LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Tree Huggers, Friend of Fo?

3K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  JLango 
#1 ·
Tree Huggers, Friend of Fo?

I was driving down the road with mill in tow when a car sped past me with several arms shooting the finger at me while yelling obscenities. They were referring to me as a #*%king tree killer and destroying the forest. If I could have talked to them they would have found I am not only concerned about saving trees but that rather than being part of the problem (yelling and screaming with no positive impact) I take action to be part of the solution.

This is not the first time I have been yelled at and probably wont be the last. I have spent many hours researching and spreading information in hopes of making a difference in the way trees are salvaged, recycled, used and the way it impacts the commercial timber industry.

There are many horror stories about wrongful action taken by those who want to change the timber industry for the better. Unfortunately most of the victims are loggers, sawmills and tree farmers. A friend who not only salvages and respects trees and the timber industry had two logging trucks completely destroyed by students who objected to the trees being removed for the construction of there classrooms (Santa Cruz, Ca.). This is a perfect example of ignorance by those striving to learn. Instead of doing there research and going the extra mile to make a positive impact some individuals or splinter group chose to act blindly resulting in slowing down real change and giving there cause bad Mo Jo.

Education = Power. There is no excuse for ignorance.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Sorry about the ignorance display. Perhaps its time for a magnet or sticker on your vehicle stating that you only work with salvage trees/logs? May help some?

Keep on salvaging and recycling, at least Lumberjocks know what you are doing….
 
#3 ·
No matter how hard you try, you just can't fix "Stupid". Most people will picket things that they aren't aware of. A lot of people suffer from "Lemming Syndrome" where they blindly follow anyone with what they believe to be a "cause". If you put a sticker or magnet on your car or truck to try to explain that you try your hardest to use reclaimed lumber, pretty soon you're a rolling billboard.

And it's news to me, but i didn't realize that a tree had a soul. If the ignorant people yelling at you and flipping you the "I'm stupid salute" really cared, they wouldn't be using up our fuel resources driving around aimlessly.

And then again, maybe I'm wrong. But there are several ways to look at this and you might have several options of retaliation. You could always smile and flip them off in return to show you, too, have what it takes to yell and show off your fingers one at a time. You could put a sign on the mill saying you stole it to save an entire forest from extinction. You could sell the mill, donate all your money from it to build a forest all your own and then go on welfare and be a lazy person chosing to live off the hard work of others or…

You could cut up every log that someone tells you you have the right and permission to cut up, buy a pair of head phones and turn up the music.

Oh, there is another sticker option that just came to mind. "SAVE A TREE, WIPE WITH A SPOTTED OWL!"
 
#4 ·
I put this action somewhere in there with the idea of other drivers seeing you singing in your car. You'll probably never see them again, so I don't worry about them so much. People don't always care HOW you got the lumber, just want to make a stink like they are better than you. That's how I see it.
 
#5 ·
The world would be a better place with fewer tree huggers and more tree planters….

A simple sign I saw on a log truck a few years ago.

"We planted 40,000 trees last year, provided (some number) of local jobs and saved a rain forest.

Support your local logger."

Q
 
#6 ·
Yes, they sped past you wasting fuel. Probably heading for the Sierras for a camping trip to sit around a fire using wood to make smores. Sitting there in their leather boots that a cow was killed, just for them. Don't get me started on the Santa Cruz mind set.
I believe in conserving and recycling and practice as much as possible but not to extremes.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top