Friday, December 27, 2019

The Best and Worst Trees for an Urban Forest

It has been determined by the United States Forest Service that nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas that have developed a dependent  relationship with  the social, economic, and ecological  systems  near cities and suburbs.  Although quite  different from wildland forests, these urban forests have many challenges associated with healthy growth just as rural forests do. A large part of urban forest management includes planting the right tree for the appropriate site. The distribution of urban tree cover and the benefits of urban forests will  vary across the United States and requires addressing the challenges of sustaining this important resource with the best trees for every sites potential.   Top Trees to Plant in the Urban Landscape Overcup Oak or Quercus lyrata: Actually, most  oaks are great in urban settings, but many are very slow growers, Overcup oak is also slow but quickly reaches 40.  It is recommended to plant in all but the Northcentral states.  Red Maple or Acer rubrum: This maple is a ubiquitous, wide-ranging, native tree. It adapts well to most soils and sites and thrives under urban conditions. It also is an early harbinger  of fall as it turns color well in advance of most eastern deciduous tree species.  White Oak or Quercus alba: This is the other oak recommended and can be planted in nearly every state in the US. It is similar to lyrata and easy to find in most nurseries.  Green Ash or  Fraxinus pennsylvanica: This tree is native to eastern North America and common west to Wyoming and Colorado but will grow in every state in the U.S. The tree is fast growing on moist sites and hardy once established. It is best grown as a single tree with adequate room to grow but to be avoided wh ere the emerald ash borer is endemic.Crapemyrtle or Lagerstroemia: This small tree is the most common southern street and yard tree planted in a wide range that encircles the US from New Jersey through the deep South, Texas, Southern California and to the Pacific Northwest. There are cold hardy  varies like Northern Crapemyrtle,  Lagerstroemia  indica  that can be planted through zone 5.Dogwood or Cornus florida: This small showy all-season tree is possibly the favorite of yards and parks in all of the United States (with the exception of the middle upper western states).Japanese Maple or Acer palmatum: These trees have extraordinary shapes and are very popular in yards and open landscapes. As with dogwood, they are not hardy  in the middle upper western states.Baldcypress or Taxodium distichum: This tree is becoming the most popular tree in urban landscapes. It is hardy in all but the driest of states.  Others include the red oaks, a return of disease-resistant  Ameri can elm varieties and American linden (American basswood.) Urban and city forests are an essential component of America’s â€Å"green infrastructure† which makes the care and management of these city trees extremely important. Having the wrong trees (many of which are invasive), when added to natural (insects, diseases, wildfire, floods, ice and wind storms) and social problems (over development, air pollution, and inadequate management) makes for challenges as urban expansion continues. Top Trees NOT to Plant in the Urban Landscape Mimosa or Albizia julibrissin:  short-lived and very messy in any landscape.Silver maple or Acer sacharinum:  very messy, ornamentally dull, aggressive rootsLeyland Cypress or Cupressocyparis leylandii:   quickly outgrows space, short-lived.Lombardy Poplar or Populus nigra: canker-prone, with litter and short life.Popcorn tree or Sapium sibiferum: invasive tree species.Chinaberry or Melia azedarach: Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Royal Paulownia or Paulownia tomentosa:  Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Bradford Pear or Pyrus calleryana  Bradford:  Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Siberian Elm or Ulmus pumila:  Invades pastures, roadsides, and prairiesTree of Heaven or Ailanthus  altissima:  Forms dense, clonal thickets, highly invasive.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Cultural Confrontations of the 1920’s KKK, Scopes Trial...

Cultural Confrontations of the 1920’s The 1920s were a time of change for the United States. Following the First World War there was a rush of new cultural, social, and artistic dynamism, partly fuelled by the Progressivism movement that was cut short when American entered the Great War. This decade was defined by a change from more rural farm life to industrialism in big cities. The shift from the frugality and traditional family values or previous generations to the happy-go-lucky consumerism and metropolitan life occurred more rapidly than any other social shift in living memory. These swiftly changing tides caused cultural clashes and confrontations throughout the decade as America struggled to define for itself a fresh national†¦show more content†¦The KKK adopted anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic, and anti-Immigration stances in addition to their longstanding anti-African-American beliefs. Before long, the Klan had amassed a membership of nearly 500,000 and lynching became commonplace. In many areas the Kla n became a powerful political force, pushing for better roads, more funding for public schools, and great anti-immigration laws. Many Klan members were poor whites who wanted some way to protect their jobs from the many European immigrants who were moving to the cities. However, the turnover rate for membership was about 15% as people joined and realized the full extent of what they had agreed to do, and quit. Despite the Klan’s vast membership, not all Americans supported their activities. The conflict surrounding race relations in the 1920s would be hard to conquer, but the Progressive movement still had some momentum from prewar years, and it memory of its optimism had not completely died during the war. Reinhold Niebuhr was the American-born son of a German immigrant from Missouri. Niebuhr became a Protestant minister and became a prominent figure of resistance to the Klu Klux Klan. In a sermon that was published on the front page of the Detroit Times and the Free P ress Niebuhr urged voters to vote against the Protestant candidate that was openly endorsed by the Klan. Niebuhr called the KKK â€Å"One of the worst social phenomena of our time† even while recognizing that the Klan stemmed from his ownShow MoreRelated Societal Views on Interracialism Throughout American History6209 Words   |  25 Pagesin the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930’s compared to the late 1850’s. Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix (Association of MultiEthnic Americans 2). This statement was made by a Virginia trial judge during the sentencing of Mildred

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Environmental Degradation Of Barrier Reef â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Environmental Degradation Of Barrier Reef? Answer: Introduction The Great Barrier Reef has been in the news for its environmental degradation, specifically, the bleaching of Coral. According to Wahlquist, (2017), a draft prepared by UNESCO has criticized the Australian government for not doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef. In the recent times, the pollution and global warming have impact the coral which is signified by the bleaching of the corals. Bleaching is an effect of the rising temperatures of the water in the Great Barrier Reef area, an effect of climate change, (McGuirk, 2017) and symbolizes serious environmental degradation of the reef. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is under serious existential threat due o environmental degradation. The Great Barrier Reef is home to unparalleled variety of flora and fauna. The Reef stretches 2300 kilometers along the north eastern coastline of Australia and is listed as a one of the seven natural wonders. (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017). Climate change is the major cause of the degradation. However, The UNESCO expressed major concerns over the following causes of the degradation: Water quality Climate change Excessive tree clearing (United Nations Environment Programme, 2017) Diagram 1 Some of Threats to the Great Barrier Reef (Apart from Climate Change as a direct threat) Prepared by Auhor. Adapted from (United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization, 2017) The Economic Value of the Great Barrier Reef The reef provides sources of livelihoods to thousands of Australians in various industries such as tourism, mining etc. Any coral reef has tourism value as well as it is a source of marine naural resources. According to United Nations Environment Programme, 2017, A square kilometre of healthy, well managed coral reefscan yield a catch of over 15 tons of fish and sea food every year. The degradation of the coral reef can trigger some serious consequences for he ecological and economic well being of he country.. The Great Barrier Reef is worth 3.7 billion annually to the Australian Economy through fishing and tourism every year. (Cummins Helfetz, 2017) (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017) Deloitte Access Economics (2017) identified the direct contribution of the reef as 6.4 billion AUD and 64,000 jobs to Australias economy . The consultancy also, idenified its iconic value or brand value to the reef and pegged it at 56 Billion AUD. Diseconomies of Economic Activities around the Great Barrier Area An Negative externality or a diseconomy is, mathematically, a (negative) deviation of Marginal Private Cost (MPC) from the marginal social cost. According to Lipsey Chrystal, (2011) Private costs are those costs that are incurred by parties that are involved directly in the Economic activity and Social costs are those costs that are borne by the society . Hence, the marginal private costs refers to the private cost of the last producing the last unit produced or providing services to the last consumer serviced. The Marginal Social Cost is a valuation of the impact borne by the society in the production of the last unit of good or services. Negative externalities decrease the social good i.e. they have harmful effects or cause inconvenience to the public, in general. (Lipsey Chrystal, 2011) It is important to understand the actual value of the economic value of all productive activities conducted in the Great Barrier Reef and match them against the economic value of the reef. For a simple policy analysis, the government can and must analyze the negative externalities of various activities such as mining, fishing, tourism etc. around the Great Barrier Reef and the social costs of these activities. Hence, the environmental degradation of Great Barrier Reef should not only be of concern to environmentalists but to public, in general. The loss of flora and fauna of he Great Barrier Reef directly affects the Australian economy. The following is a diagram of the negative externalities and the loss of social good resulting from it. The Marginal Private Costs in the cost of mining coal from around the area. This cost does not include the costs that society has to bear due to the mining. The Marginal social Cost includes the valuation of losses resulting from the mining of coal in the area. The loss of social good is the difference between the two.(Riley, 2005). Diagram 2 : Negative Externalities: Loss of Social Good. Prepared by Author. Source: (Riley, 2005) Recommendations The problem of Great Barrier Reef is one that can be solved by simple policy measures. Diagram 3 Key Stakeholders to the Prevention of Environmental Degradation of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. (Prepared by Author) Carbon Pricing: Carbon Pricing of all mining activities around an identified area around the Great Barrier Reef: Carbon pricing will lead to internalization of the externalities. (Samuelson NordHaus, 2004) . A carbon price is a cost applied to carbon pollution to encourage polluters toreduce the amount ofgreenhouse gasthey emit into the atmosphere. (Grantham Research Institute, 2012) The Australian Government has initiated several measures to reduce the overall greenhouse gases in the country. However, carbon pricing of firms that mining activities around the reef would be discouraged to do so, because there would be an additional cost to mining from the area surrounding the Reef which may lead to mining entities looking at other areas. However, the carbon pricing must be in equilibrium with the marginal gains from taxes and the opportunity cost of mining in the given area. (Anderson, 2016) Coal Export Duty: A selective duty on export of coal. (Hutchens, 2016) . This duty may have a similar effect as carbon pricing. Ban on Riverbed Mining: Several conservationists, suggest, a ban on river bed mining in an around the area. An analysis of the economic benefits of mining, as against, the negative externalities of mining must be first conducted. (Robertson, 2017). This measure will help improve the water quality of the Reef. Improved National and State Regulation on land clearing through measures like quotas, zoning etc: Quotas and zoning will have the same effect as carbon pricing would have.(Queensland Government, 2017) Improved National and State Regulation on Fishing.(Australian Government, 2017) References Anderson, S. (2016, December 7). Why is everyone talking about a carbon tax? The carbon pricing debate explained. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from ABCn News.com7: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-05/the-carbon-pricing-debate-explained/8092506 Australian Government. (2017). Commercial Fishing and Zoning. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from Australian Government : Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning/commercial-fishing-and zoning Carlton, D. W., Perloff, J. M. (2000). Modern Industrial Organization. Reading , USA: HarperCollins College Publishers. Cummins, A., Helfetz, J. (2017, March 2016). Great Barrier Reef Suffering Unprecedented Damage. Retrieved August 24, 2017, from CNN: ediion.cnn.com Deloitte Access Economics. (2017). At what price? The economic, social and icon value of the Great Barrier Reef. Brisbane: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Grantham Research Institute. (2012, July 16). The ultimate climate change FAQ. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/16/carbon-price-tax-cap Hutchens, G. (2016, April 28). Great Barrier Reef: Greens call for new tax on mining to pay for damage. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from TheGuardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/28/great-barrier-reef-greens-call-for-new-tax-on-mining-to-pay-for-damage Lee, Y.-H. A., Brown, D. J. (2006). Competition, Consumer Welfare and the Social Cost of a Monopoly. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University. Lipsey, R., Chrystal, A. (2011). Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McGuirk, R. (2017, June 3). UNESCO has Serious Concerns Over Great Barrier Reef Coral. M. phy.org . The Associated Press. Queensland Government. (2017, July 3). Vegetation management. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from Queensland Government: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/laAnswer:nd/vegetation/exemptions Riley, G. (2005). European Economy in Focus. BerkShire (UK) : Tutor 2 u online. Robertson, J. (2017, August 18). Queensland conservationists call for river-mining ban to protect Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from The Guardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/18/queensland-conservationists-call-for-river-mining-ban-to-protect-great-barrier-reef Samuelson, P. A., NordHaus, W. R. (2004). Economics: Seventeenth Edition. New Delhi: Tata- McGraw Hill Publishing Company. United Nations Environment Programme. (2017). Coral Reefs Valuable But Vulnerable. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from United Nations Environment Programme : Coral Reefs Unit: coral.unep.ch/coral_reefs.html United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization. (2017). CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE. Paris: United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization. Wahlquist, C. (2017, June 3). Great Barrier Reef: Australia must act urgently on water quality, says Unesco. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from theguardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/03/great-barrier-reef-australia-must-act-urgently-on-water-quality-says-unesc

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Napoleon Essays (511 words) - House Of Bonaparte, Napoleon, Ajaccio

Napoleon Napoleon was born August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This small, yet gallant figure was initially a fiercely independent Corsican, not a Frenchman as most would believe him to be. His areas of achievement were government, politics, and military. He was a strong leader during the French Revolution. He was very eager and determined to fight battles and win them. Sometimes, he was extremely stubborn. One of his most prestigious actions was when Napoleon crowned himself not the pope. Napoleon was the second of eight children of Charles Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, both of the Corsican-Italian gentry. Not one member of the family was a professional soldier. Napoleon was always a little boy and man. When he was young, he often had little "play" fights with the other Corsican boys and he would often lead his "troops" to victory. Napoleon was educated at Brienne and the Ecole Militaire, (French for "military school") in Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of sixteen. Then he joined the artillery as a 2nd lieutenant. His initial goal was to help Corsica, not France. In 1796, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals and forced Austria and its allies to make peace. During his tenure in northern Italy, he founded the Cisalpine Republic and strengthened his position in France by sending millions of francs worth of treasure to the government. It was a morale boost to a nation cast in anarchy. Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt, ruled by the Turks, to cripple at British trade with the East. Despite his success in the Middle East, British Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed his fleet, which left he and his army stranded. Napoleon took the chance to enhance his political skills by reforming the Egyptian government, abolishing serfdom, and feudalism. He also guaranteed basic rights for the citizens. Culturally, Napoleon brought French scholars to study ancient Egypt's history. These scholars helped decipher the famous Rosetta stone. Hence, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were fully translated. Although Bonaparte failed to defeat Syria in 1799, he won a crucial battle over the Turks at Abu Qir. However, France faced a major domestic problem. Austria, Russia, and lesser powers allied with Britain against France. These monarchies feared that the revolution in France would spread and incite the people of their nations. Their power was declining steadily and the only way to stop it would be to restore the French monarchy. Napoleon joined a conspiracy against the weak government in Paris. He and his colleagues seized power and established and new regime. The constitution was edited in 1802 to make Napoleon consul for life an in 1804 to create him emperor. In 1800, he assured his power by crossing the Alps and defeating the Austrians at Marengo. He then negotiated for peace in Europe that established the Rhine River as the eastern border of France. Napoleon also concluded an agreement with the pope that ended the argument with the Roman-Catholic Church. In France, the administration was reorganized, the court system was simplified, and all schools were put under centralized control. France's law was standardized in the Code Napoleon and six other codes. They guarantee rights won in the Revolution. Great Britain was prepared to take the war to Napoleon.