After Green Group Buys Forest, Logging Remains

 

One of the largest environmental groups in the United States recently purchased a part of the Appalachian forest.

The Nature Conservancy bought more than 40,000 hectares – an area covering parts of three states: Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

In their efforts to combat¹ climate change, environmentalists see forests as one of Earth's best defenses. Forests capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Yet the Nature Conservancy does not plan to close the land to logging.

Increasingly, conservation groups are supporting the idea of human activity and wildlife protection existing together. They are beginning to reject the idea that conservation and economic growth are opposites.

And larger conservation projects are now possible thanks to the western state of California. The state’s rules on carbon are providing money for such projects.

My land, your land

The Nature Conservancy’s recent purchase is a big one. It is of a size never before attempted in the central Appalachians, says Terry Cook. He is Tennessee state director for the environmental group.

These days in conservation, big projects are the goal. Scientists now know that protecting small, separate parts of nature are not as effective as working across large areas.

What happens in the mountains affects nearby valleys. Highland² forests capture, clean and store water for ecosystems⁴ and communities below. Animals also need connecting areas of land to pass through, especially as climate change damages their old habitats.

In addition, more trees have the ability to absorb, or take in, more carbon dioxide.

But nearly everywhere on Earth, people are part of the countryside. Their needs cannot be ignored, notes Stuart Hale. He is the Nature Conservancy's Central Appalachian Forest Manager.

The logging industry supports more than 100,000 jobs in Tennessee and 60,000 others in Kentucky. Hale told VOA that includes the loggers and truck drivers carrying the logs, workers at timber⁵ factories, and even those working at small stores.

"It's a major part of the economy."

That is why, when the Conservancy bought the land, the group did not turn it into a nature preserve, Cook added.

Spencer Meyer is the lead conservationist at the Highstead Foundation, an environmental group in the New England area. He said the Nature Conservancy’s decision not to create a nature preserve was a good idea.

Meyer said such projects need strong support from local communities or they have a good chance of failing.

"Hungry people make lousy conservationists.”

Money for carbon

Only part of the land will be logged. The Forest Stewardship⁶ Council, a non-profit group, will make sure the logging operations meet environmental and safety measures.

And cutting down trees is only one way the forest can make money. Thanks to California's climate change rules, forest owners can profit from their trees' carbon-absorbing powers.

California industries must pay for each ton of carbon dioxide they produce, or buy credits to decrease carbon in other areas.

A piece of forest this large is worth millions of tons in carbon credits.

Cook said that around $15 per ton on California’s carbon market means tens of millions of dollars to buy land and keep it healthy for 100 years.

Part of the money for the purchase comes from investors⁷ who will earn money from selling timber and future carbon credits. Hale noted⁸ that both the timber and the credits earn higher profits when the forest is healthy.

The carbon credits, attention to community needs and size of the land purchase are not very unusual. But "this is probably the first time we've seen all of those pieces come together" at this size, said Meyer.

He expects the project to show proof of what he found in his research: that protecting nature does not have to mean losing jobs.

"At least in New England, we're seeing a small but important signal that conservation leads to job growth."

That's good news for those hoping that preserving forests can help fight climate change without harming the economy.

I’m Alice Bryant. And I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

greenhouse gas – n. gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap heat

logging – n. an industry that cuts down trees for wood and paper

conservation – n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

ecosystem³ – n. a biological community of interacting⁹ organisms and their physical environment

habitat – n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

manager – n. someone who is in charge of a business or department

timber – n. trees that are grown in order to produce wood

preserve – n. an area where plants, animals, minerals, and other things, are protected

lousy – adj. of poor quality

1 combat   

n.战斗，斗争，格斗；vt.与...斗争，与...战斗

参考例句：

• The police are now using computers to help combat crime.警方现在使用电脑打击犯罪活动。
• A reporter interviewed the combat hero.记者访问了这位战斗英雄。

2 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

3 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

4 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

5 timber   

n.木材，原木，大木料，栋木

参考例句：

• These trees need more time to grow into useful timber.这些树不够年头，还没成材呢。
• The timber is graded according to its thickness.木材按厚度分级。

6 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 interacting   

adj.相互影响的；相互作用的

参考例句：

• The interacting surfaces were lubricated with a mineral oil. 相互作用表面是用矿物油润滑的。
• Proteins which have two separate but interacting sites are called allosteric proteins. 这种具有两个不同而又相互作用位置的蛋白质叫做变构蛋白质。