The upper left edge., July 01, 1994, Page 4, Image 4

C oast K i v
The Institute s goals do not end there The Institute is
also offering its first Education and Apprenticeship
Training Program for future Ecoforesters and for others
interested in an introduction to Ecoforestry and related
fields The program is a nine month certification
program for both introductory levels seeking an
Ecoforestry' Practitioners Certification and for advanced
levels seeking an Ecoforestry Consultant Certification
The institute believes the education and training of a
new generation of Ecoforesters is critical for the
widespread practice of Ecoforestry' f ° r lhe o o f°to <
establishment of demonstration Ecoforests and for the
eventual certification of Ecoforest products Concerned
citizens can then ,oin the Ecoforestry movement by
voting with their dollars to support the protection of
fully functioning natural forests where forest goods are
harvested to meet vital human needs on a long term
sustainable basis
The Pacific Northwest is the umber industry s final
American frontier Starting from the East Coast it has
cut its way west and has found the virgin bounty ending
here Most of the oldgrowth is gone on the private
lands so now the industry wants to liquidate our public
Lands Needless to say there haan t been much foresight
on the industry s part It has learned to reforest their
forestlands instead oí abandoning them as in the past
Except they are only replanting the most profitable
trees that grow in a specified area Now what was once a
forest is now called a tree farm II s not enough that
we ve dearcut and destroyed the forest and the
processes that kept it alive Now we believe that wc
know how to do it belter than nature Only this isn t
working either Nature does not take profit into acount
Our soils are not withstanding the abuse neither is our
wildlife The Ecoforestry- Institute s approach is a sane
relief in an insane self destructing world It offers a
solution instead of perpetuating the problem It works
by addressing the underlying issue humans are not
separate from nature they are a part The Institute
realizes that we must work with the natural processes
that keep us alive it is the only way we are going to be
able to save our forests and still support our ever-
increasing population and vital human needs
The Ecoforestry Institute is trying to research and
advance the idea that at this point in history we need u>
promote the maximization of ecological values slated
Jacobsen This means to maximize the ability of forests
to maintain themselves as forests Then the economic
benefits frum forest commodities may be considered
They are advocating what they call Ecoforestry
Ecoforestry s goal is to maintain the natural working
processes m a forest which include habitat for all forest
species a closed canopy of trees and a natural forest
floor etc While providing for a healthy forest s needs
Ecoforestry' ts able to harvest forest goods by working
with the forest s natural processes of selection This
process of selection is evident as a tree grows From the
lime they are seedlings nature selects trees for their
ability to compete and withstand a variety of conditions
It is the job of the Fcoiorester to rely on their
knowledge of how the forest selects these trees to
determine which trees are selected for harvest
The Institute feels that Ecoforestry is a whole other
way of looking at the world They see that the current
view of science and society is to obiecufy nature as
something that can be taken apart In the process we ve
created a separation of ourselves from nature Its only
been within our lifetime that we ve begun to realize we
are a part of nature We ve begun to see that what we do
affects nature and in turn affects ourselves In order to
work with nature we must rethink fundamentally the
basic philosophical understandings we have of
ourselves other human beings and nature The
ultimate irony is if we destroy the ecological base of
nature we destroy ouselves." said Barnes
I he Ecoforestry Institute offers • clear alternative to
the destructive methods of forestry today The institute
is establishing Ecoforestry demonstration forests The
owners of these demonstration forests have been
maintaining their forests while harvesting forest goods
for years The institute is working to bridge their
knowledge with that of ecological scientists and
philo»phers for the purpose of obtaining scientifically
credible research This research is needed to prove that
it is possible to provide for all forest values while
harvesting forest goods on a sustainable basis
Sustainable for the forest land owner as well as the
environment
i
ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOA 14K
NEWJ1 >KT. OK V7M5
Last month the Coast Range Association sponsored a
presentation by the Ecoforestry Institute at the Cannon
Beach Chamber of Commerce The meeting featured the
Institute s directors Twila Jacobsen and Mike Barnes
Aspects of the nonprofit educational organization were
discussed followed by a slide show presentation of
Ecoforesters from the Pacific Northwest
The organization s board and faculty are made up o(
ecological philosophers and scientists who disagree with
current forestry practices Forestry today is thought of
as trees " explained Barnes Trees are only a part of it
The forest is a living interdependent community with
all sorts of values By looking at the trees forestry today
is ignoring the complex ecological basis of the forest
ecosystem
The destructive effects of forestry are evident
historically Where there is now a desen once were the
‘ Cedars of Lebanon The trees were cut down to make
ships for the military The forests of North Africa were
once a part of the bread basket of the Roman Empire
Now North Africa is a vast growing desert
Current forest practices include the historical
practice of clearcuuing Clearcutting makes harvesting
the trees easier but the longterm effects of a forest that
is continually dearcut is devastating Cut after cut after
cut eventually works to deplete the soils of microbial
fungi and nutrients needed to nourish trees It also
creates a loss of habitat for wildlife species who need the
conditions of an older forest The spotted owl is an
example but most recently is the case of our dwindling
salmon stocks
T h e w ild places are w h e re we
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