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Hi Dave P & All, Oct 26, 2012
Just to clarify one point, do you then agree with Nick that climate
change will be of net benefit to our forest ecosystem (or at least not
detrimental)?
Certainly it was not my intent to defend even aged management but simply
to observe that weather extremes will play havoc with forest management
plans (which would include even aged management plans) and the forest cover
of affected areas will tend to be relatively even aged.
Turning to the quite different subject of even aged stands one may break
it down readily into three aspects: all IMHO. One, as Gary noted, natural
forces here will sometimes tend to generate them; budworm, fire, wind,
[drought on shallow soils]. Depending upon soil and topography these stands
may be quite large; e.g. fir of Cape Breton Highlands. Two, also as Gary
noted, these natural and man made even aged stands (generated by abandonment
of farm lands and by silviculture) were attractive for pulp purposes. Three,
such stands were necessary but not now sufficient for a viable pulp industry
in NS.
We have a habit of dishing out wads of tax money to attract or hold pulp
companies. It is just possible, along the model of Swiss 'farmers', that
even less money might fund a group of people who were willing to personally
manage select areas of woodland and harvest them selectively using horses or
oxen.
Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@Dal.Ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>; "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:59 AM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Forest Perspectives...scale of disturbance
> ...It is certainly well known that catastrophic events tend to structure
> communities. I don't, however, follow the logic that justifes a lot of
> even aged management on that basis, rather it argues for increased
> diversity, multi-aged/ management...
>
> to which I should have added:
>
> at least in the context of gap driven dynamics characteristic of the
> Acadian forest (versus fire driven dynamics of the boreal forest).
>
>
>
> Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>:
>
>> Hi Dave P. & All, Oct 25, 2012
>> I read both of these, and by way of disclaimer don't know either Gary
>> or Nick, but thought that Gary's article was soundly based and Nick's
>> seemed out of touch with reality.
>>
>> According to Nick e.g., if we just manage our Acadian forests
>> properly then even climate change will be a good thing; Magnolias,
>> Shagbark Hickory, Tulip Poplar, an amazement of understory
>> wildflowers--- wow, who would have known ?
>>
>> Sadly there is more to climate change than warmer temperatures and
>> the dangerous element to forest trees in this area will likely be
>> extreme variation of weather.
>>
>> Even one seriously adverse year in 100 can make a mess of good
>> management and 2012 was not great in my North Alton woodlot, to take one
>> example that I happen to know well. A large number of the few spruce
>> that did not die following extreme drought near the turn of the century,
>> or blow over in the wind of Dec 2010 looked very stressed during the
>> unusually prolonged drought this summer and a fair proportion dropped
>> all or nearly all of their needles. Based of observation of similar
>> circumstances elsewhere I expect thickets of even aged trash trees (Fir
>> & Poplar) will fill the clearings.
>>
>> When there is serious windfall even salvage is an option only if you
>> are an industrial scale operator. Following the windthrow of Dec 2010 I
>> took a rough survey of damage and decided to try horse logging, the
>> trees being scattered, and sawing with a portable mill at 4-5 brows by
>> hiring the work and offering a split of the proceeds. The owner of a
>> portable mill kindly advised me to proceed only if I had a use for the
>> lumber and went on to explain that he had many trees over in 500 acres
>> and had decided to let it rot in the woods; the lumber can be sold only
>> if certified and certification is not practical for small lots.
>>
>> And the industrial scale outlook for pulp is bleak. A study of pulp
>> production costs worldwide some 15-20 years ago (sorry no reference)
>> found that Atlantic Canada had by far the highest costs worldwide for
>> pulp delivered to the mill site. And diversion of sawmill waste to pulp
>> mills helped to keep sawmills afloat but, given the shrinking demand for
>> paper, this could unravel within a decade.
>>
>> So there are serious problems ahead for forests, forestry industries
>> and the rural economy and clear-headed, fact-based thinking is called
>> for as opposed to wishful dreaming.
>>
>> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@dal.ca>
>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>> Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 9:49 AM
>> Subject: [NatureNS] Forest Perspectives
>>
>>
>>> I hope everyone reads Nick Hill's perspective of our forests, so
>>> wonderfully expressed and refreshing after the dismal, rural vs urban,
>>> Saunders Op-Ed
>>>
>>> Nick: Take a walk into the future in the Acadian forest
>>> http://thech.ca/RXLoLA
>>>
>>> Saunders
>>> http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/151384-taking-a-walk-in-the-woods-and-through-nova-scotia-s-past
>>>
>>>
>>> -----
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 2013.0.2741 / Virus Database: 2614/5333 - Release Date:
>>> 10/15/12
>>> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> David Patriquin
> 6165 Murray Place
> Halifax, N.S.
> Canada B3H 1R9
> e-mail: patriqui@dal.ca
> Phone: 902-4235716
>
> Professor of Biology (retired)
> Dalhousie University http://www.dal.ca
>
> Halifax Field Naturalists http://halifaxfieldnaturalists.ca
> Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society http://nswildflora.ca
> Young Naturalists Club of Nova Scotia http://ync.nature1st.net/
> Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization http://wrweo.ca
> Control of Chinch Bug without Pesticides http://versicolor.ca/lawns
>
>
> -----
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> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 2013.0.2741 / Virus Database: 2614/5333 - Release Date: 10/15/12
> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
>
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