On Wednesday you read that private landowners conduct the majority of timber harvesting in California. This is due to the de facto moratorium placed on timber harvesting within national forests (state and national parks do not allow harvesting except for reasons of public safety). And, perhaps you wondered if old-growth timber could be removed. Well,Continue reading “Preserving California’s old growth”
Tag Archives: logging
If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?
Lands owned by state and federal government now contribute little to California’s wood supply (see the graphic below). Private landowners (the green area) now carry nearly all the burden for California’s timber harvesting and its wood demand. (Source: California Forestry Association CA Timber Harvest Statistics 1978-2009.) As previously noted on this site: Our California forestsContinue reading “If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?”
Ugly Duckling In The Woods By William Keye
This is an op-ed piece that William Wade Keye* submitted to the Sacramento Bee at the beginning of July, in response to two articles (“State to assess Battle Creek logging activity and effect on salmon” and “Troubled waters of Battle Creek“) and an editorial (“Governor needs to keep pledge at Battle Creek”) they published highlightingContinue reading “Ugly Duckling In The Woods By William Keye”
The silence of the limbs
My name is Norm, I love trees, and I’m a forester. Foresters love all the types of forests that exist, young, old, and in between. Trees are awesome. We love all the stuff they provide, such as shade, habitat, cleaner air, clean water, and yes, wood. We are not Romantics. We don’t confer pastoral sceneryContinue reading “The silence of the limbs”
IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn't agree with the Center for Biological Diversity
Apparently, the Center for Biological Diversity doesn’t agree with the Mitigation Working Group Report [PDF] in IPCC’s 4th Assessment as to the best strategy for mitigating CO2. Photo from south island on New Zealand. “Biomass clearing and site preparation prior to afforestation [i.e. planting] may lead to short-term carbon losses on that site… Accumulation ofContinue reading “IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn't agree with the Center for Biological Diversity”
IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn’t agree with the Center for Biological Diversity
Apparently, the Center for Biological Diversity doesn’t agree with the Mitigation Working Group Report [PDF] in IPCC’s 4th Assessment as to the best strategy for mitigating CO2. Photo from south island on New Zealand. “Biomass clearing and site preparation prior to afforestation [i.e. planting] may lead to short-term carbon losses on that site… Accumulation ofContinue reading “IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn’t agree with the Center for Biological Diversity”
Timber’s Term of the Week: Scaler
Scaler n The one who uses a cheat stick (aka Scale Stick) to decide the board-foot volume within a log. Scalers are the enemy of bushelers. “The scaler pulled out that stupid cheat stick of his and said the log had only half of what I knew it has.” For more information on scaling, seeContinue reading “Timber’s Term of the Week: Scaler”
Timber’s Term of the Week: Skid Road
How did skid road morph into skid row? Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a “skid road” as: A road made of logs on which freshly cut timber can be hauled. Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a “skid road” as: A road along which logs are skidded. The California Board of Forestry defines skid roads (or tractor roads)Continue reading “Timber’s Term of the Week: Skid Road”
Timber's Term of the Week: Skid Road
How did skid road morph into skid row? Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a “skid road” as: A road made of logs on which freshly cut timber can be hauled. Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a “skid road” as: A road along which logs are skidded. The California Board of Forestry defines skid roads (or tractor roads)Continue reading “Timber's Term of the Week: Skid Road”
Nullius in Verba 