April 6, 2010
Dear Washington Post Editor:
David Fahrenthold’s excellent article, In Eastern U.S., Woods Return, explored the many changes facing our eastern forests, from invasive species to a shifting climate. In addition to these known environmental challenges, our forests face another less recognized – yet equally critical – challenge: economics.
Nearly 60% of America’s forests are now privately owned – by families, businesses, nonprofits. These forests may well be lost – a parcel at a time – as economics compel private owners to sell land to developers, investors and others over the next decade or two. Like the environmental challenges in your piece, recognizing that we’re at a crossroads – an economic turning point – is the first step toward protecting our forests.
And that’s more important than you might realize. Forests filter our water, clean our air, provide products and goods, help employ millions of people, and shelter wildlife. To save our private forests, we must keep them working – and that means keeping markets for forest products viable.
Viable markets for wood products – whether in the form of wood for our homes, paper products we use every day, or new sources of renewable energy – give private landowners the resources and means to grow and retain America’s working forests and the many benefits they provide. To preserve and grow these markets, policy makers must foster an environment that allows responsibly managed forests to be profitable and create opportunities for new forest product markets, such as renewable energy, green building materials and carbon mitigation.
The fate of our forests depends on it.
Sincerely,
Larry Selzer, President and CEO, The Conservation Fund
David Tenny, President and CEO, National Alliance of Forest Owners
Tags: Working Forests
