Temagami Essay Research Paper TemagamiTable of ContentsIntroduction2The

Temagami Essay, Research Paper Temagami Table of Contents Introduction2 The History of the Forest2 The Forests of Canada3 Part One: The History of the Logger5 The Canadian Forestry Industry5 The Ontario Forestry Industry7 Part Two: Forest Conservation in Ontario8 Political Activity8 Temagami9 Part Three: The Temagami Debate11 The Forester11 The Environmentalist12 Part Four: The Law of the Land13 Civil Disobedience13 Government Legislation / Wildlands League Lawsuit15 Natural vs. Positive Law16 Conclusion17 Summation17 Future Outlook18 Bibliography and Suggested Reading21 Appendix.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Introduction “Our understanding of the way the natural world works – and how our actions affect it – is often incomplete. This means

that we [must] exercise caution, and special concern for natural values in the face of such uncertainty and respect the ‘precautionary principal’.” – Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, 1991 The History of the Forest Forests have long been recognized as having vast power, both through their potential and how it has been viewed by humans, as well as through their effect on humans in sometimes subtle ways. The inherent properties of wood have always made it attractive as a versatile resource but there are other, more subtle ways in which it affects people. The tropical rainforests, responsible for producing most of the earth’s breathable air, have been given the lofty title of “lungs of the Earth,” and as stated by the Canadian Encyclopedia Plus ‘93, “forests

provide an additional, although intangible, benefit: the opportunity for renewal of the human spirit” (CAN ENCYC). Once humanity accepts these facts, we open ourselves up to profound responsibilities regarding their protection. Unfortunately for both ourselves and our environment, we have long deigned to shoulder these responsibilities, seeing only the obvious potential of the end product of wood; overall, humanity has always managed the forests very poorly, even before forest management became an issue. Since earliest civilized times, wood has been coveted as a resource for its ability to burn, as well as its pliable nature. With the discovery of fire, came hand in hand the need for fuel. Fortunately, trees have always been abundant in all reaches of the earth, which has made

living in harsh climates easier, greatly increasing our already rapid rate of expansion. Eventually electricity replaced wood as a source of energy, but the uses for wood have expanded over time to include building material and paper, and to the present day trees remain important to industry on a global scale. Unfortunately, humans have always had a poor reputation in regards to their environment, the forests being no exceptions. We have always looked upon resources as something to be exploited – used to the fullest, then forgotten. Therefore it should come as no surprise to learn how clear-cutting of forests has become the norm, even knowing that the forest will likely not recover fully for generations after clear cutting and countless animals will die in the process. It

should come as no surprise to learn of the appallingly large quantities of tropical rainforests destroyed each day merely to make room for resorts or temporary farmland that will eventually become desert land. It is not highly surprising to learn of these and other such facts, yet they are still terrible to behold, especially knowing that they continue to be true today and will most likely continue to be true in the future. The Forests of Canada The forestry industry has always adopted a “cut and get out” philosophy, which has been accepted and most often encouraged by land-hungry industrialized populations who view trees as little more than an obstruction to growth. (ENCARTA) Such philosophies mean in simple terms clear-cutting large tracts of land and running as quickly as