TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL
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December 18th, 2018

12/18/2018

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                                                                                         Reflections
 
The first wintery weather of the season and the approaching end of the year, has left us with time to reflect upon the concerns we have been attempting to call attention to these past years. Our efforts started with specific concerns about the management of our valuable forest covered lands. 34 years of experience and observation had left me haunted with thought  s of inadequate goals and objectives for the management of our remaining forestlands. Along with other natural resource managers, I was aware of concerns over our worldwide shrinking forest cover (deforestation), loss of worldwide water quality, air pollution and sustainability, thereby assuming new and improved science would provide for the future. With a strong desire to learn more about the current conditions and concerns, I initiated an effort to develop a deeper understanding of the natural world. It soon became evident our scientific and technological advancements provided the factual data to understand current conditions but, failed to identify the human impacts and relationships required to sustain life. Something was missing and that something was human beings and their values and attitudes. Looking back at the changes that have occurred during my adulthood, it is difficult to believe the significant adjustments that have taken place. High school graduation was 1956 and college 1960, followed by a career in forest land management. The first obvious change is the cost-of-living. One of the best measures of the inflation we have experienced is the value of an ounce of gold. In 1965, gold was $35.00 per ounce and today is $1250.00 per ounce. The goods and services you could purchase in 1965 for $35.00, today cost you $1250.00. Have wages kept pace with increased costs-of-living? The answer is depressing, as the facts show from 1960 to 1973 wages kept close to the increases in costs of goods and services however, from 1973 to the present wages have lagged far behind inflation. In fact, from 1980 to present wages for the average middle-class worker have remained relatively flat while the top 1% have experienced a 138% increase in wages, and CEO’s earn 296% more than the average worker.  
   The next big change has been the expanded percent of our population now living in urban areas. Our urban population since 1960 has more than doubled and our rural population today makes up only 19% of our total United States population. The transition from rural to urban life-styles has significantly impacted our society. The inequality of the distribution of wealth has resulted in urban families requiring both parents to work in order to have enough to provide for the family. Raising a family today frequently requires hiring child care outside the family with significant loss of time together for family activities. Even our education institutions have experienced major changes in the educational experiences for our children. Can you imagine what goes through a 5-year old’s mind when they are met at the door by a uniformed armed guard daily instead of the friendly face of their teacher? In 1960, music, athletics and other extra-curricular activities were part of the school week and transportation to and from the events was provided by the school. Today, parents have to commit their weekend time if their children are to participate in these extra-curricular activities. Yes, with both parents working, commuting, trying to do their best for their children and have a few minutes to themselves is constantly increasing the stress levels. There are only 168 hours in the week, of which we try to get at least 42 hours of sleep. One of the big changes that has resulted from this current lifestyle, is the fact that only 12% of our U S population attend church on a regular basis. Prioritization is required to avoid conflicts!
     Another significant change has been in communications. We have moved from a think slow and methodical process, to a think fast process which is based on intuition and usually results in adjustments or do over. TV has convinced us major issues can be resolved in 30 minutes or at most 60 minutes. Cable news stations now struggle to fill 24 hours with news resulting in panels of analysts and specialists speculating on what might be the results of some current information or news. Due to time limits at home, people tend to accept this speculation as fact which frequently results in miss-information and poor decision-making. I believe our educational institutions need to expand the education process to help students develop an inquisitive mind in search of the facts. It is too convenient to simply google the information and assume it is accurate, thus the quest for facts seems to be of little concern today. What ever is reported in the media, available on google or stated by specialists appears to be acceptable for most people. For example, I have reviewed several environmental impact statements, prepared by young forest scientists, that relied upon textbook information with little to no knowledge or data about the site-specific area being evaluated for treatment. Nature’s Way demands methodical thinking and the extent of diversity is the measure of prefection!   
       My major concern is, these dramatic changes in our society has resulted in the loss of our appreciation for the knowledge of the natural world required for life. Our population has little time to even think about the relationships we share and require from our natural surrounding for life. Education, science, politics, religion and corporate America, all seem to be focused on the individual with no concern for the future of life. The scary thing is scientists are now stating, if we refuse to implement significant changes in the next 12 years, it may be to late! I can assure you solutions for our desired future will not come from the top down but from the bottom up. Your voice is needed!  Our focus must be on our home, the environment we live in, if we want to prolong life on this majestic planet!   
     2019 presents a challenge to each person to become knowledgeable of the facts related to our NATURAL WORLD and the current adverse impacts we are placing on that world which supports human life! We hope everyone interested in a desirable future for the next generation, will accept the challenge and adopt a New Years Resolution to become more knowledgeable and involved in adjusting our current life styles, to provide a healthy future for our children and grandchildren.
    We wish all a very Merry Christmas as you reflect upon the blessings of 2018 and a Happy New Year as you search for the facts and solutions that will begin the regeneration of our life sustaining NATURAL WORLD!                  
     
                                            
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December 05th, 2018

12/5/2018

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                                                                             Western Wildfires
     I have been receiving several questions about what is causing these catastrophic wildfires in the west. The media has been presenting numerous thoughts which they have gotten from a variety of specialists. The most common response has been the changing weather condition resulting from human impacts on the environment. Others are suggesting that we need to do more logging to keep the heavy fuels from building up. Our President has even suggested, we need to sweep the forest floor with racks. Everyone means well but, the subject is far more complex than then most of us believe. We must understand some facts about our current forest covered lands. Originally, almost 60% to 70% of the United States land base was covered with forests. Only 33% of our land base remains covered with forests, so we have deforested over half of our original forested lands. It is essential to understand that eighty percent of all life forms require forests to sustain life on this planet. We are continuing to deforest the equivalent of twenty football field every minute worldwide today, and our population is expanding rapidly. In 1800, we had approximately 4 million people in the U.S. and our current population is 330 million. Today’s population is placing unbelievable demands upon our remaining forested lands and public environmental demands for preservation of our forest lands is actually creating conditions that fuel some of these catastrophic events. Another important fact to consider is 56% of the forestlands in the U.S. are privately owned leaving only 46% in public ownership. There is a significant difference in ownership patterns in the west and east. In the west, 70% of forest acres are in public ownership, where 81% in the east are in private hands. Approximately 750 million acres of forestland remains in the U.S. with 350 million in the western states. We must realize private land owners have their reasons for owning forested lands and the public has virtually no control over their management goals and objectives. These facts identify the difficulty we have in managing our remaining forests.
     The industrial revolution has had significant adverse impacts on our human attitudes toward our natural world and the acceleration of the destruction of our environment. The past 150 years has resulted in the loss of our appreciation for the life sustaining elements provided by the natural world. We now believe our intelligence is so advanced we can control and manipulate Earth systems to provide for the future. Belief in science and advanced technology has convinced us we can control and provide for human needs in the future. Nothing could be further from the truth! Human impacts on the environment have been devastating, resulting in climate change and a gradual warming of the atmosphere. There are those who are ignoring the scientific facts and refusing to accept the truth because of the adverse impacts it could have on our economy. As the deforestation process continues worldwide, the destruction of bio-diversity will accelerate and climate change and global warming will continue at an increased rate.
    Current management of our public forested lands is a significant part of the problem. I have expressed the problems in past writings but must emphasis again the importance of diversity in our forest cover if we want to reduce the hazards of major wildfires. Until we stop interpreting the science of forestry as an agricultural process, we can expect continuation of catastrophic fires, insect and disease infestations. The application of management treatments that disregard individual forest communities is destroying bio-diversity just as massive fires do thereby, setting the stage for more future catastrophic outbreaks. The time has passed, as a result of our population expansion, when preservation principles can be considered. Proper management of our remaining forestlands is our only option but will require a significant shift in current goals and principles.
     There is no single solution that will eliminate our destructive western wildfires but, there are several adjustments that will reduce the risk and magnitude of these unacceptable events. First, we must accept that climate change is real and is being accelerated by human causes. Climate change is the result of other environmental issues, namely population expansion and deforestation. We do not have the power to control the Universe and Earth systems and, therefore must work to adjust our life styles to slow the rate of change we are experiencing. The science of forestry must push aside the goal of a sustained flow of products from the forests and apply more intense management principles that maintain the health and diversity of the individual forest communities. Proper forest management is far more complex than raising a field of agricultural crops. Providing a sustained flow of crops to feed the world population is essential but trees are different and require different processes.
    So, what does all this background material mean? It tells us there is no one simple answer or solution to the devastating western wildfires. Our climate is definitely changing and temperatures are gradually warming. The majority of the changes we are experiencing are human caused and will continue as our population expands. Deforestation and increased air pollution will cause significant changes in our moisture patterns and increased winds. Forest cover plays a major role in cooler temperatures, decreased wind velocities and more uniform moisture patterns.
    The diverse ownership patterns of our remaining forested lands create a more difficult management process. Private land owners have their individual goals which often conflict with public interests. 
     The science of forestry must re-focus their management principles from a sustained follow of products from the forests to the enhancement of health and diversity of individual forest communities. Dr. Thomas Berry has stated, “the extent of diversity is the measure of perfection”! Efforts to reforest these vast burned areas, must focus on improved diversity of vegetative cover. Failure to focus on diversity will result in a continued cycle of large catastrophic fires. We cannot bomb proof our forests but focusing on diversity will reduce the risk significantly!                        
       
                               

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