Even today, logging shapes life in the North Woods. Sure, most people here aren’t loggers. Even in rural areas, most people don’t even own their own chain saws, though many do. But logging is all around us. It’s even the subject of my latest column.
As I drive from Balsam to Grand Rapids these days, I see logging activity along the Scenic Highway. They’re redoing part of the road this summer, hence some of the trimming, but several big stands of aspen were felled in addition.
That’s not unusual. Forty-acre tracts are logged on 30- to 50-year cycles. The Blandin Paper Company logged its land next to ours when we built our house in 2005. I’ll be 65 when they do it again. My kids might see it logged twice more. In between, the forest regenerates with the aid of good forestry. My oldest son is becoming a forester because of what he saw growing up.
Federal, state, county and private lands are all logged regularly. But conditions now are very different than what most people imagine when they picture logging activity. Our collective imagination of logging is still stuck in the days of clear-cutting, logging camps and myths like Paul Bunyan.
Last month, I met with logging historians and modern day loggers. Today, my column in the Minnesota Star Tribune attacks some of the myths — past and present — that shape views of logging. The piece is titled “No place for myth in future of Minnesota forest industries.” As with mining, automation and mechanization reduces traditional jobs in logging, but we can create new ones in value-added industry. That is, if we can see the forest for the trees. (sorry)
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
