Matt, I think that many old-growth sites on National Forest Land may actually benefit from increased visibility, because if they are known and loved it will be that much harder for them to be logged. Still, I echo Bob's advice of caution. Most people who are handy with geography can find any of the sites in ENTS trip reports with place names on a map and I think that is enough direction for many of my favorite spots. Will Blozan and I have talked about putting together a guide to special forests and trees in the mountians of North Carolina, and we will certainly share that information with the listserve if that plan comes to a fruition.
My caution for some old-growth sites is that they have good protection already and are sensitive because of rare and economically valuable species. Putting precise maps into the public domain of the internet could have many unnanticipated rammifications, though I do think it would be pretty cool as an OG enthusiast. As a further complication, many of those with maps of old-growth stand boundaries, e.g. Rob Messick and the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, are even more cautious than I about data dissemination. SAFC maintains a geodatabase with over 100,000 acres of old-growth on National Forest Land in the Southern Blue Ridge and I and others continue to help them find more. I think there is some paranoia that if that data set were made public some of those sites might turn into timbersales - I tend to not share those fears. Many, many areas of old-growth remain to be mapped in the East, particulary in the Cumberland Mountains/Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee, the Ridge and Valley Province of Virginia, and the Central Appalachians of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. I continue to map existing old-growth in the Blue Ridge to the tune of 800 acres this year and 2,200 last year - so there are still significant patches even in this relatively well-known area. There are probably some significant areas in the swamps of the coastal plain that remain to be mapped as well. Mapping these unknown areas is and would be a great project for many an ENT. Adding a GIS component there would be very benificial. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a map titled "Forests and Trees" that has polygons showing old-growth locations in the park totalling over 150,000 acres. that is another great source - probably the best after ENTS field trips - for OG locations. That's my initial reaction from down here in the South. Josh On Nov 14, 7:21 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Matt, > > There old growth sites that we know about on private lands that have to be > protected. So we have to be careful. On public lands, it is different, but > even there, we have to be careful. Some places are fragile and have to be > protected. With these exceptions, there are many, many sites that can be > visited by the public that can be visited. Mary Byrd Davis gives a great > accounting of old growth in the eastern U.S. in her "Old Growth in the East". > Do you have that publication? > > Bob > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: mdnoone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > I think it is time for ENTS to create a map with all of their secret > > locations of old growth throughout the us. A nice map will let users > > know what old growth there is to find where ever they may be. > > > This means locations (coordinates) and descriptions must be provided. > > Maybe this already exists and I don't know it, if not some one should > > do this. > > > I appreciate old growth and what ENTS stands for and think this could > > provide some nice "PR". What do the ENTS think. > > > Matt > > If no other GIS people volunteer for this project I would be willing.- Hide > > quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
