Fifteen years ago, the book Truax was published in an attempt to debunk the moral of sustainability found in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. It did so by disguising pro-logging arguments in Seuss-like illustrations and text directed toward children. The arguments used in this book are still misused today as justification for cutting into Old Growth forests while simultaneously endangering species native to those habitats.
In The Lorax, the Once-ler harvests Truffula Trees to make Thneeds without listening to the heeds of the Lorax. The Lorax says he is destroying the homes of animals and polluting their habitats as well. The story ends with the Once-ler sitting in his failed Thneed factory, which went bust because he cut down all the Truffulas.
Truax paints a different picture of a world where loggers plant five trees where they cut down one, kill meddlesome species likea tick / That carried a germ and made Cuddlebears sick and join new species together by cutting down trees and creating new habitats. Truax even convinces the raving Guardbark - the keeper of trees - to change its stance against cutting down trees in the forest.
Truax was funded by the Hardwood Forest Foundation and the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association. While upholding cutting into Old Growth forest, it ignores the problems of air, water and toxic pollution that result from processing timber into usable products.
Author Terri Birkett, an active member of the hardwood flooring industry, wrote the book in response to her interpretation of The Lorax, which was that the book scared children into thinking all trees were going to disappear, according to TimberLine magazine. She thought Seuss' message was intended to encourage children to plant more trees.
It seems unmistakable that Seuss was preaching a message of sustainability while warning (with good reason) about pollution and overconsumption of resources. The book was published in 1971, at the height of environmental consciousness when landmark environmental legislation was being passed in Congress, and Earth Day had first been celebrated just a year earlier in 1970.
The timber organizations who funded the book said it was a better portrayal of current forest management practices. While there are tree farms and sustainably-grown forests, it is not admirable to kill off species at will. This ignores the importance of every animal in the food chain and in their respective ecosystems.
While claiming to be progressive, Truax contains ideology that is still misleading and unfortunately directs this information at children. The line95 million Acres (to be quite precise) / Have been set aside JUST to look nice furthers the misleading idea that National Parks exist only so we can look at nature. It's followed by a parenthetical (and true) Well
- critters and plants DO use this land. / It isn't just used by woman or man which contradicts the earlier statement.
Truax also brushes aside cutting down Old Growth forests (which are at least 200 years old) that are irreplaceable habitats for some species. When the city wants land, its first choice isn't to bulldoze historic landmarks or buildings; the same policy should seem pretty straightforward for cutting into forests.
Although it mentions sustainability in re-planting trees, its overall tone and message ignores sustainability in terms of sustaining habitats and species, sustaining clean air and water from processing products made from timber and sustaining some natural habitat that is irreplaceable. The Lorax's message of the importance of sustainability in production rings true today, despite the claims of Truax.
Cathy Wilson is a senior studying journalism and a copy editor for The Post. Send her an e-mail at cw224805@ohiou.edu.
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Opinion
Cathy Wilson
