It has been a very busy time attempting to get settled in our new home, plus the heat has been far more then we are use to. Have also been busy setting up the fund raiser for the documentary. Please check my facebook site and "youcaring" for information on our needs. Your help in reaching interested parties would be greatly appreciated.
I believe this documentary is very timely and much needed. There has been several media reports recently talking about sustainability and advancements in the use of technology to support increased efforts to plant and regenerate forest cover. I was just watching videos on the use of mechanical equipment to replant and weed recently clear-cut forest sites in Finland. Clear-cutting is a harvesting technique which completely removes all trees from the site. Modern forest science sees this as a significant way to advance the concept of sustainability. These efforts, for me, are driven by the Gifford Pinchot definition of forestry, the science of growing trees, an agricultural process. My forestry education and present day management, defines forestry as an agricultural process and my 34 years with the Forest Service perpetuated this agricultural concept, resulting in changing my perception of forest science. I now believe the science of forestland management is far more complex than simply plant, grow and harvest trees for human utilization. Our dependency upon the natural world demands a far deeper understanding of the relationships we share with our forest environments. With over 70% of all life on our planet dependent upon forests, it is essential that we adjust our management strategies to focus on forest community health and diversity. Sustainability concepts simply refers to a sustained flow of resources from our remaining forests. If this is all that we require, then the agriculture process of tree plantations is sufficient. If, on the other hand, forests are essential to the future survival of humans and other forms of life, we are going to have to develop a much more detailed understanding of our natural world along with new management strategies to support our long term requirements. We have over one hundred years of experience practicing the science of forestry and we are just beginning to realize the complexity of this long-life plant we call a tree. We now know that trees communicate and care for each other, that they are social bodies that recognize and protect their young. Yes, Peter Wohlleben's book, "The Hidden Life of Trees", offers a whole new outlook on the relationships we share with trees and our natural surroundings. It is becoming increasingly evident that when we raise plants in our established agricultural process, they loose their social and survival instincts. Tree plantations are a far cry from our natural forest communities. Forest science and the management of our remaining forestland demands a more complex knowledge of forest community relationships if we are to survive in the future! This will result in a more intense management strategy then we have provided in the past!
I believe this documentary is very timely and much needed. There has been several media reports recently talking about sustainability and advancements in the use of technology to support increased efforts to plant and regenerate forest cover. I was just watching videos on the use of mechanical equipment to replant and weed recently clear-cut forest sites in Finland. Clear-cutting is a harvesting technique which completely removes all trees from the site. Modern forest science sees this as a significant way to advance the concept of sustainability. These efforts, for me, are driven by the Gifford Pinchot definition of forestry, the science of growing trees, an agricultural process. My forestry education and present day management, defines forestry as an agricultural process and my 34 years with the Forest Service perpetuated this agricultural concept, resulting in changing my perception of forest science. I now believe the science of forestland management is far more complex than simply plant, grow and harvest trees for human utilization. Our dependency upon the natural world demands a far deeper understanding of the relationships we share with our forest environments. With over 70% of all life on our planet dependent upon forests, it is essential that we adjust our management strategies to focus on forest community health and diversity. Sustainability concepts simply refers to a sustained flow of resources from our remaining forests. If this is all that we require, then the agriculture process of tree plantations is sufficient. If, on the other hand, forests are essential to the future survival of humans and other forms of life, we are going to have to develop a much more detailed understanding of our natural world along with new management strategies to support our long term requirements. We have over one hundred years of experience practicing the science of forestry and we are just beginning to realize the complexity of this long-life plant we call a tree. We now know that trees communicate and care for each other, that they are social bodies that recognize and protect their young. Yes, Peter Wohlleben's book, "The Hidden Life of Trees", offers a whole new outlook on the relationships we share with trees and our natural surroundings. It is becoming increasingly evident that when we raise plants in our established agricultural process, they loose their social and survival instincts. Tree plantations are a far cry from our natural forest communities. Forest science and the management of our remaining forestland demands a more complex knowledge of forest community relationships if we are to survive in the future! This will result in a more intense management strategy then we have provided in the past!
