Re: loggers who claim to speak for the trees.
That was then, this is now. Oly was a last hold-out of old-school logging practices, which you probably know (not being disingenuous, are you?). For an insider's look at that particular situation, see this page. Note the aerial pictures showing the regrowth in a mere 30 years or so. The forests are a lot more resilient than people are given to believe.
You often won't see the intentionally planted seedlings on casual inspection, but trust me, they are usually there ... although the forest is pretty good about starting seedlings all by itself when sunlight manages to hit the ground. Sometimes a good fire helps (if you don't believe me, take a tour of the burn zones from a couple years ago here in Northern California).
Those stumps are left for all kinds of reasons. Usually it's a combination of being on a hill (the stump looks taller from the down-hill side), and the bell or flair at the bottom making for a pain in the butt hauling it out of the woods, and at the sawmill (for irregular size and sap reasons, and occasional metal embedded down low), so they cut above it. Sometimes we'll cut above a rotted heart.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
