A logging operation in Headwaters State Forest, including 51 acres of clearcut land that will be replanted in the winter, sparks a debate over tree removal
I think what's lost in this conversation is that a plantation forest of a single tree species with almost no herbaceous layer and very low biodiversity was removed and a mixed forest of native species will take its place. Regardless of how it looks, this is a win for biodiversity.
You're absolutely right. . "Chad Hanson, a widely published researcher of forest ecosystems and the director of the California-based John Muir Project, said that “clearcutting is not an ecologically sound or defensible practice.” It does nothing that nature cannot accomplish better over time, he added, and “my recommendation is this: do nothing.”
This from a Californian because they have done such a wonderful job at managing their forests - not.
Last week I went exploring with my dear friend Brenda Wiley in Headwaters State Forest. I use the word exploring as the area is generally undeveloped with relatively no official trails nor parking. This is precisely the way we like it, therefore, we tread lightly exploring the fragile ecosystem along the creeks and waterfalls.
Headwaters is a relatively new park and it is exactly as the name might suggest, as the mountain streams flow off the mountain from Gladys Fork and into the watershed of the surrounding area and eventually into South Carolina.
When I returned to my car after my hike, if you could only imagine my dismay when I looked across from where I had parked to see the entire mountainside void of trees and clear cut, without a single sapling left standing. The area is truely remote and pristine, so I had not noticed at first when I approached to park as I was focused on parking on the left side of the road since there is no parking nor facilities.
The entire area is extremely fragile as some of the mosses and lichens that grow in or near the mountain streams are rare and can take hundreds of years to grow. Yet they will be destroyed in days with this kind of irresponsible clear cutting. The fact is whether for profit or “to restore balance” it is naive to believe that clear cutting White Pines and leaving nothing but stumps will protect the diverse ecosystem. It will take decades for any trees to reach full maturity to protect the fragile plants and watershed, meanwhile the damage cannot be undone.
Will I be back to Headwaters, well that’s tough one?
Honestly I don’t know if my stomach can handle it! Especially when viewed from the air!
Attached are some pictures taken directly above both clear cut areas, which show the devastation and the subsequent erosion and drainage into the fragile mountain streams of Headwaters State Forest.
Clearcutting is rarely, if ever, best practice. There is definitive research about the negative impacts of clear cutting on ecosystems, especially wildlife displacement, particulate runoff and opportunities for invasive species. It is typically not ecologically effective to "replace" one forest with another.
Good Article!!! You would think by now there would be more definitive science about clearcutting as there is about prescribed burns.
I think what's lost in this conversation is that a plantation forest of a single tree species with almost no herbaceous layer and very low biodiversity was removed and a mixed forest of native species will take its place. Regardless of how it looks, this is a win for biodiversity.
You're absolutely right. . "Chad Hanson, a widely published researcher of forest ecosystems and the director of the California-based John Muir Project, said that “clearcutting is not an ecologically sound or defensible practice.” It does nothing that nature cannot accomplish better over time, he added, and “my recommendation is this: do nothing.”
This from a Californian because they have done such a wonderful job at managing their forests - not.
Anytime Man says he can do a better job managing Nature than Nature can, be skeptical, very skeptical.
Last week I went exploring with my dear friend Brenda Wiley in Headwaters State Forest. I use the word exploring as the area is generally undeveloped with relatively no official trails nor parking. This is precisely the way we like it, therefore, we tread lightly exploring the fragile ecosystem along the creeks and waterfalls.
Headwaters is a relatively new park and it is exactly as the name might suggest, as the mountain streams flow off the mountain from Gladys Fork and into the watershed of the surrounding area and eventually into South Carolina.
When I returned to my car after my hike, if you could only imagine my dismay when I looked across from where I had parked to see the entire mountainside void of trees and clear cut, without a single sapling left standing. The area is truely remote and pristine, so I had not noticed at first when I approached to park as I was focused on parking on the left side of the road since there is no parking nor facilities.
The entire area is extremely fragile as some of the mosses and lichens that grow in or near the mountain streams are rare and can take hundreds of years to grow. Yet they will be destroyed in days with this kind of irresponsible clear cutting. The fact is whether for profit or “to restore balance” it is naive to believe that clear cutting White Pines and leaving nothing but stumps will protect the diverse ecosystem. It will take decades for any trees to reach full maturity to protect the fragile plants and watershed, meanwhile the damage cannot be undone.
Will I be back to Headwaters, well that’s tough one?
Honestly I don’t know if my stomach can handle it! Especially when viewed from the air!
Attached are some pictures taken directly above both clear cut areas, which show the devastation and the subsequent erosion and drainage into the fragile mountain streams of Headwaters State Forest.
Capt. John Podlewski
Clearcutting is rarely, if ever, best practice. There is definitive research about the negative impacts of clear cutting on ecosystems, especially wildlife displacement, particulate runoff and opportunities for invasive species. It is typically not ecologically effective to "replace" one forest with another.