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US Forest Service plans for the
Future - With Snowmobilers in Mind
By Ed Klim
President, International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association
I recently attended two sessions with the U.S. Forest Service where we
discussed outdoor recreation, snowmobiling and forest management.
The meetings were positive and emphasized the need for all of us to
educate the next generation about our forestlands and the rural
communities that serve them.
The rural economy, which is dependent on snowmobiling, is under
pressure because of job loss and population decline. The rural
community and the gateway communities to our forests and National
Parks serve as the hubs of activity for the visitors to these great lands.
They serve the Government employees that work and live on these
lands. The gateway communities supply the water and sewer that are
needed for society to maintain its existence adjacent to the forests.
There is a growing separation between those living in urban areas and
those in the rural areas and we need to help bring these groups
together, since most of us interact with both segments of society.
The issue of forest wildfires is high on the business plan of virtually
every U.S. Forest. Wildfires have destroyed substantial sections of our
National Forest land and these fires have a terrible impact on tourism.
Wildfires destroy millions of feet of quality timber each year, timber
that could be used for housing. For a period of time our forests were
not adequately managed and fuel was allowed to build up in the forests.
Firebreaks were not maintained, access roads for fire fighting
equipment were closed thereby allowing wildfires to ravage our forest
heritage. Most saw mills in the United States are now closed. As these
saw mills closed, the logging crews that had worked our forests for
years also left. These logging crews served as a key segment of our
wildfire-fighting group. They not only had knowledge of the land, but
they also had the equipment and the ability to fight fires. These
volunteer firefighters, who were members of logging crews, are no
longer working in our forests.
The ill conceived "preservation approach" which led to the devastation
was joined by an attack on the timber industry. Today, in the United
States, we harvest approximately 2 billion board feet of timber per year.
In the early 1980's we harvested 10 billion board feet per year from our
forests. Our forests now generate over 20 billion board feet of new
growth a year and we continue to only harvest 2 billion board feet per
year. More than 65% of all the wood used in the United States for
building homes, schools and churches is imported from outside the
United States. The importing of wood is adding to our negative account
balance and has cost the United States economy hundreds of thousands
of jobs. Understanding what is happening to our timber industry is
important. Timber paid the bills at the Forest System and it paid for
many college educations, as well as many family homes and churches.
The decline of timber harvesting in our forests impacts on the budget,
which ultimately impacts on recreation activities.
The Healthy Forest Initiative, promoted by President Bush and passed
by the US Congress in 2003 is a major step forward in reducing the
fuel build up in forests throughout the United States, but we still have a
long way to go. Many of the Healthy Forest Initiatives continue to be
opposed by members of the Environmental Community.
The meetings ended on a positive note highlighting the many benefits
recreation on public land offers all of us. The Forest Service agrees
with snowmobilers, believing that healthy forests and recreation are
good for the social fabric of society, good for families, great for
children, and great for the economy. Today's leaders of the forest
service understand the tasks ahead of them and are looking for your
support to accomplish them. The US Forests belong to all of us. I
encourage you to participate with your local forest management team.
If you snowmobile in a National Forest, I encourage you to stop by the
office and volunteer to be a friend of the forest and participate in any
way you can in helping maintain our forests and keeping them open and
healthy for our families.
Future - With Snowmobilers in Mind
By Ed Klim
President, International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association
I recently attended two sessions with the U.S. Forest Service where we
discussed outdoor recreation, snowmobiling and forest management.
The meetings were positive and emphasized the need for all of us to
educate the next generation about our forestlands and the rural
communities that serve them.
The rural economy, which is dependent on snowmobiling, is under
pressure because of job loss and population decline. The rural
community and the gateway communities to our forests and National
Parks serve as the hubs of activity for the visitors to these great lands.
They serve the Government employees that work and live on these
lands. The gateway communities supply the water and sewer that are
needed for society to maintain its existence adjacent to the forests.
There is a growing separation between those living in urban areas and
those in the rural areas and we need to help bring these groups
together, since most of us interact with both segments of society.
The issue of forest wildfires is high on the business plan of virtually
every U.S. Forest. Wildfires have destroyed substantial sections of our
National Forest land and these fires have a terrible impact on tourism.
Wildfires destroy millions of feet of quality timber each year, timber
that could be used for housing. For a period of time our forests were
not adequately managed and fuel was allowed to build up in the forests.
Firebreaks were not maintained, access roads for fire fighting
equipment were closed thereby allowing wildfires to ravage our forest
heritage. Most saw mills in the United States are now closed. As these
saw mills closed, the logging crews that had worked our forests for
years also left. These logging crews served as a key segment of our
wildfire-fighting group. They not only had knowledge of the land, but
they also had the equipment and the ability to fight fires. These
volunteer firefighters, who were members of logging crews, are no
longer working in our forests.
The ill conceived "preservation approach" which led to the devastation
was joined by an attack on the timber industry. Today, in the United
States, we harvest approximately 2 billion board feet of timber per year.
In the early 1980's we harvested 10 billion board feet per year from our
forests. Our forests now generate over 20 billion board feet of new
growth a year and we continue to only harvest 2 billion board feet per
year. More than 65% of all the wood used in the United States for
building homes, schools and churches is imported from outside the
United States. The importing of wood is adding to our negative account
balance and has cost the United States economy hundreds of thousands
of jobs. Understanding what is happening to our timber industry is
important. Timber paid the bills at the Forest System and it paid for
many college educations, as well as many family homes and churches.
The decline of timber harvesting in our forests impacts on the budget,
which ultimately impacts on recreation activities.
The Healthy Forest Initiative, promoted by President Bush and passed
by the US Congress in 2003 is a major step forward in reducing the
fuel build up in forests throughout the United States, but we still have a
long way to go. Many of the Healthy Forest Initiatives continue to be
opposed by members of the Environmental Community.
The meetings ended on a positive note highlighting the many benefits
recreation on public land offers all of us. The Forest Service agrees
with snowmobilers, believing that healthy forests and recreation are
good for the social fabric of society, good for families, great for
children, and great for the economy. Today's leaders of the forest
service understand the tasks ahead of them and are looking for your
support to accomplish them. The US Forests belong to all of us. I
encourage you to participate with your local forest management team.
If you snowmobile in a National Forest, I encourage you to stop by the
office and volunteer to be a friend of the forest and participate in any
way you can in helping maintain our forests and keeping them open and
healthy for our families.