Comments on: Serial Litigators Still at Work
By Matthew Koehler on 03-19-10
Recently, the Government Accountability Office - the non-partisan, investigative arm of Congress - issued a report looking at lawsuits involving Forest Service fuel reduction projects from 2006 through 2008 (www.gao.gov/new.items/d10337.pdf). In our region, 92 percent of projects were litigation-free and nationwide the figure was 98 percent. Administrative appeal rates also dropped 69 percent compared with recent years.
The findings of this new report stand in contrast to what some supporters of Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act have been telling the public. Over the past year, many FJRA supporters have complained of “gridlock,” giving the impression that all Forest Service projects end up in court. In fact, last September, Tester went so far as to tell a Bozeman crowd that “lawsuits have stopped forest management cold.”
This new GAO report clearly demonstrates that such statements, while politically popular, are not based on reality. The truth of the matter is that the significant reduction in appeals and litigation is due to the fact that people of all different backgrounds - including the WildWest Institute - are successfully working together in open, inclusive and transparent collaborative processes in Montana, such as through the Montana Forest Restoration Committee (www.montanarestoration.org).
For example, the MFRC has formed restoration committees for both the Lolo and the Bitterroot national forests. The fact of the matter is that the Lolo National Forest hasn’t had any logging-related litigation in over two years, while on the Bitterroot only one timber sale has been litigated since 2002. Furthermore, the Forest Service in our region ended 2009 with more timber volume already under contract to logging companies (300 million board feet) than at any point in the past decade. That’s enough timber to fill 60,000 log trucks lined up from Missoula to Miles City. Too bad this isn’t part of the story we’re being told by FJRA supporters.
It will be interesting to see if the senator and supporters of his bill acknowledge the findings of this new report. After all, these findings should be great news for anyone wanting to see bona-fide national forest fuel reduction activities move forward. Or will FJRA supporters just continue to complain about all the supposed “gridlock” and push ahead with their plans to have Congress mandate unsustainable logging and cause significant Forest Service budget shortfalls, leading to what the head of the U.S. Forest Service described as the “Balkanization” of America’s national forest system?
Matthew Koehler, executive director
WildWest Institute
Missoula
By Matthew Koehler on 03-19-10
Wednesday, before a US Senate hearing, former Montanan Tom Tidwell, Chief of the Forest Service, made this statement regarding Forest Service accomplishments for 2009.
“If you look at 2009, it was probably the toughest market that we’ve had with the integrated wood products industry. But we were still able to accomplish close to 97% of our [timber] target in 2009. We also exceeded our wildlife improvement targets and we also exceeded our hazardous fuel improvements targets.”
Just some more facts for Ellen to ignore I suppose.
The views expressed in the comments section do not reflect those of the Beacon.