Recent Developments in Public Land Timber Harvesting Harvesting timber from public lands is a sticky topic. The forest industry, local communities and environmentalist communities all have differing opinions about how public forest land should be managed. Timber harvesting has changed a great deal since the 1980s. Due mostly to environmental concerns, timber harvests from Federal lands have experienced "a decrease of 80 percent from 1989 levels" (Raettig and Christensen 14). This drop in harvesting brought to light the economic impacts of public land harvesting on the local communities and has also encouraged discussion on forest maintenance so as to prevent fires or epidemics.

The economic impact of timber harvested from public lands is a heavily discussed topic due to the recent decline in harvesting in the United States. The Rainforest Alliance is in support of the environmentalist side of forestry, but also sees the affects on local communities and the need for their involvement in the sustainable practices the Alliance supports. Richard Z. Donovan, the chief of the Rainforest Alliance, explains that if the interests of local communities "are not taken into consideration, communities will respond in a negative fashion, affecting forests negatively through illegal logging, increased pressure on forests, and forest ecosystem degradation" (3). The question then, is how to help the local communities find other sources of income if it comes less and less from timber harvesting on the public lands they live around.

An answer to this problem came in the form of the Northwest Forest Plan of 1993. This plan was enacted to respond to the problems facing public land management in parts of Washington, Oregon and northern California; these problems included forest management, agency coordination and economic development. The NWEAI is short for the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative, which encompasses the economic development section of the Plan. The purpose of the NWEAI was "to provide for the immediate needs of workers and families as a result of reduced timber harvest and to address longer term community development issues" (Raettig and Christensen 1). The NWEAI funded many different projects specifically formed for the counties impacted by the decreased timber harvesting. Some projects supported "developing community infrastructure, such as sewer and drinking water systems, industrial parks, and buildings that provide initial space for new, small businesses" (14). Other programs encouraged "ecosystem restoration activities and worker retraining" (14). Instead of leaving local communities jobless, this program created jobs both for the community at large and training in new forest management practices for the public land nearby.

An economist's view of forest harvesting can also be helpful in determining the balance between the environmentalist's views and those of the local communities. Robert L. Ficklin, Elizabeth G. Dunn and John P. Dwyer published an economic study of forestry and harvesting. Their findings indicate that "forest ecosystem management policies must consider the total economic and social costs and benefits of forest cutting" (401). They explain that if forestry managers can find a way to optimize timber production externalities (environmental damage) then forests can be harvested to that point of optimization. However, if below or above that level harvesting becomes inefficient economically. So, the environmental concerns and the local concerns can be balanced.

Public land timber harvesting has decreased in order to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat, to enhance forest scenery, and to ensure recreational usage of the land. The Society of American Foresters brings up other important occurrences due to less harvesting. For example, "growing wildfire hazards and occurrences threaten a host of environmental values and dramatically alter forest landscapes and ecosystems" (2). Active forest management seems necessary today so as to protect the resources still available. Managers can better prevent devastating fires from wiping out scenery and wildlife habitat as well as control the spread of disease to an entire forest. The Rainforest Alliance also explains that "reduced harvesting in the U.S. National Forests can mean more harvesting elsewhereŠ [including] increased cutting on U.S. private landsŠ and perhaps even on non-U.S. forests, often in ways that are less transparent" (3). This means that improving public land harvesting will be better for the environment both in the United States and abroad, where practices may not be based around sustainability.

The Society of American Foresters also discusses the effects of decreased harvesting in the United States. Domestic demand for wood products is constantly increasing, which has made the U.S. a net importer of these products (3-4). This demand, added to the restrictions placed on public land harvesting, leads to an increase in harvesting elsewhere, as the Rainforest Alliance explained. The restrictions are "far below the long-term, sustainable capability of these lands and well under targets set by newer management plans that integrated major resource protection measures" (Society of American Foresters 1). High cost of wood products lead to increased use of steel, plastic and concrete, all of which are much less sustainable or biodegradable (4).

A study came out this summer concerning the efforts of the Northwest Forest Plan by Cassandra Moseley and Yolanda E. Reye. According to this study, "the Forest Service spending on contracted forest management, restoration, and maintenance activities dramatically declined during the 1990s" (341). Therefore, the Forest Service probably "could not have maintained existing forestry services business opportunities and jobs, much less create new opportunities for displaced mill workers and loggers" (341). However, failure is inevitable and this study does not mean that the Northwest Forest Plan could not be reevaluated or put into practice somewhere else and be successful. The Forest Service spending had been centered on timber harvesting, and when timber harvesting declined in the Northwest so did the allocated funds for the region.

According to the Society of American Foresters, "The United States has approximately 319 million acres of forestlands in public ownership, an area comparable to nearly all of the states in the Eastern Time ZoneŠ nearly half (147 million acres) of our public forestland can grow wood products for commercial use" (2). This land includes some of the most productive forests in the world. These public forestlands should be managed efficiently to both protect the environment and promote a better economy; both goals are possible with good management.

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References

Donovan, Richard Z. (2005) "A perspective on forest management on federal lands in the USA from the rainforest alliance chief of forestry." The Rainforest Alliance. (Aug. 2005: 1-4. 6 Nov. 2008 .

Ficklin, Robert L., Dunn Elizabeth G., and Dwyer John P. "Ecosystem management on public lands: an application of optimal externality to timber production." Journal of Environmental Management. 46.4 (1996): 395-402. Science Direct Database. 6 Nov. 2008 .

Moseley, Cassandra, and Reye, Yolanda E. "Forest restoration and forest communities: have local communities benefited from forest service contracting of ecosystem management?." Environmental Management 42.2 (2008): 327-343. 6 Nov. 2008 < http://springerlink.com/content/dn34822v0p424195/>.

Raettig, Terry L., and Christensen, Harriet H. Timber Harvesting, Processing, and Employment in the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative Region: Changes and Economic Assistance. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Portland: (Oct. 1999): 1-16. 6 Nov. 2008 .

"Timber Harvesting on Federal, State, & Other Public Forest Lands: An Essential Means for Sustaining Forests & Communities." Society of American Foresters. (10 June 2007): 1-4. 6 Nov. 2008 .

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Links

Forest Council

Logging Effects on Stream Flow

US Forest Service

Wildlife Conservation Society

Historic Logging in the Pacific Northwest

Sierra Business Council

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