Western Governors: private sector should be utilized to improve federal forest management

The Western Governors’ Association delivered a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack last week requesting increased attention on environmentally stressed national forest land and inclusion of the private sector in efforts to reduce epidemics such as pine beetle infestations and wildfires. The letter: Dear Secretary Vilsack, We have been concerned for some time that federal forest lands throughout the West…

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Healthy Forests, Healthy Economy Can Coexist

by Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare in 4/25/13 Grants Pass Daily Courier With the devastating news that Cave Junction’s Rough & Ready Lumber Co. is closing after more than 90 years in business, I am more adamant than ever that federal forest policy is broken and our federal government has failed the good people of…

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Balanced solution needed for timber’s future

By David Montgomery from http://registerguard.com In recent guest viewpoint columns, environmental extremists have argued that the only solution for our struggling timber counties is to raise taxes on rural Oregonians. They don’t hide their real agenda, which is to shut down our federal forests to any sustainable management, regardless of how harmful it would be…

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