There Goes the Forest: Bush Administration Opens 3 Million Acres to Logging

Wtfc......

It just, it just -- i dont know what to even say.

355 more days left in the Bush regime; how much more damage can he do? I hope our planet survives him...

Looks like President Bush is trying to do as much destruction as possible before he leaves office.

economy, economy, economy.
what about the future of our planet (and our children)?

Aren't there some nice, managed Southeastern pine forests we're supposed to be using for pulpwood? From what I understand, this will be clearcut logging in the world's largest remaining temperate rainforest. For all the grief we give Brazil about clearing the Amazon, our own government is being abhorrently hypocritical. Visit here NRDC Save the Tongass to add your voice to the dissent.

Considering his resume for destruction, this is nothing for Bush. He's just getting warmed up. The question is - what is it going to take to stop these actions from happening in this so-called free and democratic society that we live in?

Bush proves again that he's an idiot. Too much logging hurts the fishing and tourism industry which brings in a lot more money than any logging.

The tradeoff is campaign contributions. Wood for dough.

Same for oil and gas rights and permission to blow off mountain tops.

Same tradeoff for preventing CA for regulating C02 emissions.

THE DEAF WORLD
I speak to a deaf world. And I know not how to gain her ear. America is degenerating at a rapid pace. We are now over $9,210,000.000,000 in debt. That is over $30,275 for every man, woman and child in this country. It would take us over thirty years to pay off this debt, if we installed sane representatives in Washington, and adhered to a balanced budget. Our schools now rank 28th [ 28th, that's pathetic.]in the World. We are in a war that we can’’t win, in the foreseeable future, and can’’t get out of. Our Government is broken. We are no longer functioning as a Democracy. We are operating as a Bureaucracy. The Party Lords tell our Congressmen and Senators how to vote. And Big Business, mostly International Conglomerates, give the Party Lords, which they bought with Pac-money, their orders.

That should be enough said: Because I don’t really believe that there is anyone in America, who is old enough to vote, that don’’t know this country is in trouble.

Every day the Republican and Democratic Party Lords work at enacting bills, which cedes one international conglomerate after another some financial quid pro quo, for pac-money received. And nearly all concessions to Big Business prove to be detrimental to America's working people. Under the present system America will eventually have hungry masses without health care, millionaires, and no middle class. America, as we know her, is at this moment rapidly degenerating.

Changing out Republican for a Democratic, or Democratic for a Republican, or just replacing a Republican or Democratic with what is deemed a better member of their own party, will not help the situation. The new comer will quickly learn how the ball bounces in Washington, and vote the Party Line, as the Party Lords dictate, and business will continue as usual. And that is not Democracy, but Bureaucracy.

But all is not lost: America can still be saved. There is enough energy being wasted fighting for the various causes against our unresponsive government, to fix America twice. This is still America, and we can still vote. So let’’s act like a Democracy, band together, vati, [Vote Against The Incumbents.] and send enough Congressmen and Senators home, to get the attention of those who are left.

Our representatives usually win their office by vary small margins, less than 5%. So, if just 10% of us would vati, we would get between 20 and 25% of the House and Senate. If 20% of us vati, we would sent 75% of both Houses home. And you can bet; you’’d have your Representative’’s ear.

It really doesn’’t matter whether you want to save the spotted owl, secure our borders, protect the giant redwoods, or the North Slope, save some swamp, or clean up a river, or outlaw pac-money, it is going to cost Big Business money. And you won’’t get it done until we take back the reins of government. And none of you have the power to do that alone. So the answer is simple; whatever your cause, fail, or band together and help clean up Washington. Save America, and then you will have an accommodating representative to help promote your cause. Time is essential, so start contacting other groups and get the ball rolling. You can do it, and it will work. Good Luck, GrandpaNate

I wouldn't count on the state being a democracy anymore... I would like to but I wouldn't.

How can Bush swallow his saliva after proposing this! Any future Green activities the US undergoes can and will be taken as a joke.

How could an living breathing human being do such a thing! Is HE EVEN ALIVE?

O M G!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is Bush on a mission to make as many bad/evil/wrong decisions as possible during his presidency? i don't even know what else to say.

At the risk of being of being pilloried, have any of the the people making these “OMG, the world is going to end!” postings actually **been to Alaska**?

I live in Alaska - jobs are hard to come by and it is expensive to live here. *You* might be happy to live with a low wage, ‘service industry’ job – up here it also means food stamps and a cold house. The only real chance to make a good living is resource extraction – yup, mining, logging, fishing and the like.

I don’t know why everyone seems to think the entire State of Alaska is some kind of National park, one they never seem to visit I would add – and expect the folks who do live here to suffer the economic pain.

I would also note that Texas drills for oil pretty much wherever they want, Arizona has massive copper mines, Nevada mines for gold and gypsum, and on and on – where is the outrage?. But Alaska? Why, don’t even try to build a new house, road or try to see your children have a chance for a decent living.

Sorry this is so over the top, but the comments so far seem just as over the top.

And just so you all know, most of the lumber cut down in SE goes to Japan…..

Interesting insight Don.

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again: If the same man hours spent logging were spent by some environmental group planting trees, there would be no clear cut areas left. Planting trees is faster than cutting them down, and the logging companies have to put in roads first, which the people planting trees can make us of with no effort.

Sit in a tree or plant trees, take your pick!

Thank you JC

It has been my experience that the most vitriolic posters (and in many cases, protestors) are the ones that do the *least* to help the environment.

FWIW, I worked on the American team in the Komi Republic trying to clean up or at least limit the damage from the Kolva River oil spill (AKA The Usinsk accident) – it was my personal experience that all the ‘professional’ Green groups seemed to want to do was to use the event as a fund-raiser.

I have seen the good, the bad and the oily. Getting up off of ones backside and spending some time planting trees would seem to be good for the Earth as well as ones soul.

But, that’s just me.

[jobmonkey.com has listings for those who wish to work at planting trees.]

Former Resident Alaskan.
When I first read this, I was shocked, but after reading the whole article, and actually thinking about it, 3 mil acres is nothing. Seriously, do people even know how big (or small) that really is? 4687.5 square miles. Alaska has 656,425 sq miles. To people from CT this is alot, since it would be 84% of their state. Tongass is 17 mil. acres.

But still, I'd rather have the forest than more money in my pocket and a bigger house. If you want those, goto CA. I like living in the middle of no where with nothing but the land.

What ever happened to the Forest Services North West forest plan. I think it was canned on his entry to office or under Reagan and Watt. Can it be re-installed after the Bush Legacy regime.?

This is so sad.

I hate him, I hate this man and everything he stands for.

It makes me want to cry.

The amount of people dead because of his actions.

Now THIS?

This is nuts, we have to do something.

I don't think it's necessarily true, Don, that "the most vitriolic posters (and in many cases, protestors) are the ones that do the *least* to help the environment." I don't even feel the need to defend myself, but some people just feel more strongly or urgently (and therefore post more passionately). Being apathetic should not be admirable.

The main sticking points here are that (A) only about 1/3 of the Tongass National Forest is actually "forest" and (B) these N.F. roads are built with federal funding. As far as point A, it depends which 3 million acres of the forest are being opened to logging. If these 3 million acres are selectively forest areas (and not the areas that are rock, fjord, bog, or already developed or otherwise open), then you're looking at about half of the true forest acreage being open to logging. There are maps of the logging areas here. As for point B, the logging companies should have to foot the ENTIRE bill for road construction and maintenance. I don't want a dime of my tax money going toward it.

Looks like it will always be unlimited economic growth vs. my kids having cleaning air to breathe and being able to play outside.

Ridiculous...another idiot move that will line the idiot's pockets and the pockets of his buddies.

I love how we we base our health and well-being on our economy and not on our planet. Because we all know that our economy will outlast the planet...right? And the ill-health of the planet doesn't mean we all can't be rich...right? We can all still get rich right? And buy loads more crap? Please say I can still buy loads of crap in my lifetime...Bush says we should! *For anyone that can't read sarcasm, that was it!*

I wonder if Bush's future grand children shouldn't be held responsible for his environmental contributions while in power.

Ridiculous...another idiot move that will line the idiot's pockets and the pockets of his buddies.

I love how we we base our health and well-being on our economy and not on our planet. Because we all know that our economy will outlast the planet...right? And the ill-health of the planet doesn't mean we all can't be rich...right? We can all still get rich right? And buy loads more crap? Please say I can still buy loads of crap in my lifetime...Bush says we should! *For anyone that can't read sarcasm, that was it!*

I wonder if Bush's future grand children shouldn't be held responsible for his environmental contributions while in power.

We are all doomed.

Great news, can we drill for oil there too?

awesome, sounds good to me. it means more work for alaskans. keep up the good fight against environMENTALists Mr. Bush. Next you need to get the fucking oil from Alaska so my gas prices are so high

What a waste!!!! Can the next governement turn this around?

awesome, sounds good to me. it means more work for alaskans. keep up the good fight against environMENTALists Mr. Bush. Next you need to get the fucking oil from Alaska so my gas prices are so high

HOW DO WE STOP THIS?

If this doesnt show how much of a dick Bush is, i dont know what will. Seriously i really do despise this man, im not even a citizen. His retardness never ceases to amaze me

I still see this as a flaw in the way our National Forest system operates. Don stated that "most of the lumber cut down in SE goes to Japan." Why is this even the case? Japan is heavily forested right now (the whole reason they are is that they've been plundering the forests of other nations in order to let their forests recover after centuries of isolationism and overdependence on wood as a biofuel). In fact, they're planning on using their forests for cellulosic ethanol production. Why shouldn't we instate some kind of resource nationalism in regard to our forests? Oil-producing nations are starting to save their oil for their future generations--shouldn't we save our trees for our future generations? And the fact that we're still using newly harvested trees for paper production is ludicrous. We've got the technology and the waste stream to go entirely recycled by this point.

JC believes that "If the same man hours spent logging were spent by some environmental group planting trees, there would be no clear cut areas left. Planting trees is faster than cutting them down, and the logging companies have to put in roads first, which the people planting trees can make us of with no effort." The truth is, we can't spend the same man-hours replanting as we can logging, because our economic system intrinsically undervalues replanting as compared to the original resource extraction, i.e. you can make decent money cutting down trees and selling them, but no one wants to pay you to plant trees. That is why large environmental organizations have to turn events into fundraisers--where else are they going to get operating capital? The Forest Service is understaffed and underfunded compared to the logging outfits, and environmental groups don't have the money to pick up the slack, either. So until we get a reconfiguration of how our society values these reciprocal parts of a sustainable system, we will continue clearcutting faster than we can replant.

Seriously, i feel sorry for all americans for having such a fucking noob president.

Then again, its your fault. You elected that crazy fuck and his administration.

May this serve as a lesson for the future, and who not to elect.

And to top it off, America is such a big nation, that the rest of the world suffers the consequences and repercussions of the foolish acts of your foolish president.

Shame on you bushwanker.

Hip Hip Hooray! The liberal wackos don't want to accept the fact that the forest must be cleaned out from time to time .... California fires anyone? Could have been easily prevented if it weren't for the tree huggers, and they lost tons more trees because they didn't clear out old trees, brush, etc.

Now just start digging for oil and you'll have a winner in Alaska!

Oh Boo Hoo!

Alaska is huge, to the tune of about 375,303,680 acres. I don't think designating less than 1% of a state's land mass for development is an atrocity, it might actually help.

I don't like bush and neither do you. But I don't let my dislike cloud reality.

And to think, I actually wanted Bush to win the election at one point in my life... I feel shameful for saying it. He is out to destroy the world I believe.

again another sad sad event for America. Alaska just happens to be the last frontier of the world. But who cares about that. We need lumber to build house that people cant pay for.
I'm completely dumbfounded hat Bush got elected a second time. Its sickening.

We need to all connect as civilians, everyone online blogging (myself included) talks about how inefficient our government and president are. But we cant all get together and act upon it.

I'm sure there is a petition online about this online somewhere, and im going to find it and sign it. Everyone else who disagrees with the Alaskan logging bonanza should do the same. Ill post back here when i find one.

maybe we should pave the whole state, as that would create lots of construction jobs.

Mike freak,
It was already posted above, it is here:
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_tongass_1206

There's a link to a petition letter in the fourth comment from the top. It goes to the chief of the Forest Service and your local Congressman.

It seems like all the cornucopians want to fuel endless consumption of oil and timber blindly. Seriously, look at all those cedar decks on all those unsellable or foreclosed tract houses in the exurbs. A lot of that cedar probably came from the gigantic redcedar trees that grow in Alaska and Oregon. Those little redwood chips that mulch around the pathetic little nonnative shrubs and saplings in the exurban tract housing--probably logged in California. These trees are being cut down not to prevent wildfires (that's what controlled burns and firebreaks are for) but for profit and to prop up a bloated consumer culture.

We in Canada are guilty too. Giving vast tracts of land to national (few) or multi-national (most) companies to rape. We may live here but the land doesn't belong to us for such purposes.

Ha, ha, ha! Wake-up green beans, there is nothing that man kind can do that will destroy this planet before natural evolution does. I particularly enjoyed the comment... " Looks like it will always be unlimited economic growth vs. my kids having cleaning air to breathe and being able to play outside." You have got to be kidding yourself. With so many social problems, why would you want your kids outside?

If you feel Alaska is a hopeless pothole that will change your existance in the Lower 48... maybe we should give it back to the Russians to protect your kids nostrils and sun laden bodies... with the appropriate amount of sun screen, I hope.

I had never been to Alaska and I may not know how harsh the life is out there. However, when 3 mil may seem like a very small percentage of the land mass for the state, but just think how terrible it will be for the environment! Logging doesn't just chop down trees, it also take away shelters for the wildlife that had already disappear fast, not to mention the polution to the water, air, and land. And the fact of us always taken more than we need & don't plant enough, this will became a cycle of doom. I am sure that no one wants to leave their children to suffer on a black plant, however, at the same time, everyone would like to be able to support their family w/o killing themselves w/ 3 jobs. As a race, I am sure we can find some way to increase the life quanity of the Alaskan and save our planet at the same time.

I agree we should go overseas and just take other countries resources by force instead of using our own. We taught the iraquis a lesson. Who can we invade and take lumber from? Hmmmn..
Good thing we don't take advantage of our own oil reserves in Anwar when we can just bomb other countries.

I hope you (yes YOU) don´t vote again for Bush, like you have been doing.... (if it´s someone fault, it´s YOURS)

Well, Mr. Bennett, let's hope that "natural evolution" (perhaps you mean selection) takes care of the environmentally disdainful first, yes? And why would you not want kids to play outside? You'd rather they grow fat and lazy sitting in front of the plasma-screen eating Doritos?

Alaska is one of the last major wild areas in the U.S. Once the wild places are logged out there, what next? For those who argue, "it's not that large an area," "there are worse things to worry about," "we need the jobs," bear in mind that it's just the tip of the iceberg. Treehugger has a linked article about the Bush admin. approving a 700% increase in logging in Oregon, and they're also selling off more national forest land in the Cumberland Plateau and the Nantahala N.F.

Keep your head in the sand. Maybe you'll suffocate there first.

this is wrong...

"DEAF WORLD' by JL?

That is a wonderfully put together statement !

Seriously- You have distilled it down the very essence
there!

Whoops I guess that was meant for Grandpa Nate

Sorry to inject math into an emotional discussion, but 3.4 million acres is a chunk just 70 x 75 miles in size. That's a very small part of the 371,000 square miles of parks and preserves in the state.

And the affected land isn't going to be clear-cut and covered with Wal-Marts, anyway. The logging will account for only a tiny fraction of the trees on this tiny fraction of the state. There won't be any open-pit mines, and whatever mining is done will be reviewed separately to ensure it won't have any significant effect on the Alaskan wilderness.

This is a Natural Holocaust.

that sucks

424,490,880.

That's how many acres alaska has. That's 424 million acres. Msot of which, is off limits to us to develope. That's a serious wound to the Alaskan economy. Alaska relies on Oil yes, but if we were allowed to exploit all of our land, then we could get off the oil dependancy, which puts us in a better place for when it runs out in a few years.

You people say "preserve alaska! we need to keep our forests!"

Have any of you ever even been to alaska? Have you tried to raise a family here? Have you tried to get a job here? Most of you will never even come here. We don't want, or need forests, we have them. 400 million acres of them. We have the highest cost of living, we NEED jobs, we don't want you people politicians, and environmentalists telling US what to do.

A LOT of the logs will probably be sold to Japan, China and wealthy arab countries at rock bottom, bulk discount prices. These forests are THE AMERICAN PEOPLES. NOT THE LOGGING COMPANIES, NOR ANYONE ELSES!! THIS IS GRAND LARCENY ON THE PART OF THE bUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE LOGGING COMPANIES!!

You miss the point. The total acreage of the Alaskan landmass or Alaskan forest (much of which is boreal conifer forest) is not what is at stake. This is rainforest that will be logged, and this narrow band along the SE Alaskan coast represents 40% of the worldwide temperate rain forest. It's not the simple fact of logging that offends in this instance, but precisely where the logging will take place. Logging impacts rainforest much more than any other forest types. If this was the case of the lesser of two evils, I'd be for logging Alaska's boreal forests, in order to leave the rainforest alone.

And as for that pernicious economic necessity argument, it is estimated that "the value of non-extractive resources in Southeast Alaska is 30 times the value of the region's timber" (ACF Dispatch). That is, if the logging industry gains because of this decision, then the salmon and tourism industries will suffer.

This action will be repealed before it gets into effect, regardless of which President is voted into office.

Good for BUSH for this, the TONGASS needs to be re-opened. It will provide jobs for thousands, it will provide things that the world needs. Have you people forgotten what you write on? what your homes are made out of? and dont you people think about what kinds of harm NOT CUTTING actually does? Timber is a crop, just like wheat, hay, apples, oranges ect. it lives it dies if we dont get it out before it dies, WE LOSE nobody can use it and it just leaves more fuel for forest fires.......WAKE UP PEOPLE AND THINK

Wow.......just wow

Hi: I'm Jen. I lived in the Tongas Forest for 26 years. Traveled throughout Southeast Alaska and the rest of the state while working for the state of Alaska. I read Nate's comments, and I think some things need to be pointed out.
Nate said:
"Good for BUSH for this, the TONGASS needs to be re-opened. It will provide jobs for thousands, it will provide things that the world needs. Have you people forgotten what you write on?"

Nate forgot to point out that the Tongas is a old growth climax forest like the Redwoods. But this forest is in a cold, wet climate in a mountainous terrain. The few remaining stands of virgin timber are many hundreds of years old.
Thousands of jobs would be created for a decade or two until no trees are left. The Tongas is cold, dark,and wet and is not suitable for a managed forest.

"what your homes are made out of? and dont you people think about what kinds of harm NOT CUTTING actually does?"

I have never heard of harm caused by NOT CUTTING down a rain forest.

"Timber is a crop, just like wheat, hay, apples, oranges ect. it lives it dies if we dont get it out before it dies, WE LOSE nobody can use it and it just leaves more fuel for forest fires.......WAKE UP PEOPLE AND THINK"

Homes are NOT made out of old growth Alaska Yellow Cedar and Sitka Spruce. You couldn't afford to build with lumber from these trees. This land IS NOT crop land. It rains between 70" and 236" a year in the Tongas. Clear cutting (the only economical way to log it)
destroys the soil by taking away ALL the nutrients. With
all the rain, the only way the forest can get nutrients is from the old trees that fall down.
With rainfall between 6 to 20 FEET a year there are no forest fires, just soil erosion from clear cutting.

Bush just wants to tear down alittle of the forest not the whole thing!!!! How are we supposed to get more oil? We cant trust the terrist that we are getting them from.

wow, all you freakin liberals (socialists) dont have any idea about what your talking about. Why are liberals so wimpy? When people think of republicans why the heck do they seem so much more intelligent then these tree huggin liberals that want to save the elk from the millions of acres of land in the whole damn earth??

Please help me understand.

Fires in California have burned millions of acres in the past few years. Fires in Maine (which is covered with forest) is practically zero. Maine has managed logging and fire roads. California does not.

logging wow logging.