US timber and paper companies are largely unaffected by forest fires currently raging across the country, according to industry analysts.
The 2.6 million acres estimated to be burning in several states of the western US represents a small percentage of all available forest land.
Most of the bigger companies are protected by business insurance and can still harvest many trees in fire-affected areas. Analysts claim forests belonging to such firms are better managed than unowned woods.
Unexpected disasters such as the Mount St Helen’s volcanic eruption in 1980, which destroyed 63,000 acres of valuable old growth timber, are said to be more likely to cause serious damage than wildfires.
