The shift toward ZeroCut shows that the vast majority of the public understands that National Forests are far more valuable when left standing than when liquidated for short-term profit. Dozens of reports are showing that logging federal public lands contributes very little to our economy. Also, according to the Forest Service, recreation, hunting and fishing on National Forests contribute 31 times more to the nation s economy than logging and provide 38 times more jobs. What s more, the public land logging program is a big money loser. Taxpayers, not the timber industry, pay for logging road construction, timber sale planning and administration, and the replanting of trees.
Conservationists reply that private lands provide the majority of our nation s wood supply.
This could easily be made up thorough recycling alone. Federal subsidies also decrease the value of logs and woodchips on private lands, thus encouraging landowners to overcut and manage for shorter rotations. In addition, the Act would develop a scientifically based restoration plan that includes some cutting of trees for forest health purposes. As a grassroots campaign, ZeroCut s success lies with the people. Every person, every letter and every effort adds up.