ROMANIA - 2011

Oana sent me this beautiful Stamps on a suberb Cover, according to the theme she used a recycable one! Great! 

Date of Issue: 27.04.2011

As every year, Romfilatelia introduces into circulation the postage stamps issue EUROPA, the theme settled this year by PostEurop being Forests.

The topic of the issue positively joins the list of events carried out within the manifestations dedicated to the International Year of Forests 2011 declared by the United Nations General Assembly.

Forests, the ecosystem harmonizing a complex vegetal environment, as a wide diversity of trees and plants, with numerous species belonging to what generically is called “fauna”, represent at the same time a first rank factor in terms of climate.

A real “lung” of the Earth, the forests ensure the carbon circuit in the nature by retaining the carbon dioxide through the photosynthesis process and releasing one of the vital elements, the oxygen.

The global warming phenomenon caused by the modification of the solar radiation level, mainly due to the massive pollution with carbon dioxide, which produces the “greenhouse effect”, is dangerously amplified by the modification of the vegetal layer and uncontrolled deforestation.

Scientifically, the previsions of an increase by 2ºC of the average temperature prove, besides other serious meteorological phenomena, a rising of the sea and ocean level by 18 up to about 60 cm.

Climatic changes might affect particularly the water resources, the agriculture, the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the coastal areas to which we may also add the negative influences on people’s life and health.

Consequently, stopping the worldwide deforestation until 2020 would be one of the most effective measures so as to limit and diminish the “greenhouse effect”.

Romania, at present a relatively poor country in forests, has a forest percentage of about 27% where as two centuries ago this was about 60%. By comparison, we must mention that the forest percentage in Slovenia is of 63%, in Austria of 47%, in Bosnia of 43%, in Slovakia of 41%, and the average in the European Union reaches 42%.

Attempting to end the uncontrolled deforestation, the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Romania together with Romsilva are carrying out the National Programme “The month of tree planting” meant to revigorate and regenerate the Romanian forests.

Within the same Programme, it is also aimed the foresting thousands of hectares in the plain areas where many lands have no longer been used for agricultural works or in the areas where land slides occur frequently.

We kindly thank the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Forests Authority - Romsilva for their documentary assistance and images supplied for the accomplishment of this postage stamps issue.

FAROE ISLANDS - 2010

My annual Gift to myself! 

Date of Issue: 26.04.2011

Europa 2010 - Children's Books

A good children’s book is not merely a children’s book, it is just as soon a book for everybody to enjoy, both to look at and to read. Each person gets somethingout of it, the adult as well as the young reader. There must be room for all age groups. The same goes for all true works of art – they are timeless and not confined within certain limits, neither time- nor age group-limits. If the work is of good quality, everybody ought to be able to enjoy it.

 

It is good to broaden your mind by reading about foreign countries and strange worlds. But there can be no doubt about the fact that at the same time it is of vital importance that all nations have their own books with narratives that will resound in each individual. We must be well acquainted with our own if we are to be able to soundly get the most out of all that comes from the outside. We will loose our foothold if we do not have a foothold of our own to stand on. Therefore it is good that even the smallest nations create their own works of art, that they write their own literature.

 

In the Faroes the teacher Hans Andrias Djurhuus (1883-1951) was the first to write poems, fairy-tales and stories for children. The animals that the children knew from their everyday life started talking, and their different characters were revealed through their deeds. Simple up-to-the minute accounts from the first half of the twentieth century are still as clear as if they have been preserved on photographic glass plates, only they are even more vivid as they emerge out of his naive texts. Still his songs are sung and his stories are read with great pleasure in kindergartens as well as in schools and homes. The amusing, sometimes sinister pictures that William Heinesen (1900-1991) drew to the numerous schoolbooks have certainly also become part of our children’s literature.

 

Somewhat later Sofía Petersen (1884-1960) collected nursery rhymes and fairy-tales which were published in 1947 in the book ”At Nightfall”. The artist Elinborg Lützen (1919-1995) ornamented the work with homely, enthralling pictures both in black and white and in colour. Here we have the outfield with all its animals and plants, and here is the same witch that children in many other countries know too, only this one is clad in Faroese everyday clothes, she lives in a Faroese turf shed of a house and has all the old Faroese domestic utensils which we now see at the museum.

 

Two more recent Faroese children’s books ”A dog, a cat and a mouse” and ”Moss Mollis’ journey” are shown on this issue of new Faroese stamps.

 

In 2004 the book ”A dog, a cat and a mouse” was published which Bárður Oskarsson (born 1972) both wrote and illustrated. The entire story takes place in a house that could be anywhere in the world. All the illustrations are in tawny water colours on which has been drawn with pencil and black ink. This is a classic dog’s-, cat’s- and mouse-story. No wonder that some of the salient characteristics of the modern comic strip-literature has stolen its way into the picture book. The impact from international inspiration is at work.

 

In 2008 came the book ”Moss Mollis’ journey”. In a short introduction Janus á Húsagarði (born 1975) says the story is about one of the small trolls in the Faroes that can stand the sun, a fact which enables it to travel around the islands at will. In richly water-coloured pictures the small troll Moss Mollis travels around the islands like another Niels Holgarsson, Selma Lagerlöf’s Swedish boy, though not sitting on the back of a goose. The journey commences at the bottom of the ocean where Moss Mollis picks up a pearl from an open horse mussel. With this pearl it travels across the country on the back of a gannet, of a horse, of a whale, of a crow and of a ram until it finds its darling troll who gets the pearl and who sits at his side in the moonlight watching the sea.

VATICAN - 2011

This Cover was sent by lovely matteo (angelus86). He's blog is wonderful! Clean and a good Eye for Color Combinations ;) Really, on some Blogs i thought they left them back in the 90ties, when we startet with the basic htmls :) 

Back to topic: Thank you SOOOOOO much for this great Cover sent from Vaticano! Georgis (Dominik) from Switzerland sent me the Mint ones some weeks efore i got this Cover - there are somewhere in my CEPT box... Will add the Scan when i'm mucking out my office!

Date of Issue: 21.07.2011

The philatelic series consists of two stamps presented as a diptych showing a detail of a Sistine Chapel painting by Perugino, The Journey of Moses into Egypt.

KAZAKHSTAN - 2008

The 2008 Issue on the 3rd Cover from Runa!

Date of Issue: 06.05.2011

KAZAKHSTAN - 2006

The 3rd Cover from lovely Runa!

Date of Issue: 03.05.2011

Integration of immigrants as seen by young people

KAZAKHSTAN - 2011

The 2nd Cover from runa_rn!

With the most new Issue from this Year dedicated to the Forest Theme!

Date of Issue: 21.04.2011

KAZAKHSTAN - 2010

i didn't get many post from Kazakhstan, so i asked runa_rn if she could send me a Cover when she's visiting the country, guess what she did? She sent me 3! Covers with not less than 4 different Europa Issues on it! Amazing Runa! What can i send you in return? 

Date of Issue: 06.05.2010

SWEDEN - 2010

Anet_H sent me this Cover with the last Year Issue! Thank you very much Annette!

Date of Issue: 28.01.2010

The stamps depict illustrations from two well-known children’s books, Elsa Beskow’s Children of the Forest and Lena Anderson’s Maja's Alphabet. Stamp proofs: Gustav Mårtensson. Engraving: Piotr Naszarkowski. Norbert Tamas designed the illustration on the First Day Cover (a picture from Elsa Beskow’s Around the Year), the FDC cancellation (Hedgehog by Lena Anderson) and the Collector’s Sheet (a picture from Lena Anderson’s Maja's ABC Journey).

SWEDEN - 2011

The Used stamp is from a Meeting Card Anjaaustel sent me! Thank you very much, Anja!

Date of Issue: 24.03.2011

Those Mint stamps are coming from Andres, a good Farmville Friend ;)

I just saw that the Swedish post office also issued some maxicards - if someone has the chance to get them... I would be a happy receiver ;)

Birch and spruce in the spotlight on Sweden's Europa stamps, International Year of the Forests 2011

“The best part about International Year of the Forests is that it inspires us to take a more comprehensive approach to our forests - from ecology and outdoor life to finance and forestry,” says Peter Bergman, landscape ecologist at the state-owned forestry giant, Sveaskog, which owns one-sixth of Sweden's forests.
Together with a handful of colleagues across the country, he is responsible for ensuring that Sveaskog's operations do not jeopardize the longevity and sustainability of the country's forests. An impressive 20 percent of the company’s forests have been earmarked for ecological diversity.
Around half of the 58,000 species found in Sweden call the forest their home, including mushrooms, animals, plants and trees.
The International Year of the Forests theme will be echoed in Posteurop's member countries. The theme for this year's Europa stamps is the forest. Sweden Post has chosen close-ups of the birch and spruce for its stamps.
Peter Bergman explains why the structure of these types of trees is different.
“All ligneous trees consist of fibers. The fibers of coniferous woods are long while the fibers of deciduous woods are short. From an economic perspective, this is of significance for the quality of the paper each wood produces. Initially, paper pulp was made exclusively from coniferous wood, but it was eventually discovered that a mixture of coniferous and deciduous woods gives the best result, a discovery that more or less saved the birch population.”
Swedish forests are predominantly home to coniferous trees; deciduous trees only make up a few percent. The spruce is a favorite at Christmastime, but the pale birch, which requires full sun, holds a special place in the hearts of Swedes all year long.

ITALY - 2011

A FDC with a long journey sent from Fabio. :)

Thank you, Fabio

Date of Issue: 09.05.2011

And the Mint stamps sent by Matteo!

Thank you, Matteo!

 

both dedicated to the theme of “Forests”, and both depicting characteristic images of a woodland landscape with tall trees. The logo of EUROPE, the words “LE FORESTE” (forests), “ITALIA” and the respective denominations of “€ 0,60” and “€ 0,75” complete the stamp 

SLOVENIA - 2011

Copacabana from Slovenia sent me this wonderful FDC recently. Thank you very much for the Swap!

Date of Issue: 27.05.2011 - left: Beech tree - right: Sgerm's Pine tree

Another Cover was sent by Barbara as an official Card; SI-40175! Thank you very much, Barbara!

Was on the Card, inside the Cover. Think it's the border from the Sheet.

EUROPEAN or COMMON BEECH – Fagus sylvatica L.

The beech is one of the most common tree species in Slovenia, accounting for a full 30 per cent of the country’s entire tree stock. It is the main or a mixed species in 70 per cent of Slovenia’s forests.
The beech is a deciduous tree with a large crown and exceptional leaf density. A full-grown hundred-year-old beech has a crown with a volume of 2700 m3. During the vegetation season that crown emits 1.6 kg of oxygen into the atmosphere every day.
In the autumn, beeches shed their leaves and the accumulated materials in them enrich the topsoil. The beech leaves decompose in one to two years and those nutritive materials enter a continuous cycle. They continuously enrich the soil – fertilising it in nature’s way. Since its leaves enrich the soil, in Slovenia the beech is called the “queen” or the “mother” of the forest.
Due to its adaptability, exceptional fertility and ability to grow in shade, it is found throughout Europe, except in northern Europe and the lower Iberian Peninsula. Therefore we could justifiably call the beech the “Tree of Europe”.

THE SGERM’S PINE

The Sgerm’s Pine in the Ribnica Pohorje is an exceptional tree. At 61.8 metres it is the tallest pine tree in Central Europe. Its height was measured precisely in 2006 using the right triangle trigonometry method. It is a slender, sky-scraping tree with a huge root structure and root ball which anchor it into the Pohorje soil.
It is a tree of the past. Approximately three hundred years ago a seed fell onto the fertile soil and the pine began to sprout and grow higher and higher. Today it is a natural monument. It is protected as a valuable natural feature pursuant to the Rules on the designation and protection of valuable natural features. It is also a tree of the future. The wind strews the seeds of the Sgerm’s Pine into the surrounding area, ensuring that the forest of the future is already being created.
The measurements and external signs of the pine, which are checked every year, indicate that the tree is still healthy. Through appropriate forestry techniques in the vicinity, its owners are maintaining beneficial living conditions for its continued growth. It is visited by numerous people who wish to experience the majesty of this tree. 

THE PRIMEVAL FOREST OF KOČEVJE
A primeval forest is a forest that has been preserved in its natural state, where no human influence can be felt. There, nature’s laws have prevailed for millennia. There, good and evil, beneficial and harmful do not exist. There, the plant and animal kingdoms are harmoniously connected with the sky and the soil.
In Slovenia, 380 hectares of primeval forest are protected by law, 220 ha of which are in Kočevje. They are the remains of once inaccessible forests. In them grow mighty firs and beeches. Fir trees can grow to exceptional sizes here: up to 50 metres tall, over 1.5 metres in diameter, carrying up to 50 tons of wood mass and living up to 500 years. Not far from the Rajhenavski primeval forest stands a fir called the Queen of the Forest, which at 51 metres tall is one of the tallest firs in Slovenia.
The first primeval forest in Slovenia to be protected by law was protected in Kočevje in 1892. In the forestry plan for the Kočevje forests, which were owned by the Prince of Auersperg, the forester Dr. Leopold Hufnagel wrote that part of the forest should be preserved as primeval forest. The first forestry plan in Kočevje states: “Departments 38 and 39 should be preserved as primeval forest, therefore all forms of use are excluded here.”
                                                                                                             
Hedvika Jenčič

FAROE ISLANDS - 2011

Date of Issue: 26.04.2011

Forest Growth on the Faroe Islands
Forests - not exactly what one associates with the Faroe Islands - rather the contrary. The North Atlantic archipelago is known for its treeless appearance. Climatic and geographic conditions, human influence and centuries of sheep-breeding have left the islands practically treeless.

Forests of the Past
But it has not always been that way. If we go back to the volcanic period millions of years ago, we note that there have been periods of extensive forest growth. Charred wood residues, and prints from leaves and needles are found in the coal strata in Suðuroy and Mykines. These finds indicate more favorable times on the mini-continent, which the current Faroe then were part of. Cypress, yew and juniper, giant sequoia and various kinds of deciduous trees - it's hard to imagine today.

After the Ice Age and the Settlement
When the Faroes were colonized, there were some natural woods on the islands. The only indigenous conifer was juniper, which is thought to have been quite common back then. Today this wood only appears in its original form, on the island Svínoy, but we have found roots of juniper in the peat layers on other islands as well.

Of deciduous trees were Dwarf Willow, Woolly Willow and Arctic Willow quite widespread, but Woolly Willow and the Arctic Willow are almost extinct because of the extensive sheep farming.

Birch has also grown wildly in the Faroe Islands since the last ice age, but rather dispersed - and disappeared after the colonization.

We also know that hazel has grown in the Faroe Islands around year 1000, but whether it was a native Faroese tree or it was planted by the early settlers, is uncertain. The hazel tree disappeared again around the 13th century when the climate became colder.

Plantations
There has, through time, probably always been a few trees at farms and in gardens on the Faroes, but not in any large scale. In 1885 there was an attempt to replant trees on a large scale outside Tórshavn, but this failed. In 1903 they tried again and this time it worked. This plantation became what we today call “Viðarlundin” in Tórshavn - a recreational area in a valley, which today is centrally located near Tórshavn City. In 1969 the plantation was expanded and again in 1979, and is now the biggest "forest" in the Faroes. Besides the plantation is also a grove surrounding the former TB sanatorium in Hoydalar, now high school, and on the field called Debesartrøð, where the Provincial Library and the Faroese University is located.

In December 1988 a violent hurricane-ravaged the islands. Wind speeds were up over 60 meters per second and the hurricane caused extensive damage on houses and trees. A very large proportion of the trees in the Plantation in Tórshavn were destroyed in the hurricane winds. The subject of the 10 DKK stamp depicts a cluster of these trees which are still lying on an incline. Extensive work has since been done to restore the plantation, and today it appears as a very beautiful area with young and old trees.

Besides in Tórshavn more plantations were planted in the early 20th century on the surrounding islands. In 1913, for example, the almost equally famous plantation in the small settlement Selatræ was planted, and the following year the plantation in the village Kunoy, which is depicted on the 12 DKK stamp. The plantation in Kunoy was originally larger than it is today, 17,000 square metres were planted - but today only approx. 7,800 square metres are covered by trees, and the grove is thus the smallest plantation in the islands. One oddity of the plantation in Kunoy is that it is planted around a giant rock, which in ancient times probably has fallen from the mountain Urðarfjall above the plantation. The rock, called Eggjarsteinur, can also be seen on the stamp.

There have since been planted several groves around the Faroes. In Vágur and Tvøroyri on Suðuroy - in the villages Miðvágur and Sandavágur on Vágoy - in Mikladalur on Kalsoy - and also the beautiful park, "Uti í Grøv", by the city Klaksvík on Borðoy.

Anker Eli Petersen

UNITED KINGDOM - 2011

Like every year Andy from Southampton send me the UK Issue!

The miniature sheet consists of four stamps featuring animals from the Amazon rain forest. Forests are the 2011 Post Europ theme and the 1st class stamp will bear the Post Europ logo.