Forests don’t naturally last forever
As a timberland owner in Maryland, I read with interest Tom Horton’s column on Pirates Wharf Forest.
If you watch trees grow over your lifetime, it is always a difficult decision as to when they should be harvested. The trees we have on Delmarva will eventually reach an age when they are very susceptible to diseases, insects, and fire damage.
We are not growing redwood trees that can live more than 500 years. I have learned it is best to cut down trees that are approaching old age. In many of our federally owned western timberlands, there has been a recent policy of severely limiting the harvest of mature timber.
While this may give short-term benefits to recreation and scenery, it results in a huge cost in the long run – fire. As the forest is left untouched, material will build up on the forest floor that is perfect fuel for a fire.
Our experience on federally owned lands shows that proper forest management, which includes the cutting of timber, would result in a better long term result for the trees and wildlife.
I have no doubt that at Pirates Wharf, some trees, if not most of them, will eventually have to be harvested. If not, you will create a fire hazard.
Although some wildlife would be displaced by the loss of older trees, other types of wildlife will thrive in a young, renewed forest.
Nature cannot be preserved in a static state forever.
Hall Coons
Marion Station