The Logging Industry vs. The Old Growth Forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Spotted Owl.
Saving the Old Growth Forests
America’s Old Growth Forests are an endangered resource that is quickly disappearing. The ancient forests are being unnecessarily wasted, and are growing smaller and smaller with each passing moment.
Because the logging industry and the organizations in control of much of the remaining old growth (approx. 5%) are failing to see its value from an ecological/spiritual perspective, the children of tomorrow may never gaze upon the history of today if we do not take a stand now, and prevent the short-sightedness of others from destroying what ultimately belongs to us all.
Alternatives to Destruction: Saving the Old Growth Forests.
...the factories, loss of timber within the Appalachian forests, and the amount of CO2 releasing into the atmosphere constantly. Presently the damage we have caused to occur upon the environment in the Southern Appalachia is vast and incomprehensible. The greatest environmental challenge facing Southern Appalachia today is the loss of such prized and beautiful “native forests” of Southern Appalachia. (19) Although much of the timber within the forests has come back after being utilized as lumber, there are extreme consequences for taking away such an important aspect of Appalachian Nature and culture. What’s lost cannot be gained, but we can surely do what little we can to impact of culture and world on matters of the need for preservation of nature, so that the environment may prosper for many years to come. Can you make a sacrifice for your area, for your world?
The history of logging goes back to the vast ponderosa pine forests of the southern Colorado Plateau in the 1870’s and 1880’s with the harvest of railroad ties and other products for construction of the transcontinental railroad. At first, the companies only wanted the big, high-grade ponderosa pine trees. They soon realized that the big trees run out and are hard to transport. In the 1920’s, new technology including chainsaws, bulldozers, and logging trucks allowed the logging companies to harvest at a much greater rate. By the depression, there were m...
John Muir once said, “Where one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” His understanding of the connection of nature to the world would be helpful regarding today’s ethical issue of clearcutting happening in Tongass National Forest. Firstly, this practice involves completely clearing an area of trees, regardless of the shape and usability. Then, the remaining scrub and brush are just burned off which leaves smoky haze for several days. Tongues Nation Forest is considered the “crown jewel” of America’s forest because it is the home to 800 years old trees, black and brown bears, wolves, bald eagles, Sitka black-tailed deer, moose, humpback, whales, orcas, sea otters, Steller sea lions. However, Sealaska, the largest private land owner in the Southeast Alaska wants to invade the forest through clear cut logging.Clearcutting or clearfelling can have serious environmental impacts. Abrupt removal of shady shield trees will
of the change in the environment (Jamie).” The more trees the loggers cut down, the more
Zielinski, E. (2012, April 25). The Northwest Forest Plan. Retrieved from U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/history/sidebars/ecosystems/Northwest_Forest_Plan.html
The Western forests are drastically different from what they were like before the European settlement. In pre-European time, the forests were open and park-like with only 25-35 trees per acre surrounded by areas of open grasslands. One could easily ride a horse through the spacious forest. This, however, is not possible in today's forests. Today, for example the Ponderosa pine forests, have over 500 trees per acre, creating thick dense areas of trees, brush, and bushes (President Bush, 4). The pre-European forests were subject to frequent low inte...
In the mid-1900s, there was a great need for protection. In A Wilderness Bill of Rights, William O. Douglas discusses the need for parks and protected forests in California. When California was made a state, there was 1,900,000 acres of redwood trees throughout the golden state. By 1965, there were only 250,000 acres left, while only 50,000 acres were protected. At the rate they were being cut down, the unprotected redwoods would have been gone in fifteen years (Douglas 51). This shows the extreme need for protection of wilderness. The redwoods of California are extremely historic. They have been there for thousands of years, and are different from all other trees. They are irreplaceable, and it would have a huge impact on the Californian biodiversity.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated, “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” As the thirty-second President of the United States, during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war, Roosevelt recognized and addressed the need for conserving and protecting the nation’s natural resources. Roosevelt put forth the necessary effort to not only raise awareness, but also create a change in the literal ‘land’ of the free.