National Forest Protection Alliance

America’s Endangered National Forests: Lumber, Landfill or Living Legacy?

While the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) celebrates its centennial in 2005, fundamental shifts in how our society relates to national forests offer hope for both the agency and the 192 million acre system it manages. However, to borrow a notable philosophical expression, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Despite shifts in the economic marketplace, growing environmental awareness, and changing social attitudes, logging and other resource extraction policies have not been adjusted to reflect the 21st Century.

The foresight of the enduring visionaries who worked to create a reserve of federally protected forests is astounding, particularly given the significant increase in the national forest system’s ecological and economic value since their inception 100 years ago. Much of the increase in economic value can be attributed to an increased level of residential and commercial development in the U.S. Yet now, trade liberalization, which results in an increase in imports to the U.S., and particularly increased production from private forestlands, where 73% of commercial forests are held, are key factors that are reducing pressure to log national forests.

America’s Endangered National Forests: Lumber, Landfill or Living Legacy? gives the reader an informative account of the important socio-economic benefits and uses that intact national forests provide. Given the significant value of these ecosystem services, and the fact that logging on national forests accounts for only 2% of U.S. wood supply, the National Forest Protection Alliance (NFPA) believes that industrial logging on national forests is no longer needed.

Typical of NFPA’s previous publications, this report delivers in-depth, on-the-ground profiles of some of the country’s most endangered national forests and provides an ecological status report of the current state of the national forest system. Lumber, Landfill, or Living Legacy? also analyzes the market pressure to log national forests and demonstrates how consumers may ultimately decide the fate of our remaining wildlands. Beyond the focus on the current marketplace for wood products from national forests, major findings include:

The Bush Administration rule changes to eliminate and ease environmental regulations have translated into a 300 MMBF increase in the logging program. Illustrative of these changes, Oregon is once again setting the logging pace by targeting its remaining old-growth forests. The USFS cites fire risk reduction and forest health as the primary management rationales. Due to their importance, the report features three Oregon forests. Despite noticeable gains in protection over the past five years, logging on eastern national forests continues to rise, as demonstrated in the profiles of the Allegheny, George Washington & Jefferson, Daniel Boone, and Mississippi National Forests.
Energy development for coal, oil, natural gas, and coalbed methane gas remains unchecked on a handful of national forests and a growing problem on many others. The Allegheny, Los Padres, Huron-Manistee and Carson National Forests are some of the largest national forest producers of oil, natural gas, and coalbed methane gas, respectively. The new forest plan for the Jefferson opens up 72% of the forest to natural gas leasing. In addition, coal mining is a major threat on the Daniel Boone and Wayne National Forests.
Other prominent threats to roadless and wilderness areas from logging, the use of outdoor recreational vehicles (ORVs), and urban encroachment and development also threaten the integrity of many national forests. Currently, in the Bighorn, Tongass, Siskiyou, Los Padres and George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, roadless areas are at risk. The widespread and often illegal use of ORVs contributes to the spread of invasive species and adversely impacts almost every forest that is featured in the report.

Meanwhile urban encroachment and transportation development are major issues on the Black Hills, Daniel Boone and George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. And finally, ski area development and other impacts from recreational activities pose serious threats to the Rio Grande, Bitterroot and Nantahala National Forests.