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Pastimes : Where the GIT's are going -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alan Smithee who wrote (167756)	10/13/2008 11:42:44 AM
From: Oral Roberts	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 225578

Probably a forest that they haven't allowed to be managed and now is full of old and weak trees so the pine beetle can turn it into a desert. Wise use of the resource:)

To: Alan Smithee who wrote (167756)	10/13/2008 11:54:04 AM
From: ManyMoose	Respond to of 225578

Here's where the tree I killed yesterday taught me a lesson once again, a lesson I have known all my life: Until about fifteen years ago, this tree lived in a dense thicket of similar trees, and growth rings showed that it took ten years to grow 1/4 inch in diameter. Fifteen years ago my house and others in the neighborhood were built, after clearing out trees sufficiently to build and landscape the area. This tree took advantage of the additional growing space and started growing at nearly one half inch in diameter every year. This level of growth is supported by a very thick and resinous cambium layer that REPELS BARK BEETLES. The tree simply pitches attacks out, and the bark beetles never build up an epidemic population. It was well-infected with dwarf mistletoe, and grew in spite of it, though it produced many more cones to compensate. The photo you show depicts forests that are TOO DENSE, and are the direct result of keeping fire out in combination with failure to compensate by managing the density of the forest. Individual trees don't have the thickness of cambium to pitch out bark beetles. One beetle comes in, bores into the bark, lays eggs, and the eggs develop into more bark beetles. Pretty soon there is a population explosion because the trees are too weak and are essentially defenseless. The population dynamics of insects in weak forests are like a mini-nuclear explosion under their skins. That is the unintended consequence of well-meant efforts to keep fire out and avoid the short term consequences of logging and proper forest management. Solution: Let fires run to clear up the over-dense stands. This might make two hundred years. OR, do some prescribed harvest to manage forest density.