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of land that is producing or capable of producing more than 20 cubic feet/acre/year of industrial wood and is land not withdrawn from timber production.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 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."
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 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 Cutting the rain forest threatens biodiversity. Cutting the rain forest destroys a valuable carbon sink to protect against greenhouse gases. Cutting down the rain forest threatens the indigenous people in the rain forest. Finally, attempts to repair the damage have failed.
Explores the destruction of the Amazon rain forest from the perspective of the commercial beef growers ,as well as from the perspective of the ecological advocates.
Abstract As the world becomes more crowded, it is becoming evident that decisions have to be made regarding resources available to mankind. One of the points of controversy in today's battle between saving our natural resources and providing for man's future is the battle over the Amazon rain forest. The paper shows that the Amazon rain forest is currently providing areas for cattle to graze, which, of course, provides food for immediate need. However, the rain forest also has a large potential impact on the survival of mankind in the future, as long as it is not destroyed today. The paper describes the tug of war that exists between the cattle ranchers, who are clearing the land now, and the ecologists, who are trying to stop the destruction of the forest. Sociological and ecological themes conflict as the arguments and competition continue.
From the Paper "According to ecological research there is already 16 percent of the forest gone through destruction., This is equal to 1.6 million square miles of forest. The ecologists believe that the destruction has sped up the global warming process which in turn is speeding up other future problems for the world. The argument between the cattle ranchers and the ecologists is centered on this and other consequences of the ranchers efforts(Brazil, 2003)."
Abstract Fairy tales are rightly seen by many authors and critics, from Jung to Bruno Bettelheim, as repositories for archetypes and for vital social messages. Additionally, they must be seen as a literary genre by themselves, and elements, which may be seen archetypically, must also be taken in terms of their literary function. In this light, the paper studies the role of the forest in fairy tales, both as a reference to the archetype of the dark forest and as a social reference to the land outside civilization. The paper points out how the forest operates as a literary device to isolate the characters quickly from their familiar world by placing them into another realm. The paper examines various symbols of the forest in children's literature, including death and rebirth, subconscious and gender issues.
From the Paper "Entering the dark forest might be associated with entering puberty, or the coming knowledge of sexuality. One could most certainly make a reading of Little Red Cap in this way, where the wolf's predations take on a sexual nature. Likewise, stories such as the Frog Prince, in which the little princess ?put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while,? (Grimm) could be read to imply an illicit transgression into the realm of adult sexuality. This is heightened by the way that the Princess drops her ball down a long hole and sends a little frog climbing down it after promising the feed him and sleep in a bed with him."
This paper discusses "The Forest People," by author ColinTurnbull in which he analyzes the BaMbuti, 'people of the forest', located in Congo, Africa, specifically in Ituri Forest.
Abstract This paper explains that "The Forest People" by Colin Turnbull uses a personal narrative and ethnographic analysis to describe an anthropological experience which took place in the mid 1900s. The author points out that the author's ethnographic account differs from other studies of this type because he puts BaMbuti life in the context of the rapid industrialization taking over the region. The paper concludes that modernization has no place in the lives of most Africans because they have learned to survive and live despite the inconveniences forest life.
From the Paper "Indeed, many social scientists like Turnbull had attempted to depict an accurate and objective picture of what life in Eastern and Middle Eastern nations is, determined through scientific methods. By scientific method, this means that the procedures in which anthropological accounts were recounted were through systematic and objective thinking and analysis on the part of the researcher/anthropologist. Thus, during Turnbull's time, qualitative studies have become prevalent because the qualitative paradigm offered more avenues and opportunities for new discoveries to be generated in exploratory studies conducted in nations and societies in the African and Asian regions, among others."
Abstract The film "Forest Gump" portrays a man with an IQ of 75, reminiscing on his life story as he sits at a bus stop. With such a low IQ, the protagonist, Forest Gump, was judged to be too unintelligent to go to school with normal children. He is in fact what many unkind people might refer to as retarded. However, the movie is uplifting, in the sense that it portrays Forest having a very successful and intensely interesting life. This paper summarizes the film "Forest Gump" and analyzes its message about people with disabilities. The paper contends that the movies makes a very positive statement about the potential for people with disabilities in the workplace.
Abstract The paper discusses how forests around the world provide habitats for animals, oxygen for the air that is breathed and wood for needed building supplies. The paper asserts that the forest loss is already having a significant negative impact on the global environmental, social and economic issues. The paper shows the importance of researching and designing a forest conservation program that will reverse the current downward spiral of the future of the world's trees. This proposal hypothesizes that with education of the general public, forest conservation can be dramatically increased.
Outline:
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Limitations
Conclusion
Timeline
From the Paper "To date an estimated 50 percent of the world's forests no longer exist. Each year mankind loses another 40 million acres to use, progress, fires and disease. The forest loss is already having a significant negative impact on the global issues surrounding environmental, social and economic issues."
""Until recently most forest loss occurred in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and temperate North America; between 1960 and 1990 one-fifth of all tropical forest cover was lost(Falconer, 1998).""
A discussion of the issues concerning the destruction of tropical rain forests from a bias that they have enormous significance to the planet's environment.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 6 sources, 2002, $ 44.95
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.
Abstract This paper presents a discussion about the effects of global warming on the Northern Boreal Forest. The author takes us on a tour of the forest itself and the effects that the global warming process has on the forest as well as what the future impact will be.
