Clearcutting isn't very pretty, is it? Yesterday I was awakened early in the morning to the sound of saws and crashing timber. I knew it was close so I dressed quickly and headed out the door. The sound came from the heavy duty harvesting equipment removing a large stretch of pine bordering my property. You can see that the cutting went right up to my property line, and the old fence came apart in some places where the covering heavy foliage was attached to the trees.
The sad part was that it started by mistake. Someone other than the property owner allowed it to get started and the owner didn't know until it was underway. The bottom line was it ended before it came up to the front portion of my property where our house sits, but now I have to "jerryrig" the fence temporarily until we can put up some 300 feet of new fence. I am thankful that the grass in my meadow is nice and green so the horses aren't likely to try and explore beyond the fence until I can make the repairs.
The saddest part is the clearcutting disaster in the area impacted. A beautiful wooded area was destroyed with no buffer whatsoever. When I was a boy in Virginia they always left a fifty foot border but today no one cares. We have truly become a society that in many ways has lost its soul and I find that sad. That even bothers me more than the fact that it should never have been cut in the first place, but I'll see if I can find out why such a mistake happened.
And now the deer are gone to be replaced on this part of my property with snakes and rodents that are trying to find a new home. I guess my barn cats will be busy. I know that life always changes but it need not be like this.
I think I'll close with a prayer asking that we all take better care of what nature gave us. Somehow I don't think the picture is what God had in mind.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the beauty that you have given us in this world and help us to do a better job of caring for this gift. While we know that all things on earth were given to man to use and enjoy, with that use is the requirement for nurture and care. Help us to all understand the meaning of dominion over all living thing including animals as well as plant life. Teach us to do things in consonance with nature instead of using an approach of total destruction, for with you there has to be a better way. In Jesus' name, Amen.
And now to get on with doing what I must do to make things on the farm return to normal as soon as possible. I only hope today is better than yesterday.
The sad part was that it started by mistake. Someone other than the property owner allowed it to get started and the owner didn't know until it was underway. The bottom line was it ended before it came up to the front portion of my property where our house sits, but now I have to "jerryrig" the fence temporarily until we can put up some 300 feet of new fence. I am thankful that the grass in my meadow is nice and green so the horses aren't likely to try and explore beyond the fence until I can make the repairs.
The saddest part is the clearcutting disaster in the area impacted. A beautiful wooded area was destroyed with no buffer whatsoever. When I was a boy in Virginia they always left a fifty foot border but today no one cares. We have truly become a society that in many ways has lost its soul and I find that sad. That even bothers me more than the fact that it should never have been cut in the first place, but I'll see if I can find out why such a mistake happened.
And now the deer are gone to be replaced on this part of my property with snakes and rodents that are trying to find a new home. I guess my barn cats will be busy. I know that life always changes but it need not be like this.
I think I'll close with a prayer asking that we all take better care of what nature gave us. Somehow I don't think the picture is what God had in mind.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the beauty that you have given us in this world and help us to do a better job of caring for this gift. While we know that all things on earth were given to man to use and enjoy, with that use is the requirement for nurture and care. Help us to all understand the meaning of dominion over all living thing including animals as well as plant life. Teach us to do things in consonance with nature instead of using an approach of total destruction, for with you there has to be a better way. In Jesus' name, Amen.
And now to get on with doing what I must do to make things on the farm return to normal as soon as possible. I only hope today is better than yesterday.
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