EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA

Eric Frei · 14th March 2009, 05:13 PM

I dont mind controversy, a difference of opinion but when trying to pass absolute bullshit for truth and fact my blood pressure goes through the roof.

Have a read of this article written by Doug Graham.
The Daily Eastern News

Quote:

Column: The truth about 'killing trees'

I'm all for conservation, but something I value more than the protection of America's forests is the truth: The phrase "killing trees" is misused by the misinformed masses who think they are saving the forests, but are really merely broadcasting their ignorance of the way American paper products are produced.

The concept of "killing trees" is repeated so often that the thought of it being rooted in fiction is difficult for many to understand.

The average American understands paper comes from trees and in order for paper to be produced, it is necessary for a tree to be cut down. So far, the thought process is completely true.

Unfortunately, it is here the truth is obstructed by footage we've seen on the news. Images of large yellow trucks tearing down beautiful, virgin trees or protesters chaining themselves to a particularly old trees have led many to think that it is common practice for timber companies to acquire lumber in socially questionable ways.

Fortunately, the American timber industry does not rely on already existing trees as material for their products. No matter how many times stock footage of men with chainsaws stealing another of God's shady gifts from the earth is broadcasted on the news, it doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of trees used in product production come from tree farms.

A tree farm is exactly what it sounds like: A piece of land is selected for trees to be planted on where they will grow until they are ready to be harvested.

When put in those simple terms it is difficult to believe that people can still go around comparing the use of paper products to murder.

If people applied the same aggressive vocabulary when discussing someone's consumption of any other product it would sound ridiculous.

Would you accuse someone who goes back to the salad bar for another bowl of salad of being a "lettuce killer"? If your friend decided to get a small order of fries instead of the large, would you pat them on the back and congratulate them for "saving potatoes"?

Another misconception strongly tied to this one is the idea that our overuse of paper products has drained our national tree supply.

Anyone who understands supply and demand could tell you where the logic fails. Industry strives to meet the demands of the consumers. If there was a sudden increase in demand for paper products, the industry would merely increase its production by planting more trees for harvest.

And that is what has happened. The amount of trees in this country has tripled since 1920.

Although it may not sound as dramatic, when you make strides to avoid using paper you are not saving a tree from its premature death, you are being efficient, and though that may not sound as cool, it is the truth.

Doug Graham is a freshman journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com

The line "The amount of trees in this country has tripled since 1920" is what got me going.

Immediately after reading this article I emailed the author and asked what references he had and facts to validate that as it just didn't sit right.

I got this response.

Quote:

Regarding the line I used in the column "The amount of trees in this country has tripled since 1920."- That was a line that I transcribed from an episode of "Pen & Teller's Bullshit!" a show on the showtime channel that tries to debunk a different lie or conspiracy in every 1/2 hour long episode. The episode the line was from was in season 2, episode 5 in which Penn & Teller attempt to claim that America's recycling program is bullshit, claiming it to be a waste of federal dollars and unnecessary because of America's potential landfill space.

I highly encourage you to seek out the episode, it is a controversial one because members of my generation have had recycling on the brain since kindergarden. The line I quoted from the episode comes at around the 18 minute mark during a segment that I'm sure you, as the runner of a website focusing on trees, would appreciate which focuses on debunking the idea that by recycling paper one is preventing trees from being cut down, which they say isn't true because most trees we use for paper come from tree farms.

Addressing your point of verification, my answer is 'I don't know how you would verify it'.

When it all boils down, Penn and Teller are entertainers and the idea of them sitting in the writers room and fabricating an exciting lie among many boring truths is entirely plausible.

I hope that is not the case because that would make me a lazy columnist/reporter who isn't using verified facts and taking TV personalities at their word, a crime that I hoped never to be accused of.

To which I replied by email ....

Quote:

Doug,

After some extensive research that goes beyond TV ratings and rantings it appears your statement was grossly incorrect.

The best resource I found is this powerpoint presentation from a reputable source.
http://fia.fs.fed.us/slides/major-trends.ppt

Also to back it up is this quote:-
It is estimated that—at the beginning of European settlement—

in 1630 the area of forest land that would become

the United States was 423 million hectares or about 46

percent of the total land area. By 1907, the area of forest

land had declined to an estimated 307 million hectares or

34 percent of the total land area. Forest area has been relatively

stable since 1907.

And that is also from the same source:
http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/bri...actsMetric.pdf

There's also a neat little quiz on this site:
United States Forests - Ten Important Questions

I hope in your professional career you do better research in future, printing of mis-information and lies is extremely poor practice to make interesting stories, in this day and age readers are beyond the BULLSHIT and able to confirm within no time on the internet what is shit from clay.

Yes, I'm being tough on you, because I'm not even a qualified journalist or columnist however I do know when it looks like bullshit, reads like bullshit and sounds like bullshit it generally is.

I hope you publish a retraction and error message, or many more will add your myths to their existing so they can damage the planets ecosystems even more.

Man made monoculture forests for wood production are not a patch on natural eco systems, there's more to trees than wood, there's a whole environment that lives with them and diversification is the key.

Sadly I was looking for gold at the end of a rainbow, and should have known better.

Regards
Eric Frei
www.treeworld.info

Interestingly there were some reply's on their website, and as expected some typical sheep jumped straight on the bandwagon validating the myth ... that's what media does, spreads bullshit and makes it fact by having enough people believe it.

Here's the comments page.
The Daily Eastern News

Quote:

Larry Wiseman
posted 3/11/09 @ 11:04 AM CST
Refreshing, and accurate. If you walk through the woods of New England, for example, and chance to look down, you'll see the remains of stone walls that transected the old farms. States like New Hampshire and Vermont [and Mississippi and Alabama] were virtually forest-less 150 years ago. Today, trees cover as much as 75 percent of the state. So much for the fear we're "running out" of forests. From the early 20th century till today, the real threat to forest health hasn't been logging. It's development. In the South, we're losing about 1 million acres a year to shopping malls and subdivisions. Let's worry about that, and stop whining every time somebody cuts a tree they planted a couple of decades ago.

LEE GROTHE
posted 3/12/09 @ 3:24 AM CST
GREAT ARTICLE! ONE ADDITIONAL TIDBIT! THERE IS MORE HARVESTABLE TIMBER TODAY IN AMERICA THAN THERE WAS 200 YEARS AGO. TREES ARE TRULY OUR RENEWABLE RESOURCE!

LEE GROTHE

jb
posted 3/12/09 @ 9:27 PM CST
If only all paper products sold here were made in America by these socially and environmentally conscious souls. But, they aren't.

Eric Frei
posted 3/14/09 @ 12:48 AM CST
The article is incorrect and poorly researched.

Whilst some may want to cling to a glimmer of hope that all is well with forestry, trees and products that is far from the case.

1920 was the all time low for tree coverage in USA due to logging and poor environmental practices. It was an opportune date to pick to make comparisons to today.

However today the number are about on par, difference is a lot of natural forest has been replaced with man made monoculture forests for harvest.

These forests simply lack the longivity and do not support the broad range of ecological benefits, there's more to forests than wood!

To validate the line "The amount of trees in this country has tripled since 1920." The author informed me they used a very credible source, Penn and Tellers Bullshit TV show on recycling. Now I wonder if rantings and ravings of some TV show is the future of our trusted information. So I did a quick whip around USA forestry sites and came up with some real valid data.

Here it is.

http://fia.fs.fed.us/slides/major-trends.ppt

http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/bri...actsMetric.pdf

And even a short quiz for some.

United States Forests - Ten Important Questions

And I'm not even a journalist yet I do my homework before spreading more myths that gather support as shown here.

Bruce Hopf · 14th March 2009, 11:06 PM

Good Going Ekka. Here I thought at First, that you were Quoting something from AS,

, but I know that you wouldn't Trash up this Web Site, with Their B.S.

Bruce.

newguy18 · 15th March 2009, 01:21 AM

And he does it again,seperates the shit from the clay.I'm all for planting and harvesting of trees,i'm sure in my area most of the pines end up as paper as well'but there is no way the amount of trees has tripled since 1920,seeing how there is less than one percent of the redwoods left.

Bruce Hopf · 15th March 2009, 11:19 AM

When i was a Long Distance Truck Driver, I took a Load from Vancouver British Columbia, down tho some place in Michigan. I had to cross over into Washington State, and I couldn't Believe the Amount of Clear Cutting that there was there.

Unbelievable.

Bruce.

Eric Frei · 15th March 2009, 02:27 PM

We're real bad here in Oz too, I think we only have half out original coverage.

(WLL) · 20th March 2009, 12:16 PM

Ekka's boots are taller than any shit pile that guy is swimming threw

treeshaveneeds · 5th August 2010, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy18

And he does it again,seperates the shit from the clay.I'm all for planting and harvesting of trees,i'm sure in my area most of the pines end up as paper as well'but there is no way the amount of trees has tripled since 1920,seeing how there is less than one percent of the redwoods left.

The quote may be accurate. There may well be triple the acreage of planted trees now, then in 1920. But this is nowhere near the same as triple the number of trees existing -- natural and planted -- now, vs 1920. One of the respondents indicated
LEE GROTHE
posted 3/12/09 @ 3:24 AM CST
GREAT ARTICLE! ONE ADDITIONAL TIDBIT! THERE IS MORE HARVESTABLE TIMBER TODAY IN AMERICA THAN THERE WAS 200 YEARS AGO. TREES ARE TRULY OUR RENEWABLE RESOURCE!

It is a great line. I believe the comment should read something like -- there is more timber harvested for useful end uses today, than there was 200 years ago. After all, 200 years ago, a lot of the timber was considered a nuisance and to be burned, often in burning bees, as a way of getting rid of the excess wood, so the land could be planted to a "useful" crop. And it was about 200 years ago that the supply of wide planks from enormous trees dwindled, as the giants were eradicated.

Additionally, while there are plantations of trees, that could be used for pulp or lumber, there are not nearly enough plantations, nor enough wood to satisfy demand. Plantation trees tend to grow quickly, which makes for weak lumber. There are still vast areas of Ontario and Canada that are clearcut for pulp and lumber. Most plantations need a growing cycle of minimum 50 years, often 80-100 years, and tending during that time (which doesn't happen). We have not been planting plantations long enough to have a significant impact on the cutting of the natural forests.
The biggest change to clearcutting, has been the recycling of newsprint and cardboard, and dissemination of info on the web, rather than the overabundance of plantations and planted trees. We could have a similar effect on sawlogs by recycling the lumber in houses that are being torn down, instead of just trashing all the wood.

The myth that trees are a never ending renewable resource, is just a myth -- unless we make a drastic change in how we live and how we utilize existing resources.

Great work, Ekka!

jmcg.insight.gardens · 5th August 2010, 10:56 PM

It seems that in general people would rather believe that fellows myth than face the truth of the rampant deforestation of the world, it's easier to believe in a fairy tale, more conveniant.

What's the stats' on the forests of the Orangutangs, five more years?

Quote:

And he does it again,seperates the shit from the clay.I'm all for planting and harvesting of trees,i'm sure in my area most of the pines end up as paper as well'but there is no way the amount of trees has tripled since 1920,seeing how there is less than one percent of the redwoods left.

__________________

pretty sad to think that there is only one percent of the Redwoods left,

I'm all for plantations, but revegetation for biodiversity has to be one of our most important concerns for future generations.

Julie

Eric Frei · 6th August 2010, 07:48 AM

I watched a great Imax movie at Dreamworld about tigers too in India and their perils.

It featured some Pommy guy who hunted them in the beginning who then realised the importance of preservation and setting aside large protected parks for them.

It was amazaing to see how steep a hill Indians cultivated, dang mountain sides.

14th March 2009, 11:06 PM	#2
Bruce Hopf Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North of Sebringville, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,140	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA Good Going Ekka. Here I thought at First, that you were Quoting something from AS, , but I know that you wouldn't Trash up this Web Site, with Their B.S. Bruce. __________________ McCulloch chain saws 1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's, 2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener, 1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver 2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10 Stihl chain saws 2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084, Strunk chain saws 1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

15th March 2009, 01:21 AM	#3
newguy18 Part of the Furniture Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: orlando,fl Posts: 5,206	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA And he does it again,seperates the shit from the clay.I'm all for planting and harvesting of trees,i'm sure in my area most of the pines end up as paper as well'but there is no way the amount of trees has tripled since 1920,seeing how there is less than one percent of the redwoods left. __________________ Have your say join us today. I ship USA saws out of the USA old schooler

15th March 2009, 11:19 AM	#4
Bruce Hopf Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North of Sebringville, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,140	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA When i was a Long Distance Truck Driver, I took a Load from Vancouver British Columbia, down tho some place in Michigan. I had to cross over into Washington State, and I couldn't Believe the Amount of Clear Cutting that there was there. Unbelievable. Bruce. __________________ McCulloch chain saws 1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's, 2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener, 1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver 2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10 Stihl chain saws 2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084, Strunk chain saws 1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

15th March 2009, 02:27 PM	#5
Eric Frei Admin - Australia's most prominant Arborist - prev Ekka Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 10,775	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA We're real bad here in Oz too, I think we only have half out original coverage. __________________ Free Online Tree Value Calculator by TreeWorld Free Online TPZ and SRZ AS4970-2009 Calculator by TreeWorld Free Online Tree Surface Area and Tree Volume Calculator by TreeWorld My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist \| Project Arborist

20th March 2009, 12:16 PM	#6
(WLL) Mature tree Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: pa Posts: 249	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA Ekka's boots are taller than any shit pile that guy is swimming threw __________________ Harder than theTH, and his pack of goons

6th August 2010, 07:48 AM	#9
Eric Frei Admin - Australia's most prominant Arborist - prev Ekka Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 10,775	Re: EXPLICIT BULLSHIT from DenNews.com USA I watched a great Imax movie at Dreamworld about tigers too in India and their perils. It featured some Pommy guy who hunted them in the beginning who then realised the importance of preservation and setting aside large protected parks for them. It was amazaing to see how steep a hill Indians cultivated, dang mountain sides. __________________ Free Online Tree Value Calculator by TreeWorld Free Online TPZ and SRZ AS4970-2009 Calculator by TreeWorld Free Online Tree Surface Area and Tree Volume Calculator by TreeWorld My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist \| Project Arborist

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