"Mike H" wrote in message
...
snip

Most of these greens go to the floral industry. A surprisingly large
part of it to Europe. It's a sizable underground economy and would be
just about impossible to stop, if anyone wanted to.


Well, maybe if we hung a few of these horrible criminals- this crime
wave
would stop! G Maybe the prez. should got on TV and call for a major
war
against these evil doers! Find their houses and drop some bunker busters
on
them!

Actually, though, it is an interesting question. I'm sure the moss does
serve some good ecological function.

JZ


I've got nothing against underground economies. For people who've been
through several boom/bust cycles in timber country, knowing how to make
a few bucks under the table is pure survival, like smoking salmon and
getting your yearly elk. What's obnoxius about this though is that some
of the folk doing it are so far under the table they don't know where
National Park boundaries are and they've cleaned out some formerly
awe-inspiring rain forest scenes. THAT kind of "moss" - the ferns,
epiphytes and bryophytes hanging off Bigleaf Maples especially - is very
slow growing and ecologically intriguing stuff.

When I was (HA!) controlling special forest product harvest on corporate
lands, I would sell brush and moss leases in key spots, and let the
permit holders decide who got to pick. They limited abuse (like cutting
trees down for the moss) and knew who was doing what for miles around.
Same as with the other SFPs, it's best to put those who know the chicken
stealing game best in charge of the henhouse.


So, can't the Forest Circus and the states also figure out how to control
this problem?

JZ