Suppose you are in charge of planning a forest reserve, and one of your main goals is to help sustain locally beleaguered populations of woodland birds. Parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird is an escalating problem in the area. Reading research reports, you note that female cowbirds are usually reluctant to penetrate more than about 100 m into a forest and that some woodland birds are known to reduce cowbird nest parasitism by restricting their nesting to the denser, more central regions of forests. The forested area you have to work with is about 1,000 m by 6,000 m. A recent logging operation removed about half of the trees on one of the 6,000 m sides; the other sides are adjacent to deforested pastureland. Your plan must include space for a small maintenance building, which you estimate to take up about 100 m2. It will also be necessary to build a road, 10 m by 1,000 m, across the reserve. Where would you contrast the road and the building, and why?
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