In Missouri’s logging and lumber industry, we rely on treating the environment right | Opinion

“Stump speech” — during this election year, not a day goes by when we don’t hear that expression. Then, too, there are the endless variations we’ve become accustomed to such as “on the stump” and “stumping for” a particular candidate.

On this week of Arbor Day, all of us at the Missouri Forest Products Association are proud to stump for the 42,000 Missourians employed in the logging and lumber industry, which adds $10 billion to Missouri’s economy each year — an industry that ethically and responsibly harvests trees that are then processed into wood products, and supports Missouri families and communities.

Missouri is known as the “Show-Me State” for good reason — so on Arbor Day, of all days, that is exactly what the tens of thousands in our state’s multibillion-dollar logging and lumber industry are prepared to do: Show the public how it actively uses the latest studies and scientific data to achieve the goal shared by all of us — having a healthy planet.

And what better place to start when educating Missourians than the humble stump — and the fact that after a harvest the stumps left behind play a huge role in regenerating forests in our state?

Furthermore, even as the logging and lumber industry applauds and supports the necessity of understanding the consequences of climate change, it recognizes that it is often the case that a lot of the information the public has received up until now is well-meaning, but at best incomplete, misleading — or at its very worst — downright wrong.

Thus, our organization’s goal is to inform and educate the public as to the fact that it’s not only trees that actually lock up carbon — while in the process of protecting our planet from global warming — but equally important is understanding that the same holds true for the varied and endless array of real wood products most of us come into contact with daily, as we fully understand the key role they are playing in that very same process.

And, while it’s true that this might never be offered as an answer on the game show “Jeopardy!,” it’s important to acknowledge that the growth of properly managed trees in the state exceeds the number harvested by 2 1/2 times.

In fact, managed forests benefit the environment by capturing atmospheric carbon at an optimal rate creating better air quality for everyone. Management means removing trees that are mature, dying or overcrowded, which opens the canopy for sunlight to hit the forest floor and allows young trees, other fauna wildlife to flourish. Managed forests ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the ecosystem, while simultaneously improving land values for many generations to come.

Importantly, all of this is happening at a time when responsible citizens are striving to achieve zero-waste, while perhaps being unaware of the key role Missouri trees play in achieving that goal. That is because trees, once they are harvested, are used in an endless variety of ways. From log homes to pallets to oak barrels to furniture and flooring — even the charcoal we use in our summertime barbecues and the sawdust in the pellets that warm our homes in wintertime — every portion of the tree is utilized responsibly with minimal waste.

So that is why now, armed with these important facts this week of Arbor Day 2024, Missourians can be assured that they truly do see the forest for the trees.

Brian Brookshire is executive director of the 501(c)(6) nonprofit Missouri Forest Products Association in Jefferson City.