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Donna, thanks for this. Your posts are so informative and well-informed, and to the point. Now if only we could expand our audience a bit beyond the NatureNS crowd. Cheers, Doug Linzey n 19-Jun-18 7:21 PM, Donna Crossland wrote: > > It's best to avoid the 'company line' about "spruce budworm left > unchecked". This is a topic that the forest industry uses to instill > panic to justify full scale harvesting of spruce and fir, complete > with a spray program, etc. Budworm is a native pest and should not > enter the conversations over exotics. It comes 'round every few > decades, as we know. Bay-breasted, Tennessee and other warbler > species can increase rapidly. We can sit back and enjoy watching > natures responses to it. This year I observed a few more Bay-breasted > warblers in forest monitoring plots than previous years, and am > questioning if they are from an increased number resulting from the Qc > population that decided to settle in southwest NS this year instead of > heading farther north after returning from the tropics. > > The forest industry and DNR would have us "tinker" with this this > natural disturbance agent. But balsam fir was never "built to last". > Titus Smith referred to it as a nursery tree to shelter the growth of > other late successional tree species. Early entry harvesting in the > pure fir/spruce stands would mitigate the fear of trees dying all at > once and wood going to 'waste' (industry thinking, not mine), but in > actuality industry doesn't want to float in the big machines for > multiple, early, preemptive partial harvests. The cheapest approach > is to harvest all at once, so they wait until the budworm hits (it was > all so predictable), and then cries wolf and harvests all at once. > But this is the worst scenario for all other ecosystem components > including soil nutrients then exposed to leaching. The budworm issue > really hits a nerve. > > Balsam fir and spruce will regenerate after budworm. No worries > there. But hemlock will be repeatedly hit by HWA and not successfully > reestablish. It will be no more. That's the huge difference between > native pests and exotics. The latter situation leaves a permanent > void. Forests without hemlock, ash, and beech are likely imminent, > perhaps in as little as two decades, but who knows. Nature will > figure something out, but all these rapid changes are occurring > because of human activities. > > Donna Crossland > > > On 2018-06-19 1:16 PM, rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca wrote: >> Well Lance predictions for the future are chancy business! >> I even have trouble predicting the winner of the next >> race when I attend the horse races! >> I suspect that there is a chance Genetic Modifying could >> be used to save some species of trees, >> Enjoy the last few days of spring >> Paul >>> On June 19, 2018 at 11:43 AM "Laviolette, Lance" >>> <lance.laviolette@lmco.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Dave, >>> >>> There are a number insects and diseases in the pipeline that will >>> add to those such as Dutch Elm and Beech canker. Emerald Ash borer >>> has left vast areas of skeletal tree remains in Ontario and western >>> Quebec where ash trees used to dominate. If Eastern Hemlock is >>> mostly removed from the equation and spruce budworm is left >>> unchecked my question would be, what do you foresee the composition >>> of Nova Scotian forests to be in 20 years? Are we looking at large >>> areas where cherry and birch dominate until fir and spruce regrow >>> and maple, oak and Yellow Birch become the only hardwood trees of >>> any size? >>> >>> All the best, >>> >>> Lance >>> >>> Lance Laviolette >>> >>> Glen Robertson, Ontario >>> >>> *From:*naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca >>> [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] *On Behalf Of *David >>> *Sent:* Monday, June 18, 2018 6:11 PM >>> *To:* naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >>> *Subject:* EXTERNAL: Re[2]: [NatureNS] Lyme disease >>> >>> Hi All, >>> >>> The discussion has already strayed far from the original topic >>> of Lyme disease so I will continue this journey by throwing in some >>> general thoughts about Hemlock and Yellow Birch; based on casual >>> observation. Both can attain majestic size (so does Oak and Ash) >>> and once established are land hogs. I suspect Yellow Birch does this >>> by a wide ranging root system and Hemlock by widely spreading >>> branches. Hemlock tends to develop relatively pure stands perhaps >>> because they are masters at root grafting and nourish nearby young >>> to replace them when they die. >>> >>> Thus I have a soft spot for Hemlock and Yellow Birch but know >>> that they too will eventually render their soil more suitable for >>> something else and accordingly succumb to pest or disease; secondary >>> succession in unusually slow motion. >>> >>> Consequently I think that the death of large numbers of Hemlock >>> in SW NS is not cause for grief or alarm; but perhaps suitable >>> action by landowners. >>> >>> My 2 cents as someone was fond of saying. >>> >>> Yt, DW, Kentville >>> >> >
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