"Thinking in system" book is fascinating. This example in the book is worth thinking abt ⬇️
1/ Spruce, budworms, firs and pesticides
Budworms kill spruce and fir trees and are considered a pest to the lumber industry. Starting 1950s, forest were sprayed with DDT but despite
1/ Spruce, budworms, firs and pesticides
Budworms kill spruce and fir trees and are considered a pest to the lumber industry. Starting 1950s, forest were sprayed with DDT but despite
2/ that, Budworms resurgence happen each yr. Overtime, insecticide cost became unmanageable and people were concern of pesticides poisoning the landscape. Thereafter research found that pesticide was e wrong solution for the system. Before spraying began, Budworms population was
3/ controlled by birds, other insects etc. And as it's population grow exponentially, it eventually runs out of fir and the population collapse itself. Every decade, there will be a Budworm outbreak cause of fir tree population growth. Fir trees are most aggressive tree and
4/ would crowd out spruce and pines. So in a way, Budworm outbreak controls fir population, allowing other tree types to grow in the forest which sustains other parts of the forest ecosystem. This budworm/fir/forest system oscillates over decades but is ecologically stable
5/ within its own bounds. Ecological stable but economically unstable for the foresters that can't afford to see fir population fluctuate. But the business of logging is then fundamentally built on a fragile system as it uses insecticide which kills the ecosystem balance.
6/ It kills the pest and the predator, damaging the natural feedback loop to keep the Budworms in check. It aims to keep fir population strong which creates strong food supply for budworms, so the worms are perpetually on the edge of population explosion. Just a structurally bad
7/ situation, always teetering on the edge of a bad outbreak while requiring more and more expensive efforts to keep the pest population down.
Foresters have to keep up with supply side issues, and manage demand side cycles..
Foresters have to keep up with supply side issues, and manage demand side cycles..
End/
I think this example is interesting. What other companies are building dams to inhibit the natural flow in an ecosystem? That at some point is bound to break when overloaded?
Mining, oil and other non-renewables sectors have such dynamics. What else?
I think this example is interesting. What other companies are building dams to inhibit the natural flow in an ecosystem? That at some point is bound to break when overloaded?
Mining, oil and other non-renewables sectors have such dynamics. What else?
