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Just what will happen to the money from cutting down the children's forest? Follow the money tracks and find out.

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The Oregon Department of Forestry estimates that it will sell the right to cut down the forest for over $1,680,000.
It will take $68,000 for expenses off the top.
Then it will take somewhere around 27%, or more than $400,000 for its administrative expenses.

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Around 31% of the Oregon Department of Forestry's budget of $197,000,000 comes from cutting trees.

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Do you think that influences its decision about saving the gentle giant trees and the northern goshawk?

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What happens to the money that is left? Let's follow the money tracks again. The remaining about $1,200,000 will go to Oregon's Common School Fund which sends money each year to Oregon's counties for their schools.

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Is it necessary to cut down our last old growth trees so our children can go to school. No!

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The Oregon Common School Fund has $800,000,000 in it.

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And it estimates that soon it will have $1,000,000,000.

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Over this current 2 year period it estimates that it will earn $87,000,000 from its investments and will give the counties $71,000,000.

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Furthermore, Congress is in the midst of passing the Secure Rural Schools Act that will increase federal aid to Oregon's counties for schools and roads to make up for the decrease coming from the cutting the federal forests. Klamath County will get $8,000,000 more a year and Oregon as a whole will get $222,000,000 more.

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Finally, the State of Oregon has an investment portfolio worth $49,000,000,000. That's right. Billion, not million.

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What do the money tracks say? There is no need to cut down the gentle giants and drive the goshawks away so our young people can go to school.