Deciduous forest covers most of the land south of Drypebble Mountain in the southwest corner of Whetpebble. From time to time, small timbering businesses come to Whetpebble in search of folks who will sell them valuable hardwoods such as Black Walnut, Cherry, Oak, and Hickory; all trees that are abundant but necessary for a healthy forest ecosystem.
Woodchuck Timbering Company, one of the biggest timber businesses in the industry, has offered to buy up to 16 square miles of forest from Whetpebble. Are you going to allow Woodchuck Timbering to lumber in Whetpebble? Consider their proposal along with the following information....

• Large lumbering operations require special equipment. Roads will have to be made to reach the lumbering sites and transport the equipment.
• Before logging begins, a forester decides which trees will be cut to help prevent forest fires, disease, and grazing animals from interfering.
• United States laws prevent companies from clearcutting: cutting down all the trees in one area. The early 1900's clearcutting was common practice and some companies still do it illegally.
• After the trees are cut, the logs are transported by truck, train or floated downriver.
• Large machines called tree shears are powerful enough to cut through tree trunks like a pair of scissors.
• Rain and surface water in this area runs off into Brooks Bank and into the Patterson River. Current flooding levels threaten residents' homes along Lake Hopper, especially in the spring.
• The average hardwood tree takes 40 years to grow to a mature height.
• Forest topsoil is held in place by the roots of forest teres and plants.
• During a rainstorm, various amounts of topsoil may wash away into local water sources if the land is bare of plants. The slope of the land determines how fast the water runs off the land and how much soil is carried away with it. This process is called soil erosion and can cause permanent damage to the land if too much soil is stripped away.
• Slope stability is determined by the slope of the land. The smaller the slope, the more stable the area of land is and the less likely soil erosion will occur.
• Soil eroded away by water is carried and deposited into the bottom of nearby rivers and lakes. If enough sediment is depositied, the water level will increase.

Discuss the following questions with your Homeowner's group..

1. What will logging do to the Whetpebble economy?
2. How will your lifestyle be altered if Woodchuck Timbering is allowed to log? How will your family be affected?
3. Will the forest ecosystem be affected? What other habitats may be affected as well? What will you see and hear as a result of the logging?
4. What are the short-term and long-term effects on Whetpebble?