Publish Date: 05/11/2010 17:14

Let's use an old, unwanted logging road removal project to help paint a jobs picture. Years ago in a forest, a logging company dug out a crude dirt pathway so it could drive in trucks and extract trees from deep within the forest. ...

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February 23, 2010 

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has said that the EPA plans to start targeting large facilities such as power plants by 2011, but won't target small emitters before 2016.

In the letter, the administrator outlined the following several of the decisions she has made for 2010-2011:
 
No facility will be required to address greenhouse gas emissions in Clean Air Act permitting of new construction or modifications before 2011.For the first half of 2011, only facilities that already must apply for Clean Air Act permits as a result of their non-greenhouse gas emissions will need to address their greenhouse gas emissions in their permit applications.

EPA is also considering a modification to the rule announced in September requiring large facilities emitting more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year to obtain permits demonstrating they are using the best practices and technologies to minimize GHG emissions. EPA is considering raising that threshold substantially to reflect input provided during the public comment process.

EPA does not intend to subject smaller facilities to Clean Air Act permitting for greenhouse gas emissions any sooner than 2016.
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Vinay K Soni, Project Coordinator- CDM and CCX

Carbon emission market is going through very critical phase. After Copenhagen summit this is a very important time for all carbon market players. World economy is showing recovery from the recession, so the responsibility of the countries to act fast against global worming is also expected to go in same direction. The year 2009 was reported more stabilized from the emission trading point of view. During the year, where growth in terms of value of total emission trading was very thin compared to previous year though the volume has increased substantially. In voluntary market, last year was a frustrating as many of the buyers were opted to be out of the market.

 

Total emission credits traded in carbon market during 2009 in terms of value was reported steady compared to 2008. But on account of volume (quantity), the size was increased. Being a recession period and despite of global down trend, the quantity of total emission credits traded was more then 65% (as per estimation of an international carbon market research firm) during 2009 and total emission credits was 82 billion ton.  Further to this, in terms of money value the global carbon market size was around USD 132 billion, whereas it was around USD 130 billion in 2008. In total, market value share of European Emission trading scheme (EU-ETS) was around USD 103, on the other hand share of United Nation Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and the voluntary US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) cap-and-trade scheme was USD 25 billion and USD 2 billion respectively.

 

The global downtrend in 2009 has compressed the voluntary carbon offsets market to the large extends. The market has seen double size growth in both value and volume terms in 2008 compared to the previous year, but the last year trend had brought the market back to the square one. During the year 2008, total size of global voluntary carbon market was estimated around USD 700-750 million and came down drastically to approximately USD 200-250 million in 2009. In terms of prices of VERs across all registries reported down by 40-50% lower compared to 2008.

 

However, the market still continued to expand rapidly with the European emissions trading scheme (ETS), the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and the voluntary US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) cap-and-trade scheme all showing significant increases in the volume of credits traded.

 

Demand should pick up again in 2010, when major emitting companies of developed nations would start taking action to cover their exposure on emission for post 2010. As per the market sources the carbon market would grow USD 1.4 trillion by 2017. In the recent update nine countries including Australia, France and Canada have told the United Nations that they will accept the Copenhagen Accord, the non-binding climate-change agreement brokered last month.

 

The market for voluntary carbon offsets is pinning its hopes on growth this year. Chicago Climate Exchange chairman Richard Sandor was optimistic last week about the growth of voluntary carbon markets in the United States even if a federal cap-and-trade system fails to materialize.
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Researchers Work to Make Wood a New Energy Source

(PhysOrg.com) -- Is wood the new coal? Researchers at North Carolina State University think so, and they are part of a team working to turn woodchips into a substitute for coal by using a process called torrefaction that is greener, cleaner and more efficient than traditional coal burning.

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Private Forests are Key to Offsetting Carbon Emissions
New Industry-Conservation Coalition Calls on Congress to Act 

 click here to read full Private Forest article

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Author: Barbara Lacy

The government and the timber companies are considered as two of the major stakeholders in the timber industry in North America. Well this is not just true in this territory as this is applicable too to other countries of the world. The government and the timber companies will always have a say on the direction of the industry.



The role played by timber companies and the government in the industry



In this industry, trees are felled and these are used as structural materials for use in construction or the wood pulp coming from trees are used for paper production. Timbers are also used in making furniture that can address the needs of many homes. And making the industry work are the many timber companies and these timber companies may appear at any stage of the business. These timber companies may appear at the start where trees are being prepared for harvesting or these timber companies may appear near the end when the trees are about to be shipped to many companies that will process the timber. Joining these timber companies in the industry as stewards is the government. The government will be there to assist these timber companies in regulating the industry.



The government as the partner of timber companies in guiding the direction of the industry



To be more specific, the government is there to effectively conserve the forests, making sure that timber companies, loggers and landowners will not abuse the forests. Conservation moves by the government can be done thru government ownerships. For example in the United States, the government at all levels can own their forestland.



The government agencies that manage the land include the Bureau of Land Management the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. These agencies are mandated to protect the forest land and also work with timber companies whenever necessary. The desired set-up is a timber industry where the government, timber companies and other stakeholders protecting the forests and making it sustainable. But if recent studies are to be believed, the timberland in the US is suffering. When the timberland suffers, then stakeholders like timber companies have to suffer too. According to one report that was conducted by the US Forest Service a few years back which is titled Forest on the Edge: Housing Development on America’s Private Forests, there is around 13 million acres of forest lost since 1992 and this is equal the size of West Virginia. The same study added that around 23 million acres will be gone by 2050 and this is equal the size of Maine. And according to the same report, the culprit is clear and the reason for the dwindling in timberland is caused by massive development.



Timber companies should work to supply the needs of the industry and to protect its source



For this reason, it is imperative that major stakeholders of the industry led by the government and timber companies should take action too. In the same way that timber companies are depending on the industry, it should also work with the government too to ensure that some conservation steps are made. The nice thing is that these timber companies are working too thanks to its conservation efforts and at the same time these companies still can satisfy the increasing demand for its many products. For those who want to learn more, then additional information can be accessed at standingtimberprices.weebly.com

About the Author:

A comprehensive discussion on all aspects of forest ownership. Sponsored by timber companies across the U.S. that specializes in sustainable forestry visit http://standingtimberprices.weebly.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/timber-companies-and-its-role-in-making-the-industry-sustainable-731630.html

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Timber Buyers Fueling the Timber Industry

Author: Barbara Lacy

Timber is a cash crop for most states in the United States and this is true as well in many European countries. With timber being a good source of income, many landowners are into the timber business and timber buyers are getting into the act as well.



Timber buyers and the landowners as the main players in the industry



Timber buyers and the landowners are just two of the many stakeholders in the timber industry. There are a number of players in the timber industry market but among these many stakeholders, the landowners and the timber buyers are considered as two of the major players. And the timber buyers and the landowners are entities that have a say on the movement and the direction of the timber industry.



In the industry of timber, the landowners and the timber buyers directly interact with one another. In the year-round activities of the timber industry, the timber buyers and the landowners will regularly get in touch with one another in order to affect the sales and to promote the production of the timber.



Role of the timber buyers in the industry



As everyone knows, the landowner is an important stakeholder in the industry as he is the one who plants and cultivates the trees that become the timber. The timber buyers on the other hand are the entities that buy the timber form the forest landowner. Timber buyers usually work for the saw mills, the veneer mills or these timber buyers work for the logger. In most cases, these timber prices are considered as the first contacts the landowners have with the forest products industry.




Not everyone can become timber buyers though since there are some countries and states in the US that require the timber buyers to be registered before they can get to participate in the industry. For example in the state of Indiana, the timber buyers in the state should be licensed through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry before that they buy the timber products within the state. These timber buyers are paid by the logger, the landowner, sawmill or the veneer mill and the main job of these timber buyers is to buy the timber as needed by these mills. And as observed by insiders and outsiders, the timber buyers will come as good buyers or bad buyers too. These buyers buy the timber in one of two ways.



Two ways on how timber buyers buy their timber



Here are two methods on how timber buyers buy their timber in the market:


· In the first method, these timber buyers work with the landowner in order to select and mark the trees that will be removed and the buyers and the landowner then talks for the price of these timbers.


· In the second method, the buyers will submit the sealed bid sale, and a third party marks the trees for sale. For example the consultant or the district forester who works for the landowner will be the one that will select and mark the trees for sale. The forester then arranges the bid sale.



After this step, there are a few more steps that often involve the landowners, timber buyers and other stakeholders. It is important to understand these many steps and the standing prices of the timber to have a grasp of timber market, and sites like http://standingtimberprices.weebly.com/ can be a good friend when it comes to these data and information.

About the Author:

To know and read more about Timber Prices plz visit http://standingtimberprices.weebly.com for more details.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/timber-buyers-fueling-the-timber-industry-713667.html

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 By: Barbara Lacy

The time when you actually sell the timber will have a say on how much profit you can get at the end of the day. And the time that you decide to unload the timber in your property will have a say on your business’ overall financial plans, the cost of regeneration and other objectives of the business. You never sell something when the business and the price is down, and this is the reason why most businessmen out there wait for that right time before they can unload their goods and make a profit from it. This is true as well in the timber industry; at times it pays to wait for the right and the profitable standing timber prices before actually deciding on the sale.

Standing timber prices will guide the direction of the business

The standing timber prices will have a say on the direction of the business enterprise and the profitability of the business. Simply put there are a lot of things at stake when the entrepreneur fails to take the standing timber prices into consideration. In fact just the wrong move and the failure to take into account the standing timber prices can spell the difference between bankruptcy of the business and business profitability. The standing timber prices known in the market are also known as the stumpage. Stumpages refer to standing timber prices after the logging and trucking expenses have been taken into account. Standing timber prices are the prices netted by the landowner and standing timber prices or the stumpages may be expressed in dollars/volume basis. These prices are important and it is suggested that the landowner should have an idea regarding some of the factors that can affect the standing timber prices.

Factors that may affect standing timber prices

In general, some factors that can affect the standing timber prices include the species, the size, the quality and the value of the timber.

• Specie of the timber. There are some species of trees that are considered to be more valuable than others. These trees will have a desirable color, grain and texture. Black Walnut is an example of valuable specie of timber. Other noteworthy species include the Black Cherry, White Ash, White Oak and Red Oak.

• Size. The size of the timber will have a say on the standing timber prices. Remember that the value of the tree is proportional to its size. It follows that a large tree will have more wood per inch of diameter if compared to the smaller trees.

• Quality of tree. A timber that is of high quality is a timber that measures at least 18 inch in diameter, straight and the timber is tall.

• Value. The value of one tree is related to the combination of the three related factors-the specie, size and its quality.

Ask the services or pros in taking advantage of the standing timber prices

Research is one key here in knowing the standing timber prices, since it takes a specialized knowledge to know the specie of the tree in question. Demand will also have a say on standing timber prices. Since there are a lot of factors that affect standing timber prices, it is important to get help and data from thirty party sites like http://standingtimberprices.weebly.com/ and to ask guidance to from professional foresters when it comes to standing timber prices and ways on how to handle the sale properly. Article Source: ABC Article Directory

A comprehensive discussion on all aspects of forest ownership including standing timber prices a discussion forum, and much more. Sponsored by timber companies across the U.S. that specializes in sustainable forestry visit standingtimberprices.weebly.com.

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Forestry Videos 12/12/2008
 

Sustainable Forestry Videos the future of forestry in America

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