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February 7, 2012

ECONOTES 2012-02-07: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. Forest Service sales try to salvage drought-stricken timber (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 02/03/2012)
    Thousands of acres of the Sam Houston National Forest’s pine trees are dead or dying because of the drought. Forest officials have decided to cut some of the trees and harvest the wood before it rots, which is called salvage logging. Salvage logging is a controversial topic because many environmentalists question whether the Forest Service should allow more trees to decay in order to provide natural regrowth. Right now, the Forest Service plans to harvest only one-tenth of the drought-stricken trees.
    http://www.chron.com/
  2. Texas Drought: Landscaping Reconsidered Among Homeowners (Betsy Blaney – The Huffington Post, 01/31/2012)
    Texas has been hit hard by the drought with a loss of many trees, wildlife, and plant life. The expected population growth and the limited amount of water are reasons for Texans to make changes. These changes can include using mulch to help retain soil moisture, harvesting rainwater from roofs, and raising the lawnmower blade to at least three inches.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
  3. Artificial reef domes placed in Galveston Bay (Texas Parks & Wildlife, 02/03/2012)
    Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently added 59 concrete artificial reef domes donated by Galveston Bay Foundation to East Galveston Bay. The artificial reef domes are used in areas affected by natural disaster to encourage the resettlement of marine life. This project is designed to restore oyster reef habitats that were damaged by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008.
    http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

EcoNotes