Real-Life Decision Making
Part of the job of a forestry technician is making decisions about things
like how to extend a forest road. A very important part of some of these decisions
is finding a balance between industry and nature.
Protecting our forests takes some understanding. Forests are important
to us for the products we take from them and for recreational purposes. But
forests are also home to thousands of species of animals. Also, much of our
drinking water originates in forests. Plus, there's the air we breathe. So
when decisions are made about cutting down forests, they must not be taken
lightly.
You are a forestry technician and you've been sent to collect data. Your
assignment is to determine how to best extend a forest road for logging. You
must thoroughly check the area to map out the best place for the road.
You will need to take down a lot of trees to extend the road, and you don't
want to impact any wildlife.
After a lot of hard work, you have decided on the map. You've got the
go-ahead from your superior. Teams of workers have arrived and work begins.
On the second day, you notice a nest in a tree that is now exposed. It
must have been too crowded with trees when you did your initial review of
the area.
You inspect the nest to determine whether it's active or abandoned. The
condition of the nest seems quite good. It is fairly decorated and it is
not deteriorating. You need time to watch and wait to see if a bird is going
to return to it. But the production of the road has already been set into
motion.
You're worried if you say something now it will show that you didn't do
a thorough enough review the first time.
"You may have to make decisions throughout the whole day," says technician
Natasha Kavli. "You'll always have a backup plan ready to go
so that when things happen you'll be prepared."
What do you do?