Trees, Jobs and the Environment

I take issue with the final sentence of your article, which states, “and even today, lumber prices are no greater in constant dollars than during the late 1970s.”

I own a ladder manufacturer and we buy Douglas fir from Oregon in carload quantities. Through the late ‘70s and the ‘80s we paid $1.00-$1.50 per foot. Last year we paid $2.85 per foot. This year we are paying $4.35 per foot and there appears to be no end in sight. We make ground ladders for the Los Angeles Fire Department and this rapid cost escalation is forcing us into ladder price increases--a direct extra burden on the city and the taxpayers.

KURT KENWORTH

Chino