Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

We are talking apples and oranges here.  The subject header was "Big
Timber."

And, I hate to disallusion you but "big timber" owns millions of acres of
their own land plus they get the sweet deals from the government.  And, I
also hate to disallusion you about the roads.  The government is paying to
build roads on PRIVATE property.

And disallusionment number 3, big timber isn't just in the West.  Boise
Cascade owns 418,000 acres in the South, 667,000 in Maine and has lease
holds on another 284,000 acres in the South.  Bowater has over 2 million
acres in Maine.  Champion International has over 3 million acres on the East
coast.  Of the 6 million acres Georgia Pacific owns, only 10% is in the
West.  IP has over 5 million acres in the East.  LP has over 200,000 acres
in Louisiana.  Weyerhaeuser has over 3 million acres in the South.
Williamette Industries another 3/4 million acres in the East and South.

All the Big Timber boys get subsidies.  They get their roads built and the
roads aren't just built on public lands.

Sustainable forestry is a dream and most of those folks out there saying
they are doing it are telling tall tales!  You can't rebuild a forest or
"farm" doug fir, cedar, redwood and other "big timber."  Well, not unless
you plan to be around 250 to 2,000 years.  They've tried it and it's failed.
Younger trees are junk timber.  The grain isn't as tight and it doesn't last
like the old growth wood does.  You can "farm" loblolly pines and some of
the other pines but that's about it as far as housebuilding trees are
concerned.

Just curious, how is "big timber" your competitor.  Folks aren't going to
build houses out of maple.  Cabinets, yes, but framing and I-beams and so
forth and so on aren't gonna happen in maple.

I wasn't broadbrushing, I was correcting your statement.  "Big timber" in
the U.S. is subsidized.

And I stand by my statement about one of the real reasons the cost of timber
is so high in the U.S., companies such as Maxxam (from Texas, not the West
Coast and Bushie's buddy from the ol' Milken S & L junk bond days) are
sending all the timber they are cutting to Mexico and Japan.

Just a bit of trivia, if you are shopping The Gap, Old Navy or Banana
Republic, you are supporting clear cutting and the shipping of timber to
Mexico and Japan.

Lynda

----- Original Message -----
From: Walter H.Jeffries <Highlands AT blacklightning.com>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 7:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Homebuilders nightmare, Big Timber dream - Not


> Not all of the timber industry is the 'Big Timber'. On the east coast
> there a great many small timber operations, on private land, without
> any government subsidy, no government built logging roads, etc. I own
> our forest land, pay taxes on it, build and pay for my own logging
> roads without government subsidies. I do selective cutting of
> individual trees, small patch cuts and when it is time, over-story
> removal so the next generation grows tall and healthy. This is
> sustainable forestry. That is a totally different process than what
> 'Big Timber' is doing out west on public lands and what is done in
> Canada. Don't confuse them and paint with so broad a brush. The import
> tariff is a good thing that helps to protect small timber producers, as
> well as 'Big Timber', against the subsidies that Canadian companies
> get.