"Challenges and Closures: The Uncertain Future of Montana's Timber Industry"

Two timber mills in western Montana recently announced closures, citing reasons such as labor shortages, lack of housing, rising costs, and outdated technology. The closures are primarily attributed to the cost of living in Montana, a deficient labor pool, and newer, more efficient technology, dispelling the industry's past accusations of environmentalists and lack of logs. Despite the paradox of needing to log forests for their health, forests play a crucial role in sequestering carbon emissions, and policy on national forests should be based on truth and science rather than demonizing opposition to logging old growth forests.