T his. week:

way of

Part II.

“Imitating the
nature

_ The “Fall Down Effect" and the
"Green IIlusion" are realities —
most admit that now — and we
_ have to establish more effective
Management techniques if the
forest industry, and our local
economy, is to survive. Not
everyone agrees, though, on just
how this should be done.
So where do we start’ A good
_ place would be for everyone to
agree on one thing; nature is much
smarter than we are and we may
as well admit it before we do
. anything else wrong. This means
‘we have to examine nature on a
site-specific basis, and duplicate

have to start at the beginning.
Through a process called "pri-
‘Mary succession", our present-day
forests began with nothing more
than rock and water. The only
thing this barren land had going
for it was an atmosphere with wind

.. to help it grow. Dust and dead
leaves ‘were blown in from adjac-
ent forests that had themselves

her every move. To do this, we

to distribute piant life and oxygen,

been nothing. more than barren
rock hundreds of years before.
These dead leaves biodegraded and
mixed with sheltered. pockets of
dust, and lichens (basic mosses)
_ began to grow. .

These lichens:added nutrients to
the thin layer of dust and in time
there was "soil" where more com-
plicated mosses could grow. These
more complex mosses helped
break down the base rock, adding
to the depth of the soil. Grasses
and small herbs began to prow.
Grasses made a similar contribu-
tion to the developing ecosystem.
‘Years later, shrubs like huckleberry
and blueberry began taking root.
These were followed by deciduous
trees which were in turn followed
by our harvest of coniferous trees.

The species of coniferous trees
depended on the type of nutrients
that were available, the amount of
ground water and precipitation, and
the amount of shade in a specific
area. Cedar likes low lying wet
areas; pine favours drier soil and

_ the sun; spruce loves the shade: ers, though, aren't as devastating

offered by pine; and balsam and
hemlock like to grow in the
shadow of spruce.

Just which trees grow where and
when they begin to take root are
important lessons but there’s an
even more basic lesson here. This
sequence of primary succession

_ took perhaps 25 generations, say

600 years. And if we dare to strip _
a mountain down to bare rock
that’s how long we can expect it

will take to recover,

Of course nature does interfere
with this process of natural suc-
cession herself at times. Basically
through forest fires, floods and
windstorms. These "natural" disast-

Public health

To the Editor;

' Your local community health
and home care nurses are on
strike, along with their col-
leagues all over the province. I
would like to explain why.

As a community health nurse
I am paid approximately $800
per month less than a general
duty nurse in an acute care
hospital. Nurses employed in
health units and mental health
centers in B.C. feel that. the
government’s refusal to correct

_ this. inequity reflects a lower
value being attached to our
work. Yet we are responsible for
keeping people out of hospital
— is that not as valuable as, for
example, assisting at open heart
surgery? Our work tends to be
less dramatic, less ‘‘mediagenic’’
-and sometimes misunderstood.

'* In a “‘typical’’ day, a com-
munity health nurse might have
any of the following respon-
sibilities:

e Immunizing. babies and pre-
schoolers against potentially
fatal or disabling diseases, and
discussing with each parent the

_child’s development, nutrition,
general health, behavior and
‘safety.

‘@ Visiting the new parents of a
handicapped baby to assess the
parents’ needs for information
and support, develop a plan to
meet those .needs, and decide
which other community agencies
to involve.

-.@ Attending a community
meeting to plan a Health Fair to

nurses strike for parity

involve many different agencies
in celebrating and promoting
health and healthy lifestyles.

@ Counselling travellers to
southeast Asia on the prevention
of malaria, typhoid and other
infectious diseases.

@ Providing. information on
AIDS and its prevention to cor-
rections workers or other
groups.

@ Tracing contacts of com-
municable diseases, including
TB, sexually transmitted dis-
eases, and others.

@ Introducing a group of young

single mothers to each other ina

“‘Nobody’s Perfect’? parenting
session,
@ And many more diverse and
challenging possibilities.
Community health nurses
strongly feel that their work
(and that of home care nurses,
mental health nurses, and long
term care assessors} should be
valued as highly as that of acute
care nurses. Please write your
MLA if you agree, and request
an immediate settlement!
Yours for a
healthy community,
Carol Harrison, B.S.N.,R.N.,
Terrace, B. C.

a ,
Pifer — Continued from page A6

Adams), or sporting success
(Rick Hansen and Lori Fung),
or business and community ser-
vice (Shinmy Pattison) — was a
humbling experience.

Surely the most deserving of
all was Phyllis Chelsea of the
Alkali Lake Indian Band, who,
through tenacity and love,
helped to eradicate alcohol
abuse in her community, and
has inspired other Natives in
other centres to do the same.

This unselfish, dedicated,
gutsy, modest woman was the
epitome of what the Order of
B.C. set out to do — to
acknowledge those who have
served their province and its
people well.

_ Praise is due, too, to the

non-partisan choices of the in-

- dependent selection committee

— B.C. Chief Justice Allan
McEachem, the Speaker
Stephen Rogers, deputy provin-
cial secretary Mel Smith, UBC

- president David Strangway,

and UBCM president Len
Traboulay, Port Coquitlam
mayor,
The 26 honored included five
women, two Chinese-
Canadians, an Indo-Canadian,
several notable businessmen
and philathropists, two former
Lieutenant-Governors, and en-
vironmentalists. The mix cross-
ed party lines and included
perhaps only one partisan ap -
pointment. es
All in all, a class act.

Bi Coebke Pybedeeae’

[Forest ry

as what man often does.-

Natural disasters are usually

followed by something called
"secondary succession". This
begins with whatever is left after
the "disaster" occurs. In most cases

: this will be shrubs and perhaps a
* few trees like alder, aspen or

cottonwood. Again, the particular
species in a specific area depends
on biogeoclimatic conditions.
There is always plenty of sunlight,

. though, and whatever takes root

will often triple or quadruple in the
first three to four years.

These deciduous trees grow so
fast that they are often considered
to be "weeds" but nature offers
another valuable lesson here. In
these early stages of secondary
succession, there won’t be any
balsam or hemlock. These trees
like shade and there is none.

In our area, if the site is left

alone for avout five years, pine
will begyn growing in well drained

by Tod Strachan, in consultation with Rod Amold and Doug Davies — ke

areas and cedar will take root in
low wetlands. About 15 to 20
years later you will find spruce at
lower elevations and hemlock at
higher elevations. In about, 100
years, the spruce and hemlock
begin outgrowing the pine. In
about 200 years, after a "natural
disaster" or logging there is a new
forest ready to harvest.

If done properly, man can change
the course of this secondary succ-
ession, though. If well managed,
spruce, which would normally be
ready for harvest in about 100
years can be cut in 50 to 60 years.
Hemlock, which normally matures
in 100 to 150 years, can be ready
in about 80 years. It’s all a matter
of good management and paying
attention to the lessons nature has
to offer.

Next week we'll take a parting
look at the ecology and manage-
ment of specific locations; from
the river valley to alpine meadows.

e. fiptCeaasi da

Jf you wish ta announce

oaty oust

as ¥

eneedatell dixase

Beate.
(3
Sats

the birth of YOUR baby, please fill out the form
available in the maternity ward at Mills Memorial
Hospital, We will pick up your forms every week,

MacLELLAN — John and Jackie are proud to an-
nounce the birth of their son Jevon Zechariah on
June 23, 1990 at 2:41 a.m. Jevon weighed in at 4
Ibs. 4 02.

VANDENBROEK — Keith and Wilma are the
proud parents of new little son Daniel James, born
June 19, 1990 at 4:02 p.m., weighing 7 Ibs. 2 oz.

~ (635-4080!

12 « 4741 LAKELSE, TERRACE

|®..

_Atter Store Hours $38-1964 ! Telex x ONTOSEAD
FLOWERS ALA