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:
Wolverines Are Back in the News
According to the reasoning of the author of this article, wolverine restorations will fail because of climate change, and aren’t worth the effort. With all due respect to Dr. Mason – and as he […]
Plans for an Ailing Forest Include Logging, and Some Are Suspicious
According to the article below, “As forests become less healthy, researchers say, leaving them undisturbed will in many cases make them more prone to severe wildfires and more vulnerable to drought stress and disease.” […]
Trees Are Spreading Across the Great Plains. They’re Actually Making Climate Change Worse
According to the researchers quoted in the article below, “…adding trees is negative for the climate in most temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands globally.” The primary cause of tree and brush invasion is that […]
Horse Roundups! Can They be Stopped With ‘Fertility Control’?
“Using wild horses to help wildlife and habitat.
Anthropologist Documents How Women and Shepherds Historically Reduced Wildfire Risk in Central Italy
As discussed below, human impact has always been an essential ingredient in limiting the risk of forest fires. In Italy and the Mediterranean, …”forests and other plant communities have been shaped by thousands of […]
Grazing Forested Rangelands
“An excellent discussion of why, how, when and where to graze Canadian forests.
BLM to Finalize Rule Allowing Federal Leases Targeted at Protection of Natural Area
This rule is widely seen as anti-cattle and hunting.
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 […]