Tuesday 27 December 2011

IN HIGH PLACES

WYOMING A FEW DECADES PAST















This was likely about 1984 and every mountain had snowdrifts still melting into August. As it was we got hail and rain both but fortunately no lightning very close. Same time same range two years later very little snow and by the following two years almost non-existent.



























We built a pile of rocks. It was a wonderful flat mountain top.












Taking time to enjoy the view.





The temperature seems to have been either cold, hot or just right.




From the top down.

From the bottom up.



Wednesday 21 December 2011

GLORY OVER THE NIPIGON




A fleeting moment.



At Sawmill Point.




Spring 2006




I had the chance to be in the right place at the right time
 and waited  for the rays.


Monday 19 December 2011

THE FIRE SIDE

Another reason why we want to keep our roads.

Crews were able to get in with machines and make a fire break and likely back-fire to save a lot of our local forest in the Black Sturgeon area circa 2005.

Looking west away from the fire area. 2006


Looking north from the road. New growth showing green.





The fire side of the break.


You can see from the exposed roots how much "soil" was consumed by the fire.
 So besides the carbon from the trees
this part of the "Soil carbon" was also sent to heaven.
The carbon sink instantly became a carbon source, big time.


Nature's fire break. It jumped the road but ran out of dry fuel in short order.

The trees will stand like this for quite a few years.


Grass, wildflowers and shrubs are starting to colonize the edges.


Pale Corydalis, a gift of the Ice Age glaciation movement.

A lot of our Northern Ontario Forest fires are caused by lightning.

Insect infestations provide a lot of "fuel-wood" for wildfires.

Let's look at what the Spruce Budworm has done. A write up in The Equipment Connection, Volume 4 No. 2 May 1980, page 11: credit Lakehead Printing and Stenographic Services Limited Thunder Bay Ontario.

The Canadian Forest Service predicts a decline in tree damage by spruce budworm this year. In 1979, 90 million acres ( 36.43 million hectares) of forest in Ontario and east into Maine, suffered moderate to severe defoliation, whereas, 80.9 million acres ( 32.75 million hectares) are expected to be infested this year in the same regions.

Meanwhile, the acreage of dead or dying timber has increased to 44.6 million acres  (18.05 million hectares)from 21 million (8.5 million hectares) in 1977.

Best results in combatting the insect were reported in Quebec , last year. There, only 11.7 million acres ( 4.7 million hectares) suffered defoliation while 45.5 million acres ( 18.42 million hectares) were hit in Ontario. New Brunswick reported 3.3 million acres (1.3 million hectares) ; 71,000 acres (28,744.9 hectares) in Prince Edward Island; 2.4 million acres ( .97 million hectares)  in Newfoundland; 4.5 million ( 1.82 milllion hectares)  in Maine; and 150,000 acres (60,728 hectares) each in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are expected to have the greatest problems this year, said the C.F.S.

"The  budworm has eliminated most of the balsam in eastern Ontario," said Thunder Bay Regional Forester Jack Flowers, recently. "We have two outbreaks west of here. One is just west of the city, and the other's in Fort Francis. But the balsam is all dead east of Wawa. It's just standing there grey, and its a perfect fire hazard."

The Ministry (of Natural Resources ) last sprayed for budworm in 1968, says Mr. Flowers, because environmental restrictions have prohibited the use of insecticides since the 1970's.

Saturday 17 December 2011

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT NIPIGON-RED ROCK 1994 - 2008

Species list of the Christmas Bird Count combined years 1994 - 2008

72 species

  • Canada Goose
  • American Black Duck
  • Mallard
  • Common Goldeneye
  • Hooded Merganzer
  • Common Merganzer
  • Red Breasted Merganzer
  • Bufflehead
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Sharp tailed Grouse
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Bald Eagle
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • Northern Goshawk
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Rough-legged Hawk
  • Merlin
  • Herring gull
  • Rock Pigeon
  • Mourning Dove
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Snowy Owl
  • Northern Hawk Owl
  • Barred Owl
  • Great Grey Owl
  • Short-eared Owl
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Three-toed Woodpecker
  • Black-backed Woodpecker
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Northern Shrike
  • Gray Jay
  • Blue Jay
  • American Crow
  • Raven
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Boreal Chickadee
  • Red breasted Nuthatch
  • White breasted Nuthatch
  • Brown Creeper
  • Golden crowned Kinglet
  • American Robin
  • Northern Mockingbird
  • Starling
  • Bohemian Waxwing
  • Cedar Waxwing
  • American Tree Sparrow
  • White-throated Sparrow
  • Harris's Sparrow
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Snow Bunting
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Eastern Towhee
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Rusty Blackbird
  • Brewer's Blackbird
  • Grackle
  • Pine Grosbeak
  • Purple Finch
  • House Finch
  • Red Crossbill
  • White-winged Crossbill
  • Common Redpoll
  • Hoary Redpoll
  • Pine Sisken
  • American Goldfinch
  • Evening Grosbeak
  • House Sparrow

Thursday 15 December 2011

LOOKING BACK AT LOOKING FOREWARD

" THERE WILL BE LESS LAND AVAILABLE ON WHICH TO GROW TREES EACH SUCCEEDING DECADE."

This was in a paper presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Woodlands Section, Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, March 22-25, 1981. W.S.I. No. 2841 (F-3) ODC 618 (331) W.S. Moore, Utilization in the Forest. W.S. Moore was manager of forestry operations for Great Lakes Forest Products Ltd. Thunder Bay Ontario

I'll quote one more sentence.

"The Acceleration we have recently witnessed in land withdrawals will not be reversed, if anything it will speed up as time goes on and ever increasing demands made on land base for parkland, wilderness, recreation, wildlife protection, hunting and fishing opportunities and aesthetics. "...page 54 Pulp & Paper Canada

On March 15, 2007 Superior Sentinel published on-line the following article I wrote.

Ontario Loves You, Baby!

In the past decade the provincial environmental representation went "shopping" in our Crown Land and left us locally with 19 Provincial Parks, 11 Provincial Nature Reserves, at least 7 Conservation Reserves, a National Marine Conservation Area and the Great Lakes Heritage Coast. 
  • Ruby Lake Provincial Park
  • Lake Nipigon Provincial Park
  • Livingstone Point Provincial Park
  • Slate Island Provincial Park
  • Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
  • Porphry Island Provincial Park
  • Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park
  • Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
  • Kaiashk Provincial Park
  • Gull River Provincial Park
  • Kopka River Provincial Park
  • Neyes Provincial Park
  • Whitesand River Provincial Park
  • Wabakimi Provincial Park
  • Steele River Provincial Park
  • Sedgman Lake Provincial Park
  • Pipestone River Provincial Park
  • Ogoki River Provincial Park
  • Albany River Provincial Park
  • and now half the Far North 2010 yet to be determined

    Some of these above, like Neyes, Wabakimi and Sleeping Giant have been around longer but I put them in as they are sort of local land used for parks.
  • Kama Hills Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Albert Lake Mesa Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Cavern Lake Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Ouimet Canyon Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Puff Island Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Schreiber Channel Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Gravel River Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Shesheeb Bay Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Edward Island Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Kabitotikwia River Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Windigo Bay Provincial Nature Reserve
  • Lake Nipigon Conservation Reserve
  • Nipigon Palisades Conservation Reserve
  • Nipigon River Conservation Reserve
  • Black Bay Bog Conservation Reserve
  • Lake Superior Archipelago Conservation Reserve
  • Lake Nipigon Waters Conservation Reserve
  • Ottertooth Conservation Reserve

    Piggy-backed onto all of these are 170,716 hectares of Enhanced Management Areas.
  • South Lake Nipigon EMA
  • Gull Bay EMA
  • West Lake Nipigon EMA
  • Pitituguishi EMA
  • Lake Nipigon-Beardmore EMA
  • Black Bay Peninsula EMA
Forestry is allowed in EMA's in recognition of the overall reduction of wood supply for industry caused by the creation of 166 parks and conservation areas by Ontario's Living Legacy, but each area has its own unique operations plan.

AND THEY ARE NOT DONE YET.

Room to Grow sets out how permanent increases in wood supply, through intensive forest management activities, will be shared between NEW parks and protected areas and the forest industry. That is if the foresters can skillfully increase fibre production of the forest stands by ten percent more than the 1999 baseline. It all takes study and documentation.

In 2002, when fibre supply and demand were equal, the Forest Accord planned for an additional 378 parks and protected areas without reducing the wood supply thus keeping the forest industry viable.

In April 2005 The Ontario Biodiversity Strategy came out. It was vision for the future health of all species including humans. It is a triple strategy to protect, develop and use our biological assets in a sustainable way. It is the scariest piece of legislation yet as it calls for a major generational change in attitude and behaviour. That means you have 20  years to figure out what to do. The powers that be admit understanding Ontario's biodiversity is incomplete but they do want a healthy Northern Community.

We have in place now the Ontario Biodiversity Council. First chair is Jon Grant: ex-trustee of WWF Canada, and ex-chairman of The Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

WHEN PREDICTIONS COME TRUE

The Forest Scene, October 1981 headline reads:

" Beetles threaten B.C. pine trees"

"British Columbia will spend $11.4 million in an emergency effort to destroy rampaging beetles which forest ministry officials fear could wipe out B.C.'s entire mature stock of commercial pine trees worth $13 billion."

By 1981 500,000 hectares were chewed and 2.5 million hectares were threatened in the Caribou, Nelson, Prince George and Prince Rupert areas.

Mountain Pine Beetle , Dendroctonus ponderosae.

Tree host : Lodgepole pine and ponderosa pine

The only treatment listed in 1982 was "sanitation cutting". The other possible treatments that could be used were listed as preventative management: shortened rotation, type conversion, mixed species stands, age and species mosaics, partial cuts and stocking control.

Sanitation cutting = removing single infested trees to control the spread.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE PREDICTION CAME TRUE
The more current size of the infestation/damage of the Mountain Pine Beetle just in British Columbia:
*      " "The cumulative area of B.C. affected to some degree  is estimated at 17.5 million hectares. " the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations  circa 2009.
"...over 40 million acres (160,000 km2) of BC's forests affected", says Wikipedia.

Jan. 18, 2012 : The 2011 Report shows an increase of 2 million hectares over 2010 total for the Boreal Forest. That makes a grand total of 15.2 million hectares now infected with the Mountain Pine Beetle.
CARBON PREDICTION
Another little prediction this time from Wikipedia:
 ." They concluded by 2020, the pine beetle outbreak will have released 270 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from Canadian forests. "

Lots of good Sites are on the Web and lots of maps showing where the little bugs are now.
Just search for the Mountain Pine Beetle.

IT'S A CAUTION

A FORESTER'S REPORT OF 1972

Cruisers of the '40's
White Lake, Ontario
photo courtesy of Nipigon Historical Museum Archives, L.M. Lein collection

Note: November 11, 1983:  This article was originally written in 1972 after the writer (L.M." Buzz" Lein) had been buffeted by some ecological groupies. It is more relevant today than it was when it was written.
(can we add ditto in 2011?)

I was an industrial forester.
 I lived and worked in Northern Ontario where I was:
 never seen,
never heard,
 never believed
and
 never listened to.


I was part forester,
part engineer,
 part ecologist.
part labour relations expert,
 part personnel expert,
part myth
 and
 almost a full time writer of science fiction.

 This latter didn't command a great lot of attention because it dealt mostly with things like - how much will it cost to deliver a cord of wood to the mill in the 2500 A.D. The answer was simple - it won't cost anything because these won't be any wood to log.

It got a little tricky though, when dealing with the cost of capital equipment for the next 30 years. No one knew what kind of equipment they were talking about to handle all the non-existent wood.

It was also a tingly thrill to check on the survival rate of newly planted seedlings. Here one can let his imagination run riot. Computerized figures were real helpful - only the seedlings weren't aware of it all. No matter how I figured it out, only about 2% were shown as surviving.

And the hours and hours I spent on how much wood to cut?...It wouldn't have been so bad if there had been enough left to worry about.

I also helped in :
the cutting and harvesting of mature trees;
the building of miles and miles of roads so that people would have something to drive over during the fishing season;
 I made impossibly elaborate forest fire fighting plans in case a fire broke out. This was mostly to impress some of my superiors who didn't know how to put a cat out at night let alone a forest fire. I always hoped that one would occur because if one did, there was only a few of us who actually knew what to do.
No, running away isn't the answer.


I also worried about the effects of having too much of our cutting area covered with over-mature or decadent forest that we couldn't afford to cut. There wasn't really that much wrong with them, but they didn't have the right label on them for a mill manager. What he wanted to see was a sign that proclaimed the tree to be a healthy spruce.

I worried about the fact that areas cut 20 years ago were not filled with young spruce 20 feet tall.

 I was worried about all the things that were attacking the trees: worms - fires - insects - fungi - politicians - ridiculous extreme temperatures - mill demands ... where were all the trees we were going to need in the future?

And, above all, I wondered why the role of an industrial forester is so completely ignored, so completely misunderstood.

In places like Nipigon, where the town is surrounded by trees, it does not automatically follow that the townsfolk are aware of these trees or even aware of the tremendous financial contribution they make to the economy. Usually, the only time much attention is paid to the trees is in mid-December when everyone takes a six foot conifer out to lunch and then dumps it immediately after Xmas.

It is not possible to relate to what a dedicated industrial forester is doing without a little mental effort. A gas pump jockey may get aroused about the bad guys cutting all the trees and ruining the environment. A bank manager is never going to understand that trees have to be harvested when they are "ripe". He is also not going to get closer to Mother Nature than a Raid can can spray. However, mill manager, doctors, et al can't relate either.

An industrial forester doesn't do much to help break down  the misunderstanding barrier. He really doesn't know how to do it.  He has received little or no training in this regard.  His forester superiors have the same handicap. They will not gracefully accept a junior forester on 50000 watts sounding off about the lack of growing atop the effects of poor wood utilization, poor planning or the bad effects of some organized group harassing him. In fire this junior forester will get yelled at - or fired - or both before everything calms down again.

Industrial foresters close to the tree cutting areas are a minority group. They are widely scattered; living comfortably in a small town out of the mainstream of public awareness. This is not difficult. The end  result is public silence on the part of a group who are not about to become sacrificial bark beetles.

Almost everywhere there are evidences of:

Conservationists (real ones are rare)
Protectionists (woodsman, woodsman spare that tree)
Preservationists (wilderness areas are the most, man)
and
Consternationists ( What the hell are you guys trying to do, ruin this country?)

Note to the last guy: You are a little late my friend. Like about fifty years.

Fun, ain't it.



Thursday 8 December 2011

BIRD SIGHTINGS - 35 YEARS AT ONE LOCATION

The following is a list of birds I've seen just at my house
over the 35 years we've lived here
 in the Township of Nipigon.



Ruffed Grouse courting

Some birds were passing through and only stopped a moment.(Magpie)

Some flew over on their migration north or south. (Sandhill Cranes)

Some became friends and would eat from my hand. (Chickadees and others)

Some , such as the raven, declared it their territory and stayed over 20 years.

Some would bring their young.( a White-throated sparrow brought her young Cowbird)

Some would court their mates.(Ruffed Grouse)

Some got stuck here for the winter and survived until snow-melt in the spring and then they moved on..(Brown Thrasher)

Some came from far away.(The White-Winged Dove)

  1. Canada Goose
  2. Mallard Duck
  3. Common Merganzer Duck
  4. Ruffed Grouse
  5. Spruce Grouse
  6. Common Loon
  7. American White Pelican
  8. Double-crested Coromorant
  9. American Bittern
  10. Great Blue Heron
  11. Turkey Vulture
  12. Osprey
  13. Bald Eagle
  14. Northern Harrier
  15. Sharp-shinned Hawk
  16. Cooper's Hawk
  17. Broad-winged Hawk
  18. Red-tailed Hawk
  19. Golden Eagle
  20. American Kestrel
  21. Merlin
  22. Perigrine Falcon
  23. SAndhill Crane
  24. American Woodcock
  25. Ring-billed Gull
  26. Herring Gull
  27. Rock Pigeon
  28. White-winged Dove
  29. Mourning Dove
  30. Black-billed Cuckoo
  31. Great Horned Owl
  32. Barred Owl
  33. Boreal Owl
  34. Northern Saw Whet Owl
  35. Common Nighthawk
  36. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  37. Belted Kingfisher
  38. Red-headed Woodpecker
  39. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  40. Downy Woodpecker
  41. Hairy Woodpecker
  42. American three-toed Woodpecker
  43. Black-backed Woodpecker
  44. Northern Flicker
  45. Pileated Woodpecker
  46. Olive-sided Flycatcher
  47.  Eastern Wood-Pewee
  48. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
  49. Alder FLycatcher
  50. Least Flycatcher
  51. Northern Shrike
  52. Blue-headed Vireo
  53. Philadelphia Vireo
  54. Red-eyed Vireo
  55. Gray Jay
  56. Blue Jay
  57. Black-billed Magpie
  58. American Crow
  59. Common Raven
  60. Horned Lark
  61. Tree Swallow
  62. Barn Swallow
  63. Black-capped Chickadee
  64. Boreal Chickadee
  65. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  66. White-breasted Nuthatch
  67. Brown Creeper
  68. Winter Wren
  69. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  70. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  71. Veery
  72. Gray-cheeked THrush
  73. Swainson's Thrush
  74. Hermit Thrush
  75. American Robin
  76. Varied Thrush
  77. Brown Thrasher
  78. European Starling
  79. Bohemian Waxwing
  80. Cedar Waxwing
  81. Golden-winged Warbler
  82. Tennessee Warbler
  83. Orange-crowned Warbler
  84. Nashville Warbler
  85. Northern Parula
  86. Yellow Warbler
  87. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  88. Magnolia Warbler
  89. CApe May Warbler
  90. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  91. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  92. Black-throated Green Warbler
  93. Blackburnian Warbler
  94. Pine Warbler
  95. Palm Warbler
  96. Bay-breasted Warbler
  97. Blackpoll Warbler
  98. Black and White Warbler
  99. American Redstart
  100. Ovenbird
  101. Connecticut Warbler
  102. Mourning Warbler
  103. Common Yellowthroat
  104. Hooded Warbler
  105. Wilson's Warbler
  106. Canada Warbler
  107. American Tree Sparrow
  108. Chipping Sparrow
  109. CLay-coloured Sparrow
  110. Field Sparrow
  111. Vesper Sparrow
  112. Savannah Sparrow
  113. Le COnte's Sparrow
  114. Fox Sparrow
  115. Song Sparrow
  116. Lincoln's Sparrow
  117. Swamp Sparrow
  118. White-throated Sparrow
  119. Harris Sparrow
  120. White-crowned Sparrow
  121. Dark-eyed Junco
  122. Oregon Junco
  123. Snow Bunting
  124. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  125. Blue Grosbeak
  126. Indigo Bunting
  127. Red-winged Blackbird
  128. Rusty Blackbird
  129. Brewer's Blackbird
  130. Common Grackle
  131. Brown-headed Cowbird
  132. Baltimore Oriole
  133. Pine Grosbeak
  134. Purple Finch
  135. House Finch
  136. Red Crossbill
  137. Common Redpoll
  138. Hoary Redpoll
  139. Pine Sisken
  140. American Goldfinch
  141. Evening Grosbeak

Tuesday 6 December 2011

BOREAL BIRDS OF NIPIGON

Gray Jay - Canada Jay - Whiskey Jack - Camp Robber
Very friendly.
Keeping track of birds has become a daily habit of our household.

Bird list for 2011 is the record of first sightings for the year to date.


  1. Black capped Chickadee
  2. Pine  Grosbeak
  3. Hairy Woodpecker
  4. Blue Jay
  5. Red breasted Nuthatch
  6. Downy Woodpecker
  7. Canada Jay
  8. Raven
  9. Common Red Poll
  10. Hoary Red Poll
  11. Boreal Chickadee
  12. Evening Grosbeak
  13. Pigeon
  14. E. Starling
  15. Northern Shrike
  16. Ruffed Grouse
  17. Great Grey Owl
  18. House Sparrow
  19. Herring Gull
  20. Saw Whet Owl
  21. Pileated Woodpecker
  22. Ring bill Gull
  23. Dark eyed Junco
  24. Fox Sparrow
  25. Robin
  26. Pine Sisken
  27. Tree Sparrow
  28. Kestrel
  29. Pintail Duck
  30. Canada Goose
  31. Mallard Duck
  32. Red Wing Blackbird
  33. Brewers Blackbird
  34. Grackle
  35. Bohemian Waxwing
  36. American Goldfinch
  37. Chipping Sparrow
  38. Purple Finch
  39. Turkey Vulture
  40. Savannah Sparrow
  41. Bald Eagle
  42. White Pelican
  43. Common Merganzer Duck
  44. American Goldeneye Duck
  45. Hooded Merganzer Duck
  46. Common Loon
  47. Green Wing Teal Duck
  48. Barred Owl
  49. Sharp-shinned Hawk
  50. White throated Sparrow
  51. Myrtle Warbler
  52. Greater Scaup Duck
  53. Song Sparrow
  54. Yellow bellied Sapsucker
  55. Yellow shafted Flicker
  56. Merlin
  57. Bufflehead Duck
  58. Red Necked Merganzer Duck
  59. Lincoln Sparrow
  60. Ruby Crowned Kinglet
  61. Great Blue Heron
  62. Sandhill Crane
  63. Rose breasted Grosbeak
  64. Kildeer
  65. Ruby throated Hummingbird
  66. Ovenbird
  67. Tennessee Warbler
  68. House Finch
  69. Least Flycatcher
  70. Eastern Wood Pewee
  71. Wood Duck
  72. Palm Warbler
  73. Chestnut sided Warbler
  74. Eastern Kingbird
  75. Northern Parula Warbler
  76. Blackburnian Warbler
  77. American Redstart Warbler
  78. Magnolia Warbler
  79. Lapland Longspur
  80. Black throated Blue Warbler
  81. Caspian Tern
  82. Bobolink
  83. Eastern Bluebird
  84. Red eyed Vireo
  85. American Wigeon Duck
  86. Double crested Cormorant
  87. Eared Greebe
  88. Blue wing Teal Duck
  89. Yellow bellied Flycatcher
  90. Olive sided Flycatcher
  91. Alder Flycatcher
  92. Brown-headed Cowbird
  93. Swamp Sparrow
  94. Cape May Warbler
  95. Cliff Swallow
  96. Veery
  97. Canada Warbler
  98. Wilson's Warbler
  99. Spruce Hen
  100. Mourning DOve
  101. Snowy Owl
  102. Great Horned Owl
  103. Red Tailed Hawk
  104. Spotted Sandpiper
  105. Cedar Waxwing
  106. Least Sandpiper
  107. Lesser Yellowlegs
  108. Sanderling
  109. White Rumped Sandpiper
  110. Baird's Sandpiper
  111. Brown Creeper
  112. Black and White Warbler
  113. Dunlin
  114. Black-bellied Plover
  115. Peregrine Falcon
  116. Northern Harrier Hawk
  117. Red necked Greebe
  118. Smith's Longspur
  119. Vesper Sparrow
  120. no new birds since September 23, 2011