The smoke came from a fire which razed a four-hectare peat swamp forest near Penor. KUANTAN, Sat: Thousands of people here and in the surrounding villages panicked when thick smoke enveloped the areas yesterday. Three fire engines were deployed to douse the fire, which started on Thursday. Petrol pump attendant Midarto Saito, 40, said his customers panicked when the petrol station was enveloped in thick smoke about 5. Fortunately, the hazy condition lasted only 90 minutes as strong winds...

The land, which was heavily logged in the 1980s and '90s and now consists mostly of second-growth redwood and Douglas fir, will still be used for commercial logging, but it will be spared from further development. The Gualala-based foundation plans to pay off the 20-year loan with logging revenue and the sale of a conservation easement that will ban development on the property. Officials said they plan to use sustainable logging practices to preserve the forest and ensure a long-term...

That may not seem like a big achievement for a bunch of trees, but elsewhere around the world tropical forests like this one are being felled to make way for timber and mining operations, cattle ranches and, increasingly, sugar and palm oil plantations to fuel the worlds growing thirst for ethanol. That may not seem like a big achievement for a bunch of trees, but elsewhere around the world tropical forests like this one are being felled to make way for timber and mining operations, cattle...

The Russian decision to apply export duties on timber have so far had no impact on the timber market since the first increase will not enter into force until 1 July 2007. The forecast at the beginning of the year was that commercial felling in private forests would amount to about 47 million m3. Because last winter provided bad felling conditions due to warm weather, there is now a lively trade in standing timber suitable for being harvested in summer time. However, the present outlook is...

But these sinks, critical in the effort to soak up some of our greenhouse gas emissions, may be stopping up, thanks to deforestation, and human-induced weather changes that are causing the oceanic carbon dioxide sponge to weaken, a new study led by Fraser and detailed in the May 18 issue of the journal Science found. You won t find it in your kitchen or bathroom: Carbon sinks are natural systems that suck up and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The main natural carbon sinks are...