Forest Fires

It’s that time of year again - the annual “Adirondack Burn Ban” is in effect.  Each year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation places a ban on all residential burning of debris and yard waste, in an attempt to reduce the number of annual wildfires in the Adirondack Park.  Though open burning is prohibited year round in specific “fire towns” (New York towns with fewer than 20,000 residents), the annual spring ban expands the restriction to include the entire Adirondack Park.  Open burning is New York’s number one cause wildfires in the spring season, when warm temperatures and dried out grasses and leaves can easily catch fire.  Since the ban’s creation five years ago, the average number of spring fires decreased by 43.2% (Adirondack Almanac).

Though the burn ban is certainly effective in reducing the amount of spring wildfires in the Adirondacks, it raises many questions about the long-term effects of forest fire suppression and prevention. While reducing wildfires beneficial from a human point of view, wildfires pose obvious threats to human life and property, wildfires are an integral aspect of succession dynamics in many ecosystems and can even been required for reproduction in some plant species.  By preventing wildifres, we also allow brush (which would’ve burned naturally in smaller fires) to build up each year.  This brush build-up can eventually fuel a much larger and much more destructive fire than would’ve occurred as part of an area’s natural fire regime.  As we’ve seen on the West Coast, we can be very successful in suppressing wildfires, but when brush build-up finally ignites, the effects can be catastrophic.

If we continue to prevent wildfires in the Adirondack park, we may unfortunately increase the risk of large-scale fires in upcoming years.  In a place such as the Adirondacks, where large tracts of wilderness and municipalities coexist in a patchwork-quit framework, a big wildfire could be devastating.  While we may not consider human-caused ignition to be the most “natural” way for fires to start, human-caused fire suppression isn’t the most “natural” way for an ecosystem to function either.  In the coming years, it is imperative that the DEC develop a plan to allow the fire regime to run its natural course in the Adirondacks while simultaneously protecting the towns and people within the blue line.

Sources:

“Adirondack Burn Ban in Effect.” Adirondack Almanac, 10 April 2015. Web. 11 April 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/04/adirondacks-burn-ban-effect.html>

“Questions and Answers Regarding Open Burning.” NYSDEC, 14 October 2009. Web. 11 April 2015. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/58519.html>

The Mountains in the Distance: Catskills and the Adirondacks

Upstate New York is known for its beautiful natural features, ranging from pristine mountain wilderness to the lapping shores of the lapping shores of the Finger Lakes to the deep canyons of the glacial Glens.  Of all the designated parks, the Adirondacks stands out as the most unique.  It not only includes almost all of the natural features of the surrounding state, but also has people living within its borders.  For myself as a mountain climber, the most distinct feature of the Adirondacks I always take advantage of are the high peaks of the Adirondacks.  Though these mountains are particularly similar in size and level of protection to those in the Catskill Park in the southeastern corner of the state, they have very different geologic origins.

The Catskills are the sedimentary remnants the Acadian Orogeny, and show evidence of carving by glacial ice and water erosion (Bradley, 1983; USGS).  While 98 peaks in the Catskills rise above 3,000 feet, Big Slide stands above them all at 4,180 feet.  On the other hand, the Adirondacks are metemorphic rocks formed during the Grenville Orogeny and pushed to the surface possibly by a hotspot.  Like the Catskills, its northern sibling was also carved by glaciers, however the rock composing the Adirondacks is much harder than that of the Catskills, and is much harder to erode.  Due to this, the Adirondacks reach higher in elevation, with 46 of the peaks rising above 4,000 feet.  Mount Marcy is this park's highest peak, towering above its neighbors at 5,344 feet (lakeplacid.com).  These regions are barely a few hundred miles apart and both look similar, yet their geologic history is anything but.

Both the Adirondacks and the Catskills were historically logged, but now this practice only continues in the Adirondacks on privately-owned land.  Though the rate and intensity of logging has severely decreased since its heyday in the 19th century, it is still prevalent among the 3.4 million acres of privately owned land (visitadirondacks.com).  In 1892, 2.6 million acres of north woods land was converted into a forest preserve, preventing a single tree from ever being cut down and dragged out of the woods ever again (DEC ADK).  Compared to the Adirondacks, the entire Catskill State Park is designated as forest preserve land, encompassing 287,500 acres (DEC Catskill).  Regardless of the lack of resource extraction, both sites attract a large amount of visitors every year interested in the vast recreational opportunities provided.  The Catskill and Adirondack parks are the only two regions in the state designated as forest preserves, and in total protect 4.7 million acres of land from deforestation and degradation (DEC Preserve).  Though the Catskills are much smaller than the Adirondacks, both preserves serve important purposes to their local communities through economic benefits from recreation, as well as to the environment through vast ecosystem services.




Sources:
"Geology of National Parks." Geology of National Parks. U.S. Geological Society, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/valleyandridge/catskills.htm>.

Bradley, Dwight C. "Tectonics of the Acadian Orogeny in New England and Adjacent Canada." The Journal of Geology 91.4 (1983): 381-400. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.  
 
"Catskill Forest Preserve." Catskill Forest Preserve. New York State Department of Conservation, 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5265.html>.

"Lake Placid, Adirondacks." Mount Marcy. Lake Placid/Essex County Convention and Visitors Bureau, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.lakeplacid.com/do/hiking/mount-marcy>. 

"The Adirondack Park." Visit Adirondacks. Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://visitadirondacks.com/about/mountains/adirondack-park>. 

"Adirondack Forest Preserve." New York State Department of Conservation, 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5263.html>.

"New York's Forest Preserve." New York State Department of Conservation, 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4960.html>.

Avoiding Erosion

     Both blog posts and our class discussions have touched on the overuse of certain areas. The 46 peaks, for instance, are hiked far more than lesser known peaks. Hiking, or really any means of travel, on trails causes erosion. In 1970 Ketchledge and Leonard found that trail erosion in the Adirondacks amounts to around 1 inch in both width and depth per year (Hammit, Cole 39). This erosion is both unappealing (as can be seen below) and harmful to the vegetation on and along the trail. Eroded soil holds water poorly, making life for plants far more difficult. In addition, it tends to be difficult to stop. For these reasons, trails in the Adirondacks are protected during the spring (mud season), when the soil is particularly soft.

Erosion caused by vehicles

     Special regulations are placed on trails located in higher elevations. Hikers are strongly discouraged from hiking these trails. visitadirondacks.com, for instance, asks that hikers postpone hiking trails above 3, 000 feet until mid-June. The High Peaks, Dix Mountain, and Giant Mountain Wilderness Areas are asked to be avoided, but a list of alternative hiking locations is presented (visitadirondacks.com).

     While erosion occurs far more easily in the soft soil of the spring, I feel the summer erosion also deserves attention. The promotion of other areas, as done for spring hiking, can help alleviate the pressure put on more popular trails. A general lack of knowledge of lesser-known areas keeps people away and drawn to more popular, over-hiked places. As an example of what such over-hiking causes, Rooster Comb, a five-mile roundtrip trail was practically abandoned due to the erosion (mountaingetaway.com). The advertising of other trails would help avoid this by spreading hikers out. As those aware of trail overuse, we should carefully choose our own hiking locations. Our presence affects both the vegetation of the area and future hikers.  

Sources:

"Adirondack Hiking: Off the Beaten Path - Mountain Getaway." Mountain Getaway. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

Hammitt, William E., and David N. Cole. Wildland Recreation: Ecology and Management. New York: Wiley 1987. Print. 

"Mud Season Hiking in the Adirondacks." Hiking in Spring's Mud Season. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. 

Pollinator (username), Bank erosion started by ATVs. 2006. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

Wood Pellets

When Claire showed our class the video of the Feller-Buncher, the logging machine that can cut down 6.3 trees in one minute, the entire class cringed and went silent (Klepac). I was awestruck at the destructive force this machine had and the rate at which it can change a landscape. Our response to the video revealed that our generation has been programed to defend trees, as if there is no logical purpose for collecting lumber. However, wood has always been one of our most useful resources since humans discovered fire, and it is easily accessible in many countries.

            In the discussion of renewable energy, the more-modern sciences of nuclear and geothermal energies are great for large-scale power plants, but wood can also power a steam-generated energy plant. Wood pellets, left over from logging operations, are a good size for wood burning power plants and are readily available for many countries (Tweed). For a country needing to import wood, the transportation would release greenhouse gases, however, in 50 years, the atmosphere will be cleaner if we transport and burn wood instead of fossil fuels (Tweed). Burning wood releases 65 to 95 percent less greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels, but Thomas Buchholz, a senior scientist at Spatial Informatics Group, pointed out that trees are a major carbon dioxide sink, so we will have to manage our forests very conservatively in order to balance the emissions with the absorption (Tweed). Unfortunately, I don’t believe humanity can support new technology or legislation unless there is monetary value behind it, so I don’t see a future where the corporations adhere to scientists’ research and keep their resource consumption in check. For now, wood can power a small-scale heating system (in a wood-burning stove) for an environmentally friendly household.

Klepac, John. "Performance of a Tracked Feller-Buncher with a Shear Head Operating in Small-Diameter Pine." 2013 Council on Forest Engineering Annual Meeting (n.d.): n. pag. Forest Service Southern Research Station. USDA. Web.

Tweed, Katherine. "Cleaner Than Coal? Wood Power Makes a Comeback." Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.

Maple Syrup

Much of our class has focused on the ecological makeup for the Adirondacks and the role this plays in preventing settlers from finding viable ways to sustain themselves. Early settlers attempted agriculture, convinced that this region would be the next breadbasket of the United States. The soil was ultimately too poor in nutrients and the weather too harsh to grow large quantities of crops. However, it turns out that leaving trees as they are provides multiple services to both to the ecosystem and to humans. As outlined in the “First Annual Report” we read for class today, trees are crucial to the water cycle, wildfire prevention, erosion prevention and the pure enjoyment of nature. However, as I read through the Adirondack Almanack, I came across another “sweet” benefit we receive from trees; maple syrup production. I often take this classic breakfast condiment for granted, but after reading this article I realized this industry is sensitive one, subject to a variety of factors.

Maple syrup production is very different from other agricultural endeavors, where the length of the growing season is almost always exact and harvest time can be calculated to a T. Because maple syrup is a liquid, producers’ ability to extract this product depends entirely upon the weather. Maple syrup will run most smoothly when a region experiences sub-freezing conditions at night, followed by mild daytime temperatures. Until recently, the mechanisms that control this sap flow were not completely understood, but scientists now have better knowledge of this process.

Scientists have discovered that maple sap flow is unique from that of other trees due to the “way its wood interacts with freeze-thaw cycles” (Hetzler 7). A tree’s xylem is responsible for the upward transport of water, while a tree’s phloem is in change of moving sugars down through the pant. Maple tree xylem acts differently in the spring, moving sugars as opposed to water up the plant. The gasses in xylem fiber cells shrink during the nighttime, dissolving into sap contained in the vessels. The tree’s internal pressure drops as a result of this contraction of gasses, creating a suction that draws sap from its roots (Hetzler 10). 

This complicated process makes the maple sugaring season volatile to factors such as barometric pressure change and wind. Adirondack maple sugar producers were prepared for the sugaring season to begin in early February this year, but frigid temperatures have not given them a good sap flow until this past week. Keeping in mind these constraints, I now have a much greater appreciation for the maple sugar industry, and understand why prices are higher than other syrup brands. I personally believe that maple syrup, especially locally made syrup, is always worth the extra cost.

Works Cited: Hetzler, Paul. "A Late Maple Sap Run for Syrup Makers." Adirondack Almanack. 

     N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/04/ 
     a-late-maple-sap-run-for-syrup-makers.html>.

The 6th Mass Extinction

I recently read an article in Adirondack Life Magazine, calling for citizens to join a volunteer force to monitor amphibians. I was confused as to why there needs to be a volunteer force to monitor frogs and their slippery relatives. Upon further research I discovered that amphibians are dying. Not just in the Adirondacks, but across the country. Plenty of animals die across the US but the death of amphibians are particularly alarming. Amphibians are indicator species, a species that is especially susceptible to changes in the environment. Their susceptibility leads them to be the first to die, but more importantly their deaths mean that the environments they live in are getting much worse. Bad enough for their to be a mass extinction. The death of frogs could spell death for us. If nothing else the world as we know it will change.

Recently a study was done at UC Berkeley, which detailed what is happening to many amphibians. The culprit in the west appears to be a fungus called chytridiomycosis. However global warming and pesticides in water, and habitat loss appear to be causing the deaths of these animals across the country. Now it can be hard to care about frogs. Ecosystems are very interconnected; according to Professor David Wake at Berkeley the frogs are just the beginning. Many species rely on frogs for food. Since 2004 one third of all amphibians are threatened, and those species that aren’t threatened are starting to wane as well. Professor Wake also believes that “The heavy hand of homo sapiens is behind this mass extinction” (Tompa). We are witnessing a mass extinction right now, but it is too late to stop it. We won’t stop polluting, or expanding. The fingers of our influence around the world are pushing out the animals that live there. Below are two pictures showing the effects of a highway in Brazil and what happened to the virgin forest that it went through. There is also a graph showing the rapid growth of people. So it would appear that it is not a fungus that can be blamed for the mass extinction on the horizon. It is a meteorite called humanity.

Sources:

Tompa, Rachel. "08.12.2008 - Dying Frogs Sign of a Biodiversity Crisis." 08.12.2008 - Dying Frogs Sign of a Biodiversity Crisis. UC Berkeley, 12 Aug. 2008. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/08/12_extinction.shtml>.

Kourofsky, Niki. "Frogs Are Disappearing: How You Can Help." Adirondack Life 26 Mar. 2015. Print.

 Photographs from Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest by John Terborgh. Copyright  1992 by W.H. Freeman and Company. Used with permission. Graph from Biology: The Dynamics of Life by Alton Biggs, et al. Copyright  1991 by Merrill Publish

Bearing (False?) Witness

To be aware that albatross eat and choke on waste is fundamentally different from being confronted with a point-blank image of a dead albatross, its stomach sliced open to expose an eruption of red and blue plastics. Or the de-tusked elephant, left to die but with eyes that were the most alive thing I have ever seen. I do not know if this is a failure of the written word-or a success for visual communication-but images always seem to define and popularize environmental movements.  

Harper's magazine. January 24, 1885.

This is conservation photography-a mixture of art and activism. While it was not technically a photograph, we experienced this combination in the images that Rachel passed out during Monday’s class. Conservation is a recent demarcation but I believe it to be fitting and necessary as its goal is not for its viewer to be awed or entertained but to bear witness. A critical view of conservation photography could see it as advertisements for the natural world where the individual’s personal narrative is far more critical to the success of the piece than the circumstances that allowed for the picture. Because responsibility for the context that lead to the image cannot be explained by the photo alone, I question if the ends of social concern and action justify the means of possible misinformation and unfair blame.

Conservation photography cannot accurately exist alone without a previously or simultaneously informed public. As we learned in The Adirondacks, the image of a decimated and scorched earth that was published in Harper’s magazine and used to garner support for a protected region did so by pulling on popular anti-logging industry sentiments despite their practices in the region rarely causing such damage. As Schnieder put it, “it didn’t really matter who had actually cut down the trees” because the public already had their bogymen (Schnieder, 219). The fundamental problem being that with images, a narrative is written entirely by the viewer, a blame is placed and the actual context of that photo is of no consequence in comparison to what is within the frame.

The motivation behind the photograph is critical in separating conservation photography from more traditional nature photos that someone might take on a hike. Nature photography and conservation photography are as similar as paintings by the Hudson River School and the one published in Harper’s. According to the International League of Conservation Photographers, their “goal is to use the art of high-quality photography to encourage people to take action in support of tangible and meaningful conservation measures” (iLCP).

The poached rhino without a tusk, the logged land without trees; both are consequences of intersecting paths with humans. So should we care if the right humans are blamed? If the motivation is honest and the photo genuine, should it matter if the conclusion of the public is not entirely accurate? Can the conclusion of the public ever be entirely accurate? I have transitioned into expressive questioning because I am out of answers but I hope that, as the field grows, some conclusions will be made and standards set so that we can trust those images used to tap into our most human emotions.

Below I have included a link to a 15 minute video (downloading to the blog took to long) that explains the field from the mouths of its pioneers, coupled with beautiful images. Feel no need to watch the whole thing but if you are in need of procrastination material-it does the trick.

 https://vimeo.com/18498629

Works Cited

ILCP. "About Us." International League of Conservation Photographers. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

Schneider, Paul. The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness. New York: H. Holt, 1997. Print.

Witness: Defining Conservation Photography Feature. ICLP, 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

The Murder of Grace Brown

Because we have had many discussions about conflict within the Adirondack Park, I thought it would be interesting to explore the topic of murder. One of the more notable cases would be the murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette. Even though this murder occurred over a century ago, people have not forgotten about it, and the story lives on through the written word, on the screen, and in song.

To the left is Chester Gillette, and to the right is Grace Brown ("Chester Gillette").

On the evening of July 11, 1906, Chester took Grace out boating in Big Moose Lake. After having a concealed relationship with Grace for a year and learning she was pregnant, Chester arranged for the two of them to spend the weekend in the Adirondacks. Chester had received letters from Grace pressuring him to marry her, claiming that she knew he was with other women, and threatening to kill herself if he left her. Assuming Chester would propose to her—or even hold a secret wedding—Grace met with him. However, while they were out boating, Chester clubbed Grace with a tennis racquet and left her in the water to drown, knowing she could not swim (“Chester Gillette”). Grace’s body was found the next day, and Chester was quickly arrested in Inlet, a nearby town. Chester was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by electrocution on March 30, 1908 at the Auburn Prison (Brandon).

A 2006 New York Times article discusses the legacy this murder left behind. On the 100^th year anniversary of Grace and her unborn child’s death, visitors travelled to Herkimer County for events that included boat tours on Big Moose Lake and the dedication of a historical marker at Grace’s gravesite in South Otselic. Throughout the summer, other events such as film screenings, readings of Grace’s letters, the reenactment of trials at the Herkimer County Courthouse, and lectures on the murder took place (York). The murder has provided inspiration for a long list of non-fiction books, novels, plays, motion pictures, television programs, songs, and even an opera. The murder was most prominently used as the basis for Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel An American Tragedy (Brandon). Although Grace’s life was cut short too soon, her memory is still alive, she hasn’t truly died just yet.

Works Cited

Brandon, Craig. “A famous murder mystery.” Murder in the Adirondacks. Van Haitsma Literary Agency, June 2006. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

“Chester Gillette.” Murderpedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2015

York, Michelle. “Century After Murder, American Tragedy Draws Crowd.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 11 July 2006. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.