Ed Disturbance????? The fire that the sale is trying to salvage 'nuked' whole Sections (square miles) of open park- like yellow-barked og ponderosa pines...the goshawk population needs familiar hunting 'structures', not arbitrary age classes...it's the 3-D spatial relationships the goshawks look for and gravitate to... -don
Sent from Don's iPhone 3GS... On Oct 23, 2009, at 7:02 PM, "Edward Frank" <[email protected]> wrote: > Don, > > I am not a goshawk ecologist and can not with any good conscious > choose between one camp and the other. It just strikes me that if > the goshawks are actively breeding and foraging in the forest as it > exists, then cutting down 80% of the trees in the area they have > chosen to live is not likely to make things better. Certainly the > disturbance of the habitat will be a further detriment to their > population. > > Ed > > "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a > monkey every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of > preserving nature...I couldn't live with myself." - Professor Hubert > Farnsworth > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Don Bertolette > To: [email protected] > Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 9:51 PM > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Kaibab Plateau, AZ > > Ed- > I am on the road and relying on my iPhone which I am sure you > cosider a blessing, as it forces brevity on me...;-) > > If you'll read the two opposing camps (Cole Crocker-Bedford vs. > Richard Reid (?)) on goshawk habitat preference I think you'll find > it's not so much an issue of diameter class sizes per se, but the > forest structure and the way it impacts 'flyways'...a bunch of 1" to > 4.9" undergrowth would not be goshawks preferred ground cover for > preying on small animals. Where it gets more controversial is the > upper story crown structure spatial arrangement and I must recommend > Cole's paper/studies to you for a better understanding of forest/ > goshawk biological relationships. > Don > > Sent from Don's iPhone 3GS... > > On Oct 23, 2009, at 4:15 PM, "Edward Frank" <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> People >> >> Perhaps I should elaborate more with some specifics: The items in >> plain text are quotes from the >> http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/projects/jacob-ryan/JR_EA_Revision.pdf >> document. The italicized text in maroon are my observations. >> >> >> The uneven aged stratum (15,233 acres) have three or more size- >> classes, with a little less than half in goshawk post-fledging >> family areas (PFA) and the remaining in foraging areas (FA). >> Approximately 25 percent of the stands in the project area (6,637 >> acres) are even-aged as a result of past shelterwood seed-tree >> harvests. >> >> [This means that more than half the post fledgling family areas for >> the goshawks is in the even-aged stands in the project area] >> >> [various tables present the projections of the forest situations 20 >> and 40 years in the future, however I should point out that the >> data used make the projections can be manipulated to produce almost >> any result desired] >> >> To increase tree vigor, improve tree growth and promote healthy >> trees, there is a need to reduce stocking to the recommended levels >> of about 150 trees per acre. The resulting stands would be more >> resilient to the effects of periodic drought, disease, insect >> attack, and fire. >> >> Replacement nest areas are identified within each PFA that does not >> have six identifiable current or historic nest areas. Within the >> project area there are approximately 3,200 acres of identified nest >> areas plus an additional 1,000 acres identified as replacement nest >> areas. Currently, the nesting areas average more than 600 trees per >> acre and some of these trees are providing ladder fuels into the >> overstory crowns. The average tree diameter is 6 inches and basal >> area is 127 square feet per acre (Table 5). The stand density index >> averages 295 and along with the other information means that the >> site is fully occupied and competition-induced mortality is >> occurring. Uneven-aged sites that comprise the existing nest areas >> display similar characteristics to the replacement nest areas. >> There is a need to avoid stand-replacing wildfires to maintain this >> wildlife habitat and move the areas toward fire-adapted conditions. >> The table below shows the modeling of existing nest areas over time >> with very high tree density levels. >> >> The existing nest sites are currently in the self-thinning mode >> (tree mortality) of development due to competition between trees >> for available light, moisture, and nutrients. By 2033 if left >> untreated, the trend would be continued mortality and extremely >> slow tree growth. The forecast for average tree diameter increases >> would be less than 1.0 inch in 20 years and less than 2.0 >> inches in 40 years. Those same trees under optimal less congested >> conditions should increase in diameter by 1.5 inches each decade >> (10 years). Tree mortality continues to increase through 2053 and >> puts these stands at risk from wildfire, insect attack, and >> disease. The probability exists that some kind of detrimental >> disturbance such as a wildfire could decimate these stands between >> now and 2053 if no corrective action takes place. >> >> [Nice ladder fire photo to add emotional impact to the data >> presented] >> >> [The game being played in the tables is the idea that a forest can >> be drastically thinned, without changing its official "Vegetation >> Structural Stage' as defined by the guidelines. It is in effect >> saying that removing 80% of the trees in the area does not affect >> the forest because it still is in the same classification category] >> >> this project and detailed in Chapter 2 in response to the purpose >> and need described on page 4: >> >> Thin and convert the even-aged stratum to uneven-aged sites in FAs >> (3,170 acres) and PFAs (3,467 acres) >> >> Thin uneven-aged stratum in FAs (8,026 acres) and PFAs (7,207 acres) >> >> Thin and enhance site structure in northern goshawk nest areas >> (3,205 acres) and replacement nest areas (1,000 acres) >> >> [This data is presented in the form of a series of tables. If you >> look at the numbers, consider the plan for the Uneven aged foraging >> areas, which contains about half of the Post Fledgling Foraging >> areas: 84.4% of the trees 1' to 4.9' in diameter will be removed, >> 49.9% of the trees 5" to 11.9" in diameter will be removed, and 9% >> of the trees 12' to 17.9" in diameter will be removed. Similarly >> in the even aged stands, which hold over half of the post fledgling >> foraging area, 85.9% of the 1-4.9" trees will be removed, 66% of >> the trees 5 to 11.9" in diameter will be removed, 54.5% of the >> trees 12 to 17.9" will be removed and 63.6% of the trees 18 to >> 23.9" will be removed. Also consider that the smaller sized trees >> make up a much higher percentage of the total tree population, >> so extremely high numbers of smaller trees will be removed. And >> then tell me this will not have any adverse impact on the foraging >> behavior of the goshawks?] >> >> [They are also proposing thinning the nesting areas of the goshawk >> as well, which I can not see as benefiting the goshawk population] >> >> Edward Frank >> >> "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a >> monkey every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of >> preserving nature...I couldn't live with myself." - Professor >> Hubert Farnsworth >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Edward Frank >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 5:43 PM >> Subject: [ENTS] Re: Kaibab Plateau, AZ >> >> Don, >> >> You can download the revised management plan for the project at: >> >> http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/projects/jacob-ryan/JR_EA_Revision.pdf >> >> If you look at it the plan goes over and over about the need >> for thinning and other management in certain areas of the >> forest to reduce fire risk and promote goshawk habitat - although >> aside from arm waving drivel it is vague on how their plans will >> actually do anything that will help the goshawk population. Much >> of the plan is based upon dangers they have projected that will >> exist in 2053. It is an amazing coincidence that their projections >> of the dangers involved match up so well with what they originally >> planned to do when the plan was first proposed in the mid- 90's >> without thought of these exacting numerical justifications. There >> is no rationale presented for doing anything to the old growth >> forest identified in the plan, yet it is to be thinned and >> harvested. In fact many areas previously identified as old growth >> are now classified as mature or younger forests in this latest >> revision. Sure looks like a hatchet job to me. >> >> Edward Frank >> >> "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a >> monkey every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of >> preserving nature...I couldn't live with myself." - Professor >> Hubert Farnsworth >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Don Bertolette >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 1:02 AM >> Subject: [ENTS] Re: Kaibab Plateau, AZ >> >> >> While I am in NO way an apologist for the NKF, the forest is old, it >> is habitat for the Goshawk, although there is significant controversy >> between raptor experts (my last NPS supervisor/mentor was one of them >> and I recommend reading papers by him, for one side of this story. >> His >> name is Cole Crocker-Bedford. His stands against the logging of >> goshawk habitat on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska are legion. >> I am having a senior moment trying to recall the other goshawk >> biologist...Richard ....maybe Reid? >> Don >> >> Sent from Don's iPhone 3GS... >> >> On Oct 22, 2009, at 6:25 PM, Josh Kelly <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> > >> > Lovely! >> > >> > I'm sure there is some hyperbole in the press release, but there >> is no >> > way that timber sale will be a good one. >> > >> > Josh >> > >> > On Oct 22, 9:17 pm, "Edward Frank" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> People >> >> >> >> FYI: Form the Center for Biological Diversity: >> >> >> >> This Tuesday, the Center for Biological Diversity sharply >> >> criticized the U.S. Forest Service's latest take on devastating >> >> plans to log old-growth trees in the Kaibab National Forest. >> >> Unfortunately for the forest -- which houses the country's largest >> >> breeding population of the imperiled northern goshawk -- the >> Forest >> >> Service has issued a new environmental assessment for the >> >> controversial Jacob Ryan timber sale, which would log 26,000 acres >> >> but was halted in May thanks to work by the Center and Sierra >> Club. >> >> The new assessment drops protections for old-growth trees, >> >> essentially stating that the Kaibab Plateau has too much old >> growth >> >> -- so axing those irksome old, large trees will be good >> for wildlife. >> >> >> >> This marks the Forest Service's fourth attempt to move forward >> with >> >> Jacob Ryan, and the Center will work to make sure it's the last. >> >> >> >> Edward Frank >> >> >> >> "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a >> >> monkey every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of >> >> preserving nature...I couldn't live with myself." - Professor >> >> Hubert Farnsworth >> > > >> > >> >> >> >> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
