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[pct-l] Last Straw...



Yep, I get that "national" point. I also hear you about local politicians. However, where are we going to be getting our forest products from and how are we going to be supplying forest/mining industry related jobs if we don't utilize the lands that congress, in its infinite wisdom (that oughta set somebody off), set aside a century ago, not only for recreation but for multiple use?

America is a great country because it can afford to be. We are a land of plenty because we occupy a "land of plenty". Natural resources, like water, forests, grasslands, etc are part of our ecosystem that need to be exploited to some extent to support our way of life. 

Have you checked out the price of lumber lately? How much of the "planets" natural resources are we squandering by shipping lumber from Malaysia or Singapore to the USA so we can build homes? What's wrong with using some good old American renewable resources? Takes a lot less middle eastern oil to transport lumber from most spots in the USA than from even Canadian forests. Do we really want to end up in another situation like we are in right now with oil, only where wars will be fought over trees?

Of course we don't want to go too far, and I "get it" that the real debate is when is too far. Its just one hikers opinion that we ain't there yet. I vote for self sufficiency in forest products.

==========================================
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Mertes 
  To: Ed Gilroy ; pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net 
  Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 8:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Last Straw...


  Living in Del Norte County, Ca, a small county with a lot of state and federal parkland as well as national forest, I have some experience with local politicians and local control. Locally, the timber interests have the money and substantial influence and the main interest is to cut at many trees as fast as possible. Local control will mean at best converting the national forests to government subsidized tree farms and at worst to clear cut eroded terrain.

  Keep in mind, these are national forests which belong to all ~300 million Americans; not just the local loggers.