[at-l] The Government and The Environment

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> "... It is never in the long term interest of
> loggers to 'rape the land' and not
> replant,.." says Shane.
>
>  The problem with this statement is it simply
> isn't true.
>   When Maine is used up they can switch their
> production to Arkansas or North
>   Carolina or Georgia or East Borneo, whatever
> scheme suits the corporations
>   goals and profits.

Pure intellectual depravity...

The 2001 report by the Maine Forest Service
(http://www.state.me.us/doc/mfs/pubs/pdf/2001sof.pdf)
indicates that "The 1999 inventory shows Maine has 37% more
timber than the first US Forest Service inventory in 1959."
and that "Improved silvicultural practices could
substantially improve annual growth rates."

The report further indicates that "Ownership of forest land
by industrial owners fell from 46% in 1993 to 30% in 1999
Institutional timberland investors now own 15% of commercial
forest land in the state."

Rather than point to government as a solution to Maine's
problem, the report tells us that, "Independent, third party
certification of sustainable forest management is emerging
as a new tool to define exemplary forest management, improve
current management, and build public confidence in the
quality of management in Maine's forests."

The report shows that the clear cutting you describe "has
declined to about 3.5% (18,700) acres of all harvest
activities in 1999." While "nearly 2 million acres of forest
land are protected from development."

The Maine Forest Service holds out a very positive outlook
for the future of Maine's Forests.

Shall I believe someone that tells me that Maine's forests
are to be clear-cut and then the greedy lumber companies
will go somewhere else, or am I to believe the Maine Forest
Service?

Maybe the truth is in the middle...

The Maine Forest Service report is very enlightening on a
subject that is usually difficult to get the big picture on.
In the interest of educating yourselves about the trail, I
recommend it to everyone.

Shane