how much old growth is left?

concerning the planet i live on, how much is actually left?
i found this map of the u.s. dating back to 1990.



i know personally that part of that patch in montana is no more.
what is left outside of designated parks and wilderness areas?

In the state of Washington,
There is a law that basically means for all construction projects,
for every tree that you destroy, you must plant one somewhere else in its place.

The state of WA is a beautiful green state. But as far as seeing trees over 100 years old i don't think there are many reserves here for those.
It is indeed a great loss that many can't even imagine because they're never seen something so beautiful.
A forrest that is older than their own known heritage.

It is one of my dreams to visit a place where the trees are so prehistoric and everything is preserved.


If you want to revisit a place that has been lost like old groves, you must visit a state history museum and they will show you those tree trunks bigger than you, and pictures of what the landscape looked like before.


I also think Alaska has a good amount of trees left,
Also parts of Canada should be included

Aint nothing like wiping the slate clean and starting over from scratch, eh? I am sure this is what nature intended.

reply to post by Anttyk47


one thing i've noticed in wash. and oregon, while driving down the pavement there is a nice barrier of older trees between the pavement and the clearcuts.
makes it look nice, but hang a turn, go 20 yards and you're into the clearcuts.

reply to post by rubbertramp


You do well to raise concern about this as it is a very serious matter, so S & F for you friend. I am appalled at the complete lack of interest in this subject by ATS members. Maybe you should have entitled it:

The last forests are almost gone. We will run out of oxygen soon

You may have got a bit more response, but basically if it is not something where people can idly talk about creating a revolution and then do nothing about it, or OMG there has been a 3.4 earthquake in Antarctica, or some other complete nonsense such as HAARP being used to cook pancakes for the troops in Djibouti, then people do not bat an eyelid. (That may be a little unfair but it is still generally the case)

Your observation/question is far more relevant to the daily lives of the American people and indeed of the people of the world since the destruction of the wilderness and one of the sources of life giving oxygen on this planet should be of concern to everyone. And oxygen is only one facet of the problem as deforestation causes changes in the ecosystems and can be just as potentially damaging as climate change - and may even contribute to it.

In answer to your question, sadly not much and this is a situation repeated in every country round the world and the human menace spreads across the face of the planet driven for the most part by greed and selfishness and with little thought for the consequences of their actions.

Think of Easter Island. When the last tree is gone, how do you roll your stone statues?

I can't speak to whats happening in other parts of the country, but here in NC...trees are more abundant than ever. Looking back to about 100 years ago, NC was stripped clean of vast swathes of forest...erosion was the norm. Through education, and better land management...NC is covered from one end to the other with vast forests of pine surrounded by new "old" forests of hardwoods. We also have large tracts of virgin "old growth" forests that do outdate our state...and they are protected.

To the "ney sayers" of forestry as a renewable resource...I simply challenge you to go to eastern NC and walk some of the expansive pine forests and farms...and then hike across the protected gamelands and forests of NC. Trees have made a successful comeback here in Nc and the future looks all the more promising.

On a personal level, I bought 45 acres of cutover that had been replanted in pines. My family wanted to know why i bought such an "ugly" piece of land. Ten years later, it is covered in pines, hardwoods, saplings, massive undergrowth, wildlife...deer, raccoons, birds, prey and predator... amazing how fast nature recovers and reclaims a piece of land.

reply to post by PuterMan


i agree, there are many repercussions involving stripping the trees.
look at all the floods, no one wants to discuss the issue involving clearing land.
water just runs off if there is no vegetation to hold it back.
i'd go so far as to say that deforestation contributes to most floods.
another issue is forest fires.
healthy old growth does not burn, the fires go trough the old forests and burn the dead stuff on the forest floor.
all these big fires we hear of are mostly in newer growth, areas overpopulated by too many unhealthy trees.
etc......

reply to post by AlreadyGone


yes, same out here in the west, much has been replanted, and much comes back natural.
most of this is a far cry from old growth.
it'll be a couple of hundred years before the forest really returns to where it should be.
this may interest you.

In May 2000 a report on “Old-Growth Forest Communities in the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest,” compiled by Rob Messick, was released. For the report, Messick adopted a classification system that takes into account the problems of which Schafale speaks. The report documents 77,000 acres of Class A and Class B old growth in the Pisgah and

n.c. forest survey

i know here in ireland the law in the forrests are for every tree you cut down, 3 more have to be planted, so in that way the forrests are getting bigger here,

but all i see are half bare mountains here...

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by rubbertramp

 

The last forests are almost gone. We will run out of oxygen soon

How about he SHOULDN'T say something like that.
Just because we were flurished in trees and theres a map that proves it.
And trees produce oxygen.
Doesn't mean we're running out of o^2

How about if he saw a scientist say something like that who is somewhat credible, he will post that.

What's with people getting so dramatic when they see A+B= Must equal C