4 ms·

My friend has a property at the very edge of the city and is happy to have a "forest" behind his backyard. I went there to find nothing else than a pine planta

by Tade0 3y ago

My friend has a property at the very edge of the city and is happy to have a "forest" behind his backyard. I went there to find nothing else than a pine plantation. No a single bird or any other animal for that matter there - it's essentially a tall lawn.

TulliusCicero 3y ago
I found this to be true of many "forests" in parks in Germany while living there. Felt absolutely bizarre. The old airport in Munich got turned into a park, some parts are very cool, but there's this one area where they planted a bunch of trees...in an extremely precise grid structure. It's just so weird to see, like why would you do that? Like a stereotype of German culture brought to life. One example at the park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4G2Wg2BHgfiZkaxe7 https://maps.app.goo.gl/4G2Wg2BHgfiZkaxe7 Though you can see some other areas where they did the same thing.
- hutzlibu 3y ago
  If you want old forests, you have to go to the mountains. Anyplace steep enough, to hinder easy woodcutting. In those places you find the remains of real forest. But things are changing, there is actually a new diverse forest growing, where those monoculture tree plantations have been. It will just take some time and hopefully the forests gets that time, before monocultures come into fashion again..
steve_adams_86 3y ago
It's the same here in British Columbia. Most people here have no idea that a vast bulk of our forests are in fact second or third generation since we began managing forests. They're not especially vibrant with life, and their diversity is remarkably low. If you live near it, it's virtually guaranteed that it's not a natural forest. The amount of truly old, "ancient" (250 or 400 years +, depending on stand-replacing disturbance) forest in our vast province is minuscule: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/old-growth-forests/old-growth-maps/map4_ancient_forests_letter.pdf https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-...
otter-in-a-suit 3y ago
I own a small acreage in north GA, which is part of a former timber plantation. About 10 acres are nothing but densely packed southern pine monoculture. My neighbor has another 15 or so acres of pure pine adjacent to it, also rows and rows of the darned things. Next to it I have another 20 or so of mixed hardwoods and pines. Hickory, oak etc. Native plants. Nature is slowly but steadily reclaiming _almost_ everything - I see tons of whitetail, plenty of birds of prey, a family of black bears, the occasional flock of turkey, a very healthy population of various bugs, including ecologically sensitive dragonflies, butterflies, etc, and blissfully few wild hogs. There hasn’t been a week where I don’t see anything on the trail cam. However… those 10 acres grow nothing, and I mean nothing, but southern pines. Unless I have it professionally managed (and hence, harvested), it will probably grow nothing but. I see the financial incentive, but it’s grim. I never spend any time there, whereas spending time in the mixed growth (still pine heavy!) is pleasant - hunting, camping, photography, riding ATVs, hiking (I have maybe a mile of trails, so maybe we’ll call it “walking” :-) ) - all feels natural. I’m not a professional, so maybe it’s not actually natural and healthy, but the amount of animals and plants I see and hear, it certainly feels like it is. We don’t have bark bettle problems there, and whenever we do, the state and county would very happily help you to get rid of it - these things are the rural equivalent of a “national security” risk. The county foresters are a call away. I’ve seen the devastation these beetles do in Germany just this year (vacation, but I also grew up there - saw it in the Harz and Sauerland), and it’s _incredible_. I feel like our pine plantations have it coming if we (American timberland owners, that is) continue like this. But unfortunately, my 30something acres have nothing against the thousand of acres that actual, professional timber companies own. That’s billionaire territory.

by Tade0 3y ago

TulliusCicero 3y ago

I found this to be true of many "forests" in parks in Germany while living there. Felt absolutely bizarre. The old airport in Munich got turned into a park, some parts are very cool, but there's this one area where they planted a bunch of trees...in an extremely precise grid structure. It's just so weird to see, like why would you do that? Like a stereotype of German culture brought to life. One example at the park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4G2Wg2BHgfiZkaxe7 https://maps.app.goo.gl/4G2Wg2BHgfiZkaxe7 Though you can see some other areas where they did the same thing.

hutzlibu 3y ago
If you want old forests, you have to go to the mountains. Anyplace steep enough, to hinder easy woodcutting. In those places you find the remains of real forest. But things are changing, there is actually a new diverse forest growing, where those monoculture tree plantations have been. It will just take some time and hopefully the forests gets that time, before monocultures come into fashion again..

steve_adams_86 3y ago

It's the same here in British Columbia. Most people here have no idea that a vast bulk of our forests are in fact second or third generation since we began managing forests. They're not especially vibrant with life, and their diversity is remarkably low. If you live near it, it's virtually guaranteed that it's not a natural forest. The amount of truly old, "ancient" (250 or 400 years +, depending on stand-replacing disturbance) forest in our vast province is minuscule: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/old-growth-forests/old-growth-maps/map4_ancient_forests_letter.pdf https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-...

otter-in-a-suit 3y ago

I own a small acreage in north GA, which is part of a former timber plantation. About 10 acres are nothing but densely packed southern pine monoculture. My neighbor has another 15 or so acres of pure pine adjacent to it, also rows and rows of the darned things. Next to it I have another 20 or so of mixed hardwoods and pines. Hickory, oak etc. Native plants. Nature is slowly but steadily reclaiming _almost_ everything - I see tons of whitetail, plenty of birds of prey, a family of black bears, the occasional flock of turkey, a very healthy population of various bugs, including ecologically sensitive dragonflies, butterflies, etc, and blissfully few wild hogs. There hasn’t been a week where I don’t see anything on the trail cam. However… those 10 acres grow nothing, and I mean nothing, but southern pines. Unless I have it professionally managed (and hence, harvested), it will probably grow nothing but. I see the financial incentive, but it’s grim. I never spend any time there, whereas spending time in the mixed growth (still pine heavy!) is pleasant - hunting, camping, photography, riding ATVs, hiking (I have maybe a mile of trails, so maybe we’ll call it “walking” :-) ) - all feels natural. I’m not a professional, so maybe it’s not actually natural and healthy, but the amount of animals and plants I see and hear, it certainly feels like it is. We don’t have bark bettle problems there, and whenever we do, the state and county would very happily help you to get rid of it - these things are the rural equivalent of a “national security” risk. The county foresters are a call away. I’ve seen the devastation these beetles do in Germany just this year (vacation, but I also grew up there - saw it in the Harz and Sauerland), and it’s _incredible_. I feel like our pine plantations have it coming if we (American timberland owners, that is) continue like this. But unfortunately, my 30something acres have nothing against the thousand of acres that actual, professional timber companies own. That’s billionaire territory.