Philgrim’s Blogress

When I was a kid back on our bush farm I knew what it was like to wipe my backside with pages from the Eatons catalogue, and compared to that experience I think most toilet paper is  pretty luxurious.  In other words I don’t require quilted TP that’s been soaked in skin lotion.  Recycled content is fine, and I don’t mind if it hasn’t been bleached to a brilliant white.

However when I read about the latest Greenpeace campaign against soft toilet paper I thought it went overboard in demonizing the Canadian forest industry.

I think that this response by Patrick Moore (former Greenpeace director) provides a good rebuttal.  A couple of  excerpts:

…Paper is made from the sawdust and chips left over from sawmilling, and from logs that are not suitable for making lumber. In environmental terms this is the beneficial use of what would otherwise be a waste product. Indeed, the parts of the log that are not suitable for paper, such as the bark and fine sawdust, are burned to make energy to run the sawmill and to dry the lumber.

In the end, 100 per cent of the tree is used. What is wrong with that?

…

Greenpeace and the NRDC claim that cutting trees to make paper is causing deforestation and huge emissions of greenhouse gas. This is simply false. Nearly all deforestation is caused by clearing forests for agriculture or for human settlement. Forestry causes reforestation, the opposite of deforestation. To verify this all one need do is read State of the World’s Forests by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

The International Panel on Climate Change and the Kyoto Climate Treaty specifically recognize that forest management plays a positive role in absorbing CO2 and preventing its release in the first place. It is stunning that Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist for the NRDC, seems to be unaware of this.

…

Full article here.

For the one or two of my readers who might have an interest in private woodlot management, I refer you to the Mack Williams Woodlot Story.

It’s inspiring to read about how Mack transformed a degraded Ontario farm into a thriving mixed forest.   As he states,

… As I age I relax on the property much more than ever before, with a folding chair at various points on the trails. I may read, or just enjoy what Mother Nature has been doing. It is exciting to see, within my adult lifetime, a transition from an open, windswept eroding sandy landscape, to plantations up to 59 years old, some with dense sugar maple understory. I have seen quality logs from trees planted by myself and by family members. I see it becoming a sheltered place of peace and refuge from a hectic world. I am aware of gradual changes happening in the soil. I marvel at the contribution I am sure it is making to quality of air and ground water. I dream that it may become a place for teaching health, biological and artistic subjects. I can see the potential growth that lies ahead, including both the maple syrup and timber potential of the hardwood parcels. I can also see much work I could have done, had I had more time and energy, to make the stands even better. I can see other courses of action I could have taken, with equally exciting results. 
I marvel that Canada is a nation of trees and forests, an ecological, economic, social and spiritual treasure. I wish more Canadians could share this awareness and appreciation. I wish more landowners could have similar dreams and the energy and skills to make them happen. I wish that society might recognize how much it benefits from such a forest, perhaps much more than the individual owners, and how it might benefit greatly from offering realistic support to those engaged in private land forestry …  (ref)

Inspiring stuff for a someone who is just a year into being a private woodlot owner (part-owner).  Mack is a role model worth emulating.

However it’s discouraging to consider that he bought the land in 1946 when he was 22 years old.  I recently had my 52nd birthday, so when I reach Mack’s age (84, 85?), any trees that I plant this year will still be juveniles.  However his story ends with this encouragement …

… And I would hope that landowners everywhere will understand that it is never too early or too late to start.  (ref)

I suppose that if I plant fast-growing hybrid poplar I could still be around to reap the benefits.  However I’m more likely to choose slower-growing native species, and hope that my children and grandchildren will appreciate the results.

As reported in various news media earlier this year, Greenpeace recently put out a report calling Canada’s boreal forests a “carbon bomb”. Interestingly, this article seems to assume that the instant a tree is harvested, all its carbon is instantly vaporized into the atmosphere.  There is no mention of the long-term carbon sequestration in wood frame houses and other wood products.  There is also no serious analysis of the natural role of fire in the boreal forest.

For some balance, click here for a science-based article on boreal forests and the carbon balance.