• The logging industry provides jobs all across America.log truck 2 image by Jim Parkin from Fotolia.com
  
  Environmental activists have focused attention on the deforestation of the planet. The rain forests of the world are being destroyed at the rate of 1 1/2 acres per second. Rampant cutting of old growth timber has destroyed forests that can never be replaced. However, the timber industry is often unfairly criticized. Tree cutting also has many positive affects on the health of our forests.
  
  

Christmas Tree Harvesting

• Thousands of Christmas trees are harvested annually.CHRISTMAS TREES image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com
  
  A fresh cut Christmas tree personifies the season. Christmas tree farms are planted as a tree crop. The trees are cut or harvested when they reach a desired size and shape. New trees are planted in place of trees removed, ensuring a sustainable harvest. Christmas tree farms provide employment for tree cutters, truck drivers, marketing and sales personnel while bringing joy to families throughout America.
  
  

Selective Logging

• Insect damage causes trees to die.beetle in the tree image by Irina Kodentseva from Fotolia.com
  
  Across Montana, Idaho and Colorado, Spruce Tree beetles are slowly killing the forests. Infested areas are logged to control the spread of the infestation and to remove trees that have succumb to the beetles attack. Loggers and state logging associations practice good stewardship of the land and log dead or diseased timber or tracts that need to be thinned out for the overall health of the forest.
  
  

Forest Fire Control

• Forest fire image by Sergey Yakovenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Diseased, dead trees and underbrush create fire fuel. A forest fire will quickly spread when there is ground fuel to feed it. Also known as ladder fuel, dead trees and branches on the forest floor allow a forest fire too move quickly, burning large tracts of healthy trees. Selective logging and removal of these trees and debris improve the overall health of the forest and help prevent devastating wildfires.
  
  

Tree Thinning Promotes a Healthy Forest

• Trees that are growing too close together cannot reach full maturity. Thinning of the forest is required if trees are to reach their full potential. Selective logging of the forest allows sun to penetrate and branches to spread out. The Lumber Quality Institute states, "Many people mistakenly think that all our forests are being cut never to return. That is simply not so. Yearly, hundreds of millions of new trees are planted by industry foresters. More wood fiber is being grown than is being cut in the U.S. each year."