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World’s giant trees are dying off rapidly, studies show

Posted on January 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

Ecological ‘kings of the jungle’ being toppled by forest fragmentation, severe drought and new pests and diseases.

The biggest trees in the world, known as the true ecological kings of the jungle, are dying off rapidly as roads, farms and settlements fragment forests and they come under prolonged attack from severe droughts and new pests and diseases.

Long-term studies in Amazonia, Africa and central America show that while these botanical behemoths may have adapted successfully to centuries of storms, pests and short-term climatic extremes, they are counterintuitively more vulnerable than other trees to today’s threats.

“Fragmentation of the forests is now disproportionately affecting the big trees,” said William Laurance, a research professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. “Not only do many more trees die near forest edges, but a higher proportion of the trees dying were the big trees.”

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California State Senate Votes to Extend Mortgage Law

Posted on January 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

California lawmakers have voted to extend a law passed during the peak of the mortgage crisis that provides added protections for property owners, renters and neighbors of foreclosed properties.

The law passed in 2008 says foreclosure proceedings can’t begin until the lender has tried for 30 days to work out alternatives with the delinquent homeowner. Lenders also must notify renters that they are beginning foreclosure proceedings. And they must give renters 60 days’ notice before evicting them from a foreclosed property.

They also are required to maintain vacant foreclosed houses or risk fines up to $1,000 a day.

The law was set to expire after this year, but senators voted Monday to extend it another five years, through 2017.

Senators unanimously approved a second bill, this one designed to prevent the California Housing Finance Agency from foreclosing on certain borrowers who rent out their homes.

The prohibition is limited to homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments, but rent out their homes because they owe more than their house is worth. The bill’s author, Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, said it is designed to help property owners who find themselves in financial trouble because of circumstances like a lost job or growing family, and is not aimed at helping housing market speculators.

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San Diego’s Solar Report Card

Posted on January 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

San Diego leads state in solar power generation.

City limits had 4,500 grid-connected installations as of August, analysis reports.

San Diego generates more power from grid-connected solar panels on residential, commercial and government buildings than any other city in California, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Environment California Research & Policy Center.

The study heralds San Diego’s role as a leader in the deployment of rooftop and similar on-site solar installations. There were more than 4,500 solar installations within city limits as of August 2011, ahead of runners-up Los Angeles and San Jose, the analysis found.

“San Diego has been an early and consistent leader in terms of embracing robust solar policies,” said Michelle Kinman, co-author of the study.

The report focuses on solar photovoltaic systems mostly owned by ratepayers or third-party financing companies, as opposed to electric utilities. Data were provided by state regulators, the state’s private and public utilities and the California Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers state solar initiatives in the San Diego area.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

World’s giant trees are dying off rapidly, studies show

California State Senate Votes to Extend Mortgage Law

San Diego’s Solar Report Card

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