And now, first and foremost, you can never afford to forget for a moment what is the object of our forest policy. That object is not to preserve the forests because they are beautiful, though that is good in itself; nor because they are refuges for the wild creatures of the wilderness, though that, too, is good in itself; but the primary object of our forest policy, as of the land policy of the United States, is the making of prosperous homes. It is part of the traditional policy of home making in our country. Every other consideration comes as secondary…You yourselves have got to keep this practical object before your minds; to remember that a forest which contributes nothing to the wealth, progress or safety of the country is of no interest to the Government, and should be of little interest to the forester. Your attention must be directed to the preservation of the forests, not as an end in itself, but as the means of preserving and increasing the prosperity of the nation.

Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, at a Society of American Foresters meeting, Washington, D.C., March, 1903, Evergreen, Winter 1994-95

Some may argue we have a clear idea of the consequences of our decisions. But, in fact, few people understand that in a global economy linked by international trade, a significant reduction in timber harvests in one region will most probably precipitate action in other regions that may be detrimental to the global environment. These actions could very well offset most or all of the alleged environmental benefits.

Without natural resources life itself is impossible. From birth to death, natural

resources, transformed for human use, feed, clothe, shelter and transport us. Upon them we depend for every material necessity, comfort, convenience and protection in our lives. Without abundant resources, prosperity is impossible.

Gifford Pinchot, First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, 1898-1910, Evergreen, September-October 1991

The national forests are no longer primeval solitudes remote from the economic life of developing regions, or barely touched by the skirmish line of settlement. To a very large degree the wilderness has been pressed back. Farms have multiplied, roads have been built, frontier hamlets have grown into villages and towns, industries have found footholds and expanded. Although the forests are still in their early stage of economic development, their resources are important factors in present prosperity.

William B. Greeley, Third Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, 1920-1928, Evergreen, September-October 1991

America is growing. There are many people who want to go to a section of the country where they will have a better chance for themselves and their children…You have acreage capable of supporting a much larger population than you currently have. And we believe that by proceeding with these great projects it will not only develop the well-being of the far West and the Coast, but will also give an opportunity to many individuals and many families back in the older, settled parts of the nation to come out here and distribute some of the burdens which fall on them more heavily than in the West.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, at ceremonies marking the beginning of construction at Bonneville Dam, August 3, 1933, Evergreen, March-April 1993

Preserving and maintaining this nation’s cultural diversity is as important to the survival of America as is preserving and maintaining biological diversity. What we are preserving in rural farming and timber communities is people, not abstractions or symbols, but real people who embody basic values which are fundamental to our nation’s history and its traditions.

Dr. Robert Lee, Sociologist and noted author, University of Washington, Evergreen, August 1990

It is not unethical to grow and cut trees in ways that leave soil, water and ecosystems in a healthy condition for the future. What is environmentally unethical and globally irresponsible is to use amounts of wood we are not willing to produce as prudent land stewards - or to think that we can get by with wood substitutes that use far more energy to produce and are not as recyclable or biodegradable as wood. What good does it do to conserve biological diversity in our own backyard forests if society merely depletes the same in someone else’s forests to satisfy our wants and needs. The ultimate challenges may not be what we think they are - old growth, jobs, spotted owls, roadless areas, endangered species or even biological diversity. These are important issues we must address, but they are only symptoms of the real challenges: human population growth, consumption and pollution. The real challenge is not to see whether bio-centerism can overcome homo-centerism as the paradigm of the 1990s, but to develop a new and more useful paradigm: eco-centerism, where people and nature are seen as interdependent parts of the whole.  

Dr. Hal Salwasser, USFS retired, Dean, Oregon State University College of Forestry, Evergreen, September-October 1996

The public’s attention has been so riveted on the spotted owl, old growth forests and other preservation-related issues that it no longer sees, much less understands that the real question has nothing to do with owls or jobs. The real question is how will the nation’s forest reserves be allocated. If the public decided it wanted to preserve all of its timberlands, and never harvest timber again, it could do that, but it ought to understand the social, economic and environmental costs associated with such a decision.

Dr. James Bethel, retired Dean, University of Washington College of Forest Resources, Seattle, Evergreen, 1990

One of the most disturbing aspects of the U.S. environmental policy process is that it rarely recognizes the global nature of the economic and environmental systems in which it must operate. In a global system, environmental damage spreads across political boundaries and different resource types. We must never forget that the implications of domestic land use policies extend far beyond the lands to which they are directly applied.

Roger Sedjo, Senior Fellow and Director, Forest Economics Program, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C., Evergreen, Summer 1993