Our timber harvests escalated for nearly a quarter of a century. Along the way, social values changed. Eventually, the changing times caught up with and overran us in a flood of controversy, lawsuits, and injunctions. You here in this room know very well what I m talking about. Today, we know it is possible to generate forest products while maintaining healthy, sustainable forest ecosystems.
Some people propose a zero-cut policy for our national forests and grasslands.
For one thing, cutting off the timber supply from our national forests would do nothing to curtail our Nation s growing appetite for wood products. It would only shift environmental problems to other lands where environmental protections are fewer. In the absence of a national consumption ethic, we must continue to meet at least part of the Nation s demand for timber. Although the mix of uses continues to shift, multiple use remains alive and well. And timber harvest will remain a part of it.