Homestead mailing list

["Toni Hawryluk" <tonihawr AT msn.com>]

Walter typed:

> I do sustainable forestry management.

 

*Management* is an indication to me that

what you have, you *work* on.

 

*You*, (me, us) being human, are one

of the shortlived species.

 

Your "trees* have something in common

with you/me/us - since you are looking at

a "lifespan" of approximately 40 years, I

believe was your harvest outlook ? But

then I don't know how "old" your oldest

trees might be .... ??

 

When I think of sequoias, ?? 2000 years,

and bristlecone pines, ?? 3500 years,

together with the fact that populations

have spread out *from* the East Coast,

*using up trees as they went*, I see a

difference in our thinking about "Forest".

 

> You have at your finger tips, in books and the web, a world of information. Educate yourself.

 

If you will do the same ?  I suggest :

 

"The Work of Nature" ISBN 1-55963-520-7

 

- I learned a lot. Made me sad, when I

"looked" at what humans do to "Forest".

 

"A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines" ISBN 1-55963-051-5

 

- showed me where *some* "management"

(here I must include that deal-breaker

"clear-cutting") along with the nurseries

continues to profit from selling aggressively

invading plants that are helping the

clearcutters do away with "Forest" as well

as *native* trees and plants.

> It shows a rigidity in your thinking.

 

"Methinks thou dost protest too much."  <g>

But then, I could be wrong, right ? Or

should I have said "correct" ? 

 

> Ease up and try to clear your mind a bit before you go forward. You could learn a lot that way. It is okay.

 

Indeed, yes. Stress is a bad manager. ! Bad Dog !!

 

But to get back to "educate yourself" ?

I'm willing if you are - please supply your

definition of "sustainable" ? Because I've

heard several-to-many "versions", from

clearcutting/replanting through tree "farms"

through horse-logging to using helicopters -

the helicopters lifted out the trees without

disturbing the topsoil/leaf mould only by the

weight and scuffling of humans, while the

horse-logger did his "dragging" in the winter

time over snow-pack, which also preserved

somewhat the many layers of "Forest"s

"food-supply" (from its topsoil).

 

Toni