Logging_Is_Good_for_the_Environment

LOGGING BY: Edward DeVos Kruse LA3 Edward DeVos Kruse la3 Cause/ Effect Most people think logging is just removing trees from the environment and clear cutting, the people who think that are wrong. Some of the effects of logging are new growth trees are planted (four for every one cut down). The logging industry is a 270$ billon dollar a year business that keeps the construction business alive because with out wood most construction would come to a screeching halt. One more reason why logging is important is because it helps cut down on dead trees that could fall and destroy homes and businesses around them. One effect of logging is that new trees are planted in place of those that are being cut down, according to the History Channel show Axe Men there is five trees planted for every one tree that logging company’s cut down. When a new growth of trees is planted they plant them very close together, in aproximintly 10-15 years the logging company’s come in and cut down some of the trees to let the other trees grow larger. Once the other trees become larger in another 10-15 years then the logging company’s come in and cut down the rest of these old growth trees after planting new trees in the same spot of the forest. Some tools of the trade are chainsaw, used for falling trees. Chocks, used for making the tree land in a certain spot. Stumpers, which are special boots with metal cleats on the bottom used for climbing trees and maintaining balance when walking on logs. Suspenders, for holding up your pants. (ha-ha) Skyline, which is suspended in the air from the yarder attached down hill to a stump, this line is what the carriage rides on that carries the logs to the landing. Processor, which is used to de-limb and cut the trees to the correct length. Loader, is a machine that picks up the logs and loads them on to the trucks. Choker, is a thick metal wire that is wrapped around the log and attached to the carriage. The logging industry is a 270$ billion dollar per year business. The construction industry is at the full mercy of the logging industry, when the logging industry is slow the construction industry is most likely slow also. Logging does not only supply construction companies but also paper mills and wood chip companies. Some people think that logging is loosing its foot hold in the northwest because they are running out of logs to cut, but in fact they plant more logs than they cut. Logging roots in America date all the way back to the early 1600’s. Before chainsaw’s they had one man and two man saws with big teeth one them used for cutting down tree’s. There are many different types of logging such as northwest mountain logging, swamp logging, helicopter (heli) logging, river logging. Northwest logging is done on a mountain and a yarder is used to pull logs up the hill using chokers to hold the logs in place to the yarder carriage. Swamp logging uses a machine called a fellerbuncher which is an excavator with a saw blade on it which cuts the trees and lays them down in special roads so the skidders and clam bunks can come pick up the logs and bring them to the landing for the trucks to pick up and as the name says it happens in the swamp. Heli logging is done on a remote mountain were yarders will not work, this type of logging uses a helicopter with a long line attached to the bottom of it that carries the logs to a landing were the trucks pick them up, pilots have to be very skilled to do this type of logging. River logging is the practice of finding old growth axe cut logs from the 1800’s and early 1900’s that have sunk in the river on the way to the mill, the river water preserves the wood, this type of wood is retrieved by a diver and a boat with a winch, this type of wood is very sought after and is used for high quality furniture. The show Axe Men is on History Channel and depicts professional logging operations in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Louisiana, and Florida. The company’s names are Rygaard logging in port angeles Washington, J.M Browning in Oregon, R & R Connor helicopter logging in Montana, swamp man logging in Louisiana, and Collins river logging on the swanny river in Florida. Rygaard and J.M. Browning are the northwest loggers. Northwest loggers were the ones who started it all, back when they didn’t have semi’s to hall the wood they would simply float the wood down a river to the mill which would process it. One more reason why logging is so important to our environment and us is loggers cut down the dead trees that could fall and destroy homes and businesses around it or infect other trees that could destroy a whole forest and leave all the animals in it with no place to live. Sometimes there are little beetles or bugs that eat the wood and in turn kill the tree form the inside out, so most of the time environmentalist call logging company’s to come in and clear that area of dead trees. In Axe Men the R & R Connor helicopter logging was clearing a forest of dead trees to preserve that area of Montana’s vast wilderness. In conclusion logging is good for clearing out trees that are to close to each other and for planting new growth trees for future generations to enjoy. Another reason is the logging industry supplies the construction industry with its main tool of the trade… wood. And one final reason is it helps clean the forests of dead trees that can fall and damage other trees or infect healthy trees and kill them. Overall logging is important to the environment and construction industries, and also wildlife living in the forests under these trees. "history of logging". history channel. 5-27-10 . "logging lingo". history channel. 5-27-10 . "logging". wikipedia. 5-27-10 . Rygaard, Gabe. "Rygaard logging". Rygaard logging, history channel. 5-27-10 . Browning, Jay. "J, M, Browning logging". browning logging. 5-27-10 .