The softwood threat must be dealt with harshly

[ochotona]

Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/ ... ood-lumber

[Maddy]

That Canada unfairly "subsidizes" its timber industry by allowing the harvesting of trees on government land implies that the same thing does not happen in the United States. Nothing could be further from the truth. I should post some pictures of large logging operations in this area--most of which are occurring on state and federal land pursuant to contracts between cash-strapped public entities and private timber companies. There aren't too many private contractors capable of bidding on these large contracts, so there's very little in the way of competition. Without these contracts, the larger timber companies would find themselves in a whole different economy.

BTW, people complain about developers cutting down trees. Well, you should see what happens on public land when these government contracts get awarded. They call it "moonscaping," if that gives you any clue. After literally everything is mowed down, they do an aerial spray with herbicide that destroys all of remaining vegetation so that the seedlings they (supposedly) stick in the ground can get light. But with the massive erosion that occurs, and the ecosystem completely ruined, it's difficult for anything to take hold. The whole area becomes a wasteland with a nice little "fringe" of trees that you see from the road.