MIKE ALBRECHT IS 2ND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN LOGGERS COUNCIL AND PAST PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATED CALIFORNIA LOGGERS.
The Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB) has expanded its workforce development contract to partner with Mother Lode Job Training in Tuolumne County, also working with Columbia College. Tuolumne County is Mike Albrecht’s “home base,” Mike is now involved in efforts to support this joint Fresno County/Tuolumne County effort.
Mike's remarks incorporate such positive developments as a recent Washington Post article that found loggers to be among the most satisfied workers; and a recent California statewide poll that saw widespread, b-partisan prioritization of wildfire as the biggest problem facing California and logging practices (thinning, clearing away of dead and dying trees) as the top priority way to handle the problem.
“My name is Mike Albrecht, and thank you for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you. I’m a Registered Professional Forester, graduated in 1977 from Duke University with a master’s degree in forestry. I’ve been employed in the timber industry for the past 45 years, the last 30 of those running a logging company in Sonora, California called Sierra Resource Management.
I am here this evening on behalf of the Associated California Loggers. Our association represents over 400 logging and trucking companies with approximately 5,000 employees who work in an industry recently described by a government survey as the “happiest, least stressful, and most meaningful job in the country.”
The other day our mechanic was lying in the mud and snow changing the track motor on one of our feller bunchers, and I asked him, “How does it feel to be doing the happiest, least stressful, and most meaningful job in the country?” He glared at me.
On behalf of our Association, I want to congratulate you on the hard work and persistence that is culminating today in your graduation. You are entering the forestry profession and timber industry at a very challenging time, but also at a time full of opportunity.
Today, California’s forests are choked with too many trees. They are drought-stricken, and they have been severely impacted by bark beetles and wildfire. During the past 30 years, our ability to manage our forests has greatly diminished. In 1990, California boasted over 150 operating sawmills . . . today there are only 28. Thousands of jobs have been lost. California’s timber industry has been in danger of dying, as its memories of the past have been greater than its hope for the future.
During this period of industry contraction, two things have not declined: our demand for wood products and the growth rate of our forests. America uses about 60 billion board feet of wood every year. 60 billion board feet is a hard concept to describe to people, but here’s my best example: this is a board foot, 1” thick, 6” wide, 2 feet long. Let’s start stacking boards like this end-to[1]end and head toward the moon. Now if you remember your astronomy, you know that the moon is about 240,000 miles from the earth. How close to the moon would 60 billion feet get you? Do you think 60 billion board feet would get you there? Would it get you back? Actually, it would get you to the moon and back over 40 times.
Are we depleting our forests? No! America’s 780,000 acres of forests are currently growing an estimated 228 billion trees, which is almost 4 times as many trees as we had 100 years ago.
Today our forests grow well over 3 times as much timber volume as we harvest each year, yet America finds itself the second leading IMPORTER of lumber in the world, second only to China. California, with 33 million acres of forest, is importing over 75% of its wood products.
Fortunately, I believe things are about to change, and for the better. A recent poll identified forest thinning and wildfire control as the #1 issues of concern for Californians . . . ahead of our economy, education, crime and COVID. Californians are sick and tired of seeing their forests burn down, their rural communities destroyed, and clean air being replaced with smoke.
World leaders are now recognizing that the best defense against climate change is healthy forests. Trees are natural filters that take CO2 out of the atmosphere. From the recent Climate Summit, the International Panel on Climate Change reported this: “Our planet’s future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forests.”
Researchers are finding new and innovative ways to use wood. A product called cross-laminated timber is beginning to replace concrete and steel in large, high-rise buildings. New systems are unleashing the power of wood to replace coal, make liquid fuel to power our ships and jets, and provide clean hydrogen fuel for cars and trucks.
I believe you graduates are entering forestry at the dawn of a new era. Politicians, scientists, and forestry leaders are seeing their priorities align like never before. We need the wood products, wildlife habitat, water, and climate benefits healthy forests provide. To take America’s forests to the next level, we need each of you. Each one of you, with your skill set, your work ethic, and your dedication, will help America’s forests meet the ongoing needs of our country and provide healthy forests for our future. As you move forward in your careers and in life, my parting advice: “Do what is right, no matter what the cost.”