The modern gears of the American lumber industry grind with a renewed vision of sustainability, but are we thinking big enough to sustain our softwood appetite? The US Lumber Coalition maintains that North American lumber companies are changing their ways to use ‘complete’ production practices; by using every part of the tree, even down to sawdust and chips, and companies in the Coalition have reported more profit and far less waste. Despite this, clearcutting is still a scar on the United States landscape. While lumber industries are focused on soft wood rather than the sturdier but slow-growing hardwood counterparts, the trees are simply not growing back fast enough. Also, when spaces are clear cut, lumber companies drop seedlings of one species of trees; without species diversity the space burns hotter, faster, and easier during a forest fire. Forests of the Pacific Northwest and the South are bearing the brunt of clear cutting, which harms the ecosystem and increases flammability in the case of forest fires.
With the United States showing no signs of slowing its lumber intake, new innovations may not be the answer, perhaps we should look to old innovations.
During a cultural boom of the 14th century, Japanese woodworkers recognized their limited foresting land and increasing demand for wood was unsustainable. They developed the famous ‘daisugi’ technique, most recognizable in the Bonsai tree’s curated precision. By ‘shaping’ a tree trunk through ropes and pruning, multiple vertical trunks can sprout from a tree forced to grow horizontally. When the trunks are large enough to harvest, the horizontal part of the tree is still intact and will begin regrowth immediately. This process provides wood far more efficiently, and also maintains a better ecosystem because the original tree remains an active member of the food web. daisugi work was done within forests where dedicated arborists tended to their region’s trees. The Japanese daisugi technique is a productive and conscientious approach to lumber production. Historically, this practice was used on Japanese cedar, so environmentalists theorize the Pacific Northwest’s cedar forests could be the United State’s trial ground for the daisugi practice.
Modern arborists and farmers have used tried-and-true techniques for years, ancient techniques are not difficult to implement in modern production. With modern machinery, ancient techniques are often completed with two-fold efficiency. Take, for example, pollarding, first observed in 1st century Roman texts. The process involves cutting branches from the trunk, and sometimes chopping the trunk 5-7 feet from the ground. The tree will remain at a juvenile state ideal for fruit production, stay light and storm resistant, and grow back with a greater multitude of branches ideal for bearing fruit. Some historians even speculate this technique was the inspiration of the mythological creature Hydra. Pollarding was popular during the Roman empire for aesthetic and produce purposes as they had huge urban centers and a large demand for fresh fruit. Such resources like lumber would be shipped in from far flung conquered provinces. Many modern farmers, corporate and small businesses, use this practice now.
Modern lumber companies often practice coppicing. Also an ancient technique, coppicing is cutting a tree down within a foot from the ground. From the stump a new tree will grow, decreasing the regrowth period comparative to a seed-starting growth. While it is already used, the results are only moderately beneficial. By requiring a nearly complete regrowth process coppicing still destroys the tree’s benefits to the food web. Without a canopy for avian habitat, shade for lower growth plants, and bark for bug habitat the forest life faces serious repercussions. Coppicing is not the savior to the nation's wood demand, and it never has been.
In order to meet the needs of an industrious nation in a sustainable way, practices must change. Saving Earth’s beautiful forests is a steep undertaking, and the Japanese daisugi technique as well as pollarding are productive and thoughtful approaches to lumber production. Consider an alternative, if the United States were to impose harsh restrictions on national lumber companies, the financial strain would only encourage companies to move to other, less regulated, countries. Brutal clear cutting would still occur and valuable ecosystems would still disappear. There are tried and true techniques that could make the United State’s forest appetite more sustainable and eco-friendly, and they benefit lumber companies, consumers, and ecosystems.
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