The Senate on Thursday removed a section of the energy bill that would have extended payments to rural counties that once depended on federal timber money to help cover costs for schools and libraries.A House bill approved last week would set aside more than $1.5...

It could be your new hardwood floor or coffee table, with a rich mahogany hue.While the wood may look good, there is a strong chance it came from timber harvested illegally in places such as Honduras, Indonesia or Peru, labor and environmental groups say.Now some...

Payments to rural counties hurt by cutbacks in federal logging would continue for a year under a deal reached Thursday.Four Oregon House members _ Republican Greg Walden and Democrats Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Darlene Hooley _ said they had secured the one-year extension as...

Payments to rural counties that once depended on federal timber money to fund schools and libraries would continue for four more years under an energy bill that Congress is considering.A deal Wednesday would set aside more than $1.5 billion to compensate 700 rural counties in...

The powerful pesticide chromated copper arsenate (CCA), used to preserve wood beginning in the 1940s, was taken off the market in 2003 after it was determined to pose an environmental and health threat. This step raised two questions: What should be done with the existing CCA-treated wood used for our playgrounds and boardwalks, and what alternative wood treatments are available? The increasingly popular Alkaline Quat Copper method is expected to carry a higher cost and lesser durability than CCA, but it