OrchidKeeper wrote: .. What I saw of concern to the habitat is related to the goat thing that
Carson described so many years ago, except that of course responsible forestry would leave the young trees. But I think that would have to be done "boutique timber" style and this plant must surely be relying on something that will bulk-harvest. ... If you visit a modern-day harvesting scene for pulp or timber you would see something far different from Rachel Carson's call to arms. I agree when it comes to old growth forests and their harvest by timber companies who pay little or nothing to harvest government land. This land is mine as much as theirs and I should be entitled to enjoy it as much as they do. That's another story. Pulpwood harvest takes everything in sight. The growth is young and there is little else to disturb. Harvesting lumber is a lot more select. Hardwoods may be taken or not. In most cases there is little left after the harvest. Many lumber companies harvest sections at a time leaving time for wildlife to resettle in adjacent areas. In all cases (unless a private owner has other plans) the land is replanted with "superior" seedlings which grow faster and have greater disease resistance. This new growth may have little potential for establishing new forests (possibly so). I have seen 60' (about 20m) tall, 10" (25.5cm)diameter trees come for these seedlings in 20 years on my own property. In poor, sandy soils this is fantastic growth. Of course, in the South they get to grow most of the year. One section of my property does support enough old growth to keep a couple of pileated woodpeckers happy despite rampant growth and development on 3 sides. In any case, boutique harvesting is rarely done unless an owner has considerable hardwood he wants to preserve. He would pay a premium for the "inconvenience" the lumber company has to endure during the harvest. New seedlings are available at nurseries dealing with this exact situation and sometimes through a number of government agencies. You can even arrange for planting for nominal fees per acre. The land has to be treated nicely and, coupled with modern science, you can get amazing things in return. Gary _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
