Redwood Reader

12. How Glomalin Management Can Conserve Wildlife
Conservation 'needs wider view' By Julianna Kettlewell
BBC News Online science staff
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3707857.stm A study released today concerned unpredictable results regarding wildlife species after stress has removed the most quickly impacted species. They say worldwide focus has been on photogenic species rather than ecosystem preservation, which provides the needs pf many species. They point out that when a species disappears a hole is cut in the food web. Other species may flourish for a while with less pressure in compensation but eventually the species itself is forced to face the changing conditions. More extinctions do not provide the initial freedom from competition or predation. No one can tell which species will compensate and which will decline as stress escalates.
Anthony Ives and Bradley Cardinale of University of Wisconsin at Madison said unpredictability of outcome was the principle reason to protect ecosystems rather than individual species. "We can't just go out and conserve one species," said Bradley Cardinale, the other co-author, "because we have no idea what species may make the community resistant in the future; we would be prudent to conserve as many as we can."
Restoration of landscape wide habitat can only occur if we have many people are convinced there is a plan that will work, will not hurt them legally, financially, or by regulation, allows their own use of private land within the law, and can benefit them economically. Simple suggestions, regular preventative maintenance and a floating scale of regular payments, based on acreage in glomalin production, the forestry equivalent to fallowing, can produce these benefits as a by product of positive action.
Focusing on managing forest for glomalin means using large old trees to secure carbon dioxide products in the soil, giving adhesion and pore space to the soil, and enabling it to store water. As mycelium and hyphae create a network of individual plants and multiple species, habitat is created for larger animals. The longer the area is undisturbed , the greater the habitat is allowed to rehabilitate and evolve into niches. Management calls for insuring the working asset, the forest against fire, disease, drought, theft, and trespass. Restoring the water content of the ecosystem reduces risk of the first three. In addition, explosive growth of less desirable species and successional pioneers calls for hand release toward species that can from a canopy with enough shade to suppress competitors. It is the next step in getting the biological house in order. Once canopy is established species preferential treatments can increase the value of the lumber being grown, but it is essential fire danger be reduced as part of the program whether timber is a goal or not.
The old concept of growth slowing meaning decline in older trees is no longer the issue. Big trees have far more ability to produce sugars for mycorhizzia than newly planted ground or second growth. . Groups of big trees create the late seral conditions so many threatened species find diminishing. Ground disturbance and loss of food cause lots of CO2 to be released when they are removed. It could be an air quality issue. Additionally, they maintain large reservoirs of soil moisture, numerous root and fungi connections, a sprawling network of associated species, which form the landscape into a single carbon based water-centric system.
Long term glomalin production based conservation easements are a great way to restore habitat while reducing atmospheric CO2. Packaged into large contiguous blocks of land across public and private ownership that produces steady annual income, we create large blocks of habitat under corporate sponsorship. This model provides water, shade, habitat, proactive response to man-made environmental problems, stream restoration and fisheries recovery, cash payments to citizens and agencies, and an opportunity for corporations to compensate for emissions. Hopefully declining emissions will reduce the need for payments, but we will have restored our damaged watersheds and fisheries through understanding functioning forests by then.
By bringing large acreages together with a single management goal of replacing lost carbon dioxide in the forest precipitation cycle where it belongs we restore the fundamental basis of functioning soils. Restored to their proper place by active accumulation of a pollutant we are truly making the world more livable for many species.
Glomalin mismanagement is one of the most critical causes of habitat loss, as it is the underpinning of every food web. Positive glomalin management creates habitat across the landscape. Glomalin is found around the world and is associated with fungi associated with 85-90% of the worlds plant species, and should be considered in land use practices in other environments wherever soil water storage is crucial.
Prevailing wage and watershed volunteer issue to be clarifiedhttp://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E2145898,00.html A flap over pay for volunteers has got labor concerned volunteers are not being paid prevailing wages on jobs funded with public money as required by law, unless the projects are completely volunteer. For volunteers and landowners it is entirely distressing. Regulations and concerns from many agencies already influence our ability to take measures needed. People are counting on restoration as an industry to create jobs when they really mean careers. Restoration is not sustainable; it should be a relatively quick fix. Management of restored lands and vegetation control will be the full time jobs, along with pre-commercial, commercial, fire protection and stand improvement thinning, fishing and forest recreation. The mix of paid and volunteer workers allow the matching funding to be met by volunteers under the guidance of knowledgeable paid leaders and staff. No qualification was made in the article about machine time itself- it is far more expensive than the labor. So perhaps the operator gave the only contribution he could afford- a reduced pay for himself. Should he not take the job? How does he make his payments? Should the identified problem not be resolved? The traditional method of paying some skilled positions and leaders should be maintained to maximize restoration efforts.
Finally, no teacher should be allowed to make his students volunteer to his own benefit.
5/13/2004
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