environment & resource management humans affecting the environment

Environment & Resource Management

Humans Affecting the Environment

Humans Affecting the Environment

1. Changing the Landscape

2. Urbanization

Changing the Landscape

• Methods of Harvesting Forests

• Effect of Chemicals

• Urbanization

Clear-cutting

Shelterwood Cutting

Selective cutting

Methods of Harvesting Forests

Loggers remove every tree and leave a barren landscape.

When replanted, the new forest grows uniformly in

species and size

Methods of Harvesting Forests

Clear Cutting

Involves clear-cutting only part of an old growth forest

Small groups of seed bearing trees are left so the area will

regenerate.

Shelterwood method is often used in forests that have grown and aged evenly

Methods of Harvesting Forests

Shelterwood Cutting

Another shot of the same stand in an area that has been finished--except for picking up a few logs.  The stand is about 65 years old.

Only mature trees of the desired size, type or quality

Selective Cutting

Methods of Harvesting Forests

Methods of Harvesting Forests

This is the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti has one set of policies, Dominican Republic another…

Effect of Chemicals

• Pesticides, Herbicides, Carbon Dioxide emissions, and even weather modification…

Weather Modification

• What is purposeful weather modification?– “Any action designed or intended to produce, by

chemical means, changes in composition or dynamics of the atmosphere for the purpose of increasing, decreasing, or redistributing precipitation, decreasing or suppressing hail or lightning, or dissipating fog or cloud.”

Weather Modification

• Why modify the weather?– to increase the effects of a natural element (e.g.

rainfall)– to redistribute the effects of a natural element (e.g.

snowfall)– to remove the effects of a natural element (e.g. fog)– to reduce the effects of a natural element (e.g. hail or

a hurricane)

Weather Modification

• How is the weather modified?– to increase precipitation in warm clouds, add salt or

water spray with planes, generators, and rockets– to increase precipitation in cold clouds, add synthetic

ice forming nucleus with planes, generators, and rockets

• dry ice• silver iodide• liquid propane

– to redistribute precipitation, over seed the clouds to create lighter flakes which the wind will blow away from target area (e.g. Buffalo)

Weather Modification

• How is the weather modified?– to disperse fog in warm clouds:

• thermal dissipation – adding heat• chemical desiccation – adding lithium hydroxide (dry)• mechanical mixing – helicopter downwash

Weather Modification

• Who is involved with weather modification projects?

Weather Modification

• Issues being raised about weather modification– scientific – evaluation of techniques, results– social – conflicts between land uses– environmental – side effects of chemicals– legal – political

Weather Modification

• Reducing the effects of hurricanes– hurricanes are on the rise, El Nino and La Nina too– but where to experiment with these ideas? “NIMBY!”

• cool the warm waters (submarines)• reduce evaporation (oil)• seeding agent into wall clouds around the eye of the

storm to slow wind speeds…

Weather Modification

Weather Modification

• Weather modification as a military weapon– Vietnam especially (7 years)– Operation POP EYE used to increase precipitation to

soften road surfaces, cause landslides along roadways, wash out river crossings, and maintain saturated soil conditions longer than normal time span”

– 2600 sorties flown– 1275 sorties deemed successful– has been international discussions on prohibiting

purposeful weather modification for military purposes

Urbanization

Urbanization

• Urbanization is the movement of people up the urban hierarchy.

neighbourhood → village → town → suburb → city → metropolis

Urbanization

• Urbanization is the movement of people UP the urban hierarchy. This has been the main migration pattern of Canadians since the creation of our country in 1867 until the 1990s.

• The chart below illustrates the overall percentage of Canada’s population living in rural and urban areas.

Year % Rural % Urban

1871 77 23

1931 50 50

1976 34 66

Urbanization

– reduced need for farm labour due to farm modernization (e.g. tractors)

– improvements in mobility (better transportation systems reduces need for local stores)

– consolidation of goods & services (most things one needs has relocated to urban areas)

Urbanization

NetMigration

Rate

City Size

•Why did people leave the countryside to live in the big cities?

Counter-Urbanization

• Counter-urbanization is the movement of people DOWN the urban hierarchy. This has been the trend for many parts of Canada since the late 1970s. (metropolis → neighbourhood)

• In general, there are now three categories of people living in rural areas.– Newcomers - retain ties to urban core, younger, well

educated, well off, managers/professionals– Homecomers - young families returning to provide

rural upbringing to children– Ruralites – have never lived in an urban core

Counter-Urbanization

• Why are people leaving the cities to live in smaller towns and villages?

Counter - Urbanization

NetMigration

Rate

City Size

– health issues, security, “community”

– “back to nature” movement (desire to live in the country)

– increase in telecommuting (less need to be at an office)

– cheaper land and house prices

Urbanization

• What is Urban Planning? – who controls where things get developed? – how do they show where what is permitted? – what different types of land uses are there? – land use maps are quite general.... how do I know

what is allowed on a specific piece of property? – who does the actual construction on the land? – what are the steps in getting an empty field to

occupied subdivision?

• What is the impact of new subdivisions?

Urban Sprawl

• Urban sprawl or suburban sprawl is a concept centered on the expansion of auto-oriented, low-density development – sometimes planned or unplanned– Usually on the edges of the city

Urban Sprawl - Disadvantages

• Health and environmental impact• Increased pollution and reliance on fossil fuel• Increase in traffic and traffic-related fatalities• Delays in emergency medical services response and fire

department response times• Increased obesity• Decrease in social capital• Decrease in land and water quantity and quality• Increased infrastructure costs • Increased personal transportation costs• Neighborhood quality• “White flight”

Curbing Urban Sprawl in the GTA

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, was released on June 16, 2006. It is a 25-year plan that aims to:

• Revitalize downtowns to become vibrant and convenient centres.

• Create complete communities that offer more options for living, working, learning, shopping and playing. • Provide housing options to meet the needs of people at any age.

• Curb sprawl and protect farmland and green spaces.

• Reduce traffic gridlock by improving access to a greater range of transportation options

A New Transit-Oriented Neighbourhood in Brampton

“Mount Pleasant Village is an “urban transit village”, a new neighbourhood developed around and based on transit and active transportation. The Village, square and amenities are highly walkable and also has significant features in support of other active transportation forms such as cycling.” (Taranu, 2011)

A New Transit-Oriented Neighbourhood in Brampton

“ A new kind of development is being built on the outskirts of Brampton, in the Greater Toronto Area. Urban and livable, focused around transit, compact and walkable, with a strong character, Mount Pleasant Village represents the new face of greenfield development in Ontario and it is a demonstration of Brampton’s work for smarter growth and more sustainable and liveable development.” (Taranu, 2011)

Open Space and Streetscape

“The square represents the main feature of the Village – an amenity and key contributor to the character of the area. The square offers ample opportunities for public enjoyment for all times and seasons including a pond/skating rink, playground, major public art features and spaces to sit and interact, all with a contemporary design and high-quality street furniture and landscaping.” (Taranu, 2011)