Land Clearing - MowCheaper Lawn Care
Going through trees and 4ft. high grass with a Gravely Compact Pro 34".

By: Mow Cheaper

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Land Clearing - MowCheaper Lawn Care - Video

Land-use and land-cover change (LULCC); also known as land change) is a general term for the human modification of Earth's terrestrial surface. Though humans have been modifying land to obtain food and other essentials for thousands of years, current rates, extents and intensities of LULCC are far greater than ever in history, driving unprecedented changes in ecosystems and environmental processes at local, regional and global scales. These changes encompass the greatest environmental concerns of human populations today, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the pollution of water, soils and air. Monitoring and mediating the negative consequences of LULCC while sustaining the production of essential resources has therefore become a major priority of researchers and policymakers around the world.

Land cover refers to the physical and biological cover over the surface of land, including water, vegetation, bare soil, and/or artificial structures. Land use is a more complicated term. Natural scientists define land use in terms of syndromes of human activities such as agriculture, forestry and building construction that alter land surface processes including biogeochemistry, hydrology and biodiversity. Social scientists and land managers define land use more broadly to include the social and economic purposes and contexts for and within which lands are managed (or left unmanaged), such as subsistence versus commercial agriculture, rented vs. owned, or private vs. public land. While land cover may be observed directly in the field or by remote sensing, observations of land use and its changes generally require the integration of natural and social scientific methods (expert knowledge, interviews with land managers) to determine which human activities are occurring in different parts of the landscape, even when land cover appears to be the same. For example, areas covered by woody vegetation may represent an undisturbed natural shrubland, a forest preserve recovering from a fire (use = conservation), regrowth following tree harvest (forestry), a plantation of immature rubber trees (plantation agriculture), swidden agriculture plots that are in between periods of clearing for annual crop production, or an irrigated tea plantation. As a result, scientific investigation of the causes and consequences of LULCC requires an interdisciplinary approach integrating both natural and social scientific methods, which has emerged as the new discipline of land-change science.

Changes in land use and land cover date to prehistory and are the direct and indirect consequence of human actions to secure essential resources. This may first have occurred with the burning of areas to enhance the availability of wild game and accelerated dramatically with the birth of agriculture, resulting in the extensive clearing (deforestation) and management of Earths terrestrial surface that continues today. More recently, industrialization has encouraged the concentration of human populations within urban areas (urbanization) and the depopulation of rural areas, accompanied by the intensification of agriculture in the most productive lands and the abandonment of marginal lands. All of these causes and their consequences are observable simultaneously around the world today.

Biodiversity is often reduced dramatically by LULCC. When land is transformed from a primary forest to a farm, the loss of forest species within deforested areas is immediate and complete. Even when unaccompanied by apparent changes in land cover, similar effects are observed whenever relatively undisturbed lands are transformed to more intensive uses, including livestock grazing, selective tree harvest and even fire prevention. The habitat suitability of forests and other ecosystems surrounding those under intensive use are also impacted by the fragmenting of existing habitat into smaller pieces (habitat fragmentation), which exposes forest edges to external influences and decreases core habitat area. Smaller habitat areas generally support fewer species (island biogeography), and for species requiring undisturbed core habitat, fragmentation can cause local and even general extinction. Research also demonstrates that species invasions by non-native plants, animals and diseases may occur more readily in areas exposed by LULCC, especially in proximity to human settlements.

LULCC plays a major role in climate change at global, regional and local scales. At global scale, LULCC is responsible for releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, thereby driving global warming. LULCC can increase the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by disturbance of terrestrial soils and vegetation, and the major driver of this change is deforestation, especially when followed by agriculture, which causes the further release of soil carbon in response to disturbance by tillage. Changes in land use and land cover are also behind major changes in terrestrial emissions of other greenhouse gases, especially methane (altered surface hydrology: wetland drainage and rice paddies; cattle grazing), and nitrous oxide (agriculture: input of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers; irrigation; cultivation of nitrogen fixing plants; biomass combustion).

Though LULCC certainly plays a critical role in greenhouse gas emissions, the complexity and dynamic interplay of land use processes favoring net accumulation versus net release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases makes it a poorly constrained component of our global budgets for these gases; an active area of current research. A further source of uncertainty in estimating the climate changes caused by LULCC is the release of sulfur dioxide and particulates by biomass combustion associated with agriculture, land clearing and human settlements. These emissions are believed to cause regional and global cooling by the reflection of sunlight from particulates and aerosols, and by their effects on cloud cover.

Land cover changes that alter the reflection of sunlight from land surfaces (albedo) are another major driver of global climate change. The precise contribution of this effect to global climate change remains a controversial but growing concern. The impact of albedo changes on regional and local climates is also an active area of research, especially changes in climate in response to changes in cover by dense vegetation and built structures. These changes alter surface heat balance not only by changing surface albedo, but also by altering evaporative heat transfer caused by evapotranspiration from vegetation (highest in closed canopy forest), and by changes in surface roughness, which alter heat transfer between the relatively stagnant layer of air at Earths surface (the boundary layer) and the troposphere. An example of this is the warmer temperatures observed within urban areas versus rural areas, known as the urban heat island effect.

Changes in land use and land cover are important drivers of water, soil and air pollution. Perhaps the oldest of these is land clearing for agriculture and the harvest of trees and other biomass. Vegetation removal leaves soils vulnerable to massive increases in soil erosion by wind and water, especially on steep terrain, and when accompanied by fire, also releases pollutants to the atmosphere. This not only degrades soil fertility over time, reducing the suitability of land for future agricultural use, but also releases huge quantities of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediments to streams and other aquatic ecosystems, causing a variety of negative impacts (increased sedimentation, turbidity, eutrophication and coastal hypoxia). Mining can produce even greater impacts, including pollution by toxic metals exposed in the process. Modern agricultural practices, which include intensive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers and the concentration of livestock and their manures within small areas, have substantially increased the pollution of surface water by runoff and erosion and the pollution of groundwater by leaching of excess nitrogen (as nitrate). Other agricultural chemicals, including herbicides and pesticides are also released to ground and surface waters by agriculture, and in some cases remain as contaminants in the soil. The burning of vegetation biomass to clear agricultural fields (crop residues, weeds) remains a potent contributor to regional air pollution wherever it occurs, and has now been banned in many areas.

Other environmental impacts of LULCC include the destruction of stratospheric ozone by nitrous oxide release from agricultural land and altered regional and local hydrology (dam construction, wetland drainage, irrigation projects, increased impervious surfaces in urban areas). Perhaps the most important issue for most of Earths human population is the long-term threat to future production of food and other essentials by the transformation of productive land to nonproductive uses, such as the conversion of agricultural land to residential use and the degradation of rangeland by overgrazing.

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Land-use and land-cover change - Encyclopedia of Earth

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TWI Columnist Lisa Haderlein

Change is hard. And, every change is for better or worse, depending upon your perspective. Change is particularly hard when it happens quickly. Im sorry, but telling me its easier if you just rip the bandage off quickly doesnt lessen the pain.

I have no doubt the 400 acres of trees and shrubs bulldozed and left burning in giant brush piles certainly looked worse to the hundreds of neighbors on the north side of Woodstock.

To the landowners, the end result of the land-clearing looked better after getting rid of the over-grown, unkempt nursery stock and opening the land up for row-crop farming. I have no doubt the phrase were making progress was used during the operation.

Thats right, 400 acres of nursery stock were bulldozed and burned north of Woodstock in recent weeks. Thousands of trees are gone forever. Some were quite mature decades old. The nursery had become a wildlife area in a way, with many birds and other critters finding homes there over the years. Now there is just open, bare ground.

The land will be farmed. Well, technically, the nursery was always a farm, so the land will still be farmed its just that a perennial crop of trees and shrubs that were harvested over the years based on the publics desire for landscape material is being replaced with an annual crop that will likely rotate between corn and soybeans.

Nothing to see here was more-or-less the official response from the county officials I contacted. It is farmland, and state law gives farmers a lot of latitude in managing their land. The owners have all their permits. They are following all the proper regulations. There is no law that says a farmer has to tell anyone about his plans to change crops.

The city of Woodstock had no notice either. The land is in the countys jurisdiction, and the affected neighbors live in the city.

The neighbors knew the nursery was private land. Some even remember when the nursery actively managed the trees and shrubs before the housing crash. They just never imagined that new owners could bulldoze thousands of trees and shrubs and burn them in giant piles, day and night, without telling the neighbors.

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Burning Acres of Trees North of Woodstck? There Must be a Better Way

sandeep Gautam Interior Designer
Experiences of life events.

By: Sandeep Gautam

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sandeep Gautam Interior Designer - Video

Home Designer Interiors 2015 | Home Remodeling Design | Architectural Home Design
Home designer suite 2015, home design software, home designer pro 2015, home designer suite, home designer pro, home design 3d, home design plans, home designer interiors 2015. Home ...

By: Home Design Ideas

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Home Designer Interiors 2015 | Home Remodeling Design | Architectural Home Design - Video

If you've been inspired by the beautiful interiors of Shanth's Gallery Caf or the gorgeous Tintagel Hotel, then Paradise Road is the place to find his incredible interior designer pieces. This idyllic colonial house is full to the brim with iconic household items and furnishings, from larger-than-life bulbous stone sculptures of human heads, to unusually detailed elephant serviette rings. Upstairs you can treat yourself to Kolu cooking sauces, homemade jams, designer crockery, and a personal favourite: serene, hand-shaped stone tea-light holders, which cradle little candles to really set the mood for any candle-lit dinner. Don't miss the coffee shop on the top floor, selling giant pieces of pure indulgence in the form of double chocolate cheesecake.

High Street and Designer brands

From here it's a short walk to Sri Lanka's famous department store, Odel at No. 5 Alexandra Place, and with high-street and designer brands, a joyful kid's toy section, and a great food court with ice creams and sorbets, there is really something for everyone to enjoy. Parents can leave the little ones in the supervised play-area on the top floor, whilst Mum tries on the new pair of shoes she's been meaning to buy for ages.

Right around the corner is White Spa Ceylon 5, Alexandra Place, Colombo 7, wellness retreat for mind, body & soul and a welcome break from your busy shopping spree. Here you can pamper yourself and buy infused, organically grown products, including massage oils, soothing body scrubs and the popular lemongrass bath tea.

After this refreshing stop, you can head on to the popular Coco Veranda, only a short walk away at 32 Ward Place. Buddhi Batiks is a lovely designer boutique dress shop, providing a retro-modern take on vintage shapes and designs made from sumptuous silks. As the name suggests, all the pieces show simplified Batik motifs, printed on bold greens, pinks and yellows to make everything from long gowns and handprinted shoes, to matching bags and hairties.

Upstairs, Arugam Bay has two small rooms which cater for the contrasting markets of chilled-out surfers, with their beach dresses and flip flops, and high-fashion enthusiasts, with designs straight off the catwalk at Colombo Fashion Week.

Something little different

If you're after something a little different, the next stop provides just that. The National Museum and the huge Laksala Museum Shop next door will leave you with pearls of knowledge about Sri Lanka, and some souvenirs to match. Laksala covers the art and artisans from all over the country, including the mask makers of the South, the high-end leather designer market, bejewelled elephants and both the old and contemporary wood carving traditions. If there's anything you missed out whilst travelling the country, you can pick it up here, with informative displays and reconstructions of the Sri Lankan trades. You can also enjoy a quick drink in the Barista coffee shop by the entrance, before exploring what Colombo has to offer you for the rest of your shopping excursion.

You might not have expected to pick up beautiful china crockery with distinctive Japanese designs but here you can get stuff to match your designer dress from Noritake chinaware store opened, and can still be found at 309 R. A. De Mel Mathawa, Colombo 3. It's named after the tiny village where the crockery is made, and has retained all of its old charm.

If you're after the original young Sri Lankan designers, you need to head further out of the city, to Melache, at No. 29/3 Visaka PVT Road, Colombo 4. Their motto, 'Where dressing chic is an art' will certainly ring true as you explore the many local labels housed there. Their patrons are proud to wear Sri Lanka's own design talent, and enjoy receiving the 'Audrey Hepburn' shopping experience in the bridal changing room upstairs, cordoned off with beautiful silk drapes. This shopping experience is uplifting, as fashion should be, and Melache will add more than one sparkle to your wardrobe. Do note that the shop is not on the street but off to one side, so make sure you ask when you get there - you wouldn't want to miss out on this amazing designer place.

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The Chic side of Colombo

1. Energy efficiency

Do you know how thick the exterior walls are? Is the garage (including the garage door) insulated? What about solar panels to help with energy costs?

Making a home energy efficient is about more than just the type of insulation that is stuffed into the walls that you can see. It's also about making a space that maximizes circulation, and smarter home technology to reduce monthly energy costs and best practices before you move in. Try asking your builder how their floor plan maximizes light and airflow to make sure you're not flushing money each month.

At Sego Homes, for example, exteriors are built with 2x6 walls using sustainable materials that require less maintenance and help keep homes energy efficient. Functional roofs with decks can be fitted with solar panels to help generate electricity year-round and Sego Homes is a 100% ENERGY STAR builder, which requires homes undergo a rigorous screening process before you move in.

2. Up-to-date technology

Would you buy a new car with a cassette player?

For many homebuyers, the appeal of a new home can be overwhelming and distracting. It's possible to overlook the wiring when so much attention is paid to the color of the cabinets, carpet, closet size, etc. Rightfully so there are hundreds of important decisions to make when purchasing a new home.

Picking a new homebuilder that utilizes up-to-date technology is crucial. Is your new home wired for CAT5 cable? What about surround sound in the living room? What about the latest in home automation, including smart thermostats and home connectivity?

Sego Homes incorporates the latest technologies, including USB charging stations in their kitchens and an electronic keyless deadbolt on the front door.

It's also worth asking your builder how adaptable the home will be for future technologies. It's impossible to see into the future, but any reputable builder should be amenable to describing how your home can be easily upgraded.

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Sponsored: 4 Secrets for a Smarter New Home

EVANSDALE | A home that volunteers were building for Habitat for Humanity will have to be rebuilt following a Thursday morning fire, according to officials with the agency.

Unfortunately with the damage, its not the extent but where. It was up in the attic area, so it did get the roof trusses and some of the supports, said Ali Parrish, executive director for Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity.

The house at 717 Jordan Drive, which had been a few months away from completion, will have to be torn down to the foundation, and builders will have to start over, she said.

The cause of the fire hasnt been determined, but no foul play is suspected, said Ryan Phillips, a spokesman with Evansdale Fire Rescue.

Builders had been in the house Wednesday installing wiring and drywall, and the building did have electrical power at the time, Phillips said. No one was at the home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Workers at a nearby business called 911 around 7:30 a.m. Thursday after noticing smoke coming from the roof of the single-story home.

Crews with Evansdale, Raymond and Gilbertville fire departments responded and extinguished the flames quickly. But the fire had been smoldering for awhile before it was discovered, Phillips said, and the flames burned through rafters and damaged drywall.

The houses foundation had been poured September 2014, and Habitat volunteers began work in October, Parrish said. The nonprofit group has about a dozen homes in the works and completes about seven or eight a year, she said.

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UPDATE: Habitat home damaged by fire in Evansdale

5597 Eagle Dance Court Liberty Twp. OH 45011
OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY MARCH 22nd 11 AM - 1 PM. $305000! Beautiful, open floor plan, well kept home on a cul-de-sac street, 1st floor master, 9ft. ceilings, 42in cab. Front Rear covered porch,...

By: Carol Sells Cincy

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5597 Eagle Dance Court Liberty Twp. OH 45011 - Video

mms ree 3 10
David from Landmark Home Warranty joins the Mountain Morning Show for another Real Estate Essentials segment to talk about their services and how their home warranty can greatly save your home.

By: Real Estate Essentials

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mms ree 3 10 - Video