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”
Tag Archives: Environmentalism
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”
A Regulated Forest
This circa 1967 picture* is of Cliff Fago scaling (measuring logs to determine their net volume) old growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) logs. Cliff became the first permanent forest manager of Boggs Mountain State Forest (BMSF) in 1965. In 1967, he conducted the BMSF’s first timber sale to begin removal of the remaining old growth. ThreeContinue reading “A Regulated Forest”
Take the 1908 Civil Service Exam for Forest Ranger
Think You Have What It Takes To Be a Forester? Here’s the a log scaling question: Name a log scale in common use in your locality and give the contents of logs of the following sizes by this scale: 16 feet long and 26 inches in diameter small end 18 feet long and 30 inchesContinue reading “Take the 1908 Civil Service Exam for Forest Ranger”
Save Trees, Use More Paper
Earlier this year, Kevin Periera of G4 told Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal, the Amazon Kindle “is the savior to many, many forests in the future.” [Read it here] As a licensed forester and certified treehugger, I don’t think so. Trees don’t get cut down when you use electronic stuff, right? Well they may be, forever. TheContinue reading “Save Trees, Use More Paper”
The Chance of a Lifetime
It was the chance of a lifetime: going into the backcountry to search for section corners and quarter-section corners set by surveyors one-hundred and one years before. The fly-in-the-ointment was that the surveyors probably had done their work while perched on a barstool in 1882. Someone knew how to nurse a beer. In cadastral surveyingContinue reading “The Chance of a Lifetime”
My Old Day Job
I worked as the assistant forest manager at Mountain Home State Forest from 1979-1986. The old joke asks, “Where do forest rangers go to ‘get away from it all?’” As if working in the forest was not, well, work. I remember days when I’d been stung by wasps, hiked cross-country through thorny buckbrush in theContinue reading “My Old Day Job”
Forestacean
I don’t know what these crabs represent—other than the Chesapeake—or why they’re around what are called the inner banks of North Carolina (abbreviated IBX—Outer Banks is OBX). I do know that Santa Rosa (northern California) did something similar with Charlie Brown figures—Charles Schultz lived in Santa Rosa until his death. People, shops, and companies decoratedContinue reading “Forestacean”
Nullius in Verba 