More than 30 million acres of our national forestlands have been destroyed by clearcut logging. More than 95 percent of America's original forest cover has already been cut, almost entirely on public lands.
National Geographic, Sept. 1990
From 1980 to 1991, the U.S. Forest Service timber program operated at a net loss of $7.3 billion.
Congressional Hearing before the House Committee on Governmental Operations
Public lands timber sales are big money losers. From 1992 to 1994 the average loss nationwide was $450 per acre cut, or almost $1 billion added to the national debt.
Alliance for the Wild Rockies
For the last 18 years, less than fifty percent of the acres replanted by the Forest Service were certified as successfully restocked and regenerated. This failure cost taxpayers $314 per acre planted and $663 per acre certified.
Alliance for the Wild Rockies
Because of U.S. government subsidy of the logging industry, taxpayers, not industry, pay for timber sale administration, logging road construction, replanting, restoration, and many other related logging costs.
Tim Hermach, Native Forest Council
Between 1979 and 1988, while logging levels increased, more than 26,000 timber jobs disappeared. In 1979 it took almost five workers to produce one million board feet of timber. By 1990, due to automation, it took only three workers to produce the same amount.
Washington and Oregon Sate Dept. of Employment, 1991
Ending logging on public lands will increase the value of private timberlands. Publicly-subsidized timber undercuts true market value, forcing private timber owners to cut more trees to make up for artificially lower prices.
Tim Hermach, Native Forest Council
Native forests play an important role in creating topsoil, minimizing erosion, abating floods,preventing droughts, and cleansing the air. The National Forests system also provides over half of this nation's remaining wildlife habitat.
World Watch Institute, "State of the World", 1991
A nationwide poll conducted by the U.S. Forest Service found that 58% of Americans who expressed an opinion support ending all industrial resource extraction on public lands.
"Forest Service Values Poll Questions, Results and Analysis", USDA by Kaset Intl, Section 3