Here's another view of the Pacific Lumber Company, in their own words. I am not certain why some people have become so angry with this one forest company, perhaps it is personal. But I believe it is important to listen to both sides in any debate. Here is what PALCO says about themselves: Since 1869, The Pacific Lumber Company has been growing trees, making wood products, employing people in Northern California and maintaining our proud history of forest care. Saving The Best Forests Forever First some details about what our company has done to preserve the best redwood forests: Early on, the owners of The Pacific Lumber Company realized that their land held some of the most spectacular redwood groves on earth. As a result, we've given or sold at low cost the most accessible and the most beautiful redwood groves to the public. These lands, nearly 20,000 acres, are preserved forever in parks and you'll recognize the names: Rockefeller Forest, Fern Canyon, the Avenue of the Giants, Prairie Creek and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The State of California has always been protective of its redwood forests. About 85% of the state's old growth coastal redwoods are preserved in 255,000 acres. This equals 350 square miles of parkland and is equivalent to a one mile wide redwood forest stretching from San Francisco to Los Angeles. None of these preserved ancient forests are used to produce lumber. We continue to work with the Save The Redwoods League and the California Department of Parks and Recreation to make our public parks even better. Caring for the Working Forest We take care of our land, and our redwood and Douglas fir forests. It's our business and our future depends on it. In fact, our redwood forests grow nearly twice as fast as the average of all California forests. We grow, harvest and replant trees on our own land and we don't export any logs. On the other hand, we sell our finished products overseas. This means more jobs for Americans and a smaller trade deficit. We put as much effort into growing trees as we put into making quality wood products. After all, we're continuously growing, harvesting and replanting. It's about a 70-year cycle. All through that cycle our biologists observe the wildlife, monitor the quality of the streams and make certain that the forest functions as nature intended. To make sure this is the case, we tread lightly in our growing forests. In a given year, we're active on only 6% of our property. California has the strongest forest practice laws in the country, but in many cases our company policy is even more protective of the forests, streams and wildlife. On the average, we plant 500,000 seedlings each year. It takes people with commitment to plant and care for the forests and to maintain a long term commitment to operating on a sustained yield basis. That means we balance our harvest with the forest growth. It's good for the land, it's good for the wildlife and it's good for people, too. Botany and Biology There are two native types of redwood: the Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the Sierra Redwood (Sequoiadendron gigantea). The Sierra Redwood, also known as the Giant Sequoia, isn't used commercially. In fact, 95% of the Sierra Redwoods are preserved in state and federal groves. The Coastal Redwood is the only redwood our company grows to produce wood products. It is the fastest growing commercial softwood species in the country. In 30 years, redwoods can grow to be between 90 and 130 feet tall. Caring for the forest means caring for all the life within the forest. This is a responsibility we've always taken seriously. As we grow trees, our goals are to enhance the environment, not only for threatened species such as the spotted owl and marbled murrelet, but for all wildlife. Our full-time wildlife biologist works with company staff to care for all the animals, birds and fish in our forests. The waterways on our lands are key to the diverse life of the redwood and Douglas fir forests, so we have a full-time fisheries biologist. He oversees our fish hatchery and our fish rearing ponds. Over the past 20 years, we've raised and released more than 750,000 salmon and steelhead into our waterways. Working in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game, we spend about $50,000 annually in labor and materials on stream enhancement projects. The Company works to enhance fish runs through bank stabilization, rock weir and fish ladder projects. The Company Facilities Our working forest consists of 193,000 acres in Northern California. This is land zoned exclusively for commercial timber production and without a doubt, it's our most valuable asset. We have two sawmills as well as our administrative headquarters and sales offices in Scotia. We also have sawmills in Fortuna and Carlotta. Manufacturing wood products is an energy efficient business, especially when compared to the production of other building materials. We've turned the science into an art. Our twenty-five megawatt cogeneration plant in Scotia uses wood waste to provide pollution-free electric power for the company headquarters, the Scotia mills and all the homes and businesses in town. Redwood and Douglas Fir Products Our products are known throughout the world for their quality, beauty, strength, and durability. They're the first choice of architects, builders, and homeowners. Today we hear all sort of opinions about using resources wisely. When discussing the subject, we like to point to the many homes that were built with our redwood and Douglas fir over 100 years ago. Our products last a long time and after years of service, they are still recyclable and biodegradable. They're energy efficient to produce and energy efficient in use. Perhaps the most important fact is that they are renewable. The trees we're growing today will be used by your grandchildren. Cheers Patrick Moore, Greenspirit http://www.greenspirit.com May the Forest be With You Snail Mail: 4068 West 32nd Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1Z6 Canada -----Original Message----- From: Sylvia De Rooy <red1@humboldt1.com> To: FOREST@listserv.funet.fi <FOREST@listserv.funet.fi> Date: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 9:16 AM Subject: Re: Environmental Call to Arms (salmon) >Patrick, If what you, with your usual slant, choose to call my "tirade" >makes you no wiser that is not due to a lack in my message. You are a paid >propogandist, you are paid to twist and slant and pretend to see and hear >what your masters tell you to see and hear. >I find it very interesting that you claim to be in touch with >Maxxam/Pacific Lumber. You two talk the same language. When Maxxam/PL was >charged with over 250 violations of the Forest Practice Rules their CEO, >John Campbell, in the local paper (Times Standard, 12/26/98) blamed >activists for the companies woes. Did "activists" destroy 5 watersheds, >fail to install culverts, clearcut an area that was only supposed to be >thinned, cause a slide by failing to remove unstable soil on a landing, >overharvest and understock, constantly fail to install waterbreaks and on >and on? These are only a handful of the charges that caused Maxxam/PL to >have the Timber Operators license pulled last December in what was called >by CDF "...a next to last resort, when there are repeated, deliberate >violations, and there seems to be no other way to obtain compliance." >Whatever Maxxam/PL has to say to you is, based on their past track record >of evasion and lies, not worth the space it takes up. There is very good >reason why whole neighborhoods in Humboldt County are suing Maxxam. >You are quite correct about my "lack of respect" for you. You are, quite >transparently, a paid apologist, a flunky. Is there some reason to respect >that? But, believe me, Maxxam/PL doesn't need you to do cover stories for >them. They are experts at it. They have a hired mouthpiece, Mary >Bullwinkle. And, they are certainly monitoring this list. >As for your request that I "exchange information and opinions in as polite >a manner as possible" the key words there are "as possible". It is not >possible to be "polite" about what Maxxam is doing to this county in the >name of grab and greed, what they are doing is not "polite". As for >"exchange", that is not what you do is it? Why don't you ever admit what >your job is? Why this constant pretense that you are just another list >member in pursuit of information? > >>Gee, Sylvia, all I did was ask a question. Your tirade makes me no wiser. I >>was told by Pacific Lumber that they use selection harvesting. I have now >>asked them to verify this or explain otherwise. Your lack of respect for >>people who have a different approach to these issues, and whom you have >>never met, is not very civil. Please tone down the personal insults and try >>to exchange information and opinions in as polite a manner as possible. >> >>Cheers >> >>Patrick Moore, Greenspirit >>http://www.greenspirit.com >>May the Forest be With You >> >>Snail Mail: >>4068 West 32nd Avenue >>Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1Z6 >>Canada
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