TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL

March 11th, 2023

3/11/2023

RISING SEA LEVELS

SINCE 1880 SEA AND OCEAN LEVELS HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES AND WATER QUALITY HAS DECLINED AND BECOME A SERIOUS ISSUE. GLOBAL WARMING IS CREATING SERIOUS FRESH WATER SHORTAGES WORLDWIDE AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE DESTROYING AGRICULTURAL CROPS IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD. BURNING FOSSIL FUELS AND DEFORESTATION ARE THE TWO MAIN CAUSES FOR GLOBAL WARMING. FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION RELEASES HEAT-TRAPPING GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE PREVENTING THE HEAT GENERATED ON EARTH FROM ESCAPING. OCEANS AND OTHER WATER SUPPLIES THEN ABSORB THE MAJORITY OF THIS HEAT. WHEN WATER TEMPERATURES INCREASE THE WATER EXPANDS AND HIGHER TEMPERATURES UPSET SEA, LAKE AND RIVER ECOSYSTEMS. AS GLOBAL WARMING CONTINUES, ICE SHIELDS AND PERMA FROST ARE MELTING FASTER THAN THEY CAN BE RESTORED BY COLD WINTER TEMPERATURES. RECENT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES PREDICT WE COULD EXPERIENCE INCREASED SEA LEVELS OF 1.5 TO 5 FEET BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY. UNITED STATES AGENCY’S ARE PREFORMING CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND ASSESSMENTS OF SEA LEVELS, BUT LITTLE IS BEING DONE TO SLOW THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS THAT ARE CAUSING THE PROBLEM.
SO, IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO? UNTIL WE ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HUMAN DEMANDS FOR EARTH’S RESOURCES AND THE EXPANSION OF OUR WORLDWIDE POPULATION, ARE THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF THE CLIMATIC CHANGES WE ARE EXPERIENCING, THE PROBLEMS WILL CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. JUST YESTERDAY, I HEARD A POLITICAL CANDIDATE SUGGESTING WE HAVE SO MANY TREES THAT WE HAVE NO HUMAN CAUSED PROBLEMS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE. HE OBVIOUSLY WAS IGNORANT OF THE FACTS AND SHOULD NOT BE SEEKING A LEADERSHIP POSITION WHICH WILL REQUIRE AN INDEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE PARTY HE REPRESENTS AGREE. MAYBE IT IS THE NECESSITY OF PROTECTING THE WEALTHY DONATORS THAT PROVIDE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES REQUIRED TO COMPETE IN POLITICAL RACES. WHAT EVER THE REASON, FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT THE CHANGES REQUIRED TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING AND OTHER DEVASTATING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES, WILL INCREASE AND THREATEN LIFE ON EARTH.
RAISING SEA AND OCEAN LEVELS IS JUST ONE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WE MUST ADDRESS. INCREASED STORM FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY, INCREASED WILDFIRE INTENSITY AND MAGNITUDE, LOSS OF HABITATS, NON-FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEMS, SPECIES EXTINCTION, SOIL AND BANK EROSION, RISING CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN THE ATMOSPHERE, POLLUTED WATER SUPPLIES AND AVAILABILITY OF FRESH WATER SUPPLIES; ARE ALL IN NEED OF SERIOUS MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS. YES, WE HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS TO ADDRESS, BUT UNTIL WE ACCEPT THE TRUTH, LITTLE WILL HAPPEN TO ENSURE FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. AS LONG AS WE IGNORE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES MANKIND HAS EVER FACED, WE WILL NEVER FIND THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES REQUIRED TO SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT ARE ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
FAILURE TO ACT WILL BRING DEVASTATING CLIMATIC CHANGES, MAJOR FLOODING, EROSION, SPECIES EXTINCTION AND FOOD SHORTAGES. THE SEA LEVEL RISE HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED JUST SINCE 1993. IN JUST 30 YEARS, WE CAN EXPECT AT LEAST A 10 TO 12 INCH RISE WHICH WILL CAUSE A PROFOUND SHIFT IN COASTAL FLOODING. THIS WILL CAUSE TIDE AND STORM SURGES TO INCREASE AND REACH FURTHER INLAND. SCIENTISTS PREDICT THAT BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY 12 TO 13 PERCENT OF HOMES IN FLORIDA WILL BE FLOODED OUT. ALASKAN VILLAGES BUILD IN COASTAL AREAS ARE ALREADY HAVING TO MOVE HOMES AND OTHER STRUCTURES FURTHER INLAND DUE TO BEACH EROSION. SEVERAL LARGE CITIES IN INDIA COULD EXPERIENCE INUNDATING FLOODING BY 2030. THE EAST COAST CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES; LIKE NEW YORK, CAMBRIDGE, MIAMI, POMPANO BEACH, NORFOLK AND HAMPTON, WILL EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS BY 2050. COASTAL CITIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WILL BE THREATENED BY DEVASTATING FLOODS DURING THE NEXT 50 YEARS.
IF THESE FACTS ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO CALL US TO ACTION, THERE MAY BE NO HOPE! I HAVE STATED TIME AND AGAIN, THE TWO MAJOR ISSUES CAUSING THESE CLIMATIC CHANGES ARE POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. WE MUST GET CONTROL OF GREEN HOUSE GASES BEING RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE! WE MUST MANAGE OUR REMAINING FOREST LANDS TO OPTIMIZE THE LIFE-SUSTAINING ELEMENTS THEY PROVIDE! WE MUST CONSTRAIN THE AMOUNT OF CARBON DIOXIDE BEING RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE BY WILDFIRES, MANAGEMENT BURNS, DECAYING OLD GROWTH AND DESTRUCTION OF FOREST BIO-DIVERSITY! WE MUST KEEP OUR FORESTED LANDS HEALTHY AND VIBRANT, SO THE TRANSPIRATION PROCESS CONTINUES TO SUPPLY AMBLE RAINS TO OUR AGRICULTURAL LANDS! OUR CURRENT COURSE OF MANAGEMENT WILL NOT PROVIDE FOR OUR DESIRED FUTURE! IT IS HUMANITY’S GREEDY DEMANDS THAT HAVE COMPROMISED THE NATURAL WORLD. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO JOIN HANDS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND LEAD IN RESTORING WHAT WE HAVE DESTROYED. NATURE NEEDS HELP!! BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SELECT TO REPRESENT YOU IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS! WE NEED LEADERS THAT SEE THE TRUTH AND THE INTEGRITY TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE! WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO PRETEND TO BE IGNORANT OF THE FACTS. THE TRUTH IS STARING US IN THE FACE, AND SCREAMING FOR HELP!

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January 05th, 2023

1/5/2023

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LIFESTYLES FOR THE FUTURE!

With the start of a new year, I am troubled with the fact that so little has been done to alert the public to the damage that has been done to the natural world, and what means to humanity’s future. Climate denier’s, many of our Politicians and turmoil in our religious institutions; have me questioning why people seem to lack concern that we are rapidly destroying Earth’s ability to sustain human life. I have spent years researching and studying the work of the few scientists and scholars that have been attempting to alert us to the truth about the conditions and limits of Earth. Apparently, people are unwilling to accept the fact that we are rapidly approaching the carrying-capacity of our planet and unacceptable changes in living conditions are already occurring. These changes are primarily occurring on the outer fringes of our world population where life has always been challenging. With just a little effort, you can find documentation of how rising sea levels are flooding crop lands, increased temperatures are causing drought conditions resulting in the destruction of food crops, the artic tundra is melting releasing large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere and causing the loss of food sources for reindeer grazing and the list of adverse impacts continues to expand. The people directly affected are screaming for help, but we don’t hear! People living in these fringe areas tend to be invisible, so we ignore the facts as long as our needs are met. We must realize these devastating impacts start with the challenged and poor, but eventually reach the entire world population. In the end, the effluent and elite simply suffer for a longer period of time, but still experience the same devastating ending.
I guess people are so focused on everyday living issues, they just don’t see or care about the rapidly changing condition of our natural world and what it means to humanity’s future. We have also been conditioned to believe advanced technology will provide for our future needs. The truth is we are observing species extinction almost daily as a result of ecosystem destruction. We are also being alerted to significant climatic changes that are occurring worldwide, and food shortages are expected to increase in the near future.
I recently read a brief statement from a young scientist about her interest in expanding studies on sustainability. I responded with a question of “sustainability of what”. I have observed several studies on sustainability which tend to focus on a sustained flow of products and renewable resources from the planet. I was once asked to review a research proposal which was recommending an experiment to fertilize a section of the ocean to provide an increased sustainable flow of fish and other sea food. Imagine the impact of dumping tons of artificial nutrients into the sea along with the tons of chemical fertilizers that are washing into the seas from surrounding land uses. This was another example of humanity’s belief that we can control and improve on creation! When will we realize our advancements in technology are destroying the natural world, not improving it! We simply cannot continue the current affluent life style our developed countries enjoy without triggering disastrous consequences for humanity. Learning how to live and reducing our destructive impact on nature will require adjusting to major decreases in our demand for energy, natural resources, and food.
I am encouraged that some people are concerned about sustainability, but our focus must be on sustainability of our remaining natural world. Continued efforts to provide a sustainable flow of products and resources from the land will result in disastrous consequences and accelerate species extinction, including humans.
I have presented the fact earlier, that we cannot survive without trees and forests. It is the life sustaining elements provided by nature that must be sustained! The future of mankind is dependent upon forest and ocean conditions, controlled land development, reduced deforestation, reduction of toxic chemical usage, reducing climatic changes and adjusting our life-style demands.
We need these young scientists to study and find solutions to saving our remaining natural world. We do not control Earth or our own destiny, for we are only one small part of the “circle-of-life”. A desirable future requires us to understand the multitude of relationships provided by the natural world, and refocus our attention on sustaining NATURE! The next generation is depending on us!
Mankind was placed in the Garden of Eden (paradise), and we have done our best to dominate, conquer and control Earth ever since we arrived! The truth is we were directed to care for and nurture the Land, not DOMINATE and CONTROL it! Our so called “advanced intelligence” is taking us in the wrong direction! Humans are simply a part of NATURE and nature requires help! I hope 2023 intensifies our concern for humanity’s future and alerts us to the necessity of involvement and action!

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December 04th, 2022

12/4/2022

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                                                              INFLUENCING THE FUTURE

I just sat down to draft a new article on my website, when I received an email from Ruth, a friend in New Mexico. It was a notification of Fred’s passing. The Wilson’s were very special people that have influenced our lives in many ways. When Fred and I first met I became aware of the interest we shared in trees, forests and the natural world. We spent five months, the first winter, living adjacent to each other in an RV park, sharing many hours discussing our common interests. Fred was an accomplished musician, composer, educator and an inspiration of how a person, from a very poor back-ground, can achieve outstanding success. Fred’s book, “An American Tragedy as Seen Through the Eyes of a Little Black Boy” tells his life story. Ruth is a nationally recognized consultant in environmental education, and has significantly influenced the field of education through her work. Whenever I occasionally question why it is so difficult to reach people and to get them to appreciate the importance of the natural world in sustaining life on Earth, I think of Fred and his achievements. It provides the encouragement to keep going. Somehow, we must reach the people and redirect our current destruction of the natural world to the caring for and nurturing of our planet and what remains of the natural world.
Ruth has significantly expanded my knowledge of the detailed dependence humans have for forests and trees. She has written several books, developed environmental education curriculum's for public schools and advised national children’s TV programs on environmental presentations. Fred was a strong supporter of Ruth’s work and the contribution she has made to our youth. It has been a real privilege to share a friendship with them.
The example the Wilson’s have set, has encouraged me to continue my efforts to present the facts about what is happening to nature. Empirical observations during my career as a forest scientist, continued study and people like the Wilson’s have provided the incentive to reach out to others with the truth about our current natural world. We have discovered almost ten million different species of life on Earth and science tells us that at least 80% of these species require trees to sustain life. Today, only 26% of the original forested lands remain. We are continuing to deforest our remaining tree covered lands at the rate of twenty football fields every minute worldwide. Yes, we continue to plant new trees where possible, but plantations are void of the diversity found in natural stands of trees. Science is learning more about trees daily, how mother trees identify and communicate with their offspring, how trees communicate with each other and different species, and how trees share and support each other during stressful times. This is all good, but we need to understand more about the relationship’s humanity shares with trees. We need to start introducing our elementary students to ecological principles and to require our scientists to develop a strong ecological foundation prior to specializing in individual scientific areas.
It is my hope that 2023 will awaken the world to the necessity of changing our demanding way of life and manage the remaining natural world for future generations. People like the Wilson’s have been setting the example for some time, it is time for us to become actively involved!

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November 13th, 2022

11/13/2022

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                                               OUR INEVITABLE FUTURE!

The indigenous people of the world lived as a part of nature and developed the principles of life based upon the relations and connections, they depended upon from the natural world around them. This closeness to nature provided the in-depth wisdom of the complex inter-relationships between life systems that literally, millions of different organisms or species share. Sharing the wisdom of nature from one generation to the next, has allowed these people to co-exist in challenging environments for thousands of years. They recognize that trees and humans evolved and thrived with forests. We will always be creatures of the forests.
The Koyokon, the S’ami, the Naganasan and the Anishinabee are just a few of the countless indigenous people whose worldview attest to our fundamental reliance on the forest. Our so called advanced western society, has alienated ourselves from nature and lost our appreciation for the elements that sustain life, including the human species. Our arrogant intelligence has us believing we are the masters of Earth and our own destiny. Unfortunately, the intricacies and complexities of nature are ignored except by a few science-minded individuals. The fundamental focus for affluent ways of life and to Western minds, are founded on progress, peace, democracy and economic growth. We use the Gross National Product (GDP) to measure success rather than the wellness of the people. Capitalism not only alienates and commodifies nature into products and changes people into consumers, it alienates and commodifies many modern-day societies. Our long history of co-evolution with forests has a much longer history then does capitalism, and the ending has not been written yet!
We must begin with the recognition of human’s reliance on natural processes, and acknowledge the awesome responsibility that rests on the shoulders of mankind. We are not born indifferent from our surroundings! If we look to the fragile borders where human life exists, we get a glimpse of what the future may be like. Before the end of the twenty-first century, we will experience a wave of extinctions, trees will leap north, the tundra and Attic ice will disappear, ocean level will rise and cities will flood.
We need to initiate new educational programs to prepare our youth for what is to come. Re-connection to nature will only come when nature itself is the classroom. More than any previous generation, the lives of today’s children will depend upon in-depth knowledge of ecological principles and changes in the nonhuman world. Observation and curiosity are the natural but radical prerequisites for a new relationship with Earth! If we hope to be part of the group of species that co-evolve to survive the inevitable coming changes, we must revive the essential understanding of other living things. Constructing an ecological foundation, within our students, is the only solution. This will be a challenge as our world population continues its shift from rural to urban living. Our indigenous people’s recognition of mankind’s strategic ecology will soon be a primary element in national security and community survival. The forest is a never-ending experiment in co-evolution, and we need help in understanding the complex relationships forests provide for life-systems on planet Earth.
Author, Ben Rawlence suggests, “It has always been the case that life is a moral endeavor, the very act of living a legacy. To look at the forest through the eyes of our indigenous people is to see a world of multiple selves and souls communicating with each other. The leaf talks to the wind, the flower talks to the bee, the roots talk to the fungi – the world is a chaotic, noisy place! When we step into the forest, we are making the world with our bodies, with our feet, our eyes, our breath, our imaginations. A million randomized branching futures are possible”. We must prepare our youth for the future through education and facts, without frightening them, for we are the stewards, still charged with caring for and nurturing the land. The fact is that every move you make, no matter how large or small, matters. When a pebble falls in a pond of water it creates concentric waves that expand until they cover the entire pond. You too can make a difference! Your future, and mine, depend upon our willingness to care and respond!

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October 26th, 2022

10/26/2022

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FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES

MY INTEREST IN THE NEED TO RECOGNIZE FOREST COMMUNITIES (ECOSYSTEMS), STARTED IN 1963, WHEN I WAS ASSIGNED TO AN ASSISTANT DISTRICT RANGER POSITION ON THE MARK TWAIN NATIONAL FOREST IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI. IT WAS CLEAR THAT MY MAJOR CHALLENGE WAS TO ASSURE THE DISTRICT MET ASSIGNED ANNUAL TIMBER SALE TARGETS. THE PREVIOUS PERSON ASSIGNED TO THE POSITION, HAD BEEN UNABLE TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS WITH THE AVAILABLE BUDGET. HE DECIDED TO SHORT CUT THE PROCESS BY PREPARING ONLY PART OF THE PROJECT AREA BEFORE OFFERING THE ENTIRE UNIT FOR SALE. THIS MEANT WE HAD TO COMPLETE THE CURRENT YEARS WORK PROGRAM PLUS FINISH PAST YEARS UNCOMPLETED WORK, AND REMAIN WITHIN BUDGET. THE UNCOMPLETED WORK LOAD RESULTED IN LITTLE TIME TO PROPERLY PREPARE MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS TO PRIORITIZE FUTURE TREATMENT NEEDS.
I WAS DETERMINED TO COMPLETE ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMS AND ELIMINATE THE BACK-LOG OF UNCOMPLETED WORK. IT SEEMED THE BEST APPROACH WOULD BE TO DEVELOP A VEGETATION INVENTORY OF THE INDIVIDUAL STANDS, SO WE COULD RELY UPON ACCURATE DATA TO SELECT AND PREPARE MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE STANDS NEEDING TREATMENT TO IMPROVE VEGETATIVE HEALTH. WE MANAGED TO ELIMINATE THE BACK-LOG IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND BEGIN THE INVENTORY PROCESS. BY THE END OF THE SECOND YEAR, WE HAD FINISHED A PERSONAL VISIT TO EACH INDIVIDUAL STAND ON A TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRE RANGER DISTRICT, A DISTRICT STAND MAP AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM FOR THE DATA.
THERE IS MUCH MORE DETAIL TO THE PROJECT, BUT IT IS SUFFICE TO SAY, THIS EFFORT FORMED THE BASIS FOR MY INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING FOREST COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. IN LATER YEARS, I RETURNED TO MY INTEREST IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND FOUND IT DESIRABLE TO CHANGE THE TERMINOLOGY FROM TIMBER STANDS TO FOREST COMMUNITIES.
IN 1965, I ACCEPTED A NEW ASSIGNMENT TO A DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF WORK PROGRAM AT A JOB CORP CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CENTER. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED WORK AND EDUCATION SKILLS FOR UNDER-PRIVILEGED YOUNG MEN 16 TO 21 YEARS OF AGE. THE REMAINDER OF MY CAREER, PRIMARILY, INVOLVED MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENTS. I FOUND LITTLE TIME TO FOCUS ON MY INTEREST IN STUDYING FOREST COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. RETIREMENT PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO MY EARLIER INTERESTS AND INTENSIFIED MY CONCERNS FOR THE CONTINUED FORESTRY SCIENCE FOCUS ON GROWING TREES AS CROPS.
FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, I HAVE BEEN ANALYZING MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS, ALONG WITH IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE SCIENTISTS, EDUCATORS, THEOLOGIANS AND INDIGENOUS LEADERS. WITH THE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, I BEGAN TO REALIZE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FUNCTIONING FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES. I MUCH PREFER USING COMMUNITIES INSTEAD OF ECOSYSTEMS, AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC TENDS TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT BETTER. I BEGAN WRITING ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS AND DEPENDENCY WE HAVE ON THE NATURAL WORLD. THE ABILITY OF TREES TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AND TO SHARE WATER AND NUTRIENTS WITH OTHER PLANTS WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM, INTRIGUED ME.
I JUST FINISHED READING A BOOK ENTITLED, “FINDING THE MOTHER TREE”, BY SUZANNE SIMARD, FOREST ECOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE END OF THE BOOK THAT I FULLY REALIZED HER DEFINITION OF THE MOTHER TREE. PROFESSOR SIMARD’S RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS PROVIDES STRONG SUPPORT FOR MY CONCLUSION, THAT UNDERSTANDING FOREST ECOSYSTEMS COMPLEXITIES HAS LOGICAL SIMILARITIES TO HUMAN ECOSYSTEMS OR COMMUNITIES.
THE AUTHOR’S FAMILY BACKGROUND WAS IN THE TIMBER HARVESTING BUSINESS, WHICH INFLUENCED HER INTEREST IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FORESTED LANDS. HER FIRST RESEARCH PROJECTS REVEALED THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLANTS AND TREES IN THE UNSEEN UNDERGROUND WORLD. THE STUDIES REVEALED THAT NUMEROUS SPECIES OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI EXIST WITHIN THE SOILS AND THAT THESE FUNGI INTERACT WITH TREES AND OTHER PLANTS. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF MILES OF MYCELIUM CONNECTING THE ROOTS OF TREES AND PLANTS IN A SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATION KNOWN AS MYCORRHIZA, FORMING A COMMUNICATION NETWORK BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT PLANT SPECIES. THIS AIDS THE TREE IN ABSORBING MOISTURE AND NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL AND PROVIDES FOOD AND SUGARS FOR THE FUNGI. THIS UNDERGROUND NETWORK PROVIDES A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS TREES TO NURTURE THEIR OFF-SPRING AND TO HELP SUPPORT THE WELLNESS OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. EVEN WHEN THE PARENT TREE WAS IN A DYING STATE, IT WAS PASSING ITS STORED NITROGEN AND NUTRIENTS TO IT’S OFF-SPRING TO AID IN THEIR HEALTH AND GROWTH. PROFESSOR SIMARD DISCOVERED THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS WITHIN THE TREE ROOTS, WHICH WERE VERY SIMILAR THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE HUMAN BRAIN AND HEART. THESE NEUROTRANSMITTERS ALLOWED THE MOTHER TREE TO PASS ON WISDOM TO HER YOUNG AND ASSIST THEM IN ADJUSTING TO SEASONAL CHANGES, CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND OTHER LIFE IMPACTING EVENTS.
PROFESSOR SIMARD’S DEDICATION TO HER PROFESSION WAS PARAMOUNT, TO THE POINT IT RESULTED IN PROBLEMS IN HER FAMILY RELATIONS. HER WORK REQUIRED LIVING SEVERAL HOURS DRIVE FROM HER HUSBAND AND CHILDREN DURING THE WEEK. AFTER EXPERIENCING THE SEPARATION OF HER MARRIAGE AND A SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUE, SHE BEGAN TO RELATE TO THE DEDICATION OF TREES TO THEIR YOUNG SEEDLINGS AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. THIS TRIGGERED A REVIEW OF HER FAMILY RELATIONS, CONCERN FOR HER TWO DAUGHTERS AND THE DESIRE FOR CLOSER FAMILY CONNECTIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE STORY OF FINDING THE MOTHER TREE, BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE SIMILARITIES TO HUMAN COMMUNITIES AND THE MOTHERLY RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSTINCTS FOUND THROUGHOUT NATURAL LIFE SYSTEMS.
SIMARD’S FINDINGS OF THE COMPLEX FUNCTIONING OF A FOREST ECOSYSTEM AND ITS SIMILARITIES TO A HUMAN COMMUNITY, VALIDATES MY PRESENTATION OF THE FACTS CONTAINED WITHIN MY BOOK, “HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD”. IT JUSTIFIES HOW A FOREST SCIENTIST, STUDYING FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, CAN RELATE TO THE HUMAN WORLD WE LIVE IN? IT IS NOT THE SCIENCE THAT WE RELY UPON, BUT THE ECOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX FUNCTIONING OF ECOSYSTEMS THAT PROVIDES THE WISDOM FOR OUR FUTURE. IT IS AN ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION, THAT DISCLOSES THE TOTAL CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS, THAT ALLOW US TO MAKE REALISTIC DECISIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. UNDERSTANDING HOW EARTH SYSTEMS WERE DESIGNED, CREATED AND FUNCTION IS REQUIRED IF WE INTEND TO PROLONG HUMAN LIFE ON PLANET EARTH! MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED PUBLIC LANDS MUST STEP INTO A NEW ERA, WITH NEW KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION AND GOALS. IT REQUIRES ABANDONMENT OF GROWING TREES AS CROPS, AND CONVERTING TO MANAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF SCIENTIST AND ECOLOGISTS LIKE SUZANNE SIMARD, BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH. THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW EARTH SYSTEMS FUNCTION MUST BE INGRAINED IN OUR POLITICAL, CORPORATE, ACADEMIC AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. THERE ARE NO SPECIES THAT CAN SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN. IT IS THE INTER-CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS DESIGNED INTO THE CREATION OF LIFE SYSTEMS, THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ALMOST TEN MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES ON OUR PLANET, SCIENCE SUGGESTS THERE MAY BE AS MANY AS ANOTHER FIFTY MILLION YET TO BE DISCOVERED. MANKIND’S GREEDY DEMANDS HAVE ALREADY RESULTED IN THE EXTERMINATION OF SEVERAL THOUSAND SPECIES, AND THE LOSSES ARE CONTINUING. SCIENCE PROJECTS WE CAN EXPECT THE LOSS OF 25,000 SPECIES TO EXTINCTION OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS. COULD THE HUMAN SPECIES BE INCLUDED?
THE ANSWER DEPENDS ON YOU AND ME! OUR DISCONNECTEDNESS AND LOST UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY OF HOW NATURE FUNCTIONS, IS ALIENATING US FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. WE POSSES THE WISDOM TO REVERSE THE DAMAGE FROM HUMAN GREED. OUR FUTURE WILL DEPEND UPON OUR WILLINGNESS TO UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE INTELLIGENCE OF NATURE!

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October 15th, 2022

10/15/2022

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THE EFFECT FORESTS HAVE ON CLIMATE

FORESTS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE BY STORING LARGE VOLUMES OF CARBON DIOXIDE. THEY ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE OCEANS IN SERVING AS GLOBAL STOREHOUSES OF CARBON, BUT IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS ADD CARBON BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. LARGE WILDFIRES PRODUCE A RAPID RELEASE OF CARBON, AND THE DECAY OF DEAD WOOD FIBER RELEASES CARBON AT A SLOW RATE. WE ARE ALL SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS, WHERE THE PLANT ABSORBS CARBON DIOXIDE AND THEN MIXES IT WITH WATER AND MINERALS TO FORM A SUGAR SOLUTION NEEDED TO FEED THE PLANT. THE PROCESS TAKES IN A LITTLE OVER ONE POUND OF CARBON TO PRODUCE A POUND OF WOOD FIBER AND THEN RELEASES 1.47 POUNDS OF OXYGEN BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, ALONG WITH MINOR AMOUNTS OF OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES. IN REALITY, ONE TREE PRODUCES ENOUGH OXYGEN IN TWELVE MONTHS TO KEEP TWO HUMANS ALIVE FOR A FULL YEAR. WITH CARBON DIOXIDE BEING A POISONOUS GAS, THE MAIN CONTRIBUTION TREES MAKE IS THE GLOBAL STORAGE OF THIS GAS. THE TROPICAL FORESTS ABSORB ALMOST 2 GIGATONS OF CARBON EVERY YEAR. SCIENCE ESTIMATES THAT IF WE COULD RESTORE A SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF THE FORESTS THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, IT WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF ABSORBING UP TO A THIRD OF THE GREENHOUSE GASES CURRENTLY BEING EMITTED WORLDWIDE.
THE PROBLEM WITH FOREST RESTORATION IS THE USE OF OUTDATED MANAGEMENT METHODS. OUR FIRST GOAL HAS TO BE REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION THAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING. TODAY, WE ARE DEFORESTING THE EQUIVALENT OF 20 FOOTBALL FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE, WHICH IS AN AREA THE SIZE OF PORTUGAL EVERY YEAR. THE REASONS FOR THE LOSS OF FOREST COVER IS THE NEED FOR CLEARED LAND FOR OTHER USES SUCH AS URBANIZATION, SHIFTING AGRICULTURAL NEEDS AND WOOD PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS. THE CLEARING OF 14,500 SQUARE MILES OF FORESTED LANDS EVERY YEAR WILL BE DIFFICULT TO SLOW, BUT SLOW WE MUST! OUR RAPIDLY EXPANDING WORLD POPULATION WILL REQUIRE MORE CLEARED LAND SPACE FOR FOOD, SHELTER AND SERVICES IN THE FUTURE.
THERE IS ONLY ONE SOLUTION, WHICH IS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENT FUNCTIONING OF OUR REMAINING FORESTS. WITH THE MAJORITY OF LIVING ORGANISMS DEPENDING ON THE ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY FORESTS AND TREES, WE MUST INTENSIFY THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTS WITH NEW MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT FOCUS ON THE HEALTH, VIGOR AND DIVERSITY; NOT WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM FORESTS.
THE QUESTION REMAINS AS TO WHAT MUST WE DO TO HELP SLOW THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ADVERSELY EFFECTING LIVE ON EARTH? BY KEEPING OUR FOREST HEALTHY AND VIGOROUS WE INCREASE THEIR STORAGE CAPACITY OF CARBON. REDUCING THE FUEL BUILDUP OF DEAD AND DYING VEGETATION AND TREATING INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES OR ECOSYSTEMS WILL REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRES, DISEASE AND INSECT INFESTATIONS.
MANAGEMENT ACTIONS MUST SUPPORT THE TRANSPIRATION PROCESS BY MAINTAINING TREE COVER SHADE AND KEEPING THE TREES HEALTHY. THE TREES DURING LEAF-ON PERIODS PROVIDE COOLING SHADE, BUT ALSO RETURN VAST QUANTITIES OF WATER BACK TO THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE IT FORMS CLOUDS THAT PREVENT HEAT FROM REACHING EARTH’S SURFACE. TREES ABSORB LARGE QUANTITIES OF WATER USE 3% OF IT, AND EVAPORATING THE REMAINING 97% INTO THE ATMOSPHERE TO FORMING CLOUDS AND MUCH NEEDED RAIN. TREE COVER IS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE PERIODIC RAINS ON EARTH AND THE PREVENTION OR REDUCTION OF DROUTH CONDITIONS. CLEAR-CUTTING LARGE AREAS OF TREES EXPOSES THE SURFACE TO SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN HEAT AS WELL AS RELEASING LARGE VOLUMES OF GREENHOUSE GASES BACK INTO TO ATMOSPHERE. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BE PUT BACK IN THE TOOL BOX AND SELDOM USED!
FOREST COVER PRESENTS A ROUGH SURFACE WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCES WIND VELOCITY AND CAN EVEN EFFECT WIND DIRECTION. THIS HELPS REDUCE THE SEVERE HIGH WIND STORM DAMAGE, SOIL EROSION AND EVAPORATION OF SURFACE WATER SOURCES. WE MUST ALSO BE AWARE THAT FOREST COVERED LANDS HAVE A DARK SURFACE WHICH TENDS TO ABSORB MORE HEAT AND ENERGY THEN LIGHT-COLORED SURFACES. THIS IS CALLED THE ALBETO PROCESS AND CAUSES SOME INCREASE IN SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THIS PROCESS AMPLIFIES THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEX FUNCTIONING OF NATURES’ WAY.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT FORESTS HAVE A STRONG INFLUENCE ON CLIMATE. THEY SERVE AS STORE HOUSES FOR MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CARBON, PROVIDE AIR-CONDITIONING FOR EARTH, ARE BARRIERS AGAINST WIND VELOCITIES AND ARE THE WORLD MAJOR WATER PUMP. THE BENEFICIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FORESTS MAKE FAR OUT WEIGHT THE LIMITED AMOUNTS OF GREEN HOUSE GASES THAT ENTER THE ATMOSPHERE THOUGH THE TRANSPIRATION PROCESS. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON LIMITING DEFORESTATION AND DEGRADATION OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS!
WHAT TYPE OF MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES WE APPLY TO OUR REMAINING VALUABLE FORESTS IS CRUCIAL. ONCE WE ACCEPT THAT WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF NATURE’S WAY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WE CAN INITIATE? WITH OVER 70% OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS GONE, WE MUST LIMIT FURTHER CLEARING OF FOREST COVERED LANDS. THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY MASSIVE WILDFIRES MUST BE REDUCED. WE CANNOT ELIMINATE WILDFIRES, BUT A MAJOR FOCUS ON TREATING FOREST COMMUNITIES OR ECOSYSTEMS, WILL IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN FOREST BIO-DIVERSITY WHILE REDUCING THE MAGNITUDE AND INTENSITY OF FUTURE WILDFIRES. DIVERSITY IS IMPROVED BY TREATING INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES OR ECOSYSTEMS, RATHER THAN LARGE TIMBER HARVESTING PROJECTS THAT IGNORE THE UNIQUE NATURALLY OCCURRING COMMUNITIES. THE EXPANDING WORLD POPULATION WILL ALSO REQUIRE FURTHER CLEARING OF FORESTED AREAS TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED DEVELOPMENTS FOR HOUSING. IT WILL NOT BR EASY, BUT MUST BE DONE!
EVEN-AGED MANAGEMENT, USING CLEAR-CUTTING TECHNIQUES, IS DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION. REMOVING ALL TREES DOES REFLECT MORE HEAT, BUT THE REMAINING VOLUME OF FOREST DEBRIS MUST BE BURNED OR ALLOWED TO DECAY, CAUSING THE RELEASE OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON. USING FIRE AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL RELEASES LARGE QUANTITIES OF CARBON, AND ALL TO FREQUENTLY ESCAPES CONTROL CAUSING PROPERTY DESTRUCTION AND EVEN OCCASIONAL LOSS OF LIFE. RESTORING CLEARED ACREAGE WITH NURSERY GROWN STOCK IS BETTER THAN NO TREES, BUT FOLLOWS AN AGRICULTURAL CONCEPT OF GROWING FOOD CROPS. THE SINGLE AGE SINGLE SPECIES PLANTATIONS TOTALLY DESTROY BIO-DIVERSITY AND SET THE STAGE FOR FUTURE CYCLIC CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, SUCH AS WILDFIRES.
WE MUST INVEST IN OUR REMAINING FORESTS AND NOT RELY ON COMMERCIAL TIMBER HARVESTING FOR THE JUSTIFICATION FOR MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS. THE PROCESS STARTS WITH ASSURING FOREST SCIENTISTS CAN “READ THE LAND” BY ON-SIGHT VISITATION TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES, PLACING MAJOR LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF CLEAR-CUTTING TECHNIQUES AND A RETURN TO ALL-AGE MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES. IT WILL CREATE MANY JOBS BY HIRING LOCAL CONTRACTORS TO COMPLETE THE ON-THE -GROUND WORKLOAD. PROJECTS WOULD INCLUDE TREE THINNING, DEAD AND DYING TREE REMOVAL, FIREWOOD PRODUCTION AND TREATMENTS FOR INSECT AND DISEASE INFESTATIONS. IT WOULD MEAN RELYING ON THE MOTHER TREES FOR NATURAL REGENERATION, THEREBY IMPROVING THE DIVERSITY OF VEGETATION AGES AND TYPES. CERTAINLY, WE MUST AVOID THE INTRODUCTION OF NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES AND THEIR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON NATIVE SPECIES.
OUR GOAL MUST BE TO AID IN THE RECOVERY OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND ITS INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS, BY COPYING NATURE’S WAY. WE HAVE TAKEN FAR TO LONG, AND EVEN WASTED, THE VALUABLE RESOURCES OF MOTHER EARTH. IT IS TIME TO ASSIST NATURE IN RESTORING ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE ELEMENTS HUMANS REQUIRE FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE! THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE BEFORE US! ARE WE WILLING TO MAKE THE REQUIRED ADJUSTMENTS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS?

1 Comment

September 07th, 2022

9/7/2022

1 Comment

ECOSYSTEMS AND THE NATURAL WORLD

RETIREMENT YEARS HAVE TAKEN ME ON A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND ITS CURRENT STATUS. THIS JOURNEY WAS TRIGGERED BY CONCERNS AND OBSERVATIONS I EXPERIENCED DURING MY 34 YEARS MANAGING PUBLIC FOREST LANDS. MY CAREER WAS WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, CHARGED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF 193 MILLION ACRES OF FOREST AND RANGE LANDS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. THIS AGENCY WAS ONCE RECOGNIZED AS A WORLD-RENOWNED LEADER IN FOREST MANAGEMENT AND ACTIVELY ASSISTING OTHER COUNTRIES TO DEVELOP FOREST MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. TO THIS DAY, I FEEL PRIVILEGED TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE BEEN CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH THE NATURAL WORLD.
RETIREMENT PROVIDED TIME TO REFLECT ON THE EXPERIENCES I HAD OBSERVED. I BEGAN TO SEE A PICTURE I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE, WHICH DEVELOPED CONCERNS ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY. I HAD ALWAYS BEEN EAGER TO FIND NEW AND BETTER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, BUT TRADITIONAL METHODS SEEMED TO WIN OUT MOST OF THE TIME. THIS DIFFERENT PICTURE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT, BEGAN TO DOMINATE MY THOUGHTS AND LED TO A DESIRE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE NATURAL WORLD FUNCTIONED. FORESTED LANDS MAKE UP A VERY LARGE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD, AND PREVIOUS AGENCY MANAGEMENT GOALS DID NOT SEEM TO RECOGNIZE THE CRITICAL ROLE FOREST COVERED PLAYED IN SUSTAINING LIFE ON EARTH. AS MY KNOWLEDGE LEVEL INCREASED, SOMETHING KEPT PUSHING ME TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHERS.
I HAVE LONG BEEN CONCERNED THAT LEADERSHIP EXPECTS THE PUBLIC TO HELP SOLVE COMPLEX ISSUES AND PROBLEMS, BUT SELDOM PROVIDE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO INSURE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS. OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS EXPECTS PEOPLE, THROUGH THEIR VOTE, TO PARTICIPATE IN RATIONAL DECISION MAKING WITH EXTREMELY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ISSUES AT HAND. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD RESULTING FROM HUMANITY’S DEMAND FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY, IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE. I FELT COMPELLED TO SHARE WHAT I HAD LEARNED FROM MY EXPERIENCES, OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH. WHY DID SUCH A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE NEARLY 10 MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES WE HAVE DISCOVERED ON EARTH, REQUIRE FORESTS AND TREES FOR SURVIVAL? WHY WERE WE CLEAR-CUTTING ENTIRE MOUNTAIN SIDES, WHEN FORESTS ARE A MOSAIC OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES? WHY WERE WE PLANTING NON-INDIGENOUS TREE SPECIES IN PLANTATION WHICH DESTROYED THE NATURAL BIO-DIVERSITY OF FOREST? THE WHY WAS BECAUSE WE COULD NOT SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES! OUR TOTAL FOCUS WAS ON INCREASING THE PRODUCTION OF RESOURCES RATHER THAN UNDERSTANDING THE CRITICAL ROLE TREES PLAY IN THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE ON EARTH.
MY FIRST EFFORT WAS A BOOK ENTITLED, TREES OF LIFE-OUR FORESTS IN PERIL. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE WAS TO INTRODUCE THE FACT THAT FORESTS WERE A MOSAIC OF SMALL INDEPENDENT COMMUNITIES, NOT ENTIRE MOUNTAIN SIDES. THESE COMMUNITIES WERE UNIQUE BASED UPON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE THE VEGETATION WAS GROWING ON. ALTHOUGH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE COMMUNITIES OR ECOSYSTEMS MAY BE SUBTLE. THEY ARE IDENTIFIED BY DIFFERENT VEGETATIVE COMPOSITION, ANIMAL SPECIES AND THEIR USE PATTERNS, SOIL TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS, PLANT PRODUCTIVITY, VEGETATION DENSITY, SLOPE LOCATION AND ASPECT. AN ECOSYSTEM IS A SELF FUNCTIONING COMMUNITY WHERE A VARIETY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES, WORKING TOGETHER, SUPPORT A SUSTAINABLE LIFE SYSTEM. WHEN HUMAN DEMANDS CAUSES THE LOSS OF EVEN A SINGLE SPECIES, THE ECOSYSTEM BECOMES UNBALANCED AND LOSSES ITS ABILITY TO SUSTAIN THE ESTABLISHED LIFE SYSTEMS OF THE COMMUNITY.
UNDERSTANDING THAT FORESTS ARE AN AMALGAMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS OR COMMUNITIES, LED TO THE FACT THAT OUR ENTIRE PLANET IS MADE UP OF SELF-FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEMS, BOTH ON LAND AND WITHIN OUR SEAS. RECENT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE REVEALED THAT ONLY 3% OF ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH’S LAND BASE ARE CONSIDERED TO BE INTACT AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE CAUSE OF THIS DEGRADATION IS PRIMARILY THE RESULT OF SPECIES EXTINCTION AND HABITAT LOSS RESULTING FROM HUMAN IMPACTS. ECOSYSTEMS THAT EXPERIENCE SPECIES EXTINCTION EXPERIENCE LOSS OF BALANCE AND DIFFICULTY SUPPORTING THE NUMEROUS REMAINING SPECIES. OVER-HARVESTING, DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT AND POPULATIONS EXCEEDING THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM, ARE SOME OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR ECOSYSTEM COLLAPSE AND FAILURE. SCIENCE, ALSO, SUGGESTS THAT IF WE WERE TO MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO RESTORE ECOSYSTEMS, WE WOULD PROBABLY BE LUCKY TO RETURN 20% OF THE OUT-OF-BALANCE ECOSYSTEMS TO FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE. RE-INTRODUCTION OF THE MISSING SPECIES WOULD BE THE MAIN TOOL FOR RESTITUTION. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SOME SPECIES, PARTICULARLY LARGE MAMMALS, THAT INFLUENCE AND OCCUPY SEVERAL ECOSYSTEMS DUE TO THEIR LARGER HOME RANGE. THEY STILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE BALANCE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS.
ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT WHAT DOES IT MATTER? WITHOUT A BASIC APPRECIATION FOR HOW OUR MAGICAL PLANET FUNCTIONS, WE CONTINUE TO DESTROY THE VERY RELATIONSHIPS OUR LIFE-SYSTEMS REQUIRE FOR SUSTENANCE. AS ECOSYSTEMS COLLAPSE AND FAIL, SPECIES EXTINCTION ACCELERATES, INCLUDING HOMO-SAPIENS. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE. CLEAR-CUTTING AND MASSIVE WILDFIRES ARE RAPIDLY DESTROYING NATURAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS WHICH ARE REQUIRED FOR FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS, THAT BELIEVE IN THE CONCEPT OF PRESERVATION, HAVE MANAGED TO REDUCE THE TIMBER HARVESTING LEVELS ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS BY SIXTY TO SEVENTY PERCENT. THIS MEANS THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ACRES THAT ARE ACTIVELY MANAGED, AND MORTALITY IN UN-MANAGED STANDS ARE INCREASING THE FUEL LOADS AND WILDFIRE SEVERITY. I AM NOT ADVOCATING TO CUT MORE TIMBER, BUT WE MUST MANAGE MORE ACRES. SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS DESCRIBE VARIOUS TIMBER HARVESTING PROCEDURES, AND ARE SIMPLE ONE OF MANY PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO MAINTAIN HEALTH, VIGOR, DIVERSITY AND FUEL BUILD UP. SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS MUST BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ANY VEGETATIVE MANAGEMENT REGARDLESS OF ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY. THE PAST 20 YEARS HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE USE OF PRESCRIBED FIRE AS A TOOL TO TREAT FOREST COVER, BY THE U. S. FOREST SERVICE. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE HAS BEEN FAR TOO MANY MISTAKES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN DESTRUCTION OF ECOSYSTEMS, PERSONAL PROPERTY AND LOSS OF LIFE. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THIS TOOLS HAS LIMITED APPLICATION AND THE COSTLY ERRORS RESULT IN UNACCEPTABLE OUTCOMES. WE MUST START APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO CONDUCT TREATMENT PROGRAMS THAT FOCUS ON FOREST ECOSYSTEM VIABILITY, AND THE AMOUNT OF FOREST RESOURCES PRODUCED ARE INSUFFICIENT TO COVER THE COST OF TREATMENT. THE TREATMENT MUST FOCUS ON IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREST COMMUNITY CONDITIONS, AND RESOURCES THAT CAN BE SALVAGED ARE THE BY-PRODUCT OF PROPER MANAGEMENT.
IMPROVING FOREST CONDITIONS IS THE WAY TO THE FUTURE! MAXIMIZING RESOURCE PRODUCTION IS NO LONGER WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR MANAGEMENT EMPHASIS. HEALTH, VIGOR AND DIVERSITY IS THE GOAL, AND IT’S CALLED NATURES WAY.

1 Comment

August 22nd, 2022

8/22/2022

2 Comments

                                        FORESTRY AND FOREST ECOLOGY
GLOBAL LEADERS ARE FINALLY RECOGNIZING THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE HUMANITY HAS EVER ENCOUNTERED, THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR FOCUS IS PRIMARILY ON CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH IS THE RESULT OF POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUE WILL BE NECESSARY, IF WE HOPE TO FIND THE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL TRULY PROVIDE FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. I HAVE INVESTED MUCH OF MY RETIREMENT YEARS ATTEMPTING TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ISSUE AND THE LIMITED TIME LEFT TO CORRECT OUR PAST GREEDY MISTAKES. THERE ARE THOSE THAT DISAGREE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE HUMAN CAUSED, BECAUSE THE REQUIRED CHANGES WILL RESULT IN MAJOR CHANGES IN LIFE STYLES AND THE ECONOMY. SOME PREFER TO IGNORE THE PROBLEMS BASED ON MISINFORMATION, LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AND CHANGES HAVE NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED, THEREBY MAKING THE UNKNOWN A SCARY SITUATION. CHANGE MEANS NEW AND UNKNOWN EXPERIENCES THAT WILL UPSET CURRENT NORMS. THE CRITICAL ISSUE THAT WE FACE IS THE DESTINY OF OUR OWN SPECIES! CERTAINLY, THIS SHOULD ENERGIZE EACH ONE OF US TO ACTION!
MY MISSION IS TO HELP THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR CHANGE, BY PRESENTING THE FACTS AND SUGGESTING SOLUTIONS TO PROLONG LIFE ON EARTH. IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO REACH PEOPLE, SO SUCCESS HAS BEEN LIMITED. BEING A NATURAL RESOURCE SCIENTIST, AND NOT BEING A HIGH-PROFILE PERSON, HAS INCREASED THE PROBLEM OF CONVINCING THE PUBLIC OF HOW SERIOUS THE ISSUES ARE. I HAVE DONE CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT CURRENT CONDITIONS OF OUR NATURAL WORLD. THE MORE I LEARNED, THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES BECAME APPARENT. ECOSYSTEMS ARE TRULY COMMUNITIES, WITH A VARIETY OF LIFE SYSTEMS SUPPORTING EACH OTHER AND UNIQUE FROM SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. THIS IS TRUE OF FOREST COMMUNITIES AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES. WHEN THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEM IS UPSET, THE COMMUNITY CAN HAVE DIFFICULTY SURVIVING.
IGNORING AND ATTEMPTING TO HID THE TRUTH, HAS INTENSIFIED THE ISSUES AND USED UP VALUABLE TIME NEEDED TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS. IT IS ALSO TRUE, THAT THE ISSUES ARE EXTREMELY COMPLEX DEMANDING INTENSE STUDY AND COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ECOSYSTEMS FUNCTION. FOCUSING ON CO2 LEVELS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, CAUSED BY FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DOES NOT PROVIDE THE RANGE OF UNDERSTANDING REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY REVERSE OUR CLIMATE CHANGE PROBLEMS. THIS IS THE REASON I HAVE BEEN STRESSING THE NECESSITY OF EDUCATING OUR YOUTH IN ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES. WE NEED TO START AS EARLY AS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVELS. THIS IS ALSO, WHY I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE NEED FOR AN ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR MOST ADVANCED COLLEGE DEGREES. OUR DESTINY DEPENDS UPON OUR INDEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURAL WORLD, UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIPS SUPPORTING LIFE SYSTEMS AND OUR WILLINGNESS TO BECOME ACTIVISTS IN PROLONGING LIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THIS REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING HOW LIFE SYSTEMS FUNCTION AND DEPEND UPON A DIVERSITY OF SPECIES.
COMPARING FORESTRY TO FOREST ECOLOGY PROVIDES AN EXAMPLE WHICH DEMONSTRATES THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUES WE ARE FACING, AND THE KIND OF KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL BE REQUIRED IF WE CARE ABOUT HUMANITY’S FUTURE. IT ILLUSTRATES THE NECESSITY OF APPLYING ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES TO FIND LOGICAL AND REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO THIS HUMANITARIAN ISSUE.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FORESTRY WORLDVIEW AND AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. THIS DIFFERENCE IS ACTUALLY APPLICABLE TO ALL EARTH SCIENCES. ASSUMING A FOREST SCIENTIST UNDERSTAND FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEMS IS LIKE ASSUMING AN AUTO PARTS PATTERN MAKER HAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNCTIONING OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, JUST BECAUSE THEY MAKE PATTERNS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS.
TO ASSUME A FORESTER IS KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE DETAIL OF ECOSYSTEMS IS INACCURATE, SINCE A DEGREE IN FORESTRY FOCUSES ON HOW TO PRODUCE WOOD FIBER FOR THE WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. THE FORESTER’S MANAGEMENT FOCUS IS ON WHAT THE FORESTS CAN PROVIDE IN USEFUL PRODUCTS RATHER THAN THE HEALTH AND BIO-DIVERSITY OF THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM. MOST FORESTRY CURRICULUM'S INCLUDE:
DENDROLOGY (TREE IDENTIFICATION)
FOREST MEASUREMENTS (SURVEYING, TREE VOLUME MEASUREMENTS AND TREE AND LUMBER GRADING)
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
FOREST HEALTH (INSECT AND DISEASE PROBLEMS)
HYDROLOGY
SOIL SCIENCE
SILVICULTURE (TIMBER HARVESTING SYSTEMS)
WILDLIFE AND RANGE MANAGEMENT.
MANY FORESTRY SCHOOLS NOW REQUIRE AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE OR TWO, IN FOREST ECOLOGY.
FORESTERS TEND TO VIEW ECOLOGICAL DISTURBANCES FROM DISEASE, WILDFIRE, INSECTS AND DROUGHT, AS SIGNS OF UNHEALTHY FORESTS, AND WORK TO SANITIZE THE FORESTS BY REMOVING DEAD AND DYING TREES AND REDUCING FUELS THROUGH KILLING OR THINNING UNWANTED VEGETATION. THINNING PROJECTS ARE ALSO SUPPOSED TO INCREASE THE GROWTH RATE OF THE REMAINING TREES AND REDUCED FIRE RISK.
IN COMPARISON, AN ECOLOGIST RECOGNIZES THE UNIQUENESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS OR FOREST COMMUNITIES. THE UNIQUENESS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE ON WHICH THE VEGETATION IS GROWING. ECOLOGISTS ARE TRAINED TO UNDERSTAND THESE UNIQUE COMMUNITIES PROVIDE THE BIO-DIVERSITY WHICH ALLOWS THE ECOSYSTEM TO FUNCTION AND SUPPORT LIFE. RECOGNIZING THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES CONFIRMS THAT THE FORESTS ARE A MOSAIC OF THESE DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS. THE DIVERSITY OF THESE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES PROVIDES SOME DEGREE OF FOREST PROTECTION FROM LARGE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS.
ECOLOGISTS ARE AWARE OF THE COMPLEX LIFE SYSTEMS BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. THIS IS WHERE MILLIONS OF MILES OF MYCORRHIZAL NETWORKS ARE ATTACHED TO THE TREE ROOTS, AND AID THE TREE IN ABSORBING MOISTURE AND NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS THAT CONNECT THE TREE TO NEIGHBOR TREES. THIS ALLOWS THE TREES TO SHARE NITROGEN, MOISTURE AND OTHER NUTRIENTS WITH EACH OTHER. ECOLOGISTS ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS THAT DIGEST THE ORGANIC MATERIAL CONVERTING IT TO NUTRIENTS TO FEED THE VARIOUS TREES AND SHRUBS. THEY REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING INDIGENOUS SPECIES THAT MAKE UP THE ECOSYSTEM, AND THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF REMOVING SPECIES FROM THE SYSTEM. UPSETTING THE BALANCE WITHIN A COMMUNITY CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS HARM AND EVEN DEATH TO SOME INDIGENOUS SPECIES. WHERE FORESTERS BELIEVE THEY ARE IMPROVING FOREST CONDITIONS THROUGH MANIPULATION, ECOLOGISTS SEE MANIPULATION AS DEGRADING THE ECOSYSTEM.
PLANET EARTH’S LAND BASE WAS ONCE SIXTY TO SEVENTY PERCENT COVERED WITH FORESTS. FORESTED LANDS ARE AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WE DEFINE THE NATURAL WORLD AS THREE MAJOR COMPONENTS; FOREST COVERED LANDS, OCEANS AND SEAS AND THE ATMOSPHERE. TODAY, ONLY TWENTY-SIX PERCENT OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS FOREST COVERED. OUR ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS 400 PPM OF CARBON DIOXIDE, THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE PAST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS. THE OCEAN LEVELS HAVE RAISED ALMOST NINE INCHES SINCE 1880 DUE TO INCREASED WATER TEMPERATURES AND WORLDWIDE, WE CONTINUE DISPOSING ONE DUMP TRUCK OF WASTE, INCLUDING TOXIC WASTE, INTO THE OCEANS EVERY MINUTE.
THE FACTS ARE UNDISPUTABLE, AND CLEARLY DISCLOSE THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE ADVERSE IMPACTS DESTROYING OUR NATURAL WORLD. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY OF LIFE FUNCTIONS IS RESULTING IN CONTINUED MANAGEMENT DECISIONS THAT ARE DESTROYING THE VERY ELEMENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN LIFE.
IF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS CONTINUE TO BE NOTHING BUT DOMESTICATED TREE FARMS AND THE WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND, THERE IS LITTLE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. OUR NARROW FOCUS ON GREEN ENERGY IS A POSITIVE STEP, BUT IT DISPLAYS THE OUR LIMITED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES AND COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE THREE COMPONENTS OF OUR NATURAL WORLD. A THREE LEGGED STOOL CANNOT STAND WITH JUST ONE LEG! WE MUST RE-FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON THE ENTIRE NATURAL WORLD IF WE HOPE TO PROLONG LIFE!
MANAGING OUR VALUABLE FORESTED LANDS WITH THE INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY PARADIGM IS NO LONGER AN ACCEPTABLE STRATEGY. IT MUST BE REPLACED WITH A FOREST ECOLOGICAL PARADIGM, WHICH RECOGNIZES THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE INDIGENOUS SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEMS. TODAY, THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE DYING DUE TO HUMAN DISTURBANCE, ON LAND, SEAS AND IN OUR ATMOSPHERE. ANYTHING LESS THAN CARING FOR THE ENTIRE NATURAL WORLD IS INSUFFICIENT!
THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORESTRY AND FOREST ECOLOGY IS SIMPLY AN EXAMPLE WHICH IS APPLICABLE TO ALL EARTH SCIENCE PROFESSIONS. IT DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE “THINK SLOW” PROCESS, AND THE NECESSITY OF UNDERSTANDING THE ENTIRE COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM, BEFORE IMPLEMENTING MANAGEMENT ACTIONS. A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LIFE FUNCTIONS IS MANDATORY FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR SPECIES!
THIS IS THE RATIONALE THAT HAS CONVINCED ME OF THE IMPORTANCE OF INJECTING ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES INTO THE EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENTS. NOT ONLY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL, BUT STARTING AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL!

2 Comments

August 09th, 2022

8/9/2022

1 Comment

                                 RELIGION AND ENVIRONMENTALISM

I AM INTRIGUED WITH THE QUESTION OF HOW RELIGIOUS BELIEFS STARTED. HUMAN BEINGS HAVE CONSTANTLY SEARCHED FOR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MYSTERY OF LIFE. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE STORY OF CREATION AND THE MAGIC OF LIFE IS WELL BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION. I BELIEVE AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN LIFE, FORMED THE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING THE CONCEPT OF DIVINE PRESENCE TO UNDERSTANDING HOW THE UNIVERSAL COMMUNITY CAME INTO BEING. EARLY IN MANKIND’S DEVELOPMENT, THE MYSTERY OF LIFE GAVE RISE TO THESE SPIRITUAL BELIEFS, AND AMAZINGLY HAVE CONTINUED TO PREVAIL IN MODERN RELIGIOUS IDEALS.
EARLY ON, THE MANKIND BEGAN A SEARCH FOR EXPLANATIONS ABOUT CREATION AND LIFE, WHICH COULD ONLY BE FOUND IN SPIRITUAL IDEALS. THIS RESULTED IN A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN RELIGION AND ENVIRONMENTALISM, WHICH HAS LASTED TO MODERN TIMES. RECENTLY, WE HAVE SEEN THEOLOGIANS FROM A VARIETY OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS, DISCUSSING RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES TOWARD NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. WE HAVE ALSO SEEN AN EXPLOSION OF RELIGIOUS CONCERNS TOWARD RELATIONSHIPS WITH NON-HUMAN SPECIES AND THE CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEMS. THE HISTORICAL ACCEPTANCE OF DIVINE INTERVENTION, LED HUMANS TO RELY ON RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX AND MULTIFACETED BELIEFS, RITUALS AND TEACHINGS FOR THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF EVERYTHING ON EARTH.
TWO HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS AGO, THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES, STARTED A NEW ERA THAT RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN HUMANITY’S SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE. A MASS MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE FROM RURAL LIFE TO URBAN CENTERS WAS INITIATED AS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WERE EXPANDING IN THE METROPOLITAN AREAS, WHILE OFFERING INCREASED FINANCIAL REWARDS. TODAY, 82% OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS ARE CLASSIFIED AS URBANITES. IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES BECAME COMPLICIT BY SUPPORTING RAPID INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT OUR NATION EXPERIENCED RAPID ECONOMIC GROW AND AFFLUENCE AS A RESULT OF URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR MODERN SOCIETY HAVE BECOME FOCUSED ON GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM. WE HAVE ALIENATED OURSELVES FROM THE LAND AND NATURE, AND THE CHURCH TENDS TO FOCUS ON REDEMPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATION.
WORLD RELIGIONS STILL TEND TO BELIEVE WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT NATURE WAS GOD’S CREATION AND NOT OF HUMAN CONCEPTION. THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW QUOTES FROM DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ABOUT OUR CONNECTION TO NATURE:
     CHRISTIANITY; “WE MUST TREAT NATURE WITH THE SAME AWE AND WONDER THAT WE RESERVE FOR HUMAN BEINGS. WE DO NOT NEED THIS INSIGHT IN ORDER TO BELIEVE IN GOD OR TO PROVE HIS EXISTENCE. WE NEED IT TO BREATH; WE NEED IT FOR US TO SIMPLY BE.”
     BUDDHISM; “OUR ANCESTORS VIEWED EARTH AS RICH AND BOUNTIFUL, WHICH IT IS. MANY PEOPLE IN THE PAST ALSO SAW NATURE AS INEXHAUSTIBLY SUSTAINABLE, WHICH WE NOW KNOW IS THE CASE ONLY IF WE CARE FOR IT.”
     BAHA’L; “NATURE IS GODS WILL AND IS ITS EXPRESSION IN AND THROUGH THE CONTINGENT WORLD”.
     HINDUISM; “THERE IS AN INSEPARABLE BOND BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE. FOR MAN, THERE CANNOT BE AN EXISTENCE REMOVED FROM NATURE”.
    CONFUCIANISM; “SUSTAINABLE HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HUMAN SPECIES AND NATURE IS NOT MERELY AN ABSTRACT IDEAL, BUT A CONCRETE GUIDE FOR PRACTICAL LIVING”.
   ISLAM; “DEVOTE THYSELF SINGLE-MINDEDLY TO THE FAITH, AND FOLLOW THE NATURE DESIGNED BY ALLAH, THE NATURE ACCORDING TO WHICH HE HAS FASHIONED MANKIND. THERE IS NO ALTERING THE CREATION OF ALLAH”.
JUDAISM; “AND GOD SAID: BEHOLD I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERY HERB YIELDING SEED, WHICH IS UPON THE FACE OF ALL THE EARTH, AND EVERY TREE, WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF A TREE YIELDING SEED – TO YOU IT SHALL BE FOR FOOD”.
TAOISM; “THIS ORIGINAL NATURE IS THE ETERNAL LAW. TO KNOW THE NATURE’S LAW IS TO BE ENLIGHTENED. HE WHO IS IGNORANT OF THE NATURE’S LAW SHALL ACT RECKLESSLY, AND THUS WILL INVITE MISFORTUNE. TO KNOW THE CONSTANT LAW OF NATURE IS TO BE GENEROUS. BEING GENEROUS, ONE IS IMPARTIAL. BEING IMPARTIAL, ONE IS THE SOVEREIGN. SOVEREIGN IS THE NATURE ITSELF”.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT WORLD RELIGIONS HAVE SHARED A CLOSE CONNECTION TO ENVIRONMENTALISM THROUGHOUT HISTORY. WESTERN MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS BELIEVE WE MUST APPRECIATE THAT NATURE WAS GOD’S CREATION AND GOD’S PROPERTY. WE ARE NOT THE MASTERS OF EARTH, BUT SIMPLY A PART OF CREATION. IT IS ALSO OBVIOUS, THAT THE LAST 250 YEARS OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE HAS RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF HUMANITY’S RESPECT FOR THE NATURAL WORLD. THIS HAS RESULTED IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS WHICH IS PROBABLY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE EVER FACED.
RECENTLY, THIS WORLDWIDE CRISIS HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF A FEW THEOLOGIANS, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN EFFORTS TO REGENERATE INTEREST IN OUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION TO NATURE. THEIR EFFORTS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN MUCH SOCAL CHANGE NOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TRUE CRISIS WE FACE WORLDWIDE. THE MAJOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS THE CONCEPT OF NATURE IS NOW DEFINED AS SOMETHING NEW, THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS A NON-HUMAN WORLD WHOSE LIFE AND DEATH IS CONTROLLED BY HUMAN BEINGS. IT IS BEYOND BELIEF, THAT MANY STILL BELIEVE THAT HUMAN’S ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF THE MULTIFACETED ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS HUMANITY NOW FACES. THE TRUTH IS WHAT WE DO TO EARTH WE DO TO OURSELVES. HUMAN BEINGS AND THE ENVIRONMENT ARE TOTALLY CONNECTED, EACH SIDE AFFECTING, AND BEING AFFECTED, BY THE OTHER.
WHEN WE LOOK AT RELIGION, ECOLOGY AND TODAY'S CRISIS, TWO QUESTIONS ARISE. WHAT HAVE WORLD RELIGIONS BELIEVED ABOUT HUMAN RELATIONS WITH NATURE, AND HOW MUST THESE BELIEFS CHANGE TO ADDRESS TODAY'S ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS? SCIENCE HAS BEEN ALERTING US TO THIS CRISIS FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS, YET OUR CORPORATE AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE FOUND FINANCIAL PROFITS AND COSTS TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. ACADEMIA HAS ALSO CONTINUED THEIR FOCUS ON CONSUMPTION AND UTILIZATION, RATHER THAN ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS FOR THE NATURAL WORLD. INSTEAD OF A RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION TO ECO-JUSTICE, MUCH OF OUR SOCIETY CONCENTRATES ON WHO GETS THE MONEY, MORE THAN THE CONSEQUENCES OF HOW WE PRODUCE THAT WEALTH.
I HAVE SPENT MUCH OF MY RETIREMENT YEARS STUDYING AND ANALYZING HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD, AND HAVE CONCLUDED THAT OUR FUTURE WILL DEPEND UPON TWO MAJOR ELEMENTS; RELIGION AND ECOLOGY. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT WHAT RELIGIOUS FOLLOWERS SAY AND DO ARE FREQUENTLY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. IT IS ALSO TROUBLING TO KNOW THAT PARTICIPATION IN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES, IN THE UNITED STATES, IS AT AN ALL TIME LOW. WE MUST FIND WAYS FOR OUR RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP TO ENCOURAGE THE RECOVERY OF OUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION TO NATURE, EDUCATE OUR PEOPLE IN ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS AND BECOME WILLING PARTICIPANTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE REQUIRED CHANGES.
HISTORY, INCLUDING RECENT HISTORY, SELDOM COMES FROM LEADERSHIP INTUITION AND DIRECTION, BUT RATHER AT THE INSISTENCE OF THE PEOPLE. I BELIEVE POLITICS, ECONOMICS, ENERGY POLICY, AGRICULTURE AND TRANSPORTATION ARE RELIGION’S BUSINESS. I ALSO BELIEVE ANY STRONG RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT INCLUDES AN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC. THIS CRISIS IS A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM, AFFECTING THE PASSION AND INTIMACY OF RELIGIOUS LIFE.
TOMORROW DEPENDS UPON STRONG LEADERSHIP FROM THE CHURCH TO RECREATE THE SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WE REQUIRE WITH NATURE, AND ACADEME’S LEADERSHIP TO PROVIDE AN ECOLOGICAL BASE FOR OUR YOUTH. THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE AND LITTLE TIME TO DO IT!

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July 05th, 2022

7/5/2022

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EARTH’S LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY

My retirement years have been dedicated to developing a deeper appreciation for the natural world and humanity’s dependence upon that world for the sustenance of life. Anyone that takes the time to review the scientific facts, must accept the truth about mankind’s destruction of Nature. It started with slow gradual changes that most people classified as progress. The 1850’s ushered in the Industrial Revolution and significant increases in population numbers. The changes also began to concentrate developed countries populations in urban areas where the factories and jobs were available. Today, 82% of the United States population is considered urban, and many believe the food source is the local grocery store instead of the rural farms and ranches. Many, now believe humanity’s intelligence and advanced technology allows us to dominate, conquer and manipulate planet Earth’s energy and resources to provide for the future. The truth is our planet has natural limits which are being stressed to the point we will exceed Earth’s carrying-capacity in just 28 to 30 years.
We are flooded daily with concerns over inflation, voter rights, division, abortion, green energy, emigration, climate change, gun control and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, these are all important issues that require solutions, but nothing compared to the most critical issues humanity has ever faced! Population expansion and deforestation will result in the loss of life on Earth if we fail to implement significant changes in the demands we are placing on Earth. 80 percent of all living organisms on Earth require forests (trees) to survive, and only 26% of Earth’s original forest cover remains. We are continuing to deforesting the equivalent of 20 football fields every minute worldwide. Science projects that 10 billion people worldwide, will stress the ability of Earth to sustain. We are currently approaching 8 billion and increasing by 75 million people annually.
People on the North American Continent require 20 acres to support their standard of living, yet there are only 4.2 acres available for each person worldwide. It is also true that the land base is shrinking as a result of raising ocean and sea levels due to warming water temperatures. Since 1880, ocean levels have risen 9 inches, and science tells us that within the next 50 years, 12.5 percent of Florida’s homes will be flooded out. Earth’s atmospheric level of carbon dioxide is at 400 ppm, which is the highest level in the last 800,000 years. Only three percent of Earth’s ecosystems are considered to be intact and functioning properly.
These facts are disturbing and should be of major concern, however my biggest concern is the fact that our political system is so broken, I question whether we can find leadership to begin finding solutions to the two largest issues humanity has ever faced. We have invested 250 years in developing the democratic principles that govern the United States of America, and our government is responsible only to the citizens of this great country. In other words, we are the government, and the political process is way we elect public servants to represent us. They have only two responsibilities, establish reasonable regulations which allow our country to function based upon the rule of law, and pool our economic resources and energy to solve complex issues and problems we cannot resolve individually. Our government is not broken, our political process is. Politics has become a game of power and control, rather than a process for resolving complex problems. Today, politicians spend millions of dollars to secure a position that pays up to $275,000 annually, and Presidential candidates spend as much as two billion dollars to campaign for a $400,000 a year position. The majority of these candidates require large sums of money, from donors, to compete in political races. They are then expected to favor the donors’ desires rather than the American citizens. Public financing of elections is the only way to reverse this major problem!
The fact is most politicians today, are unwilling to tackle complex issues for fear of losing their next election. Their own interests and their financial donor’s needs, take precedent over public needs. Consequently, they deny the issue exists or ignore the need to become involved in the debate. Even our Supreme Court has turned from interpreting the Rule of Law, too making decisions based upon political possessions. Recently the Court, ignored 50 years of precedence, and placed limits on women’s rights, and just today removed the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry-out their responsibilities to protect the natural world from human destruction. People who receive power through their elected or appointed positions, now focus on their individual desires and benefits, and the needs of special interests, with no concern for the future of our human species.
I deal only with facts that have been tested and confirmed, in my effort to alert the public to current conditions. I am simply a person whose career, observations and studies have enlightened me to the most serious environmental issues humanity has ever faced. It is important we make adjustments in our current life styles, so future generations have the opportunity to share the life style benefits we have enjoyed. I am appalled at how our political system, and now even our Supreme Court, has deviated from facts and truth for political expediency. It is beyond belief, that two of our governmental institutions, who have protected the democratic principles of the Constitution of the United States for over 200 years, have now lost credibility with the American citizens. Even the two houses of the congress appear to be fighting over truth and fiction. I cannot believe that one of our traditional party’s is, today, attempting to gain autocratic control by spreading false information to American voters. Efforts are even under way to allow State Legislatures to disregard the popular vote and select different Electoral College delegates that do not represent the States popular voting results.
Where will the leadership come from? It will require the voters to exercise their Constitutional Voting Rights, by electing true public servants. Unfortunately, we are so divided and our voting rights under threat of being limited, I question our ability to make the required adjustments. We can only hope our people see the truth and are energized to demand changes that restore Democracy by voting for candidates with integrity, commitment to democratic principles, honesty and commitment to public service. “We the People” are the government! Politicians work for us and when they fail, they must be replaced. The best solution is term limits for members of Congress! Public agencies and institutions must refocus their efforts on managing the Natural World for the public if we are to enjoy a desired future for those to come! YOUR VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCED! CHANGE MUST COME FROM THE BOTTOM UP!

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