The Bitterroot Valley faces many environmental problems such as increasing population, immigration, increasing scarcity and decreasing quality of water, poor air quality, increasing risk of wild fires and the deterioration of the forest. Some of the bit more massive dilemmas are decreasing quality of water and increasing population. First off, Diamond points out that Montana doesn’t have especially high rainfall which is why there isn’t as much plant growth as there needs to be. The high altitude and latitude shortens the growing season in half and ultimately cuts down productivity. All the things grown in Montana are now more cheaply than it should be. Second, the increase of population cuts down plant life and animal numbers. When humans go to a new place the preexisting dominance goes away whether that be a forest or a certain herd of animals in a specific area. Humans cut down trees to make room or to use it for daily needs. When this happens the animals that lived in the forest are runoff and left with no home. These problems are historical in nature and also there not. It is dealing with plant growth and the negative effects that it is leaving on the environment but on the other side the humans have been doing this for years which acts as trial runs.
I would have to say yes to the Bitterroot Valley being a great model to demonstrate environmental issues because it has all the extreme cases to be aware of. As mentioned above the list is very long and each problem presents a different complication attacking the Valley. To actually grasp the big environmental changes that can happen in any forests then you might as well see them all first hand in one place.