Timber still matters to state, Gregoire tells industry execs

Timber still matters to state, Gregoire tells industry execs.
STEVENSON Gov. Chris Gregoire told an audience of 120 Northwest timber industry executives here Thursday that their industry remains a vital part of the Washington economy and will play a key role in the state’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

Washington’s forests store a huge amount of carbon, helping to offset carbon dioxide emissions, she said.

‘In the Pacific Northwest, I think we all just take it all for granted,’ she said. ‘If we go to a cap-and-trade system, thank goodness we are as abundant in forests as we are in this state.’

The governor predicted a bright future for the industry, not only as one of the nation’s largest producers of lumber and paper, but as a major supplier of wood fiber for the manufacture of cellulosic biofuels.