The Newest Threat to Our National Forests: The Chainsaw Collaboratives

[Judi Lynn]

Weekend Edition August 15-17, 2014
The Newest Threat to Our National Forests

The Chainsaw Collaboratives

by GEORGE WUERTHNER


Collaboratives have been initiated on many national forests across the West. The stated goal is to resolve controversial resource issues through cooperative discussions between various interests, Thus collaboratives typically include representatives of industry such as timber companies, ranchers, local tourist promotion, county commissioners, Forest Service, BLM, FWS, state and county government, and state wildlife agency representatives, recreational interests like horseman, mountain bikers, ORV interests and what are variously termed “environmentalists” which typically includes one or two paid staff of national or regional environmental groups like the Sierra Club, Wilderness Society and so forth.

I have participated to one degree or another in five collaboratives and I can attest that there are institutional biases inherent in all collaborative that makes them unlikely to promote policies that are in the best interest of the public in general, much less the integrity of the land. Indeed, some critics argue their purpose is to reduce public participation in public lands management decisions.

BIASED PARTICIPATION

First is the fact that participation in collaborative is voluntary. Meetings are typically scheduled during week days during “work” hours which is one way that overall public participation is significantly reduced. What happens is that most involvement is from those with a vested economic interest in the outcome– paid lobbyists of the timber industry, ranchers/grazing industry, ORV industry, and other groups.

One timber company representative acknowledged when asked why we were at the meeting said quite unabashedly that he was paid to be there to lobby for more logging.

One can question the ethics of allowing individuals with a direct financial stake in the outcome to participate in decision-making and recommendations that will benefit themselves or their employers.

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/15/the-chainsaw-collaboratives/

[NYC_SKP]

1. Rarely represented well, missing but vital, that group of citizens that are yet to be born.

But that these meetings or hearings could have an articulate representative speak for the future needs of our grandchildren, and their grandchildren.