Ellen Engstedt - October 23, 2006
Montana Wood Products Association
National Forest Products Week
KUFM COMMENTARY – OCTOBER 23, 2006
By order of the United States Congress on September 13, 1960, the third week of October each year was declared to be National Forest Products Week. The resolution passed by Congress is worthy of at least a partial read because like the Multiple Use Act and various other sections of U. S. code emphasis is placed on the importance of wood products and the forests that should provide them for the well being of all citizens.
Resolutions always contain a number of Whereas’ and this one is no exception. “Whereas from the beginning of our Nation’s founding, the forest and its products have provided a core of living and freedom touching and inspiring each citizen with majestic beauty and practical use; Whereas as our only renewable resource, wood offers the availability and abundance to satisfy the Nation’s ever growing demands and through modern forestry we can be assured of a continuous supply of timber for the future;”
How novel! Congress and the President recognized the importance of our country’s renewable resource and pointed out that timber harvest should be conducted in a sustainable manner. The State of Montana timber program has taken that needed step and legislatively established a sustainable yield as a hard target for harvest. We should be so blessed to have the federal government take the same step and establish such a target and then reach it annually.
The wildfire season this year burned over 900,000 acres with 250,000 of those on land on or near the Gallatin National Forest. The State is moving quickly to salvage and sell timber on its lands that burned in the Derby and Jungle fires. The proposal is for between three and four million board feet of logs to come from 600 or 700 acres. Included in the state’s proposal will be seeding, erosion control and other conservation measures. This action is reminiscent of the Sula State Forest burning in 2000 and by quick salvage work the area has recovered nicely while providing much needed dollars for public education.
The private land recovery is well underway with harvesting of burned timber by local foresters working with landowners who wish to return their forests to a healthy condition as quickly as possible. Lodge pole pine trees lose most marketable value in about a year while Douglas fir and ponderosa pine will keep value up to about two years. The state and private foresters understand the silviculture behind the deterioration and move quickly to enhance the resource.
A spokesperson for the national forests burned in these same fires made the statement that the federal government is under a different process than the state. While the statutes are different up to a point, Montana has the Montana Environmental Policy Act and other statutory obligations to use prior to harvesting timber on its lands and yet it gets the job done. The National Environmental Policy Act, which by the way Montana’s statute was patterned after, should not be any more of an impediment to timber harvest after fires than the state act. Unfortunately for the resources in need of human help, the federal government has chosen to develop a cumbersome process to use before action can happen on the ground. Quite often by the time that process is finished it is too late for the wood to be of value.
One other difference in the state versus federal actions is that rarely do any of the serial litigators file any action on state trust lands while virtually every timber sale proposed on federal lands is appealed and then litigated. The reason for this is there is no personal gain for lawsuits on State lands whereby those litigating on federal sales stand to acquire money under the Equal Access to Justice Act, a federal statute.
Congress needs to reiterate its own wording in the National Forest Products Week proclamation that declares “Whereas … the importance of our forest lands that … provide thousands of products – lumber, paper, building materials, chemicals, furniture and cloth – all dedicated to improving the lives of our people.” That’s the real purpose of national forests.
On behalf of the Montana Wood Products Association based in Helena, I am Ellen Engstedt. Thanks for listening.
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