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Photos: Tongass logging proposal 'fatally flawed' according to Alaskan biologist Jeremy Hance mongabay.com June 15, 2010 "Unfortunately, the basic premise given as the reason for introducing your bill is fatally flawed, and needs to be seriously reconsidered by you and your staff before wasting the time of the Energy Committee and the rest of Congress regarding this misguided legislation," writes Gustafson to Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski, who is pushing the bill in question. The bill SB 881 is a proposal to give 80,000 acres of prime temperate rainforest—55 percent (43,695 acres) of which is old growth—to Sealaksa for logging. Owned by indigenous communities, Sealaska and Murkowski argue that the 80,000 acres is apart of land promised them by the federal government. However, the logging company is already the largest landowner in Southeast Alaska with over 290,000 acres of land.
According to locals logging in proposed areas presents a number of problems. Even amid the unique ecosystems of the Tongass—the largest temperate rainforest in the world—the acreage slated for logging is special: made up largely of ecologically-sensitive and rare karst limestone forests. In addition the area is home to two endangered subspecies: the Alexander Archipelago wolf and the Queen Charlotte goshawk. If logging occurs the protection of these species could fall under the Endangered Species Act setting up future battles in the courts. Local communities are also concerned about the economic impact for them if the logging goes ahead. Historically these communities were based on clear-cut logging; however, they have since made the transition to adventure and eco-tourism. If they lose adjacent forests, much of the economy will collapse according to local sources. In addition, Sealaska's environmental record has not instilled confidence, despite the company saying it will change its ways and practice sustainable logging. "How much consideration have you given to Sealaska’s previous environmental record and credibility?" Gustafson asks in his letter to Senator Murkowski. "In the opinion of many, the net result of Sealaska’s overly powerful influence has already irreversibly and irresponsibly damaged important resources and dimmed certain economic opportunities for SE Alaska."
"My assessment is that this legislation, if passed, would result in significant undesirable and permanent biological, economic, and social consequences. This is unfair special-interest legislation that will damage land management plans, wildlife resources, Alaska’s southeastern economy and the general populace in numerous and unpredictable ways. In a way, it is a 'bail-out' for problems that Sealaska created for itself, and it comes at a great expense to the government and the public interest," concludes Gustafson. Gustafson warns that if the bill becomes attached to a larger Omnibus land bill, which one local referred to as a 'worst nightmare', Senator Murkowski could pay for it in the voting booth. "I am certain that many of your constituents will remember it during the next election; surely the extinction of any one politician’s political career would be preferable to the extinction of any of Alaska’s wildlife," Gustafson writes. Local activists say the best way to stop SB 881 is to contact New Mexico Senator Bingaman since he is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In addition, the organization Alaska Wilderness League has an Action Alert on the issue.  View of Edna Bay overlooking Entrance Island. Edna Bay faces logging under the current bill. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  Alaska's state flower: forget-me-not in the Tongass forest. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  Newt in the Tongass forest. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  Fiddlehead fern growing on the forest floor of the Tongass. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  White flower growing on muskeg soil. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  Mountain peak in the Tongass forest. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra.  Moonlit night on the Tongass forest. Photo by: Tyler Poelstra. Related articles Logging in Tongass rainforest would imperil rare species 
(05/03/2010) According to a letter from three past employees of the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation to Sean Parnell, the Governor of Alaska, a proposal to bill logging the Tongass temperate rainforest would threaten two endangered species. In fact, the letter warns that if the bill passes and the company in question, Sealaska, proceeds with logging it is likely the Alexander Archipelago wolf and the Queen Charlotte goshawk would be pushed under the protection of the US Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Locals plead for Tongass rainforest to be spared from Native-owned logging corporation 
(04/29/2010) The Tongass temperate rainforest in Alaska is a record-holder: while the oldest and largest National Forest in the United States (spanning nearly 17 million acres), it is even more notably the world's largest temperate rainforest. Yet since the 1960s this unique ecosystem has suffered large-scale clearcutting through US government grants to logging corporations. While the clearcutting has slowed to a trickle since its heyday, a new bill put forward by Senator Lisa Murkowski (Rep.) gives 85,000 acres to Native-owned corporation Sealaska, raising hackles among environmentalists and locals who are dependent on the forests for resources and tourism.
U.S. approves logging of 381 acres of primary rainforest in Alaska (07/17/2009) The Obama administration moved this week to allow clear-cutting of 381 acres (154 ha) of primary temperate rainforest in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, reports the Environmental News Service (ENS). United States has higher percentage of forest loss than Brazil 
(04/26/2010) Forests continue to decline worldwide, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Employing satellite imagery researchers found that over a million square kilometers of forest were lost around the world between 2000 and 2005. This represents a 3.1 percent loss of total forest as estimated from 2000. Yet the study reveals some surprises: including the fact that from 2000 to 2005 both the United States and Canada had higher percentages of forest loss than even Brazil.
New report: boreal forests contain more carbon than tropical forest per hectare 
(11/12/2009) A new report states that boreal forests store nearly twice as much carbon as tropical forests per hectare: a fact which researchers say should make the conservation of boreal forests as important as tropical in climate change negotiations. The report from the Canadian Boreal Initiative and the Boreal Songbird Initiative, entitled "The Carbon the World Forgot", estimates that the boreal forest—which survives in massive swathes across Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe, and Russia—stores 22 percent of all carbon on the earth's land surface. According to the study the boreal contains 703 gigatons of carbon, while the world's tropical forests contain 375 gigatons.
New center for studying temperate rainforests announced in Alaska (08/18/2009) Temperate rainforests will soon have a new center in Juneau, Alaska. It is hoped that the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center (ACRC) will instigate new research and educational opportunities. Boreal forests in wealthy countries being rapidly destroyed (08/12/2009) Boreal forests in some of the world's wealthiest countries are being rapidly destroyed by human activities — including mining, logging, and purposely-set fires — report researchers writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
Tags: temperate forests forests logging governance united states alaska endangered species saving species from extinction jeremy hance green environment animals biodiversity conservation deforestation economics environmental activism activism environmental economics environmental politics forestry politics protected areas rainforest rainforest conservation rainforest destruction rainforest logging saving rainforests sustainable forest management threats to rainforests threats to the rainforest wildlife Photos Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements:
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