Abstract
This paper explores the issues surrounding the shortages of timber that have been caused and are continuing to happen from NIPF (Non- Industrial Private Forest) lands. The author looks at studies that indicate the demand for timber will overtake supply sometime before 2020, highlighting the areas of the study in different counties in Alabama. The paper centers on the NIPF land owners mismanagement of forests causing shortages of timber. In conclusion, the author states that NIPF landowners could contribute significantly to help alleviate the predicted timber shortages but based on the studies mentioned in the paper, it is unlikely that they will be motivated to use their land for timber production despite incentive programs that have been successful in establishing a replanting program. In the author's opinion, the NIPF landowners prefer to decide themselves how to use their lands and financial gain is not always the leading factor.

From the Paper
"Royer conducted many studies on the decision process used by owners of NIPF land. He stated that "Conventional wisdom in forestry holds that landowner behavior, if left unfettered or unencouraged, can and will lead to shortages of timber or increases in the relative prices of stumpage," (Royer, 1979a, in Cubbage and Snider, p. 2). The US forestry service projects that from 1991 to 2010, pulp production will increase by 16%. However, the production of stock panels will increase 33%, nearly twice that rate (Cubbage, 1997). In addition, hardwood removals are expected to increase by 59% in the same time period. Estimates using the Southern Regional Timber Supply model (SERTS) predicts increases of timber removals to increase 39% for hardwoods and 24% for softwoods (Cubbage, 1997). Using this same model, without adjusting for inflation, prices for softwoods are projected to experience 200% increases and Hardwood prices are expected top increase 343% between 1990 and 2020."

Tags:inflation, forest, land, production, plot, size, growth, economic

Abstract
This paper analyzes the spatial and temporal pattern of Alabama's forested landscape as well as the implications for the future of forest management on NIPF lands. This paper defines forested land as a parcel of land that is producing or capable of producing more than 20 cubic feet/acre/year of industrial wood and is land not withdrawn from timber production. Much of this land is held by private landowners not involved directly in the timber industry. Extensive studies have been conducted in the southern states concerning the motivation behind usage of NIPF land, its impact on the regional economy and environmental factors. The counties chosen for this particular study are those which had the highest reported income from forest products. The six counties chosen were Clarke, Marengo, Pickens, Monroe, Hale and Wilcox. These counties are located in highly forested areas and have a high amount of NIPF land. According to several surveys, the areas of greatest softwood shortage are those located near large paper and pulp mills. This paper discusses the impending shortage in economic timber that the U.S. will be facing by the year 2020. The writer of this paper examines the various strategies available to halt the dwindling timber supply which include changing the manner in which NIPF lands are managed as well as stricter government regulations which would deter the conversion of native grasslands and wetlands into croplands.

From the Paper
"To determine if timber production is likely to be able to meet future needs, the ratio of growth to removal is measured. Timber inventories give an indication of how much timber is currently available. Using this model, it was found that only one state had a positive ratio, North Carolina at 1.15. Alabama's ratio was 0.91. Softwood removal rates consistently exceed growth rates. Hardwood removal ratios faired slightly better at above 1.3. Timber inventories increased from the 1960s through the 1970s, but leveled off in the 1990s. According to SERTS, softwood supplies are expected to decrease 30% by the year 2020. According to an FIA survey, the areas of greatest softwood shortage are located near large paper and pulp mills (Cubbage and Abt, 1998a). According to the SERTS model the southern US will be facing an economic timber shortage by the year 2020."

Tags:environment, land, forest, deforestation, regulation, government, management

Abstract
This paper presents a case study on Alabama's use of incentives to attract the automobile industry to the state. It examines the financial incentives offered and Alabama's incentives to Mercedes Benz to locate a production facility in the state. The paper highlights the issue of opportunities versus costs.

From the Paper
"Colander has noted that when governments set economic policies they are generally faced with the necessity of making important and consequential trade-offs between competing values potential benefits and drawbacks and ..."

Tags:case study, auto industry

Abstract
This paper discusses the funding of schools for public education in the State of Alabama. It begins by discussing the problems plaguing the public schools in Alabama, including incompetent administrators, uninterested students, uninvolved parents and political agendas. It then goes on to enumerate the advantages of allocating more funding for education, both to the students directly and for the State as a whole.

From the Paper
"Putting more funding into education also makes sense financially, because better education is linked to positive economic growth. When education works, the better educated person is able to get a higher paying job. Higher paying jobs lead to richer lifestyles, and the families that are had by people with higher education will spend more, putting more back into the economy. The children of well-educated people are more likely to also become well-educated, and likewise have higher incomes. "When the cycle works, families in the lower-class become lower-middle-class, then rise to the middle-middle-class, spending power expands and the economy grows." (Grimm) Without education, this cycle does not happen, and the benefits of economic growth for the individual and the society does not occur. The high rates of poverty throughout Alabama are often the cause of a lack of funding for the schools, however the poor economic state of Alabama is precisely why a larger investment must be made in education. Skeptics argue that education does not directly link to economic growth. "The fact that a good deal of education is needed in a society does not mean that yet more will be better (in growth terms) any more than the need for investment in a society means you can never over-invest." (Wolf)"

Tags:compensation, economic, facilities

Abstract
This paper discusses how many films are targeted at specific audiences because of the topic or plot and analyzes the films, "The Rundown" and "Sweet Home Alabama", for similarities and differences in gender roles, plot, and special effects. It attempts to show that, although both movies contain many attributes that can be enjoyed by both men and women, it is clear that "The Rundown" was aimed at male audiences, and "Sweet Home Alabama" aimed to satisfy a female crowd.

From the Paper
"The Rundown, starring The Rock, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, and Rosario Dawson was made to attract male audiences. It is an action packed film with numerous fighting scenes, explosions, and tough talk. The Rock's character, Beck, is sort of a hitman that is paid big money to retrieve "debts" that are owed to his boss, and he uses force if necessary. However, at this point, Beck is not satisfied with his life and wants out of the business. His boss gives him one last job of traveling to the Amazon and bringing Travis (Beck's boss' son) back to Los Angles. Travis, played by Seann William Scott, is very reluctant to leave and gives Beck a lot of trouble and back talk. The whole story gets more complicated when we meet Hatcher (Christopher Walken) a detached American who has turned the jungle and its inhabitants into his own money-making gold-mining empire."

Tags:gender, beck, rock, jake, melanie

Abstract
The paper explains that development is threatening the ancient forests and that timber companies would like to log the few remaining 1,000 year old, 300 foot trees in the Pacific Northwest. The writer explains that the destruction of the forests destroys vital ecosystems, contributes to global warming and helps create climate changes. The paper explains the effects of timber operations and discusses the forest health in the Pacific Northwest. The paper explains that the United States Forest Service is the steward of America's national forests. It explains that this agency has received much criticism and explains why. The writer states that the national forest timber sales program operated at a net loss to taxpayers and details the reasons for this. In conclusion, the writer argues that government dumping of cheap timber makes the market unpredictable for private sector commodity suppliers. The writer feels that the United States Forest Service should abandon its role as a producer of commodities as commodity production is best left to the private sector.

Table of Contents:
Effects of Timber Operations
Forest Health in the Pacific Northwest
Forest Service
Water Supply
Facts About Timber Sales
Jobs and Economy
Timber Supply
Private Lands
Figures
Bibliography

From the Paper
"The revised Plan fails to protect wildlife, recommends no new wilderness areas, overestimates allowable logging levels, fails to analyze grazing impacts, and largely ignores public comments. Although the Plan refers to "late succession landscapes" (i.e., mature and old growth forests) as "an important feature of a healthy forest ecosystem," only 9% of the entire forest would be restored to this condition under the new Plan -- a retreat from a projected 21% under the 1983 Plan. While the Black Hills are home to the Black Elk Wilderness, one of the most popular wild areas in the region, the new Plan calls for no more designated wilderness areas than the one percent in the old Plan. The new Plan allows grazing on all eight of the Black Hill's biologically rich "Special Botanical Areas," with no analysis of whether they are suitable for grazing. And, although the Plan praises the "scenic beauty" of the Black Hills, less than 1% of the forest is to be managed for "very high" scenic integrity. Only 12.1 percent is slated for "high" and a whopping 44.4 percent for "low."
"This is not the stewardship the American people expect. The Forest Service received 997 letters from the public in favor of preserving biological diversity in the Black Hills -- but dismissed them in less than one page of response.
"The Forest Service's shameful handling of these forests illustrates the enormity of the problem. The incentives, financing, and culture of the agency continue to be stacked against our National Forest's non-timber values."

Tags:timber, pacific, northwest, commodities

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the Alabama-Coushatta tribe and, in particular, examines how it is currently changing to fit the new circumstances of the modern world as it struggles to maintain ties to traditional values and practices in the Big Thicket of East Texas, where the members of this cultural group have lived for a number of years.

Outline
History of the Group
Modern Americans, Not Noble Savages
A History of Misfortune

From the Paper
"The Alabama Indians, who came to Tyler County in 1805, were members of the Upper Creek Confederacy of Indians as well as members of the Muskogean Nation. The Coushattas arrived in East Texas at about the same time: They came to East Texas in the years directly after 1795. Both groups were given land to settle by order of the Texas Congress; however, this land (which was relatively good for raising stock and had regular access to water) was illegally claimed and homesteaded by white settlers, Sam Houston intervened to ask the government of Texas to purchase land for the Indians who had supported Houston and other Texans in the state's battles for independence."

Tags:indians, modern, world

Abstract
This ten-page undergraduate paper explains the facts and details associated with the Alabama State Constitution of 1901. The 1901 Constitution was more a code of laws than a framework for government, as the Legislature retained near complete control over local affairs, making necessary hundreds of amendments over the succeeding decades. 10 pgs. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

Abstract
A review of the book Negro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel by Horace Mann Bond. By understanding the cultural points that lay within the education of blacks in South, we can understand how this author approaches this system with clarity.

Abstract
This essay will examine the debate over the destruction of the tropical rain forests from a number of perspectives. It will be argued that the tropical rain forests, and the bio diverse ecosystems that they support, are of enormous significance to the planet's environment. This being said, it will also be argued that man is an integral feature of this environment, and that the economic systems that define human cultures must therefore be factored into any discussion of viable or sustainable development of the rain forests.