Our Vanishing Forests

Pulitzer-prize winning author N. Scott Momaday is the narrator for this excellent report on the state of old growth forests in America and the changing function of the Forest Service with respect to conservation. Interestingly, the first Forest Service head, Gifford Pinchot, went on record against clearcutting (he opted for selection cutting) in the 1880s, about a century before it was even an issue. Since then the Forest Service has slid considerably in its responsibilities to conserve the forests, and now works hand in hand with the timber industry. Is it even necessary? Only 13% of all timber products come from old growth forests, but once it's gone it's gone, and today only about 5% of our original forest remains. Our Vanishing Forests examines many sides of the issues involved here, interviewing ecology professors, Forest Service employees (including John Mumma, who was forced to retire after he reduced sales to the timber industry), and George Atiyeh, who takes people up in his airplane for a bummer view of clearcutting in the Pacific Northwest. Near the close, the program offers an encouraging success story: in North Carolina, 15,000 people put their names on a petition against clearcutting in the mountains, and they succeeded in changing Forest Service activities in their area. It's a question of awareness, and that awareness begins with fine informative programs such as this one. Highly recommended. (Available from: Public Interest Video Network, 4704 Overbrook Rd., Bethesda, MD 20816; (301) 656-7244.)