Increased funding for Forest Legacy program hits home
As the hot muggy days of summer descend upon our great nation’s capital, I find my mind wandering back to a little cabin in the woods of Maine. The place was nothing fancy; it was a real sweep-the-leaves-off-out-from-the corners kind of deal. But I’d be hard pressed to find better summertime memories than running wild under the cool pine trees and the way the chilly lake took my breath away every time I went crashing into its waters.
It is memories like these that remind me how lucky I am to have spent summers with the wilderness as my playground. Even in the carefree life of a little tyke, time spent in the woods, away from technology offers a necessary refuge for the body and soul.
I was heartened when I heard that President Obama has proposed a $42 million increase for the Forest Legacy program. This money, a 54 percent improvement over the previous year’s budget, will be paired with state and private funds to preserve forested land – just like the lake-dotted forest that surrounded my childhood cabin.
What’s spectacular about the Forest Legacy program is its ability to conserve pristine forests while keeping the interests of the landowners and locals in mind. The program often buys land from private owners to ensure that they remain undeveloped. The owners enter into the sale yet maintain the freedom to use the land to make profits (engaging in enterprises such as sustainable timber harvesting).
A great example of how this money goes to good use can been seen on Moose Mountain, a wild area in New Hampshire that has been used for recreation and logging for years. The Forest Legacy program bought the land and worked with residents to establish a management plan. Today, Moose Mountain offers recreation opportunities for families and sustainable timber harvesting jobs for residents. All this is done in ways that ensure gentle use of the forest to extend its longevity.
The Forest Legacy program will use some of the $91 million to search for and acquire land. As an added bonus for local ecosystems, the program will continue efforts to buy land adjacent to existing national parks. This extends the de facto acreage of the park. Research shows that continuous, healthy old-growth forests capture carbon and reduce the impact of climate change. This is part of the reason why we work so hard to preserve our wild lands here at The Wilderness Society.
As a child growing up in the metro D.C. area, I didn’t have access to many large forests. The Forest Legacy program also seeks to preserve forested areas within close proximity to urban and suburban settings. City residents, too, deserve more fresh air and chances to experience the outdoors.
I still go back to that cabin near Augusta, Maine, and wonder how I got so lucky to spend entire weeks there in the summer. I love the fact that the Obama administration is the newest advocate for the Forest Legacy program which means so much to me and other city folks.
photo: Cupsuptic Lake Forest Legacy Tract, Maine, Courtesy USFS.
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Sam Goldman
Sam has been with The Wilderness Society since Fall 2007. He came most recently from M+R Strategic Services in Washington, DC where he worked with national environmental groups to improve their online campaign work and field organizing capacity. Before that, Sam was the Assistant National Field Director for U.S. PIRG where he covered a variety of issues including the fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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Comments
Ocean of Peace Community Forest
Dear Friends,
Our proposed Ocean of Peace Community Forest is located three miles north of Waldport, Oregon. Waldport is a small coastal community on the Oregon central coast. The 110 acres in question are managed by the USForest Service. We want 70 acres of this parcel to become a legacy forest, with 40 acres serving as a working forest. The 70 acres has 110-120' trees, with Western Red Cedar, douglas fir, western hemlock, sitka spruce, and red alder. This forest needs protection. The USForest Service is understaffed and can't properly manage the Siuslaw N.F. at this time. Although their staff are very dedicated. This forest could serve as a basis of eco-tourism, drawing nature lovers to our coast.
If you are travelling to Oregon, please consider making a stop to see our local forest. You may e-mail me at anytime:
David Peltier djcpeltier@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 2002, Waldport, OR 97394 June 6, 2009 Thank you!
So let me get this straight:
So let me get this straight: we the public pay private owners, who then are allowed to log what was previously their forest land - but now at the public's expense. And we the public should be happy about this because, rather than being clearcut, the land is selectively logged. How many readers have hiked through forest that has recently been selectively logged? Let me assure you, it no longer looks pristine. And the effects on wildlife? Animals that rely on old growth habitat like spotted owls in the Pacific NW and certain salamanders in the NW and SE, tend not to persist in selectively logged forest.
If the goal of the program is to limit complete forest destruction due to single-use plans like clear-cutting then it may have value. But if the goal is to protect "pristine forests" I cannot see how a plan like this can succeed. This seems to me to be a case of government double-speak.
Forest Legacy
I fully agree with your assessment. If the government purchases the land then the land becomes public property and as such should be managed in the best interests of the public not a local company whose main interest is PROFIT. I am told that a standing forest (vertical) actually generates more revenue and jobs than horizontal trunks awaiting to be ground up for pulp. Also who is going to over see the management of the forest to assure that it is logged in a sustainable manner?? Once the trees are cut, they cannot be replanted if the manager over cut due to greed and a perceived lack of oversight on the part of the "owner" of the land.
Besides, don't older and larger trees absorbe carbon and thus make lessen the issue of global warming??
national parks and refuges
Can you please help me understand why President Obama proposed a $42 million increase for the Forest Legacy Program and even issued an immediate time-out on road building in our parks which I think is very good BUT HE PASSED a law that would allow firearms even semi-automatic weapons in our national park, and refuges which I find upsetting. Please help me understand this!!!!!!!
Donna Wanyo
Guns in National Parks
Ms. Wango, I sympathize with you and am in total agreement. It would appear that the standard that has applied for years and years continues to apply here. By that I mean, he/she/they who wield the largest constituency, in this case the gun lobby and those that propose that we are never "safe" enough, due to the heightened fear of being attacked by a terrorist, robber, alien, or whatever, those people rule when it comes to the "Big Decisions" that affect us all. Am I surprised at this seemingly paradoxical turn of events. A few years back I would have said "yes," but in all honesty, at this point in time in the country of my birth and residence, as it has evolved, I am now not the least surprised I must say.