Society of American Foresters

A recent article in the The Star-Ledger (NJ), "Tree and Plants Floursh in Jersey Wasteland" discusses plant-life growing on "a 251-acre plot of contaminated land"that has gone untouched for decades. Although the site is described as "a mosaic of native and invasive plant species," a team of Rutgers-Newark scientists is studying the site to better understand what kind of plant cover might best help formerly useless "brownfields" heal themselves."

The use of plants to help remediate brownfields is known as phytoremediation. To read a story about a past Environmental Protection Agency study that incorporated tree-planting at landfills, visit the archives of The Forestry Source.

The Source has also run articles about the reclaimation of abandon mining sites through reforestation.

According to Biomass Magazine, some of Oregon's christmas trees wll help keep the lights on after they're taken down.

White City, Ore.-based Biomass One is accepting used Christmas trees to use as biomass fuel for its 25-megawatt per year wood-fired steam and electricity cogeneration production power plant in Medford, Ore.

Biomass One, which has been recycling old Christmas trees free of charge for the past four years, is estimating it will receive approximately 4,500 trees this year with the majority expected to come from local tree lots, according to Biomass One Vice President Gordon Draper.

Draper estimates that 4,500 trees equals out to approximately 56 dry tons of wood biomass, which can provide about an hour and a half worth of power to the companys wood-fired cogeneration power plant in Medford.

To read the full story, visit the Biomass Magazine website.

According to CNYlink.com (Central New York), the city of Syracuse is considering proposed legislation that would authorize it to enter into an agreement with Forecon, Inc., a forestry and natural resources company, to study the possibility of trading credits in exchange for lowering carbon emissions.

A proposal currently before the city council, recommends that the city look into the possibility of trading carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange. According to the website, at the heart of the proposal for removing carbon is a 216-acre, city-owned parcel of land made up of second-growth forest.

For more information, visit the CNYlink website.
To read a related article from the Memphis Business Journal, see Carbon Trading Concept Takes Root.