by Pat Tigges
The ‘save the trees’ crusade creates guilt in kids. They think there are only a few left! That’s an out-and-out lie, plus a tragic misuse of guilt. We have more forests than we did when the pilgrims landed. Annually timber growth in the U.S. exceeds harvest by 37%. We have grown more than we have cut every year for 44 years.
Growth is three times what it was in 1920 resulting in a 20% increase in wooded acres. One reason is that we have replaced the horse and mule with autos, trucks and tractors. Every mule required two or three acres of land to eat. Another reason, stated above, is that increased paper demand resulted in more trees.
About redwoods and old growth, I hear that the last 10 percent is about to be cut. The last 10 percent of what? National parks contain millions of acres, including 403,000 in Sequoia, 2.2 million in Yellowstone, nearly a million in Olympic 235,000 in Mount Rainier, and 109,000 in Redwood. Washington has 2.5 million acres of untouchable public park, forest, and wilderness. Oregon has 2 million. How much is enough.
Pat Tigges Administrator of Eat First! A project of the Pacific Northwest Aerial Application Education Foundation. P.O. Box 415, Coulee City, WA 99115. Phone: 509-632-5256, Fax: 509-632-5100 or email: dptigges@televar.com. Newsletter is $25.00 per year
Reprint permission given by AgAir Update, P.O. Box 850, Perry, GA 31069 - an international agricultural aviation publication.
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