>I guess I baited you. I owe you a kayak trip. If you are interested E-mail me. I like big trees too, and I am a forester. I have built a cedar strip canoe, a kayak, and am currently working on a guillemot. I use the longest, clearest, straightest cedar I can find. I am a firm believer of silviculture. I set up clearcuts for harvesting all the time. This does not bother me. Wood is a renewable resource. What bothers me is the amount of vinyl, steel, and other non renewable resources used in place of wood. The amount of energy and clean water used to produce or recycle these products is staggering. Much less environmental degredation comes from using wood. Plants that produce these non wood products burn alot of coal. Greenhouse gas, acid rain, water pollution etc. Trees grow back. I did stand examination work in the western rockies where these western red cedars grow. Very beautiful forests and ecosystems. The trees are huge by Minnesota standards. The mountains are very rugged and remote. I did see the clearcuts, but I also saw second growth timber, natural regeneration, and lots of wildlife. I can live with second growth timber. It will allow me to continue to eat the mercury free fish I catch, build cedar boats, and raise my kids in a healthy world.