A primer for the state of forests in Taiwan and a look at what historic practices and policies contributed to the condition we see today. This article stresses the importance of, and opportunities provided by, managing for multiple objectives; conservation, carbon sequestration and timber production.
Poor decision making
The year 2012 marks my official retirement date. Normally retirement is a time to highlight one’s outstanding achievements and contributions. Unfortunately, as I glance back I see more shipwrecks than completed voyages. It is difficult to admit this; but my career was almost a total failure. If I seek excuses, I have few. I must place the blame on a lot of poor decision-making on my part.
Alien invasions have ignited our imaginations for more than a century. H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel “The War of the Worlds” sparked near panic when it was famously adapted into an American radio drama by Orson Welles in the 1930s. It later became one of the first alien invasion films of the 1950s. The popularity of such films continues to the present day, with movie-goers flocking to see films like “Alien”, “Independence Day” and “Prometheus,” proving our continued fascination with creatures who wreak havoc on our world.
The Importance of reforestation mechanisms
The world is struggling in the fight against climate change. Efforts to maintain, let alone improve, a Kyoto type agreement are faltering while greenhouse gas (GHG) levels continue to rise along the worst case business as usual scenario.
The carbon market plays an increasingly important role in the forestry sector, but its history is dynamic. As far back as the 1990´s the first afforestation projects were initiated with the aim of capturing the carbon resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.
When I got my start in forestry, as a tree planter in Alberta and BC, the only black spruce I saw was in the swamp. As a student at the University of Alberta and later working as a forester in BC, black spruce was a species we never really talked about. Who would want such a slow growing runt of a tree? Towering lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and white spruce were generally the silvicultural objective. That all changed when I moved to Northwestern Ontario to begin my research career. Here black spruce grows bigger than anywhere in North America, and dominates or s
Reforestation in the eastern United States during the Great Depression was a multifaceted process with the involvement of many different government agencies and private groups. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) managed land purchases, plantation projects, fire suppression, and forest management in the national forests. Each state had a department that provided similar operations for state and local forests. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) furnished significant labor to each of these agencies while being directed by the military.
A look at the benefits of community forests using the Wells Gray Community Forest as a successful example.
The principles of community forests, when applied by local management to an area which can support a viable forest enterprise, can provide significant benefits, of which Wells Gray Community Forest provides an example.
Distinctive features of a community forest are:
-an area-based tenure in the vicinity of a community
-local management which integrates community objectives and knowledge into operational plans and activities with a long term perspective.
