[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: Sustainable Forests

[Lawrence Lile]

There is at least one place in the Ozarks where a hardwood forest is being managed sustainably.  David Haenke, who is a pioneer in the bioregional movement and also operates a sawmill there, is in charge of the management of this forest.  Most of the wood that is being harvested is part of a timber stand improvement program (think weeding, only on a forest scale not on a garden scale, and a timescale of years not weeks) and the capacity of the land to produce lumber is carefully balanced against the needs of the land for standing dead trees, rest, and rejuvenation.  If all FSC certified wood were harvested in this way, Mary would no doubt be a cheerleader for the program instead of a skeptic.  I have no idea if David is working with FSC, and rather doubt it actually.  
 
http://www.one-garden.org/features/forestgarden.htm
 
The Ozark hills is a region suited to almost nothing else but forestry.  The soil is poor, the hills are steep and rocky, and they produce some of the best oak and walnut in the world. It can produce about a cord of wood per acre per year forever.   Most of it goes to make pallets or railroad ties - low grade, one-time use throwaway wood.  David is selling his hardwood to high grade users - flooring manufacturers, gun stock makers, furniture makers, and trying to set an example for a path toward sustainability and away from clear-cutting and chip mills, which are common now.  
 
Sometimes David goes on raving rants, like this one, which is as enlightening as it is funny:
 
Floor it, You Moron! http://www.nrec.org/gatherings/g5/floorit.html
 
 --Lawrence