Replies

Over the years, I've visited a number of paper companies. From what I remember, they raise pine trees expressly for the purpose of paper production. The wood is pulped and used to produce paper, while the pine bark is used for landscaping mulch or other applications. The paper technologists explained that when trees are harvested for paper production, they are promptly replaced with new seedlings. It's a crop, much like corn or oats, but with longer cycle time. They also pointed out that the rapidly growing young trees produce proportionately more oxygen than old, slow growing trees.

I don't disagree with the value of recycling or re-using where it is economical. I also love old forests and don't want them clear cut. However, I don't lose sleep over the use of young pines for paper production. It's just another crop.

Quit injecting reason into the discussion, dammit.
And raising trees and harvesting them for a specific purpose is so... 20th century.

Let's stay on subject: clear cutting is horrible, old growth forests are disappearing forever, we can see spotted owls only in museums now and Americans are too innovative and inventive and fat and comfortable.

Remember all of society needs to feel that they contribute something, and for the intellectually challenged and for those whose flights of imagination is limited to potions and magic, feeling valuable is very important.
Even if that value is limited to preventing human creativity, industry and the improvement of the human condition, and creative ways to co-exist with nature that still involves doing something, as opposed to preventing someone else from doing anything.

Destroying and obstructing is a lot easier than creating, and a lot more visible.

I used to work at a sawmill. Each winter, for about two months, we'd shut down. A handful of employees were retained to set out pines on land owned by my employer. We could easily plant 20,000 trees per day - two tractors, four folks. In 10-15 years, these pines were thinned and the harvest was sold as pulpwood. In another 10-15 years, the remainer could be clear cut, run through the sawmill, and then the process started over.

I agree, it is just another crop.

You are correct. And my cousin has an Xmas tree farm. Each tree is planted, pruned, fertilized and grown JUST to be an Xmas tree. Otherwise these trees would have never been planted and nurtured to start with... So don't feel guilty when you buy an Xmas tree or when you use paper products.... the trees used were grown expressly for this purpose!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just as any other cash crop.