Doug,
That was a first-class rant and I'm impressed. I hope everyone understands that you don't have the faintest understanding of timber economics.
There is an optimum time to harvest each species. If trees are not harvested in that period, then when they are finally harvested, the return is not optimized and the potential revenues(including the interest that would be earned on those revenues)are lost forever.
One big reason the PGC is in fiscal trouble is their long term failure, unlike other agencies,to harvest timber at optimal times.
If you don't understand this thenI don't think you are playing with a full deck!