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April 22, 2004

Peterson Leads Anti-Forest Tour

Congressman John Peterson is leading an anti-forest tour including the Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and the news media today to promote salvage logging in the Allegheny National Forest. This is our apparent Earth Day 2004 treat - as the Congressman's reported comments include complaints about those dead trees "rotting" and being "wasted" in the forest. That is right, for Earth Day 2004 Congressman John Peterson is advocating that we remove downed trees vital to forest health. At least you know where he stands I guess...

Oh, and I should mention that ADP Hellbender Ryan Talbott is on the case! At least he is trying/hoping to catch up with the "tour". It would be nice to have someone explain forest ecology to Peterson.

Update: Ok, we were forwarded the press release. Here is the goods:

VENEMAN HIGHLIGHTS HEALTHY FOREST INITIATIVE DURING EARTH DAY TOUR OF ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FORESTS

Announces Funding for Continued Research

   KANE, Pa., April 22, 2004—Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today toured forest health projects on the Allegheny National Forest and visited a state-of-the-art local mill processing some of the forest’s world-class black cherry wood to view first hand implementation efforts of President Bush’s Health Forest Initiative.

   Veneman also announced the allocation of an additional $55,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service’s Kane Experiment Station for continued research implementing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act.

   “The Bush Administration is working hard every day, not just on Earth Day, to enhance our natural resources, including protecting forest health,” Veneman said. “By working to ensure healthier forests, we are providing future generations with cleaner air and water, improved wildlife and fish habitat, healthier watersheds and wetlands and places for recreation. These efforts also benefit local economies.”

   Veneman, joined by U.S. Congressman John Peterson and other community leaders, visited several timber salvage and regeneration projects in areas of the Allegheny blown down by a severe windstorm last July that are also experiencing mortality from insects and diseases and prolonged and repeated drought. The forest, which comprises of 513,000 acres, used the new limited timber harvest categorical exclusion under the Healthy Forest Initiative to help the priority projects move forward more quickly. The group also toured the high-tech Kane Hardwood mill, which is using scanners, optimizers and computer-operated saws to maximize products from raw logs.

   The Forest Service’s Kane Experimental Forest (Warren, Penn.), in collaboration with scientists from several universities, will use the additional funds announced by Secretary Veneman to study the economic and ecological problems created by the windstorm and to develop a long-term salvage strategy for future disturbances in northeast forests. The windstorm affected about 300 acres of the Kane Experimental Forest making them at risk for insects and disease.

   In August 2002, President Bush announced the Healthy Forests Initiative
(http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/hfi/) pledge to care for America’s forests and rangelands, reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to communities, help save the lives of firefighters and citizens and protect threatened and endangered species while upholding environmental standards and encouraging early public input during review and planning processes. President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/hfi/field-guide/web/ into law in December 2003, granting the USDA Forest Service and Interior Department agencies new authority to address the forest health crisis across 20 million acres of federal land. The Act is the first major forest-management legislation in a quarter century.


Well, thankfully they are allowing the research to be done by the same unbiased research station that has brought us 30 years of studies on how to best farm the forest for black cherry!

Update 2: Question: What exactly can you do when your Secretary of Agriculture is completed dissected from reality?

Update 3: The Forest Service LEOs threatened to arrest Ryan for showing up at the anti-forest tour - just for being there on public lands! Can someone please remind them of the Constitution!

Update 4: Not sure how I missed the "Fact" Sheet.

Posted by jkleissler at April 22, 2004 10:59 AM

Comments

A little on what happened this morning:

Initially, this tour was published as a press release on Congressman John Peterson's website.

Of course, instead of Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth attending, as the press release says, I found out just yesterday that it would be the Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.

So, I headed to the Bradford airport and caught the party just as they were departing in 7 Forest Service vans and 2 cars. I brought up the rear.

We reached the first stop about 20 minutes later at the trailhead for the Timberline ATV trail where there was some blowdown from last summer's storms.

As I turned onto the dirt Forest Service road to follow the convoy, I noticed a Forest Service Law Enforcement truck getting into position to cut me off, which he did when the van in front of me drove by. I was ordered to stop and the officer proceeded to tell me that the tour of public land by public officials was by invite only and I had to turn around and go home.

I did not appreciate this undemocratic situation and told the officer so at which point he told me to back the car off the road and we could talk. At this point all the Forest Service officials and the Secretary and Congressman were gathered for a little photo shoot about 30 feet away.

The Forest Service law enforcement officer told me that I would not be allowed on the tour under any circumstances and that if I did not leave immediately I would be arrested.

Then, Secretary Veneman's bodyguard came over and said that if I wanted to leave a message with the Secretary, I could. Well, that was pointless. I said that I wanted to go along on the tour and present the media with the truth about logging in the Allegheny.

Well, he went back and discussed this with more people in suits and then I noticed the crowd was breaking up and everyone was getting back in their vehicles. Then the Secretary and Congressman came over to me and asked what I had to say.

Well, by that point.... a lot! And not just about forests. How about democracy and accountability.

But, they of course were pressd for time and quickly removed themselves to their vehicle and pressed on, while the law enforcement officer made sure I turned around and went home.

Living in America

Posted by: Ryan Talbott at April 22, 2004 01:26 PM

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