Deforestation of the Pacific NorthwestOne of the most controversial areas associated with the global problem of deforestation is the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The problem can be divided into several issues which are all connected to each other. These include the near-extinction of the Northern Spotted Owl, the "business" aspect of logging versus the environmental aspect, and the government's role in this issue. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed. This allowed the Department. of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to list species, both terrestrial and marine, as threatened or endangered. Under these terms, species could no longer be hunted, gathered, injured or killed. The northern spotted owl falls under the most serious condition of being endangered. Additionally, the bill prohibits federal agencies from funding or carrying out any activity that could threaten the species or its habitat. It is the last part of the bill that causes the controversy. According to the ESA, loggers should not be allowed to cut down old growth in the forest. Old growth in a forest includes the largest and oldest trees, living or dead. In the case of North Coast forests, this includes some thousand-year-old stands with heights greater than three hundred feet and diameters greater than ten feet. In 1990, the number of spotted owls dropped to 2,000 breeding pairs. The preservation of any species contributes to the biodiversity of an area. In an ecosystem, the absence of one species creates unfavorable conditions for the others. The owl's absence could have a significant effect on the North Coast forest ecosystem. To steer the owl population in the right direction, the main problem driving their decline would need to be addressed: habitat loss. This fact, combined with owls' short life expectancy and late reproductive age, only exacerbates the problem. When loggers remove old plants, the owl loses habitat for food, housing and protection from predators. About ninety percent of the forests in the Pacific Northwest have already been cut down. To protect the current owl population, the remaining forests would need to be preserved, but this would have serious negative economic consequences. Such a decision would have consequences for employment, the regional economy and the lifestyle of loggers. With such... middle of paper... stupidity. In some cases, the money subsidizes large companies for things like road cutting, in order to keep the cost of paper and other tree products low. These same companies ship their lumber to Japan for milling before being resold in the United States at a higher price. Not only does the public lose money in this process, but it costs Americans a number of jobs. On the other hand, agencies have made efforts to prevent deforestation. Forest Service members educate not only large companies, but also private landowners. It is the private owners who own 60% of the forest cutting. By helping to demonstrate how conservation forestry techniques can be made efficient and at the same time more profitable, they contribute to decreasing the rate of deforestation. If more money was spent on research and dissemination of new and better techniques, then taxpayers' money would be better spent. In conclusion, there are several aspects of deforestation in the Pacific Northwest that need to be evaluated before the situation becomes irreversible. If current harvesting techniques continue, our children will miss it much more.