Almost everyone lives in a house that has wood framing, a wooden deck or porch, and/or wood trim. Almost everybody has furniture that is either made of solid wood or wood products, or has a wooden frame for support. And almost everybody has experienced at least once in their lives the cozy, warm, comforting feeling offered from either a wood-burning stove, fireplace or bonfire. But yet, even with these comforts, people are against deforestation. Do they think that these trees gladly volunteered to be cut down so that they could enjoy the comforts demanded by modern-day living conditions, style and comfort? Please allow me to explain why deforestation is not only practical, but required to maintain the lifestyles that have been thrust upon us as a civilization. Webster’s dictionary defines deforestation as: de·for·es·ta·tion; noun \ (ˌ)dē-ˌfȯr-ə-ˈstā-shən, -ˌfär-\
: the act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an areaFull Definition of DEFORESTATION
: the action or process of clearing of forests; also : the state of having been cleared of forests” (www.merriam-webster.com)
Society defines deforestation as the clear-cutting or removal of trees to suit the needs of “an imperialistic government that only thinks for itself instead of the environment and those who live in it.” In the 1960’s and 1970’s, free-minded and free-spirited individuals dubbed “hippies” began to speak for the environment, going so far as to hold strikes and sit-ins to prevent trees from being cut. During these sit-ins, people would physically sit in front of a single tree, stand of trees, or create a sitting wall of people around a forest, and in some cases, sing songs, hold hands, and prevent lumber companies and their employees from cutting down the trees. Strikes could sometimes become physical altercations; either the police or other law enforcement bodies would try to physically remove the people performing a sit-in, using either rubber bullets, tear gas, high-pressure water hoses, or even bodily lifting people out of the way. But the hippies were resilient; for every one person moved out of the way or arrested, another two would appear. Eventually, governing bodies and free-spirited individuals came together and formed Greenpeace in 1971. According to Annie Leonard, Greenpeace USA Executive Director, "Our core values are reflected in our environmental campaign work: We 'bear witness' to environmental destruction in a peaceful, non-violent manner. We use non-violent confrontation to raise the level and quality of public debate. In exposing threats to the environment and finding solutions we have no permanent allies or adversaries. We ensure our financial independence from political or commercial interests. We seek solutions to environmental dilemmas and promote open, informed debate about society's environmental choices” (www.greenpeace.org).
Personally, I think she either participated in the sit-ins or is descended from members of the hippie craze. It might be all for show, or there might be some truth to it, but regardless, trees and the act of cutting and processing them provides jobs to many different trades, and let’s face it, in this current economy, any job is better than no job. Who cares if we step on the toes of some tree-hugging, barefoot walking, tent-sleeping hippies? I’m sure some of them live in homes with wood framing; even if it’s a “recycled wood product” it still had to come from trees!
According to the MeadWestvaco website, “MWV depends on sustainable sources of fiber to supply the world with packaging products, so we have a strong interest in practicing and promoting sustainable forestry. We use only certified fiber or fiber that we know comes from responsibly managed forests – a commitment that extends beyond the forestlands we own to the fiber we source from third party suppliers. All of our fiber-based products are chain-of-custody certified, which means that the fiber
