Pacific Spirit—The Forest Reborn

Abstract

Summary In recent years, there has been a high-profile battle over the future of the forests of the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. These campaigns have increased public awareness of the value of old-growth coastal rainforest, and greater support for the creation of more protected parks and wilderness. Environmentalists have pressed for, and often achieved, higher standards for forest management. Unfortunately, these campaigns have also spread misinformation and confusion about forests and forestry. This paper gives an alternative view of the ecological arguments used to support a drastic reduction in forest harvesting. Contrary to conventional environmental wisdom I argue, for example, that clearcutting of some forests is beneficial for them and for the human species, rather than harmful. To help understand this I explain how misconceptions arose from popular myths about forest life cycles, deforestation, and endangered species. I believe that much of the environmental movement has gone astray and lost its perspective on the subject of forests. All human activity has an impact on the environment, but forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide materials for our civilization. Indeed, wood is one of the few renewable materials we use in large quantities.