Air, Fire, Water and Earth

Albert Einstein said many years ago that he saw two things as infinite: God’s wisdom and human folly. This truth was never more apparent than in the sawmill operators’ protest against preserving some of the last remaining acres of natural forest. It’s important that people understand that the dispute isn’t over privately owned timber land--it’s over destroying old growth on our land, in the national forests. Many years ago, all the best timber land was given to private operators--only the dregs went into our national forests. After destroying their forests, the tree cutters want to destroy all the rest of the natural forests.

The timber companies advertise that wood is a renewable resource. Why is it then that after cutting down over 90% of the virgin forest, most of the lumber still comes from the last remaining old growth? Let them cut the renewable trees they have been growing for the last century on their own land.

JOHN OWEN

Los Angeles