Big, Old Trees in Decline Worldwide

[Big Bad Voodoo]

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3856-big-trees-in-decline.html

Big trees are in decline for a number of reasons, including logging and clearing of land for agriculture, introduction of non-native insects or pathogens (an example being chestnut blight), past management practices (for example, fire exclusion that has led to denser forests, which can be more vulnerable to insect outbreaks and severe fires), air pollution and climatic changes.

[BNDGK]

Wow. Is all that paper used in Europe? Or is it just deported to other countries?

Edited December 12, 2012 by BNDGK

[Keel M.]

Sequoias and Red Woods are doing just fine out west.

[Rafterman]

I love big trees just as much as the next guy, but isn't this more of an emotional and aesthetic issue than it is an environmental issue?

Is it better to have one 200-year-old redwood tree or 50 acres of fast growing white pine that is cut and replanted every 20 years?

[Guest]

I love big trees just as much as the next guy, but isn't this more of an emotional and aesthetic issue than it is an environmental issue?

Is it better to have one 200-year-old redwood tree or 50 acres of fast growing white pine that is cut and replanted every 20 years?

It depends on your pespective. If your an economists and everything is reduced down to its monitary value then your argument would seem to have value.

However the real situation is that woodcrops, as you describe, are virtual environmental deserts compared to a stand of old growth native trees. Loss of biodiversity and its knock on effects on human services is one of the single greatest threats we face as a species.

Br Cornelius

[Ashotep]

Hardwoods make better lumber than that soft pine. The decline in hardwood is going to be the problem. Pine trees are almost weeds. Let them log the pine but leave the hardwood alone unless there's a good reason to cut it not involving money.

[whitelight]

I'm 50. I've lived all those years near or in the woods. And, in my opinion, you are all *** stupid.

[Big Bad Voodoo]

I'm 50. I've lived all those years near or in the woods. And, in my opinion, you are all *** stupid.

Judging on your last sentence maybe its time that you get out from the wood and start to talk with people.

[Keel M.]

I have to agree with the L on that statement. There's absolutely no reason for you to make such a comment other than to troll a thread.

[Ashotep]

I can tell just from my own area that there is a decline in hardwood trees. Maybe where you come from whitelight things haven't changed much but in the rest of the world it has. Sometimes wisdom does not come with age.

[Doug1029]

The tallest species of tree is the Jarrah (Eucalytus marginata) of Australia, which commonly reaches heights of 140 meters. Height seems to be limited by the distance tree cells can draw water.

The thickest species of tree is the Kauri (Agathis australis) on the North Island of New Zealand which commonly reaches 7 meter diameters to extends to heights of 50 meters with no measureable taper.

The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron gigantea of Sequioa National Park in California achieves the greatest volume at 5500 cubic meters.

And, yes. People are cutting down the oldest trees for building material and charcoal.

Doug

[freetoroam]

Big, old trees are in decline throughout the world, which spells trouble for the forests in which they play such an important role, a new study finds.

These elders of the forest do many things that smaller, younger trees cannot; for example, providing homes for many types of animals, providing space for other plants to grow in tropical rainforests and producing large amounts of seeds that serve as food for other animals and replenish tree populations, according to the study, published today (Dec. 6) in the journal Science.

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The day the property developers start caring about the animals of our World, will be the day they stop chopping down anything which gets in their way...............saying that, the property developers will keep on building as long as man keeps on breeding and demanding more housing.

I just can not understand how men were ever allowed to even start chopping their way through the rain forests so freely with absolutely no consideration of the effect it would have......money hey!!!!

[AsteroidX]

Have you cut down a tree lately. I cut up a few downed trees for firewood this year. But they had been blown down by the bad snow storm we had.

Hemp makes better paper

[Guest]

The main threat in Europe is through international trade in timber products. Almost all major species groups are threatened by debilitating fungal diseases. Back in the 1970's Britain and Ireland lost almost all their Elms to Dutch elm disease. The same thing is going to happen to the Ash which will likely be all but gone by the end of the decade. Oak has serious disease issues.

Causes;

-general stress caused by

-climate change

- drought

- pollution

-isolation and decrepitude with little recruitment of new trees and no serious expanses of semi-natural woodland

-exotic disease's

Tree plagues have occurred throughout history but the frequency was such that species rebound from low points. Now days a tree has no sooner recovered from one plague than the next one comes along. The future looks extremely bleak for most of our iconic trees.

Br Cornelius

[Bavarian Raven]

Well out in the Pacific Northwest, logging is the main threat. Otherwise, them old trees continue to grow like weeds. Heck, the coastal temp. rainforest has more biomass per unit area then any of the amazon jungles. Truly amazingly huge trees and ancient forests. My kinda place

[Rafterman]

It depends on your pespective. If your an economists and everything is reduced down to its monitary value then your argument would seem to have value.

However the real situation is that woodcrops, as you describe, are virtual environmental deserts compared to a stand of old growth native trees. Loss of biodiversity and its knock on effects on human services is one of the single greatest threats we face as a species.

Br Cornelius

It depends on your pespective. If your an economists and everything is reduced down to its monitary value then your argument would seem to have value.

However the real situation is that woodcrops, as you describe, are virtual environmental deserts compared to a stand of old growth native trees. Loss of biodiversity and its knock on effects on human services is one of the single greatest threats we face as a species.

Br Cornelius

Do you have any evidence to back up your claim? Interesting that when I google "woodcrop environmental desert" I get this thread.

[Guest]

Do you have any evidence to back up your claim? Interesting that when I google "woodcrop environmental desert" I get this thread.

Wildlife requires a diverse range of micro-niches which are dependent on the widest range of plant species and ages of species. Monocrops of commercial pines fail on both counts.

You may not like this answer, but you will have to take my word for it as a trained environmental scientist.

Br Cornelius

[AsteroidX]

Yes Old Growth is dying off faster then it should. Luckily it is somewhat renewable.