Trees on way up - again

Wood is good.

That "duh" statement is brought to you courtesy of the Idaho Forest Products Commission. Of course you would expect the forest products industry to shine a friendly light on the business of harvesting timber and selling its many products, but this year's forest tour in North Idaho really was more than an eye-opener.

It was a perception-changer.

Many of us have bought into the belief that the forest products industry is hanging by a limb. It's a perception bolstered by headlines like this one, published Sunday in this newspaper's Business section: "2009 a terrible year for western lumber production." But last week's version of the annual Idaho forest tour gave real credence to the notion that the industry might be on its way up after bottoming out. In that sense it could mirror the national economy itself.

"People have different opinions about what we ought to do with forests," Dr. Jay O'Laughlin of the University of Idaho told forest tour participants Friday. "Forests will play a part in growing our economy. We're dependent on the (timber) industry to a great extent."

As a literal growth industry, there's abundant supply to meet increasing demand. Forests cover 40.5 percent of Idaho, generating 1 billion cubic feet of wood annually. About a quarter of that is harvested each year.

Our state, particularly those of us in the five northern counties, has become economically stronger since being forced to diversify when the lumber and mining industries spiraled downward several decades ago. Because of growing demand for energy and natural resources around the world, both timber and mining could be on long-term upswings. And that would bolster the region's economic portfolio, which already has been strengthened over that time span by tourism, technology and manufacturing.

We applaud an industry that is meeting life-threatening challenges by remaking itself through great technological advances and intelligent, cutting-edge management. A rejuvenated timber industry will help make Idaho's overall economy strong as oak.