Central Case: Battling over the last big trees

2. Central Case: Battling over the last big trees • In 1993, protestors blocked loggers from cutting ancient trees on Vancouver Island, British Columbia • Most of Canada’s old-growth temperate rainforest is already gone • 20% of the jobs depends on the timber industry Both sides struck a deal allowing environmentally friendly practices and encouraging ecotourism

3. Resources are vital to us Resource management = the practice of harvesting potentially renewable resources in ways that do not deplete them influenced by political, economic, and social factors

4. Natural resources are vital to us We need resources Soils: agriculture, natural communities Water: drinking, agriculture, wildlife Wildlife and fisheries: game, nongame, and marine species Rangeland: livestock Minerals: mined nonrenewable resources

5. Maximum sustainable yield Maximum sustainable yield = aims to achieve the maximum amount of resource extraction Populations grow most rapidly at an intermediate size Reducing populations so drastically affects other species and can change the entire ecosystem

6. Ecosystem-based management Ecosystem-based management = managing the harvesting of resources to minimize impact on the ecosystems and ecological processes Ecosystems are complex, and our understanding of how they operate is limited

7. Adaptive management evolves and improves Adaptive management = systematically testing different management approaches and aiming to improve methods Monitoring results and adjusting methods as needed A fusion of science and management Time-consuming and complicated The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan resolved disputes between loggers and preservationists over the remaining old-growth temperate rainforests in the continental U.S. Allowed limited logging Protected species and ecosystems Science-guided management in Oregon, Washington, and California

8. Forest Management Forests cover over 30% of Earth’s land surface Provide habitat, maintain soil, air, and water quality, and play key roles in biogeochemical cycles Provide wood for fuel, construction, paper production Earth Day Around The World

9. Ecological value of forests One of the richest ecosystems for biodiversity Stabilizes soil and prevents erosion Slows runoff, lessens flooding, purifies water Stores carbon, releases oxygen, moderates climate

10. Economic value of forests Benefits: fuel, shelter, transportation, paper Logging Locations: Boreal Forests: Canada, Russia Rainforests: Brazil, Indonesia Conifer Forests/Pine Plantations: U.S. In 2005, over 1/3 all forests were designated for timber production

11. Demand for wood leads to deforestation Deforestation = the clearing and loss of forests Alters landscapes and ecosystems Degrades soil Causes species decline and extinction Ruins civilizations Adds carbon dioxide to the air Developing countries boost their economies and get land for their growing populations by logging forests

12. Deforestation in America and Canada Deforestation propelled the westward expansion and growth of America and Canada Eastern deciduous forests were the first to be logged for farms and to build cities (i.e., Chicago) Timber companies moved south to the Ozarks and west to the Rockies

13. Loggers moved westward, searching for large trees • Primary forest = natural forest uncut by people • Little remained by the 20th century • Second-growth trees = grown to partial maturity after old-growth timber has been cut

14. “Timber famine” fears spurred forest protection • National forest system = a system of forest reserves and public lands • To grow trees, produce timber, protect watersheds, and ensure future timber supplies • Resulted from depletion of U.S. forests and fear of a “timber famine” • 77 million ha (191 million acres); 8% of the U.S. land area • The U.S. Forest Service was established in 1905 • Manage forests for the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run, including logging

15. Federal agencies own land in the U.S.

16. Plantation forestry • The timber industry focuses on timber plantations • Fast-growing species • Monocultures • Even-aged trees = all trees are the same age • Trees are cut at the end of the rotation time and replanted • crops, not functional forests

17. Harvesting timber: clear-cutting • All trees in the area are cut • Most cost-efficient • Greatest impact on forest ecosystems • May mimic some natural forms of disturbance • Destroy entire communities • Soil erosion • The Lorax

18. Harvesting: other methods • Seed-tree cutting = a small number of seed-producing trees are left standing to reseed the area • Shelterwood cutting = a small number of trees are left to provide shelter for the seedlings • Selection systems = only select trees are cut • Single tree selection = widely spaced trees are cut • Group tree selection = small patches of trees are cut • All methods disturb habitat • Change forest structure and composition • Increase erosion, siltation, runoff, flooding, landslides

19. Public forests can be managed for many things • Increased public awareness • For recreation, wildlife and ecosystem integrity, instead of logging • Critics protested federal subsidies of logging companies • Multiple use policy = national forests were to be managed for recreation, habitat, minerals and other uses • In reality, timber production is the primary use The Forest Service loses $100 million/yr by selling timber below cost

20. Harvesting forests

21. The National Forest Management Act (1976) • plans for renewable resource management for every national forest • Guidelines: • both economic and environmental factors • species diversity • research and monitoring • sustainable harvests only • soils and wetlands • Assessing all impacts before logging to protect resources

22. New forestry management is under attack • Calls for timber cuts that mimic natural disturbances • Harvesting methods are based on ecosystem approaches • The Bush administration has rolled back these regulations • Freed managers from requirements of the Act • Loosened environmental protections • Repealed President Clinton’s roadless rule, which protected 31% of national forests from road building • California, Oregon, and New Mexico have sued the government to reinstate the roadless rule

23. Fire policy also stirs controversy • For over 100 years, the Forest Service suppressed all fires • But many ecosystems depend on fires • Fire suppression allows woody accumulation, which produces kindling for future fires • Which are much worse • Housing development near forests and climate change will increase fire risk

24. Prescribed fires are misunderstood • Prescribed (controlled) burns = burning areas of forests under carefully controlled conditions • Effective • May get out of control • Impeded by public misunderstanding and political interference • Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003) = promotes removal of small trees, underbrush and dead trees • Passed in response to forest fires

25. Salvage logging • Removal of dead trees following a natural disturbance • Seems logical, but is really destructive • Snags (standing dead trees) provide nesting cavities for countless animals • Removing timber from recently burned areas increases erosion and soil damage • Promotes future fires • Increases commercial logging in national forests • Decreases oversight and public participation

26. Sustainable forestry is gaining ground • Sustainable forestry certification = only products produced sustainably can be certified • International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have different standards • Consumers look for logos to buy sustainably produced timber • Companies such as Home Depot sell sustainable wood • Encourages better logging practices • http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3389657n&tag=mncol;lst;7 • http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/01/science/100000001071584/the-forest-for-the-trees.html?ref=earth • The Truax

27. Lorax vs. Truax • What is clear cutting; selective cutting? • What are six products made from wood ? List other materials that can be used to make each of these products. • What is the ecological impact of a product made from wood?  • What is the ecological impact of a product made from plastic? • What kind of pollution is caused by the manufacturing of wood products? • What kind of pollution is caused by the manufacturing of plastic products? • What does ecologically sustainable mean? Give three examples.

28. Agricultural land use • Agriculture covers 38% of the Earths’ terrestrial surface • 26% supports pasture, 12% supports crops • Subsidies • Proponents-farmers need this insurance against bad years • Critics-farmers should buy their own insurance

29. Wetlands have been drained for farming • Wetlands  farmland • Governments encouraged wetland draining • Promote settlement and farming • Transferred land to states • Stimulated draining • < half the wetlands remain

30. Test on Wednesday 12/21 • Grass Lab due 1/6

31. Extra Credit Opportunity!!! • 4 pieces of 2 x 4 to represent industrial facilities • 2 pieces of 2 x 3 to represent transportation facilities • 1 piece of 1 x 6 to represent a medical facility • 17 pieces of 2 x2 to represent businesses and city buildings • (police and fire departments, libraries, schools, shops, • restaurants) • 2 pieces of 1 x 4 to represent water supply and sewage • 46 pieces of 1 x 2 to represent houses or apartments • 1 32 x 32 grid upon which to place pieces

32. Perspectives on wetlands are changing • Many people have a new view of wetlands • Not worthless swamps, but valuable ecosystems • Demanded regulations to safeguard remaining wetlands • But, because of loopholes, wetlands are still being lost • Conservation Reserve Program (1985) subsidized farmers to take highly erodable land out of production • Turn it into wildlife habitat

33. Livestock graze one-fourth of Earth’s land • Grazing can be sustainable if done carefully and at low intensity • Bureau of Land Management(BLM) = owns and manages most U.S. rangeland • Nation’s single largest landowner: 106 million ha (261 million acres) across 12 western states • Ranchers can graze cattle on BLM lands for low fees • Low fees encourage overgrazing Ranchers and environmentalists have joined to preserve ranchland against development and urban sprawl

34. Management of the American West • Overexploitation of resources caused great damage to the American West • Poor farming practices, overgrazing, farming arid lands • John Wesley Powell in the late 1800s called for agencies to base management on science • Farming Western lands had to account for arid conditions • His ideas were ignored, contributing to failures such as the Dust Bowl of the 1930s

35. Parks and reserves • Reasons for establishing parks and reserves include: • Monumentalism = preserving areas with enormous, beautiful or unusual features, such as the Grand Canyon • Offer recreational value to tourists, hikers, fishers, hunters and others • Protect areas with utilitarian benefits, such as clean drinking water • Use sites that are otherwise economically not valuable and are therefore easy to protect • Preservation of biodiversity

36. Federal parks and reserves began in the U.S. • National parks = public lands protected from resource extraction and development • Open to nature appreciation and recreation • Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 • The Antiquities Act of 1906 • The president can declare selected public lands as national monuments

37. The National Park Service (NPS) • Created in 1916 to administer parks and monuments • 388 sites totaling 32 million ha (72 million acres) • Includes national historic sites, national recreation areas, national wild and scenic rivers • 273 million visitors in 2006

38. National Wildlife Refuges • Begun in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt • 37 million ha (91 million acres) in 541 sites • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers refuges • Management ranges from preservation to manipulation • Wildlife havens • Allows hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, education

39. Wilderness areas • Wilderness areas = area is off-limits to development of any kind • Open to the public for hiking, nature study, etc. • Must have minimal impact on the land • Necessary to ensure that humans don’t occupy and modify all natural areas • Established within federal lands • Overseen by the agencies that administer those areas

40. Not everyone supports land set-asides • Restriction of activities in wilderness areas generated opposition to U.S. land protection policies • Some western states want resource extraction and development • The wise-use movement = a coalition of individuals and industries that oppose environmental protection • Protecting private property, transferring federal lands to state or private hands, promoting motorized recreation on public lands • Farmers, ranchers, loggers, mineral and fossil fuel industries

41. Wilderness protection has been weakened • President George W. Bush has weakened wilderness protection • Federal agencies have shifted policies and enforcement • Away from preservation and conservation • Toward recreation and resource extraction

42. Nonfederal entities also protect land • Each U.S. state and Canadian province has agencies that manage resources • So do counties and municipalities • Land trusts = local or regional organizations that purchase land to protect it • The Nature Conservancy is the world’s largest land trust • Trusts protect 4.1 million ha (10.2 million acres) • Jackson Hole, Wyoming is protected by a land trust

43. Parks and reserves are increasing internationally • Many nations have established national parks • Benefit from ecotourism • Protected areas now cover 9.6% of the world’s land area • Parks do not always receive necessary funding • Paper parks = Areas protected on paper but not in reality • World heritage sites = protected areas that fall under national sovereignty but are designated or managed by the United Nations • 830 sites across 184 countries

44. Transboundary and peace parks • Transboundary park = an area of protected land overlapping national borders • For example, Waterton-Glacier National Parks in the U.S. and Canada • Peace parks = transboundary reserves that help ease tensions by acting as buffers between nations • Biosphere reserves = land with exceptional biodiversity • Couple preservation with sustainable development

45. Biosphere reserves have several zones • This can be a win-win situation for everyone

46. Habitat fragmentation threatens species • Contiguous habitat is chopped into small pieces • Species suffer

47. The SLOSS dilemma • Which is better to protect species? • A Single Large Or Several Small reserves? • Depends on the species: tigers vs. insects • Corridors = protected land that allows animals to travel between islands of protected habitat • Animals get more resources • Enables gene flow between populations

48. Urban Issue: Light Pollution • http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/light-pollution/richardson-photography

49. Conclusion • Resources must be managed sustainably to avoid overexploitation and overharvesting • Many nations have established federal and regional agencies to manage publicly held land and natural resources • Resource management policies first emphasized extraction then shifted into sustained yield and multiple use • Public support for land preservation resulted in parks, wilderness areas and other reserves