PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Boise Day of Action
by Becky Franz Monday, Mar. 17, 2003 at 3:04 AM
thingrnline@msn.com 412-648-4214

National Day of Action against Boise Forests are Falling

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2003
Contact: Rebecca Franz 412-648-4214

University of Pittsburgh and Blockbusters: Partners in Forest Destruction

On Thursday, March 20, 2003 students will participate in the National Day of Action against timber giant Boise. Students will gather at 1pm in front of Boise corporate customer Blockbusters on 6300 Forbes Ave to demand they cancel their Boise contract. Students are also protesting the University of Pittsburgh�s Boise contracts.
Boise is the fourth largest logging company in the United States. A multinational corporation, Boise sells lumber and building materials, paper products, and office supplies to businesses and universities in the United States, Western Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Between 1991 to 2001 Boise was the largest purchaser of public lands in the US, and in 2001 Boise was the second largest timber buyer from national forests in ancient forest regions. Boise also has operations in South America and Southeast Asia.


In January 2000 the US Forest Service attempted to protect 60 million acres of wild forests through an initiative called the Roadless Area Conservation Policy. More than 1.6 million Americans submitted comments with over 95 percent of them favoring the rule; however, Boise became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit opposing the measure.

This is a complementary article:


The forests of this world are falling...and falling fast. They are falling victim to chainsaws which are being operated by greed and to consumerism, materialism, and waste. More than half the world's forests have been permanently destroyed, while between 1980 and 1985 alone, over 200 million hectares, an area larger than the size of Mexico, was liquidated. The United States, itself, has already lost 95 percent of its native stands, and the pace of this destruction continues with an acre of forest being destroyed every 1.3 seconds.


But statistics mean nothing if what they represent hold no values. What values do the forests of this world hold? In monetary terms services provided by forests are worth at least $4.7 trillion a year. Forests supply clean water to communities that would of otherwise had to build a costly water filtration plant. Forests sequester carbon. Recreation, hunting, and fishing on forests provide tourist-dependent communities with income and jobs. For example, National Forests generate 2.9 million jobs through recreation alone each year.


However, for many, including myself, the value of the forest cannot be measured by money because like the many greats in life like love, family, and friendship, the forests are priceless. They provide solitude, and their complexity and intricacy are sources of ceaseless wander and amazement. Forests radiate with a love that can be felt nowhere else. And for over 500 million people, the forests of this world are their home in which they have lived harmoniously for countless generations. Surely for them, the forests can be given no price tag. And if that isn't enough, within these ecosystems may lie the cure to cancer or AIDS. How much is it worth to save a loved one from these ravaging diseases?


With so much to lose, why are the forests of this world being destroyed at such an staggering rate? The answer is simple: greed. Any person fighting for human rights, peace, or any kind of social justice can understand this plain and clear. It is greed that perpetuates sweatshops, war, and poverty. This is our common bond. There is no separate social justice movement and environmental movement, we are one movement for we are both fighting for a better tomorrow.


Timber companies are some of the greediest, most aggressive industries in the market. The fourth largest timber company, Boise, is one of the greediest and not surprisingly at the forefront of forest destruction. Between 1991 to 2001 Boise was the largest purchaser of public lands in the US, and in 2001 Boise was the second largest timber buyer from national forests in ancient forest regions. Boise is an international forest destroyer liquidating rainforests in South America, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia.


While hard at work destroying the world's forests, Boise is also working hard to dismantle any laws that would protect forests or in their eyes, disrupt business. In January 2000 the US Forest Service attempted to protect 60 million acres of wild forests through an iniative called the Roadless Area Conservation Policy. More than 1.6 million Americans submitted comments with over 95 percent of them favoring the rule; however, Boise saw fit to become the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit opposing the measure. Boise is not the only and by means the worst of the timber companies, but they are a clear example of timber industry greed.


Cars, houses, clothes and, yes, money won't mean anything if the air we breathe is unbreathable, the water we drink is undrinkable, and the land we live on is uninhabitable. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "What is the use of a house if you haven�t a tolerable planet to put it on?�

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