Wood Magazine 36 by Larry Clayton

Author:Larry Clayton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Wood, Home and hobby woodworker
Publisher: Meredith Corporation
Published: 1990-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

So, in essence, the two sides have been drawn. Environmentalists believe that the national forests, including those with old growth, should be more than resources for raw material to supply the forest-products industry. They say that the Forest Service's traditional management policy—multiple-use—has become too heavily weighted toward timber production. Old-growth trees and wild-

there's already over 90 million acres of protected wilderness.

Temporary compromises have been made between the two factions. Changes, however, seem destined for the decades ahead.

The likely outcome

The fight in the forest may go several more rounds, but here's some likely possibilities for the future: • Old-growth controversy will in-

**What will we substitute for timber if we have to shut

down? Concrete, steel, synthetics? All are more damaging to the environment than producing wood."

—Chris West, a forester and vice president of the Northwest Forestry Association

life such as the spotted owl have been the victims.

On the other hand, the forest-products industry relies on the national forests as an economic resource—25 percent of the nation's timber supply comes from federal lands. Trees can be cut, re-planted, managed, and cut again—forever. And, they point out, logging doesn't interfere with other national forest uses, such as recreation. Besides, they say,

fluence national forest management. Significant stands of old growth in the Northwest will be permanently protected. They will serve as a resource, a genetic pool, not only for the science of growing trees, but as a reserve of knowledge. The Pacific yew tree, for instance, found in old-growth forests, produces resins that have recently proven valuable in cancer research. There may be more secrets to unlock.

A logger sets a choker chain in the Umpqua National Forest, Oregon. Without national forest timber, the industry couldn't meet all present demand for wood, since reforested lands can't be harvested for another 20 years.

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