Norm Benson

What is Deforestation?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that deforestation contributes nearly 20% of the overall greenhouse gases (GHG) entering the atmosphere (see their news release). The IPCC lists GHGs as the cause for anthropogenic global warming (AGW). So, what is deforestation exactly? The people blogging at Geography Blog say: Deforestation is the logging ot[sic,Continue reading “What is Deforestation?”

New Zealand Forestry and California Dreaming

“We Californians are really not very good conservationists – we’re very good preservationists. Conservation means you use resources well and responsibly. Preservation means you are rich enough to set aside things you want and buy them from someone else.” – William Libby, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley New Zealand harvests trees. Today, with overContinue reading “New Zealand Forestry and California Dreaming”

The Week’s What Next? Contest/Feb. 20, 2009

The Week’s “What Next?” Contest (emailed entries are due to whatnext@theweek.com by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, Feb. 16.) revolves around flight Aeroflot 315’s drunken pilot incident where passengers made enough of a fuss about the apparent intoxication of their pilot, they were able to have him removed and replaced. According to an article onContinue reading “The Week’s What Next? Contest/Feb. 20, 2009”

The Week's What Next? Contest/Feb. 20, 2009

Protected: Paper or Plastic? – The environmental considerations of buying an e-book reader (Subscribers only)

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Paper or Plastic? – The environmental considerations of buying an e-book reader

My hope is to sell this article for, like money (as opposed to other forms of currency used for barter or trade) since it’s fungible. Plus, I’ve not yet asked for permission to use the pictures. Note: The [x] is a hyperlinked footnote for fact-checking purposes and won’t be in the final version. Your feedbackContinue reading “Paper or Plastic? – The environmental considerations of buying an e-book reader”

Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Del Walters as Director of CAL FIRE

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced his appointment of Del Walters as director of CAL FIRE. “With more than 30 years of service at CAL FIRE, Del Walters is the perfect person to head our state’s firefighting efforts,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Playing a key role in combating the 2007 and 2008 firestorms, he has the experienceContinue reading “Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Del Walters as Director of CAL FIRE”

New Zealand Forestry (Part 1)

I liked New Zealand the moment I arrived. I arrived in early 2005 for a forester’s tour intent on “learning about forest ecology, biodiversity, conservation policy, the forest economy, and intensive plantation management.” I spent my first night there in Wellington, which felt like a smaller version of San Francisco. It had hills, Victorian houses,Continue reading “New Zealand Forestry (Part 1)”

Chain Saw Scouting Story – Colbert Earns Mythical Preservation Merit Badge

I think Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report is brilliant, but even brilliant people can get things wrong. The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Alpha Dog of the Week – Boy Scouts of America Colbert Report Full Episodes Funny Political News Christian Bale Parody Joke of the Day Here’s the story The Colbert ReportContinue reading “Chain Saw Scouting Story – Colbert Earns Mythical Preservation Merit Badge”

Conservation vs Preservation

Steve Nix, a professional forester, wrote this in his about.com blog: [The Hearst story: Chain Saw Scouting] has infuriated thousands of foresters, forest scientists and scout supporters that the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) has been attacked for actually living up to their conservation pledge by using sound forest management practices in most if notContinue reading “Conservation vs Preservation”