I have long held the conservationist outlook articulated by the great forester and civil servant, Gifford Pinchot. As the first head of the U.S. Forest Service in the early 1900’s and widely regarded as the father of American conservation, Pinchot advocated for the wise use of forest resources for the maximum benefit of the greatest number of people.  He acknowledged the economic value of the timber industry to communities, but also recognized the need to design new harvesting systems that treat timber as a renewable resource, a radical idea at the time. Continue reading “Are You A Conservationist or a Preservationist?”