PenguinSunday t1_j4h17in wrote
Reply to comment by arseniobillingham21 in Honduras Loses 10% of its Forests in Just 11 Years by decorama
I live next to lands owned by Weyerhaeuser. They're all pine and nothing else. For acres and acres.
arseniobillingham21 t1_j4hc131 wrote
I found that article too, but thats about farms, which is not the same. And also, lots of natural forests have the same trees for the most part. Where I live it’s all Douglas Fir for the most part, and if you go a couple hours east, it’s all red pine. And you have to be careful about introducing new species in to a forest. New species can bring in new pests that could decimate the species that’s already there, or it could possibly take over. I’m not saying we shouldn’t strive for diversity in forests, but I can’t find any sources that it’s been an issue.
PenguinSunday t1_j4hdh84 wrote
No, they don't... farming is farming, whether it's trees or radishes. If you read the article, you'd see that pests are actually a huge danger because there aren't species that protect each other. It only takes one disease or really bad pest to wipe out an entire monoculture forest. The Pine Beetle has shown us that.
arseniobillingham21 t1_j4hphbk wrote
I just read it, and it doesn’t mention that introducing new species of trees is an option. It mainly talks about how certain species are now affected because they used to be protected by colder temperatures, but the warming climate is making them vulnerable now. And it also talks about how the beetles biology is changing. And it also talks about how it’s a huge problem for National Parks, which are natural forests, not replanted ones. Again, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have diverse forests, but you can’t just go start planting different species of trees. Introducing new tree species to a forests, to possibly reduce pests, can have unintended consequences, and completely decimate an ecosystem.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/science-spotlights/invasive-native-tree-species
Most of the forests I’ve seen in the west are naturally mostly one species. So they replant that same species. I don’t see a problem with that. If you’re cutting down a diverse forest, then yes you should replant the same species you’re cutting down. But those aren’t super common out here in the west. And the sources you’re providing don’t actually say what you’re saying they do. I think thinning is a better solution.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/thinning-forest-trees
And as long as you’re gonna compare a forest to a farm, you’re not gonna plant wheat in the middle of a corn field. You have the farm divided up in to different sections, each with their own species, almost like a forest.
PenguinSunday t1_j4hr4cd wrote
Monocropping is a pretty big reason for soil degradation and crop failures due to pests and diseases. Regenerative farming with multiple crops helps to protect then from pests and replenish the soil. The problem is that diverse forests were clearcut then replanted with only a single type of tree. The forests in my home aren't supposed to be only pine, but Weyerhaeuser kind of forced it, so that's all there is on the lands they own.
arseniobillingham21 t1_j4htcx2 wrote
I mean I’m not gonna stand here and defend Weyerhaeuser, and they definitely shouldn’t be replanting only one species if it was more diverse before. That’s one of those things that can’t be changed until somebody is brave enough to stand up to the logging industry and force them to do the things they should. My point was, you shouldn’t take a forest that’s one species(many of which are naturally that way, not because of clearcutting), and just start introducing new ones.
PenguinSunday t1_j4i90rs wrote
It's definitely about what is appropriate for each area, you're right.
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