The Forest Management Conundrum in The United States
11 hours ago Guest Blogger
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”
Mark Twain
Don Healy
The battle over the proper management of the forested resources in the United States has been going on for over 65 years with no resolution in sight. Our society is now paying the price with increased forest fire activity, increased insect and disease issues and other indicators of the decline in the overall health of our forest resource. It is essential that we come to a consensus as to the appropriate manner in which to actually address this complex issue. To start, we need to mine down to the facts so we can have a solid foundation for a reasonable discussion. One of our fundamental problems is that so much of the public’s perception of the state of this resource is simply not correct. As the quote of Mark Twain’s above states, these misconceptions pose a major hurdle in resolving the issues involved. The following are some points that are of concern:
The amount of forested area in the U.S. and the trend in the area over recent history. Are we losing or gaining forested area?
The trend in the volume of timber in the U.S. over recent history.
How many acres of old growth, mature and younger stands do we have?
What is the causing the demise of old growth stands?
The cause and solution to the increasing wildfire problem.
Addressing insect and disease issues as part of the forest management equation.
The very real possibility that in the future we will need to rely upon our domestic forested areas to meet the wood products needs of our nation.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/11/30/the-forest-management-conundrum-in-the-united-states/
