This is beggining to sound like apples and oranges. You seem to be concentrating on the number of trees per acre...While to me the important point is square miles of forrested land.



All forests go thru cycles (natural fires are often part of promoting the cycle)and depending to a great extent on the kind of trees, it can acheive what we call a climax situation in less than ten years. Sounds crazy? Here in Florida the introduction of Brazilian pepper, Maleleuca and Australian Pine (three rapid growing species) has resulted in the creation of incredibly dense forests in a relatively short span.



In Florida the Royal Poinciana can grow to the height of 30 feet in just five years (had one in my back yard).



Mt point is that these forests that are so dense that a man can have difficulty walking thru them...Are not enough to offset the thousands of square miles that have been deforested.



Our climate is changing HERE and over developement and over population are the obvious culprits-not the trees. I'm not saying this is the case in other Bio-climes (shoot I've never been to the Pacific North West) but it is true here.



In any case, I wanted to clarify that when you read about the great eastern forest that used to exist, we are talking about square miles of forest not trees per square foot. Also that you are right in that just more trees is not better...and it is not what ecologists are talking about. It is the loss of forested land that is the issue. Having the amount of trees in one acre that should be in 20 acres is not the same thing and can be a negative instead of a positive.



See this is where statistics can fail. When you use only one part to justify a point and overlook the rest of the equasion then you can draw a wrong picture from the right statistics.



Statistically millions of gallons of water from a broken dam can benifit the whole surrounding desert country side...but the town right under the dam is in a world of S---!



Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

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