1. Another One Bites the Dust: A Look at Logging in our National Parks and Forests Ellen Creal and Emily Milton

2. Hypothesis -With each year, new areas of our national parks and forests are being opened up to logging. The destruction of these once untouched forests is taking its toll on biodiversity in the United States. We predict that the biological cost of logging in the United States, and its expansion into our National Parks will take an irreversible toll on the valuable organisms that depend on these habitats for survival.

3. Introduction and Background to Logging -The logging process has been used in North America for thousands of years --Native American use --European use -Europeans were coming from a place already depleted of the majority of forests --While Europe had moved on to coal usage for heat in the 17th century, in the United States continued to use wood until 1840

4. What is Logging? n: the process, work, or business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills (dictionary.com) -Kinds of logging: --Clear-cutting --Selection harvest --Thinning

5. Effects on Land from Logging -Depletes soil integrity and nutrient level -Logging roads compact soil preventing further growth and separate habitats -Fires are able to spread more quickly -Tapping into a well-balance system

6. What is Biodiversity? n: diversity of plant and animal species in an environment (dictionary.com)

7. The Big Concern Habitats o Logging Roads = Separation of Species o Old Growth Chopped = Destruction of Unique Habitat o Land Degradation = Flooding, Erosion, Landslides

8. Logging and Grizzlies -Logging roads cut off bears from each other --Increases grizzly mortality rate 5 times -Decreased the size of habitat --Now confined to 1-2% of the habitat occupied in the 1800s (NRDA 2006) -Endangered species -Require large open spaces to find a mate --One of the slowest reproducing mammals, produce only 1-2 cubs every three years

9. Old Growth to Lines of Pines -Old Growth forests are replaced with pine plantations -From 1950 to 1990 pine plantations we from being almost non-existent to covering nearly 30 million acres -Animals such as Pine Marten and Cerulean Warbler depend completely on Old Growth forests to survive (Jordan 2000) (Glick 1998)

10. Conclusion Logging is taking a huge toll on biodiversity We should not continue to expand logging, rather decrease it “The US government is the only property owner I know of that, in effect, pays private companies to despoil or deplete its own resources.” Rep. Jim Leach (Glick 1998)

11. Citations Bader, M. 1993. The Only Hope for Wilderness Is to Save All the Parts. Pages 339-344. A People’s History of Wilderness. High County News Books. Paonia, CO. Bass, R. 2000. Building an Ark for the Rarest Forest Creatures. Wilderness. October 2000 Issue: 13-19. Berlik, M. Kittredge, David. Foster, David. 2002. The Illusion of Preservation: a Global Environmental Argument for the Local Production of Natural Resources. Journal of Biogeography. Pp 1557-1568. Glick, D. 1998. Disturbing the Peace. Wilderness. May 1998 Issue: 20-25. Jordan, C. 1986. Ecological Effects of Forest Clearcutting. Pages 345-356. Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-solving. National Research Council. National Academy Press. Washington, D.C. Little, J. 2000. National Park Wilderness: Protecting What’s Left. Wilderness. October 2000 Issue: 42-45 Mac, M.J., P.A. Opler, C.E. Puckett Haeker, and P.D. Doran. 1998. Status and trends of the nation's biological resources. Vol. 1 and 2. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. 1-964 pp. NRDA. “Grizzly Bears in Peril”. 2006. http://www.savebiogems.org/bears/ (29 November, 2006)http://www.savebiogems.org/bears/ Ray, J. 2000. Log Trucks at the Crossroads in the South. Wilderness. October 2000 Issue: 47, 60. USDA Forest Service. “Current U.S. Forest Data and Maps”. 2002. http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/ (18 October 2006)