TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL
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November 18th, 2021

11/18/2021

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          ECOLOGY, RELIGION AND THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY
 
I HAVE BEEN EXPRESSING MY THOUGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT IN INFLUENCING THE CHANGES WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING THE NATURAL WORLD. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME SCIENTISTS AND CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS THAT QUESTION MY RATIONALE OF INVOLVING RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP IN WHAT MOST PEOPLE CONSIDER A SECULAR ISSUE. I MUST ADMIT, DURING MY 30 PLUS YEARS AS A FOREST LAND MANAGER, I DEVELOPED SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT MANAGEMENT ACTIONS I OBSERVED, BUT LACKED THE INSIGHT TO APPRECIATE THE VITAL RELATIONSHIPS FOREST COVERED LANDS CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSTENANCE OF HUMAN LIFE.
RETIREMENT PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AND ANALYZE CONCERNS I WITNESSED DURING MY CAREER AND BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE CONCERNS RELATED TO LIFE SYSTEMS ON EARTH. I BEGAN TO APPRECIATE HOW THE FOREST PLANNING PROCESS, REQUIRED BY THE FOREST MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1976, WAS PROBABLY THE PROGRAM THAT ELEVATED MY INTEREST AND CAUSED ME TO BECOME AN ACTIVIST FOR RE-ORIENTING OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS. I BEGAN SEARCHING AND READING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I COULD FIND ON THE STORY OF CREATION AND THE NATURAL WORLD. I HAD ALREADY RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HOW OUR WESTERN SOCIETY VIEWS NATURE AND HOW OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE SEE NATURE. MY WIFE, BEING A MEMBER OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, AND I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF DISCUSSING AND LEARNING MUCH ABOUT THE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE AND THEIR BELIEFS, FROM NATIVE FRIENDS WE HAVE MET. THE MORE WE LEARNED, THE MORE INTENSE MY INTEREST IN THE STORY OF CREATION AND THE NATURAL WORLD BECAME.
I EXPANDED MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE STORY OF CREATION THROUGH SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND MATERIAL WRITTEN BY THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORS, WRITERS AND SCHOLARS. THE FIRST MAJOR OBSERVATION WAS THE ECOLOGICAL FACT THAT EVERY LIVING ORGANISM CONTRIBUTES, IN SOME SMALL WAY, TO LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. NOTHING IS ITSELF WITHOUT ALL THE REST! THIS IS FULLY ACCEPTED AND UNDERSTOOD WITHIN THE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE, BUT SELDOM DOES THE WESTERN CULTURE EVEN ACCEPT OR CONSIDER THIS FACT. THIS SHARED CONNECTION MEANS OUR ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND EARTH SYSTEMS ARE BUILT ON RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE CONCEPT OF ECOLOGY IS BASED UPON. I SOON REALIZED THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT THAT WAS DESIGNED INTO CREATION. LIFE ON EARTH COULD NOT EXIST WERE IT NOT FOR THESE MAGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS.
I AM CURRENTLY READING A BOOK ENTITLED, “FINDING THE MOTHER TREE”, WRITTEN BY FOREST ECOLOGY PROFESSOR, SUZANNE SIMARD. SHE DESCRIBES SEVERAL RESEARCH STUDIES TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF FAILED PLANTING OF SEEDLINGS IN RECENTLY CLEAR-CUT AREAS. BASICALLY, HER STUDIES ARE REVEALING THE DRASTIC LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY RESULTING FROM CLEAR-CUTTING AND PLANTATION STYLE REFORESTATION, ALONG WITH LOSS OF NATURAL RELATIONS AND CONNECTIONS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN NEW LIFE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. HER FAMILY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE TIMBER HARVESTING BUSINESS TRIGGERED HER CONCERNS FOR THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND A DESIRE FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION IN FOREST SCIENCE. HER RESEARCH OF FAILED REFORESTATION PROGRAMS DEMONSTRATED THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM RELATIONSHIPS, AND LED TO HER POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AS A FOREST ECOLOGY. PRIOR TO HER RESEARCH, FOREST MANAGERS HAD BELIEVED KILLING VEGETATIVE COMPETITION INDUCED INCREASED GROWTH OF THE PLANTED SEEDLINGS. IN FACT, REMOVING COMPETING VEGETATION INTERRUPTED NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ORGANISMS, WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED GROWTH AND EVEN DEATH FOR MANY OF THE SEEDLINGS. 
UNDERSTANDING THESE ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS, IS REQUIRED FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS. GIFFORD PINCHOT DEFINED THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY AS, “GROWING TREES AS CROPS”, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN THE SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY AND THE ABILITY OF FOREST COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT LIFE ON EARTH. HUMANITY’S FUTURE DEPENDS UPON A STRONG ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION PRIOR TO SPECIALIZED ADVANCED EDUCATION. THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPROPER PAST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES CAN INTERFERE WITH ECO-SYSTEMS NATURAL PROCESSES. 
I HAVE ALWAYS FELT AT HOME IN THE OUTDOORS, AND HAVE BEEN AN AVOID PARTICIPANT IN HUNTING AND FISHING. I HAVE WALKED MANY MILES IN SEARCH OF A BUCK DEER, BULL ELK OR TOM TURKEY. AFTER RETIREMENT, WE RE-LOCATED TO AN AGRICULTURAL AREA IN MICHIGAN, WHERE LARGE FORESTED AREAS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. HUNTING SMALL WOODLOTS REQUIRED CHANGING MY HUNTING TECHNIQUES. I SPENT HOURS IN A BLIND OBSERVING ANIMAL USE PATTERNS AND VEGETATIVE MAKEUPS, WHICH OPENED MY EYES TO THE RECOGNITION OF INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES, OR ECOSYSTEMS IF YOU PREFER. I HAD LONG RECOGNIZED THE VARIATIONS IN VEGETATIVE CHANGES RESULTING FROM THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITES, BUT FAILED TO SEE THE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS THAT SUPPORTED THE SUCCESS OF THESE COMMUNITIES. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES, THE GROWTH POTENTIAL OF THE PLANTS, THE TRAVEL AND USE PATTERNS OF THE VARIOUS SPECIES OF ANIMALS, THE DENSITY AND DIVERSITY OF THE UNDER STORY, THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND WATER SOURCES, BECAME VIVID AS I SAT AND OBSERVED. WHAT WAS OCCURRING ON THE SURFACE WAS FAR MORE DETAILED THAN ONE COULD IMAGINE BECAUSE MORE THAN HALF OF THE LIVING ORGANISMS I COULD NOT SEE, AS THEY LIVED BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. MANY WERE MICROSCOPIC IN SIZE, YET WERE CONTRIBUTING MAJOR ELEMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY.
THIS COMPLEX STORY OF CREATION HAD ITS ORIGIN IN RELIGIOUS IDEALS. DOMINANT SOCIETY’S BELIEF THAT EARTH BELONGS TO US; TO DOMINATE, CONQUER, CHANGE AND MANIPULATE; HAS RESULTED IN DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION OF BIO-DIVERSITY ON OUR REMAINING FOREST LANDS. RELIGION HAS HISTORICALLY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ESTABLISHING CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES. IN THE PAST, RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS HAVE STRONGLY INFLUENCED THE PEOPLES UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIRED                              CHANGES WHICH ALLOW US TO COME TOGETHER AND FIND ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE BEEN THE STRONG VOICE OF MORALITY, STEWARDSHIP AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, A VOICE THAT IS NEEDED MORE THAN EVER. FOR TOO MANY YEARS THAT VOICE HAS BEEN SILENT OR FOCUSED ON REDEMPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATION. THE DENOMINATION I ATTEND, HAS A PUBLISHED POSITION ON THE NATURAL WORLD AND CREATION WITHIN IT’S DISCIPLINE, YET FEW MEMBERS ARE EVEN AWARE IT EXISTS. CHURCH LEADERSHIP HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE OFFICIAL POSITION AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY OF NURTURING AND CARING FOR THE LAND. THIS REQUIRES A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD.     
WE HAVE OBSERVED NUMEROUS CORPORATE EFFORTS, ALONG WITH POLITICAL ACTIONS INTENDED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. MANY COMPANIES HAVE CONTRIBUTED SMALL PORTIONS OF THEIR PROFITS TO SUPPORT PLANTING TREE SEEDLINGS ON ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL LANDS, CLEAR-CUT AREAS AND FOREST COVERED LANDS DESTROYED BY FIRE, DISEASE AND INSECTS. GOVERNMENTS’ HAVE ENACTED LAWS AND REGULATIONS TO RESTRICT TOXIC WASTE DISPOSAL INTO OUR WATERS AND ATMOSPHERE. ALTHOUGH POSITIVE STEPS, THEY FALL FAR SHORT OF WHAT IS REQUIRED, AND ALTHOUGH ANY TREES ARE BETTER THAN NONE, PLANTATIONS RESULT IN MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF BIO-DIVERSITY. 
SIXTY YEARS OF TRYING BY OUR CORPORATE AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE PRODUCED LITTLE AND THE DECIMATION OF OUR NATURAL WORLD HAS ACCELERATED. IT IS TIME TO CHANGE! OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE. WHEN THE PEOPLE BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, THEY WILL INSIST ON CHANGE. IT IS TIME FOR A GREEN GOSPEL AND ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM!
CHAPTER 2 TO FOLLOW.                  

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November 04th, 2021

11/4/2021

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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 ECOSYSTEM. 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 COULD 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 SOCIOLGICAL-BIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE COULD NOT CONTINUE TO SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK, AS IT WOULD 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 AND MATERIALS, THEN APPLYING 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 MORE THEN HALF 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 7.8 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 THE ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED LIFE.  OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED OVER HALF OF 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 IS NOT 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 WORLDWIDE 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 ME 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, TO 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 CURRICULUM'S 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 OF EACH SCIENTIST AND LAND MANAGER. 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 LAND CONDITIONS, NEVER RECOGNIZED THE UNIQUE COMMUNITIES AND 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 HUMANS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT CHANGING 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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