DP Tool Club 15/CD_ASCQ_15_070894.iso/vrac/wtn_0594.zip/WTN-0510.NWS

Text File | 1994-06-06 | 11KB | 205 lines

------------------------   World Tibet Network News   ----------------------
   Published by:     The Canada-Tibet Committee
   Editorial Board:  Brian Given <[e-mail]>
                     Nima Dorjee <[e-mail]>
                     Conrad Richter <[e-mail]>
                     Tseten Samdup <[e-mail]>
   Submissions and subscriptions to:
                     [e-mail]
                     or fax to: [phone]  (U.K.)
   Send us your comments, announcements, news or items for discussion.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue ID: 94/05/10 00:30 GMT                      Compiled by Conrad Richter

Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. China Protests to the U.S. on Taiwan Arms and Tibet
2. Reconnaissance Dendrochronology in Southern Tibet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. China Protests to the U.S. on Taiwan Arms and Tibet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarded by: Lori Cayton <[e-mail]>
By Patrick E. Tyler
  BEIJING, May 5, New York Times [May 6] -- The Chinese leadership
summoned the American Ambassador today to complain that the
United States is reversing policy on the sale of arms to Taiwan
while also supporting the independence movement in Tibet.
  "It is indeed shocking to see such a contempt for the basic
norms governing international relations, such open infringement
of China's sovereignty and attempt to split China," the
Deputy Foreign Minister, Tian Zengpei, was quoted by the
official New China News Agency as saying.
  Mr. Tian complained to the Ambassador, J. Stapleton Roy, that
the recent foreign relations authorization bill, approved by
Congress and signed by President Clinton, states that America's
commitment to the defense of Taiwan as set forth in the Taiwan
Relations Act takes precedence over a 1982 American-Chinese
communique pledging specific reductions in American military
aid to Taiwan.  China regards Taiwan as a renegade province.
  The bill also refers to Tibet as an "occupied sovereign
country."
  The Chinese news agency said Mr. Tian had warned that these
provisions "would cause serious damage to Sino-U.S. relations."
  The Chinese protest comes as Mr. Clinton prepares to decide
whether to renew China's "most favored nation" trade status.
  The President has linked renewal of tariff and trade privileges
on $30 billion in Chinese exports to the American market to
"overall significant progress" in human rights.  His decision is
expected by June 3.
  This week, Mr. Clinton gave the strongest indication to date
that he is inclined to renew china's trade status to avoid
undermining China's economic progress, which has brought prosperity
to millions of its citizens even while political prisoners
languish in jails.
  "If we were to withdraw the most-favored-nation status from
China, it would undermine what I hope to see in terms of our
relationship," he said on CNN.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Reconnaissance Dendrochronology in Southern Tibet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarded by: Denise Lassaw Paljor, Alaska Tibet Committee
      <[e-mail]>
By David Meko

Tree-ring studies on the Tibetan Plateau are perhaps most
valuable for the possible return in scientific knowledge
of large-scale climate variations. The importance of the
Tibetan Plateau to the climatology of the Northern
hemisphere has been well established.  The Plateau is an
elevated heat source to the atmosphere in the summer, and
a source region for cold air masses in winter. A physical
barrier to prevailing hemispherical  winds, the Plateau is
a major source of perturbstions, or waves, in the
westerlies. Summer rainfall variations on the Plateau are
also closely related to the larger-scale Asian Monsoon.
Long climatically-sensitive tree-ring records for the
Plateau could therefore contribute greatly to our
understanding of natural variability of climate on the
hemispheric scale. The southeastern part of the Plateau is
covered by extensive evergreen and broadleaf forests that
are a major economic resource for China. Tree-ring studies
here might be useful to resource planners in identifying
areas that should be preserved, and in helping guide
forest management. The Plateau is also a tectonically
active region, and as such is plagued by landslides and
other processes detrimental to developement. Tree-ring
studies could be useful to planing by identifying
frequencies of landslides and floods, and in estimating
the timing and duration of geomorphological events such as
terrace building.

Because Chinese dendrochronology is still in its infancy
and travel by foreigners in Tibet has been restricted for
many years, Tibet's huge dendrochronological potential is
mostly untapped. The team set out with dual objectives of
conducting a field reconnaissance of tree
species--particularly stands of old trees--and forging
institutional links to facilitate joint research by
Chinese and American scientists.

The 500-mile west to east trip from Lhasa to Pelung
crossed a transition zone from treeless tundra to dense
mesic forest. The transition  parallels a gradient in
annual precipitation, modified strongly by rainshadow and
wind-channeling effects of mountains reaching elevations
of more than 20,000 feet. The reconnaissance included
marking  locations of promising tree-ring sites visible
from the road, spot-sampling selected trees at sites along
the road, and the occasional longer hikes away from the
road in search of relatively undisturbed tree.

Core samples were taken from 70 trees in a wide range of
environments. The most arid site was a stand of cypress on
a rocky outcrop about 80 miles east of Mainling along the
Yarlung Tsangpo River.  Several trees there exceeded 5
feet in diameter, and many had distorted growth forms
often found in very old trees. The species is also
commonly used as prayer trees by native Tibetans. The
trees are not cut down, but suffer greatly from removal of
twigs, branches and bark for burning in prayer fires. Much
further west on the trip, near the Nyingchi, the team
visited a protected stand of cypress purported to be 2,500
years old. Sampling was of corse prohibited at this site.

Stands of pine, fir, and spruce became common toward the
eastern and wetter end of the route. Pine species were
sampled at several locations in the transition zone
between tundra and forest. Rings from sampled pine appear
to vary greatly in width from year to year, suggesting a
strong environmental signal.  Samples were also taken from
fir growing on the northern and southern slopes of a
16,000 ft. mountain between Bayi and Pelung, in an area
clearly affected by logging over the past few decades.
Spruce and fir forests visible from the road in this area
appeared to be mostly second growth. Discussions with
forestry scientists in Tibet confirmed that many slopes
now covered by  brush or small trees had stands of very
large trees as recently as ten years ago.

Tree species less attractive for lumber are more likely to
yield long tree-ring records in heavily logged areas.
Perhaps the most promising tree-ring samples taken on the
trip are those from a stand of Sabina saltuaria, a
juniper-like species growing near upper treeline at 14,300
ft north of Pelung. Samples from seven live trees and one
stump have extremely narrow rings, with potential for many
centuries of growth records. The treeline growth
environment suggests a possible sensitivity to temperature
variations.

The reconnaissance effort yielded two important insights
on strategy for future dendrochronological work in Tibet.
First is a need for future dendrochronological work in
Tibet. First is a need for extensive preparation for field
work. Institutional arrangements are extremely important
to ensure proper clearance with government officials at
various levels. Experienced guides who speak Tibetan are
vital to success in the back country at finding tree
sites. Second is a need for sufficient field time to
explore regions  where disturbances of trees by man are
minimal. The road network is extremely sparse and
locations along roads heavily impacted by man.  Fruitful
sampling is likely to require backpacking long distances
in a harsh environment at high elevations. The wide range
of site types-- from upper treeline  to semiarid forest
border--is promising, however, for finding trees with
information on temperature and precipitation history in
southern Tibet.

The next step in evaluation of the tree-ring samples
collected on this trip is microscopic study of the rings
and comparison of ring variations with climate records.
The samples will be analyzed at the University of
Arizona's Laboratory of Tree-Ring research and findings
will be used to seek funding for more extensive tree-ring
collections in China.

Several Chinese research groups have expressed interest in
cooperative research. The team met in the town of Bayi,
Tibet, with scientists from the Tibetan Institute of
Plateau Ecology and the Forestry Department of the Tibet
Collage of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. The team also
established scientific connections with two groups in
Chengdu-- the China Sichuan Bureau of Geology and Mineral
Resources ( CSBGMR). Mr. Ni Wanmei of the CSBGMR completed
an MS in Watershed Management at the University of Arizona
this past summer, and has now returned to China to
initiate tree-ring studies in Sichuan Provence. His group
has extended an invitation for cooperative research on the
renowned Panda preserve in northern Sichuan. The Chengdu
Institute of Geology served as the host agency for the
trip, and geologist from the Institute accompanied the UA
team in the field.

[David Meko may be contacted by email at [e-mail] or
by tel. [phone]. -DP]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


--- GoldED 2.41+/#1067
 * Origin: BODY DHARMA * Moderator, TIBET_NEWS - DharmaNet (96:101/33)