Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Google Maps shows vast clearcutting in British Columbia
- Posted by Tom Kimmerer - 8:51:20 PM -
| As
a forester, I understand that clearcuts can be a useful management
tool. In the Appalachians, where I live, small patch clearcuts are an
excellent method to regenerate forests, return of vegetation is rapid
(from stump sprouts especially), and impacts on water quality are
minimal. As my silviculture professor, Doc Johnson, used to say, all
silviculture is clearcutting - we're only arguing over the size of the
cut. In other words, there is a continuum from cutting a single tree to
cutting an entire watershed. Both ends of this continuum are probably
worse than somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, clearcutting has to be used with care and responsibility. So it is really disturbing to see the satellite photos of clearcuts in British Columbia using Google Maps. It is difficult for me to believe that this represents responsible, sustainable forestry. Google Maps lets us look at vast areas of North America with detailed maps and satellite photos. They give ordinary citizens a chance, not just to see what our continent looks like, but what we are doing to it. Read more at Organic Matter and Mezzoblue. Then go to Google Maps to see the actual maps. You can pan and zoom the maps to get an impression of the vast scale of the clearcuts. |
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- Posted by Tom Kimmerer - 8:51:20 PM -
