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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Research Notes: Studying Ski Slopes

An article in the New York Times reports on research by Dr. Jennifer Burt of UC Davis on the difference between creating downhill ski slopes by tree-cutting versus bulldozing and grading. Dr. Burt's research suggests tree-cutting is a more sustainable option.

In a related topic, author and blogger Phil Brown opens a discussion in the Adirondack Almanac on the environmental impacts of ski glade creation. Forester Michael Snyder suggests there are good and bad ways to cut backcountry glades in a 2004 article in Northern Woodlands Magazine.