Our Degrading Landscape - by Larry Powell

Man's mark on Planet Earth can now be seen at every turn. Not only does an increasing human population put greater demand on finite natural resources, each one of us seems to need, or want ever-more of what we already have.

Jul.'04 - A wildflower field in western MB .
Photo by Graham Powell

(l.p. photos-click to enlarge.)

Nov.'09 - Five years later, the trees in the background of the same field (above) are being logged. The future of the field itself, where wild crocuses bloom in profusion each spring, is unknown.

For some time now, more and more landowners throughout southwestern MB (not necessarily this one) have been signing agreements with Louisiana Pacific, a foreign-owned multinational corporations to supply it with logs. The company lied to authorities when it was first granted its license in the '90s, saying there were enough trees in its initial license area in the Duck and Porcupine Mountains to last "for a hundred years." If this were the case, why does it have to go further and further afield for its raw products?