The Woods

Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards — Furbearer Conservation

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Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards — Furbearer Conservation

In 1991, the European Union (EU) passed Regulation 3254/91, which bans the import of wild fur products derived from 13 wildlife species into the European Union from any country, unless the use of foothold traps were prohibited in said country or trapping methods used in said country meet internationally agreed-upon humane trapping standards. EU Regulation 3254/91 remains in place today, with a total of 19 species listed.

The main purpose, as stated in the agreement, is to lay down “harmonized technical standards” offering a sufficient level of protection to the welfare of trapped animals and regulating both the production and use of animal traps, as well as to facilitate trade between traps, and pelts/products manufactured from species covered by the Agreement. The agreement also seeks to develop an international standardization that scientifically addresses and accounts for animal welfare concerns related to the trapping of furbearers. Whether for pest control, research, disease control, wildlife management or the commercial fur trade - the AIHTS seeks to establish the same scientifically validated standards in all areas where trapping is to take place.

MeatEater Conservation – Studies Show 3% of Drivers Swerve to Hit Snakes and Turtles

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MeatEater Conservation – Studies Show 3% of Drivers Swerve to Hit Snakes and Turtles

Police departments and insurance agencies routinely advise motorists to never swerve to avoid dogs, deer or other animals darting onto roads and highways. Sudden high-speed moves can send vehicles spinning or cause them to strike a tree, guardrail or other cars and trucks. Motorists fare better by bracing, braking, holding straight and letting the animal dictate its fate.

Slowly moving snakes and turtles, however, seldom trigger panicky reactions. In fact, they sometimes do the opposite. Whether the reptiles are straddling centerlines, sunning themselves on paved shoulders, or laying eggs in soft roadside sand and gravel, they provoke some drivers to attack, not evade.

Several studies and experiments over the past three decades found that roughly 3% of motorists intentionally steer off course to Goodyear reptiles on roadways.

The First GMO Tree May Soon Be Planted in the Wild. Will It Restore or Harm America’s Forests? – Pacific Standard

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The First GMO Tree May Soon Be Planted in the Wild. Will It Restore or Harm America’s Forests? – Pacific Standard

Before it can be released into the wild, the transgenic chestnut has to pass a battery of ecological tests at SUNY designed to ensure that it acts just like a natural chestnut. Then it must be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. So far the tree has aced all the tests. Approval is looking likely. And that is why, to those who are concerned about GMOs, it is the most dangerous tree in the world.

Landscape with Beavers

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Landscape with Beavers

In the American West, beavers are gaining a reputation as environmental engineers who can help restore water systems — and challenge their human neighbors to think differently about land use.

Parachuting beavers featured in ‘Fur For the Future,’ 1950s-era film

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In 1948, game warden and pilot Elmo Heter executed a plan years in the making to reintroduce beavers into the mountainous wilds of Idaho. His plan sounded simple, Idaho Fish & Wildlife professionals would work with skilled trappers to catch nuisance beavers from abundant areas adjacent to mankind, pack them into wooden crates, load them onto an airplane and, whilst tethered to a parachute, drop the sub-aquatic rodents into portions of the wilderness for reintroduction efforts. The crates would burst open on impact, freeing the furry engineers encased inside to roam the wilds of their new abode. "

In all, 76 beavers would complete the trip, with only one documented beaver fatality from the drop, which was due to a lashing failure allowing the beaver to exit the box in mid-air.

https://furbearerconservation.com/blog/2019/7/9/idahos-air-dropped-beavers-cage-trapped-muskrats-and-ear-tagged-marten

Massive Forest Restoration Could Greatly Slow Global Warming – Scientific American

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Massive Forest Restoration Could Greatly Slow Global Warming – Scientific American

We have heard for years that planting trees can help save the world from global warming. That mantra was mostly a statement of faith, however. Now the data finally exist to show that if the right species of trees are planted in the right soil types across the planet, the emerging forests could capture 205 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the next 40 to 100 years. That's two thirds of all the CO2 humans have generated since the industrial revolution. "Forest restoration is by far our most powerful planetary solution today," says Tom Crowther, a professor of global ecosystem ecology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and an author of a study published Thursday in Science that generated the eye-opening number.

Managed forests can not just create good jobs, supply industry with wood fibers, but also be a powerful force in reducing climate change. 🌎