This is an example of why I have a problem with idealism.
Globalization feeds on uniformity, both ideological and material.
I have been following this thread and have found that I agree with both Chris Perley and Doug Bashford. I may be naive, but I feel that both of their arguments are valid. The fact that many of these forests have been felled for hundreds of years suggests that the practice at least has some remedial potential. Here in Wisconsin, the Menomonee Tribe of Native Americans has a sustainable harvest program on their reservation, which had been harvested unsustainably for a long time before the reservation land was returned to them. Since the Menomonee's took over, the standing board-feet have increased dramatically, and the forest has taken on many old growth characteristics.