seeing the trees for wood

[emordnilap]

While patrolling on a recent cold night, environmentalist Grigoris Gourdomichalis caught a young man illegally chopping down a tree on public land in the mountains above Athens.

When confronted, the man broke down in tears, saying he was unemployed and needed the wood to warm the home he shares with his wife and four small children, because he could no longer afford heating oil.

"It was a tough choice, but I decided just to let him go" with the wood, said Mr. Gourdomichalis, head of the locally financed Environmental Association of Municipalities of Athens, which works to protect forests around Egaleo, a western suburb of the capital.

Tens of thousands of trees have disappeared from parks and woodlands this winter across Greece, authorities said, in a worsening problem that has had tragic consequences as the crisis-hit country's impoverished residents, too broke to pay for electricity or fuel, turn to fireplaces and wood stoves for heat.

As winter temperatures bite, that trend is dealing a serious blow to the environment, as hillsides are denuded of timber and smog from fires clouds the air in Athens and other cities, posing risks to public health.

More here.

[Little John]

While patrolling on a recent cold night, environmentalist Grigoris Gourdomichalis caught a young man illegally chopping down a tree on public land in the mountains above Athens.

When confronted, the man broke down in tears, saying he was unemployed and needed the wood to warm the home he shares with his wife and four small children, because he could no longer afford heating oil.

"It was a tough choice, but I decided just to let him go" with the wood, said Mr. Gourdomichalis, head of the locally financed Environmental Association of Municipalities of Athens, which works to protect forests around Egaleo, a western suburb of the capital.

Tens of thousands of trees have disappeared from parks and woodlands this winter across Greece, authorities said, in a worsening problem that has had tragic consequences as the crisis-hit country's impoverished residents, too broke to pay for electricity or fuel, turn to fireplaces and wood stoves for heat.

As winter temperatures bite, that trend is dealing a serious blow to the environment, as hillsides are denuded of timber and smog from fires clouds the air in Athens and other cities, posing risks to public health.

More here.

This neatly illustrates the point I made in a thread on Easter island a couple of weeks back when I mentioned that most westerners actually have a smaller ecological footprint than might be imagined because of the masking effects of their hydrocarbon footprint (putting aside, for a moment, the bigger long-term problem of climate forcing due to the use of hydrocarbons). Remove access to hydrocarbons, either due to lack of supply or lack of capacity to afford them, and a society's ecological footprint , as seems to be the case in Greece, may actually rise.

[woodburner]

The problems of tree felling caused by distress, is the fuel value of the tree is much less than it could have been, as it will be burnt wet. The amount of useful heat produced will be much less than if it was seasoned. Most people have little idea of how to get the maximum benefit from the timber, burning wet wood on open fires is a huge waste. Burning wood on a simple rocket stove gives much more benefit, though not necessarily for heating.

A good stock of clothes is the way to deal with heating, fuel can then be used for important things like cooking.

[Little John]

The problems of tree felling caused by distress, is the fuel value of the tree is much less than it could have been, as it will be burnt wet. The amount of useful heat produced will be much less than if it was seasoned. Most people have little idea of how to get the maximum benefit from the timber, burning wet wood on open fires is a huge waste. Burning wood on a simple rocket stove gives much more benefit, though not necessarily for heating.

A good stock of clothes is the way to deal with heating, fuel can then be used for important things like cooking.

If only those foolish Greeks had access to your sage-like advice, I'm sure they would be appreciative.

[emordnilap]

We could all do well to heed both the advice and the experience of the Greeks.

[adam2]

The problems of tree felling caused by distress, is the fuel value of the tree is much less than it could have been, as it will be burnt wet. The amount of useful heat produced will be much less than if it was seasoned. Most people have little idea of how to get the maximum benefit from the timber, burning wet wood on open fires is a huge waste. Burning wood on a simple rocket stove gives much more benefit, though not necessarily for heating.

A good stock of clothes is the way to deal with heating, fuel can then be used for important things like cooking.

If only those foolish Greeks had access to your sage-like advice, I'm sure they would be appreciative.

The advice is indeed sensible, but is too late for many Greeks.
The wise Greek (or any other nationality) should have stocked up on fire wood or other fuel whilst times were relatively good.
Many of those suffering at present were in relatively well paid employment until recently. It would have been sensible to have stocked up during the relatively good times on food, fuel, and warm clothing and blankets.
Prior to the present crisis, a lot of wood from tree felling or pallets etc was probably discarded, the wise doomer would have scavenged this and saved it.

I consider it possible that things might go a bit Greek in the UK, yet wooden pallets and construction off cuts are still routinely landfilled.
Trees in public parks etc. have to be cut if unsafe, but I see little interest in scavenging the wood. Such wood would not make good fuel for this winter, but would be acceptable next winter, and excellent the year after.

[boisdevie]

I wonder if the young Greek man chopping down wood would have been a less lot up shit creek if he didn't have 4 kids.