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Home / Washington Business - November/December 2005 / Chair's Corner: Mount St. Helens Recovery Reminds Us of Nature’s Resilience |
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Chair's Corner: Mount St. Helens Recovery Reminds Us of Nature’s Resilience |
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Written On: November/December 2005 |
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Written By: by Creigh H. Agnew - Chair, Board of Directors |
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Creigh H. Agnew, a Weyerhaeuser employee since 1985, was appointed Weyerhaeuser’s vice president of government affairs and corporate contributions in April 1996. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Washington and is currently AWB’s board chair.
The destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina reminds us of how little control we have over the powerful forces of nature. Witnessing the fury of that storm and what it left in its wake prompts us to reflect on the toll it is taking on people of the Gulf Coast. Although we in Washington are physically distant, we feel the heartache and loss of those touched by this natural disaster.
Even though we can’t control these natural forces, we can control our response to them. We can help build the path to renewal through leadership and commitment. It was gratifying to witness the Washington business community mobilizing to help in the relief effort. The support has taken many forms, from benefit events to cash donations—all meant to help people rebuild their lives and their communities.
Twenty-five years ago, the citizens of Washington experienced another powerful natural disaster, the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Fifty-seven people lost their lives in the largest volcanic eruption in North America in modern times. When President Jimmy Carter visited the area in 1980 and witnessed the devastation, he said it resembled a moonscape and was a picture of despair.
Weyerhaeuser Co. experienced the forces of that eruption. Faced with the loss of 45,000 acres of company-owned timberlands at the mountain, the company embarked on its own path to renewal, salvaging thousands of acres of timber destroyed by the eruption and planting 18.4 million seedlings at its St. Helens Tree Farm, each by hand. Resilience is an important survival strategy in nature and in business, too. The foresters who planted those trees 25 years ago had a vision and faith that the forest would be renewed.
In this issue, Washington Business Magazine features the story of how the company nurtured a tree farm on the mountain, faced devastating forest fires and survived the Mount St. Helens eruption. Throughout, the company continued to plant, grow and harvest trees that become useful products for people’s lives.
Today, Weyerhaeuser is working on the first commercial thinning of those trees planted after the eruption. In fact, one of the finest examples taken from the thick stands of trees now growing on the slopes of the mountain will be displayed this year as the Washington State Holiday Tree in the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia. It is a fitting symbol of renewal and resiliency.
We invite all our colleagues in the Washington business community to join the citizens of the state to visit the capitol and enjoy the beauty of a single tree planted in the aftermath of tragedy. I hope you’ll join me in wishing that the same spirit of renewal and resilience blesses Katrina survivors.
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