Tuesday January 5, 2010
There are 2.3 billion acres of land area in the U.S. and forest land was about one-half in 1630 (one billion acres). Some 300 million acres of forest land have been converted to other uses since 1630, predominantly because of clearing for agriculture in the East.
According to the Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program, "forest resources of the U.S. have continued improving in general condition and quality, as measured by increased average size and volume of trees". This trend has been evident since the 1960s and before. The total forestland acreage has remained stable since 1900.
Forest Acreage Trendline by Region - U.S. Forest Service/FIA
Monday January 4, 2010
The Apple iPhone and iPod Touch application market has exploded with thousands of great educational references. Two North American tree identification applications are now available that I think are worth considering for purchase. The Sarafax TreeBook app promotes 100 common trees for beginning leaf identification - the perfect student companion. Audubon's Tree Guide has an extensive North American tree database available for the tree savvy.
The Sarafax TreeBook is leaf based and developed for students unfamiliar with tree identification. It is designed for use as a student guide using trees with leaves as primary markers. The app provides a system similar to the one on my About Forestry site for identifying the 100 most common trees found in North America with images, descriptions and links to more information. It supports a leaf key and provides a glossary for finding trees using common tree markers. The iTunes price is $1.99US.
The Audubon Tree Guide was developed for people more familiar with trees and includes more botanical jargon used in identification. It is an exhaustive database, developed as part of the famous Audubon Guide Series, that includes nearly every tree found in North America, with images and descriptions. It supports a search function for finding trees using dozens of tree markers and well worth the extra change for tree hobbyists and tree experts. I purchased this app and thought it adequate for those who already have some tree identification experience. The iTunes price is $9.99US.
I want to make it clear that I was involved in the technical development of TreeBook which took the designer and I nearly a year to complete. We struggled to make it student-friendly and available at a fraction of the cost of other nature identification apps.
Sunday January 3, 2010
Every discipline has it's own unique terminology. Here are 50 terms essential to understanding forests and communicating the language of forestry and related forest resource sciences.
For more terminology related to forests and forestry:
Friday January 1, 2010
I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. - The Lorax
Children's writer/illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel, most known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, created an imaginary cast of characters in his book The Lorax. It was written in 1971 on the heels of forest industry bad press on environmental issues unfolding in the United States' Pacific Northwest dealing with the Northern spotted owl and the health of coastal redwoods and Douglas firs.
Possibly Dr. Seuss' most controversial work, The Lorax has become a popular metaphor for those concerned about the human impact on the environment. The children's book consists of an argument between two creatures, the tree-loving Lorax and the money-loving Once-ler who makes Thneeds from truffula trees.
Several timber industry groups sponsored the creation of a book called The Truax in rebuttal to the Seuss book. The Lorax was actually banned in some schools and libraries in regions with timber economies for its anti-forest industry content.
I thought it would be interesting to bring the book back and found the complete video version of The Lorax - A Cat in the Hat Production on YouTube.com. Enjoy...
Cover Illustration - Random House
