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(Taken from the Spring 2006 course
syllabus of SCXT325, Forest Policy in the Pacific Northwest, written by
Peter Wimberger and Daniel Sherman)
As the population of western Washington continues
to grow and development stretches beyond urban centers, many of the
forested lands in this region face an uncertain future. The decisions on
the future use of these lands are made at the junction of science and
politics.
A stated purpose of the course Forest Policy is to
“explore the diversity of forest types, management practices, ownership
and future land use possibilities that occur in the mosaic of western
Washington forestlands.”
Forest Policy conducted an assessment of four
parcels of forestland using a set of specified applied or categorical
values. Each group of students examined two of the sites using one of
the values. The five applied or categorical values examined for each
parcel were:
1) Forest Habitat (species composition,
structural diversity, invasives, ecosystem services) – biological focus
2) Forest Products (trees, species, size,
ease of extraction, understory forest products) – economic focus
3) Wildlife Assessment (habitat for
animals especially threatened or endangered species, contribution to
watershed protection, contribution to corridors) – biological focus
4) History/Cultural (parcel history,
community connections and perceptions) – historical, sociological focus
5) Recreation/Real Estate Development
(what kind of recreational use does and could this parcel provide? What
is its value for development?) – economic, recreation and business focus
Of these groups, the Forest Habitat, Forest
Products, and Wildlife Assessment groups could particularly take
advantage of the GPS technology.
Two pieces of forest were documented using this
technology: Federation Forest and Crescent Valley.
Federation Forest, located along the White River
18 miles past Enumclaw, WA, consists of 619 acres of old growth trees.
It is dominated by large Douglas Firs.
Crescent Valley is a piece of land located next to
Gig Harbor, WA. It is privately owned and consists of clearcut areas as
well as older growth areas.
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