This Very Solid post is about my gratitude for wood, specifically pine wood. While walking my dog I was looking at all the (now) bare trees and it dawned on me: as much as I had spewed my disdain over pine trees in the past, we would have very little green here up North in the winter if it were not for those trees I had previously spoken Ill of. That being said I was also thinking about all the lumber they provide.
While many environmentalists would have you think that cutting down any tree is bad the truth is that trees are a crop and because they are our tree population is on the rebound and growing the right direction. If you feel really sad about cutting down trees, especially for Christmas, then go to where they sell Christmas trees and purchase a Charlie Brown tree so it didn't die in vain.
I actually did do some research for this post and I found these interesting snippets:
According to Farming Magazine:
There’s a commercial value of some sort to almost everything on a woodlot. However, the most financial gain can be found in high-value trees. These highly sought after trees can best be described as tall, straight, large in diameter, hardwood trees with no obvious defects to the stem. When successfully harvested, high-value trees can yield profitable high-grade lumber and fine veneer quality plywood.
If you are like me you figure a good "Hard wood" will take 50+ years to grow... guess again!
According to WorldTree.Eco. The record-breaking growth honor belongs to The Empress Splendor (botanical name Paulownia fortunei and P. elongata) is the fastest-growing tree in the world. A hardwood, it can grow 10-20 feet in its first year and reaches maturity within 10 years.
David A Kelly, former Pulp & Paper Technical & Operations Management at Forest Products Industry; Specialty Energy and Environment shares with us:
New Zealand needed to answer this question (what tree can we grow to replenish our tree deficit) when they realized that none of the species of prized native trees could mature at a rate that would restock their forests. They tested around 100 species from around the world, and settled on Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata). It has a maturity to usable lumber dimensions in 15 to 20 years. Over 80% of New Zealand’s plantation forests are now Monterey Pine.
I was thinking, with GREAT confidence that my home State of MN must be the largest producer of lumber in the USA... WRONG Bob! In modern times, the state of Maine remains the top producer of white pine lumber in the United States. It is estimated that logging contributes more than $600 million to the state's economy every year. Who knew (except possibly Roy Kelley and Bob Crane )?
This post is my 2nd weeks entry into the NOVEMBER 2022 THANKSGIVING GRATITUDE CHALLENGE
By Debe Maxwell, CRS
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