Dear netters: >About 25% of Tasmania (1,727,000 ha) is in World Heritage/National Park/other Reserves. On 31 Aug 1995, Christopher Dean wrote: >David, can you please explain the relevance of this last statement and what "other >reserves" means (e.g. does it included RAPs, "stream side reserves" etc. or are they >sanctuaries). I think the statement is irrelevant because a national park is not >necessarily forest and neither is World Heritage. Also neither most national parks nor >World Heritage areas in Tasmania are enforced sanctuaries for wildlife. I was hoping the statement would stimulate a discussion regarding land use. The data come from a paper entitled "Forests and People - Opportunities for the 21st Century" by Evan Rolley (1993). It suggests to me that no timber harvesting occurs on a large portion of public lands in Tasmania (about 41% of 4.1 million ha of public lands). Although this is not the same as 1.7 million ha of forests, I believe the statement is relevant since it will hopefully bring the discussion around to "how much is enough?" That is, how much of the public lands in Tasmania should be "off-limits" to timber harvesting? If 41% of the public lands is not enough, will 60% be enough?... will 100% be enough? Admittedly, I do not know how much of the 2.9 million ha of forests in Tasmania is currently "off-limits" to timber harvesting. I believe the number is higher than 15% (435,000 ha) but I do not know the actual amount. If 2 million ha are available for timber harvesting and 14,000 ha are logged annually (mostly cleared), then this suggests a 140 year rotation length. If 1 million ha are available for harvest then the harvest rate would suggest a 70 year rotation. Here in Alabama, public forests WERE on a 100 year rotation (it is now longer). >Additionally, how does the area reserved relate to whether a different area should be >cleared when endangered (or otherwise) species are relying on both areas? If 41% of the public lands in Tasmania is not enough for non-human species, how much is enough? Will 60% be enough? Will 100% be enough or should clearing also not be allowed on private lands? Here in the U.S., the Sierra Club contends that the U.S. Forest Service (Ozark National Forest) needs to consult with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before harvesting because endangered species fly over such areas. I and many others agree with conservationists that some forests and ecosystems need to be reserved for non-human species. But how much should be reserved for non-human species and how much should be utilized by humans? Some suggest that 12% of the landbase be placed in reserves. Some will say this is not enough. I believe it will be of some value to discuss "how much is enough" before we reach a population level of 10 billion people. I believe we need to decide how much pasture land should be converted to tree plantations? For the year 2050, how much wood will be harvested from natural stands and how much will come from plantations? I believe these are both important questions as well as interrelated questions. =========================================== I would like to add that Christopher Dean and I fully agree that "Promotion of "reforesting" pasture and vacant land needs to be paramount." This could satisfy human wood requirements and if no more native forests were cleared then other species may benefit too. In this regards, I propose we set a global goal of establishing 520,000 ha of tree plantations on old pasture land by the year 2050. =========================================== David South School of Forestry Auburn University, AL 36849-5418 USA dsouth@forestry.auburn.edu 334-844-1022 334-844-1084 (FAX) http://www.forestry.auburn.edu/coops/sfnmc/sfnmc.html ========================================================================= "Here was my chance. Biltmore could be made to prove what America did not yet understand, that trees could be cut and the forest preserved at one and the same time." Gifford Pinchot Consulting Forester Biltmore Estate 1892-1895 =========================================================================
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