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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW John Muir school expands ... Prosecution: Defendant said he was sorry for stabbing ... Direct hit: Storm leaves destruction in its wake ... John Muir school expands ... Prosecution: Defendant said he was sorry for stabbing ... Direct hit: Storm leaves destruction in its wake ... ANOTHER VIEW Another View: Logging still has a place in Oregon Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 12:01 AM Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Albany Democrat-Herald The New York Times ran a story in its Saturday editions about Sweet Home and the town's attempts to redefine itself now that federal forests don't produce nearly the level of timber that they have in the past. The story likely was of interest to the paper's readers, but it probably didn't tell Sweet Home residents or citizens of Linn County anything they didn't already know. But it sometimes is worthwhile to take a look at the broader issues at play here, and the Times story offers an opportunity to do that again. And it's particularly timely, considering that the lame-duck session of Congress is poised to take another whack at legislation that could increase the timber harvest on the state's Oregon & California Railroad lands. The notion of reinvention is at the heart of the Times story, and that's another verse in a song we've heard many times before: Timber towns around the West need to reinvent themselves to accommodate an era with fewer jobs in the forests. We buy into some of that. But there needs to be a place for timber even in these reinvented Western communities, and it's awfully easy to forget about that. Nationally, we have moved toward a sense that these lands needed to be managed for other uses in addition to timber — for watershed and habitat protection, for example. Regionally, the northern spotted owl — which requires old-growth forest to survive — forced diminished timber harvests in national forests. Today, the timber harvest on federal land in Oregon is about 10 percent what it was 15 years ago. Other factors have come into play as well: Automation in the timber business, both in harvesting and milling, means that some wood-products jobs never will return, even if logging activities ramp up again. Other former logging towns around the West have managed to reinvent themselves: Lebanon is perhaps the primary example in the mid-valley. But people forget that it took a quarter-century of planning, vision and focus for that city to pull itself off the mat. Sweet Home — and many towns throughout the West in similar straits — has promising projects underway to tackle that reinvention. In Sweet Home, the national forest is at the heart of those projects. But participants in these efforts need to remember that logging always will have a place in rural economies in the western United States. To pretend otherwise not only fails to appreciate the histories of these communities, but shows a short-sightedness guaranteed to hobble any effort at reinvention. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501