EDITORIAL

Big battle or a small brawl?

Environmental pressure groups have again targeted two segments of the wood products industry: old growth redwood and treated wood.

While this is nothing new, it again raises the question of what damage, if any, the greens will inflict upon us and what our industry, collectively and separately, can do to defend itself and advance true public understanding of the situation.

The redwood industry, embattled now since the 1960s, faces tough foes on their field of combat. The soldiers of the other side are shadowy ones: half truths, distortions, misrepresentations, lies, misguided faith, hypocrisy, fake idealism driven by money and cynicism where any means justifies the end. It is an ugly picture indeed.

The shrill cries of the radical environmentalists for a boycott to "save" the redwoods is absurd and dangerous. Absurd in that those trees worthy of saving already have been. And mostly through the efforts of industry itself. Dangerous in that the environmentalists' demands would casually brush aside constitutional guarantees of private property rights.

On the treated wood front, the attack is even more complicated: environnentalists who admit CCA treated wood is safe to use, yet still want it eliminated (see story, p.2O). Such a radical battle cry can cause uninfonned listeners to suspect that CCA is not so safe, after all.

This is, of course, nonsense. CCA has been safely used for decades without any appreciable problem. But the public fear of chemicals runs deep and the opposition zealots arc skilled at playing upon these concerns. The Environmental Protection Agency, hardly a friend to industry, has consistently given CCA a clean bill of bealth. But no matter to the greens, truth has once again become the fint casualty in a war.

The war continues and the question becomes how will industry defend itself. Will it collectively rise up in a magnificent, coordinated campaigrr to once and for all convince the public that the greens are wrong? Or will we again see small skirurishes by isolated pockes within the industry, underfunded, undernanned, yet valiantly fighting for what they know is correct, accurate and true?

Lumber

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I'Yellow Pine Boords (Potterns)

2x4thru2x12#1, #2, #3 S4S Yettow Pine

1',2n, 4u,6' Yellow Pine Wolmonized l" Ponderoso Pine Boords 'C','D', #2, #3

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2" Spruce Pine Fir #2 & Better. Utility Redwood & Cedor- Inventory

Yellow Pine CDX &

Yellow Pine BC Sonded

Yellow Pine Premium & Decorolive Sidings

Woferboords

Fir Sonded & Fh Siidings

Hordwood Pt) /ood

Hordboord Sidings - Mosonite *l &f2

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