4 ~ Friday, November 23, 1990 - North Shore News Foresters learning errors of plantation mentality This is the last column in a 12- part series. THE TERM ‘‘new forest- ry’’ is being used these days in academic, corporate, and government circles. The term was coined and popu- larized by Dr. Jerry Franklin from the University of Washington and “the U.S. Forest Service. I phoned Dr. Franklin to ask him what new forestry is all about. Dr. Franklin is a highly respected forester in the U.S., in Canada, and around the world. His scientific credentials are im- peccable, so his critique of current forestry practices carries the weight of his professional stature. “I'm a forester,’” he says, ‘‘so | have a right to self criticism.” He points out that some of the new forestry ideas are not new at all, but that the richness of cur- rent scientific knowledge is new. “*Research has shown us,”’ he says, ‘‘ihat forests are more com- plex and more complicated than we imagined.’ He says that old forestry theories tended to ‘‘oversimplify’’ the systems of growth in a forest, and tended to ‘“Shomogenize”’ forests into single-species planta- tion. The problem, says Dr. Franklin, is a bias toward short- term production of boards and wood fibre. ‘*Foresters have been slow to acknowledge that we have given up a lot of ecological values for production values,’’ Franklin says. “What is good for the production of wood fibre in the short run is not necessarily good for the forest as a whole over the the longer run.”* Dr. Ken Lertzman from the .Natural Resources Management Program at Simon Fraser Univer- sity agrees. ‘The heart of the new forest- ry,’” says Lertzman, is 2 shift toward ‘‘whole-forest ecosystem manageinent.”” Lertzman says that the new for- Council accepts mall alterations NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL THE CONTROVERSIAL design of the $10-million Parkgate Shop- ping Centre in the Mount Seymour Parkway area moved one step cleser to approval Monday night as North Vancouver District Council accepted some design alterations proposed by the devel- oper and, in a majority vote, agreed to consider issuance of a development permit for the pro- ject on Nov. 26. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer Community concern has focus- ed on the development’s gas sta- tion, which, as currently designed, will front on Mount Seymour Parkway. The East Seymour Community Association and residents in Roche Point have lobbied council to require the developers to design the gas station bays so that they face into the site rather than onto the parkway. Meetings between the Bon Street Group, the company devel- oping the Parkgate centre, and the district’s director of development, Richard Plunkett, fed to Mon- day’s proposals that will see the gas station building moved 10 feet further back from Mount Seymour Parkway thus allowing See Parkgate page 5 THE GOOD EARTH estry recognizes ‘timber produc- tion as a byproduct to the primary goal: sustaining biological diversi- ty and maintaining long-term ecosystem health.” A central concept of the new forestry is something that Franklin, Lertzman, and others refer to as ‘‘biological legacies,’’ those life forms and systems that are essential to the health of the forest that can be left intact by careful logging. The retention of these biological systems are the key to a new, healthier forestry. They provide the vital biological continuity that cannot be recreated in the labora- tory once it has been destroyed in the environment. Biological legacies that can be left after logging may vary from site to site, but include fallen woody debris on the ground, small understorey trees, root fungi, and invertebrates (insects, etc.) in the soil. “Partial retention,”’ explains Franklin, is a system whereby young trees are left to grow, and some large old trees are left both as seed trees and future snags, or standing, dead trees. Snags play an important role in forest ecology. They serve as food stores for woodpeckers and other birds, as animal and bird habitats, and they are broken down by in- vertebrates who chew and digest them into the myriad compounds of rich forest soil, Snags, however, can pose a safety danger to loggers, which is why they are usually taken down. However, it is possible to leave some snags, and also to leave some large green tre.» that will become future snags. Jim Pojar, forest ecologist with the Ministry of Forests in Prince Rupert, says that ‘‘biological legacies are the general theme of the new forestry. We are learning to leave components of the ecosystem behind as we harvest. Most significant,’’ says Pojar, ‘‘is preserving diversity, including tree species, brush, rotting logs, and surface organic matter. This is the capital of the soil. This is where the value comes from that we harvest and market.”’ Nitrogen-fixers are another key to forest ecology. Trees need nitrogen, but are not able to use the free nitrogen in the air. Trees require that nitrogen be made soluble in the soil. Alder trees are crucial nitrogen-fixers, but so are some of the fungi that grow in the root systems of old growth trees, The root fungi, or mycorrhiza, plays a vital role in breaking down food, supplying nitrogen to the trees, and even absorbing carbon diox- ide from the air. **Some of these fungi disappear very quickly if you eliminate their hosts,”’ explains Dr. Franklin. “*By leaving some of the host trees, we leave behind habitat for that hidden diversity, fungi and invertebrates.’’ Many pests and disease problems that have plagued foresters in the past, have been a result of destroying this vital hidden diversity. **As a forester,’’ says Dr. Franklin, ‘‘I can’t believe it took me so long to appreciate the values that these structures have in a forest. We are learning to in- tegrate ecological values with commodity sroduction. It is reinvesting as you go. It is the on- ly chance we have to even con- tinue the practice of forestry at all.” PRE-OWNED CAR. 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WANAGON. tatersttle (formerly La Belle Sole) Sunday Brunch Ham-3pm (AH day) Features Breakfast $3.00 “BEST OF BRITISH” T-Bone Steak $8.00 Per person $10.00 GRAND Parties, meetings, etc, OPENING cali to reserve BUFFET BEEF & CHICKEN DEC. 1 $15.00 ROLES $10.00 {reservations reqd.) £:30-6:30 p.m. Dine & Dance Wed.-Fri-Sat. 15th St. & Bellevue, West Van. 926-6861 PRE-CHRISTMAS SAVE Leather Goods, Luggage, Briefcases & Casuals Sale ends Sunday, Nov. 25/90 COLLACUTT LUGGAGE PARK ROYAL SOUTH Gallery level, (next to Eatons) Top of moving sidewalk Keeping trees trimmed helps keep the power on Trees add beauty, shade and privacy to our environment. But when tall-growing trees are allowed to grow near power lines, trouble begins. On average 43% of all power outages are caused by trees and branches falling on power and service lines. This percentage increases dramatically during storm conditions such as those experienced on the North Shore last winter. To reduce outages we have a Hydro vegetation program to control the trees growing along public rights- of-ways. Homeowners have an important part to play too. First, in keeping your service lines (the wires that run from the power line to your house) clear of trees, and secondly, ensuring trees on your property do not Present a hazard to nearby power lines. But beware: Don’t take risks by working near energized lines. Call a certified tree trimming company for help, or if you have any concerns about potential hazards call Hydro’s North Shore Vegetation Inspector at 293-7321. By working together, we can enjoy the natural beauty of the North Shore while minimizing the potential for service interruptions. BG hydro en proud of our Service