<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Prowling Europe’s last lowland old growth forest]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by JMG http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:56:20 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/1 World Without Us

Alan Weisman's terrific book "The World Without Us" has a lot more on this great place.

The 5% Project Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

]]> World Without Us

Alan Weisman's terrific book "The World Without Us" has a lot more on this great place.

The 5% Project Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

]]> Comment #2 by Backcut http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:32:33 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/2 Sounds very similar...

...to a place in South Carolina, a few miles south of Columbia, called Congaree Swamp National Park (one of the nation's newest). This park is truly considered to be a "bottomland stand" and only has seasonal "swampiness" but has a very nice boardwalk to access the extents of the park. When I was there, it was quite dry, with all the baldcypress knees fully exposed. Congaree Swamp is home to 16 National Champion trees, which means they are the largest of their species. While other patches of "old growth" still exist in the eastern US, nothing compares to Congaree Swamp. Some "protected old growth" in the east are mostly snag patches and ratty-looking hemlocks. Trees within stream buffers are becoming very much old growth-like, with diverse structure and species complexity.

Scenic pics at http://Lhfotoware.blogspot.com

]]> Sounds very similar...

...to a place in South Carolina, a few miles south of Columbia, called Congaree Swamp National Park (one of the nation's newest). This park is truly considered to be a "bottomland stand" and only has seasonal "swampiness" but has a very nice boardwalk to access the extents of the park. When I was there, it was quite dry, with all the baldcypress knees fully exposed. Congaree Swamp is home to 16 National Champion trees, which means they are the largest of their species. While other patches of "old growth" still exist in the eastern US, nothing compares to Congaree Swamp. Some "protected old growth" in the east are mostly snag patches and ratty-looking hemlocks. Trees within stream buffers are becoming very much old growth-like, with diverse structure and species complexity.

Scenic pics at http://Lhfotoware.blogspot.com

]]> Comment #3 by Erik Hoffner http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:10:44 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/3 same tree

JMG: this tree I'm standing with is the same one that was in Alan's book. Janusz brought me to it - very cool. The tree right behind me I believe is an ash.

Backcut: that's good news about the Congaree Swamp. Would like to see that.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

]]> same tree

JMG: this tree I'm standing with is the same one that was in Alan's book. Janusz brought me to it - very cool. The tree right behind me I believe is an ash.

Backcut: that's good news about the Congaree Swamp. Would like to see that.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

]]> Comment #4 by euberblava http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:18:49 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/4 Bialowieza is of Critical Importance

I appreciated Eric's article about the Bialowieza Forest.  Europe and the World need this forest.  The biological integrity of this very small area speaks to the way Europe has logged most of its original forest and replaced it with lines of trees.  I have lived in and visited Bialowieza many times for the past 13 years as a scholar and activist and witnessed the fragmentation of the forest as commercial logging thins much of the forest and new roads criss-cross the area.  What is needed is strong international action and attention on the Polish government and European Union governing bodies.  The fight for Bialowieza has been going for nearly 18 years.  While much of the forest has been diminished through logging, it remains a biological unit that retains complex assemblages of plants and animals hard to find elsewhere.  International and local activists are an important part of keeping the campaign alive. BISON (Bialowieza International Solidarity Network) needs more full time activists who can continue the media campaign.

On a continent (Europe) that has defined 'wild' nature as something that occurs outside of Europe (in the Americas, in Africa, etc.) and 'civilization' as a key element of Europe, it is important to shake up those categories by recognizing the outstanding quality and history of this forest and acting to expand the national park to cover the whole forest area.  Additionally, new roads, border crossing to road traffic in the forest, and oil pipelines should not be permitted.

Eunice Blavascunas Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Social Science Teaching Fellow
Program on the Environment
University of Washington


]]> Bialowieza is of Critical Importance

I appreciated Eric's article about the Bialowieza Forest.  Europe and the World need this forest.  The biological integrity of this very small area speaks to the way Europe has logged most of its original forest and replaced it with lines of trees.  I have lived in and visited Bialowieza many times for the past 13 years as a scholar and activist and witnessed the fragmentation of the forest as commercial logging thins much of the forest and new roads criss-cross the area.  What is needed is strong international action and attention on the Polish government and European Union governing bodies.  The fight for Bialowieza has been going for nearly 18 years.  While much of the forest has been diminished through logging, it remains a biological unit that retains complex assemblages of plants and animals hard to find elsewhere.  International and local activists are an important part of keeping the campaign alive. BISON (Bialowieza International Solidarity Network) needs more full time activists who can continue the media campaign.

On a continent (Europe) that has defined 'wild' nature as something that occurs outside of Europe (in the Americas, in Africa, etc.) and 'civilization' as a key element of Europe, it is important to shake up those categories by recognizing the outstanding quality and history of this forest and acting to expand the national park to cover the whole forest area.  Additionally, new roads, border crossing to road traffic in the forest, and oil pipelines should not be permitted.

Eunice Blavascunas Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Social Science Teaching Fellow
Program on the Environment
University of Washington


]]> Comment #5 by Erik Hoffner http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:58:48 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/old-growth-gold/5 civilization

Thanks, Eunice, interesting point about civilization and Europe. I wonder how civilized we could call it if the last best wild place got whittled down to naught but a tattered remnant.

One thing I forgot to mention in the post is the preponderance of coarse woody debris (CWD) in evidence here. I've seen CWD, old growth biologists' favorite term, in other original forests, but this was a very impressive display indeed. Reminded me of the recent climate paper saying how good old growth is at soaking up and storing carbon.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

]]> civilization

Thanks, Eunice, interesting point about civilization and Europe. I wonder how civilized we could call it if the last best wild place got whittled down to naught but a tattered remnant.

One thing I forgot to mention in the post is the preponderance of coarse woody debris (CWD) in evidence here. I've seen CWD, old growth biologists' favorite term, in other original forests, but this was a very impressive display indeed. Reminded me of the recent climate paper saying how good old growth is at soaking up and storing carbon.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

]]>