"Old Growth Forests Are Decaying Anyway"

We must hear somebody say this every day. Consider this: Many of these forests had already been standing for centuries, back when Columbus was just starting to think the earth may not be flat!

Forests go through a very long cycle of natural species progression, starting with a disturbance like a fire or landslide. The first species to invade an open area are grasses and shrubs. They are followed by sun-loving trees like douglas fir, which are in turn followed very gradually by shade-tolerant trees like western hemlock. Wouldn't it be a surprising coincidence if ALL of the untouched forests in this entire region happened to be at the very end of their productive life cycle, right now in 1998, just in time for us to harvest their timber and start them over?

That's what the timber industry would have us believe. You can draw your own conclusions.

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Cascadia Forest Defenders