Contemporary deforestation in the Baltic countries is driven by the perception that these sparsely inhabited regions are, in fact, Terra Nullius. The earlier authority of the Church, however, has been supplanted by the greed and power of global corporations. With the integration of Baltic countries into the Western market system, the profiteering motives of lumber and related industries are eclipsing the traditional world views rooted as deeply in the land as the great trees being felled. The region as a whole is still perceived as a wilderness sparsely inhabited by pagans and nature-worshippers. The future survival of Baltic forests—and the spiritual life of those nations—depends on recognizing traditional Baltic views of forests as protected and sacred spaces, and defending them from the short-sighted and Utilitarian perspective that the forests must be exploited, their financial value cashed in, and the raw timber made a resource for the privileged West.