Re: Forests and wildlands in Heortland, Sartar, Tarsh

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_wfqW_7WQsFjB3HJNj56w1f7Zc_wfzcOQCeLiPqpeQhjfMgp7SY7cptwrx-_AzG6NhB8>
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:26:03 +1200


At 05:25 p.m. 9/06/2007, you wrote:
>Peter
>
> >it
> >would be much more constructive to acknowledge that I
> >was criticizing their supposed tolerance for having their
> >forests regularly burned down
>
>It would probably be even more constructive to comment on what I
>actually wrote.

>The burning goes on in human forests, as part of shifting
>cultivation. The Umathings are not so foolish as to burn in Aldryami
>forests.

You originally claimed that the burning was necessary to the fertility of Aldryami forests. If the Orlanthi are not burning down Aldraymi forests on a regular basis, then how is it necessary? The examples you keep pointing out to us are that a fire creates a hole in the canopy and the tree senses this through the smoke and drops its seeds. But if the fire's miles away then there's no holes being created in the canopy and the smoke's not thick enough to trigger seed-dropping.

>There may be other ways to clear, but proper slash & burn is not hard
>on the forest if you look at it as a system:

If I were an Aldryami, I would not care how hard or easy slash- -burn is. What I would be concerned about is the widespread use of fire and command my pet humans to stop doing it.

--Peter Metcalfe            

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