Minnesota A History of the Land
Johnny Greavu
PSTL 1112
07/14/2015
Video Response 4
Minnesota: A History of the Land (Episode II)
1) The Big Woods was a temperate hardwood forest defined by shade in south-central
Minnesota and western Wisconsin. It was a “climax community”: an environment without a disturbance for decades to hundreds of years. The humidity of the area and proximity to rivers (which acted as a firebreak) led to a virtual absence of fire.
Trees such as sugar maple, basswood, northern red oak, and American elm dominated the Big Woods. Forming the understory was green ash, ironwood, and quaking aspen. By the end of the nineteenth century, most of the Big Woods were cut down so the trees and land could be used by humans. A remnant of the Big
Woods can be found at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in Nerstrand, MN (in between Faribault and Northfield).
2) The now-extinct passenger pigeon is an unfortunate example of the tragedy of the commons. It was one of the most abundant species in North America. An estimated three to five billion passenger pigeons were reduced to just one living in captivity, which died along with the species in 1914. The tragedy of the commons is when a plentiful resource falls victim to unregulated human self-interest. An individual acting solely in their self-interest can seem rational to the individual. One must hunt and gather everything before their neighbors get it all. However, if everyone follows this philosophy, forgetting about the shared interest of the whole, common and
Greavu
sometimes essential resources can over-exploited. An example of this is unregulated fishing in international waters. Perhaps the most prominent example is that of anthropogenic global warming. We are myopically treating the atmosphere as if it were bulletproof. I’m not sure that we have an obligation to protect all future extinctions—perhaps the extinction of some species will lead to the thriving of others
—but we should approach it in a utilitarian fashion. The goal should
PSTL 1112
07/14/2015
Video Response 4
Minnesota: A History of the Land (Episode II)
1) The Big Woods was a temperate hardwood forest defined by shade in south-central
Minnesota and western Wisconsin. It was a “climax community”: an environment without a disturbance for decades to hundreds of years. The humidity of the area and proximity to rivers (which acted as a firebreak) led to a virtual absence of fire.
Trees such as sugar maple, basswood, northern red oak, and American elm dominated the Big Woods. Forming the understory was green ash, ironwood, and quaking aspen. By the end of the nineteenth century, most of the Big Woods were cut down so the trees and land could be used by humans. A remnant of the Big
Woods can be found at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in Nerstrand, MN (in between Faribault and Northfield).
2) The now-extinct passenger pigeon is an unfortunate example of the tragedy of the commons. It was one of the most abundant species in North America. An estimated three to five billion passenger pigeons were reduced to just one living in captivity, which died along with the species in 1914. The tragedy of the commons is when a plentiful resource falls victim to unregulated human self-interest. An individual acting solely in their self-interest can seem rational to the individual. One must hunt and gather everything before their neighbors get it all. However, if everyone follows this philosophy, forgetting about the shared interest of the whole, common and
Greavu
sometimes essential resources can over-exploited. An example of this is unregulated fishing in international waters. Perhaps the most prominent example is that of anthropogenic global warming. We are myopically treating the atmosphere as if it were bulletproof. I’m not sure that we have an obligation to protect all future extinctions—perhaps the extinction of some species will lead to the thriving of others
—but we should approach it in a utilitarian fashion. The goal should