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March 25, 2005
Logging, Oil & Gas drilling increases in 2004
The 2004 Annual Report is out for the Allegheny National Forest - oil & gas drilling increased over the past year and the amount of timber sold from the forest nearly doubled. Logging itself also increased with over 1,300 acres being clearcut and about 2,400 acres being thinned for future clearcutting.
While this increase is not good to see, it is still well below what the Forest Service (and the timber industry) would like to see. Here's some pics from recent clearcutting and oil & gas drilling in the Little Salmon Creek watershed.
PGE oil well in FR 165 re-entry clearcut.
Another PGE well in FR 165 re-entry clearcut.
This is why we do what we do. This clearcut was part of the FR 165 re-entry timber sale. Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) continues to degrade the entire Salmon Creek watershed with their intensive oil and gas extraction activities. 321 new oil and gas wells were drilled in 2004, the second highest amount since 1986. It is irresponsible for the Forest Service to ignore the impacts of oil and gas drilling on this National Forest.
These pictures were taken just a few miles north of Marienville, the town I grew up in. It's hard to relate the feelings I had when I stood in that clearcut and saw so many new oil and gas wells and their associated facilities (roads, storage tanks, pipelines, etc.) Corporations have complete control over the Allegheny National Forest. I fear what the Allegheny will look like in 20 years if the current rate of oil and gas drilling continues. Who will want to come to the Allegheny for recreation purposes? Who is going to want to come back to a forest that is full of oil and gas wells and clearcuts to perpetuate black cherry?
Ryan
Posted by Ryan at March 25, 2005 02:18 PM
Comments
Hunters and ATVers. Hunters and ATVers.
To answer both your questions.
You ALMOST asked a question of what the forest (ANF) would look like in 20 years of this exploitation, but you didn't. You said you "feared" what it might look like if this same rate of raping the land took place (I'm paraphrasing) ...
Well, Ryan, I think it's impossible for that to happen. Drilling the SAME rate of wells per year than they drilled this year? VERY unlikely. Physically impossible ... There isn't that much oil to be had! At the rate they are pumping it ... it will all be gone sooner than that. That and the fact that contrary to my wife's belief, the republican "Oil Regime" may not be in power that long (8 years of Chaney, 8 years of Jeb Bush, then 8 years of Kathleen Harris) ... or MAYBE they will! My mistake ....
BUT IF we were to return to a system of fair elections in this country, AND the democrats somehow won control ... perhaps the scheme or scam to artificially keep the barrel of oil price so high (Bush- $13 per barrel to $57 per barrel) would not continue and the price would drop so fast and so far ... that the wells would be shut down real fast! My prediction is that in just 4 or 5 years both Oil and Gas and logging will come to a near complete stop in the ANF. What we will have to deal with is the mess left behind. Thank god nature has a way of reclaiming the land faster and better than man can. I think 2004, 2005 or maybe 2006 may be "their" heyday. Twenty years from now the forest (and ANF) will be a different place entirely. Never mind the fact that the oil won't last more than 5 to 10 years ... our cars will be powered by water (Hydrogen, H2O) by then.
So many products will be made from plastics, and carbon based compounds that the trees will be in far less demand. There will be far less logging in the (near) future. You may actually like the ANF 20 years from now ... Hope I'm still able to hike it with you!
Stony!
Posted by: Stony ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.alleghenydefense.org/chronicles/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 30, 2005 08:12 AM
I hope you are correct about the Allegheny being a different place in 20 years. I just hope that during the interim, the forest is not fragmented and degraded any more than it already is.
I think if oil and gas companies feel they can make any profit, they will continue to drill heavily in the Allegheny. Afterall, they are getting taxpayers to pay for road construction plus they get those black cherry trees when they construct a new road.
As far as logging, I'm not sure if the products you speak of are going to replace the Forest Service's desire to get out the cut for black cherry, which is used primarily for extravagant furniture and veneer.
At any rate, I hope to be here in 20 years and will always be up for a hiking (or caving) expedition.
Ryan
Posted by: paprog at March 31, 2005 11:04 AM
Wow, Ivory Billed's in Arkansas. If we can stop the extraction, maybe the passenger pigeon will make an appearance in Pigeon!
Posted by: Rj at April 28, 2005 07:17 PM
Their "desired results" amd "desired future conditions" are powerful weapons.
Posted by: Rj at April 29, 2005 06:09 AM
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