the Way of the Salvage Logger

The Way of the Salvage Logger


Sad end to the small-scale salvage logger?
they were rare as kermode, tougher than nails
comp'ny men called him gypo, free, man, king of the scales,
small-scale salvage loggers, their own men back then,
no union to turn to but not 'company men',
honest livings recovered where Bigs'd pile slash and burn
but green selective-cut thinking's been clear cut out by yearn
ing to cheat your neighbour by beating a friend,
we've let corporate devils consolidate, trend,
now all joined together
a "Take-all" sounding end to a fair living wage
for lumber Jack's four-score friends.

Sure bigbox-thinking sets wood-price worldwide,
rotten feds bottom-dealt devil softwood free ride,
yes, our high dollar 's hurt...

...but the 'stumpage rates' paid -

B.C. Gov. thumbs' upon this tarriff on each m3 beetle wood sawn...
and bucked and trucked - we can cough $25 f'each of those
for beetle-wood?! rich government hog-rings sting our nose
to lead us to slaughter, must 80-odd salvage men just work for nothing?
with our families depending on sweat of our brows to just meet the ends?

Why can't Government act now?
make stumpage track log costs (agreed a simply-run metric)

Beetle-wood free for the taking makes sense,
is government winning? - their win cost every cent!
as eighty good men sit idle while beetles make hay
soon the wood value's gone (but for fuel) experts say
tell your MLA rep. stumpage needs to evolve
get these men back to work, layoffs stumpage can solve.
Small-scale salvage loggers, endangered, extinct?
we each make one call they'll bend, quick as a wink.

call your MLA today.


markedwane