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People working together for social, economic and environmental justice in Tennessee
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Forestry Action Alerts
News of hearings and pending legislation... Things you can do now to help SOCM members organize and take action for environmental justice in Tennessee.
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STRIPPED BARE AND UGLY?
Is this what the land around you that used to be beautiful forest is starting to look like?
FIND OUT HOW to document and file complaints about bad logging practices with the TN Department of Environment and Conservation.
SEE WHAT WE SEE
when Southwings helps us take our legislators on fly overs!
READ ON... SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
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BILL TO CONTROL CHIP MILLS AND CLEAR
CUTTING
SOCM has introduced legislation to regulate chip, pulp, and paper mills
and log staging areas. See the Forestry Committee page for information
about this bill.
Please take a minute to express your concern about unregulated clear
cutting
and the need to support the Tennessee Forest Resources Protection Act. You
can write about your own experiences with the problem or your general feelings on the topic.
Your letter should go to your legislator and your local newspaper.
To find out who your legislator is, go to the TN Legislative Website. We can
also send your letter for you. (For a sample letter, see below.)
Please send a copy of your letter to SOCM's Forestry Committee Staff person or ask for information
about what you can do to help get responsible forestry legislation passed in our state.
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WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR (Be sure to include your name, address, and phone number.)
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Here are links to help you email
a letter to some Tennessee newspapers:
• Memphis Commercial Appeal
• LaFollette Press
• The Oak Ridger
• Robertson
County Times
• The Gallatin News Examiner
• Kingsport Times-News website
• Daily News of Kingsport
• Cookeville Herald Citizen
General (send a copy of your letter to the closest large paper):
• The Tennessean
• Chattanooga Free Times & Press
• Knoxville News-Sentinel
SAMPLE LETTER to newspapers:
Dear Editor:
I am very concerned about the lack of legislation to regulate the amount and rate of timber harvesting in Tennessee.
Right now industrial chip mills can set up operation without any notice, then begin
clear cutting thousands of acres.
People start to see more mud in the creeks, tourism impacted because of the cutting, fishing & hunting habitat destroyed, and small sawmills shut down. Thousands of citizens across the state live near these clearcuts, and they're pretty mad that these out-of-state companies are doing all this cutting and the local people don't have a say.
We're asking for some balance between industry interests and the rights of communities.
There is a bill in the state legislature that would help ensure our state is not completely clearcut and that we save some forests for our future.
The Tennessee Forest Resources Protection Act would require any new (or expanding) chipmills that come to Tennessee to apply for a permit.
The permit would only be granted if it can be shown that there is enough timber in the area surrounding the chipmill to feed the mill without having a negative impact on local communities.
The bill also requires existing mills that produce or consume over 80,000 tons of pulpwood a year to register with the state.
This bill does not put any regulations on local sawmills, landowners, or loggers. The permit provision of the bill only applies to chip mills that have the capacity to use 80,000 tons of pulpwood or more in a year.
The bill will not cost the taxpayers anything. Fees will be paid by the businesses covered under the bill to cover the costs of the forest resources study and the registration & permitting process.
I encourage all concerned citizens to contact their state legislators and ask for their support for this bill.
Sincerely, ______________(your name)
OTHER KEY POINTS YOU COULD MAKE IN YOUR LETTER:
• There are currently 5 large chipmills in the state which consume over 140,000 acres of forests annually.
4 of these mills are from OUT-OF-STATE, with parent companies that grossed 34 billion dollars in 2000.
• Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) estimates that with passage of the bill an average of 2 permit applications will be reviewed annually.
• The South has seen a surge in chip mill expansion in the last 10 years with the number of such mills rising from under 40 in 1985 to currently over 150.
Chip mills turn whole logs into wood chips for making paper, particleboard, rayon and other products. Wood chipping is the most unregulated, highly mechanized arm of industrial forestry.
A single chip mill can easily turn 100 TRUCKLOADS OF TREES PER DAY into wood chips.
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MEETINGS AND HEARINGS
In addition to public hearings on statewide issues, various SOCM chapters are concerned with local issues which include attending public hearings.
To learn more about what can be accomplished by attending these public hearings, contact the main SOCM OFFICE or see this web site's
CONTACTS PAGE for information on contacting a local chapter.
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IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEARINGS
None scheduled at this time
For more information, see the CONTACTS PAGE or phone (865) 426-9455.
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OTHER ISSUES
If you are interested in attending a SOCM chapter meeting in your area or finding out more about any of SOCM's committees,
please go to the CONTACTS page for the appropriate person(s) to contact.
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