Thought For the Day

[Amanda_931]

Does that analysis hold up?

Rumor hath it around here--I think I first heard it from a neighbor who has since clear-cut his property--that the loblolly pines grown for timber deplete the soil into non-production after two generations of (overcrowded) timber production.

A heck of a lot of the rest of the world's use of wood is for fuel for cooking.  

Does it count for "use" when the forests are being cut for cattle ranches and ethanol production?

A goodly proportion of ours is for McMansions.

[glenn-k]

That is about 2.33 50000 lb.  log truck loads for a 80 year life span for the world -- or 8.155 for an American

I think I used about half of mine here - but they were considered weeds - to let the other trees grow bigger.

[glenn-k]

Never argue with an idiot. First he will bring you down to his level and then beat you with his experience.

— Actor John Abraham quoting his father in an interview

[jraabe]

MountainDon has a good point about wood being one of the few truly renewable building materials.

While there are areas of the world (the Amazon basin and around cities) where trees are being taken out and not being replaced, there are other vast areas of the planet where trees are growing in abundance (Canada and much of the US). I don't have the data here but I think there are now more trees in North America than there were 100 years ago. We aren't running out of wood that's for sure. But, like water (which we are not running out of either) there can be local supply concerns and natural and man made problems that require adjustments to be made.

From a big picture perspective, building with wood is a bit like the old Yiddish joke about the business of prostitution, "Such a business! You got it. You sell it. You still got it!"

Albeit, there is more of a time lag in the timber business.

[fourx]

...and, as far as shapes and sizes goes, far more variety.
A significant proportion of Australia's rural workforce is unemployed and many small logging communities which were home to generations of timber-getters deserted because of the locking up of state and federal forests in the name of misguided conservation. This is particularly noticable in my area, which was the source for much of the hardwood used in housing construction- and for much of the cedar used in fine furniture worldwide before that. This has left vast tracts of highly inflammable second-growth and degraded timber standing wasted -as a firestorm waiting to happen.

[MountainDon]

From a big picture perspective, building with wood is a bit like the old Yiddish joke about the business of prostitution, "Such a business! You got it. You sell it. You still got it!"

LOL!

John is correct, we in the US and Canada have more tress than 100 years ago. And yes, they are smaller trees than old growth, but they are still tress and are being managed with some degree of effectiveness.

Parts of the US and Canada are also faced with the same problems as Pete pointed out in his post. What really galls me is when misguided environmentalists use the courts to slow down, stall, and sometimes stop necessary cleanup operations.

[fourx]

In a refreshing change here a large timber company, Gunns, is now in the process of sueing individual enviromentalists in Tasmania ( ..and note there is a mental and a mania in those two words, for good reason) for disrupting it's legitimate timber-getting operations.

[glenn-k]

When I think of Australia having logging operations -- I have to wonder-- how do the trees grow upside down like that :-?

[fourx]

 ...so, Glenn, you want to know about our toilets..?

[MountainDon]

I for one am not sure that I do. I'm researching outhouses, privies, and have grave concerns about them downunder.  

Good news is that NM has regulations I can live with.

[glenn-k]

...so, Glenn, you want to know about our toilets..?

I'm afraid to ask Pete. :-?

It's not like we have to flush so you'll have water is it? :-/

[MountainDon]

Hmmm. I see that it's early evening tomorrow downunder. What's my day going to be like, Pete?

[fourx]

...so, Glenn, you want to know about our toilets..?

I'm afraid to ask Pete. :-?

It's not like we have to flush so you'll have water is it? :-/

  Given the state of our politics and who seems to be directing it, you may be onto something..

Don, it's Saturday night here, and I can promise you it's going to be great, if I have anything to do with it....the occasional thumping of a passing kangaroo or two, a scent of gumleaves in the air, and the cresent moon ( upside down, of course) as a gentle reminder of our Muslim friends, all ninety million of them, looking down from the north....

[glenn-k]

I think you are onto something, there, Pete.  If it's up to our pollys none of us will have water, and if it wasn't for them and their policies, most of our Muslim friends would have no ill will toward us.  

For those of you who are of the notion that they are out to get us - read Riverbend's blog about helping her Christian friend to get out of the country because it is no longer safe.  It was safe before we invaded and occupied their country - they Sunni's , Shiites, and Christians all tolerated each other and many were friends.  

Attack  a sovereign nation - kill their civilians, friends, moms, dads, children brothers, sisters in the name of a war on terror, wmd's, freedom and democracy and --yeah -- it stands to reason that they may not love us as much as they used to -- and may even try to defend themselves by attacking back with whatever they have.

Topic drift but still a thought for the day.

[fourx]

I find Muslims, the SE Asian variety at least, easy people to get along with, and I have never had a Muslim knock on my door and try to convert me- had plenty of Mormons and Jahaovha's Witnesses do that, though.
I guess just like you get a Jim Jones and a vat of poisoned Kool-Aid, you will get a fruitcake Muslim ready to wipe out the unbeliever. The scary thing is that they both think they know what's good for you.

[glenn-k]

I was pretty much against the muslims -- not hateful - just not caring for them particularly as a religious group, until the "Christians" jumped in bed with Bush.  Hot and cold running Christians in the Whitehouse defiling themselves with the political whores turned the tables for me.

I started reading Riverbend's blog - http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/  Baghdad Burning - after Rummy's Awe Shucks --I mean shock and awe.   I could see that we were criminals if we condoned what they are doing in the name of Christianity and the United States.  I'll never be a Muslim and won't condone killing anyone, but I see that the people are just like us who are not defiled by politics and hypocritical religion.

BTW, Pete.  I was born into the JW's.  I guess I'm one of the few who make it out -- of course I went out the hard way.

As you may have noticed -- I won't grovel before men -- unless it's to my benefit.

[MountainDon]

http://despair.com/viewall.html

[glenn kangiser]

Many good thoughts there, Don.

[benevolance]

Don

Wood is a great resource...But there are so many ways it is being wasted...For Example....

Paper!
It is economically viable to grow Hemp fields for commercial paper farms...The non dope smoking toxic hemp :-/....Trees need not be cut down for paper...And if we found other ways to produce paper that did not require the cutting of trees we would have twice as much lumber available

Power, Heat

As much as we like the wood stove...many nations use wood for power generation and it is wasteful... Our forests cannot stand up to being used for these types of endeavors...Not when there are 6.5 billion people on the planet.

So yes it is a great resource and completely reusable...It will replenish itself...But we need to take a little better care of the world's forests and make sure that we use the trees that we do cut for important things. So that the trees we do have can provide us with lumber...etc... indefinately.

Concrete, brick are both Green building materials...We have endless clay, sand....Limestone and Gypsum on the planet....Brick and Concrete are tough last hundreds of years are easy to work with and cheap.... The whole world should as a result use a lot more of these materials when building.

[glenn kangiser]

Many green people do not consider concrete green -- way too much embodied energy.

As far as wood use -- I have way more than I could ever burn if I only take care of my trees as they should be taken care of.  I could also build with them without doing anything but improving their quality of life -- it tree have one of those.  Sound forest management includes cutting enough to prevent overcrowding  and to help prevent forest fires.  We don't have to worry about most of the people in the world using too much of our trees because they can't get to them and they have used all of theirs anyway. :-/

[Amanda_931]

Cob--unfired clay/sand/straw--it can be made without any concrete, there are houses in Great Britain and New Zealand (not exactly the driest places on earth) hundreds of years old made that way.  It's probably one of the lowest embodied (in terms of natural resources) energy forms of building around.  Adobe is similar, made a bit differently.

But if you're doing it all by yourself, it's a lot of work.

The original Native Americans (and there may have been many times the number we thought there were--some of the European diseases preceded Europeans) did a lot of working their land, I'm told.

[glenn-k]

and a thought for the day -- I found this on another news forum.

The only clear thinking Americans?
by BERNIE on 27.05.2007 [12:34 ]
      
The American Indian, I believe has given the name "walking eagle"
to all the USA presidential candidates.

For those who do not know. "walking eagle" is an eagle so full of sh*t
that it can't fly.

(I have to say that Ron Paul is an exception  to this statement, but other than him it seems true for the most part).

[fourx]

I always get the mental image of him sitting on Chaney's knee, with Chaney's hand up his back...the guy sounds exactly like Maxwell Smart, that's the creepy thing...does he call Condo ""96"" when they are alone, I wonder?

[glenn-k]

Actually, I think the puppet masters are even above Cheney although he is a number one evil influence.  




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[Sassy]

"The attempt to silence a man is the greatest honor you can bestow on him. It means that you recognize his superiority to yourself."  

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