ANTH 410A | ENVIR 410A | ESRM 405A

GROWING STUFF
Ecology, Economy, and Politics of Resource-Extraction Ecosystems

Spring Quarter 2017
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-11:20, Denny 212
Field trips all day Fridays April 14, May 12, and May 26

Home Page
Requirements
Course Schedule
Discussion Board
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READINGS
Introduction
Forest General
Forest Local
Forest Post-Trip
Aquaculture Ecology
Aquaculture Politics
Aquaculture Local
Dairy General
Dairy Local
Dairy Post-Trip

FIELD TRIPS
Forest Products
Aquaculture
Dairy

ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS Forest Products
Shellfish
Dairy

Readings for Week Two: Forests at the World and National Scales

This week we will be dealing with several different aspects of forests in general: On Tuesday, we will review the extent and condition of forests and go over both the products and the services that forests provide. On Thursday we will deal with two important forest products that are not boards: fuel and furniture.

Tuesday, April 4

Today we will read and discuss materials that will familiarize you with world and US patterns of forested areas, deforestation, and reforestation, as well as the ecological, economic, and social role that forests play in today's world. Begin by reading FAO 2015 Global Forest Resources Assessment, along with chapters 1-6 and 8 of the USFS Future of America's Forests and Rangelands. In many cases, to save time you can look at tables and charts, and skim the prose. By midnight on Monday, April 3, you should post your answers (50 to 100 words each) to the following three questions:
  • What do you think are the most important reasons why we should be concerned with preserving forests worldwide?
  • What is the best way to balance forest preservation with forest production?
  • What does "sustainable forestry" mean?
Our class will have three parts:
  • A general class discussion of the first two questions above.
  • A presentation by the instructor on the idea of sustainability
  • A discussion of the question of "sustainable forestry"

Thursday, April 6

Today we will devote the first half of class to forests as sources of energy and the second half to forests as providers of ecosystem services.

First Half: Forests and Biofuels

Background: Biofuels and the world energy budget
First have a look at some statistics on world and US energy use, by dinking around on the International Energy Agency 's Key World Energy Statistics and the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook report. Pay particular attention to the sources of energy and the proportion of biomass energy, which is growing but still small.

When you've finished reading and dinking, but in no event later than midnight on Wednesday, April 5, you should post a short piece (200-300 words, unless you're really inspired) on what you've learned from reading about world energy trends and how it makes you feel. We will not spend class time specifically on this topic; it is background that you need to know when you consider the role of forests in energy production.

Read two scientific articles on woody biomass and its possible role in world energy production:
  • Kendall and Yuan's review of the literature on biofuels and their possible role in mitigating the effects of fossil-fuel production on climate change. Notice the difference between the two most important types of biofuels: those generated from crops grown specifically for that purpose, and those generated from residues of other kinds of operations, as well as the differences between so-called first- and second-generation biofuels. Also please notice the wild variability in LCA-based assessments of the effects of switching to biofuels.
  • Pekka Lauri et al.'s estimate of the worldwide potential of woody biomass as an energy source.
For the this hour of the class today, two volunteers will report to the class and present discussion questions on the topic of whether or not biofuels in general, and forest residues in particular, can be a significant part of the world energy mix in a post-fossil fuel world. Presenters might also want to consider information from the following studies:
  • David Nicholls, et al.'s overview of the available biomass residue resources in the forests of the western United States.
  • Chapter 7, on wood pellets, from The USFS report
Second half: Ecosystem services

Here we take time to introduce the concept of ecosystem services, by reading the two scholarly articles from a special issue of Ecological Economics volume 69 (2010): Two more volunteers will report to the class and raise questions for discussion on the arguments about ecosystem services and whether or not they can be quantified and commodified. They should summarize the arguments both for and against quantification and commodification.