Southern Forest Resource Assessment The suggestions or concerns below were submitted in response to preliminary assessment questions but did not directly fit with a particular question--for details see our Public Input or Methods pages

General Comments--Landscapes/Terrestrial Ecosystems It is important to know about the ecology of modern pine plantations. Using older research makes pine plantations look more wildlife friendly than they actually are. When making conclusions be sure to understand the changing nature of planted pine. Look at all impacts and rate them by their severity. Our experience is that the South is looked upon as a "Sacrifice Area." By this we mean as a place to maximize profits, despite impacts on the environment, and turn our beautiful, diverse, native, natural forests into pine plantations. We oppose this. We are in great danger of having our Southern forests destroyed by chip mills, roads and wrong destruction of our native forests and land. Keep giving us advice as to what we can do as individual citizens. I believe it is critical that the agencies address habitat protection, chip mill permits, massive clearcutting, and water quality issues. What is diversity? What does sustainable mean? Is something sustainable if it will generate enough income to sustain itself? Where's the guarantee in that? What if the people who control the flow of money decided that they will get a greater return elsewhere? Doesn’t the sustainable then become unsustainable? Will we the taxpayer then have to provide the sustenance? Couldn't we factor that into our definition of sustainable? A forest is not sustainable if it requires the inflow of human resources to maintain its present course of existence. Save Southern Forests: These Forests provide clean drinking water, protect habitat for hunting and fishing, and improve the quality of life for families throughout the South. Corporations must not build any new chip mills until we have more information about their impact on forests and have adequate safeguards in place for the forests. Thank you so much for taking your time to read this comment. This is a general comment. I am hugely impressed by the Southern Forest Resource Assessment, having just read your methodology and the questions generated for the assessment. What a good combination of brains and empiricism. 'Would that all forest decisions could be based on your models. Having lived in the South for several years and enjoyed its forests, I am very concerned about their future. As I read through your questions, I see many references to "the likely future" of various forest elements and values. You do not say what assumptions this "likely future" will be based on. It is important to recognize that people have considerable control over that future. What is the "desired future" of these elements and values? I also am concerned that the wording of several sections and questions suggests that what already is will have to continue to be. You should assess the opportunities for restoring more natural ecosystems and wildlife habitat to benefit wildlife, clean water, etc.. The focus appears to be on what the future may hold for forest products at the expense of other values. Your scope should be broad and include consideration of the cumulative effects of management for commercial products on functioning ecosystems, wildlife, and other noncommercial values, also. Question as revised in response to these comments Previous Question | Next Question Public Input Home | Methods | Assessment Home

  modified: 1-MAR-2000
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