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Battle Heats Up Over “Biodiversity” And “Ecosystem” Threats To Landowners By Bill
Moshofsky, March/April 2003 Oregonians In Action stepped up its battle against the Oregon Board of Forestry including “biodiversity” and “ecosystem” protection in the Forestry Program for Oregon. OIA has mobilized opposition among thousands of its supporter, legislators, counties, and a wide array of organizations throughout the state, urging opposition testimony at hearings and in written comments to the Board. Bill Moshofsky, OIA’s Vice President for Government Affairs, stated, “The problem is these concepts will require protection for all native animals, birds, plants, insects and organisms in the soil, regardless of whether they are endangered or threatened species. They are tools extreme environmentalists are using to preserve land in its natural state, or greatly restrict human activity on land, public and private.” He said the danger is that such concepts will lead to regulations that restrict or prohibit forest harvesting and management, and to product “certification” programs that will have the same effect. At the least, trying to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem protection with productive uses on forest land will be extremely complex and costly. Just inventorying all such resources would be mind-boggling. Assessing impacts of harvesting would be even more complex. Moshofsky pointed out that these are the same kind of concepts that virtually shut down harvesting and led to deterioration and fire devastation on federal forest land, and that a bill to reduce harvesting by 50% on two state forests to protect biodiversity and other “non-consumptive” uses is being pushed in the Oregon legislature. Worse yet, including biodiversity and ecosystem concepts in forest policies gives them credibility, and impetus to apply them to grazing, farming and development land. With no court or legislative protection for private landowners from regulatory controls, landowners are at the mercy of regulatory agencies. With Oregon’s forest industry already hurting, the state’s economy suffering, and tax revenues shrinking, Moshofsky said it makes no sense for a state agency to adopt such dangerous and costly policies. ------------------------------------------------------------ RELATED STORY: OIA Is Making Progress With Efforts To Remove "Biodiversity"
And "Ecosystem" Elements In "Forestry Program For Oregon"
By Bill Moshofsky,
During the past year, Oregonians In Action has been actively raising concerns with the Oregon Board of Forestry including “biological diversity” and “ecosystem” concepts in proposed policies that will govern forest management on state and private forest lands. OIA fears that applying such concepts could greatly reduce forest harvesting and increase the cost of forest management at a time when the forest industry is already struggling with over-regulation and severe foreign and domestic competition -- and at a time when Oregon’s economy is in bad shape. OIA also fears that including biological diversity and ecosystem concepts in forest policies will give them credibility, and provide impetus to applying them to other private land needed for farming, grazing, and development. The problem is that biological diversity and ecosystems are popularized terms used to promote the notion that all animals, birds, plants, insects and other organisms should be allowed to exist and interact in their natural state, without interference by human activities. Trying to protect biodiversity and ecosystem objectives in conjunction with growing and harvesting trees will be extremely difficult or impossible -- and very expensive. While some areas should be preserved in their natural state, it is unrealistic and inappropriate to try to impose such preservation on land required to meet the needs of people, and it is unfair to impose such requirement on private landowners. On January 8th, Bill Moshofsky, OIA Vice President for Government Affairs, presented a detailed statement to the Board of Forestry urging the Board to remove biological diversity and ecosystem concepts from the proposed Forestry Program for Oregon it planned to approve and send out for public comment. Fortunately, the Board decided to postpone action on the Program, so that revisions could be incorporated into the Program. Also, on January 27th, Moshofsky met with the forest management committee of the Oregon Forest Industry Council (OFIC) to present reasons why OFIC should seek revisions in the Forestry Program for Oregon to eliminate biodiversity and ecosystems concepts. In addition to explaining the dangers involved, he pointed out that state statutes do not authorize the Board of Forestry to include these concepts in forest policies. OIA is also contacting state legislators to seek their support in these efforts. Wayne Giesy, former state legislator, and Alan Thayer, small woodland owner and former forest land manager with Crown Zellerbach, are working closely with Bill Moshofsky in fighting this threat to forest landowners, other landowners, and the state. |