Timber Production Executive Order

[Yoteassasin]

The reality is due to economic / regulatory factors it has become cost prohibitive to produce certain types of lumber in the Lower48 . It comes by truck and train in from Canada . It comes by boat from Malaysia by the thousands of containers . Then we complain about oil exploration. After that it’s global warming is causing the largest fires man has ever known.
Something has got to give .

Allegedly we are the most enlightened he have ever been yet we can’t solve problems our great grandfathers handled with their eyes closed

At this point the emperor has no clothes
The unfortunate reality is the self proclaimed smart are stupid , the educated are ignorant , and the leaders are phonies.

Give change a chance if it doesn’t work we can try something else

 

[semasko]

In WV and other eastern states, I think you have to consider the entire landscape regarding decisions to maintain older growth forest. In many areas the national forest is the only old forest surrounded by thousands of acres of clearcut private lands. That being said, in huge swaths of NF, the interior areas could use some select cutting.

The big oaks need to be considered for more than just timber value, as they're essential to regeneration, and great hibernacula for bears and all sorts of other animals in areas devoid of good shelter. I think gypsy moth and invasive species really weigh into these decisions more recently.

I think PA state forests do it about as good as it can get with select cuts, leaving slash, hack/squirting the birch and maple, and/or having deer exclosures up for regeneration. It can really be astounding the difference on either side of those fences. I only wish they would burn more often.

All that said, it seems so far the EO is almost a PR campaign without much teeth yet.

 

[wyosam]

In my area of the East, the issue is that the cuts often aren’t profitable, so contracts go unrewarded or at least go out to bid several times before they get takers. “The government” is pushing hard for thinning in this case, but the logging industry can’t support it as fast as it’s needed.

We probably need either government support for small timber mills or a massive increase in lumber prices to change that.

That is the part that gets glossed over when talking about logging a lot. Logging is a tool that should be used, but it isn’t a cure all. Every big fire is met with screams of “it should have been logged and this wouldn’t happen”, regardless of what type of fuel/terrain it is burning in. There has long been a bunch of timber sales that never go anywhere, as much as land managers would like them to. If there isn’t any way to profit from it, nobody is going to bid on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Marbles]

So I’ll ask another one is it ok to cut down as much wood as possible if we make sure there is no undue harm to the whole of the ecosystem we are doing it in. ?

Yes, that is fine. But, you added the no undue harm bit yourself. It also ignores the definition of undue harm, but it sounds like we can agree there is a line, though perhaps we draw it in different places.

Now, I answered your basic question, you answer mine. What does the EO have to say about managing "harm to the whole of the ecosystem?"