>Gene GeRue wrote:
>> I have a friend who is taking the next step, improvement forestry. He
>> low-grades, that is, he only cuts trees that are imperfect, leaving the
>> finest specimens to spread their seeds.
>
>My concern would be a decrease in genetic diversity over time. It's
>possible that strains with less-than-perfect forms have resistance to
>diseases or pests that the "finest" specimens lack. Your friend could
>be selecting against certain traits that could prove beneficial in the
>future. Plant breeders still go to wild stock for genes to provide
>desirable characteristics for plants long domesticated.
>
>Furthermore, the imperfect trees are often the ones having what we would
>call defects, such as weak crotches that eventually result in cavities,
>that likely benefit other organisms. I much prefer a mixed forest
>containing many imperfect specimens to the monotony of an "improved"
>stand, from both an aesthetic and forest health standpoint. I'm sure
>that almost any forester would disagree, but a forest ecologist might
>not.
>
>Doug Fields
Imperfect trees can be useful for us when we harvest them too - there are
many construction uses for a crooked branch, The factory harvesters can't
use them because they need everything identical but us rugged
individualists can. Ever seen someone try to build a wooden boat with
perfect timber? Can't be done
kathryn
kathryn
