Scientists Say National Forests Need Protection, Not Logging
This letter from concerned scientists to President Bush highlights the need for forest protection and restoration.
April 16, 2002
 More than 200 scientists from every state in the nation signed a letter to President Bush today urging him to end commercial logging of our National Forests and renew the Forest Service's original vision of forest protection. In the letter, released by Sierra Club, National Forest Protection Alliance (NFPA), and US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the scientists address the benefits of forest protection to the economy, water quality, wildlife and recreation.
Noted scientist signers include Dr. Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Dr. Anne Ehrlich, Associate Director of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology, and Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and recipient of the 2000 President's National Medal of Science.
"Logging has caused devastating impacts on the ability of our National Forests to provide wildlife habitat and economically valuable goods and services. The loss of biodiversity is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us. Mr. President, we urge you to end the destructive practice of commercial logging in the National Forests and to begin a scientifically based program to restore habitat and native species," the scientists say in the letter.
"When more than 200 highly respected scientists agree that logging our National Forests is detrimental to the environment, wildlife and the economy, we hope the Bush Administration listens. These scientists know that our forests provide clean water and recreational opportunities for all Americans," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.
"The Bush Administration is working overtime to increase logging when it should be putting an end to commercial logging on our National Forests, period," said Tom Weis, Executive Director of NFPA.
"Protecting our National Forests is an investment in the future. Unfortunately, the Forest Service is pushing for more logging, which would return us to the destructive policies of the past. We urge the administration to heed the advice of these eminent scientists," said Tiernan Sittenfeld of PIRG.
Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey is the former timber lobbyist now charged with overseeing the management of the nation's 192 million-acre National Forest system. Under his tenure, the agency is pursuing numerous avenues for increasing logging on our National Forests, including recent attempts to gut the Northwest Forest Protection Plan, rewrite the Roadless Area Conservation Rule to allow for more logging, mining and drilling, and turn management of National Forests over to special interests through charter forest initiatives.
The timber industry has turned America's publicly owned National Forests into a patchwork of clearcuts and logging roads. Commercial logging, subsidized by American taxpayers, drains nutrients from the soil, washes topsoil into streams, destroys wildlife habitat and intensifies the severity of forest fires.
Statements from selected scientists:
"Our National Forests are home to a vast array of plant and animal species, many in a delicate balance of survival. We must protect and restore these species, the fragile forest ecosystems on which they depend, and our natural forest heritage," said Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
"It is critically important to reverse the trend of destruction in our National Forests that has prevailed for decades and focus instead on protection of what remains and scientifically-based restoration wherever possible. Most Americans appreciate the value of our National Forests for the wildlife and other diverse species they harbor and for recreational opportunities. Equally important, though not always appreciated, are the ecological services provided by natural forests, including sources of dependable, clean fresh water," said Dr. Anne Ehrlich, Associate Director of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology.
Photo courtesy Philip Greenspun.
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