Trees
Tuesday, 26th April 2005 by Alex Turnbull
Well here's something I didn't expect to see. Thousands of trees floating in the water as part of a logging operation on Vancouver Island. I think it's actually a strangely beautiful image (thumbnail #1). However, the whole thing becomes a little scary when you see just how many trees are involved; have a look at the number of logs being processed over in Vancouver (thumbnail #2), and there's thousands more down here.
We've also located places where trees are being cut from - for example near Baxter Park in Maine (notice the piles of logs by the side of the road), and also next to the Redwood National Park. Phil says:
This is an image of typical redwood forest clearcutting in Northern California. You can zoom out pretty far and it's still visible. Also notice that this particular location is right next to Redwood National Park -- and it's obvious from the satellite photo where the protected land begins. You can discern how recently a clear-cut was made by how green it is -- the light brown splotches are most recent. I've travelled in this place quite a bit, and the logging companies make efforts to log away from main roads & coastlines, perhaps hoping people don't notice the amount of clearcutting that still happens. They can't hide anymore.
How right you are Phil.
On a positive note however, I assume these are giant Redwood trees? Wow, they are huge! Looks like the green 'ground covering' is the top of normal sized trees, with these monsters looming above them, apparently up to 350 feet!
Thanks to Jean Lorraine, Jeff Miller, Wes, Karen Pease and Phil.
About the author
Alex has decided that his title will be Senior Vice President of Stuff.
Wow… Those Redwood trees are tall
If you scroll east of the initial bunch of logs (link 2), following the river, you’ll see an enormous number of logs spread out across the various branches of the river. just keep going east and and follow the river and the tirbutaries it breaks into. Its really mindboggling looking at the sheer numbers.
I’m no expert but I think that’s not clear-cutting. Clear-cutting leaves acres completely devoid of trees. What you’re looking at here is the more costly environmentally friendly practice of harvesting only a fraction of the trees allowing the forest to continue.
I live just a bit south from the pics and if you want to see the really huge trees your have to drive mattole road.
View Placemark
Note that just above the floating logs outside Vancouver city is the campus of the University of British Columbia.
This sat picture really demonstrates why it is considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the world: forrest on all sides, ocean on three sides, and the Pacific Coast mountains looming to the North.
True, I’m partial to the University in the first place, but anyone who has been can back me up on this one!
Adrian
Adrian, I agree with you completely. I’ve been out to UBC many times and it just incredible. I live on the North Shore and I can see UBC from my house. Sometimes just walking along the mountain, you can see UBC in the distance and it is really beautiful.
As for the clear-cutting, that is nothing really. The government hear does do clear cutting, but compared to the amount of trees we have, there is no way they can clear-cut the forests of BC. However, people protest because they normally clear-cut areas near people, not in the middle of nowhere where it would be more difficult to reach, but no protests.
I’m no expert on clearcutting either, but the redwood pics look like it to me: acres and acres of land with no vegetation. I think the Maine pics are not clearcutting, though — trees are interspersed. It looks much less intrusive to me — especially when you zoom out. If anybody has sattelite pics of bigger clearcuts, I’d love to see it.
This isn’t a political site so I’m happy to leave it at that. Those are some monsters along Mattole Rd.!
Greg is correct. Trees were put here to be cut; get over it
THE MOTHER OF ALL CLEAR CUTS.
Back when I was a UBC student – the summer after my freshman year(1987) I decided to take on what seemed like a smart idea for a summer job… go TREE PLANTING! As a CITY GIRL from the big city of Vancouver … I only lasted 7 weeks…. (eventually returning to retail @ Pacific Centre mall) – but what fun waking up to snow outside my tent on the first morning in June – and carrying 100lbs of baby trees in a backpack with a shovel -wearing really comfortable workboots (oh the blisters! – was I ever glad to return to high heels later that summer)
I will never forget the drive into the worksite in the Bowron Lake District – which is the:
****MOTHER of all CLEAR CUTS**** …a result of an infestation of the Spruce Beetle outbreak.
Some 62.5 million trees have been planted on 43,500 hectares.
(that’s alot of student jobs!)
for the full story on that SEE: http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/fetch21/Upper%20Bowron%20Spruce%20Beetle/ubsbo.htm
In any case, one of the first things on the satelite maps I checked out was this area as – & the view on google maps is amazing. I was please to see the lighter green re-growth of the area – as when I made my treck to the planting site (via my beater Honda Civic) I was in SERIOUS shock driving south of HWY 16 for a couple hours seeing nothing but clear-cut mountains every where! (at that time I had yet to learn about the beetle infestation!) Imagine nothing but burnt stumps – on barren mountains in every direction for as far as you can see! I thought I was on another planet.
I am so happy to see it’s green again.
THE MOTHER OF ALL CLEAR CUTS:
View Placemark
So ya all are wondering where that timber comes from?
The vastness of the forestry industry is amazing in British Columbia. This area shows some of the clear cuts in around Prince George BC. – But you can move in any direction to see more and more….
View Placemark
WOW that alot of trees.
They’re not acually redwoods, which inhabit California, but cedar, and other types of common trees in BC.
You will not find red wood in those log booms you see, what is loged mostly is Red cedar, Yellow cedar, Duglas Fur and spruce, In BC.
what you see in those photos is just a small spec of what is logged
Those trees are Western and Mountain Hemlocks, Grand, Douglas, and Subalpine Firs, but most are Lodgepole Pine, which is the only type of tree that the Pine Mountain Beetles are going after. You are seeing clear-cutting of Pine Beetle afflicted Lodgepole Pines because the trees rot to the point where they are useless for lumber and become a huge fire hazard within 5 or 6 years of death. So, the BC government has said that timber companies can cut all the dead Lodgepole Pines they can find (because far more die than we can harvest). And yes, living on the UBC campus I can say that it is quite beautiful.
If you look at the map that’s given it’s not even of Canada. It’s of one of the states of America. So, i don’t give alot of credibility to this blogger. That and the amount of logging done in Canada is unproportional to the amount of trees we have available. AND furthermore, once these trees are cut down, more are replanted to ensure a forest for the future. For a little known fact, for those of you concerned with global warming… young trees, about 10 years old produce more oxygen than the older 80 year old trees, the ones that we harvest in British Columbia. So, clearcutting may look terrible, but if you go back to that site 5, 10, 15 years later the amount of growth, possibility and just green that covers what was once the clear cut is astonishing. Foresters here in BC do not just cut for greed, they think, consider and replant, and take care of those forests until they are “of age” so to speak. So, do a little research before you become a “hip” environmentalist who has more ignorance and passion for protest than actual knowledge.
I’ve been looking at Google Earth quite a bit.
Many clearcut areas near Redwood National Park do show up.
There could be some confusion between the color of a meadow or small prairie and a clearcut, but it seems that clearcuts have crisp distinct boundary lines.
Cheers,
MDV
http://www.mdvaden.com/grove_of_titans.shtml