By: etheria888

etheria888 — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:26:37 +0000

I started writing in 2007, unfortunately later than that forest plan was approved. I do have a basic knowledge of ecology, I took Biology 250 in college which is principles of ecology, I am no expert, but I am no idiot either. In the life span of trees, trees that are 50 years old are young. We humans with our meager lifespans of 80 years don’t realize that forests do not even begin to show their true majesty until they are AT LEAST 150-200 years old, and left undisturbed, no deadfall harvesting nothing of the like. These are places that are holy, and they deserved to be treated as such. I find it very sad that you have such a cavalier attitude, it shows you have very little perspective or wisdom that you would look at another life-form (especially one that provides our oxygen) so cheaply. Your statement about I don’t advocate rampant destruction is but an afterthought, it is quite obvious that you are just like those I speak out against, you look at the land like you are somehow removed from it. I am very thankful that Hoover and Roosevelt had the foresight that they did, if they didn’t we’d be living in a wasteland, but complacency is the enemy here. Everyday more and more trees are chopped down, and when you are chopping down trees in parcels of land in the heart of a larger forest, you are in essence, dividing something that used to be whole, weakening even the parts that are left standing. Every little bit counts, rarely ever do threats of this nature come in large chunks, they gradually wear down, and win by slow attrition. Far too much has been taken already. I have seen historical society pictures of the trees that used to be in this area, and I am not exaggerating when I say these trees were the diameter of buicks. I don’t know about you, but I want a world where the trees dominate and I feel humbled by the mere sight of them. I want a world where we as humans live modestly and instead of powerlines and office buildings I see Nature in her untamed majesty. I want a world where I walk in the “enchanted” forests of my ancient ancestors. Maybe its not the world you want but that is your opinion and your allowed to have it, I hope that one day you learn return that respect. And as to am I fighting other fights as vigorously as I am this one, no, because whether you agree or not, we are all going to die if we don’t stop destroying our habitat, yes we might all die in a nuclear winter, but to me the most immediate threat we face as a species comes from the our lack of respect for our Mother. Our environment is the most fundamental thing period, and it is my most fervent belief that if we start focusing on healing, both ourselves and the earth (which by the way my blog covers numerous subjects) all other issues will fall in place. Most of us are sick, and we do the horrible things that we do because of that sickness. You are looking at things from your own egocentric perspective, I suggest you start looking at things through someone elses or should I say something else’s perspective, you will find it most enlightening.

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:48:49 +0000

So, where were you when the 2004 Forest Plan was approved? Given your statements, your claimed knowledge of basic ecology is highly suspect. What makes you think that the forest was long-lived as a general characteristic? If that were true, then many of the species that you mentioned in your previous post would not exist because they thrive in younger tree stands. Granted, we may not have as many acres that have older stands of trees, but so what? As you mention, our (and I mean ’society’ here) early 20th century actions are responsible for that. But so what? Even if trees were planted immediately after that event, those trees today would still be less than 100 years old. In the context of ecology, that is infantile. Let’s be thankful that Hoover and Roosevelt had the foresight to make these lands ‘national forests’ – lands that are available to all of us to use responsibly and sustainably. I don’t advocate rampant destruction of public lands, but again, your view of what is ‘damage’ is unsubstantiated, especially when put into the context of the 1.5+ million acres of this national forest. What happens on this national forest pales in comparison to our society’s actions elsewhere…are you fighting those fights as vigorously as the one you wage here?

Comments on: Logging

By: etheria888

By: Tony