February 10, 2001
Delegate Rudy Cane
414 House Office Bldg.
Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Delegate Cane:
I understand you recently attended a Forest Industry dinner for legislators where Dr. Patrick Moore spoke. I’d like to provide you some facts about the public lands in Maryland which might be quite different from what you have currently received.
Only 3% of the land area in Maryland is protected by DNR’s current State's forest policies. Under current management plans, this is the only land that will ever again have a chance of becoming old growth forest, and is not nearly enough to restore endangered or threatened species in Maryland. Since 88% of the forests in Maryland are privately owned, stopping the logging on public lands should not adversely effect Maryland’s forest industry.
Dr. Patrick Moore is a spokesman for the Forest Alliance of British Columbia which is forest industry association. In an article he wrote devoted to clearcutting in forests, he states, "the directors of the Forest Alliance believe there is no other sensible course than to find the appropriate balance between the environmental and economic values that are derived from forests. It is absolutely essential that representative areas of forest ecosystems be preserved as parks and wilderness areas. His Forest Alliance agrees with and supports the British Columbia government’s program to double the area of land in parks and wilderness to 12% of the land base."
Why, when even a forest industry spokesman states that 12% of the land base should be preserved for other species, does DNR protect only 3% of the land base in Maryland? Environmental groups do not believe 12% is nearly enough to insure viability of other species. Costa Rica, which is noted for its policies to preserve biodiversity have set aside more than 25% of the land base for other species.
Dr. Moore also realizes that logging and ecology are essentially incompatible. In the same clearcutting paper, he writes, "one of the myths perpetrated in the forestry debate is that we could manage the old-growth forests for timber production while at the same time retaining all the features and values of the old-growth forest. Most foresters with experience in a wide range of ecosystems will agree that in fact it is very difficult, if not impossible, to actually manage old-growth forests. If it were easily accomplished there would be no need to establish parks and wilderness areas as distinct from areas where the forest is managed. From a practical perspective, therefore, the choice must be made as to where the old-growth forest will be preserved for parks and wilderness and where the forest will be converted to managed second growth on a sustainable basis. This leads again to the need for a clearly defined land use plan that sets out the areas designated for these uses." You can see Dr. Moore’s entire paper on clearcutting at http://www.greenspirit.com/Ecoissues9.htm.
DNR’s Annual Work Plans for state forests show they are cutting forests in a rotational cutting cycle of about 50 years. They continue to perpetrate the myth that logging and biodiversity are compatible. Their cutting policies produce "tree farms" not forests. While the type of harvest varies, it results in the forests being disturbed and impacted by logging vehicles and roads constructed into the forest interior to access and harvest timber. Logging roads, penetrating into the forest interior, provide access for invasive plants and diseases that further impact native biodiversity and forest health. These activities have a negative impact on diversity of species and forest health which should be the most important consideration in the plans for our state forests.
The US Forest Service reveals in their long-term strategic plan that by the year 2000, recreation in National Forests will contribute $97.8 billion to the economy versus $3.5 billion from timber. This should be the direction our state forests are moving, not continuing to be tree farms.
Numerous studies indicate superior interior forest bird habitat and diversity of species are created in "old growth" forests as opposed to younger forests. Old growth forests produce more food for wildlife, and provide nesting and denning habitat that are not available in younger forests. Many trees do not start producing food for wildlife until they are 40 or more years old. Cutting old trees in state forests constitutes a severe deficiency in DNR's forest management practices. Many species of lichens, ferns, herbs and fungi do not appear until a forest is more than 100 years old. Rotational forest harvest plans eliminate many species from ever being restored to their original habitats. For more information on the value of old growth forests, a compilation of scientific studies is contained in the book, Eastern Old-Growth Forests, edited by Mary Byrd Davis.
Forests are invaluable in protecting our sources of drinking water and in purifying our air. We need to acquire and provide full protection for more state forests land in Maryland - not continue to log them. Governor Glendening’s newly announce "Greenprint" program, budgeted for $145 million over 5 years, will provide badly needed wildlife corridors between protected lands and increase the amount of protected land in Maryland. This is a program that needs to be supported.
DNR has ignoring the desires of the majority of people in Maryland. It states that loggers and hunters prefer their current forest practices, but these two groups make up less than 4% of Maryland’s population. Its likely that 96% of the population would prefer forests that are managed for diversity of species and to clean our air and water.
MAGIC requests:
1) Valid surveys of Maryland residents be conducted to determine how they would like to see state forests managed. The idea that forests are to be managed primarily for wood products, and revenue for DNR and the counties, is obsolete and needs to be changed.
2) Legislation to remove the incentives for DNR and the counties to cut public forests.
3) Legislation to eliminate logging in state forests
Sincerely,
Robert DeGroot
President, MAGIC