Natural

In George Peterken’s 1996 book Natural Woodland the British naturalist contrasts “original naturalness”—-“the state that existed before people became a significant ecological factor”—-with “present naturalness”, “the state which would prevail now if people had not become a significant factor”. One must remember that forests are constantly shaped by storms and fire. If a forest is spared human disturbances, over hundreds of years it can become “present naturalness”. If people were removed completely and permanently the forest enters its “future naturalness” (Marris, 2008). While not many have adopted this terminology, preferring “virgin” and “old growth” descriptors, Peterken’s terms provide a nice conceptual way of looking at our conserved lands.

M. Belknap Based on Peterken’s terms, the conserved lands in the Bull Run Mountains Region “original naturalness” was lost with the American Indians’ management of the mountains for game and berries through their use of fire. Since the American Indians first contact, this area has been logged, inhabited, quarried, farmed, and pastured. It has endured acid rain deposition, gypsy moth invasions, and countless plant introductions many that have turned invasive and detrimental to its native flora. These lands do not qualify for the term “present naturalness” and, since people will not be removed completely or permanently, the forest will not in the foreseeable future enter into “future naturalness”. For that matter, there is no landscape on earth that can qualify for “original, present, or future naturalness” as the entire surface of earth is affected by anthropogenic disturbances.

It makes it difficult to reach the goal of perpetually sustaining our natural resources without a clear definition of what is natural. However, I propose it is the process of attempting to manage towards “naturalness” that leads to a better understanding of ecological functions of forests, grasslands, freshwater systems etc. that are vital to our physical and mental health. We would have never realized the magnitude of the complexity of natural systems if it was not for our attempt to set aside landscapes specifically and above all else to preserve their naturalness.

For BRMC’s part, we work to continue to learn what comprises the flora and fauna on the Bull Run Mountains Region. Thanks to members and donors generous contributions we have been able to fund a four-year moth survey, a three-year beetle survey, an American Chestnut study, a bat survey, a dragonfly and damselfly survey, 13 years of ecological change on the Bull Run Mountains vegetation study, and continuing macro-invertebrate stream monitoring through our programs. The idea of “original naturalness, present naturalness, and future naturalness” may be beyond what humans will ever witness again, but the attempt to maintain landscapes with this primary purpose has never been more important. It is imperative to add to our conserved lands, as well as continue basic research to understand them more deeply. As time marches on, Preserves are the lighthouses in the fog of understanding naturalness at all.