Too much wood for just fun?

Today in US History we were talking about the rain forest and hoe they have been destroyed. Someone brought up wooden roller coasters being a waste of wood! I didn't want to get defensive... but it did spark in my head. Afterward I really though about. No! What do you think?
-----------------
dream it, draw it, Build it on a 2X4!

I'd bet the amount of wood used in a wooden roller coaster pales in comparison to the amount used to, say, produce the paper used by the average American business in a month... (No, I don't have any actual figures in front of me, but I sense a research project ;) )

Additionally, the lumber used for construction such as coasters does NOT come from rain forests...

-----------------
--Greg
"The questions ticket agents ask at airports are useless, but give an illusion of security to the GP. Much like seatbelts on roller coasters...
My page

*** This post was edited by GregLeg on 1/23/2002. ***

The amount of wood used in a year on wooden coasters is a tiny, tiny fraction of the amount of wood used for paper, cardboard and other things people just use once and toss. At least a wooden coaster lasts for many years.
-----------------
You can't spell "dishonorable" without "honorable."

Most of the wood that is used for wooden coasters does not come from rain forest, yet the wooden coaster still deplete a lot of forests. hopefully most of the trees cut down for coaster wood is replaced. the steel-wood combo that CCI uses is one way of cutting down on the amount of wood used. the amount of wood supposively "wasted" for a wooden coaster is rather insignificant compared to the amount of paper waste that americans use daily. Americans waste too much paper in daily life, that's a much bigger concern for everyone especially environmentalist.

BTW, why were you talking about rain forests in a US history class? i just took my US history exam today, not too bad, pretty easy.

-----------------
There is only so much time left in this crazy, I just crumbling erb. they don't understand the master plan, i just cumbling erb.
Outkast

*** This post was edited by sethman on 1/23/2002. ***

I'm going to agree with most other people here in saying that a wooden coaster isn't going to use up that much wood. and I'm sure that the wood that is used for coasters doesn't come from a rain forest and is replaced.
-----------------
Knott's Berry Farm Cuba ~South Park

Think of how much wood (building materials) and paper products you see everyday, and compare that to the amount of coasters you see everyday. Not much to compare huh? The amount of wood used in coasters is miniscule compared to everday uses (especially paper products). Also, think of how that paper is used... writing paper, toilet paper, carboard... it's all pretty much one-use stuff and little is recycled. In contrast, wood coasters last a pretty long time.

And as for steel coasters being more "environmentally friendly" than wooden ones... well, the iron ore has to come from natural resources too. Strip mines and giant steel mills. Of course, the total amount of steel used in coasters is also pale in comparison to steel used for everything else. ;)

Just more environmentalist crap. To say a roller coaster, or any type of wooden structure, is a "waste of wood" is an totally uninformed and biased opinion. Most of that wood (I believe) is pine which does not come from the rain forest, which is often harvested sustainably. Also, I bet the wood is recycled or put to some other use after it's done. Next time tell her to shut her flapjacker and get a clue!
-----------------
Ride the New England Bush!

*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 1/23/2002. ***

Pine is a weed down here...grows everywhere, not old-growth, not worth anything but for building, paper-making, furniture, etc. I'm ALL about saving the rain-forests, but NO wooden coasters today are made of anything but PT pine. Tree farms provide all the pine we could ever want for OUR hobby, and for most other uses as well.
<editorial> But, if we ever legalized hemp like some of the smarter countries in the civilized world (Canada and Britain to name a couple), we could reduce our need for lumber by a SIGNIFICANT degree. Hemp is NOT marijuana, and our government could legalize hemp AND continue their destructive drug policies until someone decides to "stop the insanity"...unlikely, as so many gov't agencies are "hooked" on the money to fight this insane drug war...Then we could save the pine for BETTER uses, like CCIs, GCIs, CoasterWorks!, etc.!!! </editorial>
-----------------
PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 1/23/2002. ***

The vast majority of rainforest destruction is caused by farmers anyway, and is simply because rainforest land doesn't sustain a farm for any apreciable amount of time before it becomes unusable. But this is just hysterical environmentalist crap. The amount of this country that is forested actually increased between 1900 and 2000.

Rollergator....I'll second that!

Besides, any structure you build, whether it be concrete (scars on the landscape), steel (open pit mining, coal for production, etc...), or wood, will have some type of impact on the environment.

It would be crazy to single out any one type of structure.

-----------------
"I'll bet that thing hits 5 Gs going through that loop.....faaar ooouut!"

Comatose is correct. Loss of rainforest is related mostly to farming and to a lesser extent to local demand for firewood and world demand for exotic wood for furniture. Roller coasters in North America are made from pine and fir grown in North America.

Well, sadly many guitars are made from rainforest woods. I read about it in a music magazine. As for coasters, sorry, but when I look at a woodie like Son of a Beast, I do see a waste of wood (haven't ridden it yet). -------------
If you have to figure out how to ride a coaster to be comfortable, then that's not a coaster worth riding.

In the words of my dad, don't ever listen to the enviromental safety crap they give you at your school. Dateline did a report that said their are more trees in the rainforest now then their was in 1930. So what ever the enviromentalist teacher says is almost always a load of crap

The only wooden coaster that is a waste of wood is Son Of Beast. It destroyed 2 forests to get enough wood for that thing! I mean, when you build a hyper-woodie, at least use a steel structure, people!
-----------------
Bomb Squad Technician

If you see me running, try and keep up!

If I was in that class I would have probably flipped out into anger [wood coaster nut talking] ohh how dare they...

DuffGardens:

There are more trees in the US than in 1930 because our farms have become much more efficient, producing more food on less land.

Unfortunately much of the rest of the world is quite different. The loss of the rainforests of the world is real.

I can see it now...a bunch of hippies protesting in front of a Park blaming it for killing the rain-forests. lol ;) I'm pretty sure all wood coasters are made form southern yellow pine, and I sure that is not from the rain forest.
-----------------
"This Movie spent way to much money on special effects, look they couldnt even afford to buy those little dudes shoes!"

I am not sure if this is true or not, but I would imagine most coaster company's like CCI have their own forest for wood. It would make sense.
-----------------
Rob

"The doctor said I wouldn't have as many nose bleeds if I could just keep my finger out of there!" -Ralph

DuffGardens said:
In the words of my dad, don't ever listen to the enviromental safety crap they give you at your school. Dateline did a report that said their are more trees in the rainforest now then their was in 1930. So what ever the enviromentalist teacher says is almost always a load of crap

and as we all know, everything we here on Dateline, or anything else we see on TV, is assuredly completely true.

I wonder if the amount of lumber used in coasters in a years time is more or less the amount of lumber that Lowe's throws away in that same year.