One Common Ground Trees are the Answer

TREES ARE THE ANSWER

By DALLIN BROOKS, Executive Director

Iattended a meeting earlier this year where they had several presentations on how the image of forestry is changing by promoting good forestry practices. It was a rah-rah moment, with everyone patting themselves on the back. I raised my hand and asked a simple question. “Is it better to focus on the negative or the positive?”

The milk industry does not talk about how their cows are treated; they brand the positive attributes of milk by highlighting how much we need it. The same goes for beef, chicken, pork, and potatoes. They also kill a living organism but get very little resistance to it. Telling people how nice we treat trees as we cut them down does not give us the positive image we want. To those who care and call themselves environmentalists, we still killed a living organism that they mistakenly think would live forever. Visiting mills, I have seen the old black and white pictures of men standing next to a large tree they cut down. The unwritten boast is “Look! What we did,” before technology, but the other side sees that and says, “Look what you did!” to that beautiful tree. We can be our own worst enemy with the messages that we share.

WHAT DO OTHERS THINK OF THE HARDWOOD INDUSTRY?

My generalized guess goes something like this:

The softwood industry-Hardwood is not part of us because it is not structural or automated.

The loggers-Hardwood is sustainable but more work than softwood.

The hardwood manufacturers-Hardwood from me is better than from him.

The competitive materials-Hardwood requires lots of maintenance and does not last as long.

The environmentalists-Hardwood is deforestation.

The contractor-Hardwood is expensive and complicated to install with high callbacks due to shrinking and swelling.

The academics-Hardwood is the best product for carbon sequestration, low carbon footprint, and sustainability.

The architects-Hardwood is wood, but I can get the same look in other materials.

The NHLA staff-Hardwood is not going away and will be used in the future.

The regulators-Hardwood harvesting poses risks to the long-eared bat and other critical organisms.

Like everything that grows, hardwood provides food, logistics, and habitat. Food for many organisms like carpenter ants, hardwoodfocused insects, boring beetles, termites, and decay fungi. Logistics and habitat for the same insects, beetles, and organisms that eat it along with the birds, small mammals, big game, and, yes, even humans. You already knew that, but do: • The specifiers • The construction industry • The competitive materials • The environmentalists • The consumers • The regulators

The Real American Hardwood Coalition is the opportunity for the hardwood industry to tell the whole forest story from our positive appeal. We can help the entire forest industry change perceptions by focusing on how our products encourage forest health, strong rural communities, and economic growth that is better for the environmental goals of everyone.

We have common ground with the die-hard, forest-loving environmentalists. Trees are the answer; we are here to keep them growing, use those maturing past their viability, and provide modern logistics and habitat for them to enjoy. We all need to contribute to the positive message about using Real American Hardwood, as everyone agrees common ground is better.

Dallin Brooks NHLA Executive Director | dallin@nhla.com

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