulp production as raw material for sawn wood production sawed and its derivatives such as those used in furniture. ************************************************ TAPPI TECHNOLOGY ANAGEMENT MEETING EXPANDS LATAM CONTACTS The TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), the main worldwide association of the pulp, paper, packaging industry, held the annual meeting of its Technology Innovation Management Committee and the Fibria had organized of 7 the 11/11, in Vitria (ES), Brazil. The meeting was organised for TAPPI by Brazilian pulp producer, Fibria. The event was a chance for members of the committee to better understand the pulp and paper industry South America and develop closer relations with Latin American representatives of the sector. ************************************************ FOREST EVENT FOR MEDIA AT DURBAN CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS The media is invited to attend the fifth Annual Forest Day on Sunday, 4 December 2011, as part of COP17 in Durban. Described as one of the leading annual global platforms on forests and climate change, this year, it will have a special focus on the role of African forests in mitigating and adapting to climate change, iafrica reported. *********************************************** RURAL FIRE SERVICES LARGEST DIGITAL VIDEO WALL IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE Rural Fire Service of New South Wales has unveiled the largest digital video wall in the southern hemisphere. The video wall is being used to display maps of affected fire areas; conduct team briefings; display action plans for each team and upcoming activities; present to various involved organisations; and monitor news. http://www.watoday.com.au/photogallery/technology/technology-news/largest-digitalvideo-wall-in-the-southern-hemisphere-20111122-1ns8v.html *********************************************** SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE VIDEOS PREPARE, ACT - SURVIVE THIS FIRE SEASON. Rural Fire Service in the Australia state of New South Wales has launched an advertising campaign in the lead up to this years fires season. The NSW RFS TV ad 2011 is public awareness campaign explaining what the different bush fire alert levels mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tbsxqvvJYM ************************************************

ARTICLES OF INTEREST: THE CARBON PRICE AND THE COST OF LIVING Australias science research agency CSIRO and AECOM were commissioned by The Climate Institute to provide an independent assessment of the likely impact of the carbon price on the cost of living. Read the summary of the report. http://www.csiro.au/resources/~/media/CSIROau/Flagships/Energy%20Transformed %20Flagship/CarbonPriceCostOfLivingImage/The%20Carbon%20Price%20and %20the%20Cost%20of%20Living%20Summary%20Report.pdf AN UPDATE ON FOREST CERTIFICATION IN NZ Margaret Horner. Forest certification - an update on New Zealands place in the green scene. New Zealand Journal of Forestry (2011) 56(2): 38. http://nzjf.org/abstract.php?volume_issue=j56_2&first_page=3 OPTIMAL MODEL FOR PROCESSING LIDAR DATA Stone, C., Penman, T., & Turner, R. (2011). Determining an optimal model for processing lidar data at the plot level: results for a Pinus radiata plantation in New South Wales, Australia. New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science, 41, 191-205. http://www.scionresearch.com/general/science-publications/sciencepublications/nzjfs/nzjfs-volume-41-2011 ************************************************ SOUTHEM KORERO DRY FORESTS SYMPOSIUM 1 December 2011. Dry Forests Conference: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) will convene a one-day international event, a Dry Forests Symposium: Defining a new research agenda for Africas dry forests. It will be held alongside the UNFCCC Conference of Parties in Durban, South Africa. http://www.forestsclimatechange.org/events/dry-forests-symposium.html FOREST DAY 5 4 December 2011. Forest Day 5. This has become one of the most intensive and influential annual global events on forests. At its heart, it is a platform for anyone with an interest in forests and climate change to meet once a year to ensure that forests remain high on the agenda of global and national climate strategies, and that those strategies are informed by the most up-to-date knowledge and experience. http://www.forestsclimatechange.org/events.html SUSTAINING THE FUTURE 12-16 December 2011. Sustaining Our Future: understanding and living with uncertainty. Perth WA, Australia http://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2011/ AUSTIMBER 2012 29-31 March 2012. AusTimber 2012. Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia.

http://www.austimber2012.com.au/ ACCURACY 2012 International Spatial Accuracy Research Association (ISARA). The Tenth International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy Assessment in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. July 10-13, 2012. Florianpolis, SC Brazil http://2012.spatial-accuracy.org/ FORESTS AND FOREST PRODUCTS 8-13 July 2012. International Conference on Forests and Forest Products Actual and Future. Lisboa, Portugal. Includes Willows and Poplars and Wood Quality. For more information: http://www.iufro2012.org/nm_quemsomos.php?id=37 FOUR DEGREES OR MORE? 12-14 July 2012. Four Degrees or More? Australia in a Hot World. Melbourne, Australia. weblink: http://www.fourdegrees2011.com.au LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 5-12 November 2012. Biannual IUFRO Forest Landscape Ecology Conference: Sustaining Humans and Forests in Changing Landscapes: Forests, Society and Global Change. Concepcin, Chile. IUFRO 8.01.02, http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80100/80102/. Contact: Cristian Echeverria, cristian.echeverria(at)udec.cl; Sandra Luque, sandra.luque(at)cemagref.fr. http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division8/80000/80100/80102/activities/ BRAZIL TO HOST 2015 WORLD STATS CONGRESS The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics will host in the second half of 2015, the 60th World Congress of Statistics, organised by the International Statistical Institute. Go to: http://www.isi-web.org/ ************************************************* NEWS ONLINE Do you have news items you wish to make available to others on SOUTHEM Online? If so, please send them to info@southem.com ************************************************ MISSING? Did we miss you off the list, or do you have an associate who may want to receive SOUTHEM Online. If so, please feel free to register by sending a message to info@southem.com ************************************************** REMOVE

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