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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... 1999
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| FEBRUARY
8, 1999 5:49 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: The Wilderness Society Michael Francis (202-429-2662) Ben Beach (202-429-2655) |
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| Commercial Logging In National Forests Lost $45 Million Of Taxpayers' Money | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- February 8 -
Taxpayers lost $45 million on commercial logging programs in their national
forests in Fiscal Year 1997, the most recent year for which figures are
available, according to an analysis by The Wilderness Society released today.
The analysis, covering commercial logging sales in 104 national forest units, found that 83 of those forests lost money selling timber. The news came amid expectations that the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the forests, will announce a new policy on roadbuilding later this week. The cost of building roads to carry logging trucks in and out of the forests is a major reason for the red ink. "From New England to Alaska, taxpayers are taking a bath," said Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows. "But the financial toll is only part of the problem. The logging and roadbuilding are doing enormous damage to some of the best lands in America. They pollute our streams, damage wildlife habitat, tarnish the scenery, and promote mudslides. It's a lose-lose situation." Commercial logging, which accounts for about half the total logging volume, has been a money-loser in the national forests for years. The costs are high, and much of the timber is of limited market value. The pricing system was not designed to cover all the costs of making the trees available. The analysis comes as The Wilderness Society prepares to unveil its vision for national forests in the 21st century Thursday. It is founded on five principles, and its recommendations include: "Activities such as timber production shall not be conducted with taxpayer subsidies." The biggest money-loser once again was the Tongass, a rare temperate rain forest in Southeast Alaska. "It is beyond belief that taxpayers were held up for $42 million while ancient spruce and hemlock, hundreds of feet tall, were clearcut by timber companies," said Michael Francis, director of The Wilderness Society's national forests program. "The Forest Service's proposed management plan for the Tongass fails to stop this travesty, and we have appealed it to the Forest Service chief." Rounding out the top ten were the Kootenai (MT), Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie (WA), Winema (OR), Nez Perce (ID), Boise (ID), Clearwater (ID), Payette (ID), North Carolina, and Malheur (OR). Martha Marks, president of Republicans for Environmental Protection, said, "We oppose subsidies that waste taxpayers' money and squander our nation's natural heritage. We must safeguard our forests and protect taxpayers by ending below-cost logging-now!" Carolyn Alkire, the resource economist who converted the Forest Service's data into the profit-and-loss figures, said the commercial logging program has failed to react to changes in what Americans want most from their forests. "The real value of our national forests comes not from lumber but from a range of other continuing services, including clean water for municipal systems, healthy fisheries, air purification, biodiversity conservation, and recreation," she explained. "The national forests receive three times as many visitors as the national parks. We wouldn't treat our national parks as industrial zones, but that's pretty much how we've tended to operate many of our national forests." "On the bright side," Meadows observed, "Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck is trying to change the outdated priorities. In his two years on the job he has begun talking a different language, shifting policies, and installing people who share his goal of ending the chop-until-you-drop approach of yesteryear. But the agency still has a way to go. We'll have a clearer view of just how bold the Chief is once we see the plan for putting a moratorium on roadbuilding in the 60 million acres of unprotected roadless areas. "Believe it or not, our national forests already have more than 400,000 miles of roads," Meadows noted. "That's enough to go to the moon and halfway back. That should be enough. With land being gobbled up rapidly by sprawl, it is critical that we keep as much of our wild land in its natural condition as possible. We owe that much to future generations." Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society is a 200,000-member non-profit conservation organization dedicated to establishing a national network of wild lands, and to fostering an American land ethic. The group specializes in issues involving America's public lands and has offices in Washington, DC, and eight other cities. ### |
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