Most silviculture in practice is little more than tree-farming. There is a lot of confusion in the ranks due to the varied forest management strategies running from a bonifide tree farm to the ecosystem we know as a forest. A treefarm is no different than a cornfield, having grown up in the cornfields and now living amongst the treefarms. However, I would rather have a privately owned treefarm and leave the US forests as forests than the alternative.
Malcolm On Fri, November 23, 2007 9:45 am, Andrew Park wrote: > Yasemin Baytok makes a good point. Obviously, we must avoid extending > the breadth of what is taught so far that any connection to the > original discipline (Ecology) disappears. > > There are, however, eclogical aspects of of environmental engineering > and forest engineering that can be taught or metnioned. Afterall, > would it not be a rather poor environmental engineer who knew nothing > about ecology? Same these days with forestry. > > Also, I think we are dealing here with a difference int he way words > are used in different languages. In Spanish and many other languages, > what English speakers call a "Forester" is called a "Forest Engineer". > They do the same thing essentially, but the introduction of the word > "engineer" amy create subtle differences in disciplinary emphasis. > Our main text on silviculture here in North America (Smith et al) is > called "The practice of Silviculture: applied forest ecology". > > Cheers, > > Andy > > > Quoting yasemin baytok <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > >> Dear Ecologgers, >> >> With all do respect, I disagree with Andy's view that there is no >> separation >> between environmental and ecological science. I'm frustrated cause, >> unfortunately in my country, Turkey, Environmental science = >> environmental >> engineering-agricultural engineering-forest engineering = Ecology! And >> they >> seem liked to be so called "ecologist" and even believed they are. The >> danger is they give lectures about ecology even they do not perform any >> ecological research in their life. So, "When they are talking about >> environmental science, generally they are not talking about aspects of >> ecology" as he mentioned. With this defective situation you figure out >> the >> students' perception of ecology as a science, not mentioning basic >> principles of ecology. So here both sciences are misrepresented somehow. >> Of >> course, we have rare 'silent' ecologists and emerging ones that they >> grown. >> Still, ecology is minor science and few eminent universities hesitate to >> give us a graduate degree on "the" ecology. >> >> Nowadays, as being attempting to teach current ecological issues and >> their >> interconnectedness with the social sciences for non-biology majors, I >> start >> with the definition and separation of these sciences as emphasizing >> interactions with each others and the others sciences as well. >> >> Here two different definitions for "environmental science": >> >> The <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/BRANCH> branch of >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/BIOLOGY> biology >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/CONCERNED> concerned with the >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/RELATIONS> relations between >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/ORGANISM> organisms and their >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/ENVIRONMENT> environment - syn: >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/ECOLOGY> ecology, >> <http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/BIONOMICS> bionomics >> >> The science which studies the interaction between man and the >> environment, >> emphasizing the links between different subjects related to this issue, >> including ecology >> <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=ecology> , >> economics <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=economics> , >> geography <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=geography> , >> geology <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=geology> , >> meteorology <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=meteorology> >> , >> politics <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=politics> and >> sociology <http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=sociology> . >> >> After I saw the first definition, I found myself asking what the >> definition >> Ecology then was!!! Second one seems quite fair to me. >> >> I know that the definition of environmental sciences is broad, >> overlapping >> the natural sciences, the social sciences, and engineering. But I really >> do >> separate out environmental and ecological science: >> >> Environmental science and Ecology are different fields of study, >> although >> there is some overlap due to the multidisciplinary nature of >> environmental >> science. Ecology is the study of the interrelations of living organisms >> and >> their environment, whether at the population, community, or ecosystem >> level. >> In contrast, environmental science is a broad area of study including >> diverse areas such as atmospheric sciences, soil chemistry, >> pollution-toxicology (water/air/soil quality), environmental >> law/economics/politics and biological responses of systems to >> anthropogenic >> influence. >> >> I sum up this subject with the comment of few scientists from The >> American >> Institute of Biological Sciences, (AIBS) ' Comments on Draft Taxonomy of >> Life Sciences, 2003: >> >> "Another issue we request the Committee reconsider is the association of >> Ecology and Environmental Science. There is a common public >> misconception >> that all ecological research is also environmental research. While there >> is >> certainly a strong link between the two disciplines, they are unique. >> Environmental science has historically been a discipline that includes >> non-biological sciences and is focused on solving environmental >> problems. In >> short, environmental science is largely an interdisciplinary applied >> science. While ecology has also grown and benefited from increased >> interdisciplinary collaboration, it is largely a basic science. While >> what >> is learned from ecological research can and should inform environmental >> science and policy, ecology is not by definition an environmental >> science as >> environmental science is generally defined. We request the Committee >> reconsider its linkage of Ecology with Environmental Science. Each >> discipline is robust enough to warrant consideration as an independent >> discipline with subfields." >> >> I'll appreciate your thoughts. >> >> Respectfully, >> >> Yasemin Erguner Baytok, PhD candidate >> >> >> > Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor of Biology Editor Herpetological Conservation and Biology http://www.herpconbio.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
