One option for investment, retirement, and ecological lifestyles
is forestry. I sometimes attend the local forestry courses and
often the women outnumber the men. Also, those
present are usually over 30. This profile tells me that forestry
isn't easy for the young to enter and can be a shared endeavor for
couples.
The gap between ecological forestry and traditional forestry
still exists but each year it seems to get smaller. A few
agricultural agents have become aware of agroforestry and
courses are now appearing.
This months issue of "Orion Afield" is devoted to forestry
and here are some quotes about forestry:
We've reached a point in society where consumers have no idea
where things come from, or how they're produced. They just want
cheap products. But unfortunately, when commodities are cheap,
what produces commodities has to be cheap as well. That means, in
our case cheapened forests, cheapened workers, and cheapened
communities. And so our current model, or goal, has to change.
-- Mich Lansky
This tells me that forestry driven by economics is a mistake and
we need another model. The model i like is a small retirement
activity where the forest becomes home to a family and more than
a stump farm. Of course, this only fits some climates and conditions.
At present most eco groups are trying to protect forest areas
by restrictions or by buying the land to protect it. In the long
run i think pressure will build to strip these areas when no one
is looking. I've seen it happen to a few parks. A better model
might be to continue developing sustainable forestry. Sustainable
forestry is still difficult in most cultures, but one step at
a time by many people makes a difference.
References: http://www.orionsociety.org
http://www.treefarmsystem.org
http://www.srs.fs.fed.us/index.htm
http://www.nacdnet.org
http://epa.gov/surf
http://www.forestry.miningco.com
http://www.fws.gov/r9dhcpfw
http://www.plt.org
----
jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.teleport.com/~kowens
underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape
to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
