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Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Joe Corsiglia, President Trump, Henry Heimuller, VP Pence, Pat Robertson, Debi Corsiglia’s dog, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Standard Disclaimer.
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Deer Island Logging Company, 1925
Logging
The logging industry built Oregon yet the Vilification of loggers and the logging industry is words spoken from the lips of many. Loggers are characterized as simple, overweight, beer-drinking, not-so-intelligent laborers who are ruining our forests and lands.
Surveys showed a majority of Americans both rural and urban would pay a little more for food in order to save family farms. "Even the hardest-nosed economists feel we should help them through the transition of finding a different type of work "That doesn't seem to be true for loggers."
People’s feelings are stronger for family farms because many American have grandparents, or other relatives or friends who are still connected to farming. Few have ties to logging towns anymore. If they did, they'd find logging is distinguished by an unusual commitment to individualism, hard work, inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit a different kind of person loves logging. These are people who love the forests and love working in the woods.
Most logging firms are owned by independent entrepreneurs. They were started by loggers who slowly amassed enough equipment to open their own businesses. Employees of these firms share in the commitment to hard work and independence, and many aspire to eventually have a "show" (logging job) of their own.
A good logger is versatile, and can set chokers, trim logs and operate and repair heavy equipment. Loggers can always count on their reputations to find work. A trait that is admired by those who understand the importance of a man’s word and reputation, and find that they never want to do anything else.
There is a myth that the Pacific Northwest is being deforested. Actually there are lots of trees, across all age classes, on private and public lands. There are no serious shortages except for the segments of the industry which depend heavily on timber from the public lands.
The conflict between urban and rural is a result of the transition from a manufacturing society to an information-based, technological society. Urban consumers have little awareness of where wood-based products come from or how and why they are produced. Only two percent of the population remains in the "extractive" occupations such as mining, agriculture and logging. Many people hate clear-cuts, calling them ugly, destructive to the land, water, and animals. Let me be clear, clear-cuts are replanted with in three years tops. Clear-cuts allow vegetation to grow which adds bountiful food for deer elk, birds etc.. There are steps done to protect all creeks by erosion control, trees let for barriers to keep creeks cool. Many people do not understand that big timber does not allow underbrush to grow so there is not much food in heavy timber.
People hate loggers and the timber industry but these very same people use products from timber. The same people live in homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting on a place where a clear cut was and before that a forest of timber, yet they continue to treat loggers as lesser people because of their job. Let’s continue to block out where our food or wood comes from, urban consumers don't want to think about how we get our meat, potatoes and wood. "We have created a separate class of people in our minds--a moral caste of individuals who are less than we are because of their jobs. Sounds like snobs to me.
Logging is what created Oregon, I understand keeping a certain amount of old growth forests so people can see what an old forest looks like, logging is an important part of Oregon jobs, and a way of life. Logging is a renewable industry so when properly done we can have forests forever.
I suggest that if you want to keep forests than limit the number of houses being built. Stop your malls and paved roads and highways. Remember at one time everything you see had trees on it. Trees were cut to make your home.
I consider myself a person who loves the forests but I too like wood products. I come from a family of loggers; several generations worked in the woods one was a early forester . They logged all around Columbia County, Washington County, Tillamook County, and Clatsop County. The fell Old Growth, cleaned up the Tillamook Burn. Some of them lost their lives in logging accidents. But they all loved the woods and would not trade the job for another. It takes a different breed of men to be a logger.
Oregon was founded on logging, and will continue to be a logging state, no matter how much high tec. there is. Lumber/trees are a sought after material until something changes …logging is here to stay.
Tammy
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