Issues with Logging along the coast of

North America

The Problem

Logging in the United States has been going on for centuries. There are not even half of the forests that there once were since humans started logging. There are areas of forests that are called the old growth forests because the trees in these forests range from 180 to 250 years old that are now protected because there are not many left. Loggers come into areas of forests and clear cut all of them down which means they leave not a single tree standing.

This doesn’t just look bad on the landscape to viewer’s eyes it has an impact. There are landslides do to there not being the natural rooting system which kept the soil in place which in turn causes flooding and damage to other areas outside of the clear cut areas. There are creatures which inhabit only these areas to which the have cut down.

The Spotted Owl

One of these inhabitants is the spotted owl and is on the endangered species list caused from all of the logging where they live. They do not mate every year and if their inhabitance is disturbed they will not mate that year.

A light at the end if the tunnel

Recently logging companies have been going into forested areas and only cutting down select trees and leaving the older trees alone. They have also been planting new trees to replace the one they had cut down but not all logging companies do this. Clear cutting has become illegal but it is still happening. There are some logging companies however that would rather take the easy fast route and just cut a whole area of forest down and be done with it then to hassle themselves with the time and effort it takes to do the legal and right thing.

Boy Scouts

Boy scouts have become some of the eyes for the forest by reporting illegal activity with logging companies. “We’re being good stewards of the land. You can take our word for it.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer/Gilbert W. AirasBecause of these boys they are helping the way that logging is conducted to help protect endangered salmon, other wildlife habitat, stream water quality and led to erosion.

Bush Administration Put to

Rest

In July of this year Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that his department had revised the Bush administration which had planned on doubling the amount of logging in old growth forests in the forests of Northwest Oregon. Ken Salazar’s hope in doing this will help to protect the endangered species that reside in these forests. Mr. Salazar states “Today we are taking action to reform the Department of Interior and correct mistakes by correcting legal shortcuts the late administration made at the end of its tenure,” New York times

Works cited

Author : Heidi SiegelbaumTitle: The newest Boy Scout merit badge: Clearcutting and

developmentSource:

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/sustainability/greenwash/2009/02/newest_boy_scout_merit_badge.html

Author: UnknownTitle: Paper companies laying waste to North America ForestsSource: http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissue.asp