At The Refinishing Touch we have a deep interest in wood: where it comes from, how it is logged sustainably and how the furniture interest can support the US industry, and avoid needless and unsustainable logging. With that in mind, this story about a logging community in Oregon is close to our hearts.
John Day, of GrantCounty, in Oregon has only one wood mill left (Malheur Lumber Co.) after a rapid decline in local mills over the last twenty years. Lumber mills have been the backbone of GrantCounty since anyone can remember and the local community is bleak about the chances it has for surviving.
The problem isn't so much the log demand, the pine trees are growing thicker than before, but the money driving the mills. The recession has obviously only added to the problems, swallowing up loggers, wood-product makers and mills across the state. Prices for an average ponderosa pine log fell from $500 for 1,000 board feet last year to less than $240 this year.
John Shelk, managing director of the Ochoco Lumber Co. in Prineville, OR told The Oregonian recently, "We have a real strong feeling for the John Day community. We feel an obligation to keep the mill open if possible, but we have had multiyear losses."
With GrantCounty being a mountainous terrain, the option to use the land for other re-useable energy projects is almost zero. With canyons and the thick forest covering vast areas, there has been no talk of wind turbines or solar panels to plug the gap left by logging. However, something that looks like it could work would be a biomass plant, something that would require logging to take place – but this is years down the line.
TRT feels strongly about the topic. The concern for wood isn't just about the sustainability of the environment – it's about the sustainability of communities. We see far too many pieces of furniture that come needlessly from far-off lands and are made of rare and endangered woods. It's important that American consumers and American manufacturers support our own sustainable logging industry.
