Understanding Forestry
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Our crash course on forestry was delivered by Carl-Eric Guertin while flying over Quebec province in a six-seater prop plane. Looking out the window, we observed portions of land that had been clear-cut. We turned to our hosts to ask, “How is it that there is clear-cutting taking place in what you claim is a sustainable harvested forest?”
Most of us probably think that a sustainable forest is a warm and fuzzy place where gentle lumberjacks pluck every fourth tree from the ground to preserve the look of a healthy forest. Anti-logging advocates will post images on their websites that show large swaths of clear-cut forest. I call this “the bald mountain” when I fly out west.
Carl-Eric, who works at the Quebec Wood Export Bureau, leans over and begins to explain.
“You see a clear-cut, but we see something different. If you look carefully, you will see what looks like rows in the clear cut. This is very different from a typical clear-cut, where the machines run all over the place,” he said. (I guess the days of guys with axes and chainsaws are gone.) He then explained that this type of clear cut is known as regeneration cutting. “What this means is that the machines follow a path that keeps the soils largely intact and doesn’t trample the seedlings that were growing under the canopy.”
We look again. We can clearly see that there is a single logging road, and then a neat and orderly area that has been cut. Sure enough, there are what looks like small green trees between the rows.
As we continue our flight we see cuttings of various ages. Carl-Eric points out one green area that has some trees that look to be between seven and 10 feet tall. “That area is roughly eight years old” he tells us. “Black spruce grow slowly, but in 100 years this will all be full and ready to harvest again”
Sustainable Intervention
It’s an interesting way of looking at the issue. These forests are largely homogenous, and because of the natural cycle of fires the trees are roughly the same age. If not harvested, the trees will either die and decompose (releasing carbon) or burn in the next fire (releasing carbon). By cutting the wood and turning it into products, the carbon is effectively locked up. By only removing as much wood as the forests can naturally replace in the time it takes to replace them, the cuts are strategically spaced and there is little need for further intervention.
Quebec has 1.7 million square kilometers of forest (656,373 square miles) representing 20% of Canada’s forests. Canada’s forests, in turn, represent 10% of the world’s forests and 40% of the world’s third-party certified forests.
Using the regeneration and natural replenishment strategy, 1% of that wood can be harvested annually without harming the forests’ sustainability. Currently, the country is harvesting less than 0.8% of that wood. And with the economic stall, many areas have stopped harvesting all together.
I will be in Canada all week, traveling from east to west learning about the various methodologies, practices, and enforcement policies of the lumber industry, as well as their impact on our forests and the climate. I’ve been shooting some video, ‘cause a picture is worth a thousand words, so check back over the next two weeks and see what interesting stuff I’m able to dig up.
After all, who would have thought that (depending on the type) a clear-cut could be a good thing!
Michael Anschel is the owner and principal of Otogawa-Anschel Design Build, a nationally recognized and award-winning design and build firm and a committed leader to the Green building movement in Minnesota. He blogs for REMODELING on Tuesdays and the occasional Friday. Michael also serves on the board of Minnesota GreenStar and is CEO of Verified Green, Inc., which consults with builders, remodelers, architects, and state and city officials on Green building. To read Michael's other posts on Green remodeling, click on the link to the right, at the bottom of "about the blogger."
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