Forests
Native forests are as diverse as native rangelands or any other healthy ecosystem.
Like rangelands, forests produce oxygen, sequester carbon, provide wildlife habitat and play a role in the water cycle.
As a source of lumber and wood products such as paper, much of our forest land particularly through the southeast has been converted to a monoculture of softwood pines, managed under industrial systems. It has produced a glut of softwood and timber stands that are in declining health.
In national forests, the mixed timber stands tend to suffer from benign neglect. Bowing to pressure from outside groups with little understanding of nature’s processes, the forest managers “preserve” the forests by simply leaving them alone. Lack of thinning, a proliferation of undergrowth make them the forests prime targets for disease and uncontrolled fire.
Forests, like rangelands, benefit from managers who consider the big picture and manage for balance.
Latest articles
Read more about forests and forest management practices:
Valerius Geist: When Do Wolves Become Dangerous to Humans?
“Valerius Geist was the world’s foremost deer authority. Born in Ukraine, Geist was heir to millennia of Central European cultural memory of wolves. He was neither anti-wolf, nor in denial regarding the threat wolves can […]
As Tree Species Face Decline, ‘Assisted Migration’ Gains Popularity in Pacific Northwest
Cutting through their environmental jargon, the invasive species plant warriors now propose massive transplanting of non-native trees to combat ‘climate change’. They call this ‘assisted migration’. Imagine how much they can spend on this! […]
Earthworm Invaders
“As discussed below, earthworms are invaluable to the health of many natural systems. As also discussed, virtually any earthworm found in North America belongs to a so-called “invasive species”. Not only do we live […]
Diversity of Life at a Beaver Pond
Posted to Vimeo by Susanna Kamon, who writes, “A compilation video of some of the wildlife that visited a beaver pond in New Hampshire over a six-month period. The series shows beavers, river otters, […]
A Plant That’s Everywhere is Fueling a Growing Risk of Wildfire Disaster
As reported in this article below, the invasive plant warriors have a new enemy. Their latest villain is grass, which CNN says is an invasive, dangerous plant. The true problem is too few animals […]
Wolverine
Quoting the producers, “Wolverines are also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch. Wolverines are the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae, carnivorous mammals that include weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, […]
Brush Chaining to Improve Elk Habitat
Quoting the makers of this video, “We head to Eastern Kentucky to observe a new habitat management technique called “Brush Chaining” to help rid the land of the invasive Autumn Olive. In turn, this will […]
Ecologist Suzanne Simard Wants To Change The Way We Look At Trees
“As discussed in this article, the key to healthy forests is (1) tree species biodiversity, and (2) healthy soil life.
How Holistic Planned Grazing Works in 60 Seconds
How does holistic planned grazing heal the soil? We explain it in this short introductory video. For more visit: http://savory.global Note: this post was originally posted to this site on August 2, 2021
The Case for Destroying Old Forest Roads
For the first 100-years of its history, the mission of the US Forest Service was to make public forests accessible for a host of human activities. Beginning 40-years ago the opposite mentality took hold. These […]
Fuel, Fire, and Wild Horses
Wildfire continues to devastate the American West at increasing rates. As this video is posted, wildfires are burning across more than 768,000-acres of land in twelve Western states, and 500,000-acres in Canada. Ten fires […]
How We Treat Wild Horses
This video was created by Wild Horse Fire Brigade, a non-profit dedicated to expanding wild horse populations in order to reduce fire hazard on public lands. They challenge viewers with this question: “Do you want […]
Climate Scientists Say We Should Embrace Higher CO2 Levels
“According to this article, rising CO2 levels actually help the planet.
Elk in Paradise: Rancher, Ecologist, Hunter
Here is an excellent video by the Property and Environmental Research Center (PERC) a free market conservation think tank based in Bozeman. Quoting PERC: The ancient pathways of elk are the heartbeat of the […]
Wildlife Using a Log Bridge in Pennsylvania
This multi-season video shows bears, deer, bobcats, grouse, beavers and many other species crossing or swimming under a log which has fallen across a Pennsylvania stream. Credit: Robert Bush. NOTE: this post was […]
Wild Horses Coevolved with Wildfire on The North American Landscape
Here is a good article with many valuable ideas on managing wild horses. These are controversial to say the least. Let us think about this issue holistically: Horses are COMPLEMENTARY to — not COMPETITIVE […]
Team Wildfire to Bring Mechanical Hurricane to Wildfire Fighting
Here is an interesting way to fight wildfire. It’s high tech, but does not use the chemical suppressants which are so toxic to the environment. The BEST way to fight fire is by wildfire […]
Hunting With the Dark Wolf | Wild Yellowstone
A pack of hungry wolves hunts elk in the middle of Yellowstone’s cold winter. National Geographic Wild (http://bit.ly/NatGeoWILD) is a place for all things animals and for animal-lovers alike.
Preserving The Future of Grouse, Woodcock and Hunting
Ruffed Grouse are numerous in the Yellowstone area, including Pitchstone Waters. This excellent video from the Ruffed Grouse Society discusses why “Hands-Off” forest management policies are destroying the health of national forests, and dragging wildlife […]
Wildlife Killing Contests – The Movie
The polite and restrained movie appearing below is not anti-hunting. In fact, it should be mandatory viewing for all hunters and wildlife lovers. While most of the contests target predators, each shot fired damages […]
Fuel, Fire, and Wild Horses
Wildfire continues to devastate the American West at increasing rates. According to some, the plan that could combat the danger of forest fire lies in the complicated history and present role of the wild horse. […]