Lots of logs, not enough loggers

Vail Daily ^ | February 1, 2005 | Cliff Thompson

[george76]

When the U.S. Forest Service received no bids on two small timber sales in Eagle County earlier this year, the agency's local rangers encountered what is becoming a problem throughout the intermountain West.

The federal agency got a lesson in market economics and the three-way tug of war over lumber in national forests. There were no bidders for the timber "salvage" sales designed to remove trees killed by infesting pine beetles. The Forest Service also wants to sell the dead trees so they won't add extra fuel to wildfires.

The glut of dead trees is occurring at a time when economics, the few Forest Service timber sales and natural trends have left few loggers and lumber mills.

The amount of dead trees available for loggers and mills is at an all-time high and growing as the pine beetle epidemic spreads. The ability to extract them remains a bottleneck.

But in the three-part dance of the Forest Service, loggers and lumber mills...a mixture of all three combined with environmental constraints...

Chris Meyers' Intermountain Resources in Montrose is one of the few mills left in the state...

Part of the problem is the Forest Service hasn't sold enough logs in recent years to support the timber industry...

"It's has caused a shrinking of the industry,"

The closest lumber mill is the one in Montrose, more than 150 miles away and the next nearest is in Price, Utah, approximately 300 miles distant.

"Over the last two decades local mills have been eliminated," ...

"In Colorado there's only one big mill," said timber specialist Bob Garcia...

"The (cost of) the haul there makes some sales uneconomical," ...

But the situation is not isolated to Eagle County or even just to Colorado...

[george76]

I thought that this was already posted, but can not find it.

Apologizes in advance if this is a repeat.

I did several searches.

[Red Badger]

[Dan(9698)]

Has anyone seen John Gault?

[No Truce With Kings]

BARBER:

I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.

I sleep all night and I work all day.

 

MOUNTIES:

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I eat my lunch.

I go to the lavatory.

On Wednesdays I go shoppin'

And have buttered scones for tea.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He eats his lunch.

He goes to the lavatory.

On Wednesdays he goes shoppin'

And has buttered scones for tea.

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

 

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I skip and jump.

I like to press wild flowers.

I put on women's clothing

And hang around in bars.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He skips and jumps.

He likes to press wild flowers.

He puts on women's clothing

And hangs around in bars?!

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I wear high heels,

Suspendies, and a bra.

I wish I'd been a girlie,

Just like my dear Papa.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He wears high heels,

Suspendies, and a bra?!

[talking]

What's this? Wants to be a girlie?! Oh, My!

And I thought you were so rugged! Poofter!

[singing]

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

He's a lumberjack, and he's okaaaaay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

[GOPPachyderm]

Nope. (shrug)

[Cicero]

Thanks, interesting article, and I haven’t seen it.

Yes. Cause and effect. Drive the loggers out of business and you shouldn’t be surprised if they’re gone when you need them.

The two most dangerous professions in the world are deep sea fishing and logging. Add political correctness to the equation, and you may not see many loggers in the future.

By the way, dead trees, especially trees that have been dead for a few years, are commonly called widowmakers. You never know when a big chunk may break off the top and land on you, while you’re making the cuts to drop it. I’m not sure I’d want to work in a whole dead forest that the forest service and the greenies have been arguing over for years, while they sit there and get more rotten.

[Vigilanteman]

It is actually a fairly written and balanced article even though I start out thinking "This is going to be another illegal alien promotion piece."

What the enviro-wackos have done to our timber industry (includng the closing of mills) is a disgrace. What they have done to fuel forest fires is even worse.

Meanwhile, lumber imports and prices from Canada are at an all-time high.

WIth few exeptions (National Park type properties), the national forests should be privatized to pay off the national debt or turned over to their respective states. There is no logical reason why the Federal Government should own roughly 70% of the land in Idaho and 95% of the land in Alaska.

[george76]

It takes decades to train real professionals for this dangerous, dirty, hard, honest work.

Plus lots of capital for equipment, trucks...

Many small town have been eliminated by decades of eco-rules from the lefties and their political friends.

[bassmaner]

I wonder if you can even say the word ‘poofter’ in today’s UK without worrying about getting busted for ‘hate speech’ ... {sigh}

[george76]

Some counties are 95 to 99 percent federal lands.

With the old Clinton ‘ no new roads ‘ agenda...many historical existing roads have been closed.

[BooBoo1000]

The Forest Service over the years has done everything possible to make it impossible to cut trees. They have not had sales, they have closed off forests, closed logging roads, they have done every thing in their power to bring on this problem. Go go Kalispell Montana, and look at the number of logging trucks sitting idle, in the lots. Let the University of Forestry, grads who implemented this program, let them get out their Buck Knives, and go start cutting.

[saganite]

Fires will eventually ease the problem of these dead forests. Mother nature will handle it but I wouldn’t want to be around when it happens.

[george76]

Several issues : Healthy forests generally and second, protecting one’s home and business from the wild fires.

There is also water poluttion later that kills fish, frogs, etc. that need oxygen to breathe...kills the organism in the soil by the high intense heat...and...

[gitmo]

No, but his fingerprints are all over the place.

[saganite]

None of that will matter. Nature will have it’s way and we’ve made sure, with our forestry policies, that it won’t be pretty.

[gitmo]

Had to look that term up. Wish I hadn’t.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Ping

[gitmo]

Several issues : Healthy forests generally and second, protecting one’s home and business from the wild fires.

Not to mention increased lumber prices because it will all be imported.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

They own 87% of the land in Arizona too. Guess how much they own in Texas? Not much; I’d bet it’s less than 5%.

[No Truce With Kings]

“I wonder if you can even say the word ‘poofter’ in today’s UK without worrying about getting busted for ‘hate speech’”

Betcha not. That’s why I am glad I am a Texan.