Leave Cypress Forests to Landowners
Posted on: Friday, 15 July 2005, 18:00 CDT
Nearly 90 percent of forest land in Louisiana is privately owned. This holds true for wetland forests in south Louisiana where cypress logging has generated much attention. Contrary to some beliefs, every private landowner has some objective in mind for his forest land. No one conducts activity that intentionally destroys his property.
Private landowners have plans for their property. They may not be sophisticated plans, but they are plans nonetheless. Foresters assist many landowners in developing their plans and putting the landowners' wishes and intentions on paper. These management plans are guides for the landowner to manage his forest resource today and into the future.
Many products come from our forests. Private landowners are encouraged to seek the best markets for their timber. Most often the landowner will sell timber for lumber and higher-valued products, using only the by-products for mulch.
The forest inventory of wetland forests shows we have more cypress forests than we had 14 years ago. It also shows that more cypress forests die than are harvested each year. Thinning forests and using small-diameter material for products such as mulch allow the rest of the forest to grow healthier, reducing the high mortality of cypress forests. Private landowners care a great deal about their forests. The public benefits from private forests include property taxes, jobs and environmental quality.
Louisiana can advance cypress forestry by encouraging landowners to manage their resources, not by raising onerous restrictions or determining where wood can be used. Private investment and management ensures the long-term sustainability of this resource and the greatest benefit to the public.
Recent actions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop wetland forestry have created great losses of timber resources. The corps' refusal to allow the removal of timber that was already harvested left more than $200,000 worth of timber to rot on the ground. These actions send a shivering signal to other landowners that management of their forest is in jeopardy. Remember, these are not forests along the coastline accessible by mudboat. These are inland woods in Livingston and other parishes that you reach by truck.
We know that the biggest threats to our wetland, cypress forests come from soil subsidence and saltwater intrusion, activities that are beyond the control of the forest landowner. Timber management and harvesting are the only activities under the control of the landowner that keep private investment in forestry and our future.
C.A. "Buck" Vandersteen, executive director
La. Forestry Association
2316 S. MacArthur Drive
Alexandria
Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.
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