Bibliography

Frank Keeney
English 102
Leslie Jewkes
05/03/2011
Bibliography

Ash, Matt. Personal Interview. 12 February 2011.

Associated Logging Contractors Inc. Idaho’s Pro-Logger Program, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.

Barringer, Felicity. “Logging and Politics Collide in Idaho.”  New York Times 9 Aug. 2004.

Bennett, Tiffany.  What Is the Human Habitation of the Amazon Rainforest?” eHOW.com, 9       July 2010. Web. 18 March 2011.

 

Butler, Rhett A. “Deforestation in the Amazon.” Mongabay.com, 1994-2010. Web. 15 March 2011.

Butler, Rhett A. “Green Teams with timber industry on new anti-illegal logging bill.” Mongabay.com,          1994-2010. Web. 15 March 2007.

Binkley, Dan and Thomas C. Brown. “Forest Practices as Nonpoint Sources of Pollution in North    America.” Journal of American Water Resources Association. 29.5 (1993): 729-740. Print. 

Costa, Flavia and William Magnusson. “Selective logging effects on abundance, diversity, and          composition of tropical understory herbs.” Ecological Society of America 12.3 (2002): 807-819.             Print.

“Deforestation.” Wikipedia. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.

 “Deforestation; Gold prices spur six- fold spike in Amazon.” NewsRx Health & Science  (2011): 133.         Print.

 “Deforestation: Modern-Day Plague” National Geographic.1996-2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011.

“Douglas-fir Beetle in Idaho.” Idaho Department of Lands, Insect & Diesease 18 (1999). Web. 12 Feb.       2011.

“Forest Conservation and Research”  Sustainable Forestry Initiative. 9 Jan. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.

“Forest Health.” Idaho Forest Products Commission. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.

Medicine Man. Dir. John McTiernan. Perf. Sean Connery, and Lorraine Bracco. Buena Vista         Pictures Distribution. 1992. DVD.

 Pinard, M.A. and W.P. Cropper. “Simulated effects of logging on carbon storage in diptercarp forest.”        Journal of Applied Ecology 37. (2000): 267-28. Print.

Putz, F.E. and et. al. “Reduced-impact logging: Challenges and opportunities.” Forest Ecology and   Management 256 (2008): 1427-1433. Print.

Ruelas, Juan. Personal Interview. 15 April 2011.

Smith, S.E. “Why is clear-cutting bad for the environment?” Wisegeek.com. 2003-2011. Web. 16 Feb.         2011.

United States. Forest Service. Forest Health Issues. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.

Wallace, Scott.Farming the Amazon.” National Geographic. 1996-2011.Web. 17 March 2011.

 

Walters, Jennifer Marino. “Adventure in the Amazon.” Science World  67.8 (2011) : 10-15. Print.

“What is a healthy forest?” United States. Forest Service. 2011. Web. 9. Feb. 2011.
           

Final Reflection of English 102

Frank Keeney
English 102
Leslie Jewkes
4/27/2011


Reflection

            This past semester has been an exciting time with all of my classes. It was definitely a challenging semester, specifically with all the work that had to be put into this class especially the multi- genre project.  The whole semester, I felt like I was on overload with the project’s that were assigned to be able to pass the class. Often times it was difficult finding what was due and what the requirements of the assignments. Success seemed to be very challenging with the work load that was presented for the class. The organization of this class made it difficult to stay organized with assignments and created some frustration.  The last couple of English classes seemed easier, for me I guess it was making sure to get the proper sources to work completely with all of my essays. Reflecting back throughout the semester, it improved my weakness and brought out new weakness that needed to be improved.
             Improving throughout the semester was challenging, but with the challenges that where presented I began to see improvement in my work. Research has always been hard for me finding the proper sources always seemed difficult especially making sure that they were a creditable source. In the beginning of my research, I was having difficulties finding the proper sources to use with the type of paper I was writing.  I find if I can actually choose my own topics for research and writing even from a broad topic, I write better. That was a challenge this semester because the options seemed limited and uninteresting to me.  Through all the difficult nights of writing it seemed to get easier and everything started to flow like it was suppose to. I finally felt like I was making progress with my writing assignments. Improving in this area meant a lot because I have always had trouble writing papers and making them sound and look good. Hopefully all of that is behind me now and I will continue to improve.
            There are still areas for me to improve on in my future classes when it comes to writing. Starting with my grammar, I do not know anyone that can write a perfect essay on the first time. For me it usually takes three times going through my rough draft to get my essay even close.  Staying on topic is also a hard one for me; though I would like to think that I have improved on this area when working on my current papers.  I really started to notice improvement on this after my first essay, which was great for me because it took me longer to properly get what I wanted to say down on paper.  It was really nice to see the improvement and progress that I was making after being out of school for so long. Everything that I have learned so far is really going to help when I get out of school and back into the working world. I will be able to apply the knowledge that I have learned in this class and all the others to create better papers.  I will be able to use everything that I have learned in this class to better my chances in being a successful person in what ever I chose do for the rest of my working life.
            Overall the projects that I have done in this class will provide a greater knowledge of writing; therefore give me a better chance of performing at a higher standard than others. Reflecting back throughout the semester, it improved my weakness and brought out new weakness that needed to be improved. Researching was a difficult task on its own making the correct choices for possible sources, along with making sure that I stay on topic and inserting the sources properly throughout the essay. I have learned a great deal of useful information that I will be able to use in my future schooling and in my future career.   

Global Paper


 

Deforestation around the World

 





By Frank Keeney
283220
English 102 035W
Leslie Jewkes
05/01/2011



ABSTRACT: DEFORESTATION AROUND THE WORLD.

Deforestation is happening around the world. Deforestation has effects on people that rely on the forest for their livelihood and homes.  Deforestation will cause animals and insects to find news areas to inhabit and also will create new areas of erosion and flooding zones. Mining also creates new problems of deforestation. Mining companies have to clear the area before they begin to mine witch then increase the destruction of the rainforests.  Through the decrease in deforestation, the environmental sustainability of increasing the forest biomass can be achieved on a global level.


Frank Keeney
English 102
Leslie Jewkes
4/17/11
Deforestation around the World
            “The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation” (National Geographic). With deforestation happening every day there are many problems that occur with the effects of deforestation.  Many areas around the world are dealing with deforestation problems.  With the destruction of the world’s rainforests and forests, it causes major problems from animal’s habitat to a regenerating source of fuel to every living thing. Deforestation is happening and it is affecting the world today.
            Deforestation is happening in many parts of the world, especially the Amazon rainforest where thousands of acres are disappearing in the blink of an eye. “Between May 2006, Brazil lost nearly 150,000 square kilometers of forest- an area larger than Greece-and since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of the Amazon rainforests have been destroyed” (Butler 2011)  It is taking away what habitat local tribes and people use to survive.  The local tribes use the rainforest as their home like the Native Americans used the prairie.  Extreme loggers are taking away the homes of these tribes and pushing them into new areas that they may not know how to live off of.  “Illegal logging is a critical issue in developing countries where it can lead to the loss of wildlife habitat and public revenues. When forests are logged illegally, this undermines good forest governance and reduces their potential to contribute to sustainable livelihoods in developing countries and countries in transition.” (Sustainable Foresty Initiative).  With massive deforestation destruction going on, in certain countries it is creating a large problem for everything that depends on that habitat to survive, especially the people that use the rainforests for food and material to provide for their families.
            Another reason of the destruction of the rainforests and forests is due to the human population increasing around the world.  People need places to live and they need food sources.  Agriculture is a large reason for deforestation today; with populations increasing we need more areas to farm for food.  Humans also are always looking for other resources that are not renewable, and tearing down the forests helps them to find those resources.  In certain areas deforestation is created my small mining company’s that are clear cutting areas for new areas to mine.  Mining is another cause of deforestation.  Mining company’s hire the loggers to come in and clear cut an area, so they can begin digging into the hillside.  “Roughly 7,000 hectares or about 15,200 acres, of pristine forest and wetlands were cleared at two large mining sites between 2003 and 2009, with a dramatic increase in deforestation occurring in the last three years” (Health&Science).  Mining is just another reason for the loss of the forest acres. It is destroying the forest just so the mining company’s can dig to find gold, silver, and coal.
            There are other parts to play in the destruction of the forests around the world.  Deforestation is also destroying habitat for thousands of species of insects and animals that live in the varying layers and canopies of the rainforest.  These same areas are being destroyed, killing or pushing the local wildlife into new areas that may not have the necessities to withstand the increase of the animal population. “The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species. Seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes” (National Geographic).
             Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. It also creates new areas of open land that will create problems of erosion and will completely destroy the land that was once covered by forest.  “Tropical rain forests are dense groups of trees located in very warm regions with annual rainfall of at least 254 centimeters (100 inches)” (Walters 2011).  Deforestation creates new areas of dry land that are not meant to be dry; this takes away plants that have been covered by the trees canopy for hundreds of years.  These plants cannot survive in direct sun and are destroyed and we may never see them again.  Deforestation affects the habitats that have been around for centuries and turns it into more of a steppe habitat depending on the location of the forest. 
            The climate has been changing around the world, whether or not is due to deforestation and the changes in the water cycle and plant biomass or it is mother nature, there are many studies that argue either way.  Logically though, it seems that as you decrease plant biomass, the carbon-oxygen cycle changes and less carbon is being transformed into oxygen through the trees and plants.  This will affect the atmosphere and many other natural processes on earth, which affects humans.  The Sustainable Forestry Initiative, an independent organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management, states that sustainable forestry makes an important contribution to mitigating climate change and adapting to changing ecosystems.  With deforestation happening, it’s taking away a large part of the largest natural resource that we have.  
            Deforestation has an effect on countries around the world.  Even though there isn’t a rainforest in the United States, we as a country are losing the possibilities of seeing species that are living in the forest from animals to plants.  These same species may be beneficial to us for medicinal reasons as well, whether known or unknown.  We also see the impact from the environmental stand point. 
            With deforestation going on, there are ways that we can improve the rainforests and still be able to log them as well.  Sustainable forestry is a newer way to carefully manage any forest.  Through forest management, instead of straight clear cutting and illegal logging with no care of the affects, then we can have the rainforests and forests around a lot longer and use them as renewable resources.  Logging is needed everywhere; it can help improve areas of the rainforest.  Forests can get damaged from many things like invasive insects, “The introduction of foreign plants, animals, and microorganisms is one o the most disruptive influences on ecosystems”(Forest Health Issues). Therefore logging needs to be available to go in and take care of the problem so it doesn’t weaken the forest or kill too many trees.  By selective logging, loggers can go in and take out the problem trees and use the lumber.  When forests are neglected and natural disasters hit, like forest fires, unmaintained forests will burn hotter and faster than forests that have been selective logged and managed.
            I spoke with Mr. Juan Ruelas about the issues of deforestation.  Mr. Ruelas has worked in the lumber industry for over 15 years in the western United States.  I spoke to him about the problems of deforestation and he said “major deforestation has been a problem for every lumber company that he has worked for, it makes buying and selling lumber more difficult.”  “Logging is important, but when it is over logged, finding lumber to buy becomes more of a problem.  If selective logging was more popular it wouldn’t be as much of an issue to finding better and more lumber.”  
                Deforestation is causing problems with the forest, but if people started to think about how they go about cutting down trees, then I believe that sustainable forestry could help everyone.  Currently, this initiative is more popular and has a better insight of proper and improved ways to manage and use the forests as renewable resources, not something we can take advantage of without considering the consequences.  Deforestation is happening and it is affecting the world today, but with proper sustainable forest management, we can decrease the detrimental effects and improper natural resource use and have a better world to live in.
Work Cited
Butler, Rhett A. “Deforestation in the Amazon.” Mongabay.com, 1994-2010. Web. 15 March 2011.
“Deforestation; Gold prices spur six- fold spike in Amazon.” NewsRx Health & Science  (2011): 133.          Print.
“Forest Conservation and Research”  Sustainable Forestry Initiative. 9 Jan. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.
“Deforestation: Modern-Day Plague” National Geographic.1996-2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011.
Ruelas, Juan. Personal Interview. 15 April 2011.
United States. Forest Service. Forest Health Issues. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
Walters, Jennifer Marino. “Adventure in the Amazon.” Science World  67.8 (2011) : 10-15. Print.
“What is a healthy forest?” United States. Forest Service. 2011. Web. 9. Feb. 2011.


Film Essay

I wish I would have received feedback on this paper before the portfolio and blog was due. I was not able to make any changes in time due to the instructor not returning it to me in time.

Frank Keeney 
English 102
Leslie Jewkes
03/20/2011
Rainforests and the “Medicine Man”
            The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world.  A rainforest is the most diverse ecosystem in the world.  In recent years, it has been a prime ground for logging and creating more agriculture lands for people to sustain life. But the rainforest has the potential to produce new medicine for the world, with two million acres in canopy in the rainforest; there are so many possibilities for researchers to find new medicines that could be used to cure many illnesses across the world today. The Amazon rainforest is a very diverse place and this diversity can lead to many new discoveries in the world today.
            With the rainforest being depleted by deforestation, it is taking away many diverse ecosystems that the world needs to be healthy.  Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land” (Wikipedia). The film that I am going to be analyzing is “Medicine Man” made in 1992 starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It was about a doctor who had been living in the Amazon rainforest researching for medicine that he linked to curing cancer in the local tribe he lived with, which the tribe then referred to him as a “medicine man”.  A new female doctor came to determine what he was doing with his research and the pharmaceutical company’s money and to shut him down, though she was not aware of his discovery. Once she realized what he discovered, but that he only had a small portion left of the serum and that he could not duplicate it, they teamed up with the tribe to find the source.  When they finally realized what the source was, it was too late and the forest was getting torn apart, logged, and burned for new roads. Along with some relational plots, there were a few points made about the rainforest and the effects of logging that diverse ecosystem within the movie.  This film is relevant to my chosen topic of Environmental Impacts and sustainable resources due to the setting of the movie and some of issues in the underlying subplot of the movie.
 I believe the director of this movie was trying to get the word out about the damages that was happening in the Amazon rainforest and also the possibilities that the rainforest has for the medical field and other unknowns in the world. Another message the movie gave was the effect of a different cultures inhabiting an area such as the rainforest, had the potential of bringing diseases into an area that had never been seen before. This can cause a very large epidemic to the tribe because the tribal peoples’ immune systems have never seen the diseases or even the common cold.  It could have the potential to completely take out the whole tribe. “Epidemics of small pox, measles and even the common cold devastated many Indian populations” (Bennett 2010). I believe the director was also trying to get this point out in the movie, showing that even people like us could cause extreme damage to the cultural side of the rainforest just by a common cold.
            With logging and illegal logging cutting roads into the rainforest, it is already creating problems for the local tribes because they are seeing the water slowly deplete in those areas. The local tribes are being forced to move from their homes and seek new areas to raise their families and find new sources of food. I think the director was trying to tell the audience that if we do not stop logging in the rainforest, that it will not only take away any chance of new cures being found, but also we will be ruining the lives of the tribal people that call the rainforest their home. “During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down—more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began.”(National Geographic).
I think that the director of this film was also trying to let the world know what opportunities there could be in the rainforest. With the rainforest being depleted so fast, the producer of the movie is also trying to let people know that it is already affecting the rainforest by water depletion and by ruining the ecosystem that is in existence right know.
            Overall I believe that the director of this film was just trying to let the world know how things can affect the rainforest. From the common cold to developing just a single road and this is why, we as a people need to be more aware that the smallest things can completely take out an ecosystem. I also believe that the director of the movie was trying to teach the viewers a lesson on how we can cause great havoc on an ecosystem by logging and just having the mere presence of people from the outside world.  The Amazon rainforest is a very diverse place and is the largest ecosystem in the world and with endless possibilities.

            Work Cited

Bennett, Tiffany.  What Is the Human Habitation of the Amazon Rainforest?” eHOW.com, 9     July 2010. Web. 18 March 2011.

“Deforestation.” Wikipedia. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.

“Farming the Amazon. National Geographic. 17 March 2011.

Medicine Man. Dir. John McTiernan. Perf. Sean Connery, and Lorraine Bracco. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. 1992. DVD.

Letters of Inquiry

I wrote to two different companies, but never received any feedback:

1. Boise Cascade


2. Boise National Forest
    1249 S. Vinnell Way, Suite 200
    Boise, Id 83709
    March 15, 2011
Hi my name is Frank Keeney. I am doing a college research paper on assurance of environmental sustainability. I am currently working on a local part of my portfolio, and I decided to cover the logging aspect part of environmental sustainability. I was hoping to get some insight on logging that occurs in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, and I was hoping that you could answer some questions that I have.
What areas of Idaho are currently being logged?
What are your normal logging practices?
Where do you operate in the Pacific Northwest?
What types of products come out your logging efforts?
How does logging affect Idaho?
Do you plant trees after logging?
What types, of sustainable logging do you practice?  

Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Frank Keeney

Interviews about Logging and deforestation

Phone interview on March 15, 2011
Juan Ruelas
(Works for a private lumber company)

How long have you been in the lumber industry?
                A: Over 15 years
 Have you seen the Amazon and if so did you witness any destruction of the Amazon?
                A: Yes and with the time that I spent in South America, I saw a few areas that were being clear cut. They would go in and cut and burn after.
What problems do you see that deforestation is creating around the globe?
                A: Major deforestation has been a problem for every lumber company that I have worked for, it makes buying and selling lumber more of a problem.
Do you think logging is an important part of the world today?
                A: Logging is important, but when an area is over logged, finding lumber to buy becomes more of a problem.  If selective logging was more popular, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue to    finding better and more lumber.
What is your opinion or preference of a logging style?
                A: I prefer selective logging, while it is a more difficult to do, it provides lumber for the mills and creates new areas for new growth to come up through naturally.  Also you get more tree      species, and different tree species are used for different products, like pulp for paper and building materials for houses.



Phone interview on March 28, 2011
Matt Ash
(Works as a truck driver for lumber company)

How long have you been hauling logs?
                A: 10 years
What do you think about deforestation?
                A: Deforestation is not a healthy way to log. You’re not leaving protective cover for the new seedlings that would be starting to grow.  Also it is not sustaining the natural resource that we, as people, rely on. 
Have you ever had any protesting going on in the areas that you have worked or driven through?
                A: No, but sometimes there were comments made outside of the mills I had to log for by individuals that either loved or hated what we did.
Have you hauled logs for companies that just selectively cut or did both clear cutting and selective logging?
                A: I have hauled for both, but preferred to haul for companies that did more of the selective logging because it not only sustained the forest, but also gave the companies more of an opportunity to go back into the area that they had only selectively logged.  Even though I was          just a truck driver hauling logs, it was still a difficult job and often times dangerous. Most of the companies I have worked for were very good to work for, but a lot have had to close down due        to the economy and the bad wrap from deforestation in general.
Do you think logging is an important part of the world today?
                A:  I think logging is great and helps us and provides for us. If people don’t completely destroy   the forests and take care of them, they will take care of us. We have to have logging because of so many of the products produced from the forests are necessary for everyday living and people don’t even realize it.

Visuals

Clear Cutting in Boise National Forest in Idaho, By Frank Keeney
Selective Logging in Boise National Forest in Idaho, by Frank Keeney

New growth of first succession species of trees in Boise National Forest after selective logging, Frank Keeney