Environmentalists have been quick to point fingers at chip mills for devastating forestry practices. But the industry drillpresspartsdealers insists it''s "out of the loop" concerning timber cuts, since operators purchase their supply from private landholders. Industry officials are so infuriated, many refused to comment. The line connecting chip mills to clearcuts and destructive forestry isn''t a straight one, but it is visible. Dean Carson of the South Carolina Forestry Commission argues that chips can be transported more efficiently, using less energy, than large pieces of timber, and mills can utilize the whole tree. But processing the whole tree is exactly what has brought the mills under fire: because lumber is chipped into one-inch pieces, any size scrap of timber will do. With new markets opening up for treetops, undersized trees, and forked or crooked specimens, landowners have added incentive to clearcut a site for quick profits, instead of harvesting selected trees to be cut into drillpresspartsdealers boards. And timber previously left behind to continue maturing, or that provided wildlife habitat or eroded to replenish soils, now finds itself in the steely mouths of the chippers. A 1998 U.S. Forest Service report says clearcutting accounts for 13 percent of logged land in the South. And because the chips are needed for everything from rayon and plastics to particleboard and paper, chip markets continue growing. Timber giant Willamette Industries says chip mills allow landowners to merchandise otherwise unusable trees, discouraging forestry practices like "high-grading" (cutting only the healthiest trees). "Clearcutting is often the best tool to assure a rich, diverse forest," claims Willamette''s web site. "Many songbirds and other types of wildlife require open areas for nesting and food gathering."

Nicky Boggis product manager for kitchen appliances at De''Longhi, seconds this: "Research found that once a consumer has used an ironing system, they drillpresspartsdealers are reluctant to go back to a traditional iron. They are convinced the best results are from the powerful steam generator and drillpresspartsdealers they invariably set off and preach the gospel of these new products." Explanation is often needed when it comes to clinching a sale too, something that plays into the hands of the independent dealer rather than the catalogue outlet.

TipAfter the holes are dug, cover them with scraps of plywood to keep your kids or your toy poodle from falling in (I''ve seen it happen) and to keep the holes from caving in if it rains.1 DIG a "pilot hole" the same diameter as the auger around the stake that marks the center of the hole. That''ll keep the auger tip from wandering when you start the hole. Plastic boxes and flexible nonmetallic cable (commonly called Romex) put electrical wiring projects within the skill range of every dedicated DIYer.

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