Free Republic

OSLO — Deforestation is often wrongly blamed for causing floods, like in Guatemala this month, under a myth that has skewed agricultural policies, an international report said on Thursday. "There is no scientific evidence linking large-scale flooding to deforestation," the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said in a report. The frequency of major floods in the past 120 years, back to the late 19th century when forests were far more abundant, has been stable worldwide, it said. That implied that deforestation was not a cause of flooding. It said devastation...

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday fired all six members of the state Reclamation Board, an agency that oversees flood control along California's two biggest rivers and had recently become more aggressive about slowing development on flood plains. The Republican governor replaced the members — who serve indefinite terms at the governor's pleasure — with seven of his own appointees, most with ties to agriculture and the engineering profession. One board seat had been vacant since spring. Five of the fired members had been appointed by Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, and one had first been appointed by Gov....

A powerful Pacific storm is drenching parts of the Southwest.In Arizona, flooding has forced hundreds of people to evacuate homes in low-lying areas of Sedona, where scenic Oak Creek rose 11 feet during the night. Authorities say the rain is causing some rock slides, making conditions unsafe for emergency crews.Recreational vehicles were seen floating in the water southwest of Sedona. The creek hit 14 feet by mid-morning Wednesday and was expected to rise another few feet. Forecasters warned that storm runoff could lead to flash flooding elsewhere, which could prompt more evacuations.About 300 people in Sedona were evacuated. AP Image...