When Cyclone Pam blew in to Vanuatu on March 13 it set back development of this proud, independent island nation. Villagers are very dependent on agriculture and forestry to raise small amounts of cash. The trees that they grow in their gardens supply nuts and fruit, but also occasional sales of timber that are used for local construction or to pay secondary school fees. Australian forestry has had a long tradition of working with Vanuatu, and this appeal is being supported by the Institute of Foresters of Australia and Foresters Without Borders.

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a healthy young wife by the name of Dorothy. 

Dot Com was a comely woman, large of breast, broad of shoulder and long of leg.

Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, dear?

The Bowthorpe Oak is a massively thick, millennium-old tree in Lincolnshire, England that once was rumored to hold three dozen people in its enormous, hollowed-out trunk. Beth Moon photographed the leafy giant some 15 years ago and was struck by its solemn nobility and overwhelming presence. 

Thus began a pilgrimage that would take her around the world to document the planet’s most ancient trees.

The series and corresponding photo book, 

A shocked diver has found an incredible 10,000-year-old pre-historic forest under the North Sea and experts believe it could have once stretched as far as Europe. Diver Dawn Watson, 45, discovered the remarkable 'lost forest' when she was diving just 300 metres off the coast of Cley next the Sea, Norfolk. 

She found complete oak trees with branches measuring eight metres long under the sea and experts believe they have been hidden off the coast of Norfolk since the Ice Age. The forest is believed to have become exposed following the stormy weather last winter.

Jamax Forest Solutions has been nominated in the prestigious 2014 Telstra Australian Business Awards and is entered in the Micro Business category. Not sure who by but thank you. Mind you, after the 20-30 hours it took to complete the entry, if I ever find ...out, I might turn around and nominate their business next year. All jokes aside, the process does provide a good opportunity to navel gaze at your business, where it's heading and how to improve what you do.

The Institute of Foresters of Australia recently announced Jamax Forest Solutions owner, Steve Dobbyns' approval as a Registered Professional Forester.

TheRegistered Professional Forester© scheme is a formal registration system that offers quality assurance on forestry expertise. The scheme is administered by the Institute of Foresters of Australia and is available to members and non-members of IFA.

More information about the IFA and the RPF scheme can be found by following the enclosed link.