| A unit of Lasting Forests
evolving since March 30, 1999 |
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A Total Forest Management Plan
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A history of the National Forests within the vicinity is available.
See the History of Virginia web site.
While we may wish for a better history, we take the land ownership and its past uses, treatments, and catastrophes (such as fires, storms, and earthslides) and work from the present conditions as we know them. Railing about past abuses does not make present conditions any better. By our current work in analyzing the land, developing and restoring it, and maintaining our results, then describing it, we fully intend to improve the future forest. It will be pleasing if we can gradually blend the conditions and activities of managers and users of the area over time in such a way that the total land resources, when fully developed, form a system that can meet many human needs for a very long time.
Understanding the past from the post glacial period can help us understand what is now on the land, how it got that way, and the forces and factors with which we must now work to achieve desired ends.
Watts and Stuiver (1980) said that species rich mesic forests covered northern Florida as early as 14,000 radiocarbon years ago (based on pollen analyses). It probably originated in deciduous tree populations already present locally in conifer forests between 24,000 and 18,600 years before present. The cold dry Late Wisconsin climate ended before 14,600 years before present. A transitional warm, dry phase preceded a precipitation increase at 14,000 years before present. Cold climates ended before 14,600 years B.P. The proximity to a spruce boundary to the north (as in Virginia) suggests a considerable lower average annual temperature than at present.
Studies in Great Britain show that ancient forests have greater species richness than more modern forests, suggesting that island biogeography theory needs an age dimension as well as an area dimension.
Bormann and Likens (1979) discussed disturbances of northern hardwood forests, both those caused by natural events as well as people. They discussed the steady-state expected in old forests.
Giles (1966) studied the early natural history of a forested area in Ohio following the practice of past studies using the names of trees used as corner descriptors for survey points. That provided a insight into activities since settlement (1761) and a history of the vegetation. He said the tree composition had not changed much (the chestnut has disappeared) and suggested the history allowed better interpretations of modern conditions.
The passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, bison, cougar(?) and others no longer exist in the area and their influence on the area and early people must have been profound. See Dickson (1991)
Native People Histories and influences of native people pre-settlement and up to 1912 will be the only emphasis within the system. Interest in archaeology and cultural resources of the area will be emphasized only as it relates to the management of the wildlands. Brief work has been done by Diamond(1989) and Diamond and Giles (1987). Historical work is done by many universities, states, and federal agencies and in this area and a rich resource is available for site specific work.
It will be necessary to understand the influence of early people on the area and the persistent effects. The presence of early people for over 10,000 years (since glaciation) in the area suggests that they are a part of the system and we do not intend to separate people from other components of the wildlands. As the wolf and grizzly and many plant species have been removed from the area in the past two centuries, the system is now different. It cannot be restored. It can be changed to a former state but not a condition of, say, 1000 years ago. The desired former condition would have to be arbitrary. The knowledge of the former condition limited just as it is for the present condition), and the possibility for restoration are impossible because of the losses and changes.
Anxious to work with, learn from, and enhance the quality of life for native people, the staff seeks to promote a clear view of the life and conditions, stories and lore, food and dress, and customs of these people prior to 1900. We have grave concerns about the loss of knowledge about the past and the mixing of tribal, language, customs, and rumors that have grown in the past 50 years. To the extent that the Rural System can contribute to clarifying the conditions of the people of the area, their effects on the resources of the land, their relations to resources, and their influence on the present system and what it might become in the future, it will create programs that may be financially self supporting. At present these seem to be oral history, books, publications, archaeological digs and protected trips to activity sites. Work to enhance living conditions and quality of life for people throughout the region needs to be done irrespective of whether people there are native people or their relations.
A small staff works with universities, corresponds, promotes historical analyses and products, arranges for and supervises discovery work, assures compliance with various laws and regulations related to native people, and works with bison to clarify the relations of early people with those herds. The staff encourages and seeks existing computer models that characterize the numbers and influences of native people on the wildlands such as was done in Giles' early work with Mr. Seth Diamond (now deceased) in a Master of Science program.
See J. Forestry, Jan 1974 p.35 for Georgia Piedmont forest historical analysis.
A unit on historic places is available.
References
Bormann, F.H. and G.E. Likens.1979. Catastrophic disturbance and the steady state in northern hardwood forests. American Scientist 67: 660-669
Giles, R. H. Jr. 1966. Early natural history of a forested area near Dover, Ohio. Ohio J. Science. 66(5): 469-473.
Diamond, S. J. and R. H. Giles, Jr. 1987. A vegetational history of Virginia's Ridge and Valley province. Quart. Bul. Arch. Soc. of Virginia. 42(4):177-187.
Diamond, S. J., R. H. Giles, R. L. Kirkpatrick, and G. J. Griffin. 2000. Hard mast production before and after the chestnut blight. Southern J. Applied For. 24(4) 196-201
Diamond, S. J. 1989. Vegetation, wildlife, and human foraging in prehistoric Western Virginia. Unpub. M. S. Thesis, Va. Poly. Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, Va. 239 pp.
Dickson, J.G. 1991. Birds and Mammals of pre-colonial souther old-growth forests, Natural Area Journal 11(1):26-33
Watts, W.A. and M.Stuiver. 1980. Late Wisconsin climate of Northern Florida and the origin of species-rich deciduous forest. Science 210 : 325-327
Extensive electronic copying of old major textbooks on forestry has been done at Cornell University. The following are links to the main old books on forestry. The Cornell University NEH Book Collection is a collection of 599 core agricultural books from the 19th and 20th century that were selected for a project funded by the NEH to transfer books to digital images and then have those digital images converted to microfilm. These images are now being made available for online viewing, and are listed alphabetically at http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/neh_A.html.
Here is a listing of those that apply to forestry:
Pinchot, Gifford, The Training of a Forester, [c.1914], 171 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:pinc-0001/9/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Pinchot, Gifford and Henry S. Graves, The White Pine: A Study, [c.1896], 118 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:pinc-0002/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Powell, E.P., Hedges, Windbreaks, Shelters and Live Fences: A Treatise on the Planting, Growth, and Management of Hedge Plants for Country and Suburban Homes, [c.1911], 164 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:powe-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Recknagel, A.B., The Theory and Practice of Working Plans (Forest Organization), [c.1913], 292 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:reck-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Record, Samuel J., Identification of the Economic Woods of the United States, [c.1912], 157 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:reco-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Sargent, Charles Sprague, Manual of the Trees of North America, [c.1905], 856 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:sarg-0001/9/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Schenck, C.A., Forest Mensuration, [c.1905], 83 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:sche-0001/5/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Schwarz, G. Frederick, The Longleaf Pine in Virgin Forest, [c.1907], 157 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:schw-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Sears, Paul B., Deserts on the March, [c.1935], 249 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:sear-0002/8/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Snedecor, George W., Statistical Methods: Applied to Experiments in Agriculture and Biology, [c.1937], 361 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:sned-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Taylor, Jay L. B., Handbook for Rangers and Woodsmen, [c.1917], 436 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:tayl-0001/5/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Warming, Eug., Oecology of Plants: An Introduction to the Study of Plant Communities, [c.1909], 438 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:warm-0001/5/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Webster, A.D., Tree Wounds and Diseases: Their Prevention and Treatment, [c.1916], 304 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:webs-0001/9/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Woolsey, Theodore S., French Forests and Forestry, [c.1917], 268 images. http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/dienst/nehbrowse.fly/MOA-JOURNALS2:wool-0001/7/1:TIFF2GIF:100
Diamond, S. J. 1989. Vegetation, wildlife, and human foraging in prehistoric Western Virginia. Unpub. M. S. Thesis, Va. Poly. Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, Va. 239 pp.
Diamond, S. J. and R. H. Giles, Jr. 1987. A vegetational history of Virginia's Ridge and Valley province. Quart. Bul. Arch. Soc. of Virginia. 42(4):177-187.
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This Web site is maintained by R. H.
Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.