Dear Geoff and netters:
Here are a few "tongue-in-cheek" arguments
that have put up against tree farms. Some come from the internet.
These are not (a) the most common or (b) the most effective.
However, I think you might enjoy some of these "arguments."
(1) Tree farms are not natural.
Some believe that it is more natural to collect firewood from
native woods than to establish firewood plantations on ex-farmland.
Native people have been collecting firewood from natural woods since
the dawn of man. To establish firewood plantations to supply energy
for cooking and heating is not natural.
(2) Plastic is recyclable but wood from tree farms is not.
I have been told that it is better to make plastic pallets
than to establish tree farms (to supply wood for pallets).
Wooden pallets are not usually recycled into other products
while old plastic pallets can be recycled into other products.
(3) Trees grow too slow in tree farms. Certain annual monocrops
can produce more fiber per hectare.
I have been told that one species produces 4 times
more paper per hectare than trees. I have been told that certain crop
species do not require any chemicals to grow a healthy monoculture.
(4) Tree farms grow too fast and therefore use water.
I have been told that tree farms can produce 15 to 75
cubic metres/hectare/year.
(5) It is better to import wood from natural stands from other countries
than to establish tree farms to supply most domestic wood needs.
I have been told that the desirable landscape for the southern United
States is to have 0% of our landbase in pine plantations (much like it was
before
the year 1500).
(6) It is better to grow farm crops than to establish tree farms which
may be fertilized.
Some fertilisers used in tree farms may leach or are highly
vulnerable to atmospheric loss.
(7) Establishing tree farms on agricultural land can cause air pollution.
Some trees give off volatile organic compounds. I have been told
that in some regions of the US, tree emmissions exceed air quality
standards.
(8) Burning wood produced from tree farms can cause smoke.
I have been told that it is better to heat with electricity
(from nuclear fuel or petroleum) than to heat with wood. The wood
smoke can cause be irritating to the eyes.
(9) Some chemicals used in tree farms might break down into formaldehyde.
I have been told that some herbicides used in tree farms can
(at high rates) slow the growth of certain ectomycorrhizal fungi in
vitro.
David South (opinions expressed here are my own and, as far as I know,
are
not those of others I work for or work with)
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