--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you cut down a forest, it doesn't…" description: "\"If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.\" — Susan George" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg" --- # If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many… ![“If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.” quote by Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg) > “If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.” [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cutting down forests makes sawmills useless because resources vanish without trees. **In simple terms:** Deforestation renders industry pointless. Key Takeaway Preserve ecosystems before building industry. Themes environment economics resource management Mood concerned urgent Type environmental policy When to use this quote - policy making - forestry - community planning - business strategy Key Concepts sustainability interdependence Questions to Reflect On - What resources are essential for your sector? - How can you protect those resources? A Different Perspective If other resources exist, industry may still thrive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forest/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [A forest doesn't weep over one tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/a-forest-doesn-t-weep-over-one-tree/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There's a basic kind of tension here. It's between those who say, I'd like to clear cut this forest and reduce it to saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/there-s-a-basic-kind-of-tension-here-it-s-between-those-who-say-i-d/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [I know there is pain when sawmills close and people lose jobs, but we have to make a choice. We need water and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-know-there-is-pain-when-sawmills-close-and-people-lose-jobs-but-we/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [“if a tree falls in love with the forest but doesn't make a sound, will the forest ever hear it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jomny-sun/if-a-tree-falls-in-love-with-the-forest-but-doesn-t-make-a-sound-will/) Jomny Sun > [“all hearts are capable of hate, forest. That doesn't make them worthless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenaya-jayne/all-hearts-are-capable-of-hate-forest-that-doesn-t-make-them-worthless/) tenaya jayne > [“Knowing the path through the forest doesn't make the trip any less daunting. Knowing the steps to your dreams doesn't make the climb any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/knowing-the-path-through-the-forest-doesn-t-make-the-trip-any-less/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“I suppose we haven’t lost more than two days by my short cut through the Forest! But perhaps the delay will prove useful –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/i-suppose-we-haven-t-lost-more-than-two-days-by-my-short-cut-through/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [You've got to spread out as far as you can, cut down a whole forest, irrigate a whole desert, just to make sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/you-ve-got-to-spread-out-as-far-as-you-can-cut-down-a-whole-forest/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [If you manage to stop the timber industry from cutting this forest, they'll cut that forest. If you stop oil drilling here, they'll go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/if-you-manage-to-stop-the-timber-industry-from-cutting-this-forest/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Cut down the forest, not just a tree. Out of the forest of desire springs danger. By cutting down both the forest of desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/cut-down-the-forest-not-just-a-tree-out-of-the-forest-of-desire/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Now when you cut a forest, an ancient forest in particular, you are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/now-when-you-cut-a-forest-an-ancient-forest-in-particular-you-are-not/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The Shiv Sena says that when it comes to power, they will declare Aarey as a forest. How will they declare it a forest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-thackeray/the-shiv-sena-says-that-when-it-comes-to-power-they-will-declare/) [Raj Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-thackeray/) > [Yes, Brazil, like the whole world, stands to lose a lot in a climate-altered world. But it's also one of the major forces determining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/yes-brazil-like-the-whole-world-stands-to-lose-a-lot-in-a-climate/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“A sense of desolation settled within me: a cold, slimy stone lodged under my lungs. There was nothing happy about the woods, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-davidson/a-sense-of-desolation-settled-within-me-a-cold-slimy-stone-lodged/) [Craig Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-davidson/) ## More by Susan George > [I'm a radical reformist, because between where we are and where I want to go there's a great deal of work, and I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/i-m-a-radical-reformist-because-between-where-we-are-and-where-i-want/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [There are a lot of people who don't contribute anything to consumption and production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-don-t-contribute-anything-to/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [I was recently looking at what they can actually do to reduce consumption of petrol. It would be quite possible to build automobiles out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/i-was-recently-looking-at-what-they-can-actually-do-to-reduce/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [Only around 2% of the earth's surface is cultivatable land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/only-around-2-of-the-earth-s-surface-is-cultivatable-land/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [It seems to be the thing now that young people are getting back into politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/it-seems-to-be-the-thing-now-that-young-people-are-getting-back-into/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [The natural capital is not income, but we spend our natural capital as if it were revenue, as if it were going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/the-natural-capital-is-not-income-but-we-spend-our-natural-capital-as/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [The Sierra Club in the United States has now really come out for population control and reduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/the-sierra-club-in-the-united-states-has-now-really-come-out-for/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [What's immediately profitable is the only kind of logic that capitalism understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/what-s-immediately-profitable-is-the-only-kind-of-logic-that/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [We have the most crude accounting tools. 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This is very long-term for markets, which is why the important things in life have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/markets-cant-think-about-anything-beyond-about-three-months-this-is/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [Redistribution of wealth would require enormous amounts of investment. The only time an elite has accepted this has been during crises, such as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/redistribution-of-wealth-would-require-enormous-amounts-of-investment/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [I used to work a lot on food issues and every time somebody predicted that production would be inadequate they got egg on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/i-used-to-work-a-lot-on-food-issues-and-every-time-somebody-predicted/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [Debt is such a powerful tool, it is such a useful tool, it's much better than colonialism ever was because you can keep control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/debt-is-such-a-powerful-tool-it-is-such-a-useful-tool-it-s-much/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) [Explore all 38 Susan George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) ## More Environmental quotes > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A social impact bond is a new way of bringing financing into social and environmental support issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-rodin/a-social-impact-bond-is-a-new-way-of-bringing-financing-into-social/) [Judith Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-rodin/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [Canada is the worst polluter in the world right now. There's absolutely no sign on a federal level that there's going to be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-pallett/canada-is-the-worst-polluter-in-the-world-right-now-there-s/) [Owen Pallett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-pallett/) > [Smog is affecting larger parts of China, and environmental pollution has become a major problem, which is natures red-light warning against the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/smog-is-affecting-larger-parts-of-china-and-environmental-pollution/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [It is important to allow a broad debate on energy and climate. We must urgently explore realistic ways to address the different scientific, technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-bengtsson/it-is-important-to-allow-a-broad-debate-on-energy-and-climate-we-must/) Lennart Bengtsson > [The global industrial economy is the engine for massive environmental degradation and massive human (and nonhuman) impoverishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-global-industrial-economy-is-the-engine-for-massive-environmental/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [The government should set a goal for a clean environment but not mandate how that goal should be implemented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dixie-lee-ray/the-government-should-set-a-goal-for-a-clean-environment-but-not/) [Dixie Lee Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dixie-lee-ray/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Be Thou praised, my Lord, of our Sister Mother Earth, which sustains and hath us in rule, and produces divers fruits with coloured flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/be-thou-praised-my-lord-of-our-sister-mother-earth-which-sustains-and/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [“There is no one as hypocritical as a man who massacred a tree in one place and cooled in the shadow of a tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-no-one-as-hypocritical-as-a-man-who-massacred-a-tree-in-one/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 2,423 Environmental quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan George" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-sawmills-you-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Environmental" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-sawmills-you-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/625/susan-george-17151_environmental_if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matt_1165010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.” — Susan George", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan George", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you cut down a forest,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-sawmills-you-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/if-you-cut-down-a-forest-it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-sawmills-you-have/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```