Raw log exports result in a significant loss of jobs and money. The export of raw logs equals the export of jobs. The export of raw logs results in a significant loss of jobs and money. For instance, if all of the wood that was exported to Canada during the mid-1980's would have been milled regionally. By providing alternatives to raw log exports, such as an innovative secondary-processing infrastructure within the region, we would be able to provide more employment opportunities, increase the value of the resource, and cut fewer trees.
Free trade encourages poor forestry practices as international companies exploit our forests.
While free trade can result in higher prices for the timber that is cut, the fluctuating global market leads to the high-grading of the forest. This practice contributes to the degradation of the integrity of the woodland by cutting the best and leaving the rest. The hardwood consumed by a single chip mill in one month could run an average size saw mill for an entire year. To further compound the problem, chip mills are dependent on clearcutting as opposed to selective harvesting. Their operations perpetuate short cutting cycles, reducing native forest ecosystems to fiber farms Under current economic conditions, a typical chip mill procures wood within a 75 mile radius from the mill.