B Diamond wrote
"B.C. Forests Threatened by Stumpage Reduction
Recent action by the British Columbian government to increase the subsidies
for logging by reducing prices ("stumpage rates") requires our immediate
attention. Here's why."
But wait - there's more.
Any reduction in stumpage rates through whatever policy (export bans,
direct concessions etc) does two things. Most importantly it reduces the
value of the forest ecosystem, with a subsequent trend toward a forester
focusing on reducing the cost of harvesting, instead of a focus on
maintaining an ecosystem's integrity.
The second thing it does is make processors inefficient, as the strategy of
volume throughput of low value logs replaces the strategy of extracting
value from high value logs.
And all this loss for what gain? A few more temporary jobs or a carpet-bag
industry with no permanence in basic economics?
Chris J K Perley
Chris Perley and Associates
Forestry and Natural Resource Consultants
PO Box 7116
Dunedin
New Zealand
Ph +64 3 453 4948
Fax +64 3 453 4945
Mob +64 25 880 977
e-mail: chris@perleyandassoc.co.nz
"Think like a mountain"
Aldo Leopold
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