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'Charter' idea intrigues both sides in forest oversight issue By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Dave Hill, executive vice president of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, figures it's an idea whose time has come. But Dominick DellaSala, an Ashland-based forest ecologist with the World Wildlife Fund, is a bit wary, albeit somewhat intrigued. At issue is a proposal floated by the Bush administration to create "charter forests." Surfacing in the president's budgetary wish list released Feb. 4, it would establish a pilot program for a new category of federal forest to be managed locally. Although details are yet to be announced, it would likely be managed locally. Certain national forests or portions of them could become separate entities that report to local trusts for oversight, rather than to the Forest Service, according to the budget. A forester by training, Hill thinks a charter forest could serve as an experiment to end the debate over forest management. "It would be a very interesting experiment," Hill said. "You could have a three-way experiment with industry managing a third, give another third to an environmental organization to manage and a third to public land management agency already involved in land management. "You could give the public agency veto power at any time," he added. DellaSala, director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Regional Program for the WWF, worries that that a charter forest could pave the way for logging trucks. "The devil is in the details," he said. "We have no idea of the details. We haven't seen any criteria by which these charter forests would be managed. "But if the criteria was to restore forests damaged by industrial logging since World War II, then it would probably be a good thing," he added. "You could employ locals in restoration activities." Just how a charter forest would operate - or where, for that matter - is anyone's guess. Forest Service employees in Southern Oregon are waiting for word from Washington on what it would entail. Mark Rey, the agriculture undersecretary who oversees the agency, told the Associated Press that he wants to use one or two national forests as case studies to see if the government can remove "procedural bottlenecks" that occur in day-to-day management and emphasize local involvement in decision-making. The goal is not to increase any particular activity, such as logging or recreation, but to reduce management costs on tasks such as drafting complex environmental documents required under federal regulations, he said. But environmental activists like DellaSala note that Rey is a former timber industry lobbyist who also worked for two conservative Western Republicans - Sens. Larry Craig of Idaho and Frank Murkowski of Alaska. Congress will have to approve the charter forest concept if it is to take root. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., a member of the House Agriculture Committee, generally favors increased local control, but he is waiting for additional information, said spokesman Dallas Boyd. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the forests subcommittee of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he favors eliminating red tape, but promised the plan would be scrutinized closely. DellaSala looks for a lengthy congressional debate if the proposal moves forward. "Rey has previous ties to the timber corporations," he said. "We are concerned it may be an effort to undo environmental protection which this administration has been trying to do. If that's the case, this would be a very bad thing." Most national forests were created early in the last century to protect natural values, he said. "There was a need for the Forest Service," he said of land management to stop overcutting and overgrazing. "This administration appears to be trying to shift the balance back to the way it was." Yet he also believes a charter forest could have potential, given the proper balance. "If it would get more locals involved in restoration jobs in the woods, using ecological guidelines, it could be a good thing," he reiterated. Hill sees it as an opportunity for environmental groups to be given an opportunity to demonstrate how they would or wouldn't manage a forest. "This is worth pursuing and developing," he said. He said he envisions an entire forest or a large tract of forestland divided into three parts with the industry managing one, an environmental group another and a land-management agency the third. Each would be required to abide by the current laws, he said. Each parcel could be reviewed every few years, he added. "I think the forest products industry could show a balanced and sustainable approach, that we could produce commodities, protect the environment and improve fisheries and wildlife habitat," he said. "I believe we could do as good or better job than the public agencies and better than the environmental groups,' he added. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.