One to Watch

From the AP:

Republicans Push More Logging

Republican state legislators are introducing bills aimed at boosting timber harvesting in state forests. The lawmakers announced the initiative at several news conferences around the state yesterday. They say the package will be introduced in the House and Senate in the next couple of weeks. One bill would make it harder for regulators to rule certain areas off-limits to logging. Another proposal offers tax incentives to encourage private owners to allow timber cutting on their land. Still another gives incentives to the forest products industry to invest and expand operations in Michigan.

I haven't seen the details of this yet, but it's obviously a matter of concern for anglers and others with a stake in the outdoors. Are riparian areas among those where restrictions will be lifted?

These measures will probably find supporters outside of the timber and paper industries. Hunters like to see cutting tbecause it creates more meadow and regenerating forest areas, which generally increase the food supply available to popular game animals (though not for some species that require mature forests with lots of dead or downed timber). As a bird hunter, I certainly like to see some areas like that (and there don't seem to be a shortage of them at present), but I don't want to see the state turned into a game farm, either.

I have no problem with responsible logging. But cutting that reduces forest diversity or harms waterways doesn't fall into that category. There also is the issue of expanding the network of logging roads. Those can seriously impact forest health, and there has been a trend recently toward closing and rehabilitating them.

How justifed such fears are remains to be seen. But I'll be watching.