'Green' allies see environmental value in logging (Washington)

[jpak]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/327599_logging15.html

OLYMPIA -- Environmentalists and leading Democrats are advancing a new way to "green up" the state's portfolio by setting aside $70 million of state money to buy forestland for logging.

That may seem odd, but global warming has been redefining the rules of nature -- and politics, too. Environmentalists and their political allies say in the long run, logging is better for the planet than unchecked development.

That's causing timberlands and forestry to be seen in a whole new light.

Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Olympia, developed the budget proviso for the land purchases.

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[glowing]

1. Bullshit... trees help to reduce carbon dioxide... This is a bunch of

crap, not to mention what large logging operations do to the forest and their inhabitants.

[XemaSab]

6. Trees reduce CO2 by sequestering it in biomass

Full-grown trees sequester biomass at a lower rate than growing trees.

[losthills]

7. You would have to balance that gain

against the carbon expended in clearcutting them, transporting the logs to the mill, and burning the slash.

If you were only concerned with co2, and not with wildlife habitat....

[glowing]

8. You forget that a forest is not just a bunch of trees... apparantly these

environmentalists did too... I highly doubt their credentials at this point.... Logging is one of the most harmful things to an ecosytem.. But if you want to give up a forest for a growing sapling... I give up. Environmentalists are not what they used to be. Guess tree-hugging term is quite out.

[wordpix]

2. The article basically says WA wants logging ops over strip malls---DNR manages the latter, too

snip: The Department of Natural Resources currently manages 40 parcels of trust lands in commercial use worth about $140 million, spokeswoman Jane Chavey said.

Those properties include a JanSport warehouse, small strip malls and a vacant Kmart store. Last year, they generated about $9 million for the state. snip

Only since BushCo came to DC has a state dept. of natural resources managed strip malls. :puke: :(

[ramapo]

3. At least the trees grow back

Most all the forest remaining in North Jersey was clearcut at least twice, mostly during the 1800s.
You'd never know it today except there are few trees more than 100 or so years old.

[losthills]

5. You would know it

if you were able to compare it to the healthy diverse forest that is gone forever.

A real forest is more than just a lot of trees...

[losthills]

4. I might buy into it *if*

Selective Logging were practiced.

But it's not. Clearcutting is the only form of logging practiced today. Therefore I am against all logging of publically owned lands.

This is a red-herring that does not pass the stink test, anyway. There are far better recourses to protect forestland from development than opening it up to logging....