Weyerhaeuser Speeches and Interviews

It is a great honor to be here with the College of Forest Resources graduating Class of 2001!

It was 30 years ago that I completed my undergraduate program in Forestry at the University of Michigan. And it was 25 years ago that I completed my Masters Program here at the College of Forest Resources. These milestones caused me to reflect and conclude that for you graduates some of your parents are probably my age. Sadly, for me, some are probably much younger.

Thinking about this occasion, I reflected on the world of forestry I entered and how different the world of forestry will be for you. This reflection led me to title these remarks “Not Your Father’s Forestry.” I hope women will continue to populate the profession so that the title could alternatively be “Not Your Mother’s Forestry.”

I hope you will remember some of what I say today. But let me confess. The only thing I remember about my commencement was that it was long. So, as I put together my remarks I was thinking-—be thoughtful, be provocative. Then I said, make the graduates happy—be brief.

Before I begin, let me explain that when I refer to foresters, I’m also including the wildlife biologists, hydrologists and other professionals who care for the forest, as well as those in paper science and engineering.

Background: My Personal Journey into Forestry

My personal journey with forestry started as a youngster in the Deep South. We were mostly dirt farmers in rural Alabama, and by today’s standards, we were dirt poor. I vividly recall my teachers and school principals telling us students that if we didn’t stay in school and get an education, we would be doomed to work in the woods for the rest of our lives.

So, at an early age, my authority figures held up forestry as the poster child for academic and professional failure!

I’m not normally defiant, but I ignored their advice and joined the profession.

Over 30 years ago, I left the Southern Pine forest of Tuskegee University in Alabama and flew on a plane for the second time in my life … heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I then drove several hours to the spruce, fir, aspen and maple forest in Michigan’s upper peninsula.

For eleven weeks, I was one of 40 students enrolled in forestry camp at the University of Michigan. Five and a half days a week, we had classroom instruction in a working forest owned by the University. The nearest community was about an hour’s drive away.

We lived in cabins, slept in bunk beds and hiked about 100 yards to the community restroom and shower.

Up before dawn, we would eat a huge logger’s breakfast, pack a lunch, load into the “cattle truck” and proceed into the forest where we would break into teams for our daily class work.

On Saturday nights, we would sometimes gather around the compound campfire circle on Golden Lake and talk about our career ambitions.

It was 1970, the height of the Vietnam anti-war movement! The civil rights movement was going strong. Women’s liberation was emerging as a movement. It was the year of the first Earth Day and people were heading “back to the earth”!

Forty students attended that camp — 39 male and one female, the first woman in forestry camp history.

As we talked about our ambitions around the campfire with Professor Bassett, there was a common theme among the 40 students. We wanted to:

-work in remote areas
-get away from the population centers
-and get away from people problems.

Today there is no forest region of the world where a practicing forester can escape the impact of people on the management of forests and other natural resources.

This is not your father’s forestry!

The challenge ahead for foresters

You’ll soon be entering a more challenging, more exciting profession than the one I first entered.

When I first graduated from forestry school, foresters were as well-loved and not much more controversial than Smokey Bear. We were viewed as people who knew how to grow healthy trees and take care of forests.

The world has changed since then — as has the public’s view of forests and forestry.

Let me mention some of the major changes:

1. There is a much broader view of what forestry entails. No longer is it just about trees. It’s about watershed protection; habitat preservation for critters large, small and microscopic; clean air; carbon sequestration; and scenic, recreational, cultural and, yes, spiritual values.

2. People are not just concerned about the forest next door. They’re also concerned about forests around the globe, for example, those in Russia or Brazil—and they’re quite likely to confuse forestry issues abroad with those at home.

Given these changes, what’s the role of today’s foresters? I don’t think it’s a great stretch to say that foresters are expected to play God over the land they manage. That means making sure that the trees, the water, the soil, the birds and the animals are all in proper order.

For those who prefer the quiet contemplative life of a Thoreau, forestry ain’t it any more. But for those who want to make a difference, now is a great time to be in the forestry profession.

Public perceptions are important

In your father’s forestry, a blend of good science and good economics drove forest-management decisions.

But today, to a significant extent, public perceptions are determining how we go about our business, including how we practice forestry and how we produce the products that come from them.

In Washington state, for example, we’ve hired a landscape design firm to help us make our clearcuts more attractive to the public. We now contour them to the land, rather than just harvesting in squares. We also leave trees along the ridge tops so that they form an unbroken line against the sky.

Public perceptions and values also are impacting forestry from the product side. Consumers in some areas are boycotting stores that sell lumber that can’t be identified as coming from a sustainable source — or that can be identified as coming from an old-growth forest. You may have heard of consumer boycotts against Home Depot over this very issue.

Yes, you will sometimes find yourself in the eye of the hurricane. On the other hand, life won’t be dull!

Also, I believe you’ll experience the gratification of being involved with issues vital to preserving the earth as a viable and nurturing home for humans.

Global perspective on forestry

Let me elaborate on this point by spending a minute talking about the importance of forestry and wood products on a global basis, as well as what I would call a “higher purpose” for those of us in the forestry profession.

Wood products are made from a renewable resource and, to a large extent, the products themselves are recyclable. They also require less energy to make than products made from metals, petrochemical-based plastics, or cement.

Our profession can leave a fairly gentle footprint on the earth—if both forestry and manufacturing are conducted with the environment in mind.

Depending on the region, modern forestry can grow from three to 10 times the volume of wood per acre as an unmanaged forest—and much more quickly. This provides society the opportunity to have wood products on a sustainable basis without placing demands on the world’s most ecologically significant natural forests—or those that people wish to preserve for scenic, recreational, or other purposes.

In an article in the December, 1997 issue of Environment magazine, forestry and environmental experts Roger Sedjo and Daniel Botkin estimate that 20-40 percent of the world’s forests will be required to meet present demand via unmanaged, naturally regenerating forests. However, only 2-4 percent would be required if all the timber came from high yield, managed forests.

I know that the curriculum at the College of Forest Resources is preparing students for this expanded role—and I applaud the faculty and leadership for it. It is no longer enough for foresters to be conscientious stewards of the land. You must now be leaders.

This is your challenge going forward. So what might a day in the life look like? Well, if you were one of Weyerhaeuser’s foresters?

You might spend time studying the habits of a nesting pair of bald eagles or spotted owls.

You might spend time measuring the flow of a stream, or its temperature … or placing logs in pools to encourage salmon spawning.

You might work with an Indian tribe to identify ancient burial grounds or with a landscape firm to contour a harvest site.

You might appear at a town hall meeting to explain our forest practices – or you might sit down with governmental and tribal officials, environmentalists and others to hammer out a piece of legislation such as Washington’s Forest & Fish Agreement.

This is a lot more than I was responsible for when I first began my career, but I think you’ll agree it makes the job a lot more interesting.

It also makes it a lot more controversial.

My teachers in rural Alabama implored us to stay away from your father’s view of forestry. Your father’s forestry in rural Alabama reflected the low-tech side of forestry, where a strong back was more critical than a strong mind. Your forestry, on the other hand, is high tech …as are the products that come from the wood you grow.

Here are a few examples:

Engineered wood products stronger than steel

Fashionable clothing at Nordstrom made with cellulose from wood.

Corrugated paper packaging that can hold the equivalent of 5 steel barrels of pour-able material.

And the examples go on.

Your forestry will help assure that there is always enough wood to meet society’s needs – and forestry research will help you.

As a case in point, in the United States there is more land in forests today than 70 years ago – and significantly more wood growing on each acre of timberland. This is a tribute both to forestry and forestry research. It also holds out the promise of accomplishing a necessary global goal – that is, the provision of wood products to a growing world population while helping to preserve the environment.

So there you have it … some of the possibilities and perils of being a forester in today’s increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. You just may be thinking “Wow, what have I gotten myself into?”

Well, let me just conclude by saying that in spite of – or because of – what I’ve just told you, I think you’ve just gotten yourself into one of the most exciting and rewarding careers anyone could hope for.

So go out there:

Make a difference
Make some money
And, yes. Have fun!

Thank you.