Peat News

Early Bird Registration for International Peat Congress open until 28 February – sign up now!

All IPS members, their colleagues and partners are invited to register now for the biggest peatland event of this year, the International Peat Congress in Stockholm, 3-8 June 2012. Exactly 407 abstracts were accepted (225 oral and 182 posters) and the scientific and organising committees have their hands full to fit all those into the tight programme. Please visit www.ipc2012.se for a detailed list of sessions, for the excursions and the rich social programme.

Extended abstracts for accepted papers have to be submitted before 29 February to be included into the Proceedings of the Congress. We encourage you to book your flights now and register for the Congress still this month, before the early bird registration deadline on 28 February, as hotels and excursions are filling up quickly.

The reduced registration fee for IPS members amounts to SEK 6000 (€ 675) plus 25% VAT, for students and accompanying persons SEK 2200 (€ 248) plus 25% VAT for a whole week of presentations, networking and social events. It is easy to reach Stockholm by plane, and there is a variety of deluxe and budget accommodation available.

All participants are also kindly invited to sign up for one of the mid conference excursions (SEK 600-800; € 68-90 plus 25% VAT). These 15 tours cover all possible peat topics, from growing media, horticulture and energy use to agricultural applications, pristine mire research, bog  rehabilitation, culture and nature conservation. There are also two special pre-conference tours: for students on 1-3 June and for peat-producers during 2-3 June, several workshops and many IPS Commission meetings. And very important: All of you are invited to join the Responsible Peatland Management session and Assemblies of the IPS on the last conference day where signals for the next four years are set. The most adventurous among us will afterwards fly for one of the two Post-Congress Tours to Västerbotten in Northern Sweden to see examples of boreal mires and local peatland management under the midnight sun. We believe that you simply have to be there – sign up now! The most up-to-date programme can always be found at the Congress website: www.ipc2012.se. (Photos: helena wahlman, lena granefelt, ulf lundin, nicho södling, fredrik broman/imagebank.sweden top to bottom)

IPS Administrative Meetings in Dublin in March

The IPS Executive Board and the IPS Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of the Chairs of the nine IPS Commissions and the Cross-Commission Standing Committee on Peatlands and Climate Change, will hold their regular spring meetings in Dublin from 9 to 11 March 2012. Items to be included into the agendas of the meetings should be sent to the IPS Secretariat by 13 February at the latest. We will inform you on the outcomes of the meetings at the end of March. More information on the tasks of these bodies can be found at www.peatsociety.org/about-us/executive-board and www.peatsociety.org/about-us/scientific-advisory-board.

Call for Articles: Peatlands International 1/2012

The first issue of Peatlands International this year will be handed out at the International Peat Congress in early June. We hereby ask all IPS members, researchers and peatland professionals, to consider submitting articles on their latest projects, upcoming conferences and other interesting matters already by 28 February to Susann Warnecke, ips@peatsociety.org. Please write your text in Arial pt. 10 single row without additional formatting (no indents, full cap sections etc.) on max 2-4 pages. You should also insert captions for the illustrations and the names of their copyright holders as well as full author contact details at the end of the document. All illustrations must be submitted as separate jpg, tif or pdf files. Images imbedded in Word cannot be edited. We especially invite those who have oral or poster presentations at the Congress to write easy-to-read and illustrated introductions into their topic for our magazine! The Editors reserve their right to choose and edit submissions. Also additional advertisements are very welcome, the latest Media Kit can be found at the website below. More information is available at www.peatsociety.org/publications/peatlands-international and some previous issues can be downloaded from the IPS document database (passwords were sent out in December to each IPS member by email and can be retrieved at www.peatsociety.org/user/password).

IPS Executive Board Elections 2012

A new IPS Executive Board will be elected at the Annual Assembly in June by representatives of the currently 18 National Committees. By 31 January, the IPS Secretariat had received eight nominations for the up to six upcoming open positions on the EB. In general, the National Committees of Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and United Kingdom are ready to send their best candidates to the Board. A detailed summary of the vacancies and applying persons for each post will be sent to all national representatives and published in the next Peat News. Altogether, the positions of President, First and Second Vice President as well as three ordinary Board member vacancies will be filled for the period 2012-2016. Three Board members remain until 2014 (see PN 12/2011). The election will be carried out by secret ballot. Traditionally, the EB is balanced between different regions, science and industry, age and gender, to reflect the broad membership of the IPS. The Executive Board is meeting 3-4 times a year to decide on strategic matters and administration of the IPS. It is the second highest decision-making organ after the Annual Assembly. More information on the current Executive Board can be obtained at www.peatsociety.org/about-us/executive-board.

IPS Award of Excellence 2012

The IPS Secretariat has received three nominations for the Award of Excellence 2012 by the end of the application deadline. The application documents will be reviewed by the IPS Executive Board now in spring and the winner will be presented at the International Peat Congress in Stockholm in June. We thank all who have promoted the Award and invite you to submit your suggestions again next year. The IPS Award of Excellence, consisting of a framed scroll and a cash prize of € 1,000 can now be presented to persons, projects and groups for any peat and peatland activity. Proposals can be sent by 31 January each year to the IPS Secretariat or easily submitted at our website. More information can be found at www.peatsociety.org/about-us/award-excellence.

Online Shop for IPS Proceedings, Books and Magazines

The IPS office has hundreds of proceedings, books and magazines on peatland and mire topics in store, including the proceedings of almost all International Peat Congresses and other conferences. Most of them can be purchased via the IPS online shop. However, sales have come down after we moved to our new website. We have therefore relocated our online shop to the top level links: from now on you can buy your printed literature easily at www.peatsociety.org/shop. Please inform Susann Warnecke immediately in case there are any problems with ordering or payments. Books paid by credit card are usually shipped the same day and worldwide mailing costs are always included in the price of the publications. We are also steadily uploading our scientific papers and other publications to the member document database. Enjoy reading and studying! 
 
IPS Peatland Inventory update – submit your data

So far participation in the inventory to update the IPS peatland database has been quite low. Currently we have some data from Estonia, Latvia, Malaysia, Sweden and the USA, but more is surely available in local and national research reports! Please visit the survey document at www.tiny.cc/ipspeatlandinventory2011 and fill in the data where possible, mentioning references and your name. The data will be collated by the IPS Scientific Advisory Board and presented at the International Peat Congress in Stockholm. Please contact us if you have any difficulties/queries or need further information, the questionnaire can also be sent by email or post to the IPS Secretariat.

Peter Sawal new Chair of the Malaysian Peat Society

The Malaysian National Committee of IPS is now lead by Mr Peter Sawal, Controller of the Natural Resources & Environment Board Sarawak, 18-20th Floor Menara Pelita, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, phone +60 82 319 502, email: peters1 (at) nreb.gov.my. He took over the position in January this year from YB Datu Len Talif Salleh of Sarawak Forestry Corporation who had been elected Chair last year, but now works as Assistant Minister for Environment of the State Government. Malaysian National Committee Secretary remains Dr Lulie Melling from the Tropical Peat Research Laboratory Unit, P.O. Box 767, 93670 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, phone: +60 82 241 190, email: lulie_melling (at) yahoo.com. Former President Dato James Dawos is now advisor to the Society. More details and the latest Annual Report of the Malaysian Peat Society (MPS) can be read at www.peatsociety.org/about-us/national-committees/malaysia. (Lulie Melling)
 
Claes Rülcker new Secretary of Swedish National Committee

TorvForsk, the Swedish Peat Research Foundation, which is acting as IPS National Committee in Sweden, has informed us that Mr Claes Rülcker has taken over the responsibilities of Secretary of the organisation from Marie Kofod-Hansen who is busy with organising the International Peat Congress in Stockholm. Mr Rülcker is also Managing Director of the Swedish Peat Producer’s Association. He can be contacted at Torvforsk, Torsgatan 12, S-111 23 Stockholm, Sweden, phone: +46 8441 7073, e-mail: claes.rulcker (at) svensktorv.se. Chairman of the National Committee remains Mr Stefan Östlund of Neova AB, Box 1143, 824 13 Hudiksvall, Sweden, phone: +46 650 547 417, +46 70 665 98 80 e-mail: stefan.ostlund (at) neova.se. More information on peat utilisation and research in Sweden can be found at www.svensktorv.se and www.torvforsk.se.

Sustainability Position Paper on Canadian Horticultural Peat

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) in June 2011 approved the “Sustainability: Canadian Horticultural Peat Industry Position Paper” attached to this issue of Peat News. According to the CSPMA, “It outlines our industry’s commitment to a sustainability program in support of responsible peatland management within Canada. It builds on the guidance from the Strategy for Responsible Peatland Management as well as the Wise Use Guidelines decision making model. Peatlands are natural biological resources that provide an extensive range of values important to the environmental, social and economic interests of Canadians. Our nation’s peatlands (111 million hectares) are the most extensive worldwide. Horticultural peat production must be managed in balance with conservation and protection of the peatland ecosystems. Responsible management of this valuable resource is critically important to our industrial interests as well as the overall interest of Canadians.” Please contact the CSPMA directly if you have any questions or comments on the document: Paul Short, President, phone: +1 780 460 8280, email: paul.short (at) peatmoss.com, web: www.peatmoss.com.

Call for Papers: Investing in Peatlands, Bangor, UK

The Joint Symposium of the British Ecological Society and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme “Investing in Peatlands: Demonstrating Success” will be held at the University of Bangor, United Kingdom on 26 - 28 June 2012. Deadline for abstract submission is 15 February 2012. The international symposium will bring together experts from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of peatlands and peatland restoration from an ecological, social and economic perspective and showcase successful peatland restoration partnerships. The programme is interdisciplinary and includes presentations from Prof Hans Joosten, University of Greifswald; Tatiana Minaeva, Wetlands International Russia Programme; Prof Line Rochefort, University of Quebec; David Baldock, Director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy; and Angelo Salsi, Head of LIFE Nature Unit, European Commission. Networking opportunities include a welcome mixer, a conference dinner and a Welsh twmpath (folk dance). A range of fieldtrips will showcase successful science-policy-practice interfaces of restoration projects and allow for further networking. More info: www.BritishEcologicalSociety.org/2012symp (Aletta Bonn, Clifton Bain and Rea Cris, IUCN UK)

Mire Conservation Conference in Brunswick, Germany

The German Peat Society is asking for your interest in the conference “Moorschutz in Deutschland", being held on 27 - 28 February 2012 at the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany. The aims of the conference are to 1) show successful case studies of different peatland types in terms of climate change, biodiversity, hydrology, and nutrient status and production, 2) to discuss completed or ongoing projects among practitioners and 3) to formulate requirements for practical tools to optimise peatland management and to create synergies between different ecosystem services. The registration fee amounts to € 60 and poster presentations are still welcome. Registration is open until 10 February. More information can be found in German at www.organische-boeden.de and directly at the website of the conference at www.tiny.cc/edlpk. (Gerfried Caspers, Susanne Belting)

Finnish Peat Industry’s Final Spring Seminar in Jyväskylä

The Association of Finnish Peat Industries (AFPI) will hold its spring seminar on 12 April 2012 in Jyväskylä. The event will celebrate the move of all activities under the umbrella of the new Bioenergy Association of Finland as of 1 June 2012. All members, partners and stakeholders of the AFPI are invited to participate. Presentations are held in Finnish in three sessions: views to the history of the Finnish mire and peat sector, visionary aspects of peat production and use in the future, and challenges for peat use and promotion in Finland and abroad. More information can be obtained from www.turveteollisuusliitto.fi or by contacting hannu.salo (at) turveteollisuusliitto.fi. The Bioenergy Association of Finland was established on 12 December 2011 when a cooperation contract was signed by 46 organisations and people dealing with different aspects of bioenergy in the country. The headquarters of Bioenergia ry will be in Helsinki, ending the activities of the AFPI in Jyväskylä where it has currently shared offices with the IPS. (Hannu Salo)

Call for Papers: Bioenergy from Forest, Jyväskylä, Finland

Benet Ltd. has taken over the organisation of the traditional “Bioenergy from Forest” Conference and Exhibition from 27 - 31 August 2012 in Jyväskylä and Jämsä, Finland. The Conference will focus on factors affecting the future of bioenergy systems, management, total procurement chains, the effects of the energy markets, the influence of green marketing and other trends affecting forestry, agriculture, industry and climate. The programme includes plenary sessions, oral presentations and poster viewing, technical tours and visits to practical bioenergy targets, and the international FinnMETKO 2012 exhibition. Official language of the symposium is English and abstracts for presentations can be submitted until 28 February 2012, covering R&D results, technologies, demonstration, cases, equipment and good practises in nine different expert areas. FinnMETKO 2012 is the biggest and most important professional and sales exhibition in the field of heavy machinery in Finland. The exhibition guests will have an opportunity to become acquainted with, compare and test drive forestry, earthwork, moving and lifting machine models as well as commercial vehicles available in the Nordic countries in real working conditions. For more information, please see www.bioenergy.finbioenergy.fi and www.benet.fi. (Dan Asplund)

2nd Asia Carbon Uptake Forum in Indonesia

The National Council on Climate Change, Indonesia (DNPI) will hold the 2nd Asia Forum on Carbon Update (AFCU 2012) in Bandung, Indonesia, on 15 - 17 February 2012 in collaboration with Hokkaido University, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). More than 300 participants are expected to actively participate in the Forum, including the representatives of key agencies in Asian countries, UN agencies, donor agencies, universities and research communities and private sectors. The 2nd AFCU 2012 program includes topics such as policy update among Asian countries, research and technology, projects update, technical consultation, investment forum, outreach and awareness programs, launching of AFCU portal, micro assessment initiatives, and financial engineering of Climate Change incentives, legal instrument development and promotion of “carbon neutral”. The 1st circular and registration form can be downloaded, for instance from www.tiny.cc/zmjmq. (Hendrik Segah, Hokkaido University, Japan)

Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean, Morocco

The Ramsar Convention, the MedWet Initiative and the High Commissariat for Water, Forests and Desertification Control of Morocco announce the organisation of the International Symposium on Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean, to be held in the city of Agadir in Morocco during
6 - 8 February 2012. In addition, BirdLife International, IUCN, the Tour du Valat, Wetlands International and WWF International are key partners in the organisation of the Symposium. Main sponsors of the Symposium are the MAVA Foundation, the Ministry of Environment of Italy and MedWet. This new International Symposium aims to review the current situation of water and wetlands in the Mediterranean, identify new challenges and plan for the next 20 years. Important objectives are to highlight the changes occurring in the Mediterranean and their potential impact on wetlands, to identify ways in which wetland resources can be used sustainably, with a strong emphasis on water resources, and to provide ways for closer cooperation between experts and decision-makers in the area. For more information, please visit http://agadir2012.medwet.org.

AFN National Water Conference in Edmonton, Canada

The Assembly of First Nations is hosting a national water conference and tradeshow in Edmonton, Canada at the Marriott Edmonton River Cree Resort on 5 - 7 March 2012. This three-day conference is co-hosted by the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and features a special session on First Nation water rights on Monday March 5 and a technical component and tradeshow on 6-7 March. The conference has a national focus and audience will include leadership, councillors, public works managers, tribal council technical staff, band managers, and operators. The conference agenda will feature small, decentralized and innovative water and wastewater treatment systems, asset management, alternative servicing options, best practices and successful partnership with First Nation communities. For more information, please go to www.afn.ca/index.php/en/news-media/events/national-water-conference. (Tania Jacko, AFN) 

Premier Tech Chronos’ Website taken to next Level

A press release from Premier Tech: “Premier Tech Chronos, an international packaging equipment manufacturer, is proud to introduce the brand new version of its website ptchronos.com, which has recently been completely redesigned and thus greatly improved. Your experience as a user will not only be facilitated, through easier navigation, but significantly enhanced as well. Indeed, you will now have access to a greater range of high quality products, including our rigid packaging equipment lines, many more videos and tons of other relevant information on our services, brands and success stories, among others. Also, make sure to watch our new corporate video, and discover Premier Tech’s passion and professionalism through its culture, history and vision. In brief, go to ptchronos.com and learn more about us and our innovative packaging systems. More info: Premier Tech Chronos, +1 418 868-8324, info (at) ptchronos.com, www.ptchronos.com” (Geneviève Voyer)