NATIONAL  OBSERVER The amount of wood in Canada’s forests has declined relentlessly for decades. Details here.

Sierra Club BC   Wildfires devastate Fort MacMurray, Alberta, CA. Satellite photo by NASA. Intact Forests Are Our Biggest Allies Against Worsening Wildfires, But We Are Logging Them To The Brink. Story here.

The Guardian Data confirms fears that Jair Bolsonaro’s policy encourages illegal logging in Brazil.  Story here. The Amazon rainforest near Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas (largely untouched by human hands, so far).Photo by Neil Palmer/ CIAT.

The Narwhal In Glade, BC, where clear-cutting could begin any day, determined residents are pulling out all the stops in an effort to protect their local creek — even though a judge ruled they have no right to clean water. Story here. The south end of Kootenay Lk. Photo by Shawn from Airdrie, Canada.

                                                                        UToday Newly discovered emissions would increase Canada's national reporting of greenhouse gases.  Story here. Photo by Roland "Roly" Roesler. Photographer's Note This is an aerial view of the Northern Alberta landscape, somewhere between Athabasca and Swan Hills. It consists of numerous shallow lakes, muskeg, and the typical vegetation including spruce, willow and poplars. The typical patterns of the vegetation are determined by the consistence and composition of the semi-solid soil underneath.  The parallel lines that scar the landscape are seismic lines used for oil and gas exploration, and they cover good part of the province. Seismic exploration is somewhat similar in principle to radar, and even more similar to the ultrasound used in medical facilities. Straight, parallel stripes up to 10 m wide are cleared with bulldozers, and drilling equipment follows th