Appalachia--Science in the Public Interest

Volume 55 Spring 1998

Research Published A study released by the Appalachian Forest Action Project (ASPI is a member) reveals that trees are dying at 2 to 4 times expected rates in forests that extend from Alabama to Pennsylvania on the westerly facing slopes of the Appalachians. Tree mortality rates were highest (up to five times historic norms) in areas exposed to higher levels of acid rain and ozone pollution, particularly in W.V. and adjacent areas.
The report, Patterns of Forest Health: A Report on Citizen Monitoring in the Eastern Mountains (see ASPI Publications below) warns that we could see as much as 20% loss over the next decade. The report concludes that "[t]his... increase in [tree] mortality rate, extended over decades, as appears to be the case, would have catastrophic consequences for private property value of timber lands, biodiversity and its maintenance, and the capacity of forested landscapes to provide common ecosystem services."

LBA Meeting The 1998 meeting of the Lucy Braun Association will be hosted by Frank Gilliam and will meet in Huntington, WV on March 27-28 at the Student Center of Marshall University. The theme this year is Integrating across Threats: Mountain-top Removal, Chip Harvesting, Clearcutting and Pollutant Deposition.

Eastern Old Growth Clearing House, a project sponsored by ASPI, Wild Earth and the Yggdrasil Institute), has received operating grants from two foundations for 1998 -- The Salisbury Community Foundation and The Deep Ecology Foundation. EOGCH Notes are available at a regular rate of $30/year or half price for low-income. Write to P.O. Box 131 Georgetown, Kentucky 40324 and make checks to ASPI.

Demo Center

Winter Storm of 1998 On the evening of Tuesday, February 3rd, a wet snow began to fall at the demonstration center. The outdoor safety lights cast a dim glow on the coated trees. Seven inches fell that night with much accumulation on the tree branches. Many of the burdened trees and branches were pruned by the snow buildup and Jack Kieffer reported that it sounded like gun shots exploding every few minutes with intermittent cannon reports when large trees were snapped off. This snow continued for three days. In some places on the pine-lined portions of Route 1329 all were toppled and uprooted. Trees and branches fell on powerlines and shut down electricity for seven days. But when the sun finally emerged and illuminated the snow-covered forest, the mountainsides became a most spectacular scene.
The foot or so of wet snow piled on the cordwood building roof and Jack had to remove a portion that could be reached, with Mark Spencer removing the peak portion. The Lord be praised! No building on the property was damaged, even though a number of trees are quite close to them. By Saturday the roads were cleared of snow, thus enabling Jack to get to his Sunday ministry.
Being in an isolated area has both good and bad points. The wood stove keeps the place warm, cooks the food more gently and preserves flavors, and adds to interior harmony. As frozen food thawed it was eaten and with outside temperatures about 30°F there was no problem with the freezer in an out-building. Soft reading light was supplied by candles in the non-solar portions of the Center. All in all, winter storms help manifest the advantages of simple living.

River Day Don't forget to come celebrate the annual River Day on Saturday, June 6th starting at 9:00 in the morning. Enjoy canoe rides on the River, music, food, tours, and hikes. Call for details to Jerry Waddle (606) 453-9001.

ASPI Publications

New ASPI Papers The Technical paper series continues to grow with a paper on the latest in research and cultivation of the American Chestnuts T.P. 44 (6 pp.) by Paul Gallimore. Mary Davis has completed Mobile and Manufactured Houses in Kentucky, (14 pp.), an essay dealing with the pros and cons of this most popular type of housing in Appalachia. These two papers are now available to the public along with all previous ones for $2.00 each plus $1.00 P&H. Note: ASPI also has a limited number of copies of Patterns of Forest Health: A Report on Citizen Monitoring in the Eastern Mountains 1994-97 (92 pp) for a postage and handling charge of $3.00.

www.kih.net/aspi Though we continue to produce written materials we have concentrated for the last few months on expanding our Internet capability. The site is maintained by Mark Spencer with materials being added by Jack Kieffer (waste management), Joshua Bills (appropriate technology) and natural resources (Dan Bond). Also Mary Davis has been placing Eastern Old Growth Clearinghouse updates on the Web. By producing the Website contents here at Livingston we can include still more ASPI generated materials -- the quarterly newsletter, updated publications listing with prices (since we now have commercial access), natural resource materials and photos for environmental education use, the latest technical papers (Series numbers 39-44), along with other pertinent information on appropriate technology. Visit the site and see for yourself.

Books Coming Al Fritsch's companion volumes dealing with the Earth healers themselves are moving their way to completion. The first of these entitled ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENTS: A COMPENDIUM FOR EARTH HEALERS will be available first on CD ROM by late spring (details in the next newsletter). This will contain much of the non-site specific materials that have appeared over the years in the resource assessments of numerous sites along with some thirty photos and details of assessed places. We are developing our own CD ROM production capability. The later hardback copy will be distributed from a commercial publishing firm. The companion volume, EARTH HEALERS: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, has been available in draft form and comments are being incorporated. This will be available on CD ROM by the end of the year and Summary and Table of Contents given on our ASPI Website.

Resource Assessment Service

RAS Meeting The biennial RAS consulting meeting will be held this year on August 7-9, 1998 at Mount Vernon. Besides the Consultants there are limited places open for others. Call (414)288-5005 before May 10th.

RAS Talk Al Fritsch will give a talk on Environmental Resource Assessments at the EarthSpirit Rising Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday afternoon May 23rd. For more info on the conference call (513) 921-5124 or visit the Website: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5536/

Wish List Environmental, natural resource, and appropriate technology periodicals and literature for the library; a used farm truck for grounds staff travel; garden tools, seeds and supplies; a dehumidifier; and selected building materials for solar applications.

THANKS(Dec. 97-FEb.98) Mr. & Mrs William Murray, George & Rita Watkins, Chris Strecker, George & Connie Brosi, Mary Cameron Goodwyn, J.Paul O'Brien, Ruben Angel, Pam Clay, Leonard & Donna Wrona, Edward Harris,Jr., John Grim & Mary E. Tucker, Russell & Bettye Ebelhar, Deepak & Abeer Desai, James & Karen Phillips, Lois Fitch, Charles & Rochelle Hollander, W.L. & Loretta Galbraith, William & Dorothy Harmeyer, Mary Neill, Rod Angarth, Mary Yocum, Marcus & Glenda Keyes, Helen Mullins, Pau Gade & Martha Moore, John & Jean Rosenberg, Chris Klug, Robert & Frances Kieffer, Trish Pielnik, Richard & Martha Lammers, Joan Byrd & George Rector, Ron Okagaki & Sarah Miller, James & Heather Bartos, Kris Peterson, Bruce Griffith, Ann & Paul Rapien, Therese Hildebrand, Don & Doris Cuddihee, James Perkaus & Carol Reed, Robert & Barbara Perkaus,Jr., Mary Louise Perraut, A.M. Sacilowski, Rebecca Trow, Walter Mastropalo, Ann Oliver, Kathryn Campbell, Susan Ritz, Cecile Parker, Francie Link, Richard Jentgen, Bev Murrow, Margaret Hay, Gregory & Ruth Maletta, Leith Patton, John Noel, Lucille Farrar, Don & Betty Newton, Edward Fritsch, Beth Davis, Sharon Rust, Maureen & Dennis Darcey, Robert Beaudoin, Don & Carol Moore, Loretta & James Spotila, John & Nancy Merrick, Richard & Margaret Touma, Celeste Wojcik, Philip Todd, Joe Steen, Paul Kapczuk, Sr. Ellen O'Bryan, Tom Bell, Elizabeth Long, Kathleen Birmingham, Marilyn Ortt, Chris & Olga Ahrens, Tom Eick, Eric Rohr, Pam MacPherson, Anna Belle Day, Marge Cipkar, Everett Brooks, Howard Tony Martin, Mr. & Mrs. David Moreau, Diane Phillips, Richard & Dianne Shuntich, Mary Jo Engesser, Dr. & Mrs. Andreas E.T. Thomsen, Alice Haberle, Janet & Mary Furlong, Charles & Margaret Phillips, David & Christine Nadler, Gerald Carpenter, Claire Carpenter, Ivo & Tecie Bauman, Gregory Horrocks, Joseph & Dorothy Farrell, Karol Osborne, Robin Cochran, Karen Bakita, Patricia Wolf, Diocese of Helena Pastoral Office, Karl Mulsen, James Hall, Bruno Jaselakis, David Melton, Phillip & Terrie Curd, John & Nancy Gallini, Andrew & Gwen McMahon, Agnes Mascott, Carl & Mary Moore, Ronald & Mary Lusby, Rev. Raymond Burke, Richard & Michelle Harr, John Robbins, Patricia Gehl, Christopher & Carole Pierce, John Meents, Nelsen French, Max Oliva,S.J., Louise Hamel, Steve & Susan Kute, Sara Lois Crain, Maria Scharfenberger, Claire Nader, Richard Wemstrom, Anita Crofts, Mary Graybill & David Yoder, Sisters of St. Joseph Of Cluny Provincial Fund, Katherine Christensen, Paul & Ann Marie Halverstadt, Douglas & Rose Mary Foncree, George & Bonnie Estill, John Horstman, Richard Peckham, Linda Truty, Gilbert & Margaret Switala, William & Barbara Boeck, Timothy & Shannon Price & Daniel Collins, David Mudrinich, Norbert J. Blum, Jane Nowakowski & Kevin Mulcahy, Bernard & Ellen Engelman, Thomas & Carol Kieffer, Albert Poole, Nancy Osborne, George Malbouef, Lowell & Diane Dodge, Kathleen Mavournin, Robert Hammerslag Wendell & Tanya Berry, Sally & Jonathan Chappell, John P. Rogers, Andrew & Kathleen Weigert, Richard & Rita Middendorf, Gerald R. Hair, Larry Osborne, Oswald Loidl, Carol & Woody Bartlett, Margaret Stallmeyer; CDP, Robert Cloud, Peggy Parente, Brigid Pollock, Rita Conley, Mark & Laurie Bacon, Richard Murphy, Barry Horowitz, Jesuit House of Prayer, Inc., Dean Rivken, Douglas Schlichting, Carolyn Vodala, Jeanie Lingwelski, James Weber, Gregory Kepferle & Jean Blomquist, Grady Clay & Judith McCandless, Barbara Blecka, Faith Young, Garrett & Betsy Brauer, Orie & Elinor Loucks, Roberta Shaw Reeves & Lee Burton, William King & Phyllis Fitzgerald, James Fournier & Karen Zeleznak, Robert & Rosemary Courboin, Joseph & Katherine Cayen, Ardell O'Neal, Donald Rothberg, Mary Lu Kuhl, R.J. Hoar, SJ, Jim & Christina Tenhundfeld, Clara Fister, Frank Hare, James & Carol Lichtenberg, Marian Baker, Leslie Reindl, Rustum & Della Roy, Kathleen Mourant, Kathleen Thomsen Hall, John Brazner, Ellen Legum, Dave Sanders, Martin Albert, George Change, Matching Gifts Center, Emil Stockton, Robert & Nancy Paton, David & Becky Grandgeorge, Doug & Laura Fortmeyer, Carrie Smith, Cecille Dalton, Nancy Givens, Joan Scanlon, Michael Brophy, George L Schloemer, Geoff Cox, LeVerne Anthony Warner, John Clevelend & Artie Ann Bates, Mary Clark, Jeff Bach, Ronald & Nancy Leeseberg, Foundation of Deep Ecology, Michael Francis Zella Fund, Mary Fritsch, Dennis Testerman, Than Hitt, Milford Jesuit Community, and the St. Xavier H.S. Community, Cincinnati.

ASPI Publications

Eastern Old-Growth Clearinghouse
PO Box 131
Georgetown, KY 40324
Also visit the Eastern Old Growth Clearlinghouse online.

ASPI Home Page

http://www.a-spi.org MAIN OFFICE
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