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--001a11415dc2fa282605697e68d5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =E2=80=8B "doing less can scarcely translate into doing more". YT DW Think about it: Nature works best without us on a regular basis. These are philosophical management issues (e.g. Muir versus Gifford Pinchot) but they have real diversity implications as well as time, effort and carbon costs. Your carbon analysis is wanting. Hill On Tue, Apr 10, 2018 at 10:08 AM, David <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: > Hi Nick & All, > I agree that death of Hemlock stands is no cause for alarm, because > plants tend to generate conditions more favorable for other species, but > one should try to use any development to advantage; by intervention if > applicable. > With respect to the following > "... obviously the less we do and the more we let succession regenerate a > fast growth of new trees to mop up mineralized nutrients, tie up more > carbon all amid the existing carbon in the old hemlock, the more we are > doing our part for slowing climate change..." > doing less can scarcely translate into doing more. > The notion that forests just keep capturing carbon if left alone is > wishful thinking. If Hemlock in the affected areas die then all of their > carbon, trunk, root and branch will eventually be released as CO2. This > will no doubt be a slow process because Hemlock is rot resistant, but > release is certain. > ASSUMING DEATH OF MANY HEMLOCK IN A RELATIVELY PURE STAND--- > I agree that succession, with rapid growth of young trees, will in > time offset this release so it makes sense to act in ways which will enab= le > this with minimum delay. The C/N ratio of wood is high so much dead wood > implies a N shortage for decades. About half of this carbon is undergroun= d > and beyond practicable removal. But above ground wood can readily be > removed so, where feasible, it makes sense to use it. Cut the dead trees, > chunk, split and pile in the woods with bark removed and use for firewood > locally in later years as substitute for fossil fuels. [The bark of Hemlo= ck > is readily removed when split.] Every stick of firewood, burned for heat, > can represent that much less fossil fuel burned for that purpose. > An you indicate, when many trees of a stand die in a region subject t= o > leaching one may expect loss of mobile nutrients as decomposition of soil > organic components continues in the absence of uptake. A scattering of > seeds, such as Buckthorn, would minimize this. > If the affected Hemlock are in relatively pure stands then selective > removal trees most affected would make sense. > Yt, DW, Kentville > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Nick Hill" <fernhillns@gmail.com> > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Sent: 4/10/2018 6:57:54 AM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Meeting > > Condolences, John. Hemlock is one of our most beautiful shade tolerant > long lived trees and it sets the structure of many ravines, riparian > forests and old growths. > I'd advise caution, however In adopting either a sanitary, a chemical or = a > treatment that uses non native biocontrols. > Wild forest management is the proper job of a forest ecologist who sees > structure, forest successional dynamics and evolution. The sky is not > falling; as I've pointed out, other areas have gone through this and > forests change and in some (many if we read the West Virginia phd) > affected forests, hemlock persists and relinquishes some of its dominance > to cherry birch, the species determined by availability in the area. Here > it will probably be yellow birch and red spruce but we will see. > > Active management makes humans and particularly those in mandated > organizations feel they are not being negligent ..due diligence etc...but > forests change and we would do best for nature to let it change and only > intervene where we think there are regeneration issues. It's a good time > to collect tree seeds, start nursery stock of yellow birch and red spruce > hobble bush mountain maple. > > The public has lost its forest commons as we cede the forest to companies > that clearcut. If we care about forests and nature, let the forests be > wild...connect up wild areas onto corridors...but don't treat wild forest > like gardens or we will be mimicking the clear cutting mentality at work = on > most of our forest commons. > > Let's have some faith in nature and not think it's helpless without us. > Holding back and not rushing to active management will be hard for people > in government and conservation organizations but succession can handle wh= at > we think is a crisis. How it handles it is the beauty and wisdom of natur= e. > > I haven't got into carbon implications but obviously the less we do and > the more we let succession regenerate a fast growth of new trees to mop u= p > mineralized nutrients, tie up more carbon all amid the existing carbon in > the old hemlock, the more we are doing our part for slowing climate > change...the more we remove and hack and burn... > > Lastly, we are in, undeniably, a time of vegetation change brought n by > climate change. Such forest changes will be opportunities for biodiversit= y > and we will witness exciting positive changes. > > Nick > > > > On Tue, Apr 10, 2018, 12:46 AM John Kearney, <john.kearney@ns.sympatico.c= a> > wrote: > >> Hi All, >> >> Our hemlock trees are in serious trouble. The culprit is an aphid >> relative, the hemlock woolly adelgid, and currently, southwest Nova Scot= ia >> is the most at threat. >> >> The Tusket River Environmental Protection Association (TREPA) will be >> sponsoring a talk by Ron Neville, Plant Health Survey Biologist of the >> Canadian Food Inspection Agency, at the Yarmouth County Museum and >> Archives, 22 Collins Street, Yarmouth >> <https://maps.google.com/?q=3D22+Collins+Street,+Yarmouth&entry=3Dgmail&= source=3Dg>, >> on Tuesday, April 10th, at 7:00 PM. All are welcome. >> >> >> > --=20 Dr. N.M.Hill Fern Hill Institute of Plant Conservation 424 Bentley Road, Berwick, NS, B0P 1E0 phone 902-698-0416 --001a11415dc2fa282605697e68d5 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:large">=E2= =80=8B <span style=3D"color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:1= 2.8px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:nor= mal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;= text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rg= b(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;= float:none;display:inline">=C2=A