Think it takes a clearcut to make
a two-by-four? Think again.
 Forests and timber: Who can blame us for wanting it all? Here on the West Coast, in some of the world's best timber-growing country, it's only natural that we build our homes out of wood. But how that wood is harvested makes all the difference to the health of the forest. Lumber that is harvested with care earns a stamp of approval from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). That's good for the cities full of people whose water supply depends on rivers flowing out of those forests. And it’s important to anyone who eats wild salmon, which need clear creeks to spawn in, shaded by those trees.
Unfortunately, a lot of misunderstandings have been circulating about logging and how it ought to be done. The result has been a boost in short-term profits, but an erosion in the long-term health of towns, working families, and the creatures of the forest. Sally Salmon can't be fooled, though. Sally and her kind have been living in the shadow of these forests for thousands of years, and she has a few things to say about good forest management. |
