09-06-2003, 02:56 AM
|
|
|
GAO: Most forest thinning not seriously delayed by appeals
(Aozotorp) wrote in message ...
(Aozotorp) wrote in message
...
If those groups were truly "green", they'd support some logging that
would lock up carbon into long-term wood products instead of growing
firewood with which to heat our atmosphere. 7 million acres is a lot
of "firewood" to burn up in one year.
Toral rubbish! Given a system in what appears to be homeostatis \, You
want to
do as little as possible to upset that sytem such as by adding massive
amounts
of CO2 = ev ever study buffered systems in Chemistry?
Your response speaks volumes about your ability to comprehend and
understand basic educational concepts, much less applicable science.
Larry, using science to restore public ecosystems
Fine = Use science to debunk it = Not just hype!
Here's a wonderful article that might just hit a little to close to
home for you, bud:
June 6, 2003 Mount Shasta News
Logging protesters served notice
By Lori Sellstrom, Liberty Group News Services
A group of about 15 young people, calling themselves the Klamath
Salmon Action Network, were busy protesting the Glassups logging
operation near Sawyers Bar Friday, just before two law enforcement
vehicles and the district ranger arrived with a closure notice
requiring them to vacate the timber sale area.
"We're going to issue the closure notice and then give them some time
to gather up their things and move to a safer area," said Salmon River
District Ranger Chance Gowan. "We've cordoned off a safe area away
from the actual logging operation where they can continue their
protest if they wish to."
The protesters include three tree sitters, two females and one male,
and about 12 support members on the ground. Although most of the
ground support told Forest Service officials they planned to vacate
the area once the closure notice was posted, they were still in the
area on Saturday.
Although Gowan said the plan was to cite the protesters and then
arrest them if they refused to vacate the sale, the protesters took to
running and hiding on Saturday, making it difficult for officers to
contact them. The three people in the trees, calling themselves
Wolverine, Amazon and Southern Grewdusa, remained in the the trees,
secured by ropes and pulleys. They said they will not build any
platforms because that could hurt the trees.
"The people up in the trees have quite a bit of supplies and can stay
up there for quite awhile," Gowan said. "One of the girls told me that
she has vowed to stay up there for the rest of her life."
According to Dan Blessing, a silviculturist with the Salmon River
Ranger District, there should be an estimated 5.5 million board feet
logged from the sale once it is completed.
"About 85 percent of the sale is a thinning operation, with only about
15 percent oriented towards volume," Gowan said. "A large percentage
of it is helicopter logging, so there is no heavy equipment actually
on the ground."
According to Ray Haupt, another district ranger with the Klamath
National Forest, the Glassups sale actually came out of the Northwest
Forest Plan, which was devised under the Clinton administration as a
compromise solution to the complete logging shut-off that resulted due
to the endangered species listing of the northern spotted owl. In the
plan, approximately 15 percent of the KNF was set aside as "matrix
land," which was supposed to be open for timber production. However,
Haupt said it has been so difficult, time consuming and costly going
through the rigorous environmental procedures, that the actual
percentage of areas available for logging in the matrix is much
smaller.
"When you add everything up, the Klamath really only has about 6
percent of its land base accessible for timber harvesting," Haupt
said.
The Glassups sale falls within this 6 percent and, according to Haupt,
has taken nearly eight years to happen.
"It takes us so long to produce these kinds of sales that the business
side of the timber sale is just disappearing," Haupt said. "The mills
are going out of business, which greatly affects our ability to sell
timber."
Although there are some old growth trees in the Glassup sale area, the
majority of the trees are rather small in diameter. However, the group
of protesters said they are not there to protect only the larger
trees, but are also protesting logging in an environmentally sensitive
area. In addition to the Glassup sale, they said they were protesting
the Knobb sale, which is currently out for bid, and the Meteor sale,
which is in the middle of the Environmental Impact Statement
procedure.
"This is a lot of the last old growth timber left in the lower
elevations," said a protester who called himself "Root." "It's on
steep terrain and is close to the Salmon River, which is one of the
last clean rivers in California. Not only are they cutting on steep
slopes, which are sensitive to erosion, but they're also taking away
the overstory, which helps to maintain a healthy balance in the
forest."
The environmentalists would give no specifics about where they were
from or what their real names are, stating that they could endanger
their lives and the lives of their loved ones if people know who they
are. They claimed that they are supported by the local community, but
didn't appear to know where Yreka was. When asked about the specifics
of the sale being in accordance with the Northwest Forest Plan, they
restated their objections to the sale.
"I am fully in support of people being able to express their First
Amendment rights," Gowan said, "but the thing that distresses me about
this is that these people seem to have no understanding about the
specifics of this particular timber sale. One of the girls didn't even
know the difference between a national park and a national forest.
They don't know anything about the sale and have it in their minds
that we're trying to liquidate all the old growth in the watershed.
And that's just not the case at all. Because of these misconceptions,
they're trying to shut down this timber sale and really interfere with
peoples' livelihoods."
Although the environmentalists avoided giving any specifics about
themselves, they were happy to talk to the press about their feelings
towards the Forest Service, which was one of distrust. Raven, who
claimed to have a background in biology, said the Forest Service
deliberately alters its wildlife surveys in order to push forward
timber sales. He claimed to know this because he said he has
resurveyed areas after the Forest Service has done its surveys and has
come up with different results.
"They can say anything they want to and can skew any type of data
surveys they want to," Gowan said. "Personally, I'd like to see their
scientific methodology."
Other than a few road salvage sales, Gowan said this is the only sale
that has occurred on the Salmon River Ranger District in several
years.
"We have hydrologists, wildlife biologists and fisheries experts all
evaluate a possible sale before it's even considered for logging," he
said. "If a sale shows any potential for instability it's avoided ...
period. We are extremely careful on the Salmon River District."
He said he wondered if the group was being paid to participate in the
protest by an organized and wealthier environmental group.
Members of the protest said they were being supported with food and
supplies by the "local community."
"Defending the forest is what we believe in," said Grewdusa, who was
sitting among parachute cord and webbing in a large Douglas fir she
named Pandala. "We get paid in love and we strongly believe in what
we're doing. ... We have a high dose of community support."
Although the protest has yet to affect the actual logging operation at
Glassups, KNF Public Affairs Officer Brian Harris said the tree
sitters will eventually impact the operation if they remain in the
area.
Gowan said the Forest Service will maintain a 24-hour-per-day presence
in the area until the issue is resolved.
"... I have a plan that we will be moving forward with, but I don't
want to reveal what that is yet," Gowan said.
Comment by poster: I'm sure that law enforcement, both local and
Federal, will be able to provide some better "housing" for these
individuals. I hope their real names will be revealed so their parents
can share their pride with the world, or at least the nation. G
Unfortunately, Robert won't get to read this since he killfiled me,
haha.
Larry, benevolent tree God
|