Forest Service Seeks Better Management Ideas
The federal government Saturday offered a candid admission of failure before proposing how to heal its “crippled and sick” forests, salmon-depleted rivers and overgrazed lands.
The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management released a draft report on future management of the Upper Columbia River Basin.
Citizens in 30 locations throughout Idaho, Montana and slices of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming learned that the best management practices haven’t been good enough.
America’s wildlands are suffering.
“In spite of our best efforts historically, we’ve still got some problems,” said Steve Mealey, who heads the Boise-based project.
Citizens throughout the region - from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, near the Canadian border, to the northern tip of Nevada - were plugged into Boise-based land managers and scientists.
Through high-tech gadgetry called interactive satellite video conferencing, an estimated 1,000 citizens pushed their agendas and philosophies on how to manage federal lands.
Residents of the region have until late March to submit written comments to the draft report, called an Environmental Impact Statement.
Its five goals are to restore:
Forest health, habitat, soils and nature’s nutrient and organic balances, all disturbed by logging, mining and the exclusion of wildfires.
Native vegetation in shrub and grassland areas that have been overstocked with cattle and sheep and decimated by alien plants.
Water quality and streamside vegetation.
Fish and wildlife populations now threatened with extinction.
Timber, rangeland, fishing and hunting to sustainable levels by considering the ecosystem’s “human component.”
That last one brought a big amen from many of the 40 people who attended the Coeur d’Alene meeting.
“Give man more consideration,” was one suggestion. “The Endangered Species Act should not ignore people,” said another.
Outside, 40 other people held a brief, separate meeting.
Spokane and Idaho environmental activists carrying signs criticizing the Forest Service picketed the meeting site, the headquarters for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
“Paralysis analysis,” one poster read. “Even Newts Need Forests,” said another, referring to House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republican party’s bent on smaller government.
When the television cameras went away, so did the protesters, but not before attacking the study effort as a mindless, “glitzy media event.”
The federal government ignores citizen concerns and always resorts to business as usual - timber harvesting - charged Barry Rosenberg of the Spokane-based Inland Empire Public Lands Council.
He and other activists refused to take part in the process.
“You can measure the concern for this process by the participation inside,” timber industry spokesman Ken Kohli said.
“We don’t know what we think of this yet. But we’re here,” he said, a reference to the environmentalists’ absence. “It’s pretty easy to come down here for 20 minutes and then head to the Chuckwagon for the breakfast buffet.”
The final EIS report won’t be released until next year. Preliminary recommendations include:
Logging fir trees and replanting with more fire-resistant pine, which dominated the landscape before the arrival of white settlers.
Allow fires to burn through fir-infested areas when conditions are favorable. Wildfire, when not catastrophic, rejuvenates the forest by killing the weaker trees and, thus, whittling down the competition for nutrients and water.
Logging warm, wet forests only during the dry season.
There will be thousands of recommendations when the study is completed.
Biologist Al Harvey said the process should interest everyone because trees mean oxygen, which reduces ozone-depleting carbon.
“We’re really talking about a process that affects every single person on this planet,” he said.
xxxx 1) Forest Service goals In a draft management plan for the Upper Columbia River Basin, its five goals are to restore: Forest health, habitat, soils and nature’s nutrient and organic balances, all disturbed by logging, mining and the exclusion of wildfires. Native vegetation in shrub and grassland areas that have been overstocked with cattle and sheep and decimated by alien plants. Water quality and streamside vegetation. Fish and wildlife populations now threatened with extinction. Timber, rangeland, fishing and hunting to sustainable levels by considering the ecosystem’s “human component.”
2) What they’ll do The final EIS won’t be released until next year, but preliminary recommendations include: Logging fir trees and replanting with more fire-resistant pine, which dominated the landscape before the arrival of white settlers. Allow fires to burn through firinfested areas when conditions are favorable. Wildfire, when not catastrophic, rejuvenates the forest by killing the weaker trees and, thus, whittling down the competition for nutrients and water. Logging warm, wet forests only during the dry season. There will be thousands of recommendations when the study is completed.