Nov. 09, 2007 - 20:44 MST

UP IN SMOKE

Throughout the western part of our country pines have been suffering an infestation of beetles. Which eventually kills the tree. They turn a beautiful reddish color before they become totally dead wood.

Creates a big problem down the road as those dead trees become absolute tinder to feed a wild fire.

I guess pelletized wood is a fuel that has been in use for a number of years back east or far west. Yet, I remember seeing those giant mountains of sawdust and wood chips from saw mills around Eugene.

There is a company that is building a pelletizing plant in our state and is harvesting beetle killed pine to feed the maw of their grinders. Will essentially kill two birds with one shot. Supply fuel to heat homes and clean the forests as well. Conservation to the max.

Wonder if they have made plans to obtain more wood when the beetle killed trees are all gone ?

The piney wood scraps of the southern part of our country are already spoken for by the Ethanol people.

But for now it sounds good, it�ll help even if only temporarily.

Not all the news I see in the paper is good, as usual bad news is in the majority. If it ain�t bad the media will have a slant that will make it sound bad a lot of the time.

I see that some of our government agencies are standing in a giant circle, each pointing the blame finger at the agency on their right. Meanwhile there are many people - ex-nuclear workers being eaten up by cancer. Most of them suffering from cancer that is known to be caused by exposure to atomic operations. But still, the nuclear workers are being nuked.

Seems to me that a former nuclear worker who is suffering cancer known to be associated to nuclear exposure that immediate aid should be rendered and given as promised. How does a person who is ailing with cancer go about proving the impossible ? Records of nuclear operation have been fudged and most of us suspect it. Some are incomplete, lost strayed or whatever. Why not accept the fact that many workers are cancerous due to working at one of those plants ?

I guess in other states the former nuclear workers are in the same boat, except for a few small exceptions.

So, whether it is pelletized pine or ex-nuclear workers, looks like it is all UP IN SMOKE