TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL
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HUMANITY'S PLACE IN THE NATURAL WORLD!

8/10/2026

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             WHAT IS OUR PLACE IN THE NATURAL WORLD?
 
MY EFFORTS TO HELP OTHERS APPRECIATE THE RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS MANKIND SHARES WITH THE NATURAL WORLD, HAS OCCUPIED MUCH OF MY RETIREMENT YEARS. THE STORY IS VERY COMPLEX, YET MOST OF US DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS ARE THE BASIS FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE BEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE SUGGESTS THE HUMANOID SPECIES FIRST APPEARED ON EARTH ABOUT 650 THOUSAND YEARS AGO. SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN THE INTRICATE AND EVER-CHANGING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANITY AND THE NATURAL WORLD. HUMANS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF NATURE, SUBJECT TO ITS LAWS AND CYCLES, YET POSSESS THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER AND DOMINATE NATURE. A RECENT REPORT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE, STATES THAT MANKIND HAS SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER 75% OF PLANET EARTHS SURFACE.  UNDERSTANDING THIS MULTIFACETED RELATIONSHIP, REVEALS OUR PLACE WITHIN THE BROADER ECOLOGICAL TAPESTRY OF EARTH.
WE ARE ALL DEEPLY CONNECTED TO THE NATURAL WORLD WE LIVE WITHIN. THOSE WHO KEEP A CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD EITHER PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, OR SPIRITUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE ON EARTH EXISTS WITHIN A COMPLEX WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS, WHERE NO ORGANISM, HOWEVER SMALL, LIVES IN ISOLATION. EVERY LIVING ORGANISM, FROM THE MICROORGANISMS TO THE LARGEST MAMMALS, ENGAGE IN INTERACTIONS THAT SHAPE THE ENVIRONMENTS THEY INHABIT. HUMANS ARE DISTINGUISHED BY OUR CAPACITY FOR EMPATHY. HUMANS CAN RELATE TO PERCEIVED EMOTIONS AND NEEDS OF OTHER SPECIES, WHICH FORMS THE BASIS OF OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE DELICATE BALANCE AND INTERWOVEN CONNECTIONS OF LIFE ON EARTH.
WHEN HUMANS FIRST APPEARED ON EARTH, THEY WERE DEEPLY DEPENDENT UPON NATURE, AND SAW NATURE AS THE PROVIDER FOR SUSTENANCE AND SHELTER. THEIR LIFESTYLE FOCUSED ON TAKING ONLY WHAT WAS NEEDED, SHOWING RESPECT FOR EARTHS RESOURCES. THIS INTIMATE CONNECTION MEANT THEIR SURVIVAL WAS DIRECTLY LINKED TO UNDERSTANDING AND HARMONIZING WITH NATURAL CYCLES. SHARING WITH OTHER NON-HUMAN LIFE SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATES EMPATHY WHICH FORTUNATELY OFTEN   EXTENDS EVEN TO ECOSYSTEMS. WE ARE NOW BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT ALL LIVING BEINGS, FROM THE SMALLEST INSECT TO THE TALLEST TREE, PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
THE EVOLUTION OF TIME HAS INITIATED MANY MAJOR CHANGES IN HUMANITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THE WORLD POPULATION HAS REACHED 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY ABOUT 75 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. MANKIND HAS DISTURBED ALMOST 90% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE, AND ALMOST 75% OF OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS NO LONGER ARE TREE COVERED. AGRICULTURE HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY REASON FOR DEFORESTATION, HOWEVER WELL OVER 50% OF EARTH’S PEOPLE ARE NOW OCCUPYING URBAN CENTERS AND TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS, UTILITY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS AND FACTORY CONSTRUCTION HAVE DEFORESTED THOUSANDS OF ACRES. THE IMPACT OF HUMAN DEMANDS HAS REDUCED OUR NATURAL WORLD TO A DEVASTATING LEVEL. SO MUCH SO, THAT WE MUST NOW CONSIDER HOW MUCH LONGER EARTH WILL BE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING THE HUMAN SPECIES.
JUST AS WE RECOGNIZE THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF LIVING BEINGS WITHIN ECOSYSTEMS, WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE REMARKABLE COGNITIVE ABILITIES PRESENT IN ALL SPECIES. WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES EXTEND NOT JUST TO HABITAT’S BUT ALSO TO INHERENT CAPABILITIES AND ROLES OF THE CREATURES WITHIN THE HABITATS. HUMANS HAVE LONG SEEN THEMSELVES AS THE PINNACLE OF INTELLIGENCE, HOWEVER WE NOW RECOGNIZE THAT MANY SPECIES POSSESS COMPLEX FORMS OF INTELLIGENCE. MOST ANIMALS EXHIBIT LEARNING, MEMORY, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITIES WHICH DEMONSTRATE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. PLANTS ALSO EXHIBIT FORMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THAT RESEMBLES LEARNING AND ADAPTATION.   
THE RECOGNITION OF INTELLIGENCE AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SPECIES HAS DEEPENED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE. EVERY SPECIES CONTRIBUTES, IN SOME WAY, TO THE MAINTENANCE OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH. THE INTERACTIONS AMONG SPECIES, PREDATOR AND PREY, POLLINATOR AND PLANT, OR SYMBIOTIC PARTNERS; ARE THE FOUNDATION OF ECOLOGICAL STABILITY. WHEN ONE SPECIES IS THREATENED THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEM IS AFFECTED.
MUCH HAS BEEN LEARNED, BUT HUMANITY’S FOCUS ON WEALTH AND INDIVIDUALISM REMAINS. OUR WESTERN SOCIETY STILL SEES EARTH AS BELONGING TO US, AND WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR OWN DESTINY. AS WE DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE INTELLIGENCE OF OTHER SPECIES, OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS STEWARDS OF PLANET EARTH BECOME MORE EVIDENT. HUMANITY CAN EITHER JOIN HANDS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO PROTECT ECOSYSTEMS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH, OR CONTINUE OUR DOMINATION OF PLANET EARTH AND DESTROY ECOSYSTEM BALANCE AND HUMANITY’S EXISTENCE. EMPATHY COMBINED WITH HUMANITY’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE, PLACES A PROFOUND RESPONSIBILITY UPON OUR SPECIES. COMPASSION, SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND RESPECTING THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF ALL LIFE, IS THE ONLY WAY TO PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL HARMONY. FOLLOWING THESE DIRECTIONS WILL FULFILL THE HIGHEST EXPRESSION OF HUMANITY: RECOGNIZING THAT WE ARE NOT SEPARATE FROM THE NATURAL WORLD, BUT HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF IT. WE MUST CHOSE TO PROTECT THE INTRICATE WEBS OF LIFE THAT SUSTAIN THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET. WE ARE THE STEWARDS OF THIS BALANCE, AND MUST ENSURE THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS INHERIT A WORLD WHERE NATURE CONTINUES TO FLOURISH ALONG WITH MANKIND.  
AS IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, WE MUST CHOOSE WHICH PATH TO FOLLOW, THE PATH THAT PROVIDES A DESIRABLE FUTURE OR THE PATH THAT LEADS TO EARTH’S INABILITY TO SUSTAIN LIFE! THE PATH FOR THE FUTURE WILL REQUIRE MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS IN LIFE STYLES, AND WILL NOT BE EASY, BUT OFFERS GREAT REWARDS.         
         

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POLITICAL EFFORTS TO DISPOSE OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC FOREST LANDS!

7/21/2026

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POLITICAL EFFORTS TO DISPOSE OF AMERICA’S 
                              PUBLIC FOREST LANDS!
 
                
I JUST REVIEWED AN ARTICLE IN THE HIGH-COUNTRY NEWS, OUT OF PAONIA, COLORADO; ABOUT EFFORTS TO REMOVE ROAD DEVELOPMENT RESTRICTIONS IN CONGRESSIONAL DESIGNATED WILDERNESS AREAS. THIS WAS AN AMENDMENT BY SENATOR MIKE LEE OF UTAH, TO THE “WILDFIRE PRESERVATION ACT” THE SENATE WAS CONSIDERING. THE AMENDMENT WOULD HAVE REMOVED THE PROTECTION OF NO ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN 45 MILLION ACRES OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM WILDERNESS LANDS. IN THE PAST, THE SENATOR HAS BEEN A STRONG SUPPORTER OF SELLING PUBLIC LANDS TO HELP OFF-SET THE NATIONAL DEBT AND INCREASE REVENUES FROM THE SALE OF FOREST PRODUCTS. WITH THE RAPID DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL SPACES WORLDWIDE, CONVERTING PUBLIC LANDS TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP IS ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING THINGS WE COULD DO TO THE HUMAN SPECIES. THE ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH, ARE FOUND ONLY WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD, OF WHICH FORESTED LANDS MAKE UP A LARGE PART. PROCESSES SUCH AS PHOTOSYNTHESIS, TRANSPIRATION, CLIMATE STABILITY, CONVERSION OF ORGANIC MATTER TO NUTRIENTS, STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE, PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN, PURIFICATION OF WATER, MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY, AND MANY OTHERS; ARE NATURAL ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY NATURE. MOST OF THESE ELEMENTS CAN NOT BE MANUFACTURED OR RE-CREATED BY MANKIND.
75% OF EARTH’S SURFACE HAS ALREADY BEEN ALTERED BY MANKIND, AND JUST 27% OF EARTH’S ORIGINAL TREE COVERED LANDS STILL REMAINING. YES, WE ARE FACED WITH A SERIOUS PROBLEM.   
I AM NOT A STRONG SUPPORTER OF CONGRESSIONAL DESIGNATED WILDERNESS AREAS; HOWEVER, I BELIEVE WILDERNESS CAN BE CONSIDERED A NATURAL RESOURCE AND MANAGED TO PROVIDE A VERY SPECIAL RECREATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR SOME PEOPLE. I ALSO BELIEVE, OUR PUBLIC TREE COVERED FORESTLANDS MUST BE MANAGED TO PROVIDE A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED BY EARTH’S LIFE SYSTEMS. OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS ARE A MAJOR PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD, AND REQUIRE NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS TO ENHANCE BIODIVERSITY, HEALTH AND THE ELEMENTS DESIGNED INTO NATURE THAT ALLOWS LIFE ON OUR PLANET TO EXIST.
FORESTRY IS FAR MORE COMPLEX THEN JUST GROWING AND HARVESTING TREES. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS OF FOREST SCIENCE, SAW THE SCIENCE AS SIMPLY “GROWING TREES AS CROPS”. THIS IS EXACTLY HOW GIFFORD PINCHOT, THE FIRST CHIEF OF THE FOREST SERVICE, DEFINED IT BACK IN THE LATE 1890’S. I GREW-UP WITH A FATHER THAT WAS A PROFESSIONAL FOREST SCIENTIST, AND ALTHOUGH I DON’T REALLY KNOW HOW HE DEFINED THE SCIENCE, I KNOW, THROUGH DISCUSSIONS WE HAD, HIS FOCUS WAS ON GROWING TREES AS CROPS. IT ALSO VERY OBVIOUS, PRIVATE TIMBER COMPANIES REMAINING IN AMERICA, ARE STILL FOCUSED ON MAKING A PROFIT FROM THE HARVESTING OF TREES WHICH ARE A LARGE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, TOO MANY FORESTERS STILL SEE THE SCIENCE AS GROWING AND HARVESTING TREES AS A RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE THAT PROVIDES WOOD FIBER FOR A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS, RATHER THAN THE SOURCE OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THE PRODUCTS ARE NOT IMPORTANT OR NEEDED, I AM SIMPLY POINTING OUT THAT THE DRIVING GOAL OF FOREST MANAGEMENT MUST FOCUS ON A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS ONLY THE NATURAL WORLD CAN SUPPLY. THE BY-PRODUCT OF PROPER MANAGEMENT WILL SUPPLY MUCH OF THE NEEDED TIMBER FOR WOOD PRODUCTS. I AM ACTUALLY SUGGESTING A MORE INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF OUR COMPLEX TREE COVERED NATURAL WORLD, BY FOCUSING ON MANAGING  INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND UTILIZING UNEVEN-AGED SILVICULTURAL PRINCIPALS. A TIMBER SALE CONTRACT CAN OFFER SEVERAL COMBINATIONS OF ECOSYSTEMS; HOWEVER, MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS MUST BE REQUIRED FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEM.
THE TRANSFER OF PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP WOULD RESULT IN A DEVASTATING IMPACT TO HUMAN LIFE ON OUR PLANET, AS WELL AS A LARGE NUMBER OF OTHER NON-HUMAN SPECIES! TRANSFERRING PUBLIC FOREST LANDS TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP WOULD ACCELERATE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD, RESULTING IN THE EVENTUAL DEMISE OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN PUBLIC FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT WILL RESULT IN MANAGEMENT TO CREATE WEALTH, RATHER THAN SCIENTIFIC LAND MANAGEMENT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A SUSTAINED FLOW OF LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS AVAILABLE ONLY FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. THESE ELEMENTS WERE DESIGNED INTO THE MAGICAL CREATION OF OUR PLANET, AND CANNOT BE REPLICATED BY MANKIND, ONLY DESTROYED! TRANSFERRING PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT FROM TRAINED PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE MANAGERS TO UNTRAINED POLITICIANS IS NOT A LOGICAL SOLUTION!  
I ALSO, JUST RECEIVED AN ARTICLE ABOUT A LAW SUIT IN OREGON WHICH IS CHALLENGING THE CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT OF 1996. THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO USE THE ACT TO ELIMINATE OR OVER-RIDE ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS THAT LIMIT COMPANY AND CORPORATION LEASES AND CONTRACTS ON PUBLIC LANDS. DEPENDING UPON THE COURTS DECISION, IT COULD REMOVE PROFESSIONAL SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT OF MUCH OF OUR REMAINING PUBLIC NATURAL WORLD, AND ALLOW POLITIAN’S TO FOCUS ON PROFITEERING FROM THE ABUSE OF OVER-HARVESTING OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. I AM NOT SURE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THE PEOPLE TO REALIZE THAT THE NATURAL WORLD IS THE ONLY PLACE WE FIND THE ELEMENTS SUPPORT LIFE ON EARTH, AND THEY CAN NOT BE RECREATED BY MANKIND! ALTHOUGH, I HAVE MANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY AND THE NEED TO REDEFINE THE SCIENCE TO RECOGNIZE THE TRUE COMPLEXITY OF MANAGING THAT PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD THAT IS TREE COVERED, I STILL RESPECT THE NEED FOR TRAINED SCIENTISTS. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SPECIAL TRAINING IN HUMAN ECOLOGY FOR ALL RESOURCE MANAGERS IS ESSENTIAL. WE ALSO NEED THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIPS WE SHARE AND DEPEND UPON FROM NATURE. PUBLIC EDUCATION OF HUMAN ECOLOGY SHOULD START IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MATH, SCIENCE, HISTORY AND READING ARE GREAT, BUT LIFE IS BASED UPON RELATIONSHIPS. I HAVE HEARD THAT A MAJOR CHANGE REQUIRES “A SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL EVENT “. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR PLANET SHOULD BE MORE THEN ADEQUATE TO TRIGGER A SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL EVENT. ACTION NEEDS TO START WITH “THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS”, TAKING THE LEAD TO DEVELOP AN ACCURATE DEFINITION OF FOREST SCIENCE, THAT RECOGNIZES THE COMPLEXITY OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND ESTABLISHES THE PRIMARY GOAL OF A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF THE LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS AVAILABLE ONLY FROM FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. THE MAJOR FOCUS MUST BE ON REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES AND IMPROVED BIODIVERSITY! NO LONGER CAN WE AFFORD TO OFFER TIMBER HARVESTING PROJECTS THAT COVER HUNDREDS, EVEN THOUSANDS, OF ACRES. WE MUST SAVE AND PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS! THIS CAN AND MUST BE DONE, BUT REQUIRES PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED RESOURCE MANAGERS THAT UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE HUMAN ECOLOGY! THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY IS FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN SIMPLY GROWING TREES AS CROPS.  OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, ELEMENTARY THOUGH COLLEGE, NEED TO ESTABLISH COURSES THAT PROVIDE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN ECOLOGY, SO THEY CAN BETTER APPRECIATE THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS WE SHARE AND REQUIRE FROM NATURE. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON THE PUBIC EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
 
 
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DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD!

7/8/2026

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DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD!
 
I JUST COMPLETED REVIEWING AN ARTICLE BY ED BOKS, PAST BOARD MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL ASSOCIATION, ABOUT POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA. THE CHANGE IS DESIGNED TO GROW CHEAP TIMBER. THE PRACTICE INVOLVES THE SPRAYING OF VAST ACRES OF BURNED OVER LANDSCAPES WITH GLYPHOSATE (ROUNDUP) TO KILL INDIGENOUS VEGETATION, WILDLIFE AND OTHER ORGANISMS. THE RESULTS WILL DESTROY BIODIVERSITY AND ACCELERATE THE DEMISE OF MANKIND. ONCE THE AREAS HAVE BEEN STERILIZED OF NATIVE LIFE, THEY ARE PLANTED WITH FAST GROWING, FREQUENTLY WITH NON-INDIGENOUS NURSERY STOCK. NATURAL CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ORGANISMS AND ESSENTIAL BIODIVERSITY IS COMPLETELY DESTROYED, AND A FUTURE OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS SUCH A WILDFIRES OR INSECT INFESTATIONS IS INEVITABLE.
IT HAS BEEN WELL-ESTABLISHED THAT THE ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON OUR PLANET ARE PRIMARILY CONTAINED WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD, THE WORLD AS CREATED PRIOR TO THE INTRODUCTION OF MANKIND. FORESTS MAKE UP A CRITICAL PART OF THAT NATURAL WORLD WITH ONLY 27% OF EARTH’S ORIGINAL TREE-COVERED LANDS REMAINING.   PREDICTING THE FUTURE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH IS DIFFICULT. WE DEFIANTLY WILL EXPERIENCE MAJOR COMPETITION FOR THE REMAINING RESOURCES AND ENERGY BY 2050 WHEN THE WORLD POPULATION REACHES 10 BILLION PEOPLE. WE ARE CONTINUING TO  DEFOREST THE EQUIVALENT OF 20 FOOTBALL FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE, WHICH WILL EXPAND AS OUR WORLD POPULATION INCREASES BY 75 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY.
NUMEROUS COMMERCIAL TIMBER INDUSTRIES AND THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE; ARE SPRAYING LARGE ACRES OF FIRE SCARED NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEMS LANDS WITH THE CHEMICAL ROUNDUP ACCORDING TO THE REPORT. THE PURPOSE IS TO PREPARE THE SITES FOR GROWING TREES THE WAY AGRICULTURE GROWS CORN AND OTHER ROW CROPS.  A YEARLONG INVESTIGATION INTO CALIFORNIA’S FORESTS PESTICIDE RECORDS, REVEALED THAT FOREST USE OF GLYPHOSATE REACHED 266,000 POUNDS IN 2023, NEARLY 5 TIMES MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS TWO DECADES AGO. INFORMATION ALSO DISCLOSED PLANS TO DRENCH ALMOST 10,000 ACRES ON THE LASSEN NATIONAL FOREST WITH THE HERBICIDE GLYPHOSATE, EXCEEDING THE TOTAL ACRES OF FOREST LANDS SPRAYED IN CALIFORNIA IN 2023.
GLYPHOSATE IS ALSO BRING APPLIED TO CLEAR-CUT FOREST LANDS AND AROUND TRAILHEADS, CAMPGROUNDS, SKI RESORTS, AND THE HEADWATERS THAT FEED SALMON WATERS AND RURAL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS. THIS IS WHAT “RESTORATION” NOW MEANS IN MUCH OF CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC FOREST SYSTEM LANDS. IT IS NOT THE RETURN OF NATURAL LIVING DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS, BUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOLOGICAL DESERTS WITH SINGLE SPECIES TREE PLANTATIONS. THE SITUATION IS FURTHER EXACERBATED BY FREQUENTLY PLANTING NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES WHICH TEND TO CHOKE OUT NATIVE VEGETATION AND IN SOME CASES REACH ECONOMIC MATURITY FASTER.
I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE SCIENTISTS WOULD EVEN CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING A PRACTICE WHICH WILL CAUSE SUCH DISASTROUS RESULTS. IF OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE EDUCATING SCIENTISTS TO UTILIZE THESE TYPES OF MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THE DOMINATE GOAL OF TIMBER HARVESTING DURING MY 34 YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE. MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS LEFT ME WITH A VERY DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD, OF WHICH FORESTED LANDS ARE A CRITICAL PART. I NOW SEE TREE COVERED LANDS AS A MAJOR PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD CONTAINING THE MAJORITY OF THE ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH.
ALTHOUGH, I DISAGREE WITH PRIVATE TIMBER COMPANIES DISREGARD FOR THE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS MANY OF THEIR MANAGEMENT GOALS CAUSE, I CAN UNDERSTAND THEIR FOCUS ON AVAILABLE RESOURCE SUPPLY AND PROFITABILITY. WITH ONLY 27% OF OUR GLOBAL TREE COVERED FORESTLANDS REMAINING, WE MUST CONSIDER IF WE CAN TOLERATE THE MINING OF OUR PRIVATE FORESTED LANDS. IT IS NOW AN ACCEPTED FACT, THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FOR AT LEAST 80% OF ALL ORGANISMS ON EARTH, ARE ONLY PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD. MANKIND IS BUT A PART OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, AND MUST LIVE IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. 
34 YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE, EXPOSED ME TO NUMEROUS CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS. I OBSERVED A VERY SLOW TRANSITION FROM A FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES, TO A RECOGNITION THAT MULTIPLE RESOURCES EXISTED ON EVERY ACRE, TO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT FORESTS COVER MOUNTAIN SIDES AND VALLEYS, BUT ARE ACTUALLY AN AMALGAMATION OF SMALL, UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. I ALSO LEARNED THE VALUE OF THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD AND TREES, FAR EXCEEDS THE VALUE OF THE WOOD PRODUCTS THE FORESTS PRODUCE. THE CONCEPT OF APPLYING VAST QUANTITIES OF CHEMICALS TO LARGE AREAS OF PREVIOUSLY FORESTED LANDS, AND THE DEVASTATING HARM THAT WILL RESULT, SIMPLY SEEMS NOT THOUGHT-OUT AND LACKING IN KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURAL WORLD RELATIONSHIPS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!
THE DANGEROUS IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE AND THE MASSIVE NUMBERS OF MICRO-ORGANISMS IN THE SOIL, SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. THE DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT FROM FIRE AND CLEAR-CUTTING FOLLOWED BY HEAVY DOSES OF GLYPHOSATE CLEARLY ACCELERATES THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT THE CHEMICAL TREATMENT WILL INJURE OR KILL 9 % OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS CURRENTLY PROTECTED BY THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, AND DAMAGE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR 96% OF LISTED SPECIES. THE FISH AND AQUATIC LIFE IN NEARBY STREAMS AND WATER BODIES WILL SUFFER INJURY AND DEATH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE AND FUNCTION WILL BE UPSET ON LARGE ADJACENT AREAS TO THE TREATED ACRES.
ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING IMPACTS, WHICH APPARENTLY IS NOT UNDERSTOOD OR EVEN CONSIDERED, IS THE FACT THAT FORESTS ARE AN AMALGAMATION OF SMALL UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS. YES, FORESTS COVER MOUNTAIN SIDES AND VALLEYS, BUT THE ENTIRE PLANET IS DIVIDED INTO INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS, BOTH ON LAND AND AT SEA. THE QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE APPLICATION OF LARGE DOSES OF CHEMICALS TO VAST PREVIOUSLY TREE COVERED LANDS ADVERSELY IMPACT THE CURRENT AND FUTURE NATURAL WORLD?  
THE FIRST CONCERN IS THAT DIVERSITY AND INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE CRITICAL ELEMENTS WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD. ECOSYSTEMS ARE NATURAL SMALLER UNITS, WHERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ORGANISMS LIVE AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, THEREBY ALLOWING THE ECOSYSTEM TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN EVALUATING TIMBER MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS, THE SCIENTIST MUST BE ABLE TO READ THE LAND, IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING. I LEARNED THESE SKILLS BY MAPPING AND SAMPLING THE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITIES ON A 200 THOUSAND ACRE RANGER DISTRICT, IN THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER. UPON COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, I FOUND THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS WAS JUST 35 ACRES, AND THE UNIT BOUNDARIES WERE DETERMINED BY THE SITE CONDITIONS THE VEGETATION WAS GROWING ON. SUCH THINGS AS SOIL TYPE, SOIL CHARACTERISTICS, SLOPE, ELEVATION, ASPECT AND MOISTURE AVAILABILITY; DEFINE THE ECOSYSTEM BOUNDARIES. CHANGING OR MANIPULATING THESE PHYSICAL SITE CONDITION IS NOT AN OPTION FOR MANKIND, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY THINK THEY KNOW BETTER THAN NATURE.
PLANTATIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH VOID OF DIVERSITY, AND FAIL TO RECOGNIZE UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS. THE LACK OF DIVERSITY, SETS UP A FUTURE CYCLIC PATTERN OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS LIKE WILDFIRES, INSECT AND DEASE INFESTATIONS AND OTHER SEVER WEATHER EVENTS. A PROPERLY TRAINED FIRE FIGHTER, KNOWS THAT AS A FIRE PROGRESSES FROM ONE VEGETATIVE ECOSYSTEM TO ANOTHER, THE FIRE BEHAVIOR CHANGES AND YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO APPLY SUPPRESSION ACTIONS. DIVERSITY USING NATURAL REGENERATION IS THE SECRET!
FINALLY, PLANTATIONS FREQUENTLY INVOLVE FAST GROWING NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES THAT TEND TO INTERFERE WITH NATIVE VEGETATIVE GROWTH. FOREST ECOLOGISTS HAVE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THE LIFE OF TREES AND HOW THEY COMMUNICATE, RECOGNIZE THEIR OFF-SPRING AND CARE FOR THEM. THESE CAPABILITIES ARE LOST IN PLANTATION PLANTINGS OF DOMESTICATED NURSERY STOCK. INTRODUCING NON-INDIGENOUS FAST GROWING TREE SPECIES INTO PLANTATIONS, SIMPLY EXACERBATES THE ISSUES.
READING THE LAND, IDENTIFYING ECOSYSTEMS, UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN NATURE, AND INTERPRETING THE NATURAL CONNECTIONS TO HUMANITY; ARE ESSENTIAL SKILLS REQUIRED OF RESOURCE SCIENTISTS TODAY. I MUST ADMIT THAT DURING MY YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE, I FOUND VERY FEW SCIENTISTS CAPABLE OF APPLYING THESE SKILLS AS THEY EVALUATED THE IMPACTS OF VARIOUS MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS. THIS WAS CONFIRMED DURING MY CAREER, AS I REVIEWED NUMEROUS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS, OBVIOUSLY PREPARED FROM TEXTBOOK INFORMATION RATHER THAN ON-SITE DATA FROM THE TREATMENT AREAS. BASED ON MY OWN EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCES, I DO NOT BELIEVE ADEQUATE TRAINING IN THE COMPLEXITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD IS OCCURRING WITH STUDENTS IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. IT IS BEYOND MY ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE COULD JOIN COMMERCIAL TIMBER COMPANIES TO APPLY SUCH DEVASTATING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON OUR REMAINING PUBLIC FOREST-LANDS. THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY IS SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN SIMPLY “GROWING TREES A CROPS “. WE HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH SINCE 1905, YET FAIL TO RECOGNIZE AND APPLY OUR MODERN DAY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS WE DEPEND UPON FROM THE NATURAL WORLD! APPARENTLY, PROFIT AND WEALTH IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVEN HUMAN LIFE!

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EARTH'S LIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY!!

6/23/2026

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EARTHS LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY FOR HUMANITY
 
THERE IS NO OTHER SPECIES THAT HAS ALTERED EARTH’S NATURAL WORLD AND LANDSCAPE THE WAY HUMANS HAVE. HUMANITY’S IMPACT ON THE LAND HAS BEEN SO GREAT THAT WE ARE NOW CROSSING INTO A GEOLOGICAL NEW ERA KNOWN AS THE ANTHROPOCENE ERA, WHICH IS DRIVEN BY HUMAN BEHAVIOR. SINCE THE HUMAN SPECIES WAS FIRST INTRODUCED ON EARTH, AND CHOSE TO BE THE MASTER OF THEIR OWN DESTINY, THERE HAS BEEN AN EVER-INCREASING ADVERSE IMPACT ON OUR PLANET AND THE NATURAL WORLD. LIVING IN BALANCE WITH NATURE WAS A REQUIREMENT DURING THE HUNTER-GATHER PERIOD, BUT BEGAN TO GRADUALLY SHIFT AS WE MOVED INTO THE AGRICULTURAL PERIOD. WORLD POPULATIONS REMAINED MINIMAL FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, SO IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT WAS MINOR.
IT IS BELIEVED THAT MANKIND FIRST APPEARED ON EARTH ABOUT 650,000 YEARS AGO. THE EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN THE POPULATION NUMBERS OF THE HUMAN SPECIES WAS VERY SLOW UNTIL ABOUT 1400 AD WHEN EUROPE BEGAN EXPERIENCING RESOURCE AND ENERGY SHORTAGES. THIS LED TO THE NEED TO FINANCE EXPEDITIONS TO DISCOVER NEW LANDS AND SOURCES TO SUPPLY THE NEEDED RESOURCES AND FOOD FOR THE EUROPEAN POPULATION.
THE MID 1800’S INTRODUCED THE “INDUSTRIAL “REVOLUTION”, AS THE WORLD POPULATION WAS APPROACHING ONE BILLION PEOPLE. THE DAMAGE TO THE NATURAL WORLD ACCELERATED BEYOND ACCEPTABLE LEVELS. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, MASS SPECIES EXTINCTION, AND OVER-EXPLOITATION OF OUR GLOBAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY ARE CURRENT EXAMPLES OF HUMANITY’S EFFORTS TO ALTER THE LANDSCAPE AND THE NATURAL WORLD. OUR RAPID GROWTH IN WORLD POPULATION, COUPLED WITH INCREASED AFFLUENCE AND RAPID INCREASE FOR CONSUMPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES, IS DRIVING OUR PLANET CLOSER TO IT’S LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY, WITH AN EXPECTED WORLD POPULATION OF 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. MANY ECOLOGISTS SUGGEST OUR RESOURCE AND ENERGY SUPPLIES ARE ALREADY UNABLE TO MEET OUR GROWING DEMANDS, AS WE ARE DEPLETING OUR RESERVES TO MEET CURRENT CONSUMPTION DEMANDS. ON THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT, OUR CURRENT LIFE STYLE  REQUIRES ABOUT 20 ACRES OF LAND TO SATISFY OUR CURRENT LEVEL OF  CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES AND ENERGY. DIVIDING THE LAND BASE ON EARTH BY OUR CURRENT WORLD POPULATION, PROVIDES ONLY SLIGHTLY OVER 4 ACRES PER PERSON.
PREDICTING THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH FOR THE HUMAN SPECIES IS DIFFICULT AS IT DEPENDS UPON HUMAN CHOICES; HOW MUCH EACH PERSON CONSUMES, HOW FOOD IS PRODUCED, HOW ENERGY IS GENERATED, AND HOW WASTE IS MANAGED. THESE VARIABLES FOR MOST ANIMALS REMAINS CONSISTENT IN THEIR RESOURCE USE AND BEHAVIOR, ALLOWING FOR MORE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS OF THEIR ECOSYSTEMS CARRYING-CAPACITY.
RESOURCE CONSUMPTION IS ONLY PART OF THE ISSUE. EARTH CARRYING-CAPACITY IS ALSO LIMITED BY CLIMATE STABILITY, CHEMICAL POLLUTION, BIODIVERSITY AND OTHER EARTH SYSTEMS. RESEARCHERS AT THE STOCKHOLM RESILIENCE CENTRE, IN AN EFFORT TO DEFINE A FRAMEWORK FOR PLANETARY BOUNDARIES, IDENTIFIED NINE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS THAT ESTABLISH A “SAFE OPERATING SPACE” FOR OUR CIVILIZATION. THEIR RECENT REVIEW DISCLOSED THAT SIX OF THOSE BOUNDARIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXCEEDED. THEY INCLUDE LAND-SYSTEM CHANGES, LOSS OF DIVERSITY, NUTRIENT POLLUTION, AVAILABILITY OF FRESHWATER, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF CHEMICALS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IS CLOSE TO EXCEEDING ACCEPTABLE LEVELS. THE RESEARCH ALSO REVEALED THAT THE AMOUNT OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION HUMANS REQUIRE FOR THEIR CURRENT LIFE STYLES, HAS EXCEEDED THE LEVEL NEEDED TO MAINTAIN FUNCTIONAL ECOSYSTEMS.
THE UNITED NATIONS PROJECT THAT GLOBAL POPULATION WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND FOR THE NEXT 50 TO 60 YEARS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE GROWTH OCCURRING IN AFRICA AND PARTS OF ASIA. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL REACH 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. WHETHER EARTH CAN SUSTAIN 10 BILLION PEOPLE DEPENDS LESS ON THE NUMBERS THAN ON HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE. CURRENT CONSUMPTION PATTERNS ARE ALREADY UNSUSTAINABLE FOR 8 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH IS OUR CURRENT WORLD POPULATION.
THE ANSWER TO “WHAT IS EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY” IS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXCEEDING IT AT OUR CURRENT STANDARD OF LIVING, PARTICULARLY IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. THE PLANET CAN ONLY REGENERATE ENOUGH RESOURCES FOR LESS PEOPLE THAN WE CURRENTLY HAVE, AT THE PRESENT AVERAGE DAILY CONSUMPTION LEVEL. THE NUMBER COULD GO UP WITH MAJOR SHIFTS IN HOW WE PRODUCE FOOD, GENERATE ENERGY AND DISTRIBUTE RESOURCES. IT IS MORE LIKELY TO GO DOWN IF SOIL DEGRADATION, CLIMATE DISRUPTION, AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS CONTINUE UNDERMINING THE NATURAL SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT AGRICULTURE AND CLEAN WATER. “CARRYING-CAPACITY IS NOT A NUMBER WE DISCOVER. IT IS A NUMBER WE CHOOSE THROUGH THE WAY WE LIVE!
WE HAVE ENJOYED THE GOOD LIFE! WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THE BOUNTY OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. WE HAVE OVER-POPULATED AND OVER-HARVESTED. PAST CULTURES COLLAPSED AND FAILED DUE TO THEIR INABILITY TO RESOLVE THESE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.  DO WE FOLLOW HISTORY OR USE OUR TALENTS AND SKILLS TO PROLONG LIFE ON THIS MAGICAL PLANET? IT WILL NOT BE EASY, BUT WE CAN PROVIDE A MORE DESIRABLE FUTURE.       
  
 
 

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June 15th, 2026

6/15/2026

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DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD!
 
I JUST COMPLETED REVIEWING AN ARTICLE BY ED BOKS, PAST BOARD MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL ASSOCIATION, ABOUT POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA. THE CHANGE IS DESIGNED TO GROW CHEAP FAST GROWING TIMBER. THE RESULT WILL DESTROY BIODIVERSITY AND ACCELERATED THE DEMISE OF MANKIND. THE PRACTICE INVOLVES THE SPRAYING OF VAST ACRES OF BURNED OVER LANDSCAPES WITH GLYPHOSATE (ROUNDUP) TO KILL INDIGENOUS VEGETATION, WILDLIFE AND OTHER ORGANISMS. ONCE THE AREAS HAVE BEEN STERILIZED OF NATIVE LIFE, THEY ARE PLANTED WITH FAST GROWING FREQUENTLY NON-INDIGENOUS NURSERY STOCK. NATURAL CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ORGANISMS AND ESSENTIAL BIODIVERSITY IS COMPLETELY DESTROYED, AND A FUTURE OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS SUCH A WILDFIRES ARE INEVITABLE.
IT IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED FACT THAT THE ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON OUR PLANET ARE CONTAINED ONLY WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD, THE WORLD AS CREATED PRIOR TO THE INTRODUCTION OF MANKIND. FORESTS MAKE UP A CRITICAL PART OF THAT NATURAL WORLD WITH ONLY 27% OF EARTH’S ORIGINAL TREE-COVERED LANDS REMINING. IT IS ALSO TRUE       THAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE MAJOR COMPETITION FOR THE REMAINING RESOURCES AND ENERGY BY 2050 WHEN THE WORLD POPULATION REACHES 10 BILLION PEOPLE. WE ARE CURRENTLY DEFORESTING THE EQUIVALENT OF 20 FOOTBALL FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE, WHICH WILL INCREASE AS OUR POPULATION INCREASES BY 75 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY.
THE REPORT DISCLOSES THAT NUMEROUS TIMBER INDUSTRIES AND THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE; ARE SPRAYING LARGE ACRES OF FIRE SCARED NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEMS LANDS WITH THE CHEMICAL ROUNDUP TO PREPARE THE SITES FOR GROWING TREES THE WAY AGRICULTURE GROWS CORN AND OTHER ROW CROPS.  A YEARLONG INVESTIGATION INTO CALIFORNIA’S FORESTS PESTICIDE RECORDS, REVEALED THAT FOREST USE OF GLYPHOSATE REACHED 266,000 POUNDS IN 2023, NEARLY 5 TIMES MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS TWO DECADES AGO. INFORMATION ALSO DISCLOSED PLANS TO DRENCH ALMOST 10,000 ACRES ON THE LASSEN NATIONAL FOREST WITH THE HERBICIDE GLYPHOSATE, EXCEEDING THE TOTAL ACRES OF FOREST LANDS SPRAYED IN CALIFORNIA IN 2023.
GLYPHOSATE IS ALSO BRING APPLIED TO CLEARCUT FOREST LANDS AND AROUND TRAILHEADS, CAMPGROUNDS, SKI RESORTS, AND THE HEADWATERS THAT FEED SALMON WATERS AND RURAL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS. THIS IS WHAT “RESTORATION” NOW MEANS IN MUCH OF CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC FORESTS: NOT THE RETURN OF NATURAL LIVING DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS, BUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOLOGICAL DESERTS, SINGLE SPECIES TREE PLANTATIONS. THE SITUATION IS FURTHER EXACERBATED BY PLANTING NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES WHICH TEND TO  OUT-COMPETE WITH THE NATIVE VEGETATION.
I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE SCIENTISTS WOULD EVEN CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING A PRACTICE WHICH WILL CAUSE SUCH DISASTROUS RESULTS. IF OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE EDUCATING SCIENTISTS TO UTILIZE THESE TYPES OF MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THE DOMINATE GOAL OF TIMBER HARVESTING DURING MY 34 YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE. MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS LEFT ME WITH A VERY DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD, OF WHICH FORESTED LANDS ARE A CRITICAL PART. I NOW SEE TREE COVERED LANDS AS A MAJOR PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD CONTAINING MOST OF THE ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH.
ALTHOUGH, I DISAGREE WITH PRIVATE TIMBER COMPANIES DISREGARD FOR THE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS MANY OF THEIR MANAGEMENT GOALS CAUSE, I CAN UNDERSTAND THEIR FOCUS ON AVAILABLE RESOURCE SUPPLY AND PROFITABILITY. WITH ONLY 27% OF OUR ORIGINAL TREE COVERED FORESTLANDS REMAINING, WE MUST CONSIDER IF WE CAN TOLERATE THE MINING OF EVEN OUR PRIVATE FORESTED LANDS, LET ALONE OUR PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS. IT IS NOW AN ACCEPTED FACT, THAT THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FOR AT LEAST 80% OF ALL ORGANISMS ON EARTH, ARE MAINLY PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD. MANKIND IS BUT A PART OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, AND MUST LIVE IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. 
34 YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE, EXPOSED ME TO NUMEROUS CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS. I OBSERVED A VERY SLOW TRANSITION FROM A FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES, TO A RECOGNITION THAT MULTIPLE RESOURCES EXISTED ON EVERY ACRE, TO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT FORESTS COVER MOUNTAIN SIDES AND VALLEYS, BUT ARE ACTUALLY AN AMALGAMATION OF SMALL, UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. I ALSO LEARNED THAT THE VALUE OF THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD AND TREES, FAR EXCEEDS THE VALUE OF THE WOOD PRODUCTS THE FORESTS PRODUCE. THE CONCEPT OF APPLYING VAST QUANTITIES OF CHEMICALS TO LARGES AREAS OF PREVIOUSLY FORESTED LANDS, AND THE DEVASTATING HARM THAT WILL RESULT, SIMPLY SEEMS POORLY THOUGHT-OUT AND LACKING IN KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURAL WORLD RELATIONSHIPS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!
THE DANGEROUS IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE AND THE MASSIVE NUMBERS OF MICRO-ORGANISMS IN THE SOIL, SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. THE DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT FROM FIRE AND CLEAR-CUTTING FOLLOWED BY HEAVY DOSES OF GLYPHOSATE CLEARLY ACCELERATES THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT THE CHEMICAL TREATMENT WILL INJURE OR KILL 9 % OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS CURRENTLY PROTECTED BY THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, AND DAMAGE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR 96% OF LISTED SPECIES. THE FISH AND AQUATIC LIFE IN NEARBY STREAMS AND WATER BODIES WILL SUFFER INJURY AND DEATH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE AND FUNCTION WILL BE UPSET ON LARGE ADJACENT AREAS TO THE TREATED ACRES.
ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING IMPACTS, WHICH APPARENTLY IS NOT UNDERSTOOD OR SELDOM CONSIDERED, IS THE FACT THAT FORESTS ARE AN AMALGAMATION OF SMALL UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS. YES, FORESTS COVER MOUNTAIN SIDES AND VALLEYS, BUT THE ENTIRE PLANET IS DIVIDED INTO INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS, BOTH ON LAND AND AT SEA. THE QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE APPLICATION OF LARGE DOSES OF CHEMICALS TO VAST PREVIOUSLY TREE COVERED LANDS ADVERSELY IMPACT THE CURRENT AND FUTURE NATURAL WORLD?  
THE FIRST CONCERN IS THAT DIVERSITY AND INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE CRITICAL ELEMENTS WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD. ECOSYSTEMS ARE NATURAL SMALLER UNITS, WHERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ORGANISMS LIVE AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, THEREBY ALLOWING THE ECOSYSTEM TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN EVALUATING TIMBER MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS, THE SCIENTIST MUST BE ABLE TO READ THE LAND, IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING. I LEARNED THESE SKILLS BY MAPPING AND SAMPLING THE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITIES ON A 200 THOUSAND ACRE RANGER DISTRICT, IN THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER. UPON COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, I FOUND THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS WAS JUST 35 ACRES, AND THE UNIT BOUNDARIES WERE DETERMINED BY THE SITE CONDITIONS THE VEGETATION WAS GROWING ON. SUCH THINGS AS SOIL TYPE, SOIL CHARACTERISTICS, SLOPE, ELEVATION, ASPECT AND MOISTURE AVAILABILITY; DEFINE THE ECOSYSTEM BOUNDARIES. CHANGING OR MANIPULATING THESE SITE CONDITION IS NOT AN OPTION FOR MANKIND, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY THINK THEY KNOW BETTER THAN NATURE.
PLANTATIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH VOID OF DIVERSITY, AND FAIL TO RECOGNIZE UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS. THE LACK OF DIVERSITY, SETS UP A FUTURE CYCLIC PATTERN OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS LIKE WILDFIRES, INSECT AND DISEASE INFESTATIONS AND OTHER SEVER WEATHER EVENTS. A PROPERLY TRAINED FIRE FIGHTER, KNOWS THAT AS A FIRE PROGRESSES FROM ONE VEGETATIVE ECOSYSTEM TO ANOTHER, THE FIRE BEHAVIOR CHANGES AND YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO APPLY SUPPRESSION ACTIONS. ENHANCING DIVERSITY, REQUIRES USING NATURAL REGENERATION OR AT LEAST LOCAL NATIVE SEED SOURCES! SEEDS FROM THE MOTHER TREE REMAIN VIABLE FOR YEARS. FOLLOWING NATURES WAY IS THE SECRET!
FINALLY, PLANTATIONS FREQUENTLY INVOLVE FAST GROWING NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES THAT TEND TO INTERFERE WITH NATIVE VEGETATIVE GROWTH. FOREST ECOLOGISTS HAVE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THE LIFE OF TREES AND HOW THEY COMMUNICATE, RECOGNIZE THEIR OFF-SPRING AND CARE FOR THEM. THESE CAPABILITIES ARE LOST IN PLANTATION PLANTING OF DOMESTICATED NURSERY STOCK. INTRODUCING NON-INDIGENOUS FAST GROWING TREE SPECIES INTO PLANTATION, SIMPLY EXACERBATES THE ISSUES.
READING THE LAND, IDENTIFYING ECOSYSTEMS, UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN NATURE, AND INTERPRETING THE NATURAL CONNECTIONS TO HUMANITY; ARE ESSENTIAL SKILLS REQUIRED OF RESOURCE SCIENTISTS TODAY. I MUST ADMIT THAT DURING MY YEARS WITH THE FOREST SERVICE, I FOUND VERY FEW SCIENTISTS CAPABLE OF APPLYING THESE SKILLS AS THEY EVALUATED THE IMPACTS OF VARIOUS MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS. THIS WAS CONFIRMED DURING MY CAREER, AS I REVIEWED NUMEROUS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS, OBVIOUSLY PREPARED FROM TEXTBOOK INFORMATION RATHER THAN ON-SITE DATA FROM THE TREATMENT AREAS. BASED ON MY OWN EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCES, I DO NOT BELIEVE ADEQUATE TRAINING IN THE COMPLEXITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD IS OCCURRING WITH STUDENTS IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. IT IS BEYOND MY ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE COULD JOIN COMMERCIAL TIMBER COMPANIES TO APPLY SUCH DEVASTATING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON OUR REMAINING PUBLIC FOREST LANDS. THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY IS SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN SIMPLY “GROWING TREES A CROPS “. WE HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH SINCE 1905, YET FAIL TO RECOGNIZE AND APPLY OUR MODERN DAY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS WE DEPEND UPON FROM THE NATURAL WORLD! APPARENTLY, PROFIT AND WEALTH IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVEN HUMAN LIFE!

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May 14th, 2026

5/14/2026

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THE DEVASTATING DECLINE OF NATURE!
 
ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY BY MILES RICHARDSON, A PROFESSOR OF NATURE CONNECTEDNESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DERBY IN ENGLAND; THE HUMAN CONNECTION WITH NATURE HAS DECLINED BY 60% SINCE 1800. RICHARDSON ARRIVED AT HIS CONCLUSIONS BY USING DATA ON URBANIZATION, LOSS OF WILDLIFE SPECIES, PARTICULARLY URBAN SPECIES AND PARENTS NO-LONGER PASSING ON ENGAGEMENTS WITH NATURE TO THEIR CHILDREN. RICHARDSON IDENTIFIED THE DISAPPEARANCES OF NATURE WORDS IN BOOKS AS A MAJOR ISSUE WHICH PEAKED AT A 60.6% LOSS IN 1990. HIS MODEL PREDICTS AN ONGOING “EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE” AS FUTURE GENERATIONS CONTINUE TO LOSE AN AWARENESS OF NATURE. MUCH OF THE LOSE IS DUE TO THE INCREASING URBANIZATION OF THE WORLD POPULATION.
“NATURE CONNECTEDNESS IS NOW ACCEPTED AS A KEY ROOT CAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS”, SAID RICHARDSON. “IT’S VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR OWN MEDAL HEALTH AS WELL. IT UNITES PEOPLE AND NATURE’S WELL-BEING. THERE’S NEED FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IF WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE SOCIETY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE.”
THE STUDY GOES ON TO POINT OUT THAT MINOR ADJUSTMENTS ARE INSUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE CRISIS. MAJOR CHANGES WILL BE NECESSARY, THEREBY COMPLICATING THE SOLUTIONS. MOST EFFECTIVE, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY, ARE MEASURES INSTILLING AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT IN OUR YOUTH AND FAMILIES. COMPLICATING THE ISSUE; THE MODELLING SHOWS THAT POLICIES TO TRANSFORM EARLY EDUCATION AND URBAN GREENING NEED TO BE IN PLACE OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS TO REVERSE THE DECLINE.  
ANOTHER LANDMARK STUDY BY THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS, SHOWS THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK) WILDLIFE’S DEVASTATING DECLINE. STATE OF NATURE, THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON UK WILDLIFE, SHOWS THAT THE SPECIES STUDIED, HAVE ON AVERAGE DECLINED BY 19% SINCE MONITORING BEGAN IN 1970. REPTILES, FUNGI AND LICHENS, AND TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS HAVE DECLINED AT AN EVEN HIGHER RATE. THE REPORT, ALSO, STATES THAT THE IMPORTANT HABITATS FOR UK’S NATURE ARE IN POOR CONDITION, BUT LIMITED RESTORATION PROJECTS ARE UNDERWAY AND BENEFIT NATURE AND PEOPLE, AS WELL AS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION. NUMEROUS SPECIES ARE CURRENTLY AT RISK OF EXTINCTION. CRAIG BENNETT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF WILDLIFE TRUSTS, POINTS OUT, “THERE IS FAR TOO MUCH AT STAKE. WE DESPERATELY NEED BETTER POLICIES THAT FUND NATURE-FRIENDLY FARMING PROPERLY, END THE POISONING OF LAKES AND RIVERS, AND CREATE LARGER WILD AND MORE NATURE AREAS - INCLUDING TOWNS AND CITIES.” THE STUDY OF NATURE REPORT CONCLUDED THAT WE HAVE KNOWN LONG BEFORE WIDESPREAD MONITORING BEGAN, THAT THE UNITED KINGDOMS BIODIVERSITY HAD BEEN SERIOUSLY DEPLETED BY CENTURIES OF HABITAT LOSS, UNSUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES, DEVELOPMENT AND PERSECUTION. THE RESULT IS, DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITY, THE UNITED KINGDOM NOW HAS LESS THAN HALF THE BIODIVERSITY IT ONCE HAD.
BECCY SPEIGHT, THE RSPB’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE STATED,” THE UNITED KINGDOM’S WILDLIFE IS BETTER STUDIED THAN IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AND WHAT THE DATA TELLS US SHOULD MAKE US SET UP AND LISTEN, WHAT IS CLEAR, IS THAT PROGRESS TO PROTECT OUR SPECIES AND HABITATS HAS NOT BEEN SUFFICIENT.” “WE NEED TO MOVE FAR FASTER AS A SOCIETY TOWARDS NATURE-FRIENDLY LAND AND SEA USE.”   
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ARE UNCOVERING THE TRUTH AND SOUNDING THE ALARM, BUT ARE WE LISTENING? THE IMPACTS UPON NATURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ARE OCCURRING WORLDWIDE. RECENT REPORTS HAVE CONCLUDED THAT ONLY THREE PERCENT OF THE ECOSYSTEMS WORLDWIDE REMAIN IN BALANCE AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ABOUT TEN MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES ON PLANT EARTH, AND SCIENCE ESTIMATES THERE COULD BE AS HIGH AS 80 TO 100 MILLION DIFFERENT ORGANISMS THAT ACTUALLY LIVE ON EARTH. BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF SPECIES IDENTIFIED SO FAR, AND THE ANNUAL EXTINCTION RATE; THE SPECIES ANNUAL EXTINCTION RATE COULD VARY ANY WHERE FROM 3000 TO 10 MILLION. THE ONLY THING WE ARE SURE OF IS THAT THE EXTINCTION RATE IS INCREASING AT A MORE RAPID RATE THAN IS DESIRABLE, RESULTING IN SPECIES EXTINCTION HAVING AN INCREASED ADVERSE EFFECT ON ECOSYSTEM BALANCE AND FUNCTION.
OUR HUMAN CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD IS VITAL FOR SUSTAINING LIFE ON EARTH, AND HAS REACHED A CRITICAL STAGE AS A RESULT OF HUMAN OVER-POPULATION AND OUR DEMAND FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY. THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY AND THE OVER-HARVESTING OF RESOURCES HAS REACHED A CRITICAL POINT. A RECENT PUBLICATION BY THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE, STATES THAT, “HUMANITY IS CAUSING DANGEROUS DECLINES IN NATURE”. THEY LIST SEVEN FACTS THAT IDENTIFY THE CURRENT STATE OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
  1. WE ARE USING THE EQUIVALENT OF 1.6 EARTHS TO MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT WAY OF LIFE AND ECOSYSTEMS CANNOT MEET OUR DEMANDS.
  2. 1 MILLION OF EARTHS 8 MILLION SPECIES OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION.
  3. 75% OF EARTH’S LAND SURFACE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY HUMAN ACTION, INCLUDING 85% OF WETLAND AREAS.
  4. 66% OF OUR OCEAN AREAS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING FISH HARVESTING AND POLLUTION.
  5. ALMOST 90% OF THE WORLDS FISH STOCKS ARE FULLY EXPLOITED, OVER-EXPLOITED OR DEPLETED.
  6. AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION ACCOUNTS FOR 70% OF THE PROJECTED LOSS OF TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY.
  7. GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS, THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF                                                  BIODIVERSITY LOSS WITH AGRICULTURE, IS THREATENING      THE EXTINCTION OF 24 TO 28 THOUSAND SPECIES.                                                                                         
 
THESE FACTS SHOULD BE A MAJOR CALL TO ACTION. WHAT IS HAPPENING PROVIDES THE INSIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND GENERIC ENGINEERING WILL NOT REPLACE OR RE-ESTABLISH NATURE, ONLY HUMANS CAN MAKE THE REQUIRED CHANGES.  
 
 
 
 
 

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CARRYING CAPACITY ON EARTH

4/19/2026

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THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH
 
DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE TRUTH IS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE RESULT OF TWO MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. OUR OCEANS AND LANDS ARE DIVIDED INTO UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BEING DESTROYED BY HUMANITY’S INCREASING DEMANDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES THAT FOCUS ON EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES.
FOR THE PAST CENTURY, SCIENCE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE LIMITATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NON-HUMAN SPECIES THAT LIVE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEMS. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE DEVASTATING RESULTS OF OVER-POPULATION BY INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. DISEASE, PESTILENCE, STARVATION AND DEATH OCCUR IN AN EFFORT TO BRING THE POPULATION IN BALANCE WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS. SCIENCE IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THESE SAME OUTCOMES WILL RESULT AS THE HUMAN SPECIES NEARS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. IN FACT, SOME SUGGEST WE ALREADY REQUIRE 1.75 PLANETS TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT POPULATION AND LIFE STYLE. EDWARD O. WILSON, A HARVARD SOCIOBIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO CLEAR AND SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK AN BUILD URBAN CENTERS, AS IT WILL NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO GROWING CROPS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, THEREBY REQUIRING A CONVERSION TO MEAT FREE DIETS. THIS ASSUMES THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR FOR FUTURE POPULATION LEVELS IS FOOD SUPPLY. THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY FAR MORE COMPLEX. PROJECTING THE HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH REQUIRES COMPARING CURRENT INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES, ENERGY, MATERIALS PLUS ATMOSPHERIC, LAND AND SEA POLLUTION, AND THEN COMPARING THE RESULTS TO FUTURE POPULATION ESTIMATES. EARTH’S LIMITATIONS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND ENERGY RESOURCES.
PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND LEVELS, LEVELS OF CO2 AND OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOIL EROSION AND NUTRIENT LEVELS, WASTE DISPOSAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY.
THE SURFACE AREA OF EARTH IS 126 BILLION ACRES, OF WHICH 89 BILLION ACRES ARE WATER COVERED, AND 37 BILLION ARE LAND. WE HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF OUR LAND BASE TO OCCUPATION BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL USE. THESE LANDS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND ARE VOID OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. THERE ARE NO NEW LANDS TO DISCOVER, ONLY THE REMAINING NATURAL HABITATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONVERTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. DESTROY THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD AND YOU DESTROY LIFE!
 THE WORLD POPULATION IS NEAR 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY 75 TO 80 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. EFFORTS TO DETERMINE EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY, INDICATES THE LIMIT IS BETWEEN 9 AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WE WILL REACH WITHIN THE NEXT 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, YET THE WILLINGNESS TO ACT SEEMS OUT OF REACH! WE ARE FACED WITH THE FACT THAT OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM, EARTH, HAS A LIMITED LAND BASE AND AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION. CURRENT HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE TAKEN US CLOSE TO THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED OUR SPECIES EXISTENCE. OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, HOWEVER, IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. ONLY 26% OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS IN A FORESTED STATE. REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION WITH AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION MAY NOT BE REALISTIC. OUR SEA’S HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES SINCE 1880, DUE TO THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES. OUR LEVELS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CO2 THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS. WE CAN OBSERVE POLLUTION CLOUDS OVER MOST OF OUR PEOPLE CONCENTRATED URBAN AREAS. OUR RIVERS ARE DYING FROM STREAM SILTATION AND WASTE POLLUTION AND SAFE DRINKING WATER DOES NOT EXIST IN MANY WORLD LOCATIONS. WE RECEIVE DAILY SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF SEA AND LAND ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE COLLAPSING AND FAILING. THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TELLS US TO HANG ON, HOPE IS POSSIBLE! WE CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM WITHIN A BUBBLE, WHICH WILL SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE. WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING WE CAN PROVIDE THE VOLUME OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN THE HUMAN BODY, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE REDUCING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE PRODUCT. WE CAN DESIGN A LIGHT-WEIGHT SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND ALLOW YOU TO BREATH. WE MAY EVEN FIND ANOTHER PLANET WHICH CAN SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE IN A COCOON-LIKE ARTIFICIAL DOOM. IS THIS THE DESIRED FUTURE YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I WANT TO PASS ON A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE. ONE THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND MAGIC OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WHERE MILLIONS OF SPECIES LIVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. WHERE FREEDOM ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE THE GRANDEUR OF CREATION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF BELONGING.
IF A BETTER VISION IS TO BE REALIZED, MAJOR CHANGES MUST OCCUR IN LIFE STYLES AND THE WAY WE MANAGE THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD.  WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH IN THE ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE. OUR ALIENATION FROM NATURE AND THE LAND MUST BE REVERSED, SO WE CAN FIND HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE MILLIONS OF LIVING SPECIES ON OUR PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE VIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE-UP OUR NATURAL WORLD. HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST FOCUS ON OUR GRADUATES HAVING A SOUND ECOLOGICAL BASE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES. 
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS, WE MUST DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ASSIST EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE THEIR ORIGINAL DIVERSITY, VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE SEA OR LAND COMMUNITIES. WITH 82% OF OUR WORLD POPULATION NOW URBAN DWELLERS AND REMOVED FROM THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND; IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. IT MUST START WITH OUR YOUTH AND NEW CURRICULUMS IN THE CLASS ROOM.
OUR NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO DEVELOP LIFE STYLE STRATEGIES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMPTION LEVELS. THIS WILL REQUIRE MEASURING WELLNESS RATHER THAN MONETARY SUCCESS. CONVERTING FROM CONSUMPTION TO WELLNESS WILL REQUIRE STRONG LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT. MUCH OF THE LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED BY OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. WE MUST DEVELOP A NEW APPRECIATION FOR CREATION, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
TOP PRIORITY MUST BE TO CHANGE OLD MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. THIS MEANS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS (COMMUNITIES) AND THEIR COMPLEX COMPONENTS MUST BECOME ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENCOURAGING NATURAL DIVERSITY. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BECOME THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE, AND NATURAL REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY. OVER-UTILIZATION AND EXTERMINATION OF SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM MUST BE CONTROLLED. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-INTRODUCE PREVIOUSLY LOST SPECIES, TO RETURN THE REQUIRED BALANCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. I USE THE WORDS COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERCHANGEABLY AS THEY BOTH REFER TO A DIVERSE FUNCTIONING SUB-UNIT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. DURING MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY, I OBSERVED A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WERE NORMALLY DESIGNED BY LOCAL TECHNICIANS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF LOCAL RESOURCE CONDITIONS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE MANAGERS. NEVER DID I OBSERVE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT RECOGNIZED AND TREATED THE INDIVIDUAL UNIQUE COMMUNITIES. TREATMENTS WERE BASED UPON THE NEED TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS RATHER THAN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I HAVE SEEN LITTLE EFFORT TO RE-FOCUS AND ADJUST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AWAY FROM WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM THE FORESTS, EVEN TODAY.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SEEM CONTENT TO RELY ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE CONVINCED IF WE CAN ELIMINATE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION BY FINDING GREEN ENERGY ALTERNATIVES, OUR FUTURE WILL BE POSITIVE. IT WILL PROVIDE LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH LARGER! A COMPREHENSIVE WORLDWIDE PLAN WITH NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS IS ESSENTIAL.  
CONTROLLING POPULATION EXPANSION IS DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE. STOPPING DEFORESTATION WHEN WORLD POPULATION DEMANDS ARE DESTINE TO INCREASE, IS QUESTIONABLE. NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT IMPROVE FOREST HEALTH, DIVERSITY AND ORIGINALITY, OFFERS HOPE. THE FOCUS MUST BE ON THE CONDITION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, NOT THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE. EVEN OUR ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ABILITY TO INVENT AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED MATERIALS AND ITEMS, CAN NOT PRODUCE THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH. WE ARE EVEN WORKING ON REPLACING HUMANS WITH MACHINE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT. THINK OF THE EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS ON THE HUMAN PSYCHE WHEN WE CAN DO AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR HUMAN WORKERS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT TO DATE HUMANITY’S THRUST FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY FROM EARTH AND THE NATURAL WORLD HAS ONLY ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REQUIRED LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM NATURE! I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC EVEN THOUGH EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, HAS MOSTLY FAILED. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH ESTABLISHED ROUTINES, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH FUTURE PREDICTIONS! WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE MAY BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER ALL. TIME WILL TELL!      
 
 
 
 
    
 
 

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SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE!

4/19/2026

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              A SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE!
 
PROTECTING OUR REMAINING TREE COVERED FORESTLANDS OFFERS ONE OF THE BEST SOLUTIONS TO REVERSING CLIMATE CHANGE. TREES STORE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2), AND PROVIDING PROBABLY THE BEST SOLUTION TO REVERSE CURRENT CLIMATE CHANGES OCCURRING ON EARTH. ONE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT TREE COVERED LANDS ABSORB ALMOST 16 BILLION METRIC TONS OF CO2 WORLDWIDE ANNUALLY. IN ADDITION, THEY ARE CURRENTLY STORING OVER 850 GIGATONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE WORLDWIDE. EVERYONE IS AWARE THAT TREES UTILIZE CO2 IN THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS TO PRODUCE THE FOOD THAT ALLOWS THE TREE TO GROW AND MATURE. THE LARGER THE TREE THE MORE CO2 IT CAN STORE. A TREE REQUIRES ABOUT 1.75 POUNDS OF CO2 TO GROW 1 POUND OF WOOD. THE PROCESS, KNOWN AS PHOTOSYNTHESIS, UTILIZES THE TREE’S LEAVES TO CONVERT WATER AND CO2 TO GLUCOSE WHICH IS THE FOOD THE TREE REQUIRES TO GROW. THE LEAVES HAVE SPECIAL CELLS CONTAINING CHLOROPLASTS AND A GREEN SUBSTANCE CALLED CHLOROPHYLL. THE CHLOROPHYLL ABSORBS THE SUNLIGHT CAUSING A REACTION THAT ACTIVATES THE WATER AND CO2 TO FORM GLUCOSE WHICH FEEDS THE TREE. IN THE PROCESS OF GROWING A POUND OF WOOD, THE TREE PRODUCES ABOUT 1.4 POUNDS OF OXYGEN AND RETURNS IT BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.
THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, THE COOLING DURING LEAF-ON-TIMES AND THE INTERRUPTION OF AIR FLOWS; MAKE PROPER MANAGEMENT OF TREE COVERED FOREST LANDS VITAL IN EFFORTS TO REVERSE THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS WE ARE EXPERIENCING WORLDWIDE. WE MUST, HOWEVER, UNDERSTAND THAT NOT ALL FORESTED LANDS ABSORB AND STORE CO2 IN THE SAME WAY. IT IS ESSENTIAL WE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT WAYS CO2 FUNCTIONS IN THE DIFFERENT FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, IF WE ARE TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENT PROVIDED BY THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS AND THE NATURAL WORLD.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THREE CLIMATIC ZONES, TROPICAL, TEMPERATE AND BOREAL, IS ESSENTIAL IN CONSIDERING FOREST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO BE APPLIED. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS, BEING THE MOST PRODUCTIVE FORESTS ON OUR PLANET ARE RICH SOURCES OF BIO-DIVERSITY, WITH SOME FOREST ECOSYSTEMS CONTAINING 400 TO 500 DIFFERENT VEGETATIVE SPECIES. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CARBON STORED WITHIN THE TROPICAL FORESTS IS CONTAINED WITHIN THE ABOVE GROUND PLANTS GROWING THERE. THIS IS NOT TRUE OF THE BOREAL FORESTS. THE RAPID VEGETATION GROWTH OF PLANTS IN THE TROPICAL ZONE IS THE RESULT OF THE HIGHER HEAT TEMPERATURES AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE. THIS RESULTS IN RAPID DECAY OF DEAD TREES AND OTHER VEGETATION. EVEN THOUGH DEAD TREES RELEASE CARBON BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, THE RAPID REGROWTH QUICKLY ABSORBS CO2 FROM THE ATMOSPHERE. DUE TO THE DENSE VEGETATIVE COVER, RAPID GROWTH RATE AND DIVERSITY OF SPECIES, SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ESTIMATE THAT TROPICAL FORESTS REDUCE ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES BY MORE THAN 1 DEGREE CENTIGRADE ON PLANET EARTH.
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TROPICAL FORESTS ARE BEING DEFORESTED AT AN ALARMING RATE TO MAKE ROOM FOR LARGE AGRICULTURAL USES. WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS GROUPS THAT LIVE WITHIN THESE TROPICAL FORESTS OFFERS SOME HOPE TO REDUCE THE UNACCEPTABLE CLEARING OF THE LAND. THE LOSS OF TREE COVERED LANDS WITHIN THE TROPICAL ZONE WILL HAVE DEVASTATING IMPACTS UPON EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY. STRENGTHENING AND ENFORCING ANTI-DEFORESTING LAWS AND FINDING WAYS TO REDUCE LAND CLEARING PROJECTS, IS ESSENTIAL.
IN THE TEMPERATE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, MUCH OF THE CO2 IS ALSO STORED WITHIN THE VEGETATION, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE HIGHER RAIN FALL SUPPORTS MORE DENSE FOREST COVER. THE YEARLY GROWTH ON EXISTING TREES ACCOUNTS FOR MUCH OF THE STORAGE CAPACITY OF CARBON IN TEMPERATE ZONE FORESTS. THIS RESULTS IN OLDER TREES ABSORBING LARGER AMOUNTS OF CO2 ANNUALLY, THAN YOUNGER TREES, THEREBY BEING ABLE TO STORE LARGER AMOUNTS OF CARBON DIOXIDE PER TREE. UNFORTUNATELY, COMMERCIAL TIMBER HARVESTING OF OLD GROWTH FORESTS PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO CARBON STORAGE IN TEMPERATE ZONE FORESTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE THREE QUARTERS OF OUR REMAINING OLD GROWTH STANDS REMAIN UNPROTECTED FROM TIMBER HARVESTING. WILDFIRES AND INSECT INFESTATIONS ARE ALSO A MAJOR THREAT TO TEMPERATE ZONE FOREST COVERED LANDS, AND CLIMATE CHANGE IS INCREASING THE RISK OF CATASTROPHIC ADVERSE EVENTS ON TEMPERATE FORESTS. MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF OUR TEMPERATE FORESTS MUST RE-EVALUATE IT’S FOCUS ON GROWING TREES AS CROPS, AND FOCUS ON HEALTH, VIGOR AND DIVERSITY OF OUR REMAINING FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS, FOUND ONLY IN THE NATURAL WORLD, ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ECONOMIC USES. CONTRACTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NON-COMMERCIAL SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS HEALTH AND DIVERSITY COULD PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THE SALE OF COMMERCIAL TIMBER AND FOREST PRODUCTS GENERATES REVENUE WHICH COULD HELP FINANCE NON-COMMERCIAL TREATMENTS. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON THE ACTIONS AND DIRECTIONS WE CHOSE.
BOREAL FORESTS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT, WITH THE MAJOR AMOUNT OF CARBON STORED BELOW GROUND. IN BOREAL FORESTS DUE TO THE COLDER TEMPERATURES, THE DECAYING PROCESS IS SLOWER THAN THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS THERE-BY, LOCKING AWAY CARBON IN ORGANIC MATERIAL, SUCH AS DECAYING ROOTS, PERMAFROST AND OTHER ORGANIC MATTER. STUDIES SUGGEST THAT 80% TO 90% OF THE CARBON IN THE BOREAL ZONE, IS STORED BELOW THE GROUND. WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, THE TREE LINE IS MOVING NORTH, MELTING THE PERMAFROST AND RELEASING LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. SCIENCE REPORTS, IF THE PERMAFROST WERE TO MELT, THE CARBON LEVEL IN THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD EXCEED THE LEVEL HUMANS COULD TOLERATE.
WITH THE WARMING OF TEMPERATURES IN THE BOREAL ZONE, WE ARE EXPERIENCING MORE FREQUENT WILDFIRES. WILDFIRES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF THE BOREAL FOREST ECOLOGY, BUT THE INCREASING TEMPERATURES AND DRYER CONDITIONS HAVE RESULTED IN MORE FREQUENT AND MORE INTENSE FIRES. REVERSING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE BOREAL FOREST ZONE IS NECESSARY AND PROBABLY BEST ACCOMPLISHED, THROUGH REDUCING FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE MANAGEMENT GOALS OF OUR TEMPERATE AND TROPICAL ZONES MUST FOCUS ON PROTECTING OLD GROWTH ECOSYSTEMS AND MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS FOR HEALTH, VIGOR AND DIVERSITY. EFFORTS TO REDUCE FUEL LOADING AND APPLY SUPPRESSION STRATEGIES, ARE USUALLY COST-EFFECTIVE WAYS OF PROTECTING CARBON STORAGE WITHIN OUR REMAINING BOREAL FORESTS.
UNDERSTANDING THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD IS REQUIRED BY OUR FORESTLAND MANAGERS, IF WE HOPE TO MEET THE CHALLENGES HUMANS WILL FACE AS WE APPROACH THE LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. AS OUR WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND, COUNTRIES ARE LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS THAT WILL PROVIDE THE FOOD SUPPLIES REQUIRED TO FEED 10 BILLION PEOPLE IN 2050. FOREIGN COUNTRIES ARE PURCHASING FORESTED LANDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, WITH THE INTENT OF CONVERTING THE LANDS TO AGRICULTURAL USES TO FEED THEIR PEOPLE.
WE MUST START NOW TO ADJUST OUR LIFE STYLES AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, IF WE HOPE TO PREPARE FOR THE NEEDS OF 10 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE IN JUST 25 YEARS. PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, HAVE IGNORED THE PROBLEMS OF  POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION FAR TO LONG. MAKING GRADUAL ADJUSTMENTS IS NO LONGER ADEQUATE. THE CHALLENGE IS TO DECIDE IF WE ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT WHAT IS REQUIRED OR SIMPLE ACCEPT WHAT EVER THE FUTURE BRINGS! THE “DO NOTHING ALTERNATIVE” MUST NOT BE THE PATH WE CHOOSE! TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE MUST START NOW!!        
            
 
 
                            

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FINAL THOUGHTS!

2/18/2025

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TIME FOR OTHERS TO FOCUS ON THE FACTS AND TRUTH ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD!                    
I retired 30 years ago, after a 34-year career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Following 14 different assignments throughout the United States, I completed my career as Forest Supervisor of the Bridger-Teton National Forest in northwestern Wyoming. Experiences and observations during my assignments, left me with many concerns about the science of forestry. Throughout my career, I was constantly challenged between the Agency’s principles of Wise Use and individuals and groups that supported the concept of Preservation. I developed strong concerns with the Agency’s focus on what we could take from the forests, rather than the important role forested lands play in sustaining life on planet Earth. Retirement provided the opportunity to retrieve, review and analyze the numerous experiences, observations and concerns developed throughout the wide variety of assignments. I was compelled to re-evaluate what I had observed and search for a deeper understanding of the many questions I had been left with.
 My degree from the University of Minnesota, School of Forestry, had followed the basic principles of forest science defined by Gifford Pinchot back in the 1890’s, growing trees as crops. This definition pretty well summed up the Agency’s goals, as I saw them during my career from 1960 to 1994. The Agency’s major goal was providing a sustainable flow of wood products to support timber industries located in communities close to National Forest System lands. At the Ranger District level, if you failed to meet your assigned timber targets, you could expect a visit from the Regional Forester’s Office. My overall assessment of the science of forestry, was a focus on, “the resources we can take from the forests”, not what was needed to sustain the vital life supporting elements provided only by healthy diverse forested lands, a major part of the natural world.
Retirement was a major change in my life and provided time to re-evaluate my 34-year commitment to the management of our public forested lands. The year after retirement, my wife became a registered member of the Cherokee Nation, based on her grandmother’s ancestry. This triggered a desire to learn more about the Native culture, particularly their relationship with Nature. I began searching for literature by authors that had a deep appreciation for Nature and the Natural World. I started with Ed MaGaw, a Lakota Sioux attorney, who has written several books on Native culture and Nature’s Way. I found, Jerid Diamond, who had studied and published his work on ancient cultures that had collapsed and failed on Earth. One of my favorite authors was Father Thomas Berry. After reading several of his books and essays, where he shared his in-depth knowledge of various world cultures and their religious beliefs, my understanding of the natural world was expanded and intensified. These are just a few of the people that enriched my understanding and appreciation for the story of Creation and the necessity of the Natural World in sustaining life on our planet. Understanding the Natural World is not complete until you delve into the complexity of the Biblical story of Creation.
Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible, only scratches the surface of the creation story. There are scientists who claim there is still a missing link in proving intelligent design in the creation story. My studies of the Natural World, led me to the recognition of three significant elements that were obviously designed into Creation. The first, which is fully understood by our Native people, is that every organism on our planet serves some small purpose in the sustenance of life on Earth. “NOTHING IS ITS SELF WITHOUT ALL THE REST”. We have discovered about ten million different species on Earth and continue to find thousands of new species annually. Science suggests there may be as many as forty million more species yet to be discovered. One can hardly imagine the magnitude of the diversity of species that were designed into life on Planet Earth.  
Deeper analysis revealed that diversity, which was designed into creation, was critical in the sustenance of life. Close observation of the natural world reveals the fact that, “THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION”. Earth is an amalgamation of ecosystems which demand diversity to maintain balance and to function properly. Ecosystems are similar to communities, where a diversity of species co-exist working together to support life within the unit. A multiplicity of diversity exists within all ecosystems. It takes many hands to sustain balance and life within each ecosystem! This is true if you are analyzing a human community or a natural wild ecosystem.   
The third element designed into creation is the cycling of rebirth that occurs annually in the changing of seasons. Each year begins with the green season when restoration and rebirth of life begins again. We then move through the yellow, summer season of growth, followed by the red fall season of abundance and harvest.  Finally, the winter white season, cleanses the Earth and prepares for the next cycle of life. I believe these three unique elements are the missing link that confirms intelligent design for the story of Creation. I have no idea how the Universes, the Heavens and the Earth were created, but one cannot deny the complex elements that were designed into the creation which supports life on Our planet.
This is why I have been driven to spent the past 15 years attempting to help reveal the importance and complexity of our Natural World. Trees are simply a part of that natural world, but a critical component with eighty percent of all living organisms depending upon them for the sustenance of life. My findings and concerns have been expressed in the publication of three books and the publication of over one hundred blogs on my website, face book and Linkedin. I am not a well-known educator, politician, corporate executive or celebrity, but a dedicated forest scientist attempting to present the facts about the deterioration occurring within our Natural Word and the critical relationship we share with that world. I am grateful for the following I have received on my website and Linkedin, however book sales have been disappointing. The books are available on Amazon Book Store. I have developed some excellent contacts with very knowledgeable Native American scientists and authors, national scientists and key contacts in foreign countries. There is much to be done in managing the Natural World and Earth’s ecosystems. We have lost nearly three-quarters of Earth’s original forest cover, and deforestation continues at an unacceptable rate. The carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are currently at the highest level recorded in the past 800,000 years. Our ocean waters are rising and warming as we continue to pollute our fresh and salt water sources. Catastrophic storms have increased in frequency and intensity. One study in Spain suggests only 3 per cent of Earth’s ecosystems are in balance and properly functioning. The facts are obvious, yet many continue to spread miss-information and actual lies about the natural worlds current condition!
In the United States of America, we enjoy prosperity beyond any other Nation on the planet. We reached this position, not on the shoulders of the wealthy, but the consumption of goods and services by a large, reasonably affluent, middle class. It is the consumption of the average American citizen that boosted The United States of American into world leadership and created the wealthiest Nation on Earth. The wealthy one percent, became rich due to the demand for goods and services by the American middle-class. After 248 years, these facts are being challenged. The middle class is shrinking and the distribution of wealth is widening. This is not a positive sign and will accelerate the destruction of the vital Natural world. Unfortunately, the world’s population remains predominately, unaware of current conditions and the future impacts it will have on human life!         
I can only hope I have reached a few individuals that appreciate where we are today and what must change as we plan for a desirable future. After a 34-year career and 30 years of retirement, I feel I have exhausted my thoughts and suggestions, and need others to continue the focus on the importance of our relationship with the Nature World. The responsibility to focus the World on the importance and current status of the Natural World remains, and hopefully others will run with the goal of proper management for the future! A good start would be to introduce ecological principles into the public schools, even at the elementary level; and emphasizing the understanding of creation and life, as much as we emphasize redemption of the individual in our religious institutions! Facts, truth and education can provide the path to a desired future! The future will be determined by how we manage, what remains of our Natural World! Our demand for resources will continue to grow as our world population expands by about seventy-five million people annually. The shrinking and polluting of our Natural World must stop! Alerting the world population is essential! Changing the current life styles must come from the ground up! Because of the economic consequences, leadership is either unaware or unwilling to accept the challenges!! Unfortunately, much of the progress we have made will be reversed over the next four years, as regulations are changed and eliminated in the name of progress.
I have appreciated the support and encouragement I have received over the years. Linkedin has provide the opportunity to communicate globally, and provided a large list of contacts across the world. In the future, I may occasionally find it necessary to express my thoughts and concerns, but not on a regular basis. I hope many will find opportunities to alert people of the facts and truths which will lead to a desirable future for mankind! I can assure you government officials will never provide the required leadership to prolong human life on this magical planet! Please force the door of truth wide open for all to see!!
Returning to Nature’s Way
Brian E. Stout                                              
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December 05th, 2024

12/5/2024

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                                                       THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY
 
I GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WITH A DEGREE IN FORESTRY AND SPEND THE NEXT 34 YEARS WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, IN VARIOUS ASSIGNMENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. MY 29 YEARS OF RETIREMENT HAVE FOCUSED ON EVALUATING MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS PLUS RESEARCHING NEW INFORMATION ON HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD.
I HAVE WRITTEN THREE BOOKS AND POSTED OVER ONE HUNDRED ARTICLES ON MY CONCERNS FOR THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY. I KEEP THINKING BACK TO MY TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY AND WHAT I STUDIED AND LEARNED ABOUT FORESTRY.  THERE WERE COURSES IN DENDROLOGY, MENSURATION, HYDROLOGY, SOILS SCIENCE, RANGE MANAGEMENT, AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, ENTOMOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY AND MORE. WHAT I DID NOT LEARN WAS THAT FOREST COVERED LANDS WERE A LARGE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. I AM SURE THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES AND UP-GRADES IN THE CURRICULUM'S, BUT I HAVE NEVER MET A FORESTER THAT APPEARED TO HAVE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
A FOREST SCIENTIST, I BELIEVE, MUST UNDERSTAND THAT EARTH IS AN AMALGAMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO FUNCTIONING COMMUNITIES. THEY ARE A UNIT WHERE A MULTITUDE OF SPECIES FUNCTION AND SUPPORT EACH-OTHER TO OBTAIN BALANCE AND SUSTAIN LIFE. MY SECOND ASSIGNMENT WITH THE FOREST SERVICE WAS AS ASSISTANT RANGER ON A DISTRICT IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI, WHERE I ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY AND MAP THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES FOR THE ENTIRE RANGER DISTRICT. AT THE TIME WE LABELED THEM STANDS, BUT NOW REALIZE THEY WERE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. AFTER COMPLETING 34 YEARS AND FIFTEEN DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS, I NEVER ENCOUNTERED AN ATTEMPT TO BY A FORESTER TO UNDERTAKE A SIMILAR EFFORT.
UNTIL A FOREST SCIENTIST IS ABLE TO READ THE LAND, TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES AND UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF LIFE SYSTEMS WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES, I DO NOT BELIEVE OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS CAN BE PROPERLY MANAGED!
EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL, DUE TO ADVOCACY BY RESOURCE SPECIALISTS FOR THEIR AREA OF SPECIALIZATION. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE! EVEN ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE WHERE INDIVIDUAL STAFFS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SINGLE RESOURCE PROGRAMS, HAS TENDED TO IGNORE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE AND THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE SYSTEMS.
THESE OBSERVATIONS AND CONCERNS ARE WHAT HAS BEEN DRIVING ME TO REACH OUT IN HOPES OTHERS MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR CHANGE. WE ARE RAPIDLY APPROACHING THE LIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY OF OUR PLANET, AND OUR WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND. OUR VALUABLE FORESTED LANDS ARE VITAL FOR OUR FUTURE, AND ADJUSTMENTS ARE REQUIRED! DEFORESTATION IS EVERY BIT AS LARGE AN ISSUES AS FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. EDUCATION OF OUR FUTURE FOREST SCIENTISTS IS INADEQUATE, AND MUST BE UP-GRADED! CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE CONTINUING TO ACCELERATING THE PROBLEM!
ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO INCREASE SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF RESOURCES FROM THE FORESTS, BUT WHAT YOU MUST DO TO MAINTAIN A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM HEALTHY DIVERSE FORESTS! WE MUST RECOGNIZE AND MANAGE EACH FOREST ECO-SYSTEM WHICH WILL REQUIRE MORE DETAILED AND INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT. HARVESTING LARGE ACRES OR MOUNTAIN SIDES CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED. AS GOES THE REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS, SO GOES THE HUMAN SPECIES, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER SPECIES. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON IT!      
           
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