THE INANIMATE FORESTCommercial Management and Environmental Degradation of Andalusian ForestsHistorical Context of Energy Supply

Nadia Martnez Espinar

IntroductionEnvironmental degradation and social abandoning of Spanish forests.Environmental History: main causes of these problems do not rise from the present, but from the past.Drought, soil erosion, deforestation, fire risk, depopulation.

Research CzulasHypothesis: The situation of our forests has been provoked by changes in the environments economic function that happened during the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. Hegemony of commercial interests to manage the natural resources. Case Study: Czulas (Granada-Spain).

Research Czulas

CzulasMunicipality of Otvar.Czulas.Province of GranadaGranada Capital

ContentTransition (19th-20th centuries): Traditional Industrial management of natural resources.Predominance traditional energy sources predominance modern energy sources.National/International energy context (historical approach)

Connection: external influence changes in Czulas (research proposal).

Traditional ManagementBeginning Twentieth CenturyCharcoal-burners, wood-cutters, firewood collection, lime-production, esparto-grass and medicinal plants collection, livestock, hunting, farm-cottages lessees

Traditional ManagementBeginning Twentieth CenturyCharcoal-burners, wood-cutters, firewood collection, lime-production, esparto-grass and medicinal plants collection, livestock, hunters, farm-cottages lessees

Traditional ManagementBeginning Twentieth CenturyCharcoal-burners, wood-cutters, firewood collection, lime-production, esparto-grass and medicinal plants collection, livestock, hunting, farm-cottages lessees

Traditional ManagementBeginning Twentieth CenturyCharcoal-burners, wood-cutters, firewood collection, lime-production, esparto-grass and medicinal plants collection, livestock, hunting, farm-cottages lessees

Energy Supply

Direct Use of Forest Product as Energy (Davidsdottir, 2004)

Wood fuelsrenewable and climate-friendly source.

Firewood (benefits and problems).

Charcoal (benefits and problems).

Modern ManagementTimber industry

Paper and Cellulose Industry.

consumers of modern energy

TRANSIT FROM TRADITIONAL USE TO INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT

Reforestation:Wood farmsForeign and rapidly growing species fire-riskyDisappearance traditional uses:Depopulation of the forest/less watchersLess cleaning-tasks of the forest (livestock, lime-production, charcoal, firewood)Rural communitywage-earning workersemigration

TransitionForest: source of energy and natural resources (economic complement to rural families)

Forest: industries consumers of energy (wage-earning work)

Inanimate Forest

Source: Rubio, 2005

Source: Rubio, 2005

Source: Rubio, 2005

Source: Rubio, 2005

Source: Krausmann, Haberl, 2002

Krausmann, Haberl, 2002

USA-Energy Consumption by Source, 1635-2000(Quadrillion Btu)

Source: EIA

Case Study Cazulas.Resources Management.

Beginning Twentieth CenturyTypes of resources:Wood exploitationResin exploitation

Charcoal and firewoodLivestockFarm-cottages

Case Study Cazulas.Resources Management.

The fifties.Disappearance of the Resin exploitation (abandoned trees-trametes)Timber exploitation vs. Livestock use (industrial use vs. Traditional use)The seventies.Radical elimination of non-industrial managementsTimber+Hunting (professional)=closed forest

Connection: external pressure/changes in Czulas (ongoing research)

External InfluenceInternational market demand (historical evolution).International energy supply (historical evolution).

Transition in Czulas.Data compilation: Czulas archive.Income / Expenses books, since 1890 until 1960.

Traditional Energy Sources

Thank you for your attention