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>>> From: Mary Macaulay <
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Hi Mary & All, Jan 9, 2016
Poor management to some degree perhaps but today's problems, and the =
aftermath, are the consequences of greed, waste and excessively large =
environmental footprints.
I adopted a frugal lifestyle early in life, for the above reason, =
and have records of power, water, oil and motor vehicle milage going =
back to1967 or thereabouts.
Although it would take time to tabulate them I pledge $500 to Feed =
NS if anyone who has lived in a house during this period has lower =
verifiable values. Contenders must also pledge $500 to Feed NS.
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Mary Macaulay=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2016 5:48 AM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Red Herring & Forestry
David
Step back a minute and remember it is our very interference and =
"managing" that is upsetting the delicate balance of Nature.
Thoreau would remind you "In Wildness is the preservation of the =
World".
With kindest regards
Mary (Macaulay), P.Eng.
Queen Bee, Insect Recovery Project
Owner, Remember Adventures
Pedal Buggy & snowshoe rentals, picnics, great bird friendly coffee, =
breakfast & pasta, pollinator meadow, games & more!!=20
(Open Wed to Sunday: 8:30 am)
365 Main Street & Station Road
Trans-Canada Trail
Tatamagouche
RememberAdventures.ca & InsectRecovery.org
1-902-657-0054
Twitter @RememberTata & @InsectRecovery
On Jan 7, 2016, at 8:44 PM, David & Alison Webster =
<dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
Hi Mary, Jim & All, Jan 7, 2016
By biomass I meant cutting trees (but clear cutting only in very =
exceptional circumstances), mowing Miscanthus,.... and ultimately =
burning for power.
It is a grave mistake to imagine that carbon accumulation in a =
forest continues for all time. David Suzuki preached this for a while =
but retracted about 20 years ago. After few decades or many, depending =
upon initial state, a point is reached whereby release of carbon dioxide =
by forest litter and soil equals the carbon fixed in any one year. This =
steady state neither gains nor loses CO2. Consult a copy of The Soil =
Resource Hans Jenny Ecological Studies 37 1980, 377 pp; fluff free so =
about 400 hrs would be a good start.
A steady state forest does store carbon until a dry period hits, =
as it has out west for several years, and one has huge forest fires. And =
dry or not there are some forest fires every year. And on the heels of a =
forest fire, unless there is very rapid regeneration, there will be =
large losses of CO2 from soil, as in clear cuts.
As an aside, I have been selectively cutting trees for firewood, =
off and on, for 72 years and I am confident that most cuts quickly led =
to greater growth rates of the remaining trees and greater rates of =
carbon capture. I don't want to put words in Jamie's mouth or actions in =
his hands but, unless I have wires crossed, he also cuts trees =
selectively for firewood and I suspect that given the same setting we =
would very often make similar choices.=20
Also as an aside, one learns by making mistakes and I have =
learned much that way. For example in 1971 I bought a woodlot south of =
Wolfville with the view that the best way to protect woodland was to buy =
and not cut it. For 10 years I spent many weekends thinning perhaps 5% =
of the area and keeping the lines clear and in 1981 got a nearby lot and =
neglected the first. At the time of the cutting craze (high prices) I =
received many phone calls from those wanting to buy stumpage and refused =
all. I was called all kinds of names, most having something to do with =
fool and was warned that many would die if I did not have the larger =
trees removed. It turns out they were correct. Many did die or perhaps =
even worse survive and crowd nearby trees. In the wind of Dec 2010 many =
more went over and in much of those woods one would be unwise to walk =
without a chainsaw; land in a tangle of 10' Fir thickets and cross piled =
windfalls is just plain dangerous to walk across without a saw to cut a =
path if need be. With the objective of making matters easier for my =
executors I put it up for sale and the only serious offer was from a =
logger, about my age, who had cut some there when he was young. He has =
two (?) sons and I am sure they will do a better job of managing it than =
I did.
In the North Alton woodlot about 2003 my neighbor had a =
harvester on his lot and offered to selectively cut about 20 acres of =
mine which he claimed would soon die if not thinned; the offer was (?) =
$40,000 guaranteed and half of any remaining profit. I agreed to this, =
slept on it and backed out. Once again he was correct; probably 80% of =
these trees did die and there are large patches bare of live trees.=20
The discussion about woodland, from my perspective, is whether =
and how the desirable features of selective cutting for firewood can be =
effected by machinery for biomass and therefore be cost-effective, =
improve the forest and decrease net CO2 emissions. We have strayed into =
several side issues but this is a necessary step so all or most can =
agree on what is known or can be known.
For nearly a year now I have intended to make some comments =
about possible futures for NS forests and this current discussion may =
lead into that subject eventually. It is a topic which I think needs to =
be carefully reconsidered in all respects.=20
My time and energy is largely taken up in 24/7 home care so time =
is usually limited to fragments of time between chores. But I do =
generally have ~3 hrs free when Alison has a nap between 12:30 and 3:30. =
So Jim (and Mary if business takes you this way) I would be delighted to =
show you a Pine stand which has been cut much and in need again of =
thinning (the 2010 wind thinned some and my Nephews thankfully extracted =
the logs) and some of the consequences of not thinning soon enough as =
viewed in North Alton.
The average age of NS forests, so I understand, is about 40 =
y