The basis of the litigation is not failure to comply with an arcane permitting requirement, but the simple fact that upstream pollution hurts downstream fish. Salmon in Scotland and New Brunswick are often protected in the same way. There are more trees in America's forests today than at any other point in this century, largely because of the incentives private ownership provides. For every tree that forest owners or timber companies cut down, several more are planted. Of course, some of this planting does occur on tree farms, but the planting of trees for future use relieves economic pressures to chop down old-growth forests or trees in wilderness areas.
Planting trees can be a good economic investment, and can help companies in other ways as well.
Some forest owners have discovered that at relatively little cost, forests can be managed for camping, hiking, bird-watching, and recreation. Of course, private stewardship does not require that one always act in pursuit of profit. The principle of private ownership enables conservation groups and other landowners to purchase and protect vital habitats. It has also allowed individuals such as David Bamberger, former CEO of Church's Fried Chicken, to protect foreign species on the verge of extinction. Bamberger and the other members of the Exotic Wildlife Association own more scimitar-horned oryx on their private lands in the United States than exist in its native African range.