I have a masters degree in forestry with a focus in forest economics I am well aware of timber vs lumber prices and let me tell you the price of logs is way lower than it used to be compared to lumber on a board foot basis and the mills are much more efficient, the money stops at the mill and they are making a lot more these days then they used to. That is simply a fact.
As to brick and steel being renewable, recyclable and renewable are different things. I also work in commercial real estate development Bricks and Steel have their place but on a production basis if it is mined it is not renewable its extraction.
Look at the beam Dimensions in the construction 2X6 is a whole lot easier to produce cheaper and faster than a 12x12 its also available in laminate in lengths that cannot be achieved in standard lumber. Some of those beams look like they are even larger than that, not to mention standard dimensional lumber is next to impossible to find in lengths greater than 24ft. Also most beams of this type are of the laminated plywood type not 2x6 thats just whats being showcased in this video.
As to the replanting that is such a common misconception that the green movement has pushed it is sickening. On a pine rotation in the southeast a site must rest for a whole year so ips beetles don't kill the new seedlings. Since the year means over 1 full winter this can actually mean almost 2 calendar years based on the time of the harvest. In a hardwood rotation this can look different since replanting of seedlings can be an inefficient means of reproduction depending on species. for this you use what is called a coppice sprouting system leaving slightly taller stumps and letting the existing roots grow more boles. This system will speed the regrowth of the hardwood stand by up to 10 years when done correctly. Commonly people don't know what they are seeing without doing a species survey and just see "clearcut bad", but I can tell you that the deer don't see it that way. They just went from only getting food from acorns to year around browse.
"The majority of the land is left barren to erode or recover on its own. Which usually means very few trees grow back. Mostly a variety of weed grasses, briars, kudzu, and scrub brush."
As to your statement above I would encourage you to look closer at the species that were present and their most efficient means of regeneration might not be what you think it should be. I would much prefer to coppice sprout and shave 10 years off my rotation as opposed killing 40-80k worth of seedlings when the current root stock is a more efficient choice. An additional factor that makes hardwood regeneration difficult to see is that it can be up to 10 years or more before a individual hardwood sprout reaches the breakout phase and you can actually see it driving by without doing a seedling survey of the site. I have been contracted to survey over 100 hardwood stands that are "dead" so far only 2 of them have actually not had proper stocking in order to regrow successfully..... just goes to show if you don't know what your looking at you may not be seeing the whole picture.
