Hurwitz's Influence on Pacific Lumber in The Last Stand by David Harris
In The Last Stand, David Harris shows that the "old" Pacific Lumber practiced "selective cut" and "sustained yield" forestry as opposed to "clear cutting". Under the "old" management, "selective cut" and "sustained yield" were seen as beneficial and a more practical way to manage lumber and timber. When the "new" management took over the company, the process of "clear cutting" was taken into effect. Now in charge of Pacific Lumber, Charles Hurwitz played a major part in the debate on how Pacific Lumber should operate.
"Selective cutting" is the practice by which trees are cut down according to certain ascertainable features. If a tree were so old and large that it inhibited the growth of other trees, then it would be a prime target for timber. Trees can hinder the growth of other trees by means of overbearing roots or overgrowth of branches that would not permit sunlight to reach smaller and less developed trees.(p17-18) "Clear cutting", however, takes an entirely different approach. Rather than a few trees that are undoubtedly ready to be timbered, all the trees in the area would simply be cut down. There would be no selection process involved and nothing would be left of the surrounding trees.(p18-19) The last process is called "sustained yeild". Murphy said, "…others might cut themselves out of existence, but his company would never lack timber ready to fell. It’s annual cut would always be limited and never exceed its timberland’s newgrowth."(p18)
When the "new" management took over Pacific Lumber the process of "selective cutting" was abandoned and "clear cutting" was adopted. Although "clear cutting" is a way to obtain so-called fast cash, it wa...
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...ing", many habitats are preserved and even if a tree is cut, there are others in the area that are available for animals to inhabit.
When Pacific Lumber was taken over by the "new" management, processes of "selective cutting" were abandoned and "clear cutting" was embraced. Hurwitz saw immediate profit as more beneficial than stability in profit and jobs. Under the "old" Pacific Lumber management, it is quite possible that "selective cutting" would have been sustained. Stability in jobs and benefits for employees was important and with "clear cutting" this stability was nearly impossible. "Clear cutting" became the common practice and "selective cutting" was abandoned. Immediate profit was seen as more desirable because of capitalistic views on merchantable commodoties.
Bibliography:
The Last Stand by David Harris
Changes in the Land by Cronon
Sidney Investments, a firm based in Dallas, Texas, is considering the purchase of a 360 acre parcel of forested land located in the Quachita Mountains of eastern Oklahoma. This land has been under timber production through one rotation to this point. Sidney Investments would like to be advised on the possibilities of keeping that land in timber production and the operations necessary for the management of shortleaf pine. Sidney has come to Hall-Tree Silvicultural Consultants for a description of the silvicultural procedures involved, and the firm will then perform an economic analysis, checking the current market prices for the implementation of those procedures before making a decision on the purchase of this property.
Reproduction and passing on genetic and behavioral traits to an offspring is a common fundamental to all the species on this planet. When studying forest ecology, it is crucial to study the proportion of individuals surviving at each stage of their growth as the lives and mortality experienced in a species population describes a characteristic of the species in question. In the case of American beech and sugar maple, their attempt to produce seeds is analogous to entering lottery, where every seedling has a potential chance of becoming a canopy but only some will survive and reach the canopy size; thus, becoming the fit ‘winners’. Our information shows that together, based on size class distribution, both the species display a ‘winner takes all’ pattern, which supports our hypothesis. The results showed a greater count for seedlings and short saplings than for tall saplings, sub-canopies and canopies. This is evident for a Type III survivorship curve. In Type III curve all individuals initially having a very low chance of survival. However, once the individuals pass their threshold age and survive, they live an advanced age. Only some individuals out the mast seeding production mature to become fully fit canopy trees. On the other hand, our hypothesis of canopy trees representing the bulk of the biomass was supported as the basal areas decreased going from growth stages of canopy to seedlings. This is evidence that once the individuals survive the bottleneck where there is high mortality of young individuals (seedlings), who are then considered as ‘losers’, will allow for the other larger size class individuals to flourish. Here, having considerable amount of dbh (diameter at breast height) accounts for greater surfac...
A good view the Truax had was that for every tree cut down, 5 more are planted. It is a fact that newer trees give off more air than older trees, so cutting down the older trees
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter (drug war facts, Page 1).
The area has been turned into a wildlife preserve to help maintain those ecosystems. The
for milling before they are sold back to the United States at a higher price. Not only does the public lose money in this process but it costs Americans a number of jobs in the market. On the other hand, agencies have made efforts to prevent it. deforestation. Members of the Forest Service educate not only the large companies, but the private landowners as well.
Logging was the process of cutting down numerous amounts of trees to use wood in a capitalist way or to clear land for agricultural purposes. Two main techniques were used by the settlers to clear away these large forests. One technique was called girdling. Girdling is the process of cutting a strip of bark off of the circumference of the tree which eventually killed it. Another technique used for deforestation is the "cut and burn" method. This method was the process of cutting down many of the trees and burning the rest of the brush and plants to clear land.
The woodworker had many tools to help him get the job done. Among them, he used saws to cut. Saws were not new tools. They had been used for over 5,000 years by the time the colonial woodworker utilized them. He used different types of sa...
In August 2002, President Bush launched his revolutionary campaign against wildfires known as the Healthy Forest Initiative (HFI). The President’s dynamic plan centers on preventing massive forest fires by thinning the dense undergrowth and brush commonly seen in our national forests. The thinning will occur in priority areas that are in close proximity to homes and watersheds. The Healthy Forest Initiative also aims at developing a more efficient response method to disease and insect infestations that sabotage our forests. Finally, if fully enacted, the Healthy Forest Initiative would provide the loggers with what is known as “goods for services”. This will compensate the loggers for the financial burden that will surface as a result of this aggressive thinning (http://www.sierraclub. org/forests /fires/healthyforests initiative.asp). In order to promote the progress of his Healthy Forest Initiative, in 2003 President Bush announced the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. This act took the main issues discussed in the Healthy Forest Initiative a step further. Bush plans to make a collaborative effort with federal, state, tribal, and local officials to protect our woodlands against future infernos. The act also calls for more public participation in reviewing any actions taken in lieu of the Healthy Forest Initiative. Furthermore, Bush wants to restore the land that has already been destroyed by wildfires and help to recover the threatened and endangered species that were affected by the fires (http://www.
Before starting my research I thought there had been a progressive increase in the amount of land that had been clearcut. My reasoning for this was that logging machinery at the end of the 19th century was primitive compared to that of more recent times. As a result, it would have been difficult to compete with the output of today's industry. However, in the late 19th century there was a boom in the logging industry and thousands of acres of land across the nation were forested. Hist...
...en wrapped around a roller that was set in a wood or iron box securely fastened to the ground about twice the height of the tree away. A crank would then be turned rotating a wheel at the end of the roller until the tree bent to the ground with its roots pulled up. The tree feller left no roots in the ground and was quick. Another invention that was developed during the canal era was the stump puller. A chain was wrapped around a stump and then attached to a spool that was about fourteen feet across. A team of mules or oxen pulled a cable on the spool, the chain lost slack eventually pulling the stump. The stump puller was expensive, but was efficient and pulled forty stumps a day.
Deforestation began with man’s ability to manipulate his environment. Wood has always been a primary source for shelter and has been affected by human expansion. As the worlds population grew, so to did the need for wood to make housing. As cities grew so did the demand for space to accommodate the growing population. Throughout history and even today, man has manipulated the environment affecting it’s resources.
Zobel BZ and Talbert JT. 1984. Applied Forest Tree Improvement. New York: Wiley and Sons.
...enerations do not run out of resources and to keep the natural beauty of the existing nature from being destroyed.
Restate thesis: In reality forests are better left alone, forests provide the earth with a regulated climate, strong biodiversity, and good nutrient rich soil for plants to strive on.