The Truth ISN'T Out There

[Larry Caldwell]

In article <1998082100310300.UAA11485 at ladder01.news.aol.com>, 
kmorrisd at aol.com says...

> If the truth were out there, taxpayers would ask why we need government
> foresters to provide free advice to RICH PEOPLE earning 10-15% (volume, grade
> value, market value) on their forest investments??  And landowners would be a
> LOT more selective about the trees they'd let loggers cut if they knew how fast
> some of them are growing in value.
 
> Therefore the `service` foresters should really be called `disservice
> foresters,` and the `SIP` foresters should be called `ZIP` foresters.  <G>  
> The only remedy for this sad situation is to give them the choice of telling
> the truth or taking a hike.

Your problem is with your local government.  Here in Oregon, state 
foresters certainly tell you where your tree is on the growth curve, and 
when it makes sense to harvest.  Trees around here do nothing for the 
first 15 years.  Then they enter their growth curve, and stay there for 
about 50-70 years, with judicious thinning. 

There is a lot of cut-and-run harvesting, mostly on land that sells for 
less than the value of the timber on it.  Believe it or not, plenty of 
forest owners still sell a house and 5 acres as residential property, not 
realizing that they could get their whole asking price by just logging 
the 5 acres.  There is a huge ignorance tax out there, and regardless of 
the state of truth, there is always plenty of ignorance to tax.

- Larry