American Timber Shipped Overseas: Will Quick Gains Lead to Long-term Disaster for American Markets?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-pierson-holding/why-logging-us-national-f_b_1014855.html

The article above addresses a major issue that is currently going on with the American timber markets: exportation of timber overseas, particularly to China. The article discusses that this practice will hurt our own timber markets, and the markets for American wood products as well. We need to think about sustainability, of both our economy as well as our forests, before worrying about short-term profits.

The issue many saw mills and timber sellers face is that China is willing to pay the most for our high quality logs, so it is hard not to sell to them. The Chinese realize the worth of these logs; that they are an investment for the future. They seem to have a particular interest in our Black Cherry, probably the most valuable and sought-after wood for high-value furniture and flooring. The value of these logs will only go up, and the fact that we are selling them overseas is nothing but foolish.

The problem goes beyond us simply giving away an investment. As we ship our logs to China, with them go opportunities for American labor. Any log we ship overseas is a log that could be processed here by our citizens, and turned into a quality American product.

I personally am all for free trade, but in this case, the playing fields are not even. By paying their workers all but nonexistent wages, the Chinese are able to pay more for our logs, cheaply produce wood products out of them, and sell them right back to us, cutting us out of jobs and business.

I have spoken with several saw mill owners during field trips in my forestry courses regarding this issue. Most believed that it comes down to morals of the seller, and I completely agree. Whether it is simply that they are unaware, or that they do not care, there needs to be more awareness of this problem. By selling timber overseas, we are losing a huge investment and crippling the American workforce, and it will only hurt us in the end.