pico or 10-12 or one-trillionth
This chapter of Rural System, Inc. began in 1968 when Bob Giles was assigned an office in a closet with Jack Heikkenen in the basement of Price Hall, Virginia Tech, one of the oldest academic buildings on campus. Successful careers subsequently intertwined, met occasionally, but only in 1992 did a modest effort begin in working together. Both had authored textbooks, both were outspoken, both bibliophiles, both foresters who had developed different specialties. Jack advanced in tree physiology and entomology, Bob in wildlife management and systems ecology.
In the late 80's, most of their conversations tended to be about frustrations with natural resource management, managers, and education, about things known but forgotten buy others in the field. They moved into the "timber"class called "old-growth". Then they decided to try to write a little together. That was too difficult. Conversations were easier.
The chapter is about select experiences and concepts, things learned and experience and now believed to be well known by them. It describes failures and rejections, partially to prepare future resource emanagers for the pain. There were abuindant successes. It presents ideas and concepts that they believe are needed within the world of natural resources. Solutions are not available to match all of the problems they see, but many are presented. They suggest that seeing the problem clearly may be the first step to developing solutions... but there may be none.
This chapter is about trees and things, about forestry and what it once meantt and could mean, but it is also about applied science, knowledge, and growing old. It is a strange chapter about two people's work and thought in a very strange field. Strangely, it is more about the future than the past.
Robert H. Giles, Jr. and Herman J. Heikkenen 2-27-92
- Preface
- Forestry and Wildlifery - What forestry was, is, and might become. What field we enteredd and where we now find ourselves.
- Smoke Chasing and Smokejumping - The meaning of forest protection. The smokey bear image in transition. When protection has little meaning. The need for crises.
- Approaches and Perspectives - Views from the top, sides and over there. A view from the tree.
- What's in a name - lumpers, splitters, and the new biodiversity. The namers. The rules of taxonomy. The violators of the rules. Loblolly. Pinus taeda; the "author" The taxonomist as scientist. Disappearing taxonomy.
- Silvice - What does it mean. Where does it live? Not Live? Prove it! The tree in niche-space. The major factors. The interplay and tradeoffs. Personalizing the tree -- what should we do?
- Death and survival - Where to start. Survival curves. What gets things started - evolution, genetics - the cone - sprouts and seeds - then where do all of the trees go?
- Under Seige - The young tree (white-pine weevil parallels) , deer, sunlight, evapotranspiration, root-shoot ratios, energy fixing, photosynthesis; the solar factory; the odors.
- Dirt - The roots; mice, moles, shrews, snakes, soils, soil moisture; the meaning of texture; bulk density; the good stuff; the changes; the meaning of fires; organic matter; water holding capacity; piney watersheds.
- Group Dynamics - stand density, root mass; thinning; yield; growth curves; ;osses;sigmoid; biomass; total energy; the understory; streams; clearcuts and options.
- The Spread - if one is good, 2 or more is better. The limits; why spread plants so widely?, why so "good"; the coming failures.
- The Imbalance - paper mix, proper mix; hardwoods; hardwood control; pine control, the wood box re-visited; what are the trees good for?
- The Pine Beetles - the community of scolids; alternative to beetle billions
- The Pinery - the meaning of community.
- The South's nth Forest - forestry; harvest and reforestation; the studies; plans, and non-plans. Where it fits into the nation.
- Pretty Forestry - the forest creatures and esthetics
- The private land owner - the monetary desire fallacy; the Extension fallacy
- If you were in charge - the prospects, alternatives, and who does what anymore.
Possible inserts and notes
Computer maps
Textbook ideas - our delays, the value of them- being out of date- out of print
Insect antennae and balck buck
regression ideas
Time and solar sequences
agroforesry
powerline ideas
Cason's work
forest plans
rangers
profitable forests
wildlife forests
white pine weevil and Jack's studies relative to injury/damage
fire policy and our experiences
malathion study and isotope scare
boll weevil control and subsequent loss of cotton crop value due to excessive supplies
the way we want to manage - technomogy, aids, etc.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Further Pine work........
This chapter is based on field form inputs of county or whether area is judged to be within a coastal plain, then sections of the following are printed based on the entries. The section is under development and suggested future development is within "Cold Fusion" software.
One recent analysis noted that of the 160 million of acres in southern US forests, over 8 million acres are bare or poorly stocked and must be planted to pine and another 16 million acres are ready for conversion from low-grade hardwoods to pines (McClurkinn and Duffy 1975:315).
The efforts to do so involve root-raking, disking, chopping, bedding, prescribed fire, fertilizers, herbicides, and combinations of these. The sets of practices may significantly change soil and water quality on any tract ... virtually on 15% of the forest land of the southern US. The potential effects include:
- Compaction
- Destruction of soil structure
- Reduction of infiltration
- Increase in surface runoff
- Erosion increase on bare soil
- The climate at the soil surface may be changed by removal of the cover
- The climate below the soil surface may be changed
- The C/N ratio is greatly changed by incorporating fresh organic matter into the soil
- Acid released by decomposition of vegetation
- Nutrients leached by increased acidity
- Increased soil weathering
- Increased release of plant nutrients from weathering of soil
- Released soil nutrients change the quality of ground water and surface water.
- Increased stream sediment loads
If coastal plain then print:
Prescribed fires, even repeatedly used, do not substantially damage the physical soil properties. (Severe wildfires, as opposed to prescribed burns, can be expected to increase soil erosion significantly.
Forest fertilization can:
Surface Water Quality
If Coastal Plain
Concentrates of N and P in water leaving undisturbed pine plantations on steep areas may be from 0.08 ppm NO3 - N and 0.011 ppm of P. In complex forested and cropped watersheds, the concentrations are 0.16 to 0.24 ppm NO3 - N and 0.033 to 0.045 ppm P. (McC and D 1975)
Sediment
If Coastal Plain
Sediment yields from severely-eroded watersheds stabilized by planted pines are only 67 kg / ha and rarely exceed 224 kg / ha.
Conversion of low-value hardwoods to pine forests by extensive cultural practices increases yields from 167 to 324 kg / ha. By comparison, agricultural soil losses may be 11,000 kg / ha annually. Small terraced watersheds with grassed waterways may lose 13,500 kg / ha.
Go to top of page.