397 PNW-USA

–Today for you 32 new articles about earth’s trees! (397th edition)
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In this issue:

PNW-USA
EU-Africa

Index:

–Oregon: 1) State Loggers say increasing logging will protect wildlife habitat, 2) Revised HCP for Elliott State Forest released, 3) Let the Boulder Creek wilderness fire go burned and unlogged! 4) Logger talks about roads
–California: 5) Post-fire exploration of a loved place, 6) Write a letter to the state to protect trees before 5pm today! 7) Carbon sequestration blunders into unknown value of logging what they say needs ‘protecting’ 8) Redwood forest mega-transect completed, 9) Last trees of Berkely treesit still standing & treesitters still unwilling to come down, 10) Cont. 11) No landmass on Earth quite like California,
–Idaho: 12) South Barker Fire allowed to burn
–Montana: 13) More loggers calling themselves woodland restorationists
–Colorado: 14) County will be able to treat only about a third of most fire-prone forests
–South Dakota: 15) Eyeing beetle killed trees in preserves and wilderness
–Wyoming: 16) Epidemic of pine, spruce, and douglas fir beetles
–Tennessee: 17) Some of the most affordable and attractive real estate left in the country
–USA: 18) What Salvage logging¬ means, 19) Continent wide: oak trees in decline, 21) U.S. imports nearly $25 billion worth of timber, 22) Drug cartels on 57 national forests, —EU: 23) Pine forests’demise, 24) preventing import of illegal timber,

Articles:

Oregon:

1) Oregon Department of Forestry leaders are challenging the notion that increasing timber harvests in the state forests means cutting into habitat and other forest resources. At a tour with members of the Oregon Board of Forestry and about 40 guests Thursday, ODF staff presented an on-the-ground look at the economic, social and environmental values of the Clatsop State Forest and explained their new approach to finding the forest’s “greatest permanent value.” The Forest Management Plan of 2001 redefined the “greatest permanent value” of the forests as a balance of environmental, social and economic goals. It also introduced a management model that keeps set percentages of young, middle-age and older trees on the ground. Since it was created, the state’s Forest Management Plan for Clatsop and Tillamook forests hasn’t produced as much timber revenue as initially projected. Clatsop and Tillamook county leaders have pressured the state to increase long-term harvest levels to produce more revenue for local governmentsTimber sales in Clatsop and Tillamook state forests produce revenue for local schools, governments and taxing districts. Declines in timber revenue often force the counties to tighten their belts.The outing was organized for the seven-member board of forestry, which held its regular meeting in Astoria Wednesday, and featured several local tree stands, the Gnat Creek Hatchery and presentations from Clatsop County commissioners, Jewell School District Superintendent Jerry Jones, local watershed council members, Diane Berry of Oregon Equestrian Trails, Steve Lloyd of the neighboring landowner Weyerhaeuser Co., Oregon State University Extension Forester Glenn Ahrens and multiple Astoria District foresters. In November, the Oregon Board of Forestry directed department staff to look at the possibility of boosting the timber revenue from the North Coast’s 510,000 acres of state forestland by up to $20 million – a 35 percent increase from the current $58 million income – over a 10-year period. But the board set a goal of preserving 17 to 20 percent of the stands, up to 100,000 acres, as mature forest habitat to serve threatened and endangered species and other wildlife. Over the past year, foresters have studied the proposed targets and built models of existing forestland to figure out whether the state can do both while still maintaining other forest benefits mandated by the state’s “greatest permanent value” forest management guideline. http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=54134&TM=57233.32

2) The Oregon Department of Forestry, along with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, recently released a revised habitat conservation plan and draft environmental impact statement for the Elliott State Forest. The 93,000-acre state forest is in the Coast Range between Coos Bay and Reedsport. The revised conservation plan has been several years in the making and uses the best science available — including northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet research done on the Elliott State Forest. Professional foresters and biologists participated in developing a thoughtful plan that considers economic, environmental and social issues, and seeks to reach an appropriate balance of these values. Currently the revised plan is open for public comment until Nov. 20. Most of the Elliott is common school forest land and is managed by the Department of Forestry to meet the legal mandate to maximize revenue to the common school fund over the long term. The department also is obligated to comply with the Endangered Species Act and has developed the revised habitat conservation plan to insure compliance and provide the greatest benefit to the people of Oregon. The Department of Forestry holds itself to the highest standards in meeting both of these obligations. In my opinion, the revised plan does achieve an appropriate balance among economic, environmental and social values. Consider the following: Harvests are well within sustainable levels. Under the revised plan, the timber harvest will increase from about 28 million board feet per year to about 40 million board feet per year. The forest grows approximately 75 million board feet per year. (A board foot is a unit of wood that measures a foot square and an inch thick. As a point of reference, there are about 13,000 board feet of framing lumber in an average house, and 7,000 board feet of plywood. A log truck carries about 4,500 board feet.) The plan provides increased revenue for schools. Revenue will increase from about $10 million per year to about $15.5 million per year. Most of this money goes into the common school fund — a portion of which is distributed to all school districts in the state twice each year. Threatened species are protected. All current spotted owl sites and most marbled murrelet sites on the forest will be protected in conservation areas where little or no harvest will occur. Owl habitat will increase from about 39,000 acres to about 42,000 acres over the 50-year term of the plan — nearly half the forest. http://www.registerguard.com/rg/EditorialsLetters/story.csp?cid=129513&sid=5&fid=1

3) The Boulder Creek Wilderness was burned in 1996 by the Spring Fire, with two-thirds of the 16,000-acre blaze consuming large swaths of wilderness. The rest burned in late successional reserves — as drawn out by the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan — outside of the Boulder Creek Wilderness. Forest officials figured there was 4 million board feet of timber waiting to be salvaged outside of the wilderness. Logging is not allowed in wilderness areas. Ostby decided the small amount of timber outside the wilderness area was not worth the time it would have taken for the Forest Service to plan a timber sale that environmental groups likely would have appealed, and then for timber companies to go in and carefully extract it — most likely by helicopter. Today, the timber industry points to the dead trees still standing from the Spring Fire — snags — as a hindrance to firefighting activity because of the hazards they present. Miller, a 15-year veteran Hotshot, was a seasonal firefighter long before he became superintendent. And the John Day native had also fought the Spring Fire. Miller’s return to the Boulder Creek Wilderness and its boundaries a few weeks ago caught him completely by surprise. “I figured over the last 12 years a lot of these trees would have fallen on the ground by now,” Miller said. Many people who stand behind issues touted by environmental groups, however, say fire in wilderness areas is good for burning up fuel loads. In fact, Francis Eatherington, conservation director for Umpqua Watersheds, wonders why any suppression of fire in wilderness should happen at all. “Why are they spending all that money?” she asks. At the same time, Eatherington said the Forest Service should focus more on leaving burned areas that are open to logging alone, because snags provide beneficial habitat to wildlife. In 2006, the Bybee Wildland Fire-Use Complex burned over 1,000 acres in Crater Lake National Park. Firefighters managed it only at its south and west borders so it wouldn’t escape the park. Early snow, because of the park’s high elevation, extinguished it by September. “Why can’t they do that in the Boulder Creek Wilderness too?” Eatherington said.http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080907/NEWS/809076582/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055

4) OK, we’ve mentioned some of the individual activities that occur on woodland properties. But in a larger context, here are some reasons we should care about our woodland roads. Consider them in terms of: 1) Capital investment: Roads can cost as little as a few thousand dollars per mile, or upwards of $100,000 if the land is steep and rocky. The ability to prevent damage to your roads requires a routine inspection, maintenance and repair regime to reduce the money invested in roads. 2) Management access: A well-constructed and properly maintained woodland road enables landowners to access their woodlands in terms of harvesting operations, reforestation, timber stand improvements, fire protection and recreation opportunities. And the list goes on. 3) Operational features: The basic requirements of a planned and functional woodland road should meet the needs of the individual landowner for the intended use by incorporating a properly designed grade and curve alignment. Based on the planned usage, the requirements of a planned and functional road should include an adequate width and clearance, stable surfacing, and most important, whether a dirt or rock surface, the ability to drain and dispense water. 4) Return on investment: An all-season road system will allow woodland owners to extend the operating season for harvesting activities. Historically, this has often resulted in the ability of operators to capture better log markets during the “off-season” of winter and early spring months. A growing interest and potential fee operations based on fishing, hunting and other recreational activities during wet weather is made possible by all-seasoned, durable rocked roads. 5) Environmental issues: There is a connection between woodland roads, the quality of aquatic habitat, and fish. The direct physical alteration of streams from road construction and repairs can affect fish passage. The indirect physical alteration of these activities can also affect aquatic habitat. And, finally, no woodland owners are excused from complying with the Oregon Forest Practices Act. 6) Social responsibility: Woodland owners need to understand the social context of owning and managing private woodlands in Oregon. Sound land stewardship and the sustainability of our woodlands are important to private landowners and to society as a whole. Managed protection of water quality and aquatic habitat on private woodlands has positive social, environmental and economic benefits. If you would like additional information on managing your woodland roads, the Douglas County Extension Service is here to help. “Managing Woodland Roads: A Field Handbook” is available through your local Extension office. http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080907/GUESTCOLUMNS/809059906/1058/rss

California:

5) Going back to Whiskeytown Lake for the first time after the fire this summer felt like visiting a dear friend in the hospital. Still a beautiful, familiar face, but painfully scarred. So it is for many of our favorite spots in these mountains as a summer of unprecedented fire comes to a close. I hadn’t actually been out Highway 299 since the smoke cleared. Paddling the kayak out twice last weekend, we had time to really absorb how much the fire had taken, particularly on the lake’s north side. It’s like some giant hand peeled off the skin of those hillsides, leaving them raw and bare Yet, amazingly, it does little to detract from the serenity of the place. The mountains still rise abruptly from the water on all sides, the fish still swim lazily away from our paddle strokes, the sun still filters through the leafy branches at the water’s edge. It’s hard to imagine the place ever being exactly the same, but it’s far from spoiled by the trial it’s been through. I remember now that I’ve had this experience before. My hometown, the tiny mountain community of North Fork near the southern entrance to Yosemite, lies in a natural bowl in the Sierra foothills. The property I grew up on, and the family home I helped build, sit well up the mountainside and against U.S. Forest Service land. Going home is always emotional for me in a relaxing, unexplainable way. The last big fire came through several years ago. My parents were evacuated, along with many others, and a shift in wind direction saved the house. The first time I went back, I expected the burnt hillside to change the place. It didn’t. Much has regrown. Some trees have survived. And the mountains are still the powerful, comforting presence they’ve been all my life. Fires pass. http://www.redding.com/news/2008/sep/07/lyons-scarred-forests-beauty-endures/

6) I ran into one of my favorite dreadlocked biologists today, who gave me a disturbing flier during a break in her renaissance flute concertizing. My blood began to boil, as I pictured the redwood forest’s destruction being cooked up by the clearcutters and their friends in California government. Added to the form letter I signed and gave her for delivery at the hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday morning was this line: “It is imperative that road building be ended in the forests for the sake of wildlife and future generations.” (Or something like that; it’s at the beach now while I’m still in cyber caffeinville. Make that a pilsner.) Please add anything to the form letter below; it makes it more authentic. Send to board.public.comments@fire.ca.gov. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it If you are reading this after the 5 PM California-time deadline of Monday Sept. 8, please email after that to this address until late Tuesday: noel “at” wildcalifornia “dot” org. FACSIMILE: (916) 657-5386. Thanks on behalf of the poor owls and all creatures, including us, for we are all connected. http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=209&Itemid=1

7) He used a screwlike device to remove a thin wood sample from the trunk so he could measure its rings. The bigger the fir, the more it would be worth to Smith. But not as lumber – as carbon. Tree 10525 is part of the Garcia River forest in Mendocino County, one of two privately owned California forests that have been recruited into the war against climate change as certified sources of carbon offsets. Most U.S. offsets so far have supported technology-based projects such as solar power. But California broke new ground this year by including forests as carbon reduction projects – with the result that forest owners can potentially earn some money not just by cutting timber but by leaving it standing. Some wonder whether the benefits of forest offsets could be more hype than reality. “Carbon offset forests are kind of an iconic solution that gets a lot of press because trees are cool,” said Bill Stewart, a forestry specialist at UC Extension School. Because the offset system is so new and complex, the first sellers were not typical private timber owners but environmental nonprofits. The Garcia River forest was purchased four years ago by the Conservation Fund and the Nature Conservancy, with some financial help from the state. The Van Eck forest, meanwhile, is privately owned but managed by the Pacific Forest Trust. Both Garcia River and Van Eck are working forests – meaning that, unlike a state or national park, they are being logged on a regular basis. Both forests are now also being managed with a goal of increasing their carbon density over time. That means allowing trees to get bigger than usual before they are cut, or thinning out smaller trees so their neighbors can grow faster and larger. “This is a fairly dense stand,” said Smith, a Yale forestry school graduate who works for the Conservation Fund, as he strolled through redwoods in the Garcia River forest last month. “If we take out some of the trees, the growth rates will go up. … A lot of trees grow fast, but redwoods store a heck of a lot more carbon on a given acre than almost any other species. They’re taller, dense, more closely spaced.” Forest owners can still make a lot more money selling logs than selling carbon offsets, particularly if they have high-value wood like redwood. Smith estimated that 1,000 board feet of Garcia River timber would sell for about $350 after logging costs, while those same trees would bring in about $120 as carbon offsets. The biggest single buyer so far has been PG&E – which contracted for 200,000 tons of Garcia River offsets over the next five years. PG&E made its purchase as part of its ClimateSmart program, in which homeowners and businesses can choose to add a small fee to their monthly utility bill to counterbalance emissions from their gas and electricity usage. http://www.sfchronicle.us/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/09/07/MNQN11LLL6.DTL

8) On July 30 2008, after 333 days and over 1000 miles on the Redwood Transect, Lindsey and I reached the northernmost redwood tree on the Chetco River in Oregon. We would have written to you all earlier but we were following events in Scotia. When we walked through on the transect it was Palco, now its Humboldt Redwood Company. Thanks to all of you, who welcomed us on your land, answered relentless questioning, and gave us food when we were hungry, we accomplished the first part of our mission: to assess the state of the redwood forest, not by road or books, but with out own eyes and on foot. Every step we made observations and picked the brains of everyone we had the pleasure to meet along the way. We learned a lot about silviculture, roads, watersheds and wildlife management, economics, regulation and the practices of the past that have led to the forests of today. We were able to observe the human footprint, and the growing network of protected areas. People asked us what our biggest surprise was. I would say for me they were three. This first was the vast and beautiful network of riparian old growth redwood forests in Big Sur. The second was what amounts to the beginnings of a Marshall Plan of road and creek restoration that is happening on the ground. The third was the young age of the majority of redwood forest in the range. People also asked us what people agree on. There was one thing we found that everyone agreed on: The redwood is a wonder tree. So now what? We have tons of notes and photos to integrate into our geoblog at in preparation for what should be a big spread in National Geographic next year. Importantly we would like to follow up with many of you in the coming months to visit, recap our discussions and explore more conclusively the over-riding question that we hope you aren’t too sick of hearing from us by now: how best do we maximize productivity in the redwoods while preserving the values we all enjoy? Sincerely, Mike and Lindsey http://www.redwoodtransect.org/

9) BERKELEY – Crews began cutting down trees next to Memorial Stadium at UC Berkeley late this afternoon, 21 months after activists climbed into the trees to protest the university’s plan to raze them to build a $140 million sports training center center. Work crews with chainsaws and bulldozers arrived at the university grove Friday and by 4 p.m. six trees had been chopped down. Clad in black ski masks, the four remaining tree protesters who were driven into a single redwood several months ago, remained in the tree today at at times sparred with arborists, tossing a bottle and branches toward the crews. Arborists trimmed most of the branches from the redwood, leaving the few tarps and wooden platforms and the tree sitters alone before moving on to other trees on the south side of the grove. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10392970?nclick_check=1

10) UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison spoke to tree sitter spokesman Erik “Ayr” Eisenberg Sunday morning about negotiations to bring four remaining protestors down from this redwood tree. “It’s very clear to me that negotiating with you guys really doesn’t get us anywhere,” said Harrison. The university hopes to encourage that by cutting off deliveries of food and water to the tree sitters tomorrow. “We’re discussing with them how to safely get them down. We’d prefer that they come down on their own accord,” said Asst. UC Berkeley Police Chief Mitch CelayaTree sitters hope to wrangle concessions from the university in exchange for an end to the protest. “Let’s set up a conservation land trust of some sort,” said Amanda “Dumpster Muffin“ Tierney. “Or let’s go out and plant more trees somewhere else where it can actually create an ecosystem for wildlife to thrive. That’s what we’re looking for.” But cal police say they’re ready to physically remove the protestors if necessary. “I’m not going to share what our tactics will be so they can prepare for that. But it’s inevitable, and that’s what I’ve shared with them. It’s inevitable- you will be coming down. You will be coming down on your own accord or you will be coming down with us assisting you,” said Celaya. http://www.foxreno.com/news/17415566/detail.html

11) There is no landmass on Earth quite like California. Here one finds the world’s most ancient trees, bristlecone pines, more than 4,700 years old, in the White Mountains; the tallest and largest trees, the coast redwood and giant sequoia, respectively; the highest point in the lower 48 states, Mount Whitney; the lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley; the largest western hemisphere estuary, the Bay Delta; an 800-mile coastline; the most irrigated acres; the most endangered species in the U.S.; the most diverse geology and biodiversity in the U.S.; and the greatest, most ecologically destructive water projects on Earth. California has spared no expense to either taxpayers or natural ecosystems to attain its status as the most hydrologically altered landmass on the planet. It would surprise few that California was built on gold, greed, extraction, depletion, extinction, dubiously acquired large-landed semi-desert agricultural empires, well-gifted railroad land grants fueling speculative growth, and highly subsidized stolen water — all comprising a tunnel vision for overextended populations and infinite growth in a world utterly finite. The incomprehensible vulnerability of California’s over-reaching population centers (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose), the projected urban expansion of the Central Valley, and the weight of climate-warming models leaves one haunted by civilization’s lack of respect for a river’s entitlement to its water and the food systems that it naturally perpetuates. There’s only so much natural wealth covering the 158,302 square miles of California’s ten hydrologic regions. When a region overextends its local resources, it must take from another. More than water is diverted; it drains the very wealth of the food chains these waters support in aquatic, terrestrial, and ocean basins. http://www.alternet.org/story/97610/

Idaho:

12) What the South Barker Fire is not: a wall of flames barreling through the wilderness, incinerating anything in its path and leaving a blackened moonscape in its wake, hundreds of years away from rejuvenation. What the South Barker Fire is: creeping flames meandering through dead pine needles, built-up underbrush and small saplings, mostly leaving larger trees unscathed. Forest managers hope that by allowing this low-intensity fire to burn away shrubs and dead trees, they can protect the area from larger, catastrophic fires for decades to come – lessening the risk to recreation areas, private property and lives. The fire in the Fairfield Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest – which started Aug. 7 – is being managed as a “fire-use” fire. This means that fire officials have outlined a safe perimeter within which they will allow the fire to burn. When the fire exceeds those boundaries, immediate suppression actions are taken. Wildlife biologist David Skinner walks through part of the 34,000 acres that have burned in the South Barker Fire to show how much of that land actually hasn’t burned at all. On the right is land that has burned, but the left is untouched by fire. This kind of “mosaic” burn pattern, he says, is healthy for forests. The next fire that burns through these patchworked areas will have a harder time finding the fuels to grow in intensity. When flames spotted into the Boise National Forest, that part of the fire was immediately attacked. Within 48 hours, the northwest flank of the fire was fully contained by seven hot-shot crews, helicopters, airplanes and engines. “We threw everything we could get on it,” said Val Norman, logistics chief for the fire. Fire information officer Chris Wehrli emphasizes that “fire use” does not mean fire has free rein to go wherever it wants. “There are 200 firefighters out there who monitor this and are actively managing it,” he said. “We’re not just standing back and watching it burn.” Some of those firefighters, like Patrick Ahrnsbrak and Sally Averette, are clearing away years’ worth of dead pine needles from around the base of large Ponderosa pine trees, to protect them if the fire passes by. http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/496526.html

Montana:

13) When Matt Arno heads into the woods to work, he doesn’t see all the trees he’s going to log – he sees the trees he’s going to leave. And that’s just what a lot of private woodland owners prefer. “Private landowners recognize the value in low-impact techniques,” said Arno, who owns Woodland Restoration with his brother Nathan and a third partner, Bert Nilson. “We’re not just about sustainability. We want to leave the forest in better condition. That means that we are often leaving more value than we are taking.” For landowners like outdoors writer Peter Stark, value means more than just getting timber receipts every few years. Stark first contacted Arno’s company when he bought a piece of Montana forestland and found that his chunk of paradise was a forester’s nightmare. The trees were densely packed, spindly and clearly not thriving. The acreage presented a real fire hazard and offered little in the way of wildlife habitat. Stark heard about Arno and contacted him, but the long-time environmentalist writer didn’t like the idea of heavy equipment trundling over his land. But Arno, who also considers himself an environmentalist, offered the appropriate technology. Arno’s company runs a cut-to-length system that uses a mechanical harvester and a rubber-tired forwarder that loads logs. A chipper disperses wood residue on the forest floor or for commercial sale. Although a self-avowed “eco-freak,” Stark agreed to let Arno work on his acreage. Arno and his partners thinned the timber, piled the limbs and debris using a grapple to avoid skid trails, and used a modified skyline-logging machine to selectively cut the steeper and more sensitive slopes. The company routinely uses rubber-tired machines instead of tracked machines to further reduce soil compaction and disturbance. The crew also sets low-intensity fires to reduce slash, imitating nature’s patterns.As the job wound down on Stark’s land, he was impressed at how untouched the forest looked. http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=782&ArticleID=44220&TM=44642.1

Colorado:

14) Timber crews have treated about 400 acres of potential wildfire hot spots locally in the last three years, but they still have 8,600 acres to go — at an estimated total cost of $38.7 million — according to the Summit County Wildfire Council. Realistically, the county will be able to treat only about a third of most fire-prone forests around neighborhoods where trees and brush need to be thinned and removed, officials said at a council meeting this week. Those limited efforts would cost about $13.3 million, said assistant county manager Steve Hill, who outlined a 12-year funding plan based partially on the passage of a county ballot measure that would raise $500,000 annually for reducing fire risks. The wildfire council reviewed 28 completed projects and issued a report card of sorts, grading them according to their cost-effectiveness and on the basis of how well the work helps protect the areas. Nine projects were rated as “good,” 14 received a “fair” grade, while five projects were described as “poor,” according to Paul Cada with the Colorado State Forest Service. One of the biggest problems in terms of cost is having to go back and treat the same area more than once because property owners have removed only some of the fire-prone trees and vegetation, said wildfire-mitigation officer Patti McGuire. She said, however, that she is seeing steady improvements in the quality of work. “The projects getting larger and better,” she said. Using satellite mapping and the latest fire-risk models, the local wildfire council has identified 27 areas of concern. Among particularly high-risk areas are the Acorn Creek subdivision in the Lower Blue valley, where there are pockets of heavy fuel, and the Ptarmigan neighborhood near Silverthorne, where homes are spread across a steep hillside connected by a network of relatively narrow dirt roads. “That continues to be problematic, in our view,” McGuire said. Fueled by additional sunlight reaching the ground because of the death of pine trees, vegetation growth has increased the fire risk in some neighborhoods over the past three years, said U.S. Forest Service fire expert Ross Wilmore. “The grass is starting to come in, and the shrub layer is starting to thicken,” he said. “For me, the main driver is what’s going on at the surface.” http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080907/NEWS/809069974/1078&ParentProfile=1055

South Dakota:

15) The latest surge in the beetle spread was documented recently during an aerial survey of storm damage to trees in parts of the forest. The photographers also captured images of expanded and in some cases new areas of bug damage. Those include ongoing damage in the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and Black Elk Wilderness as well as more recent explosions of bugs in the Medicine Mountain Scout Camp area near Spring Creek and south of Deer Park. There also are new outbreaks between Spearfish and Sundance, Wyo. It’s especially difficult to fight the bugs in the Black Elk Wilderness because of prohibitions against manipulating the environment there. “I don’t think the Black Elk will be treeless, because nothing in nature works that way,” Carroll said. “But it’ll be extremely different than it is now. You can look at the slopes now and see them turning red.” Female pine beetles tunnel into pine trees, lay their eggs and begin a life cycle that is usually deadly to the trees. The eggs hatch, and the grubs burrow and feed under the bark and continue to develop, finally emerging as adults the following July and August, when they fly to other trees and begin the process there. As the bugs kill, pine trees turn from green to red to gray, a process that is becoming familiar to Black Hills residents with an eye for forest changes. Carroll said there is no way to predict a slackening of the bug assault, which has become “like a slow-burning, spreading wildfire” of insect damage in forests across the western United States. But it is certain that the Black Hills National Forest beyond Black Elk will be a dramatically different place because of the beetle. That will be good in some ways, because much of the 1.5 million-acre forest — a mix of 1.2 million acres of public ground and 300,000 acres of private property — is choked with an overgrowth of pine trees that limit wildlife productivity and plant diversity, suck up moisture and increase the threat of catastrophic wildfires. But the fast spread of the bugs, which can kill pine and spruce trees within a year of infestation, will diminish what most people consider to be the aesthetic beauty of the hills. And because the dying trees have wood unsuitable for the timber industry, the bugs are running ahead of cooperative control work by the Forest Service and private loggers. The Forest Service is able to work with the timber industry to direct logging operations under contract with the agency to help fight the spread of beetles and to use trees before they go bad. But much potential lumber is still being lost to beetle damage, a fact that worries timber industry representative Tom Troxel of the Black Hills Forest Resource Association. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/09/07/news/local/doc48c30ca38bb0f268106462.txt

Wyoming:

16) DUBOIS – Millions of trees are dying in the forests surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. An epidemic of pine, spruce, and Douglas Fir beetles are killing the trees. They’re also threatening a system that supports grizzly bears and other wildlife. Pine Beetles are attacking here in the Union Pass area of the Wind River mountains. Where a lush green forest once stood, an aerial view shows huge patches of red mark dying pines. Most are lodge pole pines. But, the high mountain stands of white bark pine are dying, too in large numbers here. As a scientist cuts the bark off a tree, he announces, “This is a dead tree. Attacked this year.” A group of scientists examine the trees. They find pine beetle tracks under the bark of dead white bark pines, and nearby they find dead beetles. Then, they find beetles and tracks in a big green tree. They call this tree a zombie. While it’s needles are green now, they’ll be brown soon. An Entomologist from the University of Montana, Dr. Diana Six said, “We’re seeing effects all over the world. We’re seeing effects in Mexico, Canada, all over the western U.S.” Six explained the beetle populations are exploding because the winters are warmer, and summers are longer and warmer. “We’re seeing the beetles having large effects in an ecosystem where they previously did not.” The ecosystem she’s describing is the white bark pine system. It supports grizzly bears fattening up for the winter. They eat the fat and protein rich cones red squirrels stash in middens. Ecologist Dr. Steven Running says global warming is a result of human acitivies creating too much carbon dioxide. Running said, “We are instigating changes in a matter of decades that normally would have occurred over thousands of years.” But, a geologist in Cody says dramatic climate shifts have occurred many times throughout earth’s history. Leighton Steward said after much study, “I cannot find evidence that CO2 has been one of the major drivers of climate.” http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/27977304.html

Tennessee:

17) There’s a land rush happening in Tennessee. Land in Tennessee currently represents some of the most affordable and attractive real estate left in the country, with development and investment dollars pouring in to take advantage of the great potential for profits. At the same time, this major shift in property ownership has also opened doors of opportunity, making it possible for Swan Conservation Trust to purchase the land now known as Big Swan Headwaters Preserve. Now for a limited time, people seeking a rural lifestyle are also able to acquire land and gain all the benefits of a slower pace that is more connected to the earth next to The Farm and the Preserve. By comparison, the timber companies at least maintained large tracts of wild land, providing habitat for wildlife and hunting opportunities for the public. In contrast, many of the new owners were investment groups or small logging companies, often with leveraged loans that required rapid harvest of all marketable timber. Over the last several years, trucks loaded down with logs have dominated the highways, feeding the numerous pulp mills scattered throughout the region. Once the trees have been harvested, the land is put back on the market in order to wring out the last bit of value and cash return. Often this is when a developer will move into the picture, taking advantage of a cleared tract’s emptiness to lay out streets for subdivisions. At the same time, as the stock market goes soft, land represents a more solid investment, causing property values to double every few years. Still, compared to other parts of the country, rural property in Tennessee represents some of the best value available…and here lies the door of opportunity. Swan Trust’s most recent 125 acre purchase was one section within an 1800 acre tract that is currently being subdivided and with many tracts for sale. Directly adjacent is another 4000 acres that is also being divided and sold in tracts as small as 25-30 acres. Several parcels have been purchased by friends of Swan Trust and The Farm, people seeking to build homesteads or retirement cabins near Big Swan Headwaters Preserve and our community. Currently Swan Trust and its neighbors own or control over contiguous 4000 acres, most in forest or open, undeveloped meadows fields. In addition, countless additional acreage is in the hands of people who have chosen to live or own property in this area because of its natural beauty and peaceful surroundings. Over the years we have found one of the best way to protect land is by keeping it in the hands of conservation stewards. Anyone who would like to be part of a growing “green” community should seriously consider purchasing land in the vicinity of Big Swan Headwaters Preserve. http://thefarmblog.org/?p=25

USA:

18) Salvage logging¬ means removing trees from a forested area in the wake of a catastrophic event such as a wildfire or hurricane ¬is highly controversial. Policymakers and those with an economic interest in harvesting trees typically argue that damaged areas should be logged so as to avoid “wasting” resources, while many forest ecologists contend that removing trees following a disturbance is harmful to a variety of forest species and can interfere with the natural process of ecosystem recovery. Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences brings together three leading experts on forest ecology to explore a wide range of issues surrounding the practice of salvage logging. They gather and synthesize the latest research and information about its economic and ecological costs and benefits, and consider the impacts of salvage logging on ecosystem processes and biodiversity. The book examines: 1) what salvage logging is and why it is controversial, 2) natural and human disturbance regimes in forested ecosystems, 3) differences between salvage harvesting and traditional timber harvesting, 4) scientifically documented ecological impacts of salvage operations, 5) the importance of land management objectives in determining appropriate post-disturbance interventions. –Brief case studies from around the world highlight a variety of projects, including operations that have followed wildfires, storms, volcanic eruptions, and insect infestations. In the final chapter, the authors discuss policy management implications and offer prescriptions for mitigating the impacts of future salvage harvesting efforts. Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences is a “must-read” volume for policymakers, students, academics, practitioners, and professionals involved in all aspects of forest management, natural resource planning, and forest conservation. http://www.islandpress.org

19) Regarding oak trees in North America. Based on a recent survey of plant life in several forests that were surveyed in detail in 1950, researchers concluded that (1) oak trees are in decline; (2) smaller plant species that depend on the oak forest environment are fading out in favor of intrusive species; (3) human activity is the primary cause of this change. There really shouldn’t be anything all that surprising about that, it sounds like just another human-caused environmental tragedy in the offing, where human beings upset the natural order. However, the concept of “natural order” is something that pulls random philosophizers’ chains. What the heck is “natural order” if it doesn’t include human activity? Aren’t humans “natural”? Well, the story of the oaks is a pretty interesting example of why the idea of natural order is overly simplistic. It turns out that one of the major mechanisms whereby human activity is killing off the oak forests is the control of forest fires. Oaks, it seems, need fire to succeed. They are capable of surviving most forest fires, and after a fire, less fire-resistant vegetation, including maple trees, their primary competitor for life giving solar radiation, is thinned out, allowing the hardier oaks to thrive. This is also a reasonably familiar theme–we have heard, for example, that fire control in the West causes the buildup of thick forests filled with flammable underbrush, so that when a fire does come, it is much more difficult to control. Once again, human beings, messing with the natural order. But here is where the article spins into random philosophizing territory: it turns out that Indians, over hundreds of years, had depended on the oaks for acorns, one of their primary food sources. No dummies, they figured out about oaks and fires, so for hundreds of years, they had been deliberately setting fires in North American forests to bolster the oaks, thereby increasing their own food supply. http://randomphilosophizing.blogspot.com/2008/09/human-beings-oaks-seeing-forests-and.htmlhttp://randomphilosophizing.blogspot.com/2008/09/human-beings-oaks-seeing-forests-and.html

20) The U.S. imports nearly $25 billion worth of timber products annually, and it is certain that a large portion of this contraband timber is headed for American ports. Illegally traded timber is not subject to taxation or duties resulting in a loss of $15 billion globally, with the U.S. taking a hit to the tune of about $1billion.Last year, mahogany was going for around $52/cubic foot, yet logging crews in Peru received less than $0.07/cubic foot. The lion’s share of the profit went into the pockets of the black market barons. Profits like these are guarded intensely, and in Honduras, 2 local forest preservationists were killed for their efforts. The majority of the world’s tropical hardwood trees such as teak, ramin, mahogany and merbau come from Latin America, West Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, which are also the home to the majority of illegal loggers. Peruvian government figures indicate that nearly 95% of Peruvian logging is done illegally, and about 90% of the wood ends up in the U.S. The export of milled and unmilled wood has been banned in Indonesia, but customs data indicates that the U.S. imported more than 6700 tons of Indonesian logs and sawn timber in 2005. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, (CITES) estimates that 99% of imported wood products are not from species protected by CITES, and unfortunately, unless the species is on the CITES list, it’s importation into the U.S. can’t be stopped. Even worse, trade agreements with the countries where illegal logging is most rampant, are actually increasing the amount of illegal wood being imported. Ultimately, the American consumer will be responsible for restricting the market for illegal wood. http://www.ecospace.cc/business/illegal-logging.htm

22) “Mexican drug cartels today are on 57 national forests, in 15 states, that we know of, and they operate in every region with the exception of Regions 1, 2, and 10. A large grow operation today would be 125,000 plants plus, on 2 to 10 acres of land. The growers today are armed, often with automatic weapons, and violent. Given the right situation they will protect that plantation and they’ll shoot at you. It’s a very rapidly expanding, dangerous situation.” “The issue at hand is the illegal occupancy of your National Forests by armed foreign nationals who will hurt you if you threaten their income stream – and it doesn’t matter who you are.” From An Interview with John Twiss, the Director of Law Enforcement and Investigations, US Forest Service. The entire interview is posted below: http://westinstenv.org/sosf/2008/09/05/an-interview-with-john-twiss/