Old Growth

[wieringa at imap1.asu.edu]

Joseph Zorzin (redoak at vgernet.net) wrote:

Thanks for the thoughtful comments Joseph.

: And... if the old growth is on public land we have the right in a
: democratic society to encourage our elected officials to not allow the
: cutting of the old growth. We don't have to have any biologic, economic,
: philosophic or any other reason. It's not a scientific argument to be
: debated. It's our political decision, like where to live or where to
: work. And if through the political process we manage to stop the harvest
: of old growth- then so be it.

I am also a forester, located in the upper Great Lakes.  I don't think 
it's accurate to make the generalization that professional foresters 
as a group are in favor of a liberal Federal harvesting policy.  I and the 
parties for whom I manage timberland actually benefit from harvest 
restrictions on public ownerships in the region in that it has lead to
significant increases the price of private land stumpage.

On a national level, the corporate and private tree farms in the south 
have received huge windfall revenues in the last five years due, in large 
part, to harvest restrictions on public ownerships in the west.