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People working together for social, economic and environmental justice in Tennessee
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For release February 23, 2004
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Contact:
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SOCM office
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Andree Maddox
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(865) 426-9455
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(931) 686-2012
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Legislators Debate Clearcutting:
SOCM asks for Public Input
(Tracy City, TN) Motorists along some of the state's rural highways may see roadside advertising of a different kind over the next month in the form of billboards urging forestry regulation.
Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) launches an education campaign to get public input as state legislators in the House and Senate Environment Committees debate the issue of clearcutting and what to do about it.
Billboards are going up in key areas around the state as well as public service announcements to publicize SOCM's toll free hotline number: 1-877-431-SOCM (7626) which will allow staff to put the public in touch with their legislators.
Billboard sites include Tracy City, Spencer, McMinnville, Dickson, and Caryville.
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SOCM, a 31 year old, grassroots community organization based in rural Tennessee, feels the public needs to play a role in this debate.
"When you have 5,000 acre clearcuts like those on the Plateau, it impacts the surrounding community," said John Wund, chair of SOCM's forestry committee.
Legislators are becoming more aware of the issue as theyšre hearing from constituents who are directly impacted by poor logging practices.
The state Senate Environment Committee heard a presentation from Wund last week and from the Department of Agriculture this week on the condition of Tennesseešs forests.
Although both sides agreed there was a problem with clearcutting, Mike Countess, Assistant Commissioner for Department of Agriculture said the problem was purely visual, while SOCM explained the environmental and economic consequences of allowing this practice to go completely unregulated.
Meanwhile, citizens continue to lobby for legislative safeguards to protect their communities from the rate of timber harvesting by out of state timber interests.
SOCM's legislative proposal, which requires permits for new or expanding chip, pulp, paper mills or log loading facilities, has received praise from many impacted residents.
" Our mountain has just been devastated," said Andree Maddox of Harrison Ferry Mountain in Warren County, TN, site of what is believed to be the statešs largest clearcut - at least 5,000 acres.
"This bill would give people a voice in whether to locate another major timber consuming facility in our backyards. There is a public hearing before a permit would be granted."
The bill, HB1159 (D-McDonald, Sumner County)/ SB 934 (R-Fowler, Hamilton County), would require the state to look at the potential drain area of the proposed facility to determine the impact of the additional logging on tourism recreation, water quality, wildlife, and existing local wood businesses.
If there is a substantial negative impact or if there is not enough timber available for the new facility, the permit would be denied.
Rod Glover: "We just found out that there is about to be some big logging projects here," so we called SOCM. "We couldnšt believe there were no laws on the rate of harvest or on logging practices. We are supportive of SOCM's bill."
SOCM's education campaign comes just as the state Forestry Commission is about to release a report on policy recommendations on this issue.
The Commission held a series of public hearings last fall to get input about the impact of the Southern Forest Resource Assessment study on forest policy in the state.
Hundreds of residents and over a dozen citizen, watershed, and environmental organizations testified about their concern with the lack of forest practices regulation in Tennessee.
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