While mill production and logging equipment has surely eliminated jobs, there has also been a dramatic decline in the amount of net land base available to feed these facilities due to increased regulation and litigation; especially on Federal lands and to an extent state owned lands. Even private lands are seeing a reduced amount of ground available to harvest due to ever increasing regulations. I know of one large timberland owner in California that tells me 1/3 of their land base is now essentially off limits due to regulations. The pendulum has swung way too far in my opinion. We have the technology and knowledge to do a great job balancing the needs of the mills with the other values society has for forested lands. What we have is a political problem not a scientific one.