Voices from the Tongass—A Call to Action

[afgdrbhyz]

spongebob brought me here..

[sunluvinbum]

In all honesty, I don't think that clear cutting any forest is a good thing. BUT... logging is something that will never stop. If we were to stop logging all together then what would happen. Lowes, Home Depot and every other lumber supplier around the world would close. No new houses, no putting in those new cabinets in your kitchen. No repairing decks, roofs, or any other structure built with wood. We would essentially be taking a huge step back in time and have to start living in tents.

[sunluvinbum]

There would be no clearing of a lot to build a new house because you could not cut down the trees on the land to make room for the foundation of said house. In reality, banning logging is just not going to happen. The U.S.F.S. has put strict guide lines in place to keep the Alaska Tongass forest from being clear cut. To many people jump to arms and cry wolf at the slightest hint of a "reason" to protest something. I have grown up in Alaska, and I see less and less logging every year.

[sunluvinbum]

The real issue is that I would guess about 75% of all trees and lumber logged in the US is shipped over seas. If people really want to cut down on the logging, then they should first look at cutting down on the amount of exported lumber out of the US. That in-turn would provide more lumber for the US consumer and also bring the logging to a minimum. There would not be such a high demand for logging sites with less lumber being exported.

[sunluvinbum]

But eh, that is just my thoughts on it. Oh and on one last note, Alaska is amazingly beautiful in every aspect of the word. Everybody should make it a point in their life time to take a trip up and enjoy the beauty. Just keep in mind, you may fall in love with it in the summer, but don't plan on moving up until after you try to spend a full winter up here.  lol Cabin fever can have you selling your new house mighty fast.

[rozl66]

This is pathetic how the US Govt would even allow this! What pisses me off the most about this crisis is that the US Govt. could grow HEMP and use it for most of what they are manufacturing from those majestic tress they are cutting down with NO REGARD to anything but sheer PROFIT! this needs to STOP!

[unworldlywriter]

these people should declare jihad against the logging company

[HEMIBOYS]

trees grow back, stop whinning

[nomissimon96]

@HEMIBOYS yeah... but that takes like 100years ...

[rozl66]

@HEMIBOYS You are clearly a manufactured moron by the system! Those forests took hundreds upon hundreds of years to become so dense and huge! You more then likely probably live in a Ghetto with no understanding of the beauty and miracle these forests have to life. Your a product of a broken corrupt system and your parents were looser trolls for breeding you!

[Heroasango]

What a beautiful region!

Awesome.

Thanks for posting.

[floydstinkyboy]

nice.

hope you approve my response.

[johnwesley1960]

Fact; since logging started in the Tongass in the 1950's, less than 1/2 of 1% of the Tongass has been harvested.

Fact; Due to the lack of forest fires in a rainforest, clear cutting is NEEDED to maintain a healthy forest.

Fact; Most of the huge clear cuts were not done on USFS land, they were done on native land that no amount of regulation can stop.

Fact; There are more trees in North America now than there were in 1776

Fact; limited clear cuts are conservation, banning logging is preservation

[AndrewSharp93]

We like the trees in this forest need to stand together and protect our world in a peaceful way.

[StJimmy1520]

Wow that's an amazing forest.

[EnviroMonster]

Conservation is King,we can band together and make it happen overnight.