Re[2]: [at-l] Remaing Old Growth in Maine, WV, East

[saunterer@jimbullard.org (saunterer@jimbullard.org)]

At 07:24 PM 11/1/01 -0500, Bob Cummings wrote:
>"...Nature endures and adjusts."
>
>Absolutely true. Fire ravaged 3,000 acres of Baxter State Park and several
>thousand acres of adjacent private paper company land a quarter century ago
>after a windstorm blew down great numbers of trees.
>
>  There ensued a massive debate after both natural events. But the land in the
>  park, where the blown down trees were mostly not salvaged, few visitors 
> in the
>  park today even notice the wind and fire damage any more.
>
>  In contrast, the trees on the adjacent private forest were salvaged and the
>  brush left laying on the the forest floor. When the fire came through the
>  raging brush fires almost totally burned the top soil away.

Apparently they at least had a market for the salvaged timber at that 
time.  A few years ago sections of the Adirondack Park were devastated by a 
"microburst" wind storm.  I attended the meetings that discussed how to 
react.  DEC was concerned about fire hazard as the downed timber dried out 
and was considering allowing salvage.  The loggers present all were 
shouting "yes, yes, let us salvage it" but a timber broker stood up and 
said "Let it rot.  We can't sell what we already have. If you salvage it 
you'll glut the market."  In the end they let it rot.  The enthusiasm of 
loggers for cutting isn't matched by salability of timber these days.  A 
lot of the time those complaining about taking timber land out of 
production are in denial about the real reason it's 
happening.  Unfortunately there is still a market for high quality mature 
timber (read that 'old growth forest') because it fetches a higher price 
that makes it profitable, especially if it is subsidized by the taxpayers.

sAunTerer