I second Gabel's point. Many more people are here than the earth really "needs" at the moment, which puts pressure on the forests the world over, be it for housing or charcoal.
Here in Maine, because of the housing bust, sawmills have shutdown (and even paper mills are getting sketchy). This is horrible for the locals, yet "good" for forest sustainiblity.
Seems like one typically looses while the other wins. Can it ever be a win-win? It can if we diversify our housing material and create new industries so the forest can have a break.
Another pressure on our (North American)forests that boggles the mind is the new cycle of hurricane rebuilding of homes...I guess I should add wildfires to the list, too.
Seems like we had an epedemic of storms a few years ago that must have kept those sawmills humming supplying material for the Gulf Coast that kept re-building. Hurricane Katrina, etc...
Perhaps this is a policy that needs addressing. Why re-build w/ wood if another storm is only a few years off? If I lived in New Orleans, I'd want a house about 10-feet off the ground and made of heavily reinforced concrete. (My wife might not find it appealing, but the forest would!!)
I had a memorable discussion with someone shortly after Katrina happened. She said the estimated money needed for reconstruction and FEMA and levees, etc. equalled to giving every household $1 million in cash to start anew somewhere else. But of course that alternative did not happen. It was probably never even seriously considered. Politically unpopular. Perhaps it was a "These Colors Don't Run" attitude...
At any rate, It took centuries for the forests to "build" this country. But storms make quick work. The forest is not an endless "bank" of building material no matter what the Home Depot says... But I bet the board room likes hurricanes.
stop me if I'm ranting....
