I think everyone is sad to see that the last surviving saw mill in John Day will close as soon as they empty their log deck and deliver all their cut lumber, but to hear that one of the reasons that the mill is closing is lack of affordable housing is just the pits.

If there were no federal grant money to build affordable housing that would be another story, but there is billions out there for that project, according to the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

My question is: What will happen to the mill when it closes?

My late father, Charlie Mills, who had worked for the U.S. Forest Service, said there will be plenty of what he called “blue wood” available to be cut and then marketed to the high-end furniture manufacturers thanks to all the forest fires that Eastern Oregon is having. Furthermore that mill should be able to provide plenty of two-by-sixes, two-by-fours and four-by-fours to use in building more housing.

We need to start thinking of the future and what our children will do for housing should they decide to reside in the town they were born in and start telling those who oppose logging to sit down and go to the back of the bus. Trees are a crop that needs to be harvested on a regular basis to keep forests healthy and provide jobs for the community.

Barbara Ann Wright

Pendleton

 

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