446 - Western North American Tree News

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--Today for you 30 news articles about earth's trees! (446th edition)

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--Alaska: 1) Scientist reports on history and future of forests

--British Columbia: 2) Ingmar asks if RAN's forked tongue is still

forked? 3) Where have all the Salmon gone? 4) Help us save the old

growth, 5) Tribes file suit on weyco land transfer, 6) BC gov finally

allows logging for everyone, even the little guys! 7) Comox Vallet

Watershed Group, 8) efficiency and streamlining in forest liquidation

is not sustainable, 9) Critical Caribou habitat is clearcut,

--Washington: 10) Aftermath of moonlight fire, 11) Weyco puts up signs

to brag about how blow down mono-crop forestry is sustainable, 12)

Potlatch prepares to turn forestland into housing land, 13) ORVers

protest Gifford Pinchot NF, 14) Goldmark gets ready to take over 5

million acres of state land,

--Oregon: 15) Logging rates are unsustainable yet state wants to

increase logging levels? 16) 10,000 acre 10 year stewardship contract

awarded in Siskiyou NF, 17) Enviros to close down state forests just

like they did to federal forests, 18) Beautiful forest threatened by

the WOPR, 19) New Oregon senator want more logging and more money from

the feds, 20) Senators Holy Grail that's easy to talk about,

--California: 21) Fiscal crisis means Placer County oak trees safe

from developers, 22) Get in the way of Sierra Paific's Real Estate

maneuvering, 23) Earth First! gets ready to protect Green Diamond from

clearcutting and subdividing, : 24) Forests of Child's Meadow taken

over by Nature Conservancy, 25) Forester didn't get away the usual

dishonesty this time, 26) Big Sur restoration from wildfire,

--Arizona: 27) A million acres proposed for thinning,

--Montana: 28) MSU to cut down 6% of campus trees to " save " the rest,

29) Lawsuit to stop the herbiciding of 94,000 acres of the Kootenai

NF, 30) Historically important, culturally resonant timber industry?

 

Alaska:

 

1) D'Amore, a UAF SNRAS doctoral student studying with Associate

Professor of Soils Dave Valentine, presented his research findings at

a graduate student seminar at UAF in November. The Coastal Temperate

Rainforest (from northern California to Prince William Sound) is

D'Amore's focus, particularly the Tongass National Forest. Southeast

Alaska is best known for its old-growth forests dominated by western

hemlock, and large deposits of woody debris on the ground. The Tongass

National Forest features six major tree species, fire is rare, and

woody debris accumulates leading to large amounts of stored carbon in

the forest. In the early twentieth century logging was selective and

limited to the shoreline and valley bottoms. The level of logging

increased during the two world wars and concentrated on Sitka spruce

due to its value as an aircraft wood. The 1950s found the pulp mill

industry conducting extensive clearcutting. As a result, today there

are 263,250 hectares of young-growth forest on the Tongass. The rapid

regeneration of trees and lack of understory have become a problem for

the wildlife and understory diversity in these types of stands,

D'Amore said. Another issue of importance is the abundance of water in

Southeast Alaska. With 3,000 to 5,000 millimeters of precipitation per

year, there is no lack of moisture. The area has plentiful bogs,

forested wetlands, and scrub forest that form a mosaic with more

productive forest overstory, D'Amore said. " It's not all the same

forest. " Remarking on the decline of yellow cedar, he said there are

200,000 hectares of dead trees standing in the Tongass. Even yellow

cedar that has been dead for sixty years still has high quality wood.

Integrating the need for restoration with getting use out of the wood

is important. Determining how to harvest dead trees and plant new

yellow cedars will create a template for how to manage other types of

trees in a changing climate. Understanding the role of dissolved

carbon is another priority for D'Amore. He and his colleagues at the

Pacific Northwest Research Station in Juneau are working to establish

predictive models for carbon flux in the watersheds of the coastal

temperate rainforest. " Southeast Alaska has the highest area of

weighted dissolved organic carbon flux in the world, " he said. Carbon

flux is the transfer of carbon from one pool to another. Quantifying

the movement of carbon dioxide into and out of the atmosphere is

important for understanding carbon sinks and sources. Most of

D'Amore's work has been accomplished with colleagues in forest

pathology and aquatic ecology at the Juneau Pacific Northwest Research

Station. " I implore you to create creative partnerships and get out of

your shell, " he said. " Establishing partnerships has helped me expand

understanding of fundamental components of coastal temperate

rainforest ecosystems. "

http://snras.blogspot.com/2008/12/doctoral-student-focuses-on-forest.html

 

British Columbia:

 

2) Dear Ran Forest Campaigner: I am currently in the midst of a 1 1\2

month speaking tour around Europe, -with daily and nightly lectures at

schools and university's across Germany and Denmark, on the topic of

the 'BC Clearcutting Massacre.' I'm describing the desperate situation

in Canada's Pacific primaeval forests and am explaining the connection

between BC forest destruction and Germany's enormous paper

consumption. Germany buys 17% of its source material for paper

products from Canada. At 256 kilos of paper, per year, per person X

80,000,000 people, Germany is a huge contributor to Canadian forest

destruction. In particular, my talks focus on the, IMHO, shoddy deal

over the so-called 'Great Bear Rainforest' and how BC's largest

bureacratic environmental organizations, namely, Greenpeace, Sierra

Club, ForestEthics and RAN have collaborated with government and

industry with the resultant protection at just 30% of the intact

forest there, -twice the size of Belgium. My environmentalism espouses

the high-bar maxim that 'No More Commercial Extraction from Primaeval

Forests', a concept which has found great resonance amongst my

audience here in Europe. Although I'm comfortable and confident with

my statistics and attitude towards the Great Bear Rainforest deal, I

don't understand RAN's current position in this fiasco. RAN appears to

have removed itself from the GBR deal because I can only find the

other three groups listed in every recent news-release about it. I

know that RAN has admitted that the RSP negotiators had been required

to drop their Vancouver Island campaigns in order to remain at the

back-room GBR negotiations, -something that has been denied by all the

other groups. I am hoping that RAN has backed out of the deal and has

now developed a primaeval forest protectionist stance. May I ask if

this is the case? I have been writing to Michael Brune, but he appears

not to answer his email. If in fact RAN has backed out of the GBR

deal, then I congratulate you all! Please get back to me about where

RAN is at vis-a-vis the dreadful GBR collaborationist compromise!

Cheers, Ingmar Lee (currently lecturing at Rostock on the Baltic Sea)

ingmarz

 

3) The silence along the river was almost deafening. No birds, bears

or wolves appeared along the banks. The reason soon became obvious:

not a single salmon was to be seen in the glacial-fed water. Not a

single salmon carcass lay on the ground, not in the estuary or the

forest. There was no sign of predation and no sign of decomposition.

The usual sounds of fall in this British Columbia coastal rainforest

valley were agonizingly muted. The thrashing of salmon swimming

upstream, the splashing of grizzlies pouncing on fish in the shallows,

the cacophony of multiple bird species scavenging the bears'

leftovers—all were virtually nonexistent. And not a whiff of the fetid

odor of dead and decaying salmon I have come to associate with this

time of year was evident. The unnatural quiet sent a chill up my

spine. Having spent the latter half of September on Raincoast

Conservation's research vessel Achiever visiting salmon-producing

systems on a daily basis throughout the central coast, it is

abundantly clear that the new protected areas in the Great Bear

Rainforest aren't going to protect much if they are devoid of salmon.

As an editorial in a local newspaper recently alluded to, unless

management of the fishery improves, none of us will be eating salmon

for a very long time to come—and that includes our unique coastal

wolves, iconic grizzly bears and majestic killer whales. " Salmon is

like the wildebeest, " explains the University of Victoria's Dr. Tom

Reimchen. " So many species depend on their movement. " Something is

amiss with salmon runs in numerous coastal watersheds, as evidenced by

disturbingly low pink and chum returns the last two years; these runs

of pink and chum are vital to wildlife.

http://www.counterpunch.org/genovali12012008.html

 

4) With only 5 months to go before a BC election, we're in a race

against time in the fight for the last old-growth forests and forestry

jobs on Vancouver Island and the Southwest Mainland. Premier Gordon

Campbell, Forest Minister Pat Bell, and the BC Liberal government are

currently figuring out what policies they will undertake to try to win

over public support before the BC election. If enough people know,

care, speak up, and recruit others to do the same, only a foolish

government will ignore their concerns - and face the consequences.

Almost 3000 people showed up at our recent ancient forest rally in

Victoria; see the Youtube clip at:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=zRmXjq7ZSCI At the Wilderness Committee

in Victoria, we're working hard to expand the coastal forest movement

in a big way, FAST - and we're getting ready to dish out serious

consequences if need be. So we greatly need 3 things from YOU right

now: 1) SIGN and CIRCULATE our PETITION: http://www.viforest.org ; 2)

DONATE to, JOIN, and SHOP this Holiday Season at the Wilderness

Committee's Rainforest Store http://www.wcwcvictoria.org ; 3) LETTERS

and PHONE CALLS needed NOW for our Ancient

Forests and to Ban Raw Log Exports! Pat Bell, Minister of Forests and

Range pat.bell.mla Phone: 250-387-6240 -- Premier Gordon

Campbell

premier Phone: 250-387-1715

 

5) KAMLOOPS -- The Stk'emlupsemc of the Secwepemc Nation (Tk'emlups

and Skeetchestn Indian Bands) filed today for a judicial review on the

Minister of Forests and Range decision not to consult with the

Stk'emlupsemc regarding the Weyerhaeuser timber transfer. The tenures

involved in this transfer are located on Stk'emlupemc Territory. Chief

Ron Ignace of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, speaking on behalf of the

Stk'emlupsemc, stated that the Crown has a legal obligation to consult

and accommodate the aboriginal rights and title of the Stk'emlupsemc,

he said, " Whenever a major decision is made regarding resources on our

unceded lands, the BC government has a legal obligations to consult

and accommodate our rights and title regardless of what the policy or

legislation says. " He stated, " The BC government must do three things:

1. they must engage us in meaningful consultations, 2. they must

participate with us in good faith negotiations to accommodate our

interests, and 3. they must provide fair compensation for infringement

on our unextinguished rights and title. " Chief Ignace went on to say

that so far the Minister of Forests and Range has refused to consult

and accommodate the Stk'emlupsemc interests. " We are trying in good

faith to engage the BC government in the transfer of these Weyerhauser

timber tenures and the law in this country is clear on this matter yet

here we are in the courts once again, " he said.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Stkemlupsemc-Bands-File-Judicial-Review/st\

ory.aspx?guid={BC965A6B-0167-484C-A2F6-DADAA462972E}

 

6) The B.C. government removing restrictions on small-scale timber

sales and dropping a $250 annual registration fee to encourage

small-scale timber users to enter the struggling forest products

market. Forests Minister Pat Bell said the restriction was put in

place in 2003 when the B.C. Liberal government set up B.C. Timber

Sales (BCTS) to establish a market price for logs on Crown land.

Producers who used 10,000 cubic metres or less of wood per year were

" grandfathered " and a freeze was put in place on new licences. As of

Dec. 10 that freeze is lifted. " At the time were trying to ensure that

BCTS had significant volume in the timber sales program to make sure

we had reasonable data points to establish our market pricing system, "

Bell said. " You'll recall that in 2003 we started a major take-back of

volume from licencees in order to create that volume. We now have

sufficient volume to be confident in our data for market pricing

system. " He said the current slump in the dimensional lumber industry

is a time for new " niche " producers of value added products to get

started, and people normally involved in conventional lumber

production may be aware of specialty products they can develop. NDP

forests critic Bob Simpson said the change is long overdue. " It's

effectively a restoration of the small business program that was in

place when the Libs took power and which was responsible for

maintaining and growing the independent lumber manufacturers and value

added business, " Simpson said. " Unfortunately, most of those folks are

gone now and this change may be too late to help revive them. " Bell

said B.C. will likely finish the year with 50 million cubic metres of

Crown timber harvested, down from typical year of 70 million. Mills

have been idled across the province and others are taking extra

down-time over the Christmas holidays due to the lack of demand for

new U.S. housing. Bell also addressed a complaint from U.S. lumber

producers that B.C. mills are kiln-drying whole logs in an effort to

have timber downgraded to salvage that costs only 25 cents per cubic

metre in stumpage to the government. He said the heating of logs in

the winter is not to produce cracks for grading but to reveal cracks

that may be hidden when they are frozen. If cracked logs get into the

mill they break apart when cut. " We've had the U.S. Commerce

Department come and look at the process, " Bell said.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/35926729.html

 

7) Courtenay, BC - The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (CVPWS)

is a local nonprofit organization which has been working to conserve

the watersheds of the Comox Valley for 15 years. In that time, CVPWS

has come face to face with information gaps, technical gaps and

governmental administrative gaps in regional land use planning. In

doing their part to rectify this situation, CVPWS has now taken the

lead in map making, geographic information systems (GIS) and global

positioning systems (GPS) work through the establishment of The

Mapping Centre. The Mapping Centre (TMC) is an accumulation of the

expertise, contacts and state-of-the-art technical equipment amassed

by CVPWS since its formation. TMC provides an integrated mapping

service for clients in the Comox Valley, Vancouver Island and BC. It

aims to become the centre for mapping, GPS, and GIS related resources

in the Comox Valley; thus moving the Valley toward a unified vision

and plan for a sustainable future. TMC brings together a mix of

technology and local knowledge in order to work with governments,

community members, industry, First Nations and [in the] future

international partners. It is as diverse in its projects as it is in

its clientele. The TMC team, Caila Holbrook (Business Manager) and Don

Chamberlain (Technical Coordinator), works on projects large and small

and has adopted an organic structure – through use of contract

employees - so that it can easily adapt to the needs of its clients.

It officially opened in November 2008 and is currently working on a

variety of exciting projects. For example, TMC is an important partner

in a collaborative initiative among local environmental organizations

and local governments called the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy

(CVCS). TMC works within the CVCS to ensure accurate identification of

sensitive habitat areas and works on inventory and mapping projects

that facilitate sustainable land use decisions made by local

government, developers, First Nations and others. In another project,

TMC is working with Parksville /Qualicum stewardship groups to map GPS

information they have been collecting in hopes of getting areas they

are concerned with recognized and protected by governments and

developers. Projects on the horizon include but are not limited to:

producing paper and interactive digital maps with a specific focus

e.g. hiking trails; working with high school students and the broader

community on geocaching (akin to treasure hunting with GPS equipment);

and studying and assessing wildlife habitat impacted by BC Hydro

development along the Puntledge River. http://www.tidechange.ca

 

8) Recent regulatory changes to BC Timber Sales (BCTS) will streamline

administration, reduce transaction costs for the organization and its

customers, and encourage more value-added producers to register with

BCTS, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today. Effective

immediately, the BC Timber Sales Regulation lifts the freezeon

registration in Category 2 that has been in place since June 2003.

Category 2 is a class of registration in BCTS for value-added and

independent lumber producers, but excludes major quota holders.

" Lifting the Category 2 freeze creates and opens up new opportunities

for independent lumber and value-added producers to bid on timber

sales licences and fibre supplies that were previously unavailable to

them, " said Bell. " It is now easier for these entrepreneurs to

register and compete for timber opportunities provided by BCTS. " In

addition to unfreezing Category 2, the following changes to the BCTS

registration system were made: * New registrants no longer need to pay

an initial registration fee of $250 and existing registrants no longer

have to pay the fee to renew their registration every two years.*

Individuals or companies no longer need to have at least one year of

logging experience or a timber processing facility to qualify for

registration in Category 1. " This regulatory change also consolidates

advertising and deposit management regulations to improve the

efficiency and effectiveness of BC Timber Sales and the quality of

service provided to its customers, " said Bell. http://www.gov.bc.ca

 

9) An aboriginal community is outraged after discovering that a

Vancouver mining company conducting coal exploration in B.C.'s Rocky

Mountains has cleared a mountain ridge near Chetwynd that is critical

wintering habitat for threatened caribou. Chief Roland Willson of the

West Moberly First Nation said his people were shocked to learn that

about 17 hectares have been damaged for coal exploration. " They've

cleared off the site ... and damaged critical core habitat, " he said.

Willson said the First Coal Corp. site, known as the Goodrich

Property, is among a slew of resource-related developments, including

wind turbines and oil and gas, occurring in the midst of caribou

habitat in the region. " It's to the point these caribou are probably

going to become extinct in this area. " West Moberly land-use manager

Bruce Muir said the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources

has not adequately explained why the ridge near Mount Stephenson was

stripped and what B.C. plans to do about it. " The conservation of a

species is supposed to be the No. 1 priority according to the law, "

Muir said. " The second legal priority is supposed to be first nations.

" So why is it that a mining company gets to skip to the front of the

line? " Ron Bronstein, acting regional director of mines in northeast

B.C., said from Prince George that the company has received various

permits to allow for road construction, trenching, ground-water

exploration, and drilling as part of the initial exploration process.

The ministry is seeking further information from the company regarding

work conducted on the ridge to date. " My understanding is that

[cleared] area exceeds some of the approvals they have received, "

Bronstein said. " If that's the situation, we've asked them for a

reclamation plan for the site. " He said he has no current plans to

seek charges in the case. " Why would we need to? You don't necessarily

just run out and charge somebody right off the bat for doing

something. "

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=12e8e397-e2e\

b-4182-9bca-4ae4999fad7c & k=27955

 

Washington:

 

10) " It made an eight-mile run one afternoon, in late October. It

burned through an area of fairly high elevation old-growth timber and

at very high severity, " Duncan said. " I was kind of amazed, " he added,

" that something would have burned to that scale. To make a 40,000-acre

run in an afternoon is significant for any time of year – but

particularly for that time of year. " The Moonlight fire, which burned

across the Plumas National Forest and timber industry land north of

Quincy, was one of the most environmentally destructive in recent

memory. Vast stands of trees exploded into flame like matchsticks,

including forest set aside to protect spotted owls. Smoke spread

across Northern California and drifted as far south as Bakersfield. In

all, six of 10 acres were burned so badly that in many places few

living trees remain. The global climate suffered, too. In two weeks,

the fire pumped an estimated 5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the

air, equivalent to the annual emissions of 970,000 vehicles or one

coal-fired power plant. " The intensity of the fire was pretty

spectacular, " said Bill Molumby, the incident commander who directed

firefighting forces on the Moonlight and has battled many of

California's biggest blazes over the past 35 years. The fire season

now stretches out 78 days longer than it did during the 1970s and

'80s. And, on average, large fires burn for more than a month,

compared with just a week a generation ago. Scientists also have

discovered that in many places, nothing signals a bad fire year like a

short winter and an early snowmelt. Overall, 72 percent of the land

scorched across the West from 1987 to 2003 burned in early snowmelt

years. After the fire, satellite imagery showed the fire had burned

102 square miles, making it the largest blow-up in Plumas County

history. But they also revealed something more troubling: 62 percent

of the overall fire burned at high severity, a term scientists use to

describe a stand-destroying fire. " I can't go up there without

crying, " said Wills. " That used to be my backyard. Everybody is

depressed. It's just nuked. " Historically, fires in Sierra mixed

conifer forests skipped lightly across the landscape. They singed some

areas, scorched others, but most of the forest remained healthy. Only

five to 10 percent burned at high severity, said Hugh Safford,

regional ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service who works in Davis.

Next spring, crews hired by the Forest Service will fan out across the

rugged terrain, planting 1.7 million trees across 12,000 acres. In

2010, they will do it again, all by hand. Every speck of brush near

each seedling will be scraped away, again by hand, because herbicides

are not allowed in the forest.In a break from tradition, the work will

be funded not by logging burned trees, which creates conflict and

slows planting, but with federal funds and donations from groups such

as the Arbor Day Foundation and American Forests.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1436736.html

 

11) " It's mostly educational, " said Sue Eissler, a Weyerhaeuser land

use administrator for Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. " People are

seeing the clear cutting and many of them are from out of state, so

they don't realize that we even had a storm. " The series of signs

begins with " December 2, 2007: Hurricane-force winds exceeded 120

mph. " The next sign states that " Hundreds of acres of timber were

blown down along Highway 101 " and then one that reads, " Timber salvage

began immediately after the storm. Replanted 2009. " The final sign

declares that " Weyerhaeuser is committed to sustainable forestry. "

According to Eissler, the signs help remind people that there is a

reason behind the clear cutting, and that Weyerhaeuser isn't doing it

strictly for the timber. The forest sustained so much damage that

harvesting the felled trees and replanting the area was the only

solution, she said. " The comments are simple, " Eissler added, " but the

signs tell the story of why the area is being clear cut. "

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/12/02/local_news/04news.txt

 

12) The board of directors for Potlatch has approved a plan to create

a spinoff company called Clearwater Paper to separate the forest

product company's pulp and paper business from its timber holdings.

The company announced the approval Monday following a ruling by the

Internal Revenue Service that shares in the new company will qualify

as a tax-free distribution to Potlatch and its shareholders for

federal income tax purposes. Potlatch, based in Spokane, is Idaho's

largest private landowner. Including holdings in Arkansas, Minnesota

and Wisconsin, it owns about 1.7 million acres of timber land.

Clearwater Paper will be based in Spokane and will produce pulp,

paperboard and tissue products. Besides making pulp and paperboard at

the existing Potlatch plant in Lewiston, Idaho, it will have

facilities in Las Vegas, Nev., Elwood, Ill., and near McGehee, Ark.

The company will employ about 2,400 people nationwide, according to a

Potlatch statement. Potlatch will distribute one share of Clearwater

stock for every 3.5 shares of Potlatch stock on Dec. 16 to

shareholders of record on Dec. 9. There are about 39.5 million shares

of Potlatch stock outstanding. Potlatch stock closed at $24.27 today,

up $3.49 or 16.8 percent. Clearwater Paper common stock is expected to

begin regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 17. " We

believe that separating these businesses will present both companies

with more opportunities to maximize their potential as independent

entities, while affording each business the flexibility to be more

responsive to changing industry and economic dynamics, " Michael J.

Covey, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Potlatch,

said in the statement. As part of the deal, Clearwater Paper will

begin with about $150 million in debt. About $100 million, according

to the news release, is from debt previously created by an affiliate

of Potlatch that is due in full in December 2009. Clearwater Paper

plans to immediately draw $50 million from an anticipated $125 million

revolving credit line and transfer that amount to a subsidiary of

Potlatch. The company said Gordon Jones, the former chief executive

officer of Blue Ridge Paper Products in Asheville, N.C., will be

president and chief executive officer of Clearwater Paper.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008461146_webpotlatch0\

2.html

 

13) As Erik Robinson reported in Saturday's Columbian, dozens of

off-road vehicle enthusiasts from Oregon and Southwest Washington

rallied outside the Gifford Pinchot National Forest headquarters in

Vancouver on Friday. Members of the Gifford Pinchot Off-Highway

Vehicle Alliance (GPOHVA) carried signs with messages such as " This is

not the Queen's Forest. " We're glad that all they got for their

efforts, apparently, was a plate of cookies from Acting Forest

Supervisor Lynn Burditt. What the protesters really wanted, though,

was an increase in trails available to internal-combustion engines in

the 1.37 million-acre forest. We've tried to put ourselves in the

boots of the off-road motorcycle riders and all-terrain vehicle

drivers, and about the only emotion we could muster is the desire that

those boots spend more time on trails and less time revving up motors

that drive knobby tires. We understand five aspects of the

vroom-and-venture folks: Yes, the great majority of them respect the

outdoors that they visit. Yes, many belong to clubs and organizations,

and many of those groups have volunteered to spend countless hours

improving trail conditions and helping the forest. Yes, their sport is

a popular one, growing rapidly, and they deserve a small place in the

forest. Yes, the places where they're allowed in the Gifford Pinchot

are crowded, often to the point of being dangerous. And yes, the small

minority of misbehaving off-road vehicle drivers are not the only ones

mistreating the forest, littering trails and campsites, vandalizing

and breaking other laws. Countless — and probably more — unmotorized

invaders also damage the forest. But those five concessions don't

address the real issue, which is not about off-road vehicle drivers.

It's about the forest. More crucial than what the people need or

deserve is what the forest can handle. Pinchot officials say it's

unlikely there will be any increase in the 268 miles of trails

designated for motorized vehicles (229 miles for motorcycles and 39

miles for four-wheelers). Not only would the increased natural

destruction be bad for the forest, but budget-challenged officials

don't have the money to extend and maintain trails. They have enough

to do just blocking illegal incursions onto trails by motorized

vehicles. http://bark-out.org/content/article.php?section=news & id=531

 

14) Goldmark, a Democrat, rancher and scientist from Okanogan, ran a

hard-hitting campaign that accused two-term Republican Commissioner

Doug Sutherland of being too cozy with the timber companies the state

Department of Natural Resources regulates. Backed by

environmentalists, Goldmark questioned the agency's actions after a

major storm last December triggered devastating slides in steep-slope

logging areas that added to flood woes in the Chehalis River Basin. He

has staked out a different position on a controversial gravel-mining

proposal at Maury Island, where Sutherland last week approved a

30-year lease allowing Northwest Aggregates Glacier Northwest to

expand its sand and gravel mine. Goldmark said he would have required

more environmental review, done a better cost assessment of the value

of the resource, and checked to see that the Maury decision was in

synch with the needs of Puget Sound Partnership, which is tasked with

the Sound's cleanup. He also said his four priorities are to make

decisions " in the public's interest and with the public's knowledge, "

protect resources, strive for sustainable land uses and use public

lands for economic opportunity. An example he gave of the latter is a

proposal to promote the use of forest waste as fuel. Timber groups are

watching Goldmark's administration, which follows eight years of

Republican leadership under Sutherland and eight years of Democratic

leadership under environmentalist Jennifer Belcher before that.

Goldmark has talked to Belcher, Republican Lands Commissioner Brian

Boyle, large timber interests and small forestland owners. He promised

" no wholesale changes " as he sizes up the agency before being sworn in

Jan. 14, saying he is committed to " production " out of state forests

and plans to " be thoughtful about it " when making " some limited

changes. " " Everyone we've talked to so far has expressed a strong

desire to stay with the agency and work within it, " Goldmark added.

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/693755.html

 

Oregon:

 

15)Logging is an important part of the management of our state

forests. But recent analysis by the Oregon Department of Forestry

shows that our state forests are currently being logged at

unsustainable levels. Despite these recent findings, some coastal

counties want the state to increase logging on our state forests to

boost their county revenues. Raising county revenues is a worthy goal,

but it does not need to come from unsustainable logging levels that

will imperil the future of both wild salmon and forestry in our state.

Instead, we should search for solutions that will allow for

sustainable timber harvest levels while supporting healthy salmon

habitat and other forest values. This will require finding

alternatives for county revenues.Our state forests provide important

economic benefits to local counties and the state. They provide

drinking water to over half a million Oregonians. They support a

growing travel and recreation industry that brings revenues to local

counties. And they support a multi-million dollar sport and commercial

fishery on the Oregon coast.Additionally, new markets for energy and

carbon sequestration are emerging as sustainable moneymakers for our

state forests. Discussions about locating wind turbines on state

forests are underway, and Oregon's north coast forests provide some of

the best places on the planet to sequester and store carbon - a stored

commodity that industries are increasingly willing to pay for to

offset their own global-warming emissions. We need to find ways to tap

into these alternative revenue sources to help coastal counties fill

their current funding gaps and create a diversified and resilient

local economy.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/oregons_state_forests_moving\

_b.html

 

16) The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest last week signed a

10-year stewardship contract to conduct restoration work on some

10,000 acres in the Wild Rivers Ranger District. Forest managers are

turning to 'stewardship' projects to help maintain forest health and

create new work opportunities. Many of the projects focus on thinning

or brush removal, some of which produce additional income to the

forest. " 'Stewardship' is a way to respectfully restore the forest

while putting people to work. And, people can make money off of it.

They can restore the forest and out of it comes a usable product, and

even bigger trees, " says Wild Rivers District Ranger Joel King. On

Monday, more than a dozen potential contractors gathered at the U.S.

Forest Service and BLM Interagency office in Grants Pass looking for

information on how to tap into the new contracts. " Construction is a

little on the slow side, so this is giving us an opportunity to

broaden our horizons, " says Contractor Don Winslow. The Siuslaw Forest

has been using stewardship contracts for nearly 10 years now. Since

they started, they have not had any timber sales challenged in court.

However, the contracts are new for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National

Forest. http://kdrv.com/page/68181

 

17) Five rivers pour into Tillamook Bay, and together they are among

Oregon's most important coastal rivers for salmon and steelhead. This

is one of a few places where six different fish stocks return each

year from the sea. But the same rivers pour off state forestland that

may soon face accelerated logging to provide struggling coastal

counties with more timber revenue. That puts the salmon rivers of

northwest Oregon at a crucial crossroads. On one hand, the state is

counting on them to nurture troubled species such as coho toward

recovery. On the other, the state is looking to cut trees that could

in time remove ingredients of good fish habitat. " We're at a key

moment here, " said Bob Van Dyk, a professor at Pacific University who

works with Portland's Wild Salmon Center. " If that's where we head,

then there's real questions about how these runs are going to do. " The

central problem is that a 2001 strategy for managing the Tillamook and

Clatsop state forests, the largest swath of public forest on the north

coast, promised more than it delivered. State foresters have been

unable to cut as many trees as they projected while also providing

diverse habitat for wildlife. The Oregon Department of Forestry, which

manages state forests, worked with the Wild Salmon Center to map lands

that would be clear-cut under a more aggressive strategy. Such logging

would cut close to 40 percent of certain drainages feeding salmon

rivers in the course of 15 years, the mapping shows. Tillamook County

Commissioner Tim Josi, who represents coastal counties on state forest

issues, is skeptical that cutting could harm fish dramatically. Many

thousands of young salmon still exit Tillamook's rivers, he said,

signaling that the rivers are strong and the ocean may be where the

fish run into trouble. He said he can't help but think that

environmental groups " use salmon as an issue to close down our state

forests just like they used the spotted owl to close down our federal

forests. "

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/_tillamook_five_rivers.html

 

18) Last fall, my Eugene co-worker Doug Heiken and I spent a lot of

time poking around our neighboring forests in search of old-growth

forests that might be at risk under WOPR. One of the places these

wanderings naturally took us was to one of the largest, wildest areas

left in the Coast Range - the Wassen Creek area outside of Reedsport.

Now, we knew the place was notoriously rugged and that we weren't

likely to actually get anywhere... We just wanted to check it out a

little. Lo and behold, we found some beautiful old growth groves along

nearby Vincent Creek, and found some spectacular views of the huge

Wassen Creek roadless area. And we visited the headwaters of Wassen

Creek - the muddy, landslide-born Wassen Lake. While not as dramatic

as the waterfalls we knew were hiding several miles downstream, we

quickly got a reminder of the wildness of the Coast Range: as we

wandered around the lake's marshy edge, chatting and with our backs to

the surrounding hills and large trees, we nearly stepped on a large

cougar print in the mud. " Pay attention! " , it said. Doug and I might

not have made it too far up Wassen Creek that day (honest, it wasn't

because we were scared!), but the notion of protecting this wild

jungle of a watershed is gaining momentum like water over Devil's

Staircase falls. While the Wassen Creek area has long been recognized

for it's wild nature and superb wildlife habitat, it's inaccessibility

and split ownership (Forest Service and BLM) have limited past efforts

to gain Wilderness protection for the more than 26,000 acres of

largely untouched and unexplored area. Now, a coalition of citizen

adventurers and conservation groups based in Eugene is turning that

around. FSEEE's Andy Stahl recently led Congressman Peter DeFazio on a

trek to the elusive Devil's Staircase, and Peter has expressed support

for protecting the area. The coalition is hoping to ramp up its

efforts to educate the public and get this amazing place onto other

elected officials' radar. Intrigued? Head over to our Devil's

Staircase Wilderness page or our coalition's website to learn more and

take action. I can't think of a place that better embodies the mystery

and wildness of Oregon's rain forest, and I hope you'll join us in

this effort to protect it!

http://www.oregonwild.org/about/blog/magical-coast-range-wildlands-gaining-momen\

tum

 

19) Sen.-elect Jeff Merkley says he plans to offer a bill to ensure

federal timber revenue to cash-strapped Oregon counties when he takes

office. The Oregon Democrat says the first goal is a sustainable

timber harvest, to preserve logging jobs and the environment. To the

extent that's not possible, he says, the federal government must

support counties that depend on federal payments. " I think they're

part of a bargain struck with the federal government over federal

timberlands, and a bargain that should be sustained, " Merkley said.

Oregon has gotten the largest share of the timber payment program that

helps pay for schools, roads and public safety in 700 rural counties

across 39 states. In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press,

Merkley said a compromise is needed on setting aside old growth forest

while maintaining production levels high enough to keep sawmills in

business. One way to do it, he said, would be to increase thinning

across millions of acres of second-growth forest to boost logging

while reducing the risk of fire and the spread of plant disease or

insect pests. " It makes some areas more effective in terms of

ecosystems and some areas more effective in terms of timber stands, "

Merkley said. http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D94RGN8O0.html

 

20) Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., opened the annual Oregon Leadership Summit

Thursday morning with a vow to help restore the state's long-battered

forestry industry in an environmentally friendly way. It's a kind of

Holy Grail that easy to talk about and, as history has shown since the

federal government listed the spotted owl as endangered in 1990, hard

to accomplish. Wyden pledged to " stay with it until we have modernized

federal forest policy. " Wyden laid out five principles: 1)

" Considerably higher " harvest levels than seen under the Bush

administration. 2) More jobs in the woods than in recent years. 3)

More old-growth trees are protected from logging. 4) Fewer sales held

up by legal challenges. 5) Better forest health. In part, Wyden is

channeling hope that efforts to thin Oregon forests to improve their

health will also produce material that could converted into energy.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2008/12/wyden_pledges_to_boost_forest\

..html

 

California:

 

21) In a vivid example of the Wall Street financial crisis hitting

home, development plans for a Placer County golf course community

called Bickford Ranch crashed Friday in federal bankruptcy court.

Bickford Ranch, a 1,942-acre residential project in the Sierra

foothills between Penryn and Lincoln, collapsed after its sole source

of cash – Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers – imploded in

September, developers said. The community, long controversial for its

potential impact on its rural foothills setting, was a partnership

between Lehman Brothers and Irvine land development giant SunCal

Companies. SunCal spokesman David Soyka said Friday that without

Lehman's money, SunCal Bickford Ranch LLC can't finish infrastructure

work or even maintain the property. The project, initiated by

Miami-based Lennar Communities, won county approval in 2001. But it

was stalled for years by lawsuits. Environmental groups argued that

the location on pastureland and ridges violated the county general

plan, which called for preserving oak woodlands. In 2004, a Placer

Superior Court judge agreed. Later that year, the developers

resubmitted their plans. Then environmentalists sued again.

Eventually, the SunCal partnership, which bought the property in 2005,

paid $6 million to preserve oak woodlands elsewhere in Placer County

to settle the lawsuit. Though developers initially expected the first

residents would move in 2006, neither the golf course nor any homes

have been built. Note: To date, more than 2,000 acres have been saved

by Placer Land Trust working with CWF, the United Auburn Indian

Community, and Placer County.

http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2008/11/yet-another-bankruptcy-for-placer.ht\

ml

 

22) When California's largest logging company turns into a real-estate

developer the consequences bode ill for the natural environment. Even

California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr., sees the danger to

wildlife habitat, timber supplies, and the global climate in allowing

timber companies to rezone their lands for real-estate development.

Thousands of acres of forested land in the state could be removed from

timber production and converted to other uses, from mining to housing

construction, in the process undermining the state's climate

protection strategies and degrading watersheds and wildlife habitat.

Fortunately, in at least one case this November, Brown's department

helped put the brakes on what has become a disturbing trend. The

attorney general deserves credit for his agency's action, and

encouragement to continue assuring California's private forestlands

remain forested. TO TAKE ACTION: Write to Attorney General Brown and

thank him for looking out for the interests of forests, climate, and

wildlife habitat. Urge him to continue pressing California counties to

consider global warming and forest conservation issues before they

allow zoning changes that would permit forest-area development.

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Public Inquiry Unit Office of

the Attorney General P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 If you

want to do more you can mail in comments on the official General Form

for Comments/Questions to the attorney general. Download the form at:

http://ag.ca.gov/contact/generalform.pdf Also contact your county

supervisors and remind them of their obligation to protect forest

resources and the environment by standing firm against forestland

rezoning proposals. IN DEPTH: In June of this year, the Sacramento Bee

reported, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), California's largest timber

company and land owner, won approval to rezone as " General Forest "

about 5500 acres in Lassen County that had been managed for timber

production. http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2008/12/calif.html

http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2008/12/calif.html

 

23) Tree-sitters unfurled a large 30 ft. wide banner this morning on

the edge of the great Redwood forest, east of Eureka, Ca. The banner

reads " Hey Green Diamond, Stop Clear-cutting -Earth First! " . The

sitters remain aloft and are occupying several large second growth

trees that are slated for logging. We invite the public to come and

see the threatened forest for themselves. (Directions below). The

Green Diamond Resource Company plans to log 60 acres of large second

growth and residual old growth Redwoods here in the near future. The

two groves represent the oldest remaining forest and best habitat for

old-growth dependent species like the Northern Spotted Owl. The owls

are nesting in the other grove where trees over 1,000 years old still

stand. Green Diamond has a permit to destroy the habitat of this

endangered species. The Green Diamond land is located in the " McKay

Tract " and totals 7,200 acres. Nearly the entire Tract (and the entire

California Redwood range) has been clear-cut once already since the

1800's and over half of the tract has been logged within the past 20

years. The McKay Tract encompasses the Ryan Creek watershed. Green

Diamond also has plans for residential development here, threatening

the health of the largest Coho Salmon population in the Humboldt Bay

watershed. We'll have more info and updates on this in the near

future.

http://efhumboldt.org/2008/12/arboreal-protesters-occupy-threatened-redwoods/

 

24) Tehama County—With its purchase of Childs Meadow in September

2007, a 1,440-acre mix of creeks, springs, mountain meadows and

conifer forests south of Lassen Volcanic National Park-- The Nature

Conservancy is protecting the region's delicate ecology and its rural

economy. Rare bird species such as willow flycatchers, yellow warblers

and greater sandhill cranes depend on the riparian habitat that winds

through the property. A threatened population of spring-run salmon

downstream relies on those cold creek waters for its survival. Childs

Meadow has supported local grazing operations for more than 100

years—a tradition that will continue under Conservancy ownership

through a lease with a local rancher. " Child's Meadow is especially

critical for birds and the property's creek plays an important role in

the regional watershed, " says Rich Reiner, a senior ecologist for The

Nature Conservancy. " Plus, these meadows are also a keystone of the

rural economy because of the grazing land they provide. " Child's

Meadow is part of the Lassen Foothills, a 900,000-acre region

stretching from Lassen Peak to the Sacramento River that makes up one

of the largest unfragmented and most biologically diverse landscapes

in California. The property serves as the headwaters of Deer Creek and

helps protect a rare salmon run. Mountain meadows store cold water

from winter storms and slowly release it into waterways through the

hot, dry summer. The water releases from Child's Meadow are critical

to the survival of Deer Creek's spring-run salmon, a genetically

distinct sub-species listed as threatened by state and federal

resource agencies. Child's Meadow is also important to large numbers

of rare and declining bird species. Willow flycatchers, yellow

warblers and greater sandhill cranes find important riparian habitat

along Gurnsey Creek, which winds through the property. The Point Reyes

Bird Observatory has been monitoring various species along portions of

Gurnsey Creek below Child's Meadow since 1997; its findings show that

this area supports one of the most diverse bird populations in the

region.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/projectprofiles\

/childsmeadow.html

-

http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2008/12/spectacular-1440-acre-childs-meadow.\

html

 

25) Gary Paul, RPF, used a typical technique among some local

foresters to reduce the THP acreage of the Young THP, by mapping the

" harvest boundary " rather than the " logging area " . 'Logging area' is

what the Forest Practice Rules require and includes haul roads, skid

trails, and landings in addition to the trees to be harvested. If

roads are only deemed to be 'appurtenant' then 100' on either side of

the road bed, plus the road bed, is also part of the logging area and

must be mapped as such. The acreage for those areas must also be

included in the=2 0plan acreage. There is no FPR definition of

'harvest boundary'. I have written letters for years quoting chapter

and verse on the need to properly map the logging area, including all

timber operations within the 'plan boundary'. But my letters have

always been ignored until now. This time, the County agreed to submit

comments on the need for proper mapping in compliance with the rules.

In response, Paul increased the acreage by adding one acre.

Frustrated, I then wrote a comprehensive letter outlining all the

rules that apply including interpreting them for CAL FIRE. Low and

behold, they decided that the County and I were right. The RPF

re-mapped his plan area as the " logging area " , and increased the plan

acreage from 38-59. What a wonderful precedent. One significance of

this is that the Waterboard determines the waiver category based on

acreage, miles of roads, and erosion factors. I believe that the roads

not mapped within the 'harvest boundary' have not been counted in the

past. This proper 'reckoning' could push some plans into a higher

'waiver tier' requiring additional monitoring.

ftp://thp.fire.ca.gov/THPLibrary/North_Coast_Region/THPs2008/1-08-018SCR/

from JodiFredi

 

 

26) During the big fire of 2008 I asked for your help in maintaining

an information network and to plan for recovery. Your responses were

inspiring, and your contributions have been very enabling. A

predominant concern was the fate of native plants. With your help we

have vigorously participated in the recovery process and initiated

several ecological rehabilitation projects. With this message we want

to tell you about one that is very important and ask, again, for your

participation. In Northern California only five percent of the

original old-growth redwood population remains, and considerable

habitat has diminished because of human impact. Unlike their northern

brethren, Big Sur redwoods grow in discontinuous patches. These

outpost groves collect the flow of fog in stream valleys and along

north facing slopes up to 4,000 feet. These " great mists " lend a

mystical quality to this coast throughout the summer season. The fog

creates a greenhouse-like envelope for the redwoods by increasing

humidity and lowering temperatures. Coast redwoods are specially

adapted to rake delicate droplets of moisture from the ethereal

vapors. This adaptation is so efficient that Big Sur's redwoods

harvest thousands of gallons of water every foggy morning. Thus, Big

Sur's redwoods make their own climate and their own " rainfall, "

enabling them to survive where we would not expect --even along

watercourses that go dry in the summer. All they need is a valley

where the summer fog flows. Foggy coastal areas have been virtually

immune to fire. But with the vegetation changes in the upper

elevations, coastal redwoods are becoming more vulnerable to fire. In

the recent Basin Complex event, fire invaded nearly every canyon in

the mid-coast. Many redwoods were lost and others were mortally

damaged. Genetic diversity of coastal redwoods in their southernmost

habitat is known to be vast. But not much else is known. Just by

casual observation of the external characteristics of these trees,

this diversity is obvious. From canyon to canyon these cloning

colonies look different. Each family of redwoods will have strikingly

similar external characteristics. This project, Big Sur Redwood

Preservation Study, is proposed to learn how these redwoods have

learned to survive here --despite human influence on this fragile

coast which has caused diminishment of their habitat and their

numbers. So isolated from their northern brethren are these redwoods

that the classic questions of relatedness come to mind. Should these

trees be considered a subspecies or special variety of the coastal

redwood? We don't know that for sure because there has not been

sufficient study. http://www.pelicannetwork.net/

 

Arizona:

 

27) The U.S. Forest Service could decide within the next 60 days

whether to sign off on a landmark proposal that could allow as many as

1 million acres of ponderosa-pine forest in northern Arizona to be

thinned over the next 20 years. The plan aims to restore forest health

while minimizing the risk of catastrophic blazes such as the

Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which charred more than 468,000 acres and forced

the evacuation of thousands of residents in June 2002. Backers of the

state-led initiative, including the timber industry and environmental

groups, are calling on the federal government to nearly triple the

amount of overgrown forest it thins each year. Thinning is currently

limited by the high costs involved, which run to over $10 million

annually in Arizona. The proposal aims to ease the Forest Service's

financial burden by substantially increasing the role of private

industry in the thinning efforts. It recommends the agency develop

long-range contracts that would allow timber companies to pay for

additional costs in exchange for a steady supply of wood. " We really

feel like this is a unique and groundbreaking agreement that we've

been able to pull together, " said Todd Schulke, senior policy analyst

at the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. " We need to get

our forests back into a healthy balance. " The agreement calls for

thinning across much of the Mogollon Rim, in an area covering roughly

1,550 square miles from Williams on the west to Eagar on the east.Once

at odds over whether to cut big trees for timber or protect them for

their value to the ecosystem, proponents on both sides of the debate

now agree that they can meet their stated goal of restoring the

natural, ecological balance of the forest by removing mostly small

trees. But despite a lengthy list of positives, Forest Service

approval is far from a foregone conclusion. The federal agency says it

likes the concept of the plan but lacks funding and faces regulatory

hurdles. Some industry groups estimate the work would cost $750

million over the 20-year period. " What could we do with our existing

funds? Our existing workforce? How can we be more efficient? What

would it take to do large-scale planning? These are all the

questions, " said Don Bright, assistant Forest Service director for

forest-vegetation management. " We're working on the figures and trying

to come up with an answer. "

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/12/12/20081212forest\

health1212.html

 

 

Montana:

 

28) " Students, faculty, staff and visitors to MSU need to be prepared.

The effects of this infestation are going to alter how some areas of

the campus look, " said Jon Ford, MSU manager of environmental

services. " There is no way to sugarcoat this. " The infestation has

affected approximately 6 percent of all 3,500 trees on the MSU campus.

Most of the infested trees are on the campus margins, however some of

the infested trees are spectacular, old pines in very visible places

on campus and will be cut down. " Basically, they are already dead.

They look green now, but by next spring they will be rust red, " said

MSU Arborist Rod Walters. " My whole career has been about trees, "

Walters said. " I don't like cutting them down, but it's what we have

to do if we want any chance of saving the rest. " MSU will cut infested

trees through the winter. Infestations strike western pine forests

every 30-50 years. Scientists suspect the unprecedented scale and

intensity of the current infestation have been influenced by the

preponderance of over-mature trees, lack of very cold winter

temperatures in recent years, and nearly a decade of drought. MSU

Facilities Services groundskeepers first noticed a few infested trees

this spring. Historically, pine beetle infestations have been confined

to native conifer forests. Cities have typically escaped infestations

because of the comparative low density of pine trees and their partial

isolation from the forests. This time, it appears there are so many

beetles that the flying females have overflowed or been blown into the

cities. There have been limited infestations in Bozeman before, and

based on this prior experience, arborists and scientists did not

anticipate the extreme extent to which the urban forest would be

affected in this invasion. " This is the most serious infestation

anyone has seen in 100 years, " said Kevin Wanner, MSU Extension

entomologist. " Additionally, this is the first time anyone has seen

urban forests infested to this degree. " Entomologists and arborists

are not optimistic about the short term future of Bozeman's pines. The

city may experience widespread destruction of its urban pine forest in

the next few years, and it will likely take that long for the

infestation to die out. Afterwards, replanting of pines could be

safely undertaken. MSU is not alone in being struck. Pine beetle

damage has spread across Bozeman, in the surrounding forests and

throughout the West. Pine beetles showed up in British Columbia in

2002 and more than 9 million acres of forest have been substantially

damaged to date. An estimated 3.9 million acres have been infested in

Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Washington.

http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6595

 

29) LIBBY - The U.S. Forest Service plans to continue to spray

herbicides over 94,000 acres of the Kootenai National Forest to battle

a growing noxious weed problem. The Alliance for the Wild Rockies

wants the project stopped. " I think the people of Libby have been

poisoned enough, " Michael Garrity, executive director of the alliance,

said in a news release announcing that a lawsuit has been filed in

U.S. District Court in Missoula seeking to halt the spraying. Calling

the project " arbitrary, " " capricious " and " an abuse of discretion, "

the lawsuit charges that the Forest Service violated the National

Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider reasonable

alternatives before approving the plan. It also says the primary

causes of the weed problem are the Forest Service's own land

management activities, including logging, road-building and cattle

grazing. Even if herbicides are applied to thousands of acres, the

lawsuit says the Forest Service has admitted its land management

activities will continue to cause noxious weed infestations in the

national forest. Steve Kratville, acting director of the agency's

Northern Region Public and Government Relations staff, said no one

with the agency could comment directly on the lawsuit. But he did ask

Dan Leavell, the forest ecologist with the Kootenai National Forest

who oversees the noxious weed program, to explain the project. The

ground-based spraying began in the late 1980s, Leavell said, and

currently covers roughly 2,000 acres a year. " Invasive weeds are the

greatest threat we have to biological diversity in the forest, "

Leavell said. " It's shocking how pervasive and extensive it is. Native

plants don't have a chance. The weeds just wipe them out. In trying to

curb the threat to native diversity, we've sought the safest, best,

cleanest way we possibly can, and it has strict monitoring protocol. "

The 1994 environmental assessment of the program was due for an

update, Leavell added. " It was a great opportunity to make it better

and more versatile, " Leavell said, " and allowed us to take a more

holistic and integrated approach " to the weed problem. The new plan

includes biological controls such as weed-eating insects, revegetation

efforts and hand-pulling.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/12/03/news/local/news04.txt

 

30) " Our fear is that we could lose our infrastructure — the base of

knowledge and experience of working in the forest, " said Mary Sexton,

the director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and

Conservation. " Once it's gone, it's gone. " Ms. Sexton is part of a

team of state officials, business leaders and environmentalists

combing through lists of ideas to reduce costs to sawmills or help

them find new sources of revenue to raise their chances of getting by

and getting through. Elected officials in Washington are concentrating

on speaking up for timber in the next stimulus package that the

incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama is putting

together. " Timber cutting is one-seventh what it was on Forest Service

lands 20 or 25 years ago at its height, " Mr. Ekey said. " Then, the

environmental movement rightly had to be about, 'no,' and how to stop

it. " Now, he added: " We're at the level where we can really have a

good rational discussion — what does success look like? What does

successful forest management look like? " The years of experience as

the industry faded around much of the West — mainly as a result of

reduced timber sales in the national forests — has also given people

here in Montana a glimpse of what can happen when an industry does go

away. In Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, for example,

once-formidable forest industries have all but disappeared over the

last decade, leading to higher costs for forest management and fire

protection; a recent study at the University of Montana said that

forest costs to taxpayers and landowners could quadruple in Montana in

coming years if the industry is lost. In any case, many people say,

the old arrogance that once typified timber's political swagger in

Montana will be gone forever.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/09timber.html?scp=2 & sq=timber & st=cse