Forestry Industry of the Pacific Northwest and the old growth forest

By: Katie Miller
Summary: In 2009, the market for lumber plunged more than it has for decades. Here’s how it happened: In order to keep up with demand, the lumber mills cut as much as they could without disturbing too many laws or animal rights activists. But because they cut so many down, there was only a number of trees left to spread seeds to plant more. It does not take long for a tree to grow – maybe a year – but it must develop enough to be ready to sell, kind of like raising cows or pigs for slaughter. (I understand this is a grotesque comparison, and I don’t really like it, but it matches the production of trees very well.) By 2010, however, the tables turned. The market came back up, due to more trees emerging. This trend continued mostly throughout this year, and the level of lumber is suggested to grow even more by 2012. Many of the trees that were sacrificed for the economy were from the old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. An ‘old growth forest’ is more of a classification than a name, because it is referring to trees that are tallest and oldest in a particular region. This particular one, however, stands out from among its brethren because its trees are older and taller. To put it even more simply, the forest is more important than any other wooded area in the United States, according to some ecologists, because there is more life in this forest than anywhere else. So just imagine how much someone might pay for a house that was made from a pristine, 200-year-old tree that came from the most important woodland area in Central America.
Impact: Many of the trees were cut down in order to meet demand. We must keep in mind, however, that some of these trees may have been more than 100 years old, and how long it takes for a there’s wood to mature enough to be considered as ‘money-wood’. Not to mention that because this many trees were wiped out, many animals that made their homes in the foliage and escaped just in time may become prone to extinction. What’s worse is that we may not have to worry much about oxygen being a renewable resource now. But if we keep up this kind of attitude towards these poor tees, we may as well begin to package air and sell that too.
Critique: I’m not a hippie. Neither are many of my fellow teens who pretend they are, with all the tie-die and smiley faces, because when it gets right down to it, many of them would not risk giving up the shelter of their homes for the cause. What my point is, many of us Americans would rather sit back and enjoy the carnage between various politicians and “Save the Trees!” flower children, instead of picking a side and fighting for it. Not many of us truly appreciate the life that trees support humans and animals alike. I am in no way saying I am different from the other 7.7 billion people out of 8 billion who appreciate this kind of thing, but I do understand and am aware of the situation the human race could be in if we don’t put together our act, so to speak.
Sites used: http://www.forestnet.com/TWissues/jan_11/guest.php
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pacific+northwest&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=cEffIjsRuSYsUM:&imgrefurl=http://www.gonorthwest.com/visitor/about/map.htm&docid=4Ul1jmSECsL7gM&w=395&h=336&ei=VUJRTsXhMobTiALR3eW8Dw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=168&vpy=113&dur=250&hovh=207&hovw=243&tx=149&ty=115&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1440&bih=710
http://www.oregonwild.org/oregon_forests/old_growth_protection/pacific-northwest-research-station-old-growth-a-unique-ecosystem