Going after the remaining old growth trees again.

[Ellipsis]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2016/11/05/state-forests-see-more-cutting/93204452/

Wisconsin officials are earmarking nearly 40,000 more acres of state forestland for intensive logging — a move pushed by the Legislature to provide a fresh source of timber to the forest products industry.

But opponents, which see the change as a major shift in the management of public forests, question the need for such action and are worried about the potential ecological harm that could come from more logging.

They also criticized lawmakers for limiting public involvement in the process, including the role of the citizen-led Natural Resources Board to review changes in how timber is harvested in state forests.

In 2015, lawmakers working on the state budget directed the DNR to increase acreage eligible for the most intensive timber cutting to 75% of northern state forests. That’s up from the current level of 66%.

The change means that about 39,000 acres in newly reclassified timber stands will be subject to a generally more aggressive cycle of logging. Some forestland will be cut starting next year; trees on other parcels will be scheduled for harvest in future years

[MFM008]

1. repukes are very emboldened

by this "election".

[ewagner]

2. Something strange going on up north

I've been in a good number of legislative "briefings" where representatives from the North have actively criticized Repub lawmakers for NOT ALLOWING more timber harvesting in the northwoods. These representatives were primarily County elected officials complaining that limiting the harvesting of trees in the national forests was damaging to the economy and ALSO BAD FORESTRY MANAGEMENT.

The GOP types promised action. Looks like they got it.

Next up????

The same county reps are pushing for reestablishment of rail service to the north to transport the harvested lumber....it's an appealing proposal because the number of logging trucks it will remove from the highway is significant...and another good excuse for Madison to cut highway funding for the North.

[Ellipsis]

3. Selective harvesting is a good practice

But this ain't that romantic lumberjack industry from the forties.

Walker won't be around much longer. His Cronies want the last of the old growth. They'll take it by ship.

[ewagner]

4. Agreed....

I sympathize with the reps from Northern Wisconsin Counties. They have little to hope for in the way of development with the possible exception of tourism. They have fewer and fewer dollars to support health and human services portions of their budgets which are not part of state responsibility and even less to spend on highways and bridges. They need economic development and unfortunately they see logging as the only possible financially viable alternative.

but... (and there's always a but...)

logging is more mechanized than ever before and I'm not sure how many jobs additional logging will create. Beyond that, there is the question of just how sustainable logging is.

I was a Mayor of a medium sized city "up north". That city's history was a tale of "boom and bust" and all the "booms" were resource extraction and all the "busts" were when the resource ran out or the markets didn't need the resource any longer. I kept asking, "What did we learn?" and the citizens in their desire for a quick turnaround of the economy ALWAYS answered by their actions: NOTHING.