Modern Conservation

I was in a public restroom in one of those interstate rest areas recently with a busload of teenagers and I overheard one boy say to another, “Shun the paper towels and save a tree.”

My first reaction was, how thoughtful of him.  But then I reconsidered, because that cliché is being drilled into our kids’ thinking, and it is not necessarily accurate.  I wasn’t quick enough to speak my second thought, but it did get me to thinking about it in light of our present economy and the overall indoctrination of today’s youth.

The paper industry, and the lumbering industry that supports it are both very earth-friendly.  Big companies like Weyerhauser and International paper employ methods to recycle and to replenish the forests.  Why wouldn’t they? Lumber is a crop, and just like any other crop, it has to be planted, nurtured and harvested with a future crop replacing the one we use.

The myth that our forests are clear-cut is just that, a myth. At least in this country it is. For every tree that is cut down, another two or three are planted in the same land, and they are cared for to ensure that there will be a future crop, albeit the cycle is not an annual one like there is with the food crops.

The fact that new forests are being planted to renew the product cycle is evident to anyone who takes the time to travel to the places in America where the lumber industry practices.  And those replanted forests provide jobs for many more people than those who harvest the trees.

For every lumberjack, the brawny brute we picture as the “culprit” in killing our forests, there are probably three others whose work is to develop new breeds of fast-growing trees, planting and inspecting the new growth, and determining where more trees can be planted and harvested to keep the soil and the ecosystem healthy.

Here is another example of Weyerhauser’s earth-friendly stance.  When Mount St Helens erupted in May of 1980 it completely destroyed every tree within 17-miles of the volcano.  You can still drive up to the viewpoint to the east of the mountain and see some of the fallen trees.  You know they were blown over by the volcanic explosion because the trunks all face away from Mount St Helens.

Driving up to the Johnston memorial viewing overlook from the west you won’t see as much of the fallen timber until you get to the parking lot. The rangers left some of those fallen trees so that visitors could see how devastating the volcano was.  However, most of the trees have long since been cleared and the ground replanted with a forest of noble fir trees.  That extensive forest was planted by Weyerhauser, and most of it was done free of charge. There are signs all along the highway stating the year each stand was planted.

Have you ever seen or heard a news report about a forest fire on the property of the large lumber companies like Weyerhauser or Georgia Pacific?  I haven’t, and do you know why it is unlikely that you ever will see such a report?  Because those companies not only plant the huge forests, but they also keep any undergrowth cleared so that there isn’t any kindling for a fire to start and spread. The big fires you read about in Arizona, California and yes, even in Yellowstone and Mesa Verde National Parks were started on the ground and fed by that undergrowth that builds when the environmentalist activists prohibit any clearing.

The next time you have occasion to blame the lumber industry for clear-cutting our precious forests, remember this column.  Better yet. Plan a trip to Washington State and see for yourself the wonderful work that those “mean lumber companies” really do.