In my part of the world, thinning down woodlots is a good conservation measure. Logging doesn't have to be destructive. Done with thought and care, it can actually help a forest stay healthy, prevent the encroachment of invasive species, and help maintain wildlife habitats.
One of the ways we do this, here in the Adirondacks, is with old fashioned horse logging methods. While chainsaws are sometimes used, horse loggers also use the old fashioned two-man cross-cut saw, and the ax, to weed out trees in the woodlot. Horses are much more eco-friendly, as well. Where logging skidders and other equipment tears up the forest floor, horses are very low-impact, leaving only hoof-prints and gouges where logs have been dragged--as opposed to the wide tyres--usually sporting tyre chains for better traction in mud-- of skidders, loaders and such.
At one time, logging for lumber, tanneries and paper, nearly de-forested the Adirondacks. Millions upon millions of logs, floated away down the Hudson river, right up until the 1950's.
I've actually personally witnessed both these methods of logging, and to me, there's no contest...horse logging is the way to go, if one can at all choose that method for practical purposes.
Logging is still an industry here. There are still 2 paper mills left (there were three, until 5 years ago). Yet, it is a dying industry, and one wonders what will become of the Adiorndack wilderness, without forestry?
I once had the pleasure of hearing one of these gents speak in a lecture at my community college (one of my college science classes was "Environmental Issues in the Adirondacks"). I visited Paul Smith's when I was around 14. My science teacher had been on the faculty at one time. It's a college near Saranac Lake/Lake Placid, that has one of the country's best forestry and conservation programmes. One of my cousin's is a graduate of Paul Smiths.
