[NatureNS] Red Herring & Forestry - nutrient losses are

Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2015 20:23:41 +0000 (UTC)
From: David Patriquin <davidgpatriquin@yahoo.ca>
To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <001a01d13e7b$807ab540$81701fc0$@eastlink.ca>
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Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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Jamie Simpson's thorough review addresses nutrient depletion and biodiversi=
ty losses as well as carbon balances.
While in one sense David W's comments are correct in that the carbon in tre=
es had been taken out of the atmosphere before harvest and thus any return =
by burning or decomposition has already been paid for, in 2015 we have to b=
e concerned with increases in the near future, so the issue of how long it =
takes to reabsorb CO2 released by biomass burning is relevant. As well, if =
productivity declines with successive harvests, there is a net increase in =
contributions to the atmosphere.
There is abundant reason to be concerned about declining productivity of ou=
r forests associated with loss of calcium, as we have some of the most poor=
ly buffered systems in North America and Europe, and possibly for N.A., the=
 most intensive forest harvesting historically. The loss of our salmon in o=
ur rivers should have been the canary in the coal mine for our forests.=C2=
=A0
=C2=A0Barrie Goldsmith estimated in 1980 that our forests had been cut over=
 an average of 4X since the Europeans arrived, and we can probably now add =
at least 1 more to that figure. To the extent that productivity declines wi=
th each harvest, CO2 shows a net increase accordingly over the full harvest=
 cycle.
Some of the rationale for these statements at
http://versicolor.ca/biomass/docs/PatriquinUARB24July2010.pdf

&=C2=A0
http://wrweo.ca/wrweo2014/posts/2014/LetterWRWEOFeb12.pdf
My efforts to get some response from NDP and Liberal Governments =C2=A0& DN=
R on these issues have been totally futile. I am glad to East Coast Environ=
mental Law and others pursue them and to see them being discussed in this f=
orum. Now, if only a few qualified academics would follow Barrie Goldsmith'=
s lead...

      From: John and Nhung <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>
 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
 Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2015 2:47 PM
 Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Red Herring & Forestry
  =20
#yiv3934074254 #yiv3934074254 -- _filtered #yiv3934074254 {font-family:Cali=
bri;panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} _filtered #yiv3934074254 {font-family:T=
ahoma;panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}#yiv3934074254 #yiv3934074254 p.yiv393=
4074254MsoNormal, #yiv3934074254 li.yiv3934074254MsoNormal, #yiv3934074254 =
div.yiv3934074254MsoNormal {margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0=
pt;color:black;}#yiv3934074254 a:link, #yiv3934074254 span.yiv3934074254Mso=
Hyperlink {color:blue;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv3934074254 a:visited, =
#yiv3934074254 span.yiv3934074254MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple;text-de=
coration:underline;}#yiv3934074254 span.yiv3934074254EmailStyle17 {color:#1=
F497D;}#yiv3934074254 .yiv3934074254MsoChpDefault {font-size:10.0pt;} _filt=
ered #yiv3934074254 {margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}#yiv3934074254 div=
.yiv3934074254WordSection1 {}#yiv3934074254 And you=E2=80=99ve summarized t=
he fundamental ecological problem in a nutshell. =C2=A0We humans are some g=
ood at turning assets into liabilities, aren=E2=80=99t we? =C2=A0From: natu=
rens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf =
Of pce@accesswave.ca
Sent: December 24, 2015 12:56 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Red Herring & Forestry =C2=A0... but of course some=
one (Fred Schueler) did comment on this just after I hit "return". Oh well.

Peter

On 2015-12-24 12:35 PM, pce@accesswave.ca wrote:
I don't think that anyone has commented on this directly, but removing "bio=
mass" from the forest and burning it also removes nutrients from the forest=
, thus steadily empoverishing the soil. Green? Hah!=20

Peter Payzant=20


 =C2=A0=20
|    | This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Ava=
st.=20
www.avast.com  |



  
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<html><head></head><body><div style=3D"color:#000; background-color:#fff; f=
ont-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, =
sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3137"><spa=
n></span></div><div></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124">Jamie=
 Simpson's thorough review addresses nutrient depletion and biodiversity lo=
sses as well as carbon balances.</div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143=
_3124"><br></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr">Wh=
ile in one sense David W's comments are correct in that the carbon in trees=
 had been taken out of the atmosphere before harvest and thus any return by=
 burning or decomposition has already been paid for, in 2015 we have to be =
concerned with increases in the near future, so the issue of how long it ta=
kes to reabsorb CO2 released by biomass burning is relevant. As well, if pr=
oductivity declines with successive harvests, there is a net increase in co=
ntributions to the atmosphere.</div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3=
124" dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=
=3D"ltr">There is abundant reason to be concerned about declining productiv=
ity of our forests associated with loss of calcium, as we have some of the =
most poorly buffered systems in North America and Europe, and possibly for =
N.A., the most intensive forest harvesting historically. The loss of our sa=
lmon in our rivers should have been the canary in the coal mine for our for=
ests.&nbsp;</div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><b=
r></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr">&nbsp;Barri=
e Goldsmith estimated in 1980 that our forests had been cut over an average=
 of 4X since the Europeans arrived, and we can probably now add at least 1 =
more to that figure. To the extent that productivity declines with each har=
vest, CO2 shows a net increase accordingly over the full harvest cycle.</di=
v><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><br id=3D"yui_3_1=
6_0_1_1450986872143_3773"></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124"=
 dir=3D"ltr">Some of the rationale for these statements at</div><div id=3D"=
yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div id=3D"yui_3_16_=
0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><a href=3D"http://versicolor.ca/biomass=
/docs/PatriquinUARB24July2010.pdf" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3446">h=
ttp://versicolor.ca/biomass/docs/PatriquinUARB24July2010.pdf</a><br></div><=
div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div id=3D=
"yui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr">&amp;&nbsp;</div><div id=3D"y=
ui_3_16_0_1_1450986872143_3124" dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><