Eco-Links
Hot off the press! We have just released our latest Eco-Link.
National Forests and National Parks (16.5)
Yellowstone, Yosemite, Denali, Voyageurs, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Grand Canyon - these are a few of the 51 National Parks. National Forests, 155 in all, include the Arapahoe, Chattahoochee, Mark Twain, Finger Lakes, Tahoe, and White Mountain. Chances are that you have been in a national forest or national park or both; you may have visited a campground or interpretive center in one of these areas, hiked into a wilderness area, or simply viewed the scenery or wildlife while driving through.
Download it in PDF format today!
Back Issues
Temperate Forest Foundation's Eco-Link publications are a great way to learn about forest ecosystems, and explore the related issues and options. Information about all of our past issues is being made available online. The most recent are available online and can be downloaded in PDF format.
Most of our Eco-Links are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. To acquire a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit the Adobe website. Size of the PDF formatted Eco-Link is listed next to the link. Download time will vary depending on your connection speed.
All individual Eco-Links issues are available in hardcopy for $2.00 each, plus shipping.
• Consumer Choices: Greening Your Purchases (16.4)
"As consumers we are faced with choices every day. Paper or plastic? Bottled or tap water? Sirloin or pasta? Standard or hybrid? Incandescent or compact fluorescent? It has long been the case that such decisions have environmental implications, but only recently has much attention been given to the environmental impacts of consumer choices."
Download PDF (1.3MB)
• Biomass Energy II (16.3)
"With peak petroleum production now in sight the importance of alternative energy and fuel sources are in
the spotlight of discussion. The concept of peak oil as defined by Wikipedia "is the point or timeframe at which the maximum global petroleum production rate is reached,
after which the rate of production enters its terminal decline. If global consumption is not mitigated before
the peak, the availability of conventional oil will drop and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically."
Download PDF (1.1MB)
• Climate Change: Forests and Carbon Sequestration (16.2)
"Since the Industrial Age, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 377ppm, a 35 percent increase. Carbon dioxide makes up just 0.035 percent of the atmosphere, but is the most abundant of the greenhouse gases which include methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and CFCs."
Download PDF (1.8MB)
• Wildlife and Forests (16.1)
"Forests are made up of much more than just trees. They are dynamic ecosystems filled with intricate relationships
between flora and fauna. Every part of a forest, whether it is a worm, mushroom or cougar, plays an integral role
in the ecological web that makes up forests. The removal of a species in an ecosystem disrupts its balance, much
like the removal of a spoke in a web negatively impacts the entire structure. In order to conserve or manage
natural resources, we must clearly understand the relationships between single species as they relate to their
habitats (Johnson and O'Neil, 2001)."
Download PDF (1.4MB)
• Forests as Financial Assets (15.1)
"Forests in the United States have long served as a vehicle for financial wealth and growth. The easiest way to control the supply and cost of wood and wood-fiber to mills
was to own forestland. Today, the forest products industry has many options for securing wood for their mills and no longer needs to retain large swaths of timberlands for this purpose."
Download PDF (2.26MB)
• Re-United: Finger-Jointing Consumers & Producers (14.3)
"There was a time when most people lived on the land and the connection between consumption and
production was obvious and well understood. People knew where things came from and how they were produced.
and therefore nothing needs to be harvested and processed into a useful product! Can we reunite these urban
consumers and rural producers and reestablish the interdependent (symbiotic) relationship?"
Download PDF (1.62MB)
• Embracing Change: Lessons From Nature (14.2)
"Change is inevitable, necessary, and even desirable. In Leadership and the New Science, Margaret J. Wheatley says, 'Equilibrium is neither the
goal nor the fate of living systems, simply because as open systems they are partners with their environment. To stay viable, open systems
maintain a state of non-equilibrium so they can change and grow. They participate in an active exchange with their world, using what is there
for their renewal. Every organism in nature, including us, behaves in this way.'"
Download PDF (378KB)
• The Miracle Resource (14.1)
"In the children's book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein the main character is shown to benefit in several ways from the generosity
of one tree. The tree is a source of recreation, commodities, and solace. In this parable of giving, one is impressed by the wealth that a
simple tree has to offer people: shade, food, lumber, comfort. And if we look beyond the wealth of a single tree to the benefits that we derive
from entire forests one cannot help but be impressed by the bounty unmatched by any other natural resource in the world. That's why trees
are called the miracle resource."
Download PDF (1.3MB)
• Biomass for Energy & Forest Fuel Reduction (13.3)
"After several summers of extreme wildfire seasons in the nation's forests, the issue of how to prevent future conflagrations is
on everyone's minds. In a statement to the U.S. General Accounting Office in 2002, Barry T. Hill, Director of Natural Resources and
Environment said, 'The most extensive and serious problem related to the health of forested lands—particularly in the interior West—is the
over accumulation of vegetation, which is causing an increasing number of large, intense, uncontrollable, and destructive wildfires.' (pg. 2)"
Download PDF (163KB)
• Technology in the Mills (13.2)
"Wood fiber recovery rates have nearly doubled since World War II. This means that almost twice as much wood is recovered from each
log for conversion to finished products. Using computers to increase fiber recovery is now commonplace in mills, and the result is that much
of what was burned in tepee burners 20 years ago is now made into something we use. Engineered wood products have allowed us to use
smaller and lower quality trees, and pieces of wood that would have been burned in the past."
Download PDF (953KB)
• The Tree That Changed The World (12.3)
"Astronomers for the longest time have regarded Venus as the planet most resembling Earth. Having almost the exact size as Earth and
being almost as close to the sun has led many to even call it Earth's twin. The clouds always covering the Venusian landscape gave another
compelling reason to believe in Venus' affinity to Earth. Pioneering astronomer Svante Arrhenius hypothesized great rains pouring from
these clouds nurtured lush rain forests below."
Download PDF (1.7MB)
• Technology in the Forest (12.2)
"Technology is helping the forest products industry produce more with less: less waste, less pollution, less impact on the environment and
less raw material input. Foresters are under increasing pressure to meet the public's growing needs for wood and paper as well as amenities
from the forest. However, they often have to work under the yoke of negative public perceptions, which were created by images of our
pioneering past, when the forests were seen as endless, and something to be conquered rather than sustained. Yet the reality of the modern
forest products industry is sustainable forestry, to benefit current and future generations. More time is being spent educating the public on
how far the industry has come."
Download PDF (632KB)
• Fire Ecology (12.1)
"When it comes to thinking about fire in the forest, generations of Americans have grown up heeding the wisdom of Smokey Bear. For
the increasingly urban population of North America that means excluding fire from the forest ecosystem at all costs. This mindset, reflected
in US wildfire policy has resulted in over-crowded, unhealthy forests that, ironically, are at high risk for catastrophic fires."
Download PDF (2.2MB)
• Engineered Wood Products (11.4)
"Wood products are an integral part of our lives. The average person in North America uses the equivalent of a 100-foot tall, 18" diametertree
each and every year. (AF&PA) We use more wood by weight than all plastics and metals combined and North America's demand for
lumber, panels, paper, and other wood products continues to increase. Population growth and per capita consumption are contributing to
even greater demand. At the same time, though, the quality of available wood is diminishing as older/larger trees become protected and the
wood products industry becomes more reliant on re-forested plantation land."
Download PDF (2.1MB)
• Sustainable Forestry II (11.3)
"Sustaining healthy, productive, diverse, and resilient forest ecosystems is the vision for sustainable
forestry. Sustainable forestry is an extremely important subset of a broader concept known as Sustainable
Development. By practicing sustainable forestry, we help to make sustainable development a reality.
Sustainable development is 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.'"
Download PDF (231KB)
• What's Good About Wood (11.2)
"Wood is a remarkable fiber and a miraculous resource. It has played a major role in the
development of civilizations for thousands of years. As John Perlin explains in his book,
A Forest Journey, throughout the ages trees provided wood to make fire, the heat of
which allowed our ancestors to reshape the earth for their use. With heat from wood
fires, relatively cold climates became habitable; inedible grains were changed into a
major source of food; clay could be converted into pottery, serving as useful containers to
store food; people could extract metal from stone, revolutionizing the implements used
in agriculture, crafts, and warfare; and builders could make durable construction materials
such as brick, cement, lime, plaster, and tile for housing and storage facilities."
Download PDF (140KB)
• Forest Health (11.1)
"An ecosystem is a natural system, which functions as a unit. It is an assemblage of living organisms
reacting with each other and their non-living environment in a particular area. It can be anything from
a rotten log to the entire planet. A forest is simply an ecosystem dominated by trees, with a unique
combination of plants, animals, microbes, soil, and climate. Forests thrive on the natural chaos or disturbance
in the ecosystem."
Download PDF (1.9MB)
• Canada's Forests (10.3)
"Situated north of the USA, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada is the
world’s second largest country. Forests are a dominant feature of Canada’s landscape,
covering almost half the country. They are an important part of Canada’s
character, heritage and economy. They define the country’s natural environment by
supporting plant and animal life, contributing to the quality of water and soil, and
supplying Canadians with recreational, cultural, and aesthetic pleasures."
Download PDF (1.2MB)
• Global Climate Change (10.2)
"Our climate has been changing for millions of years with the advance and retreat of glaciers,
volcanic eruptions and other natural disturbances. However, recent concerns are that for the first
time, human activity may be having a significant impact on the climate. The global mean temperature
seems to have risen by .5° Celsius (.9 Fahrenheit) over the past 100 years. This has been
attributed to global warming, caused by 'greenhouse gases,' which trap infrared radiation reflecting
from the earth's surface."
Download PDF (161KB)
• Education in America (10.1)
"Education in the United States is in a state of transformation. In 1989, President Bush and the nation's
governors conducted the first National Education Summit in Charlottesville, VA. There was broad recognition
that the U.S. was falling behind and would have a hard time competing in a global economy without higher
standards for education. Six broad goals were identified and two more were added when Goals 2000: Educate
America Act became a federal statute in 1994. Goals 2000 is controversial in the sense that some perceive
it as an attempt at federal control of education, which is constitutionally left to states, school districts, and
communities. Fortunately, we do have some broad goals to debate and measure progress against."
Download PDF (550KB)
• America's National Forests (9.2)
"All Americans have a responsibility to understand the history, current realities, and vision for our 192
million acre National Forest System. The US Forest Service is responsible for stewardship of the National
Forest System (NFS) with its 155 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands. Nature is dynamic, so the best they can do is manage for the reoccurrence of desirable
conditions. However, it’s up to the people who own these lands to determine what the 'desired future
conditions' should be."
Download PDF (810KB)
• Forest Certification II (9.1)
"Independent third-party forest certification is becoming a fact of life in the woods and mills across
North America and beyond. Sustainable forestry has to be measured against a set of performance-based
standards, and verified through an independent third-party. Certification represents a new way and cost of
doing business. While it may not contribute to short-term profitability, becoming certified is the price of
entry to compete in some markets. While certification is a relatively immature market, those who ignore it
may do so at their own peril."
Download PDF (720KB)
• Global Wood Trends (8.4)
"The primary factors determining the demand for wood are population and economic growth. Between 1960
and 1998, the world population doubled and the world economy (Gross Domestic Product, or GDP) grew three and a
half times. World wood production grew along with the population and economy, but per capita consumption of
wood has actually flattened out at about .6 cubic meters. This seeming paradox is explained by changing patterns
and trends in economic growth, consumption, and wood processing technology."
Download PDF (830KB)
• Anadromous Fish & Pacific Forests (8.3)
"One of nature's greatest dramas is the upriver salmon migration. Pacific salmon
(Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Chum, Pink, plus sea-run Steelhead and Cutthroat 'trout')
belong to a group known as anadromous fish. These fish hatch and live the first part of
their lives in fresh water, then migrate to the ocean to mature for months or years before
returning to their natal stream to spawn. Most salmon complete this cycle once before
dying and returning valuable nutrients to the stream."
Download PDF (450KB)
• Pulp & Paper (8.2)
"Before the invention of paper, a variety of different materials were used to record
written information. Stone, metal, wood, papyrus, clay, parchment, vellum, cloth, tree
leaves, and rice-pith have all filled this role. The first cuneiform writing was done by
Sumarians in the form of pictographs on clay in 4,000 BC. The oldest written papyrus rolls
date back 5,000 years, and the word 'paper' is derived from the Greek and Roman words for
papyrus."
Download PDF (416KB)
• The Power of Vision (8.1)
"As humans, we have the unique ability to envision our future and to see ourselves making our
dreams come true. In his video, The Power of Vision, futurist Joel Barker says all great individuals,
corporations and nations have been driven by visions of what they wanted to do, be and have. In
Man’s Search for Meaning, Vicktor Frankl writes about how he survived the Auchwitz Concentration
Camp by concentrating on his vision of things yet to do. Frankl says, 'It is a peculiarity of man that he
can only live by looking to the future, and this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his
existence.'"
Download PDF (400KB)
• Pressure-Treated Wood (7.4)
"As a sustainable society we can use renewables, reduce, reuse, recycle, and extend the life of goods in
use. With 6 billion people on the planet, our mission is clear. We have to figure out how to live sustainably
by producing more with less: less raw material input, less waste, and less pollution. However, an often
overlooked aspect of sustainability is the need to maximize our use of durable goods and to extend their
useful life. New technologies allow us all to be 'preservationists' in a most positive sense."
Download PDF (310KB)
• America's Private Forests (7.3)
"Approximately 73% of the productive* (i.e. wood producing) forestland in the United States is in
private ownership. There has been a dramatic reduction in harvest on federal lands (which contain
over 50% of the nation's softwood sawtimber inventory). Therefore, wood to meet future demand must
come from 10 million private forestland owners."
Download PDF (460KB)
• Forest Engineering (7.2)
"Landscape-Level Forest Management and Sustainable Forestry are great visions guided by sound
principles. Everybody wants them to become realities. However, for the past several years all the emphasis has been
on biology while technology has been pushed into the background. The forest products industry was often advised
never to show timber being harvested in a forest, or processed in a mill, for fear of offending the public. Hiding
reality only fuels our urban mass-consumption society's misperception that building materials, furniture and paper
products appear out of thin air, as if by magic."
• Strategic Planning (6.1)
"Managing a corporation or a forest requires a long range plan. The first step in long range planning is to determine our current
reality. The second step is to articulate an inspiring vision of the future. The third step is to articulate our guiding
principles. Our vision gives us direction. Our principles keep us on the right path."
• Forest Soils (5.4)
"The dynamic interaction between vegetation and soil is so strong that it's unclear which
is dominant. Soil helps secure and renew the forest; forests help secure and renew the soil.
The forest covers and protects the soil from extreme heat and cold while slowing the natural
forces of erosion like water, wind, and gravity. Soil sustains the forest and provides raw
materials for its life: fallen leaves, woody debris, and dead animals recycle through the soil.
Time, weather and soil-borne organisms break these decaying plants and animals down into
nutrients that rebuild the soil, and again become available for plant growth."
Download PDF (1.5MB)
• Water (5.2)
"A precious film of water, most of it salt water, covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. Earth's organisms are made up mostly
of water. As an example people and trees are both about 65% water by weight. We can live without most things for an extended period
of time, however, we can only live a few days without water. Biological processes simply won't work without it. Water is more
than just H2O. Water's unique combination of qualities seem almost magical. The more you know about water, the more
fascinated you'll be!"
• Eco-Nomics (5.1)
"The world's economy is an open subsystem within a closed global ecosystem. The only thing getting into the
ecosystem is sunlight, and the only thing escaping is waste heat. The economy continues to grow and develop. In an 'empty
world' it seems as if there are no boundaries, and wastes can be assimilated or recycled by the ecosystem. However, as we
move toward a 'full world' we become increasingly aware that the earth has finite space, resources, and carrying
capacity."
• World Population (4.3)
"The United Nations International Conference on Population and Development was held in Cairo, Egypt from
September 5-13, 1994. This was the fifth in a series of international conferences on population since 1954,
including Belgrade 1965, Bucharest 1974 and Mexico City 1984. This was the third under U.N. auspices."
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