assessment of sustainability of our forests

Southern Forest Resource Assessment

 Below is the original wording of one of the preliminary questions and public suggestions or concerns submitted about it--for details see our Public Input or Methods pages
 
 

"How has forest management and access shaped terrestrial ecosystems in the South?"
  1. Southern forests are becoming more fragmented due to both development and increased cutting. This fragmentation favors some species while harming others. What are the costs of increased fragmentation? How fragmented are Southern forests now? How is that likely to change? What are the effects of increased of increased fragmentation? Are there some animals that will be disproportionately affected? What policies decrease fragmentation? How will Threatened or Endangered species be affected by increased fragmentation?
  2. Have a naturally regenerated category of lands split into two components; successional (abandoned agriculture) and regrowth (following harvest).
  3. Lists of negative and positive impacts forest management, conversion and loss have on various species.
  4. The Assessment should use caution in using the term "fragmentation." The term has been broadly used to criticize forest road construction. If the term is used at all, it should be carefully defines. The Assessment should only use scientifically based data to support its interpretation of forest fragmentation.
  5. Are the current ecosystem management practices and forest access plans balanced in an approach that supports biodiversity and the long term needs of species?
  6. There are highways and roads being expanded and is a source of further fragmentation in the forest. This means that generalist plant and animals species will benefit while those who are specialists, are on the edge of their geographical distribution, those that depend on shade, those that depend on moisture, those that depend on non-fragmentation, and those that depend on old growth will disappear.
  7. There has been massive type conversion on public lands and on private lands there has been mining of trees.
  8. There is intensive management with 25 year rotations for sawtimber pine, 40 year rotations for hardwoods 10-15 year rotations for pulp pine, herbiciding, fertilizing, wood chipping, use of tops and limbs of trees so there is even a dearth of small coarse woody debris much less large coarse woody debris, logging with no replanting or natural reseeding, massive roading, huge areas on public lands crisscrossed with ORV trails and erosion impacts, logging of riparian areas, removal of coarse woody debris and snags as salvage, and even-age logging which is causing sedimentation.
  9. Look at use of upland areas, not just wetlands--assess vulnerability to habitat fragmentation among species and assess functionality of corridors.
  10. Roads in forests should be routed to least impact the surrounding watersheds. Some areas that are too rough, or of a delicate or beautiful nature, should not be made accessible to vehicle traffic.
  11. Assessment should also analyze how forest management improves wildlife habitat, wood quality, and productivity of the overall Southern forest resource.
  12. Roads, logging access routes, and utility rights-of-way (pipelines, powerlines, petroleum-industry canals, etc.) have increased the amount of edge within forested tracts, thereby increasing human-related disturbances to area-sensitive species.
  13. Reverse the trends towards isolated forest fragments and towards excessive road construction while increasing the area of natural forest.
  14. How have forest management and access shaped the health and ecological sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems, and what are the potential future directions?
  15. What is the history, status and likely future condition of bottomland hardwood fragmentation and its impact on plants and animals in the ecosystem?
  16. Conversion of forestland to non-forest uses constitutes the biggest threat for forest fragmentation, with associated negative effects on the forests and associated resources.
  17. Consider the effects of forest land of other proximate land uses and include "buffer zone" planning in your planning effort.
  18. Existing forest fragmentation has already resulted in alarming decreases numbers of these songbirds: the wood thrush population is declining at an annual rate of 4 percent. This decline is linked to deforestation both here and in Latin America.
  19. Essentially these scientists are saying that the present process permits far too much destruction for scientific analysis to keep up with the increased loss of wildlife and plants to habitat fragmentation, loss, and modification.
  20. Case Study: What will be the cumulative impact on forest resources of planned federal highway projects such as Interstate 69, the NAFTA Highway?
  21. What is the impact on the wildlife and wildlife habitat of both large clearcuts and smaller clearcuts?
  22. What is the impact on the wildlife and the wildlife habitat of replacing a diverse hardwood forest with a monoculture pine plantation?
  23. What is the impact on wildlife, such as neo-tropical song birds, by the fragmentation caused by chip mills?
  24. While the short term effect of a clearcut is to increase the browse for deer and turkey, what is the long term effect of a clearcut on these species?
  25. It is essential that the assessment document the potential effects of existing, increased and decreased levels of active forest manipulation on wildlife populations. Although harvest pressure may increase on lands in the south, pressure to NOT manage may also increase and both directions have consequences to wildlife.
  26. What is the effect of increased clearcutting on plants and animals that depend o mature forested habitats? Will damage to plant and animal species be considered, particularly rare & endangered?
  27. What is the cumulative effect of shortened rotations and increased clear-cutting to feed growing demands for paper and chip board on species of plants and animals that depend on mature forest habitats?
  28. The cumulative effect of monoculture plantations, shortened rotations, and increased clearcutting on both plant and animal species dependent on mature forested habitats.
  29. Other publications of the World Wildlife Fund reporting on their research regarding the impacts of forest fragmentation.
  30. How do the soils respond to attempts to stabilize them on various degrees of slope after harvest and road building? Harvest sites on various soils and slopes should be studied. Document the results of actual attempts by loggers to sow roads, skid trails, and log landings. Attempt to sow areas of various slopes and document the success or reasons for the failure.
  31. What effect has logging had on the RTE terrestrial plant and animal species in the area? What species have been extirpated from the area? What critical habitats have been lost? What species and habitats will be lost under various scenarios of increased demand for wood?
  32. What is the effect of various forest management techniques (i.e.. No cutting vs. single tree selection vs. clearcutting) on the viability of populations of forest species? Consider all subterranean, terrestrial, and aquatic flora and fauna including micro organism, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates.
  33. Allowing ATV access degraded the forest trails. The timber cutting and road building have divided up the forest into 'tree farms'.
  34. Fragmentation will result in a compromised genetic structure which will over time weaken the stability and integrity of the biotic community. A new paradigm is needed which values and protects the habitats not only for the animals and plants but in recognition of how reliant we are on these systems for our own psychological and physical well being.
  35. What is the impact of I-69 and the extension of I-49 have on the Southeast forest?
  36. Should there be restrictions on the use of motorized recreation on public lands? The demands made on public lands for motorized recreation are entirly too taxing. Restrictions on RV use MUST be broadened, even to the extent of ending most RV use on public lands other than on existing paved roads (even there, limits on the number of vehicles should be made).
  37. How has road construction (both forest management-related roads and nonforest management-related roads) affected forest fragmentation? What effects on wildlife?
  38. It would be great to have some diverse and natural forests in this part of the country to be able to hike through and imagine, this must have been the way it was before.
  39. I was appointed to the Governors Council on Greenways and Trails last year to develop a plan to preserve and protect our natural areas. In my mind this is one of the largest threats our forests have ever encountered and nothing is being done to stop it. This approach is different than anything anyone has ever seen. Get in, take everything and get out before anyone notices. YOU HAVE TO NOTICE AND PUT SOME RULES IN PLACE. BETTER YET STOP IT.
  40. The fact that we could allow a chipmill, which employs only half a dozen people, could be allowed to do the practices that they do is unacceptable.
  41. The current forest feeding frenzy of the southeast US is not unique. The industries only want as much as they can get, as fast and cheap as they can get it, with as few restrictions and obligations possible and maximum profit for the fewest people. The citizens would like some balance, sustainability, and quality of life.
  42. What is the cumulative impact on T&E and sensitive species, and mast dependent species and seed dispursers, from fragmentation, invasive edge species, predation, severely reduced mast production from increased levels of immature forests, herbicide and pesticide use, drift, fallout, and runoff, ORV infestations, acidification, climate change influences, chipping industry infestations, introduced exotic pests, pathogens, and plants, ecosystems simplification, ozone gas poisoning, sprawl, agricultural clearing, pine farming, and other current and reasonably foreseeable assaults?
  43. What are the implications of extirpation of salamanders, amphibians, decomposer species, seed dispersers, and other "lesser" non-charismatic fauna? What are expected recovery times for biodiversity in clearcut areas to pre-clearcut levels? How many species can recover to pre-cut levels and how many would be permanently extirpated?
  44. Allowing ATV access degraded the forest and trails. The timber cutting and road building have divided up the forest into 'tree farms’.
  45. In Arkansas, forest management has obliterated the forest. I took my wife on a drive several years ago to show her where I hunted as a boy. I cried! when I saw thousand of acres of hillsides without a single tree left standing. This is unacceptable! I am adamantly opposed to this type of operation and oppose the building of roads into forested areas.
  46. To date the practices of tree farming in the South have posed a great threat to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Monoculture has created weaken gene pools in tree species making them susceptible to disease and more vulnerable to fires, soil erosion, storm damage, etc. Songbird declines for example are in evidence in part(along with other threats in ecosystems North and South) due to the trend towards monoculture in forestry.
  47. What is the impact of I-69 and the extension of I-49 have on the Southeast forest?
  48. Halting further fragmentation of habitat & developing wildlife corridors between existing habitats.
  49. Fragmentation of habitat, decline in forest & wildlife health and wellbeing, further extinction of species, ecological decline associated with air & water poluttion, climatic disruption, and ozone depletion.
  50. Is the ``access'' related to forest management or to broader, more general transportation needs? Be sure to distinguish between these primary bases for the access.
  51. What if access to public lands was halted - what effect would this have on ecosystems, T&E habitats, etc.?
  52. Look at Haul Roads and utilities (right of way) constructed on forest.
  53. What is the experience in Southern States relative to BMP effectiveness?
  54. Slopes and cutting - should require adherence to BMPs!
  55. Look at localized effects when BMP’s are not followed and project increased damage of increased harvest activities.
  56. Why changes in the loss of public access to private land.
  57. Tort reform ® regarding access to encourage multiple use ® income to landowners.
  58. What are barriers to additional recreation opportunities on forest land?
  59. What are barriers to additional recreation opportunities on private forest land?
  60. Depreciative activities (e.g., trash dumping, trespass, etc.).
  61. Many forest managers of the past focused on single specie timber production and game animal stocks. They also pushed for larger and larger equipment and hauling limits, till we are at the point that now they must exceed sustainable growth to pay for the equipment. A vicious cycle that is forcing the smaller wood lot owner operator out of business. Bigger is not better and the more rapidly grown timber is not as valuable. Access and haul roads have escalated in size and numbers to the point of being ridiculous. Part of SR #1105, between Maysville and Croatan has more hard gravel width than Interstate 40 – Why! Another traditional item that needs changing is the way haul roads were built. Digging a canal and piling up the soil to elevate a section caused the cleared width to be excessive and created a diversion for both surface and subsurface drainage. These wide roads cause forest fragmentation, which is deadly to non-game wildlife. Clear-cutting, I know, is in some ways better because it helps prevent permanent haul roads, but we still need to find a better way.
  62. Effects of roads on species populations and habitat.
  63. Impact by providing public access to forestland (i.e. trash dumping, poaching, trespassing).
  64. Evaluate lack of roads for fire fighting, I&D.
  65. Is road revegetation an answer to improve wildlife habitat?
  66. Impacts of fragmentation of forestlands by road building.
  67. Impacts of road building on wildlife populations.

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Question as revised in response to these comments

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  modified: 1-MAR-2000
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