how many trees can we afford to lose?

Time to Get Busy

pics from work in tappan lake 

 

        Here it is the end of January and although I have spent quite of bit time inside, still I haven’t been writing much, at least on here. On Facebook it has been business as usual, at times I write quite a bit in response to a fb post , but most of the time I spend reading and posting those things I feel are relevant to my life. I share with others and they seem to like what I pick and may not always see to my point of view. But then again we wouldn’t need 32 different kinds of cars if everyone felt the same way. One would surely do to please all, but this isn’t usually the case.

       But in the process of writing here lately I have found myself getting real sloppy in my English usage. Catching myself in the, their, there usage trap and always trying to decide if I am using the right two, to , too , usage based on my sentence. Also misspelling quite a bit, I just wonder if it is because I am getting sloppy or forgetful, or maybe too much of a hurry. I guess it may also to be attributed to being too lax in my writing effort. I have started and never finished quite a few blogs, and their relevancy now is dated , but still I never posted I guess because I just didn’t like the way they sounded. 

pics taken from work in tappan lake (working on a sunday)

 

      So today mom and I managed to get out and enjoy a long ride to no particular place in mind when we left, but soon had a cup of coffee and an agreed destination in mind. We drove south through Carrollton and further south to Scio and then over the hill from Scio to Tappan lake. Most of this trip was to see how the landscape is being transformed from the installation of oil wells and gas, lines and a new processing plant that converts natural gas collected from the oil wells and transported through the gas lines to the facility just outside of Scio for processing into lp gas that will be shipped to the Ohio river and down the Mississippi to New Orleans to be placed on a ship for transportation to China or at least that is the story i have heard.

     We passed numerous oil well sites in Harrison County around Tappan and Clendenning lake region. Also in the Tappan Lake we noticed a flurry of activity in an area where the water had been drawed down to for winter storage and to make room for spring rains. It looked as though the oil well companies or pipeline companies were in the process of removing a substantial amount of sedimentation in the upper regions of the lake. This is on the road to the marina and swimming area where camping is usually going on in the winter. My best guess is that one reason they were removing such large amounts of sedimentation was to make room for more water to use in their fracking operations as I have seen that Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District  they had an agreement with one of the oil companies. Second reason I see is for installation of another gas line across the bottom of the lake tying into more gas wells and lines installed to the Scio processing facility.

     Can’t say this is bad or good, the gas lines are taking a pretty huge gouge out of the established forests in the Harrison county area. As well, power lines bringing necessary electric to power new facilities at Scio has also made a huge environmental impact. in my opinion and after seeing all these right of ways being installed and knowing they are not going to be too crazy about letting trees grow back, also with new construction in other areas, our trees are really taking a hit statewide when you consider all construction, as well look at all the utility companies and their right of way clearing and also their mining activities where large expanses of land are cleared and stripped for the coal to power our electric generators. I feel an assessment of the number of mature trees needs to be done prior to any project commencing and should be included in all plans to determine the number of trees lost. The project can go head when there is a plan to replace trees 2 for 1 in all projects. This can be on your own land or it can be on rented land, but that area is to be set aside for twenty years before you can cut any. 

i think they call this a feller buncher as it actually wraps around a tree and then grabs it, holds it steady and then cuts it off at the base and then lays the tree on its side and removes the limbs by running it back and forth in those wheels and then cuts off the log to length  

      With global warming and other factors affecting our climate and the air we breathe, I think it is important to reverse this trend of stripping our forests from our state. If cost is a consideration in this policy of replacing trees, we have to look at what deforestation of Ohio has cost us in lost resources back to the beginning of the industrial revolution. We have nothing but second growth forests and these are on a 20 year cycle of harvesting. The trees are not nearly as big as they once were with some varieties like the elm dying out along with the American chestnut. Look at all of the stripping that has been done and even though they have to reclaim land it is not being placed back into trees like it once was. This leads to increased flooding concerns as forests tend to soak up rainfall a lot quicker than open fields with sparse vegetation as we have in reclaimed strip mine lands. 

     other logging equipment in tappen lake marina area where they harvesting timber. 

     If cost is a factor then that should be a factor in determining whether a project is really worth it, it will force capitalists to invest in property that is bare or already developed and replant with trees. Land that is already developed would be excluded except for the 2 for 1 would still be in effect for any tree taken down or removed from the property, no assessment is needed to plant trees. Although the soil and water conservation district must certify the location to prevent harvesting of timber in the 20 year time frame it is supposed to remain as a an improved forest. This is all do-able from the standpoint of implementation.

    We have conservationists in the soil and water conservation districts that could oversee any plans and inspect to assure that the goals are being met. It will increase employment opportunities for field crews to plant trees and establish preserves. All this work could be a tax incentive allowing companies to offset the cost of planting and creating forests for future use. Plans still have to approved before doing any work , and in these plans they must have a replanting schedule indicating where they plant to plant trees to replace those taken out, when the work will commence, and it must commence within six months of plan approval to give time for a fall or spring planting  for optimal growth. Also all forest plots need to be recognized by signage and a warning to not cut any trees from that plot. A fine should be assessed for early removal equal to the value of the trees taken. 

  

 i told them to smile i was going to take their picture , they just looked at me like i was the dumbass

     The end result of these actions will have beneficial advantages beyond saving trees. It will help replace habitat for species that are being driven out of their natural homes. It should help slow the growth and make those capitalists who feel they need a project to survive, to be more responsible for the environmental consequences of a project beyond current regulations. It will help increase our reserve of forests and make Ohio a leader in reducing our co2 by locking it into wood as it once was before the industrial revolution. It will provide jobs for replanting efforts, and will make marginal land an option for replanting as in the case of reclaimed strip mine land. The forest habitat will also reduce soil loss, and the decaying organic matter will hold water reducing the likelihood of drought consequences as opposed to low quality reclaimed strip mine land. The likelihood of flash floods would be reduced also as the trees roots would lock and impede the straight flow of rainwater down a steep slope.

      There are many advantages to the 2 for 1 rule in reducing our destruction of forests and it would also increase our replanting of lost forest reserves for a positive effect. Those seeking projects where tree destruction is inevitable will surely conserve on their space requirements but in the end will oppose strongly against the rule. Yet they are the ones that in most cases are the ones most responsible for forest destruction. This will only make them responsible from here on out.

      Gooser is still doing fine and appears to be using his leg more. I doubt if he will ever return to what he once as but have plans to keep him in an enclosed shelter to protect him from hurting his leg again. He just isn’t very good at flying and not being able to run around like he did will make him fatter. Not a great life but better than coyote bait. Hopefully if he gets outside he can call the ducks up to visit him. He hears them at times and his barking can be heard through the house as he calls out to them. Everything else is going good on the farm. Working with my nephew selling some wood and also trying to accumulate logs for my house, and trying to get a band saw going are just a few things I have been working on. Hard to do much outside with this cold, but hopefully the worse is over. I think this will go down as a too mild winter.