8 themes of 21st century tree saving

June 19, 2008

Hey everyone, the article below is part of my final work in Grad

school. (Master's Public Administration, The Evergreen State College)

I tried to summarize the most significant themes I've seen in my

research.I encourage you to read through these themes and give

feedback about what other themes that I've left out / need to add.

Thanks, Deane

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http://forestpolicyresearch.org/21st-century-tree-saving/

8 themes of 21st century tree saving

1) A Fundamental Shift through community empowerment: In the rural

Philippines, as well as in landscapes in western Africa there is a

baton that is passed from house to house, family to family. When the

Baton is placed in the care of the family, the protection of the

community forest is entrusted to that family. If a chainsaw or an ax

is heard in the hills above the village that family must investigate,

and if necessary intervene. In these scenarios the forests belong to

the people and the people are educated to the point that they know how

important it is to protect their forests.

2) Satellite Technology: There was a time when we had a very limited

sense of how much forest destruction was going on in the world. But in

recent years with GIS / Google Earth / and other satellite

technologies governments and activists have an unprecedented awareness

of what's going on in the woods. What was once annual estimates of

deforestation in the Amazon has this year turned into seasonal

estimates, and just this month it appears as though we will now be

receiving monthly estimates. As is often the case in increasingly

real-time reporting on deforestation, we're finding that rate of

forest loss is happening at a much quicker pace than previously

thought possible.

3) Communication Technology: Forest Activists who's forest need saving

can now use a computer to let the world know of it (see: " 13 ways " ).

Yet still to this day the most powerful communication technology in

the world is word of mouth. People are way more likely to listen to

what friends and family take the time to tell them compared to what

everyone else is telling them. If you want to help please make your

day to day life part of spreading the word about specific forest

issues that are going on in the world.

4) Militarization of Forest Defense: Use of the military to patrol and

defend forests is becoming increasingly necessary as most timber

smugglers and permit holders use violence to expand the reach of their

enterprise. Brazil this year launched a military operation known as

'Arc of Fire' to shutdown illegal logging. In Indonesia leaders have

used the military as proof that they are serious about limiting

deforestation. In India where forest guards were established decades

ago, a current crisis of under-funded and ill-equipped forest guards

has led to a decline in forest cover. Similar impoverished

circumstances face forest guards in Africa. What's worse is that too

often the military is bribed to go after one logging competitor in a

way that favors another logger. There are also many bribery and

forgery services offered by regulatory / military forces in order to

help get illegal logs through road checkpoints.

5) After the forest has been destroyed most often the powerful

influences that are obsessed with making money depart and leave behind

barren empty landscapes. Too often these landscapes become agriculture

land, or housing developments. But sometimes the land is simply left

to its own recourse until merchantable trees have naturally regrown

and the loggers return. This window of opportunity is where the

greatest difference can be made to help remnant forests repopulate the

recovering landscape. It's also when new forest protection oriented

policies and cultures are most easily established.

6) Replanting whole ecosystems instead of just mono crops is

essential. In Costa Rica and Indonesia experiments have been done

where barren land has been re-planted with over a thousand different

kinds of locally gathered seeds and cuttings. A half decade into these

studies they have realized an unprecedented and unpredicted

accelerated recovery. A myriad of creatures once thought lost from

these areas are rapidly recolonizing and multiplying. This work like

many other studies indicate that the greater diversity, the great the

fecundity, the greater the resiliency to most all degrading

influences.

7) Diversity consciousness: There is resilience and strength in

diversity. Getting humans back out into nature, digging up invasive

weeds to help native species recolonize the land… it's not much

different than gardening in your own back yard. Many groups such as

the United States' National Wildlife Federation help homeowners learn

what they can do in their back yard to improve wildlife habitat. And

Implicit in encouraging ecological diversity is an abundance of

diverse plantings that can be observed, weeded and pruned in order to

benefit as many unique species as possible. While this is way too

labor intensive and impractical on a landscape level, what we learn

from it is essential to creating cultures and economies that actually

allow natural ecological recovery. More to the point diversity-based

restoration methods are a new paradigm, which are an essential

learning process that will get us away from the mono-crop mentality of

modern day 'eco-conscious' / FSC-style forestry.

8) Re-visioning new cultures / values: In the future we will be far

more knowledgeable and well read on forest protection adn restoration

history. Also in the future we will have far greater means by which to

give voice to the people who really know first hand what is with

industrial-oriented logging practices. Just as " Earth Day " is

integrated into today's culture, so too will far more important annual

events one day be integrated into the world's many cultures. If we are

successful, it we ignite ecologically beneficial cultural memes, if we

find ways to captures people's imagination: the earth can be rich and

abundant again. But we have to seek out new ways to show that trees

are more valuable alive instead of dead. And it's about more than just

saving trees, but the web of life that the world's trees help sustain.

June 23, 2008

Hi there Deane,

I just want to wish you the best of luck with your themes, I think they all sound great!

Over here we have a group called "Working for Water" or its also known as "Masakane". They employ mainly African women and teach them which plants are invaders. They form teams which work sections, cutting exotic trees out of the indigenous forests or say, a mountainous area..probably like the United States' National Wildlife Federation, which you write about in No. 7.

Up in Mpumalanga (Eastern part of the Transvaal) the main problem is Black Wattle (from Australia). If you cut it it grows back even more vigorously and if there is a veld fire, the seeds love it and come up double as thick. It was bought over in around about the 1800's as support beams for mine shafts. You will see it popping up in a line when you look at the side of a mountain ..follows the direction of the shaft..even now, a hundred years later. When I worked for a geologist for a while, thats how I would find some of the old mine dumps for testing...look for the wattle.

Down in the Cape it is Port Jackson (Australia) very similar habits to Wattle, and was also used to tan hide.

Anyway...

Kind regards,

Jill

- Deane Rimerman

redcloud

Thursday, June 19, 2008 8:04 AM

8 themes of 21st century tree saving

Hey everyone, the article below is part of my final work in Gradschool. (Master's Public Administration, The Evergreen State College)I tried to summarize the most significant themes I've seen in myresearch.I encourage you to read through these themes and givefeedback about what other themes that I've left out / need to add.Thanks, Deane-------