A Word from the Virginia Tree Farm Committee: Forests in the Cradle of Civilization and the Old Dominion

摘要

I am writing this far from the forests of Virginia, as I lead a Provincial Reconstruction Team embedded with the 2nd Marine Regimental Combat Team in Al Asad, Iraq. People have been cultivating the soil of this part of the world for more than 6,000 years. Generations have prospered here, but they also made mistakes with their management of soil, water and vegetation. We can learn from both their success and mistakes. In this birthplace of civilization the principles of good stewardship of the land and what grows on it are very much on my mind.