Decades-Past+Logging+Still+Threatens+Spotted+Owls+in+National+Forests

Decades-Past Logging Still Threatens Spotted Owls in National Forests Science News, December 6, 2017 Link to Article: []

The article found on Science News discusses the California spotted owl, an endangered species due to excessive logging of large trees sometime before the early 1990's. Up until recently, scientists and others believed that this endangered species would soon increase in population size, but that seems to not be the case. This specific species of owl likes to place their nests up in the tall trees that were mostly cut down by loggers before the 1990's, because these trees take a long time to grow, the owls are still suffering from the effects of the logging that occurred so long ago. The only solution thought of now is to stay patient and to continue to protect this species from outside harm.
 * Summary**:

Throughout AP Environmental Science, we have discussed and read about logging and the effect it has on the organisms within the logged areas. With there being many types of logging, the California spotted owl is directly effected most likely by selective cutting or Shelterwood cutting. Selective cutting is when loggers cut mature trees, found in an uneven-aged forest, in small groups and leave gaps no larger that the height of the standing trees while shelterwood cutting is when a logger removes all mature trees in 2-3 cuttings within a span of about 10 years (Miller 661). Within the owls habitat, the main tree type cut down were the tall, old, and mature trees (the same type of trees cut in shelterwood cutting and selective cutting. Ironically, the textbook writes directly about the California spotted owl as being an endangered species due to habitat loss mainly through logging (Miller 650) which furthers the point that this species is seriously endangered and in need of protection.
 * Relation to Class**:

In my own opinion, I believe that we should continue to protect the spotted owls habitat. Even though the owls habitat contains very valuable wood, its residents are more important. As we have learned throughout class, if one species goes, it throws off the natural balance of the entire ecosystem and creates long lasting effects on the environment. These effects could be bad in many ways and so the best thing to do is prevent the option of causing a species extinction from happening. Although economic growth is important, I believe that protecting our environment is more important; you can always earn more money, but once a species is gone, it's gone. If we work together to protect this ecosystem, along with many others, many issues that arise from species extinction will fade away and the world would be a much happier place.
 * Opinion**:

The Endangered Species act was established in 1973 and makes it illegal for Americans to import products made from endangered species unless for scientific study. This act also gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the power to identify and list endangered and threatened species. Upon the realization that the spotted owl population was declining because of the logging in their habitat, environmentalists worked to try and get the species protection. In 1990, the spotted owl was placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and were granted protection. == Citation: University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Decades-past logging still threatens spotted owls in national forests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 December 2017. <[|www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171206141635.htm]>
 * Environmental Law**: