Bush administration selling out northwest forests

[littlejoe]

March 05, 2004 | Back Issues « previous | next »
Bush Administration Clearing Path for Clearcuts

The Bush Administration is in the process of eliminating an important component of the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, further imperiling more than 460 protected species, the Northwest ecosystems that shelter them, and the region's water and air quality. The Administration released a report early this year recommending the end of the "Survey and Manage" program, an important check on logging in fragile ancient forests.<1>

The Survey and Manage standard in the Northwest Forest Plan requires the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to "look before logging" -- to survey public lands for 460 plants, fungi and fauna native to northwest forests. The need to protect these species, which serve as indicators of forest health, has often reduced or canceled logging of old growth forests.

Survey and Manage is an important tool for groups opposed to industrial logging of America's remaining ancient forests. Northwest conservationists have filed more than 100 appeals when government agencies failed to survey proposed logging sites, and have undertaken citizen surveys when the Forest Service failed to study an area thoroughly. The results have been used in court to modify or halt some timber sales.<2>

"This is just another hand-out by the Bush Administration to big business at the expense of the public and our environment," says Sandi Scheinberg, executive director of Bark, a Portland, Oregon-based organization dedicated to protecting the Mt. Hood National Forest. "They are clearly more interested in subsidizing the timber industry than preserving our forests."<3>

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TAKE ACTION
Check the Forest Action Datebook and submit your comments to the Forest Service.

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SOURCES:
<1> BARK press release, Jan. 23, 2004.
<2> BARK fact sheet.
<3> BARK press release, Jan. 23, 2004.

link:

http://bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000067.php

[rfkrocks]

1. Bush is Gozer the destroyer

Out of Ghostbusters-one thing this country needs is less forests-Out the door in 04:mad:

[arewethereyet]

2. and what administration has NOT done this ?

[littlejoe]

3. The Clinton administration, for one.

[arewethereyet]

4. then we're dealing with semantics

because trees have been departing there for decades at a fraction of their value.

[maggrwaggr]

5. even Nixon signed a lot of landmark environmental legislation

repubs now like to destroy the environment just out of spite. For some reason they think those who want to protect our land and water and air deserve to be ridiculed and hated.

It's the #1 reason I will never vote repub