In the 35 plus years that I have been traveling, hiking, camping and photographing the Northwestern states, the one thing that keeps coming back to me, is the immensity of our forestlands. We are not losing our forests or old-growth to logging... rather we are losing them to ‘preservationism’. We are losing our right to use, enjoy and recreate. Our eastern Northwest forests are now dying because of a need for management and a time consuming maze of bureaucracy. This also means the habitat for certain wildlife and sensitive plant species is affected and in some cases that could mean the permanent loss of some species. A rather ironical twist, huh?

While our attention has been directed to species like the spotted owl, Sockeye salmon and now the marbled murrelet, which are not in any danger of actual extinction but rather a scapegoat to lock-up forests resources, other species may face real disaster. And again ironically, the only way in which we can help save our dying pine forests, the habitat they contain, the clean water their watersheds provide, is to manage them, which in many circumstances includes logging and then replanting.

Almost every timber sale in our public forest particularly in Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho is or has been under appeal by some ‘special interest’ group. This includes salvage sales, fire and insect damage sales as well as normal harvesting operations. These same ‘special interest’ groups have wrongly convinced the public that our forests are analogous with the rain forests and jungles of the Amazon and other regions around the world, where forest de-nuding is common practice without any concern for the environment or any plan for forest health, eco-systems, wildlife, water quality, etc.. Conversely, a managed forest which we sustain, has a plan. A plan that is constantly reviewed, revised and scientifically evaluated based upon the most recent evidence, and not hype and emotionalized agendas.

As a result of this misguided conception, our forest management plans are now being decided by single individuals, judges in powerful court positions and ‘special interest’ pressures and lawsuits instead of by responsible forest management practices. If this continues... everyone loses, as well as the eco-system.

One thing that has impacted me tremendously throughout my travels in the Northwest, is the growing number of resource dependent communities that have been financially devastated by the results of these activities. This is wrong. These are hard working, law-abiding people, who in many cases are losing everything from their jobs, their homes, savings and entire ways of life because of irresponsible appeals and ‘special interest’ lawsuits to halt healthy, timber harvesting activities, which these communities have depended upon for decades. They can’t just move a hundred miles and go to work somewhere else, there’s nothing else to go to.

And what is the cost to the ‘special interest preservationist’? Absolutely, nothing.

What is their financial responsibility when their appeals and lawsuits, shut down entire communities from mill worker to dentist? Particularly on frivolous and irresponsible charges which have no basis and are used as a ‘catch-all’, including the use of the Endangered Species Act? Again... nothing. But at a cost of untold billions to those affected.

The issue is not just jobs, but forest health and reaching a compromise to meet the majority of needs, environmental and human. Interestingly, this has been the same philosophy I have been hearing from the Wood Products Industry ever since I quit listening to the ‘special interest’ groups, 4-years ago!