Logging bill chops into necessary protection

[montana500]

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http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/editorials/article/0,2845,MCA_25348_4698764,00.html

"Natural disturbance is an integral part of all forest ecosystems. Disturbances such as fire in western forests and the hurricanes, windstorms and ice storms of the East promote the creation of diverse habitats. Dead trees leave "legacies" of standing and fallen logs, which are home to a myriad of organisms, from woodpeckers and flying squirrels to fungi and bacteria, that help recycle critical forest nutrients bound up in the wood.
But to some, natural disturbances are an opportunity to exploit the public lands for short-term economic gain. The U.S. House is expected this week to vote on a bill, the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act (HR 4200), that promotes logging after natural disturbances by eliminating the normal environmental reviews and public involvement process required by the National Environmental Policy Act.


As far as national forests in the South and in the eastern United States are concerned, there is simply no justification for the measures called for by HR 4200. "