PDF Publication Title:
Text from PDF Page: 072
as forest age classes change and as those age classes shift across the landscape. The challenge, whether biomass harvesting becomes prevalent or not, is to make sure that no species declines to a level where it is at risk of being extirpated from the landscape as a result of forest harvesting. Once again, the number of different private landowners and varying nature of private landowner attitudes and behaviors serves to insulate forest landscapes from trends in harvesting strong enough to cause anything other than slight landscape scale changes in habitat or species composition. Wildlife habitat could potentially be affected at smaller landscape scales (such as a watershed) if many landowners in the wood basket of a power plant suddenly change their historical cutting patterns. If clearcutting or acceleration of regeneration harvests in even-aged stands are used, this could create a loss of mature, interior habitat (depending on the spatial level of harvesting) and species associated with that habitat. Although these species would likely shift elsewhere and still maintain viable populations across broader landscape scales, they might not exist in certain sub-regions for periods of time. Our scenarios do not predict broad-scale clear cutting, and it is more likely that habitat could be affected by practices that are more acceptable to landowners such as more intensive thinnings. One possible scenario for landowners would be to use the new markets for biomass to combine a partial thinning of the dominant trees with a low thinning to remove understory vegetation. If poorly managed, these practices could eliminate certain structural layers from the forest or deplete the forest of the dead and dying material necessary for certain species. The importance of dead wood has been covered elsewhere in the report. The lower forest structure provides important habitat as well. For example birds, particularly long-distance migrants prefer stands with an understory component (Nemi and Hanowski 1984, DeGraaf et al 1998). In order to gauge the effect that increased biomass harvesting could have on the amount of habitat at the landscape scale, it is instructive to consider neighboring regions. Maine and New Hampshire have a longer history with markets for low-grade mate- rial and the introduction of whole tree harvesting and clearcutting for pulp and biomass. How well these landscapes have fared in an ecological sense depends on perspective. If one compares these landscapes to an old growth ideal, they fall resoundingly short. However, a recent review of the ecological literature (Jenkins 2008) for the Northern Forest region indicates the difficulty in quantifying landscape-wide ecological damage. Jerry Jenkins, a scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, reviewed the scientific literature on ecological factors in the intensively managed Northern Forest region for the Open Space Institute. The subsequent report, Conservation Easements and Biodiversity in the Northern Forest Region, includes sections on Northern Forest biodiversity and the effects of logging on biodiversity. Although the conclusions of this review are debated in the Northern Forest region, his introduction is helpful in understanding the different perspectives in evaluating landscape ecology. The “pragmatic” approach is to maintain the biodiversity that exists at present. The “idealistic” approach is to restore the forest to a more natural state. Jenkins notes that the pragmatists point to the literature which suggests “there have been almost no losses of vertebrates or higher plants from the working forests and that overall levels of biodiversity in clearcuts and managed forests often exceed those of old, undisturbed forests.” The ideal- ists “see the working forest as a conservation failure, and while they grudgingly accept it has considerable biodiversity, they argue that it is the wrong kind.” They draw on the general literature of biodiversity and landscape ecology to suggest that our current forests are fragile and impoverished or will become so when the “extinction debt” induced by dissection and fragmentation is finally “paid.” These proponents however, have not able to come up with good lists of the species that have actually been lost from managed forests. The history of the intensively managed industrial landscape of northern New England and New York is far different than Massachusetts. The low harvest rates of the last century have allowed the Massachusetts forests to mature. The current forest landscape of the state offers management possibilities for the pragmatist and the creation of old growth for the idealists. The lessons from the Northern Forest indicate that even in regions with much heavier harvesting the debate over the impacts of changing habitat patterns across the landscape continues unresolved. We can certainly expect this debate to continue in Massachusetts as we try to understand a dynamic and shifting land cover that is resilient but faces a number of pressures. While the number of landowners and their attitudes and behaviors seem to ameliorate the possibility of widespread harvests, there still remains the possibility of localized habitat loss within a watershed as well as stand-level effects. For this reason, in a concluding section we suggest a number of policy options that Massachusetts officials could consider if they wish to assure a greater degree of protection for these ecological values. 4.4.3 POTENTIALIMPACTSOFBIOMASS HARVESTS ON LANDSCAPE AESTHETICS The forests of Massachusetts play a number of supporting roles in the socio-economic framework. They are the predominant natural land type and form the backdrop for most communities and many economic enterprises, including tourism and recreation. The forest landscape is integral to the way of life of Massachusetts residents and shapes the image of Massachusetts for visitors and employers locating businesses there. Although historically these forests have been heavily cut, and at one time reduced to 20% of the landscape, the current perception is one of dense unmanaged forests covering most of the landscape. At the more localized or regional scale, biomass harvesting could potentially alter this forest landscape. The heavily harvested forest landscape of northern Maine is one extreme example of what a forested landscape can look like when subject to available markets for low-grade material and landowners willing to harvest using clearcutting and short rotations. From the level of public reaction and media attention paid to clearcutting on public lands in the past, it is expected that broad scale clearcutting on private lands would likely have severe socio-economic impacts for Massachusetts. BIOMASS SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON POLICY STUDY MANOMET CENTER FOR CONSERVATION SCIENCES 72 NATURAL CAPITAL INITIATIVEPDF Image | NATURAL CAPITAL INITIATIVE AT MANOMET
PDF Search Title:
NATURAL CAPITAL INITIATIVE AT MANOMETOriginal File Name Searched:
manomet_biomass_report_full_hirez.pdfDIY PDF Search: Google It | Yahoo | Bing
NFT (Non Fungible Token): Buy our tech, design, development or system NFT and become part of our tech NFT network... More Info
IT XR Project Redstone NFT Available for Sale: NFT for high tech turbine design with one part 3D printed counter-rotating energy turbine. Be part of the future with this NFT. Can be bought and sold but only one design NFT exists. Royalties go to the developer (Infinity) to keep enhancing design and applications... More Info
Infinity Turbine IT XR Project Redstone Design: NFT for sale... NFT for high tech turbine design with one part 3D printed counter-rotating energy turbine. Includes all rights to this turbine design, including license for Fluid Handling Block I and II for the turbine assembly and housing. The NFT includes the blueprints (cad/cam), revenue streams, and all future development of the IT XR Project Redstone... More Info
Infinity Turbine ROT Radial Outflow Turbine 24 Design and Worldwide Rights: NFT for sale... NFT for the ROT 24 energy turbine. Be part of the future with this NFT. This design can be bought and sold but only one design NFT exists. You may manufacture the unit, or get the revenues from its sale from Infinity Turbine. Royalties go to the developer (Infinity) to keep enhancing design and applications... More Info
Infinity Supercritical CO2 10 Liter Extractor Design and Worldwide Rights: The Infinity Supercritical 10L CO2 extractor is for botanical oil extraction, which is rich in terpenes and can produce shelf ready full spectrum oil. With over 5 years of development, this industry leader mature extractor machine has been sold since 2015 and is part of many profitable businesses. The process can also be used for electrowinning, e-waste recycling, and lithium battery recycling, gold mining electronic wastes, precious metals. CO2 can also be used in a reverse fuel cell with nafion to make a gas-to-liquids fuel, such as methanol, ethanol and butanol or ethylene. Supercritical CO2 has also been used for treating nafion to make it more effective catalyst. This NFT is for the purchase of worldwide rights which includes the design. More Info
NFT (Non Fungible Token): Buy our tech, design, development or system NFT and become part of our tech NFT network... More Info
Infinity Turbine Products: Special for this month, any plans are $10,000 for complete Cad/Cam blueprints. License is for one build. Try before you buy a production license. May pay by Bitcoin or other Crypto. Products Page... More Info
| CONTACT TEL: 608-238-6001 Email: greg@infinityturbine.com | RSS | AMP |