Debunking Timber Industry Spin with a Slideshow
Oregon Wild Sets the Record Straight on Timber Industry
Tree Hugger
by Brian Merchant on 09.28.08
Oregon Wild Sets the Record Straight on Timber Industry
Ever wonder what the precise impacts of logging and deforestation are, and whether the timber industry's defensive environmental claims hold any water? Well, Oregon Wild, an Oregon forest and wildlife preservation group (among other things) has taken the liberty of putting together a comprehensive slideshow detailing and combating misleading myths promoted by the logging industry. They've created a factual, in-depth look at logging practices, forest fires, and the impact of global warming on forests.
Oregon Wild, whose mission is to "aggressively protect and restore Oregon's wildlands, wildlife, and water as an enduring legacy," takes on myths regarding wood products, young forests, tropical forests, methane, and harvest procedures, and deconstructs them one by one.
Take the Fire Myth for example, which goes something along the lines of 'forests are bad places to store carbon, since fires are prone to sweeping through and releasing it all. Therefore, if it's logged, the carbon won't be released. False, says Oregon Wild. Most forest fires emit less carbon than logging, since most of the carbon-filled trees remain on site after each fire—large dead trees can last for decades.
And there are plenty more where that came from. Check out the Oregon Wild slideshow, and dispel those irksome spin-heavy myths put forward by the timber industry.
