Forest Fragmentation

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Further to past comments on this list about the myth of the great Canadian
wilderness in the boreal forest; plse see the item below.  Of course some
species will not like the new habitat created by this activity but there are
others that will like the new habitat. Everything gets used by something  -
the Polygonia may not like the reduction in tree canopy but the Boloria
eunomia will likely take advantage of same, etc etc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert =?UNKNOWN?Q?D=E9carie?= [mailto:rdecarie at supernet.ca] 
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 1:20 PM
To: biofor2 at Forest.ca
Subject: BIOFOR2: Forest Fragmentation


Forest Gunk

Alberta's $26-billion oil and gas industry has so fragmented the
boreal forest with seismic lines and roads that the cumulative
destruction is causing the province's $3-billion forest sector big
headaches. Oil and gas activity has not only shrunk the amount of
forest available for logging, it has also increased the amount of
nonproductive land in the boreal forest. Under antiquated
provincial laws, oil and gas firms just don't have to replant
trees on abandoned roads or well pads.

That's a big problem, because the scale of oil and gas activity
within forest management areas is tree shattering. In a recent 1
000-page study for Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd., forest
ecologist Brad Stelfox found that 350 092 kilometres of seismic
lines (the equivalent of a 210 055-hectare clearcut
area) now crisscross the Peace River region alone. (If Ralph Klein
stretched out these lines end to end, he
would wrap a five-metre-wide lane around the globe 27 times!)
Roads, seismic lines and pipelines have
removed 1 288 795 cubic metres of trees from the province's
northwest. And astoundingly, almost half of
this merchantable timber was never salvage. All in all, only 9% of
Alberta's northern forest has escaped
the incursions of oil and gas.

(Canadian Business, Toronto, Jan. 28)

*****************************
Robert Décarie
Biodiversity Advisor
Conseiller à la biodiversité
Canadian Pulp and Paper Association
Association canadienne des pâtes et papiers
514-683-9996 (T)
514-683-7362 (F)


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