> Don't get too bent out of shape because you use one species of wood over
> another. World economic policies already have lightened your wallet in an
> exact proportion to the amount of discord brought about by the felling of
> whatever trees were involved. A lesser species, one which was more
> abundant, would have cost less.

Economics are what drive it. I'll go on record as saying "the bigger the pool, the dirtier the water". What I mean is than when large profit margins are to be had, nobody cares what is left of the environment afterwards, especially when that environment is far from home.

> Some people believe that it is bad for Mankind to do anything in a forest.
> Baloney. Mother Nature's randomness causes more destruction and waste than
> humand ever have. Trees die, fall down, and rot every day in every forest
> in every part of the world. They must, or other parts of the ecosystem
> would fail. Removing a few trees a couple of years before they would fall
> on their own makes little difference to the grand scheme of things.

We live in houses of wood. We sit on furniture of wood. Write on it, wipe our a**es with it. There will always be logging, get used to it. I live at the edge of a huge forest that all burned forty years ago, the Tillamook burn. Now, it is a diverse, managed, second growth forest, and there is a lot of logging going on. I do think that here in Oregon the logging companies are under pretty heavy restrictions to prevent the worst of the damage. I also think, as above, that they would just clear-cut the state if allowed; indeed the proof is in the fields.

> The modern concept of tree farming replaces older trees with more, yonger
> ones. The younger ones are more active in filtering our air, capturing
> sunlight, and through sheer numbers can provide more home for woodland
> critters.

I'd like to see a lot more tree farming, especially for paper production. It is a travesty to wipe with old growth fir...

> When trees are NOT replaced with other trees, but clearings are created,
> the open fields are exposed to additional sunlight, and are more capable
> of producing oxygen than dense forests. While humans create many clearings
> in this fashion, the amount of land that burns each year from natural
> causes, such as lightning strikes, is also great. The fires reduce the
> trees to their essential minerals rapidly, thus allowing them to be easily
> reabsorbed by the soil, and to fertilize it.

> There is a poetic notion that if we did nothing the forests would go on as
> they are now. This is nonsense. When Nature screws up (look at the current
> hurricanes) species go extinct and forests turn to deserts. Regrowth is by
> chance. Man, on the other hand, is actively working to prevent these
> ecological disasters, and is actively aiding in restoration.

There certainly is hope. I try to use recycled wood wherever possible, partly because I think it adds to the beauty. But dont feel bad about using old growth or virgin forest for boats. It beats wiping with it.

> Trees grow slowly, but a forest can regenerate. As long as you treat your
> materials with respect, and not waste them, you should have no regret or
> remorse over using them. People who want to make you feel bad for using
> exotic woods have political agendas that are their own.

Thats for sure, everybody does.