U.S. to Open Remote Forests To Logging

Washington Post ^ | 05.06.05 | AP

[Coleus]

The Bush administration, in one of its biggest environmental decisions, moved yesterday to open nearly one-third of all remote national forest lands to road building, logging and other commercial ventures.

The 58.5 million acres involved, mainly in Alaska and in western states, had been put off limits to development by President Bill Clinton eight days before he left office in January 2001.

In Virginia, 394,000 acres are affected in the Jefferson and George Washington national forests.

Under existing local forest management plans, about 34.3 million acres of these pristine woodlands nationally could be opened to road construction. That would be the first step in allowing logging, mining and other industry and wider recreational uses. New management plans have to be written for the other 24.2 million acres before road building can commence.

Governors have 18 months to submit petitions to the U.S. Forest Service to challenge either the old plans to stop development, or to call for new plans to allow it.

Environmentalists said the new rule would let the administration rewrite the forest management plans to lift restrictions against development on most of the forest land.

"Yesterday, nearly 60 million acres of national forests were protected, and today as a result of deliberate action by the administration they are not," said Robert Vandermark, director of the Heritage Forests Campaign, run by a coalition of environment groups. "The Bush administration plan is a 'leave no tree behind' policy that paves the way for increased logging, drilling and mining in some of our last wild areas."

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in announcing the rule that his agency "is committed to working closely with the nation's governors to meet the needs of our local communities while protecting and restoring the health and natural beauty of our national forests."

[OpusatFR]

"In Virginia, 394,000 acres are affected in the Jefferson and George Washington national forests."

BAD decision. This is not an area that bursts into flame like the West. We don't have large amounts of pristine forest left in Virginia.

This stinks.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Cutting trees (with replanting) is the best thing we can do for atmospheric carbon loads. If they actually knew anything, environmentalist would be the ones leading the pack for increased logging.

BTW, a single 10' stick of 4X4 cedar was nearly $25.00 at the Home Depot yesterday. More cutting is what is sorely needed all through the national forests.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"FLAME AWAY!!!"

You have provided the rebuttal to your nonsense more concisely than I could.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Actually, the full costs of the logging are not in monies paid to the feds. Have you ever wondered where remote counties that have all of those trees that are being cut keep their infrastructure in order? Where heavily forested counties may have a few thousand for population, roads, culverts, bridges, retaining walls, plowing and a score of other services are provided courtesy of logging company funding through agreements with the feds. I saw one analysis that actually put the total costs of logging in the U.S. at higher levels than overseas. The give-away logging myth (corporate welfare) is a canard that has been around forever in the environmental left.

[WorkingClassFilth]

America's largest resource base for low-sulfer coal is now called Escalante National Monument. The supplier for that resource is now Indonesia's Lippo Group courtesy of the usual dealing in the Clinton administration. Cool, huh? Stroke of the pen - law of the land.

[P.O.E.]

What I don't understand is why don't environmental groups just buy up forests, or compete with the loggers price-wise on usage fees?

[flashbunny]

Wow, in the bizarro world, that would be considered clever.

[Smokin' Joe]

I simply don't trust the government when money is involved.

Actually, on this we agree.

While housing costs may not drop, the cost of building materials may come down. Unfortunately, it has been years since entire towns were practicaly shut down by Clinton in the waning days of his administration. It would take a lot to rehabilitate the infrastructure associated with the logging activities which used to happen.

If there is a profit, though, it will happen.

[softengine]

You're gonna get flamed. There exists here on FR a growing number of folks who cannot and will not allow themselves to hear any point of view but that which aligns itself with blind Bush admin policy..

Don't get me wrong, I love W. He's been awesome on so many scores I lost count. But he, and the GOP, have been way off the mark on many more. This is just one example...There's the Patriot Act, The Parental Consent Act, The (quasi)National ID..., with Ron Paul being the lone voice of reason in a vast wilderness of sh!theads.

It will be intesting to watch how our closed-mindedness plays out over the next 5-10 years. My guess - it'll come back to haunt us.

Wonder if we'll like the hindsight view as much as the closet commie left does these days? ;]

[Jaysun]

Didn't Clinton put an area with the highest amount of clean burning coal off limits by naming it a national park or treasure? And the only other large source of this type of coal was somewhere outside of the USA, meaning we would have to start buying this coal from foreign countries

I don't know but I'll find out. Such things are typical of the left.

[relee]

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests contain 1,646,328 acres, just in Virginia, so 394,000 acres are less than a quarter of it.

I was fishing the James near Arcadia a few years back and saw a large forest fire in the Jefferson National Forest. It looked like the whole mountainside was on fire.

Building more roads will allow more access for firefighters, campers, hikers, picnickers, autumn leaf watchers, hunters, equestrians, cross-country skiers, tourists, bird watchers, nature photographers, anglers, etc.

More logging is a fine idea.

[Coleus]

From what I understand the USA has more trees now than ever before due to replanting, tree farms, disease-resistant trees and forest fire management.

[Southack]

Outstanding!

[dufekin]

And we're in a much wetter climate. Talk about climate change!

[Southack]

"Logging, mining and cattle grazing interests should NOT be permitted to loot national parkland"

To "loot" means to take without paying. Loggers and cattle grazers pay, so they aren't looters. Besides, the trees grow back. There are more trees in the U.S. today than in 1776. The grass that the cattle graze grows back, too.

Unless you don't log and graze forests and National Parks. It's that logging and grazing that cuts down on forest fires that would otherwise simply destroy that which you neglected to use.

If you want wildfires, then ban logging and grazing.

For instance, in California, where logging is tightly regulated by the State, wildfires are common. In the woodland state of Alabama, however, wildfires have been banished for the past 3 decades due to scientific forest fire management (i.e., strategic logging).

So if you want to save your National Parks for recreational uses by all American citizens, you'd better instigate scientific wildfire management.

That means: logging and logging roads.

Otherwise you'll simply get raging wildfires every year that force the EVACUATIONS of national Parks and nearby residential areas.

[WorkingClassFilth]

The U.S. has about 72% of the forested acres (not the same - just the coverage) that was here when Columbus landed in the new world. Every year since WWII we have grown more biomass in out forests than we have cut. There simply is NO shortage of trees. In fact, to not cut and use the forests is to endanger and degrade them through age, disease, insects and fire.

The earliest management on this continent was the American Indians who routinely burned the forests over in some cases twice annually to control understory, insects and improve hunting conditions. Most of the ideas people have about unbroken cathedrals of majestic giants from coast to coast has been absorbed from media and the legacy of 19th century romantic nature literates like that of James Fenimore Cooper, Longfellow and Thoreau who immortalized and lamented the great loss of the forests in the wake of the nation's expansion ending in the late 1800's. The mythical eulogies they left still fuel the environmentalist movement to this day.

Those who desire the forests to remain in some mythical pristine state simply do NOT understand what forestry management is all about. Foresters will tell you that selecting a management goal like "old-growth" (and that's what it is - management) is akin to preserving bananas indefinitely - same outcome with a little longer time frame. With this nation's pattern or wood consumption rising unabated and the severe curtailment of our natural resources, we are now net importers of our wood needs since the late 1990's.

There is abolutely NO reason why we should not be cutting in our forests for our domestic wood needs. In fact, with modern forestry management, there is NO reason to ever run out of wood - ever. This is possible even with all of the other management goals in mind...well...with the possible exception of druid nature worshippers seeking a mythical state of environmental perfection.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

List of Ping lists

[Danae]

About time.

Though Oregon's pathetic excuse of a Governor is protesting this hand over foot. What Ted? Afraid we will find out just how badly the "Public" lands have been mis-managed? We ALREADY KNOW Ted. All the forest fires and more than half Oregon's polution (particulate) comes from the mis-management of Oregon's "Public" forests!!! Wanna decrease the worlds emissions like you said you did with your stupid Emmissions executive (threatened) Orders? Then let someone manage the forests that can actually MANAGE THEM! Like perhaps the PRIVATE timber Owners? You know the ones, that have no fires on em and or are put out right away, the ones that CLEAR kindling underbrush and DEAD TREES that CAUSE fires? Hmmn Mr. Oregon Governor? How 'bout backing the President eh? He happens to be RIGHT! duh! *under breath* bloody kool-aid drinking FOOL liberal idiot Governor...!

[Danae]

No need, just go stand in the middle of the Biscuit fire in southern Oregon, your a$$ will get toasted by that policy just as soon as thunderstorm season starts there. A Nature ZOT if I ever did see one.

Your Opinion is one that the MSM has implanted in your brain. Seriously! Says nothing about you as a person. Your Opinion just does not follow in practice what your theorem predicts.

The lumber in the Biscuit Fire has been lying on the ground DEAD for three years! It is KINDLING for an even bigger fire this year, where we have had about 40% of the precipitation of normal for the State! How is THAT good management? Get it out of there before it burns again!!!
How is having an Un-Natural canopy of trees (it ain't NATURALY that thick!) using up too much water, creating ideal conditions for beetle infestations from a lack of sap in the trees, causing more dead trees, making more kindling, gonna do anyone any good? Wise harvesting of trees PREVENTS forest fires in healthy forrests! Contrary to common popular belief, Loggers want HEALTHY Forrests! It gives them and a LOT of other people steady JOBS! Cut down all the trees, then there are no jobs for long!!! Do you REALY think they are that stupid? Ok, then just go check the numbers and acreages of the fires in Oregon on "Public" lands and on Privately owned lands. Here 51% of the land is Publicaly Owned. Most of the fires happen there rather than the Private. Ask yourself why, AND ask yourself why those private owners have steady incomes! It's called "LAND MANAGMENT"! When it is done right, the trees win, the land wins, the animals win, the Loggers win, the Lumbermen win, the Timber companies win, and the Economy wins. How bout following a WINNING stratgy instead of swallowing what the Enviro-idiots say? They are only trying to create fear so that they have something to justify their existence with! Hello! Hellooooo??? Doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different outcome is MADNESS! Insanity!