Timber industry optimistic about Bush administration
February 20, 2001
Web posted at: 8:52 AM EST (1352 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- When George W. Bush promised throughout his
campaign to let states play a larger role in land management decisions, the timber
industry took note. Now that Bush is in office, industry officials want him to
follow through.
They are heartened by indications from Bush advisers that steps will be taken to
increase timber harvests and turn over environmental controls to states.
"I do see a new optimistic attitude in our industry," said Chris West, vice
president of the American Forest Resource Council. "We expect a return to some
balance and thoughtfulness not driven by political science, but natural resource
science. For eight years, we felt we were under assault."
Since the late 1980s, the timber harvest on federal land has decreased about 75
percent, the result of Forest Service policy changes and various lawsuits. West
said more than 200 mills have closed in the Northwest alone.
Beyond economics and jobs, federal policies that limit logging have handcuffed
local forest managers, leaving the nation's forests overgrown and vulnerable to
wildfires, critics say. They favor more forest thinning and other preventive
projects.
Robert Nelson, a member of Bush's environmental advisory group assembled
during the presidential campaign, said "inefficient, irrational elements of
environmental policy" impede rather than promote forest health.
"The current system is extremely gridlocked," he said.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, are gearing up to try to protect gains made under
the Clinton administration
They are worried by what they've seen from Bush so far, noting he attended a
major fund-raiser with timber interests last spring in Portland, Ore., and pointing
to people like Nelson -- who favors abolishing the Forest Service -- as evidence
Bush is listening to extremists.
They also are watching for who becomes the new head of the Forest Service
and the Agriculture Department undersecretary who will oversee the service,
believing those positions will offer strong indications of what types of policies to
expect.
Michael Francis, senior policy adviser at The Wilderness Society, says he's
confident the public will force the "timber barons" -- Bush and Vice President
Dick Cheney -- not to act too quickly or broadly.
"People generally are in tune to healthy forestry. People don't go into forests to
look at clear cuts," he said.
Bush hasn't articulated specific goals for the timber industry, but political
observers say his main thrust will be to allow states to determine how the land is
used.
"The No. 1 concern is that the edicts from Washington are not the way to solve
problems," said Doug Crandall, chief of staff for the House subcommittee on
forests and forest health.
Meantime, the timber industry is choosing its targets. First on the list is the ban
on road-building and most logging in about one-third of all national forest land --
nearly 60 million acres. It was announced just before Clinton left office.
"There is a reason it was one of the last things (Clinton) did. It was going to be
the most egregious," said Michael Klein, spokesman for the American Forest &
Paper Association. "From a policy standpoint, it flew in the face of all scientific
study" about maintaining forest health.
Western Republicans, among them Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, have bristled at the
roadless plan and other last-minute Clinton environmental policies.
Hansen, chairman of the House Resources Committee, has called the roadless
restrictions "one of the most egregious abuses by the Clinton administration." He
has vowed to overturn them.
Bush has delayed implementation of the plan for two months while the
regulations are reviewed. To change them, he would have to institute a new
rulemaking process, which could take years. A judge also could undo it.
Also on the industry's list of unfavorable Clinton policies:
-- A November rule that limits logging, skiing or hiking in national forests if
forest managers determine the activities could permanently harm the ecosystem.
-- A land-access policy, released Jan. 18, specifying how landowners, including
loggers, must comply with the Endangered Species Act if they need to use
federal lands to access their private property.
-- A plan that dramatically reduces logging to better protect fish, wildlife and
drinking water across 11 million acres of the Sierra Nevada, stretching nearly the
length of California. Critics say the plan will cost the timber industry some 1,000
jobs.
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