Rhetorical strategy for journal of Aplied ecology

The journal's main purpose was to give notice to ecological happenings in the world today. It didn't take sides as to what should or shouldn't be done.  It was merely just a conversation starter.  Kind of like the man that stands around and between a democrat and republican and says something to make them slug it out.  The magazine never offered up solution.  It just stated instances that were happing around the world and let the reader decide for themselves.

 Or thats at least what I thought until I read over some of the articles again.  The journal never said that what humans were doing was wrong, but it also never wrote about anything that didn't have man's interference causing problems.  This has led me to believe that the journal is taking a more liberal view on ecology.

  It does not come right out and say that man is wrong and has failed the ecosystems of the world, but it doesn't have to.  The articles say it themselves.  For instance, The caribou article states that the caribou are losing winter habitat that cannot be replaced.  It didn't say that humans are wrong for doing this, but it also didn't talk about the   quality wood products coming out to the region.  This leads me to believe that the journal is trying to cause action through small amounts of knowledge.  The caribou are losing habitat and it needs to be stopped is the real action behind the article.
 
  I have been trying to think of a good way to symbolize what the journal is doing to no avail.  But I think the best way to describe it is throwing a rock into a pond.  The rock is little, much like the journals articles, but over time, the ripples spread out and have touched all corners of the pond.  The all corners of the pond would be everybody knowing about the situation and doing something about.  If the journal trys to make a big deal about it, then people may play them off as activists or something.  By just saying a little bit and not causing a big stir. The journal reaches everybody and lets those opinions build on its' underlying one.  Not bad for a journal, once I looked a little deeper I could see true reason for the writing

Winter habitat ecology of mountain caribou in relation to forest management

This weeks article from the journal of applied ecology shows just how important trees are to world. 
    Mountain caribou in British Columbia rely on one main food source during the harsh Canadian winters.  They feed exclusively on aboreal lichens that grow on the trunks of trees in old growth forests.  These forests are made of one tree mostly due to the elevation and temperature.  Subalpine Fir makes up the majority of the forest that the Caribou call home during the winter.  Not only do the trees offer forage, but also shelter from the wind and falling percipitation.  Caribou herds number in the thousands, meaning that hundreds of thousands of acres of forest are needed to sustain the herd.  The caribou nibble the lichens off the tree trunks from snow level to as high as they can stand on their hind legs.  After that, they must move on to greener tree trunks. 

   Caribou would not have a problem at all if Subalpine Fir was not a timber commodity that grows on sites easily harvested.  This means that the caribou are competing with humans for survival. Young stands are not harvested because the trees are way to small due to the short growing seasons, so old growth areas must be cut.  The caribou have no choice but to move on or result to hiding on the steep slopes where equipment can not harvest. 

   Little diversity in tree species due to the climate leaves the caribou with only two options, find food or die.  They can not just switch over and eat snow and they are not strong enough to move the many feet of snow to get to grass underneath.  Will Mans appetite for cheap forest resources result in the decline of caribou in British Columbia