It has been a very busy time the last couple of weeks with my mother passing at 101 years, and difficult to find time to write. The fire season appears to be in full swing out west and the size and severity of the incidents seems to increase as each year passes. I read articles where forest scientists are recommending thinning treatments and other actions to remove some of the fuels to reduce the impact when fires do occur, and certainly it may help to some extent. There is a serious need to go well beyond typical silvicultural treatments in our management of our remaining forested lands. Imagine you are a line boss on a fire suppression team, working with the planning chief. You need a suppression plan for your crews. Your efforts are to map out where to build fire lines tomorrow morning to attempt to contain the fire. I would expect that you would study the terrain and vegetative cover to find where the differences exist that will result in a change in fire behavior. These are the locations where you know you have a chance of containment. These lines of demarcation also define what I have been defining as community boundaries. As a fire-fighter you focus on these differences to accomplish your desired result. These unique units or communities are the natural diversity that made up the mosaic of the forested lands in the past.
If a forest scientist would use the same logic in applying silicultural treatments, we can begin to bring back the natural diversity that was an original part of our forested lands. Using this logic allows us to focus our management of our remaining forested acres on the health and diversity of the individual communities rather than our current efforts to manage the resources from the forests. I know Gifford Pinchot defined forestry as growing trees as a crop to provide products for the public but, our current loss of over half our planet's original forest cover, requires a change in management direction.
I have been studying the work of Dr. Jerad Diamond where he presents the details of the raise and fall of several societies that no longer exist on our planet. I will provide more information about his findings in future articles but, it is important to note that the major causes for collapse of these societies has been environmental issues with population expansion and deforestation near the top of the list. If we are truly interested in providing for the future, we are going to have to make serious adjustments in the management of our remaining forested lands.
I had the privilege of personally visiting with a person who's family has a 300 year history of land utilization in New Mexico, and was able to observe, with his insight, the impact humans have had on the lands where his ancestors settled back in the 1600's.
My hope is, what humans have done, humans can also undo!
If a forest scientist would use the same logic in applying silicultural treatments, we can begin to bring back the natural diversity that was an original part of our forested lands. Using this logic allows us to focus our management of our remaining forested acres on the health and diversity of the individual communities rather than our current efforts to manage the resources from the forests. I know Gifford Pinchot defined forestry as growing trees as a crop to provide products for the public but, our current loss of over half our planet's original forest cover, requires a change in management direction.
I have been studying the work of Dr. Jerad Diamond where he presents the details of the raise and fall of several societies that no longer exist on our planet. I will provide more information about his findings in future articles but, it is important to note that the major causes for collapse of these societies has been environmental issues with population expansion and deforestation near the top of the list. If we are truly interested in providing for the future, we are going to have to make serious adjustments in the management of our remaining forested lands.
I had the privilege of personally visiting with a person who's family has a 300 year history of land utilization in New Mexico, and was able to observe, with his insight, the impact humans have had on the lands where his ancestors settled back in the 1600's.
My hope is, what humans have done, humans can also undo!