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."
This paper examines the implications for the future of forest management on non-industrial private forest (NIPF) lands as well as the dwindling timber supply on these parcels of land.
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of land that is producing or capable of producing more than 20 cubic feet/acre/year of industrial wood and is land not withdrawn from timber production.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."
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between forest fires and weather. The paper argues that forest fires result in higher temperatures, higher temperatures in turn result in higher evaporation rates and higher evaporation rates result in more precipitation. It argues that due to this chain of events, we can see the relationship between forest fires and the weather.
From the Paper "Forest Fires and Weather The connections between weather conditions and forest fires are quite well known. For example, in Weatherwise Malcolm Geast says, The high temperatures combined with low rainfall amounts to exacerbate an already -bad forest fire situation across most of the west (Geast 71). What Geast is saying is that weather conditions are an important precondition for forest fires. Fire fires don't occur when it is cold and wet, they happen when it is hot and dry. Not only are weather conditions a precondition for forest fires but they also trigger them in many cases."
Abstract In this article the writer mentions that as metropolitan communities grow and as government budgets grow tighter the challenges of forestry management in Ontario have become enormous. The following paper discusses this matter by focusing explicitly upon the economic factors which make protecting Ontario natural forestland so daunting. To begin with, the paper reviews the domestic economic factors - new locations for urban businesses and the rise of mass production farming, to name but two - which are threatening the indigenous forests even as this paper is being written.
Abstract This paper briefly looks at the demographics of the Hispanic population of the United States, before focusing on the Southern states and Alabama, in particular. The paper discusses the migration from Latin American countries, demographic facts, and the distribution of labor in the Hispanic workforce, especially in the agricultural and poultry fields. The paper then discusses the health situation of Alabama's Hispanics, touching on the effect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the effect of poverty, environmental hazards, and urban crowding on the overall health of the population. The paper examines how community-based projects and social-service providers attempt to solve health and other issues within this community.
From the Paper The Hispanic community is very much susceptible to communicable diseases. As much as 55 per cent of the active cases of TB reported in the US were among the Hispanics/ Latinos or African Americans. The urban poverty, overcrowded living conditions, HIV infections and poor compliance with TB chemotherapy had probably led to this disproportionately high incidence of the disease. (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) Again, the incidence of rubella in the United States has been drastically reduced due to the very successful rubella vaccination programme and there were only 176 cases in 2000. But still, the disease seems to be affecting a very high number of Hispanic adults according to the surveillance data and has increased from19 per cent in 1991 to 78 percent in 2000."
Abstract This paper examines how the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama", showcases examples of many important theories of human communication. It looks at how the movie's plot itself allows for a great deal of miscommunication and misunderstanding ,and it is often these conflicts that allow us to view communication theories. It also discusses how many examples of theories of human communication come in scenes where there is little conflict, such as when the characters are going about their daily business, illustrating that communication occurs in a wide variety of instances. Overall, it shows how "Sweet Home Alabama" provides examples of communication theories as diverse as expectancy theory, constructivism, symbolic interactionism, and the coordinated management of meaning.
From the Paper "Formal theories of communication can provide a great deal of help in understanding moments of miscommunication within the movie. For example, the theory of constructivism is helpful in understanding Melanie's perception of the world. At the core of constructivism is the idea that we construct our understanding of our world from reflecting on our own experiences. Certainly, Melanie's actions and beliefs show constructionism at work within Sweet Home Alabama. As Melanie reflects on her relationship with her ex-husband, she builds her own understanding of the world."
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."
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 ..."
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)"
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."
Abstract The world's forests are under threat from illegal logging and deforestation generating damaging global environmental change. While the forestry sector can contribute to reducing poverty and enhancing sustainability, this can only occur with the right forest policies and practices. Through a literature review, this paer attempts to show that appropriate forest policy, democratic leadership, strong institutions, bottom-up decision making - in short good forest governance arrangements - are increasingly recognized as essential to achieve sustainable forest management. The paper also develops the concept of good forest governance and uses it to compare the policies and practices of forested countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Outline:
Background
Literature Review
From the Paper "The work of Antonio P. Contreras (2006) entitled: "Civil Society and Forest Governance in Southeast Asia: Towards an Alternative Model in Addressing Transboundary Forest-Related Conflicts" states that the relations "...between states and civil societies have long been established as a critical and complex one. States emerge and gain legitimacy from civil society institutions and processes, even as the sate limits civil societies through legal-bureaucratic mechanisms manifested in law and public policy. With the increasing role of civil society institutions in recent years, state policy, including foreign policy, has become a new domain for civil society engagement." (Contreras, 2006) It is stated however, the there has been an increasing in the participation of civil society in both domestic and regional environmental governance in Southeast Asia. "
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 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 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."
