Building Future Forests: Politics, Ecology, and the Co-Production Of
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Building Future Forests: Politics, Ecology, and the Co-Production of Landscape in Southeastern Ohio Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Justine Marie Law, B.S. Graduate Program in Geography Ohio State University 2010 Thesis Committee: Kendra McSweeney, Advisor Becky Mansfield Joel Wainwright Copyright by Justine Marie Law 2010 Abstract Southeastern Ohio, officially designated a part of Appalachia, was heavily dependent on coal mining from the mid-1800s until the 1970s. But despite the region’s history of resource extraction, its forest has largely returned. Interestingly, almost all of this reforestation occurred on private land owned by thousands of individuals. These private forest owners are often viewed as inadequate stewards of the land, and interest groups are constantly pushing governance strategies that would remake the forest to suit their own agendas. Thus, a struggle over this newly-mature forest, its resources, and its future has begun. Here I attempt first to show how local forests owners are actually knowledgeable, active, economically-savvy, and organized scientists navigating a complicated, power-laden space filled with stereotypes and competing interests. Second, I discuss the connections between soils, trees, nutrients, animals, interest groups, landowners, and economies on this landscape and argue that ecological and human processes are knotted too tightly together to ever be untangled. Finally, through linking human and non-human processes, I explore the possibilities of how southeast Ohio's forests could look years from now. Many of these possibilities are so drastically dissimilar from both each other and today's forest that they would certainly have significant repercussions on local landscapes, ecosystems, and livelihoods. ii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank the people of southeastern Ohio who so graciously and generously offered their time, put up with all of my questions, and invited me into their meetings, offices, homes, and forests. Secondly, I thank my advisor, Kendra McSweeney, for introducing me to this fascinating region, guiding me through these past two years, and constantly posing astute and yet accessible questions. I would also like to thank the Outback research group for helping to steer my thinking on this work; Becky Mansfield and Joel Wainwright for serving on my committee and providing what will certainly be thoughtful and constructive criticisms; my fellow Geography grads for giving me advice, challenging me academically, and forcing me to leave my desk to play wiffleball; all of my non-Geography friends for possessing non-geography knowledge and non-academic perspectives; Brandon for constantly encouraging me; and my parents for supporting me, inspiring me to keep reading and learning, and raising me in a way that allowed me to “talk hunting” somewhat convincingly. iii Vita 2004............................................................... Ashland High School 2008............................................................... B.S. Environmental Science, Minor in Studio Art, Allegheny College 2008-present................................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Geography, Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Geography iv Table of Contents Abstract.......................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements........................................................................................ iii Vita................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures.................................................................................................vii Chapters: 1. Introduction................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research Problem and Study Site.................................................1 1.2 Site History and Background....................................................... 2 1.3 Research Interests and Questions................................................. 9 1.4 Conceptual Approach................................................................... 10 1.5 Methods....................................................................................... 13 1.6 Importance of Research, Caveats, and Thesis Framework.......... 16 2. Forest Ecology and the Role of Natural Science ...................................... 19 2.1 Introduction.................................................................................. 19 2.2 Science as a Tool......................................................................... 20 2.3 Forest Ecology 101...................................................................... 23 2.4 Idiosyncrasies of Southeastern Ohio’s Forests............................ 27 2.5 Conclusion................................................................................... 30 3. Private Forest Owners and the Struggle over Forestland.......................... 32 3.1 Introduction.................................................................................. 32 3.2 The Stereotype............................................................................. 33 3.3 The “Cures”................................................................................. 37 3.3.1 Cure Number One: Locals Out..................................... 37 3.3.2 Cure Number Two: “Help” for Local Forest Owners.. 43 3.3.3 Cure Number Three: Biomass...................................... 47 3.3.4 “Cures” Summary......................................................... 51 3.4 The Reality................................................................................... 52 3.4.1 “Growing” Forest Cover............................................... 52 3.4.2 Managing, Shaping, and Experimenting on the Forest 53 3.4.3 Organizing for Forest Change....................................... 63 3.5 Discussion.................................................................................... 65 3.6 Conclusion................................................................................... 67 4. The Co-Production of Landscape.............................................................. 68 4.1 Introduction.................................................................................. 68 4.2 Haraway’s “Rich Webs”.............................................................. 69 4.3 Nearing Co-Production................................................................ 73 v 4.4 Co-Production in the Forests of Southeastern Ohio.................... 76 4.5 Conclusion................................................................................... 83 5. Building “Flourishing” Future Forests...................................................... 86 5.1 Introduction.................................................................................. 86 5.2 Possible Future Forest in Southeastern Ohio............................... 86 5.2.1 Local NIPF-Dominated Forests.................................... 87 5.2.2 Exurban NIPF-Dominated Forests................................ 89 5.2.3 Old-Growth Preservation Forests................................. 90 5.2.4 Woody Biomass “Forests”........................................... 92 5.2.5 Future Forest Summary................................................ 93 5.3 What Should We Be Striving For?.............................................. 94 5.3.1 Things We Cannot Strive For....................................... 95 5.3.2 Things We Can Strive For............................................ 96 5.4 Fomenting “Flourishing” in Our Future Forests.......................... 99 5.5 Summary Points and Directions for Future Research.................. 103 Bibliography...................................................................................................106 Appendix: A Non-Comprehensive List of Forest Interest Groups................ 121 Operating or Planning to Operate in Southeastern Ohio vi List of Figures Figure 1. Map of Study Site, Including Portions of Northern Athens,...................... 3 Eastern Hocking, Western Morgan, and Southern Perry Counties Figure 2. Map of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Microregion......................... 4 Figure 3. Portion of a Mural at the Arc of Appalachia’s Appalachian...................... 41 Forest Museum Figure 4. Location of the R.E. Burger Power Plant................................................... 49 Figure 5. M and N’s Handmade Relief Map of Their Property................................. 55 Figure 6. The Northern Border of the Previously Strip Mined Hilltop..................... 57 Above H’s Home Figure 7. Forest Future A: Management by Local NIPFs......................................... 89 Figure 8. Forest Future B: Management by Exurban NIPFs..................................... 90 Figure 9. Forest Future C: Management by Preservationists..................................... 91 Figure 10. Forest Future D: Management by First Energy Corp. ............................. 94 vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Problem and Study Site One of the reasons we are enamored with the place we call home is its natural beauty and its remarkable resilience after decades of environmental destruction that occurred nearly a century ago...but the legacy of the great Hocking Valley Coal Boom of 1870-1930 still lives on in our environment, economy,