Posted on 09/10/2018 6:34:12 AM PDT by Enterprise
Most people think—and charlatan environmentalists are happy to reinforce the impression—that deforestation is taking place on a massive scale, that the world is literally going to run out of trees. I have noted from time to time the data from the United Nations Global Forest Resource Assessment (UNGFRA) that has found that deforestation stopped at least 25 years ago, and that net reforestation has been taking place.
But the UN data is not as good as one would like. This week, however, Naturemagazine published a major new studywith much more precise measurements and analysis than the UNGFRA based on 35 years’ worth of satellite imagery, and it finds that since 1982 global forest cover has increasedby 7.2 percent, or 2.24 million kilometers.
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
I have been told that there is as much forest/treed land in Massachusetts as there was in 1620. This may be happening all over New England and especially in western New York state.
I dunno about “as much as in 1620”, but compared to 1890 or so, it’s probably orders of magnitude greater. All you need to do to determine that, is drive through the state on back roads, and note all the low hand-stacked stone walls running through the trees. All those walls delineated meadows and farmed fields that are now long-overgrown with large trees.
CO2 is FOOD!
#PLANTSBREATHETOO
In NH it goes something like this. In 1870 NH was 80% CLEARED of forest for farming, even the white mountains. 100 years later it was just the opposite 80% forested. All the smart farmers moved to Iowa, Indiana, etc.
In the last thirty plus years the amount of trees in the US has increased. The problem out in the western US there is not enough timber being cut on state and federal lands. This lack of clearing dead and dying timer has contributed to the major forest fires we are seeing today in CA, WA, OR, MT, CO.
After driving an hour through forest on blacktop, we entered the backwoods and drove for several hours in thick forest.
We saw 5 or so camps on leased land and less than 10 humans, mostly on ATVs in about 5 hours of driving.
Thanks to modern technology, I now know exactly where Squeeze Hole Brook and Slewgundy are.
We found a road that hadn't been used in years that brought us within a mile and a half of the Hand.
We probably could have gotten within a half a mile, but it was getting late, and if we had a breakdown or got stuck, didn't want to have to deal with it in the dark.
You can't stop the trees from growing in the northeast. Stop mowing your lawn for a few years and you will be overrun with trees.
Now that we know roughly where to go, next time we'll bring one of our Unimogs.
We had supper at the Trading Post restaurant, just across the border on Route 16 in Maine. I ate there many, many years ago, when 16 was a dirt road.
If one were to take 16 either to 17 and go south, or stay on 16, there are vistas where you can get a slight idea of the vast woods in that area.
Pave the Rainforest!
He is from NJ, and retired here many years ago, but had never gotten much off the beaten path.
He was amazed at the views where you could see three mountain ranges away, all forest.
What kind of trees grow in NH and Maine? I am in Oregon, our main tree “crop” is Douglas Fir trees. My county, in southern Oregon is the number one grower of Doug fir trees in the world. All we have to do is manage our forest better, by not treating trees like animals or humans.
I’m in the hills on the east side of the Willamette Valley, midway between Eugene and Salem. Trees grow around here whether you want them to or not. Mostly Douglas Fir, with a few pines.
There is a huge Weyerhauser tree farm just 1/2 a mile east. All Douglas Fir.
You are correct. Here in Connecticut you can go into almost any wooded area and find rock walls.
Why are there rock walls in the middle of the woods? Because the rocks were removed 100 or 200 years ago from the surrounding area to make a field for crops. No crops, forest grows back. We have more trees here now then in the 1800’s
Natural tree species in NH & ME:
Eastern White Pine (same species as Idaho White Pine)
Eastern Hemlock
Balsam Fir
Red Pine
Black Spruce
White Spruce
Red Spruce
Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar
Red Oak, White Oak, Black Oak, Pin Oak
Sugar Maple, Red Maple,
Quaking Aspen
Black Cherry
White Ash
Paper Birch, Yellow Birch
Black Walnut
American Beech
There might be a couple I missed. However, these are the predominant commercial species that have grow here since the Pilgrims arrived.
The big lumber species are White Pine, Sugar Maple and Red Oak.
Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock are the predominate coastal species. There is a little Sitka Spruce growing up on the Olympic. South and east of you there is Grand Fir and White Fir. Farther east there will be Western Larch, Engleman Spruce and Lodgepole Pine. The biggest species east of the Cascades is Ponderosa Pine. This ends up in all your millwork items like doors and windows.
"Global bare ground cover has decreased by 1.16 million km2 (−3.1%), most notably in agricultural regions in Asia." Chinese leaving the farms and heading into the cities? It has been the largest total migration in human history.
"Consistently across all climate domains, montane (mountainous) systems have gained tree cover and many arid and semi-arid ecosystems have lost vegetation cover."
I bought some land in NW Connecticut that was previously a farm , the house and barn had been torn down in the 1920’s . The owners had pictures from when they had lived there. Except for a couple of Large oaks it was all pasture . When I bought it all of it was forested, and I mean complete and thick woods. So from no trees in the 20’s to thick forest in 60 years. Amazing.
After reading all the comments,the lesson I’m learning from this is....cut more trees,have less forest fires. Seems simple enough.
Fake News!
Those walls delineated New Hampshire's famed "Rock Farms". ;)
Deforestation was one of the primary causes of wildfires 8n NH in the late 1800.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.