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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0569_01D14C76.A5DE0D60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi All, Jan 11, 2016 I just remembered that whole tree harvesting can mean roots as well = as tops so it may not be a good term to refer to Full tree brown or Full = tree green. There is enough confusion without piling more on. DW ----- Original Message -----=20 From: David & Alison Webster=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Monday, January 11, 2016 11:20 AM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & Forestry Hi Donna & All, Jan 11, 2016 I will address some of your other comments later but first things = should come first. It would be of great help if this whole tree harvesting were = documented in a factual way and made public. This, to be credible, = should be done with care to not exaggerate or wrap in emotion. This = wears thin quickly.=20 About 1995 (?) I spent a few hours with a man from Newfoudland who = had taken Silvaculture in NB and moved directly to BC for work. So I = asked why he had not remained in Atlantic Canada. His long reply = reduced to few words was that Forestry in Atlantic Canada was dead = by1970; nagged to death by environmentalists plus Forestry here has many = natural disadvantages: as pulp mills became obsolete they would shut and = the companies would move on. About 8 years ago Irving generated flak by refusing to reroute a road, = at great cost, to avoid possibly disturbing a Heron colony. A paste from = one of my e-mails is relevant. =20 PASTE from my post of Mar 27, 2008 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ In any case those who objected to normal Forestry harvesting cycles=20 of about 100 years will soon look back to those times as the good old=20 days, as more forest land is converted back to farming or to 7-year=20 biomass harvesting cycles. END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ =20 Shortly after the Cod stocks collapsed many years ago I happened to = hear an Economics Prof. from Memorial on the radio. According to him, = Nfld. would do just fine without fisheries; there was Teaching, Highways = work, Health Care, Police work... all activities which consume wealth = and no primary industry to create wealth. This is typical of modern = 'thought'. I had wanted as time permitted to discuss the future of Forestry on = Naturens but unfortunately a brush fire, in the form of whole tree = harvesting, takes priority. First I think it helps to employ the power = of self-interest.=20 There have been shortages of firewood, hardwood for high value = products and wood pellets in recent years and I would guess that = biomass, not only for local plants but for export, is a major cause of = this. If the above washes,after careful documentation, then it should be = made public.=20 As I think I observed some time ago, the colossal machine trades = local jobs for remote jobs and exports wealth. That aspect could also be = documented to effect I suspect; self-interest again. Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville =20 =20 =20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "Donna Crossland" <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2016 10:43 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & Forestry > There is no whole-tree harvesting allowed on Crown lands. Bob = Bancroft and > I suggested this be enacted back in 2010 during the Natural Resources > Strategy, and it may be one of the very few good things (sadly) that = stemmed > from our work. But as we know, Crown land is a very small portion of = the > province. Private lands are where the atrocities are presently = occurring, > and there is an increasing focus on how to convince private land = holders to > relinquish their wood. =20 >=20 > Foresters have been ordered to go and find suitable private lands for = "full > tree" harvesting for some companies. The criteria are deplorably low = and > devastating on the ecology of the land. Search for lands that are at = least > 50 % treed (species not important, but hardwood is best for most = operations) > that are 4 inches in diameter (DBH) or greater. (Teeny, tiny trees, = in > other words.) >=20 > Our Nova Scotia forests are being cut long before maturity and long = before > they are allowed to recover and grow to the next successional stage. > "Stands" of grey/wire birch (barely meet the criteria of a "stand") = are > being mowed down; this little tree which generally indicates past = abuses > wherever it grows by its very nature is never allowed to 'heal the = land' or > restore soil, as is part of its natural ecological role. The = flattening of > such stands resets the land to the same early successional stage. = Other > stand types are also being cut using the same criteria. Yellow birch, = sugar > maple, no matter-all sent through the chipper. It doesn't matter if = it's > green or brown biomass. There are no laws for private. I sometimes = lie > awake at night during springtime and wonder how many bird nests and = young > are being sent through the chipper while we sleep (operations go all = night > and day, no matter the season in the mad dash for the last pitiful = grab). =20 >=20 > The tops of some of the softwoods, if present in the stand during a = full > tree chipping operation, may be taken back out to the site and = scattered > around. The goal is not environmental so much as to please the buyer = who > wants mainly hardwood chips for industrial pellets overseas. And other = wood, > of course is going to the Port Hawkesbury burner. Biomass burners are > starting to pop up here and there elsewhere in NS, too. (We no longer = grow > trees to saw log size, and no new saw log mills have been started up = for > ages.) >=20 > Companies such as Reeves out of New Ross puts most of their cut = through the > chipper. Chips are going to Sheet Harbour and from there I am not = certain > to where. I know that several years ago, some operations were quietly > shipping wood chips across the Atlantic to biomass burners in Europe = so they > could state they were generating 'green energy'. It would be = laughable if > it were not so sad.=20 >=20 > I am happy to see this topic being focussed upon by the naturalist > community, and I am grateful to Jamie Simpson's research into biomass. = This > is a very important subject, and one that our current politicians = would not > disagree with. More that I would like to share with folks on that = later, > but there is another item or two that I would like to address before = bed-=20 >=20 > About thinning: What I've been reading in this thread is an old = school, > 'agronomist' perspective still widely taught in forestry, and a = strongly > held mantra with foresters, but one not generally adopted by > biologists/ecologists/naturalists who are taught to think more broadly = on > the incredible complexities of forest ecology. Thinning trees is done > mostly to speed up growth and yields. The objective to cut down trees > sooner. There are stacks of research papers on this, but some of the = more > recent ones question the whole practice of thinning and its economic > practicality. Thinning is also highly detrimental to forest = songbirds, and > many folks will admit that they knowingly destroy countless nests = while > thinning during springtime. Nonetheless, I hear all sorts of = justifications > for the practice, but the truth is that nature does just fine on her = own, > and we should learn to wait and be patient. She'll grow the best = trees. (I > believe this was Mary's well-stated point of view also.) I've got at = least > one research paper that concluded that thinning a spruce stand simply = acted > as a vector for fungal infection through nearly the entire stand. (I = can > reference it, but no time to find it now.) Natural forests will = self-thin > in their own time, deciding on their own which is the strongest = individual > genetic stock to survive in each microhabitat situation, and they = don't need > help from us. However, the forester knocking on your door and wanting = to > cut your wood will spin a different story, often alarmist about the = great > need to thin, or simply (usually) to cut down all the trees in your = woodlot > as a great favour to you before disaster strikes ("the sky is falling" > analogy). =20 >=20 >>From what I've read on this thread, it seems that all forest types are = being > painted by the same brush, as if they all act/react in the same way. > Generalizing about trees dying all at once usually refers to the early > successional forests, rather than the late successional forests that = were > more commonly supported on Nova Scotia landscapes at one time = (excluding CB > highlands). Multi-aged, late successional forests do not die all at = once > (regardless of insect infestation or catastrophic wind), and will > self-perpetuate and self-thin. I would hazard a guess that the = forests I've > read that are dying all at once are white spruce (hit hard by spruce = bark > beetle). That situation does not speak for the rest.=20 >=20 > About wildlife use: Another aggravating point resurrected in this = thread is > that in forestry school we are taught to manage stands for "wildlife", = but > that wildlife is generally the snowshoe hare and white-tailed deer, = species > that require some disturbance to survive. It is so frustrating to > repeatedly see forestry posters with the deer prominently featured, as = if it > is a species that points to a well-managed forest. While correcting = student > papers on forest management at UNB Dept of Forestry, I never once read = a > well thought out management plan that managed forests in the best = interests > of moose, marten, fisher, brook trout, or Blackburnian warblers. Such > species would have made much better indicators of good forest = management > practices. Alas, even deer require some shelter in winter storms, = best > provided in our closed-canopy hemlock stands-wonderfully 'barn-like' = and > peaceful in winter. We all need to visit such stand types in winter = to > appreciate their fantastic ecological value, and perhaps to take a = precious > moment to meditate and breathe forest air. >=20 > It's bedtime. >=20 > Donna Crossland >=20 >=20 > -----Original Message----- > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca = [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] > On Behalf Of David & Alison Webster > Sent: January-10-16 8:18 PM > To: NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & Forestry >=20 > Dear All, Jan 10, 2016 > Returning hopefully to where this all started, can anyone refresh = the > screen on current biomass harvesting practices; which is used and = which > predominates (1)stem only, (2) stem+ branches, leaves shed (Full tree = brown) > or (3) stem+ branches + leaves (Full tree green) ? >=20 > I recently had a look at a 247 page Masters Thesis (Noseworthy); = many > variates, many equations and most of these are interdependent. Unless = I can > arrange for a second life I will never find time to plow through all = of it > and grasp the model fully. So I have to trust that the hundreds of > researchers who developed the model over 35 (?) years are not = seriously in > error and just concentrate on findings in this Thesis. >=20 > Knowing current practices will be a help. >=20 > Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2016.0.7294 / Virus Database: 4489/11377 - Release Date: = 01/11/16 > ------=_NextPart_000_0569_01D14C76.A5DE0D60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.23588"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV>Hi All, =20 = =20 Jan 11, 2016</DIV> <DIV> I just remembered that whole tree harvesting can = mean=20 roots as well as tops so it may not be a good term to refer to Full=20 tree brown or Full tree green. There is enough confusion without = piling=20 more on.</DIV> <DIV>DW</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----=20 <DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A=20 title=3Ddwebster@glinx.com href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">David = & Alison=20 Webster</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> = </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 11, 2016 11:20 AM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & = Forestry</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Hi Donna & All, = =20 = =20 Jan 11, 2016</DIV> <DIV> I will address some of your other comments later = but=20 first things should come first.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> It would be of great help if this whole tree = harvesting=20 were documented in a factual way and made public. This, to be credible, = should=20 be done with care to not exaggerate or wrap in emotion. This wears thin = quickly.=20 </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> About 1995 (?) I spent a few hours with a man = from=20 Newfoudland who had taken Silvaculture in NB and moved directly to BC = for work.=20 So I asked why he had not remained in Atlantic Canada. His long = reply=20 reduced to few words was that Forestry in Atlantic Canada was dead = by1970;=20 nagged to death by environmentalists plus Forestry here has many = natural=20 disadvantages: as pulp mills became obsolete they would shut = and the=20 companies would move on.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> About 8 years ago Irving generated flak by refusing to = reroute=20 a road, at great cost, to avoid possibly disturbing a Heron = colony. A paste=20 from one of my e-mails is relevant. </DIV> <DIV>PASTE from my post of Mar 27, 2008 = <A>\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\</A></DIV> <DIV> In any case those who objected to normal Forestry = harvesting=20 cycles <BR>of about 100 years will soon look back to those times as the = good old=20 <BR>days, as more forest land is converted back to farming or to <FONT=20 color=3D#ff0000>7-year <BR>biomass harvesting = cycles.<BR></FONT> END OF=20 PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ </DIV> <DIV> Shortly after the Cod stocks collapsed many = years=20 ago I happened to hear an Economics Prof. from Memorial on the radio. = According=20 to him, Nfld. would do just fine without fisheries; there was Teaching, = Highways=20 work, Health Care, Police work... all activities which consume wealth = and no=20 primary industry to create wealth. This is typical of modern=20 'thought'.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> I had wanted as time permitted to discuss the = future of=20 Forestry on Naturens but unfortunately a brush fire, in the form of = whole tree=20 harvesting, takes priority. First I think it helps to employ the power = of=20 self-interest. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> There have been shortages of firewood, hardwood = for high=20 value products and wood pellets in recent years and I would guess = that=20 biomass, not only for local plants but for export, is a major cause of = this. If=20 the above washes,after careful documentation, then it should = be made=20 public. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> As I think I observed some time ago, the = colossal=20 machine trades local jobs for remote jobs and exports wealth. That = aspect could=20 also be documented to effect I suspect; self-interest again.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>----- Original Message -----=20 <DIV>From: "Donna Crossland" <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:dcrossland@eastlink.ca">dcrossland@eastlink.ca</A>></DI= V> <DIV>To: <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A>></= DIV> <DIV>Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2016 10:43 PM</DIV> <DIV>Subject: RE: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & Forestry</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>> There is no whole-tree harvesting allowed on Crown=20 lands. Bob Bancroft and<BR>> I suggested this be enacted back = in 2010=20 during the Natural Resources<BR>> Strategy, and it may be one of the = very few=20 good things (sadly) that stemmed<BR>> from our work. But as we = know,=20 Crown land is a very small portion of the<BR>> province. = Private lands=20 are where the atrocities are presently occurring,<BR>> and there is = an=20 increasing focus on how to convince private land holders to<BR>> = relinquish=20 their wood. <BR>> <BR>> Foresters have been ordered to go = and find=20 suitable private lands for "full<BR>> tree" harvesting for some=20 companies. The criteria are deplorably low and<BR>> devastating = on the=20 ecology of the land. Search for lands that are at least<BR>> 50 = % treed=20 (species not important, but hardwood is best for most = operations)<BR>> that=20 are 4 inches in diameter (DBH) or greater. (Teeny, tiny trees, = in<BR>>=20 other words.)<BR>> <BR>> Our Nova Scotia forests are being cut = long before=20 maturity and long before<BR>> they are allowed to recover and grow to = the=20 next successional stage.<BR>> "Stands" of grey/wire birch (barely = meet the=20 criteria of a "stand") are<BR>> being mowed down; this little tree = which=20 generally indicates past abuses<BR>> wherever it grows by its very = nature is=20 never allowed to 'heal the land' or<BR>> restore soil, as is part of = its=20 natural ecological role. The flattening of<BR>> such stands = resets the=20 land to the same early successional stage. Other<BR>> stand = types are=20 also being cut using the same criteria. Yellow birch, = sugar<BR>> maple,=20 no matter-all sent through the chipper. It doesn't matter if = it's<BR>>=20 green or brown biomass. There are no laws for private. I = sometimes=20 lie<BR>> awake at night during springtime and wonder how many bird = nests and=20 young<BR>> are being sent through the chipper while we sleep = (operations go=20 all night<BR>> and day, no matter the season in the mad dash for the = last=20 pitiful grab). <BR>> <BR>> The tops of some of the = softwoods, if=20 present in the stand during a full<BR>> tree chipping operation, may = be taken=20 back out to the site and scattered<BR>> around. The goal is not = environmental so much as to please the buyer who<BR>> wants mainly = hardwood=20 chips for industrial pellets overseas. And other wood,<BR>> of course = is=20 going to the Port Hawkesbury burner. Biomass burners are<BR>> = starting=20 to pop up here and there elsewhere in NS, too. (We no longer = grow<BR>>=20 trees to saw log size, and no new saw log mills have been started up = for<BR>>=20 ages.)<BR>> <BR>> Companies such as Reeves out of New Ross puts = most of=20 their cut through the<BR>> chipper. Chips are going to Sheet = Harbour=20 and from there I am not certain<BR>> to where. I know that = several=20 years ago, some operations were quietly<BR>> shipping wood chips = across the=20 Atlantic to biomass burners in Europe so they<BR>> could state they = were=20 generating 'green energy'. It would be laughable if<BR>> it = were not so=20 sad. <BR>> <BR>> I am happy to see this topic being focussed upon = by the=20 naturalist<BR>> community, and I am grateful to Jamie Simpson's = research into=20 biomass. This<BR>> is a very important subject, and one that = our=20 current politicians would not<BR>> disagree with. More that I = would=20 like to share with folks on that later,<BR>> but there is another = item or two=20 that I would like to address before bed- <BR>> <BR>> About = thinning: =20 What I've been reading in this thread is an old school,<BR>> = 'agronomist'=20 perspective still widely taught in forestry, and a strongly<BR>> held = mantra=20 with foresters, but one not generally adopted by<BR>>=20 biologists/ecologists/naturalists who are taught to think more broadly=20 on<BR>> the incredible complexities of forest ecology. Thinning = trees=20 is done<BR>> mostly to speed up growth and yields. The objective to = cut down=20 trees<BR>> sooner. There are stacks of research papers on this, = but=20 some of the more<BR>> recent ones question the whole practice of = thinning and=20 its economic<BR>> practicality. Thinning is also highly = detrimental to=20 forest songbirds, and<BR>> many folks will admit that they knowingly = destroy=20 countless nests while<BR>> thinning during springtime. = Nonetheless, I=20 hear all sorts of justifications<BR>> for the practice, but the truth = is that=20 nature does just fine on her own,<BR>> and we should learn to wait = and be=20 patient. She'll grow the best trees. (I<BR>> believe this = was=20 Mary's well-stated point of view also.) I've got at least<BR>> = one=20 research paper that concluded that thinning a spruce stand simply = acted<BR>>=20 as a vector for fungal infection through nearly the entire stand. = (I=20 can<BR>> reference it, but no time to find it now.) Natural = forests=20 will self-thin<BR>> in their own time, deciding on their own which is = the=20 strongest individual<BR>> genetic stock to survive in each = microhabitat=20 situation, and they don't need<BR>> help from us. However, the = forester=20 knocking on your door and wanting to<BR>> cut your wood will spin a = different=20 story, often alarmist about the great<BR>> need to thin, or simply = (usually)=20 to cut down all the trees in your woodlot<BR>> as a great favour to = you=20 before disaster strikes ("the sky is falling"<BR>> analogy). = <BR>>=20 <BR>>>From what I've read on this thread, it seems that all forest = types=20 are being<BR>> painted by the same brush, as if they all act/react in = the=20 same way.<BR>> Generalizing about trees dying all at once usually = refers to=20 the early<BR>> successional forests, rather than the late = successional=20 forests that were<BR>> more commonly supported on Nova Scotia = landscapes at=20 one time (excluding CB<BR>> highlands). Multi-aged, late successional = forests=20 do not die all at once<BR>> (regardless of insect infestation or = catastrophic=20 wind), and will<BR>> self-perpetuate and self-thin. I would = hazard a=20 guess that the forests I've<BR>> read that are dying all at once are = white=20 spruce (hit hard by spruce bark<BR>> beetle). That situation = does not=20 speak for the rest. <BR>> <BR>> About wildlife use: Another=20 aggravating point resurrected in this thread is<BR>> that in forestry = school=20 we are taught to manage stands for "wildlife", but<BR>> that wildlife = is=20 generally the snowshoe hare and white-tailed deer, species<BR>> that = require=20 some disturbance to survive. It is so frustrating to<BR>> = repeatedly=20 see forestry posters with the deer prominently featured, as if = it<BR>> is a=20 species that points to a well-managed forest. While correcting=20 student<BR>> papers on forest management at UNB Dept of Forestry, I = never=20 once read a<BR>> well thought out management plan that managed = forests in the=20 best interests<BR>> of moose, marten, fisher, brook trout, or = Blackburnian=20 warblers. Such<BR>> species would have made much better = indicators of=20 good forest management<BR>> practices. Alas, even deer require = some=20 shelter in winter storms, best<BR>> provided in our closed-canopy = hemlock=20 stands-wonderfully 'barn-like' and<BR>> peaceful in winter. We = all need=20 to visit such stand types in winter to<BR>> appreciate their = fantastic=20 ecological value, and perhaps to take a precious<BR>> moment to = meditate and=20 breathe forest air.<BR>> <BR>> It's bedtime.<BR>> <BR>> = Donna=20 Crossland<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> -----Original Message-----<BR>> = From: <A=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.= ca</A>=20 [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]<BR>> On Behalf Of David & = Alison=20 Webster<BR>> Sent: January-10-16 8:18 PM<BR>> To: <A=20 href=3D"mailto:NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca</A><BR>&g= t;=20 Subject: [NatureNS] re Red Herring & Forestry<BR>> <BR>> Dear=20 All, &nb= sp; &nbs= p; =20 Jan 10, 2016<BR>> Returning hopefully to where this = all=20 started, can anyone refresh the<BR>> screen on current biomass = harvesting=20 practices; which is used and which<BR>> predominates (1)stem only, = (2) stem+=20 branches, leaves shed (Full tree brown)<BR>> or (3) stem+ branches + = leaves=20 (Full tree green) ?<BR>> <BR>> I recently had a = look at=20 a 247 page Masters Thesis (Noseworthy); many<BR>> variates, many = equations=20 and most of these are interdependent. Unless I can<BR>> arrange for a = second=20 life I will never find time to plow through all of it<BR>> and grasp = the=20 model fully. So I have to trust that the hundreds of<BR>> = researchers=20 who developed the model over 35 (?) years are not seriously in<BR>> = error and=20 just concentrate on findings in this Thesis.<BR>> = <BR>> =20 Knowing current practices will be a help.<BR>> <BR>> Yt, Dave = Webster,=20 Kentville<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> = <BR>>=20 -----<BR>> No virus found in this message.<BR>> Checked by AVG - = <A=20 href=3D"http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</A><BR>> Version: 2016.0.7294 = / Virus=20 Database: 4489/11377 - Release Date: 01/11/16<BR>> </BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0569_01D14C76.A5DE0D60--
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