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Protesters oppose mill in Chile, global logging pact By PAUL FATTIG A rally scheduled today in front of the Boise Cascade Corp. office in Medford is a precursor to demonstrations planned during the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Seattle. The noon rally, organized by environmental and local Labor Party activists, is also in opposition to the firm's planned mill in Chile. "This protest is a warm-up, a chance for people to express their opposition to the weakening of forest protection laws before the Seattle conference," explained Kyle Haines, a spokesman for the Klamath Forest Alliance, based in Etna, Calif. At issue is the global free logging agreement being considered by the WTO, which would eliminate tariffs on all wood products, and open up free trade, Haines said. The representatives of 135 WTO member countries will meet in Seattle Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. "It's no wonder Boise Cascade Corporation supports the global free logging agreement because it has been closing mills in the United States and replacing them with mills overseas," Haines said. As evidence, he cited plans by the firm to build a $180 million plant in southern Chile. The site is the heart of an important temperate rain forest, he said, noting it could threaten rare plants and animals. But Doug Bartels, communications manager for the firm's headquarters in Boise, Idaho, said those opposing construction of the mill have their facts wrong. He also rejected his firm's connection with the WTO. Bartels said the Chile plant will be similar to one the firm built in Canada in that it will produce engineered wood out of thin strands of wood known as "oriented strand boards," he said. "Instead of big old trees you can use lower value trees that previously had no value," he said. "The project we propose will be operated at the same standards we have in Medford and White City," he added. "We are applying North American environmental standards in Chile. They are the same ethics and principles as we use in the Medford region." As for the rally, Bartels said he had no objections. "They have the right to protest," he said. "They are entitled to their opinions." The opinion of those involved in the rally, one of several being held throughout the world today, is that logging firms are going abroad in search of larger forest reserves, cheap labor and less strict environmental laws, Haines said. The global free logging agreement would eliminate trade barriers that protect the environment as well as workers' rights, he said. It would also stop current bans on exporting raw logs, he added. The Labor Party is concerned about the WTO because it poses a threat to American workers, said Wes Brain of Ashland, a member of the organizing committee of the Rogue Valley Labor Party. "We have grave concerns about the WTO," Brain said, noting that members of the party, many of whom are affiliated to unions, will be at the rally. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA