Frustrated Forest Owners and Phony Phoresters
Nearly every forest owner that I talk to is quite interested in their woodlands. Yet nearly all forest owners are frustrated with the current forestry system, and even those who have positive attitudes might change them if they were better informed of all the alternatives. Most forest owners don't know what timber they own, what it is worth, what (if any) annual income they make, or how to manage it.
They don't consider it a manageable or profitable crop.
Nearly every logger I talk to in the U.S. is discontent about their jobs and the way they are forced to work in the timber markets. Low prices for wood delivered to the mills pressure them to short-change the forest owners just to stay in business.
And nearly every professional forester I talk to really knows that they have compromised their training and ethics to maintain their job and get something accomplished (though they rarely publicly acknowledge this and risk their job).
All efforts of the forestry profession have failed to bring about significant forest management on private lands. Compared to the Menominee Tribal forest in NE Wisconsin, the German Dauerwald, and Scandinavian forest management –
business as usual in the U.S. timber industry is Phony Phorestry.
I know of not one single informed person who is satisfied with how the timber industry operates on the private woodlots of the U.S. But does anybody care? Will anybody change?
In the past, timber was plentiful and good quality. Forests were seen as being in the way of agriculture and development, and timber was for the taking to build our nation. Timber prices have always been low as the supply was huge compared to the demand.
Now that our forests have been over-harvested, high-graded, and fragmented – the supply of good timber available for harvest no longer meets the demands of industry. But cheap wood is available from developing countries to the South. Wisconsin’s timber industry is selling out to foreign owned corporations, who are selling off their lands for development, downsizing, laying off workers, taking profits, and will soon sell out and move on too.
There is much propaganda today from industry and government about sustainable forestry. They say that our forests are managed responsibly, that timber harvesting benefits the local communities – both socially and economically. But if you know the global timber industry – the vast majority of timber harvests violate these goals.
The wood being sold today by the retail markets has likely been stolen or obtained at least in part by fraud. But even if the forest owners supplying that wood had received the full market price for their trees, that market price is still far too low for the forest owners to make any profit and consider managing their timber in a business like way. As long as the timber grower is not paid a fair income, plus business profit, forestry is not sustainable!
The big corporations are making lots of money and the local economy and forest are raped.....
Again and Again and Again....
There is an alternative! Everyone has a choice here.
Just say No to the Big Box Stores and say Yes to Local Small Business.
Wood is the perfect fuel for small business.
Timbergreen Farm shows there is an alternative to Big Industrial Forestry.
We make good money on our annual salvage harvests, and encourage all forest owners to join us!
Just read this website to learn how!
OK - That is what I believe.
Do You Have A Better Idea?
Now, tell me what you think! [email protected]
Forest Owners - Please take this quick survey below.....
copy it to the email, then make your choices, and let me know!
Thanks!!
Birky
Forest Owner Survey - (totally informal and unscientific!) If you own timber in another country, please respond too and tell me if things are different where you live!