Hi Scott, > Dear Fellow Subscribers: > > Like all of you, I, too, have been reading David Orr's attacks on the > profession of forestry over the last few weeks. I have seen > outlandish > statements made with no supporting evidence, and opinion stated as > fact. > I offer the following advice: we simply ignore him. > > I have dealt with individuals like Mr. Orr before. I have found > myself on > speakers' panels at student-sponsored forums on such topics as > clearcutting. To cover a variety of viewpoints, these panels usually > include outspoken local "environmentalists". These folks come > ill-prepared to the meetings and instead of offering technical support > for > their viewpoint, they instead make passionate speeches designed to > prey on > students' emotions by doomsaying and making unsupported statements > seem > like proven, tested science. After several of these experiences, I > have > concluded the following: In a similar vein, Greenpeace's attack on Shell in the disposal of an oil platform at sea. In the end Shell had to abandon its plans. But Greenpeace issued an apology (for misinformation?). However the impact of the damage done by Greenpeace to Shell cannot be compensated with just an apology. Foresters & timber merchants have the task of coming up with the facts from the ground. Environmentalists do not really have to. I have encountered those who have not even been to Brazil, PNG or Sarawak but are drumming up a lot of noise. I have met some who never knew Malaysia existed and that Sarawak is part of Malaysia - until now! Yet maybe it's the educational systems in their home country - which are rather inward looking . I remember doing my 'O' Levels back here, we have to draw the St. Lawrence Seaway from scratch, remember the names of all the 50 states of the USA, fill up 6 blank maps on Sri Lanka, and write an essay on French agriculture - and that's only on regional geography! God bless. Nelson Wong MTC
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