// ============================================== // Copyright 2004 by CodeLifter.com // Free for all; but please leave in this header. // ============================================== var Quotation=new Array() // do not change this! // Set up the quotations to be shown, below. // To add more quotations, continue with the // pattern, adding to the array. Remember // to increment the Quotation[x] index! Quotation[0] = "Forests are much more than trees: saplings and seedlings; mosses, ferns, lichens and wildflowers; fungi; litter on the floor; soil and all its lifeforms; microclimates created; wildlife populations and the people who use woodlands are all important parts of a forest and need to be considered. We are just beginning to understand how complex forests and all the interactions that help forests remain healthy and productive."; Quotation[1] = "Large dead trees are critical components of forests: there are over twenty species of birds on PEI that nest in holes in dead or dying trees - everything from chickadees and nuthatches to kestrels and barred owls. They are also crucial habitat to red-backed salamanders, provide drumming logs for ruffed grouse and house a wide variety of insects. Though it might seem odd, dead trees are important contributors to the biodiversity of our forests. The soil-building role of dead wood is critical to maintaining and improving healthy forest soils."; Quotation[2] = "The native Acadian forest is worth both protection and restoration: while it is important to protect the few remnants of older Acadian forests, it is equally important to work on forest restoration. High-value native species such as white pine, yellow birch, sugar maple, red spruce, red oak and white ash could form the basis of not only healthy forests but a future full of value-added forest products."; Quotation[3] = "Plantations are not forests: they do not have the diversity of species, ages or structure that are in healthy Acadian forests. As we have already experienced on PEI, they can be very susceptible to insect and disease infestations and often provide very poor wildlife habitat. The province has been spending most of its silviculture budget on forest plantations and little on actually rebuilding diverse forests."; Quotation[4] = "Subsidies should go towards providing the greatest good: if someone wants to put in a Norway spruce plantation and use herbicides to kill the native hardwoods in order to potentially make a lot of money (whether or not they can is very much open to debate), that is their decision. It is a business risk and should be treated as such. But the province should not continue to subsidize these risky ventures with public funds that could be used for other purposes. If red pine plantations truly are biological deserts, as a consultant funded by the forestry division has found, then why would taxpayers fund these?"; Quotation[5] = "Public forests should be the jewels of the province: that is a message the Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship heard again and again. Instead, what we see are clearcuts and more clearcuts, mainly replaced with conifer plantations. We should be using public lands for the broadest good, including restoring rare plants, creating exceptional wildlife habitat, offering recreational opportunities and carrying out research."; Quotation[6] = "We should be encouraging forest biodiversity: simplified ecosystems such as conifer plantations do not have the range of native biodiversity that should be on these sites. Creating diverse forests allows us to have homes for a wide variety of both flora and fauna and hedge our bets against the potential effects of climate change."; Quotation[7] = "The public has an important role to play in protecting wildlife habitat: think of where those salamanders go after a clearcut destroys their habitat. Or the migratory birds that return in the spring only to find their nesting sites destroyed. A combination of public education programs, incentives to protect and improve forests and better management of public land would go a long way towards improving habitat for a large number of wildlife species."; Quotation[8] = "PEI can only generate sustainable forest wealth by distinguishing itself from larger landbases: we can't compete with larger provinces growing what they grow. This is a tiny province with a limited land base, the vast majority of which is in the hands of private landowners. Fortunately, it has an excellent climate in which to grow trees. High-value woods such as yellow birch and red spruce will always be in demand and return good prices. Having large amounts of plantation wood available in competition with other much larger industrial holdings in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is no guarantee for any economic stability. Being a small land base, we do need to look at ways to increase, not decrease, the number of jobs created per acre of wood cut. Again, the spinoffs from a truckload of pulp harvested by machine going off-Island are minuscule compared to one large red oak that could be used for fine-woodworking and sold here."; Quotation[9] = "The forest sector can have a positive effect on tourism: if we are trying to attract tourists to this province, do we want to show them clearcuts and truckloads of wood going off-Island, or do we want to show them that we care about all aspects of our forests? Do we want to ship off low-value pulp and raw logs or create sustainable employment from adding value to already valuable wood, such as making furniture or wood turnings? Eco-tourism is a growing market but we can not hope to be a major player unless we are seen to be looking after our own environment."; Quotation[10] = "There are other ways to get wood products without clearcutting forests: especially with an emphasis on forest restoration, there could be dozens of small work crews across the Island not only supplying forest products but helping in the restoration as well. Small patch cuts and thinnings, with plantings of appropriate species where necessary, could play a key role in helping to rebuild Island forests."; Quotation[11] = "The province should purchase or create more public forest lands: just 12% of the Island's forests are publicly-owned. Either by purchasing or accepting for donation already wooded lands, or by restoring low-value farmland to forests, the province could significantly increase the amount of public land and create a legacy for future Islanders. This is a direction where many Islanders could actually play an important, hands-on role."; Quotation[12] = "It seems that it will take even more public concern before the provincial Forestry Division looks seriously at the recommendations of the Round Table and starts making public land the jewels of our Island forest."; Quotation[13] = "Prince Edward Islands 2002 Woodlot Owners Survey found that Ownership motives related to legacy (given as heritage for future generations) are rated as important by most owners. Motives related to environmental considerations (wildlife enjoyment, ecosystem protection, water quality, green space) are also important for most owners."; Quotation[14] = "If we act boldly and take the steps that need to be taken, Prince Edward Island will quickly be a leader in ecological forestry. That will only lead to good things. It will mean more well-managed forest land, filled with a mix of plants including high-value trees and medicinal shrubs. It will mean increased employment, both in the forests and in the value-added industries that have already started to take root here."; Quotation[15] = "Over the past year, Islanders witnessed unprecedented damage to land and water resources. With little snow cover and many fields left bare over the winter, soil erosion reached unacceptable levels. Then came the summer, with eight separate occurrences where major pesticide contamination killed fish and other life in Island waterways. Most of us now realize that our land and water resources are under severe stress from an ever expanding industrial potato production sector."; Quotation[16] = "The failure to quantify all the values in a healthy, complex Acadian forest is one reason that Prince Edward Island, like many other places, fell into the trap of fixating on conifer plantations. Great gains were promised over the short term, but today insects and diseases haunt many of the young plantations and some of the older ones are now full of species that have little or no market."; Quotation[17] = "It makes no sense to displace oil with wood if it leaves us with further impoverished forests. We are smarter than that. What does make sense is a conservation program that encourages us to use less electricity, supply sources that actually help improve the environment, and management and delivery systems that maximize inputs. Rather than stealing from our grandchildrens future, we could be leaving them a legacy."; Quotation[18] = "Science has proven that there is no waste wood in a forest. Any wood that dies and falls down will benefit the future forest, providing nutrients, organic matter, soaking up rain, and providing a nursery bed for seeds. The traditional idea of cleaning up your woods often results in a less healthy forest. What you can safely do in most forests is harvest the excess that is produced each year. The rule in ecological forestry is that you are allowed to harvest less wood than a forest produces annually."; // ====================================== // Do not change anything below this line // ====================================== var Q = Quotation.length; var whichQuotation=Math.round(Math.random()*(Q-1)); function showQuotation(){document.write(Quotation[whichQuotation]);} showQuotation();