TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL
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May 20th, 2016

5/20/2016

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I just reviewed an article indicating that BLM is proposing to lease 40,000 acres of National Forest System lands in southern Indiana and Ohio for further development of the oil and gas resources that may be in this area, The article was pointing out that BLM would put restrictions on future surface disturbances to protect the recreation values. Much of this area has already been explored and the majority of the fossil fuels removed. One must understand that National Forest System lands are under "proprietorial jurisdiction"     rather than " exclusive jurisdiction". This is the reason BLM has the leasing responsibility on lands administered by the Forest Service.
The concern is that we now use the fracking process to go back and suck the last drop of crude oil from wells that no longer are producing adequately.
Like our efforts to take all we can from our remaining forests, we are developing technology to maximize our ability to increase our wealth and affluent life style without considering the impact on human life in the future. One must also question, is this increased fossil fuels to be used for domestic consumption or exported to markets offering high profit margins?
I have serious concerns about the fracking process, to begin with. Anyone with limited knowledge on geology, knows our planet is not held together by solid bedrock. In fact, the earths crust is a series of plates that are constantly shifting west by 3 1/2 inches every year. This shifting causes earth quakes and volcanic activity. In the last 5 years, Ohio has experienced about 30 measurable earth quakes and Oklahoma is currently measuring an average of 2 earth quakes each day. A few scientists are beginning to suspect the cause may be the increased fracking that is being done. BRILLIANT! It is like someone wanting to fracture the foundation of your house and telling you nothing will happen. Come on people! Are you willing to sacrifice the future of our civilization for our current thirst for fossil fuels?
I am in the process of reading Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse", where he presents the history of past cultures and societies that have disappeared or collapsed. He offers analysis of several societies like the Mayan, Anasazi, Easter Island and others that have collapsed and failed. His analysis suggests that the main reasons for failure have been 5 environmental causes. If you look at the combination of issues, you find the major cause is the over-utilization of the resources required to support an increasing population. Sound familiar? Incidentally, deforestation is almost always a major part of the cause. 
Where are we going and when will we learn? Will it be to late? Vital adjustments must be made, starting now. I have stated before that our technology has advanced beyond belief but, our understanding and appreciation for the limitations of Mother Earth continues to be the missing link!           

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May 05th, 2016

5/5/2016

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Earlier this week, I read an article where a forester from private industry was attempting to convey the economic value of products from trees to justify increasing the harvest of more lands. I am a strong supporter of managing our remaining forested lands but, with a very different focus. In fact, I believe a more intensive process is necessary to combat the continued deforestation that is occurring around the world. At least 70% of all living organisms, including humans, would be unable to live on our planet were it not for forests, trees! Current projections call for a world population of 9.5 BILLION people by 2050. The demand for more open space will continue, as the population increases and our remaining forested acreage will suffer. How long can we continue to ignore these two environmental issues? Is it to late already? In 2007, the Department of Agriculture's "Report on Abuse", stated that a single tree over a 50 year life cycle, contributes $162,000.00 in economic value to the human environment and we are trying to justify increased harvesting for the few hundred dollars in product that a tree can provide. Something is wrong in this process!
When I say, I am a strong supporter of management, I want to take the focus on products away and re-orient our efforts on the forests and their needs to remain healthy and diverse. The human demands over the last 600 years for products from the forests as resulted in the loss of a little over half of the forested lands that once covered this planet. The other situation that has occurred has been the massive loss of diversity in our forest cover, as a result of our, so-called, management strategy's, or harvesting projects. If we truly care about health and  diversity, we must begin to see and identify the unique communities that make up the forest mosaic. Each community requires a unique prescription that assures improved health and maintains or improves the unique characteristics of the unit. I am sure this sounds overwhelming, but we have no other alternative available. If we join together, we can start the process that will improve the effectiveness of our remaining forested lands, return the natural diversity that was once present, reduce the catastrophic risk for fire and other events and, oh yes, prolong life for many creatures including ourselves.
We do not want to eliminate the utilization of the valuable products from the forests, we simply want those products to become the by-product of adjusted scientific forest land management!
Our project with Montcalm Community College will focus on supporting the above comments, by reaching out to our young students to change the way they see and relate to nature. We each have a job to do, and together we can provide a better conclusion for the future!

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