The House of Representatives will soon be voting on the 2018 Farm Bill, which would make big changes to the laws that protect public lands and their users. Among many harmful provisions, the House version of the bill would allow the Forest Service to bypass public input on clear cutting up to 6,000 acres (nearly 10 square miles!) in any single project. By comparison, even the largest Southeastern National Forests can sustainably support logging on only about 3,000 acres per year. As a result, this bill’s loophole would swallow every acre of logging in our region, and it would open up long-protected roadless areas to road construction and logging.
Our Southeastern National Forests provide clean drinking water to millions, provide places to play and explore for millions more, shelter countless rare wildlife species, and support diverse local economies built on tourism. By allowing industrial-scale logging in the wrong places, the bill places all those values at risk.
If the Forest Service needs to do a 6,000-acre project, it can do so already. But first it has to take input from the public about how they’d be affected, and it has to consider how water, soil, and wildlife habitat can be protected. The draft Farm Bill, however, would authorize logging without public involvement or consideration of impacts. This bill would guarantee that logging projects will get bigger, and they will get worse.
Public participation makes public lands work, but the House Farm Bill would remove the public’s voice.
Please call or write your representative in the House and tell them:
If you don’t have contact info for your representative, you can find her/him here:
http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page
Our Southeastern National Forests provide clean drinking water to millions, provide places to play and explore for millions more, shelter countless rare wildlife species, and support diverse local economies built on tourism. By allowing industrial-scale logging in the wrong places, the bill places all those values at risk.
If the Forest Service needs to do a 6,000-acre project, it can do so already. But first it has to take input from the public about how they’d be affected, and it has to consider how water, soil, and wildlife habitat can be protected. The draft Farm Bill, however, would authorize logging without public involvement or consideration of impacts. This bill would guarantee that logging projects will get bigger, and they will get worse.
Public participation makes public lands work, but the House Farm Bill would remove the public’s voice.
Please call or write your representative in the House and tell them:
- Public National Forest lands are important to you, and how you enjoy them (e.g., hiking, biking, boating, hunting, fishing, etc.).
- You’re disappointed to see the bad forestry provisions in the draft Farm Bill.
- The “categorical exclusions” for logging are unneeded and will harm other uses like recreation, water, wildlife, scenery, and tourism.
- The public should continue to have a say in how public lands are managed.
- You want them to vote AGAINST this version of the Farm Bill.
If you don’t have contact info for your representative, you can find her/him here:
http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page
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