The European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy has changed to reassure farmers that they will still receive their Single Farm Payment (SFP) if they turn their farmland into forest. [more]

The demand for wood pellets in Europe grew, pushing prices up in the final quarter of 2008, according to a new report from US-based Wood Resource Quarterly. [more]

Particle board manufacturer, MASISA has announced that it is to invest heavily in forestry this year and will open a board plant in Brazil. [more]

The oil from the seed of the Jatropha tree is increasingly being seen as a great source of biofuel and, therefore, has become a great investment opportunity for people who want to make money and help protect the environment. [more]

In San Francisco scientists are developing ways to make biofuels from fast-growing poplar forests using a microbe extracted from termites. [more]

Finnish paper and sawmill firm, Stora Enso, has announced that it is moving its production from Finland to Sweden to make the most of cheaper wood prices and the weak Swedish currency. [more]

In a deal that ‘further solidifies the compatibility of forestry and conservation,’ Nature Conservancy has sold 92,000 acres of protected forestland in New York state to Danish pension fund arm, ATP Timberland Invest. [more]

The National Farmers Union (NFU) says the biofuels industry is in an upbeat mood, according to its chief advisor for renewable energy, Jonathan Scurlock. [more]

New Zealand has become a centre for investment in timberland and firms that offer forestry investment schemes claims the asset class is providing sturdy returns despite the global recession. [more]

A new report from Greenpeace has criticised Australian-backed proposals to reward companies that stop deforestation in poor countries. [more]